Cityfeeds.com - Baghdad

Look through our windows :D

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:03:20 GMT

Stuck home for couple of days due to a heavy snow session:D look how beautiful the photos are! :)

Tanks

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:03:20 GMT

I Just found this picture couple of days ago. I took it back in 2005 in Baghdad, I was driving behind the tanks. Stopped the car and dragged the camera and filmed that scene through the wind shield, it was raining. This is a still picture of one of the short films i made for CBC back then.

More than one million Iraqis dead since 2003 invasion: study

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:03:19 GMT

January 30, 2008 LONDON (AFP) — More than one million Iraqis have died because of the war in Iraq since the US-led invasion of the country in 2003, according to a study published Wednesday. A fifth of Iraqi households lost at least one family member between March 2003 and August 2007 due to the conflict, said data compiled by London-based Opinion Research Business (ORB) and its research partner

يأس و بئس الإحتلال ... وأحاديث عراقية محظورة في السياسة والمقاومة .. رعد الجبوري

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:35:25 GMT

احاديث عراقية محظورة في السياسة والمقاومة واشياء اخرى

الجزء الأول: " نُذُر (التهدئة) المشؤومة.... أحاديث في ما هو مسكوت عنه في موضوع المقاومة العراقية" 22-9-2007

الجزء الثاني: "لا شيء نجح سابقاً في العامرية .. إلا الخيانة" 25-9-2007

الجزء الثالث: "مجالس "سياسية" للمقاومة أم مجالس "لتسييس" المقاومة-حديث مكرر في (نظرية) المؤامرة" 31 آيار 2008

الجزء الرابع: "العملية السياسية... الأستدراج والتوريط" 12 تموز 2008

الجزء الخامس: "هل نجحت تجربة العمل السياسي الحزبي والجبهوي في العراق ؟؟" 26 تموز 2008

الجزء السادس: "ما الذي يواجه العراق ... قيادة أزمة ام أزمة قيادة ؟؟ " 2 أب 2008ـ

الأجزاء الستة

Ayad Allawi - Within the constraints of his affiliations

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:35:24 GMT

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A deep insight, by Ayad Allawi, on his position on several issues facing Iraq today including Sectarianism, Kirkuk, the Surge, Iran, Democracy, Mistakes, etc....

Ayad Allawi: Reconcilliation in Iraq (video 45 minutes, click on Discussion and skip the flimsy Introduction and Remarks) July 25, 2008
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ـ"هناك ظاهرة خطيرة قد تنجم عن السعي غير المشروع وغير المبرر لبعض القيادات السياسية للوصول الى (الزعامة) وهو التنسيق مع الأجهزة الأمنية والمخابراتية الإقليمية والدولية، في أمور يبدو ظاهرها المصلحة الوطنية العراقية على طريق الخلاص من الاحتلال الأمريكي للعراق وتبعاته، ولكنها تستبطن من جهة اخرى الكثير من المصالح الذاتية والفردية، وقد تنتهي بالبعض منهم الى التحول الى (مخبرين) و (أدلاء) أذلاء لتلك الاجهزة المخابراتية. وإذا كان لهذا التعاون من ضرورة وطنية ضاغطة، فيفترض أن يتم تحت نظر وتقييم دقيق من قبل (مرجعية) وطنية محايدة ولا يشك بولائها للعراق ومقاومته الوطنية، كي تكون هذه (المرجعية) مطلعة على ما يجري، ولتمنع تكرار ما حدث مع (المعارضة) السابقة (لنظام صدام حسين). وليس ببعيد عنا اعتراف (أياد علاوي) على رؤوس الأشهاد، بتعاونه مع ستة عشر جهاز مخابرات اقليمي ودولي قبل الغزو الأمريكي في سبيل إسقاط نظام صدام حسب قوله. ـ

أنظر الجزء السادس من " يأس و بئس الإحتلال ... وأحاديث عراقية محظورة في السياسة والمقاومة .. رعد الجبوري"ـ

One of these constraints (2004)

Hello Turkia :)

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:00:07 GMT

By the time you're reading this, and if all goes as scheduled, I should be in Turkey! I know because this is a scheduled post and we're leaving on the 31st :)

We're going with a group of physicians and their families, the date of departure was kept a secret for security reasons.. See how secretive I am?! I'm so proud of myself and it's so cool to use scheduled posts and actually need it ;)

The trip is supposed to last 15 days, 7 different hotels in 7 different cities! We're going to try to stay longer if it wasn't too tedious because we all need a serious rest after all this tension at home. We'll see!
In the meanwhile, I wish every one is enjoying and making the best of his/her time, myself included :)

Two books that shed light on dark corners of the occupation of Iraq

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:31:50 GMT

يوميات الجنود الأمريكان في بلاد الرافدين
جمع وترجمة بثينة الناصري*
.

لأول مرة في اية لغة ، تجمع يوميات ورسائل وقصائد ومدونات واعترافات الجنود الأمريكان في بلاد الرافدين. كتاب لا يستغنى عنه لمعرفة ماذا يجري حقيقة على أرض المعركة ، دون رتوش او دعاية من أي جانب.ـ
مشكلة الجندي الامريكي هي المفارقة التي يعيشها حين يكون "العدو" شعبا اعزل يعيش في قرى ومدن وقصبات على بعد آلاف الاميال عن الشواطيء الاميركية، ودون ان يكون لهذا الشعب عداوة مع الشعب الامريكي.ـ
كما انه يحارب جماعات من هذا الشعب لا يرتدون حتى زيا خاصا فهم ليسوا جيشا نظاميا وانما رجال يدافعون عن أرضهم، وهم بهذا الصفات لا يمكن ان تزعم انك استطعت "تدمير العدو" لأنك حين تقتل واحدا ينبع لك عشرة.ـ
ولايمكن ان تزعم النصر ، فهذا ليس جيشا نظاميا سيرفع راية بيضاء ويدخل معك في مفاوضات هدنة بين منتصر ومهزوم.ـ

انك تقاتل جيش اشباح، لاتختلف هيئاتهم عن الناس الذين تراهم في الصباح، سمر الوجوه، ربما يبتسمون في وجهك، ويمضون في سبيلهم . وفي الليل لا تعرف من اين تأتي الضربات .ـ
هذا هو المأزق الذي يعيشه رامبو في العراق. ولهذا تكون يوميات الجنود وافكارهم وخواطرهم واعترافاتهم، ورسائلهم ومدوناتهم، نافذة تطل على ارواحهم الضائعة في بلاد الرافدين وتكسّر الاسطورة .ـ

بثينة الناصري: كاتبة عراقية ومترجمة مقيمة في القاهرة
يُُطلب الكتاب من المترجمة

balnasiri@gmail.com

"The trial of Saddam Hussein marks the first time since the UN was created that a head of state has been put on trial by an invading, occupying power. This book seeks to draw public attention to the threat this precedent poses to developing nations worldwide, and to its distortive influence on the further evolution of international law.

Al-Ani documents the trail of illegalities marking the destruction of Iraq at the hands of the US and UK, from the genocidal sanctions of the 1990s, the US State Department pre-invasion planning that commenced in 2001, and the 2003 invasion, to the setting up and proceedings of the tribunal that swiftly dispatched Saddam Hussein.

While the Tribunal was intended to promote the image of a triumphant Iraqi democracy, the US was actually in control of all stages of the trial. It drafted the Tribunal’s Statute; determined the trial venue and what charges would be brought; researched, compiled, stored, and prevented access to evidence and documentation; selected and trained the judges, and micro-managed the proceedings."

The Trial of Saddam Hussain, by Abdul-Haq Al-Ani

Two books on dark corners of the occupation of Iraq

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:31:35 GMT

يوميات الجنود الأمريكان في بلاد الرافدين
جمع وترجمة بثينة الناصري*
.

balnasiri@gmail.com

The Trial of Saddam Hussain, by Abdul-Haq Al-Ani

Anas, my dear

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:30:09 GMT

Some say he looks like me :) I can't see it but I'm happy about it!

Ongoing 5 year "collateral damage" Surge in Iraq .. ـ(مسالمة) الاحتلال - تموت وأنت تلوح للقتلة

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:32:36 GMT

ـ"نشر هذا اليوم تقرير عن مقتل حافظ عبود مهدي مدير فرع بنك في المطار الدولي وموظفتين لديه في سيارة كان يقودها على طريق المطار وهو ذاهب الى مكان عمله . أمطر جنود الاحتلال السيارة بالرصاص حتى اصطدمت بجدار واشتعلت النيران فيها وتركوا من بداخلها يموت جريحا محترقا. كان ذلك في 25 حزيران هذا العام.ـ

في حينها اصدر الجيش الامريكي بيانا ، لأنه جيش مهذب ومؤدب ولا بد ان يشرح كل شيء للشعب العراقي الصابر حتى لا يروح بالغلط ويفهم اشياء مغايرة .ـ

قال بيانه حينذاك "مهدي والمرأتان كانوا من "المجرمين" وانهم اطلقوا النار على رتل امريكي على جانب الطريق من اسلحة خفيفة من السيارة. وقال الجنود انهم ردوا على اطلاق النار دفاعا عن النفس. وقد وجد (سلاح) داخل السيارة ووجدت آثار طلقات على مؤخرة السيارات العسكرية !! "ـ

.....

ولكن حدث شيء ، ربما ضغوط غير محتملة ، جعلت الجيش الامريكي يغير لهجته ويصدر بيانا آخر يوم امس 27/7/2008 يقول فيه التالي :" ان السائق والراكبتين كانوا مواطنين عراقيين ملتزمين بالقانون " ولكن يضيف "ان حادثة القتل لم تكن نتيجة خطأ سواء منهم او من الجيش الامريكي"ـ

يشرح البيان انه بينما كان الجنود واقفين على جانب الطريق لاصلاح احدى المركبات. رأوا سيارة مهدي وهي تسرع نحوهم فظنوا انها تقصد مهاجمتهم وقد اطلق الجنود تحذيرا للسيارة وحين تجاهل السائق التحذيرات اطلقوا النار على السيارة . أما مسألة السلاح والطلقات على مركبات الجنود فالبيان يقول انها كانت "سوء فهم" !! وليس "كذب وتضليل العدالة" لاسمح الله !!"ـ

لماذا يقتل الأمريكان أصدقاءهم الان ؟!ـ

بثينة الناصري

ـ28 تموز 2008

"The U.S. military said Sunday that the three people killed last month after U.S. soldiers shot at their car in one of the most secured areas of Iraq were civilians, not criminals as the military initially reported.
The correction came more than a month after a bank manager at a branch inside the airport, Hafeth Aboud Mahdi, and two female bank employees were shot at by U.S. soldiers as they sped to work on a road within the secured airport compound. The road is used only by people with high-level security clearance badges. The car veered off the road, hit a concrete blast wall and burst into flames.

.....

The original statement said that Mahdi and the two women were "criminals" and that an American convoy on the side of the secured road came under small-arms fire from the vehicle. Soldiers said they shot back. A weapon was found in the debris and two U.S. military vehicles were struck by bullets from the attack, the statement on June 25 said.
"When we are attacked, we will defend ourselves and will use deadly force if necessary," Maj. Joey Sullinger, a spokesman for 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, said in a statement at the time. "Such attacks endanger not only U.S. soldiers but also innocent civilians, including women and children, traveling the roadways of Baghdad."
On Sunday the story changed and the tone was apologetic. A military statement said that neither the civilians who were killed nor the soldiers were at fault for the deaths. An investigation found that "the driver and passengers were law-abiding citizens of Iraq."
Soldiers had pulled off the road because one of the vehicles in the convoy was having maintenance problems. As they worked on the vehicle they saw Mahdi's car and thought it was moving too quickly toward them, the statement said. Believing they might be in danger, the soldiers warned the car. When the driver ignored the signals they shot at the vehicle, the statement said.
The alleged attack and the weapon that was said to have been recovered from the burned vehicle were misunderstandings, the statement said."

U.S. concedes Iraq victims were law-abiding, not insurgents July 28, 2008

Comment by JJ via email:

"This is how they do it - kill some people, lie and label them "criminals", then, a month later when the story is forgotten, admit, "Oh, hey, you know, they weren't actually! We're sorry!"

Rinse and repeat daily in Iraq. Tell me again that US soldiers aren't war criminals."

"The Prosecution of George W Bush for Murder" and other crimes

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:01:18 GMT

.
"Vincent Bugliosi’s opening statements during the House Judiciary Committee hearing on the constitutional limits of executive power. (first video clip - 6:43 minutes)
He did one heck of a job of keeping it simple to explain the lies on the WMD’s, and why they didn’t even matter. What mattered is whether a country is an imminent threat, and the CIA said even with WMD’s, Saddam was not. (second video clip - 5:31 minutes)"
Vincent Bugliosi: Hearing on Limits of Executive Power and his take on Weapons of Mass Destruction July 25, 2008

Dam Breaks As Media Covers Impeachment Hearing July 25, 2008

"The last several years have brought a parade of dark revelations about the George W. Bush administration, from the manipulation of intelligence to torture to extrajudicial spying inside the United States. But there are growing indications that these known abuses of power may only be the tip of the iceberg. Now, in the twilight of the Bush presidency, a movement is stirring in Washington for a sweeping new inquiry into White House malfeasance that would be modeled after the famous Church Committee congressional investigation of the 1970s.
While reporting on domestic surveillance under Bush, Salon obtained a detailed memo proposing such an inquiry, and spoke with several sources involved in recent discussions around it on Capitol Hill. The memo was written by a former senior member of the original Church Committee; the discussions have included aides to top House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers, and until now have not been disclosed publicly.

.... "If we know this much about torture, rendition, secret prisons and warrantless wiretapping despite the administration's attempts to stonewall, then imagine what we don't know," says a senior Democratic congressional aide who is familiar with the proposal and has been involved in several high-profile congressional investigations. "You have to go back to the McCarthy era to find this level of abuse," says Barry Steinhardt, the director of the Program on Technology and Liberty for the American Civil Liberties Union. "Because the Bush administration has been so opaque, we don't know [the extent of] what laws have been violated." Exposing Bush's historic abuse of power July 23, 2008

The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder

4.5 millions Orphans in Iraq, a tragic situation

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:03:28 GMT

Baghdad,Voices of Iraq – (VOI). New reports of Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs released in 16 January, 2008 with new disaster numbers of children situation in Iraq. This report was declare that in Iraq now 4.5 millions Iraqi orphans with 500 000 living in streets without any home or family care about thier, as well as there are only 459 orphans in governmental houses of orphans. The

Meen Irhabi!

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:33:51 GMT

And who said you have to wait for diplomacy to solve it?:D

CRP...Not Anymore.

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:00:19 GMT

Dear Readers: This is an official announcment: I am no longer related to the Collateral Reprair Project, Starting of Jan the 1st of 2008 i stopped working with CRP and cut all ties with it. The reason behind this is that differences emerged between me and some of the staff, based on a different vision in our assesment to the priorities and needs of the Iraqi families. The CRP got new

The Iraqis and an endless suffering.....

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:00:19 GMT

Monday, November 19th, 2007 Peace be upon you… For some time now I have been trying to snatch the time to write something new on the blog, but I have been very busy. I went to Italy to attend a conference for women from countries from all over the world, then I went back to Amman to find my American friends; Sasha and Mary waiting for me. as we collect the donations and finance small projects

العراقيون ومعاناة لا حدود لها .....

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:00:19 GMT

الاثنين 19 تشرين الثاني 2007 السلام عليكم... منذ فترة طويله وانا احاول ان اقتنص الوقت حتى اكتب شيئا جديدا على الموقع , لكنني مشغولة جدا , سافرت الى ايطاليا لحضور مؤتمر للنساء من مختلف دول العالم , ثم عدت الى عمان لأجد صديقاتي الامريكيات ساشا وماري في انتظاري حيث نجمع تبرعات ونقوم بتمويل مشاريع صغيرة لعوائل عراقيه هنا , خصوصا للنساء , مثل ماكنة خياطه او فرن للخبز او صالون تجميل في البيت او صناعة

It All Started In Their Hearts..

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:32:57 GMT

The Darkness, it all started in their hearts. And then to Gazza it marched, to wrap everything with cruelty and coldness. The houses and the children, and the weeping mothers that just lost their childredn in yesterday's attack. Darkness and silence, carried their wails throughout the streets, to echo throughout the world. From their hearts it all started, then fountained out, as racism and hate

Ron Paul, what do you think of him?!

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:32:57 GMT

On The Book Project

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:00:10 GMT

This is the last package I've received, from dear fellow blogger Fayrouz. I received it more than a week ago but I've been too busy and/or lazy to post about it.

The collection is absolutely great but I'm having a hard time deciding where to put the civilization (game and manual)! I also wonder if putting LOTR in the university's central library will do it justice!

In memory of Dalal Al-Mughrabi .... في ذكرى البطلة دلال المغربي

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:01:49 GMT

ـ"انزال فدائي على الشاطىء الفلسطيني. قوة كوماندوز فلسطينية، تستولي على حافلة ركاب اسرائيلية. اختطاف. اشتباك مع الجيش الاسرائيلي. الحافلة تقلّ جنوداً. الحافلة تقل مدنيين اسرائيليين. مجموعة الكوماندوز الفلسطينية تقودها فتاة. مقتل وجرح عشرات من الاسرائيليين واستشهاد المجموعة المقاتلة.ـ

. كانت هذه عناوين الأنباء التي سارعت الإذاعات إلى بثها، كل حسب قربه أو بعده من المقاومة الفلسطينية. عند الظهر، أو بعده بقليل، كانت تفاصيل العملية بدأت تكتمل. عرفنا أنها كبيرة فعلاً. كان المشاركون فيها نحو اثني عشر مقاتلاً. التنظيم الذي تبناها هو 'حركة فتح'. أما قائدة المجموعة فهي فتاة من فلسطينيّي لبنان تدعى 'دلال المغربي'.ـ

كانت تلك أكبر، وربما أنجح عملية عسكرية فلسطينية تتمكن من اختراق الحواجز الأمنية الاسرائيلية."ـ

دلال المغربي.. تواريخ ومفارقات

ـ18 تموز 2008

ـ"هذا أكثر ما يمكن لعاجز مثلي أن يقدمه"ـ

قصيدة لعبد الحق العاني

مسقط 16 تموز 2008

أنا لست رقماً
-وضع الصهاينة أرقاماً على توابيت شهدائنا-

أنا لست رقما يا دعيْ
إني لأكبر من بنيك ومن أبيك السامريْ

أنا لست بعلا
إنني سبط النبيْ

أنا نسل إولاء الذين بخيبرٍ دك الحصون بهم عليْ

....

.....

""Point your guns in only one direction- your enemy - Israel," exhorted Dalal Al Mughrabi in her final wish just before she laid down her life for Palestine.
Dalal, a Palestinian fighter who became a legend for many years, led a group of 12 fighters in one of the most talked about attacks against Israeli forces 30 years ago.
This week, the body of Dalal and her comrades, buried in an anonymous Israeli graveyard, will be handed over to Hezbollah as part of a prisoners and bodies exchange deal with Israel.
On March 11, 1978, Dalal along with her group of fighters managed to infiltrate the Lebanese-Israeli border to the coastal plain near Tel Aviv using rubber dinghy boats.
She and her comrades destroyed the boats the moment they reached the coast. It was a one-way trip, as they had returned home to stay .
Nine-hour battle
They hijacked an Israeli military bus and took its passengers, some three dozen soldiers, as hostages after driving the bus along the coastal highway to the colony of Herzliya, where a nine-hour battle took place between them and Israeli forces, led by Ehud Barak, who later became prime minister and is now Israel's defence minister. The group was killed in the fighting, so were the majority of the Israeli soldiers on the bus.
Dalal, the 20-year old woman, who had never seen her homeland until the moment of her death, was born in the refugee camp of Sabra in Lebanon in 1958."

Palestinian Dalal Al Mughrabi's body to be handed over to Hezbollah July 15, 2008

Dalal Al-Mughrabi and Ehud Barak

CRP...not anymore

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:33:05 GMT

Dear Everyone: Due to personal reasons, Faiza Alaraji and myself are no longer related to the Collateral Repair Project. We don't know the people that are working on it currently in Jordan, and hence we don't guarantee the integrity or effiency of the project anymore. HOWEVER, we as a family still carry on our projects in supporting the Iraqi refugees families in Jordan and Syria as well as the

The fascist shift in America

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:01:53 GMT

Naomi Wolf on "The end of America" (video 38 minutes)

“The End of America”: Feminist Social Critic Naomi Wolf Warns U.S. in Slow Descent into Fascism

Keith Olbermann: The beginning of the end of America (video 9 minutes)

Imprisonment by executive order, July 17, 2008 (The John Birch Society)

What's happening?

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:30:10 GMT

Between 2006 and today, we've had so many events and a whole lot of visitors.
Ayman was born.
I finished my sixth year at school.
Grandma and grandpa came to live with us thus we had the most busy Eids for two years.
Grandpa died.
Anas was born.
HNK finished her sixth year at school .
Dad had two operations (people come before the operation and after the operation) .
Grandma left to the UAE .
Mom's uncle died few days ago.
and today my aunt is coming from Baghdad to attend my cousin's wedding but she's staying at our house thus people are visiting her here.
Thousands of visitors, and no, I'm NOT exaggerating! I am likely to throw a tantrum if any more events happen soon.

Mom has noticed that we've had little to no freedom these two years, herself too, especially under grandma's dictatorial regime.. and since we've already been to Syria three times the plan was to visit Turkey this year.. 15 days in Turkey inshallah, early next month, finally. We had planned to visit Turkey 3 years ago, paid the money and were all ready but then the tourism company had problems and all was canceled. We'll see how it goes this year.

This vacation has been, nonetheless, very good for me.. I have been enjoying my time and I don't think I ever got bored. I got myself busy with reading novels and learning Visual Basic .NET and both were enjoyable. Few days ago however, my uncle lured me into learning Java instead of Visual Basic .NET, he said if I get really good then next year he'd give me work. /*See uncle I've already documented that so you wouldn't forget :) */ Today is day 4 of reading Java (I started the very next day he told me to learn Java, successfully overcoming what I think was separation anxiety!) but I'm not sure I'll be able to read anything today. I have stopped reading novels and devoted all my attention to learning Java and I really don't want to go to Turkey until I have some decent knowledge of the language.

As-Sarrafiya Bridge -- History

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:01:50 GMT

كان اطول جسر في العالم .. ذكريات عن جسر الصرافية

زياد مسعود

18 April 2007

Click here for the English translation Photos of the bridge

سمي جسر الصرافية شعبياً جسر القطار، وسماه من يعيش بقربه جسر العلوازية وجسر العيواضية وسماه اهل بغداد، كرخ ورصافة الجسر الحديدي وجسر الصرافية، والاسم الاخير هو الاشهر لكن تسمية الجسر الحديدي جاءت من أنه بني مركباُ من قواطع حديدية ظاهرة وسقف بمقاطع حديدية على عكس جسر العتيق أو جسر المأمون ثم جسر الشهداء وجسر الصالحية الذي كان يسمى رسمياً جسر الملك فيصل ثم سمي جسر الاحرار وكان اسمه الشعبي جسر مود نسبة الى القائد البريطاني الجنرال مود فاتح بغداد خلال الحرب العالمية الاولى وجسر الائمة الذي يربط الكاظمية بالاعظمية وكان جسراً خشبياً مخيفاً قبل ان يبنى بشكل عصري . كان الغرض من انشاء جسر الصرافية هوعبور القطار عليه ليوصل بين محطة قطار شرقي بغداد التي كانت تقع قريباً من كلية التجارة واعدادية صناعة بغداد ومحطة قطار غربي بغداد التي كانت تقع في كراج العلاوي الحالي قبيل انشاء محطة السكك بالكرخ التي تسمى بالمحطة العالمية.ا

كلفت شركة كوبربلايزرد البريطانية الاستشارية الهندسية بوضع تصاميم الجسر واستمر عملها عامين.

جسر في سدني

كان جسر الصرافية معداً للانشاء في مدينة سدني في استراليا قبل ان تقرر وزارة الاشغال والمواصلات العراقية شراء هيكله الحديدي وتعهد الى شركة كوبربلايزرد بادخال التحويرات المقتضية على هيكله وبدأ العمل بتنفيذه اواخر سنة 1946 من قبل شركة (هولو) البريطانية.اطول جسر في العالم..ا

في حين بلغ طول الجسر مع مقترباته 2166 متراً بينما بلغ طول القسم الواقع على النهر (450) متراً وكان بذلك اطول جسر في العالم في حينه. تعثر بناء الجسر بسبب انتفاضة الوثبة سنة 1948 واعتبره المواطنون الذين قاوموا عقد معاهدة بورت سموث بين العراق وبريطانيا جسراً يتم انشاؤه لخدمة الاغراض البريطانية فقاموا بمهاجمة المهندسين الانكليز والعمال الهنود الذين يعملون فيه ورموهم بالحجارة والقطع الحديدية كما تم رمي بعض قطعه الحديدية من النهر فتوقف العمل فيه لفترة.

قاده عبد المفرجي بمساعدة ياس علي الناص

تمت العودة الى العمل خلال وزارة السيد محمد الصدر واستمر حتى عام 1952 حيث جرى احتفال رسمي كبير حضره السيد جميل المدفعي رئيس الوزراء و شاهد البغداديون لاول مرة قطاراً يسير على جسر حديدي على دجلة قاده المرحوم سائق القطار الاقدم السيد عبد عباس المفرجي وكان يشرف على سيره الفنان ياس علي الناصر باعتباره فنياً متخصصاً بسير القطارات الحديثة.

الجسر الذبيح

ذبحوا جسر الصرافية منذ ايام وهدموا بذلك معلماً من معالم بغداد العمرانية ولكنه سيعود باذن الله بهيا شامخاً من جديد

المدى العراقية

Arabic script taken from: (صوت العراق) - 18-04-2007 www.sotaliraq.com

http://www.sotaliraq.com/iraq-news-printerfriendly.php?id=51103

من نسف جسر الصرافية ؟

Photos of the bridge

Translated By Dr Ismail Jalili, UK
الترجمة للانكليزية - الدكتور اسماعيل الجليلي

23 April 2007

Aٍs-Sarrafiya Bridge (Jisr Al-Sarrafiya)

Officially called As-Sarrafiya Bridge, but popularly known as Jisr Al-Qittar (The Train Bridge). For those who lived nearby, it was Al-Alwaziya and Al-Iwadhiya Bridge, and for Baghdadis it was known as Al-Jisr Al-Hadeedi (The Iron Bridge), however, the name of As-Sarafiyya remained the most commonly used.

The Bridge was the first iron bridge in Baghdad. The other bridges existing in Baghdad at the time were Jisr Al-Ateeq [the Old Bridge], Jisr Alma'moon, Jisr Al-Shuhadaa' [the Martyrs] and Jisr Al-Salhiya [the area west of the bridge]. The latter was officially known as King Faisal Bridge during the monarchy but renamed as Al-Ahrar [the Freemen] Bridge after the establishment of the Republic in 1958 eventhough the common name used by the people was Maud Bridge (after General Maud who occupied Baghdad at WW1). Another bridge was Jisr Al-A'imma that linked Al-Adhamiya and Al-Kadhum. It was at the time a wooden bridge, which frightened whoever saw it.

The purpose of As-Sarrafiya Bridge was to establish a modern train bridge linking the two railway stations on either sides of River Tigris in Baghdad. The East of Baghdad Railway Station, which was near the Faculty of Commerce, and The Commerce Secondary School. The West of Baghdad Railway Station was close to the current El-Alaawi Garage, which was later replaced by the newly constructed International Railway Station in the early 1960s.

The design and planning of the As-Sarrafiya Bridge was granted to a British firm Cooper-Blazer*, which completed the plans in two years.

A Bridge in Sydney

Al-Sarrafiya Bridge had been planned for Sydney, Australia prior to its purchase by the Ministry of Works and Transport who bought the steel framework and arranged for the bridge to be modified and adapted for Baghdad.

Work to construct the bridge commenced at the end of 1946 by the British Construction Company Holo (the exact English spelling not certain).

The Longest Bridge in the World for its time

The length of bridge was 2166 meters and the river span was 450 meters, thus making it the longest bridge in the world at the time. The construction of the bridge was interrupted by the Al-Wathba or AL-Intifadha (The Leap), the popular uprising of Iraqis against the Portsmouth Treaty between Britain and Iraq. It was thought at the time that the Bridge was intended to serve British interests. Rioters attacked the British engineers and the Indian labourers with stones and iron pieces and this led to the suspension of the construction work.

First driven by Abd Al-Mafraji and supervised by Yas Ali Al-Naser

Work on the Bridge was recommenced at the time of Sayyed (Sir in a religious context) Mohamed Al-Sadr Cabinet and was completed in 1952. It was officially opened with great ceremony that was attended by the Prime Minster at the time Mr Jameel (Jamil) Al-Madfa'ie. It was the first time Baghdadis saw a train crossing an iron bridge. At the ceremony, the train was driven by the most senior train driver, Mr Abd Abbas Al-Mafraji and supervised by the Iraqi Artist Yas Ali Alnaser, who was a specialist technician in modern trains.

The decimated Bridge

They have now decimated Al-Sarrafiya Bridge and in so doing they have destroyed one of Baghdad's modern monuments. However, there is no doubt that the Bridge will come back again.

(see photos)

Al-Medaa Al-Iraqia
Arabic script is courtesy of Al-Iraq Voice (صوت العرا ( 18-04-2007 http://www.sotaliraq.com/

Translated by Dr Ismail Jalili

الترجمة للانكليزية الدكتور اسماعيل الجليلي المملكة المتحده ‘

23 نيسان 2007

* The exact english name is unavailable. I acknowledge the contribution of Dr Ghanim Al-Sheikh in providing the full name.

More details on the bombings Who bombed Al-Sarrafiya Bridge

Who destroyed the Bridge: An Eyewitness statement

Other references on the history of the BridgeIraq the Model: http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/2007/04/jisr-al-hadeed.html

Independent Iraq: Book by Matthew Elliot

all of Baghdad Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Baghdad_(1917)

إرهاصات الإحتلال ... وأحاديث عراقية محظورة في السياسة والمقاومة .. رعد الجبوري

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:31:33 GMT

احاديث عراقية محظورة في السياسة والمقاومة واشياء اخرى

الجزء الأول: " نُذُر (التهدئة) المشؤومة.... أحاديث في ما هو مسكوت عنه في موضوع المقاومة العراقية" 22-9-2007

الجزء الثاني:"لا شيء نجح سابقاً في العامرية .. إلا الخيانة" 25-9-2007

الجزء الثالث:"مجالس "سياسية" للمقاومة أم مجالس "لتسييس" المقاومة-حديث مكرر في (نظرية) المؤامرة" 31 آيار 2008

الجزء الرابع: "العملية السياسية... الأستدراج والتوريط" 12 تموز 2008

الأجزاء الأربعة

يابة هذي اللخ

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:08:03 GMT

لعباس جيجان

Thank You

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:00:19 GMT

I got my final exam results today and it made me feel like the luckiest person, in Mosul at least.

My marks were great, the professors' reactions were great, everything was great.. it was like a dream. I always hoped and prayed for them and having them in reality was ever so sweet. I got excellent marks (over 90%) in all the subjects except for Human Rights (aka Education) and Lab in which I got very good marks (over 80%).

Your prayers certainly played a big role in this.. I would like to thank you my dear readers, and the very good friends who kept encouraging and believed in me even when I stopped believing.

And there's a BIG thank you to my dear dear professors.. and a special one goes to my Electronics professor, I'm really glad I didn't disappoint you ;)

Now I'm feeling like I'm giving a speech in the Oscars or something.. feels silly and I'm going to stop, they're probably playing some music to make me stop now ;)

the pinky show

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:02:46 GMT

first: watch this:

second: buy this (or at least this):)

Dawood Salman Sabti داوود سلمان سبتي

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:37:54 GMT

المعلومات أدناه مكتوبة باللغتين العربية والإنجليزية

The information below is in both Arabic and English

Dawood Salman Sabti

داوود سلمان سبتي

1923 Kut-1965 Baghdad

ولادة الكوت في 1923 . الوفاة في بغداد عام 1965

Graduated from al-Markaziyya School in the academic year 1939/1940

Graduated from Baghdad School of Engineering in 1945

His diploma was dated June 30, 1945

Dawood was killed in a car accident in 1965

In the month of his car accident, he was about to begin working in a major engineering project with engineer-contractor Fareed Al-Ahmar.

The accident occurred when he was driving with two other individuals. Upon stopping to clean his car window due to rain, a truck hit him and his head suffered bleeding until his death at the hospital.

This dear uncle is still in my thoughts!

I would love to hear from anyone who knew Dawood Salman and worked with him as well as from the two individuals who were with him when the car accident occurred if they are still alive and recognize his picture!

تخرج من مدرسة الهندسة ببغداد عام 1945
شهادته مؤرخة في 30 حزيران 1945

توفي داوود في حادث سيارة عام 1965

كان من المفروض أنه سيبدأ الإشتغال في مشروع هندسي مع المقاول فريد الأحمر في نفس الشهر الذي قتل فيه ، ولكن ..........!ا

كان داوود يسوق سيارته مع شخصين آخرين وعندما نزل المطر وخرج من السيارة لينظف زجاجتها ضربته سيارة مسرعة والتي تسمى إنجليزيا لوري . إصطدم رأسه بباب السيارة ونزف في المستشفى إلى أن توفي .ا

مايزال هذا العم الغالي في خوالجي

أتمنى ممن يعرفه يكتب لي عنه وياحبذا أسمع من أحد اللذين كانا معه في السيارة وقت الحادث بعد رؤية صورته أعلاه ، هل ياترى مايزالان على قيد الحياة؟

FINE I AM GONNA WRITE A POST [updated with photos]

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:33:57 GMT

This is when minister of foreign affairs Khalid Jarrar and minister of comedy and media Maz Jobrani met... A photo of the ministers discussing issues involving world peace... A photo of the camera man, with the ministers in the background holding hands (:O what a scandal)... Just another photo... And the meeting was over, like all other officials meetings, with a lot of recomendations and

Congratulations

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:00:11 GMT

Everyone who heard their names mentioned as a potential couple was excited, and today as the news were confirmed the excitement grew and there's a need for celebration. Two of my favorite cousins, both very dear to me, have been engaged..

We were all surprised, he has just finished college and proposed the very day he graduated proving me very wrong in thinking he was a patient guy! I however find his recent impatience very romantic.
They still have a long road till finishing their education and then marriage but I just couldn't keep the news to myself!

Congratulations dears

******

So these last days have been very eventful with this news, the kids at our house and the many many visitors that I haven't had much time to think of my results: Coming soon on Sunday inshallah..
Wish me luck!

Book: "Untamed Nostalgia -- Wild Poems"

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:41:38 GMT

By Wafaa' Al-Natheema

Paperback ISBN 9781414038070

For more information about the author, to sample a poem or to order the book,

visit http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=21330

A couple of poems from this book have been previously published on this blog

At The Hospital

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:30:11 GMT

I spent the day in the hospital on Monday to check on dad. I had a good idea of how bad it is from HNK and mom but I still was shocked.
So dad was staying in the Doctor's Room, dad was only staying there because they wanted him to have special treatment. I'm glad I had my mobile on me, you just have to check it out:

That wooden board is where there usually is a stove to warm stuff.

This last photo by the way is of the ceiling, it's an air cooler.

It was not much of a hospital, dad didn't have much choice since the doctor he wanted worked in it: Al-Jomhoori hospital, but my sister says others that have not undergone construction lately are all like that, and that private hospitals are not better at all, or at least those she has been to.

They were painting the walls on Monday, I didn't appreciate the smell. Two of my cousins had brought books with them and prepared themselves to stay with dad, they found two rats in the room and had quite a fight with one of them!

مازلنا وسط الظلام نتلفت حائرين....

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:00:06 GMT

الجمعه 20 حزيران 2008 السلام عليكم... لا أدري لماذا تتراكم علي احيانا الاخبار المزعجة ويتعكر مزاجي , وينتابني شوق شديد الى بغداد , اتمنى ان أحجز تذكرة بإتجاه واحد الى هناك, وأمزق جواز سفري, وأبقى أعيش وأعمل هناك حتى يأتيني ملك الموت.... والله تعبت من الغربه , والعمل اليومي الشاق, ورؤية عذابات العراقيين هنا كل يوم , ولا أقدر أن أساعد الجميع.. يعني لو مسألة 50 دينار او 100 دينار ممكن أساعد , لكن

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:00:05 GMT

Good morning, those words below, are from an American reader, not from me. sad America, where are you going , in what direction? Faiza ************************************ I just finished reading your last blog. Your words penetrate my heart. You are very well spoken. My heart cries out when i read your words. Here in America, things are getting worse by the day. Each day we read about how yet

58 bases? I don't think so

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:34:05 GMT

the "media leaks" about the U.S.-Iraqi treaty are fishy.

there is a huge Iraqi public and parliamentary opposition to signing any treaty with the U.S. while Iraq is occupied, but what has been happening lately is that some U.S.-backed Iraqi puppets have been manufacturing a parallel fake crisis in this way:

1- leaking exaggerated information to the media: The Iraqi and U.S. negotiators want to set the bar low by claiming there are 58 bases, so that when they announce the real draft with say 5 bases it will sound reasonable and it will make the negotiations look legitimate.
2- Creating a fake opposition front: U.S.-backed Iraqi puppets, who are openly for permanent bases and indefinite occupation, have been giving strong statements against the U.S. intervention to steal the thunder of the real opposition. Then in a few weeks the same people will tell us that they've reached to a mid-way solution that will respect Iraq's sovereignty.

It seems that the majority of the media have taken the bait. I personally don't think there is any real negotiations taking place. There is a final draft the U.S. and Iraqi "negotiators" are trying to market, and they're going to announce it very soon.

Whether the U.S. government wants to leave 200 bases or 1 base in Iraq, the Iraqi resistance to the foreign occupiers will not change. It is not a matter of "troops level", it is more about "occupation presence".

the only way to end violence in Iraq is to set a timetable for a complete withdrawal of all foriegn occupiers that leaves no bases, troops, or mercenaries behind.

Free Hawaii first

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:34:05 GMT

the last few weeks were very busy. I went to a speaking tour in Origon, Washington, California and Hawaii. It was really amazing to visit Hawaii and learn about its history. U.S. activists seem to spend a lot of time fighting for the freedom of tibet and darfur, and no time fighting for the freedom of what their own government and tax money is doing.

Supporting other nations around the world is a noble cause, but it makes more sense to start with those who are effected directly by our actions and money before we picking on others.

what happens in the Green Zone, Stays in the Green Zone

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:34:05 GMT

oh, man. This is classic! this video is so funny i can't believe it's real. I don't get how an untranslated english interview can be aired on Al-Iraqiya, but it is a must see anyway.

ladies and gentlemen, please meet the new US strategy to unite Iraq: Giuliani/McCain's adviser (Mr. Eisenstadt) wants to use the same uniform for Iraqi servants in the Green Zone. So whether you were a Sunni, Shiite, or Kurd, you will be working in the brand new casinos with the saaaaame outfit. This approach seems to have been tested carefully in the U.S. before exporting it to Iraq. Mr. Adviser tells us that we also had a racial problem between the indians, the caucasians from europe and the blacks from africa but somehow casinos have managed to fix that. Then he adds: only 20 years ago indians were drunk and homeless and committing crimes, today they are prosperous and wealthy driving mercedes and their kids have gameboys and play stations. Not only "the indians", but also the black people with the sports have managed to advance themselves.

After 7000 years, finally we have someone who knows how to unite iraqis, and it's been tested on other people of color too! amazing!

Then the host confuses india with indians and says that they would like the relationship between Iraq and the US to be the same as iraq and india, and for iraq to prosper like india. He says that things in India are good because of the casinos, to which the Giuliani/McCain adviser answers "yes, i think it is because of the casinos"

But this is not all. Because, as Mr. Adviser reveals: democracy is the first step but it needs to be followed by capitalism and entertainment. So these casino will not just unite iraqis and democratize them, but it will entertain them as well. Iraqis will have "many young girls" working there "to clean the rooms", and joined even by some "masseuse from the former soviet union and Thailand" .

oh, and most importantly, the casinos will be sensitive to local people, they will have "a mosque" somewhere in there.

Yes! Democracy is Alive!

(update: there is a Mr. Eisenstadt who is currently “a Liaison with the Jewish community” and “foreign policy advisor” to McCain and a former "dvisor to the Giuliani campaign". This is his website here. Do you think he's the same guy?)
(update2: the answer is YES. Kudos to Rick)

The Iraq War Blog, An Iraqi Family's Inside View of the First Year of the Occupation

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:34:05 GMT

check this out

:)

George W. Bush invaded Iraq, a sovereign nation that had never attacked the US, on March 19, 2003. Much of what occurred inside Iraq was not covered by the US media. The Jarrars, a family living in Baghdad, explore through their words how their lives were affected as the American military and coalition allies devastated the city. They persevered through night attacks and daytime missile strikes that oftentimes wreaked destruction to their home by blowing doors off hinges and breaking windows. The Jarrar family, while chronicling their daily lives amid the destruction, also provides descriptive analyses of the political climate that resulted from the American occupation of the country.

"In The Iraq War Blog, we at long last get to hear the voices of people who have been iced out of the U.S. corporate media: Iraqis, on whose behalf this war and occupation have supposedly been waged. Raed and Khalid Jarrar, and their mother Faiza al-Araji, offer powerful, heart-wrenching and eloquent testimony about the inhumanity of a misguided war and the futility of occupation. This book makes it possible to tune out the pundits who know so little and got it so wrong about the war, and instead, enables this extraordinary Iraqi family to be our guides to their country and their future. 'Nothing will change until the people wake up,' writes Faiza. She, Raed, and Khalid provide the call to wake us from this nightmare and point a way forward."
— Amy Goodman (host of Democracy Now!) and David Goodman, co-authors, Standing Up to the Madness

"The Iraq War Blog depicts life in the trenches for those Iraqis who have survived the occupation. The Jarrar family is a testament to the strength and conviction of all Iraqis who see through the smoke and mirrors of the Bush administration; they are not fooled, they are empowered."
— Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Mom and Human Rights Activist

"...reading [the Jarrar family's] daily thoughts as the days of the invasion and occupation passed, we as westerners can glimpse the source of the bitterness that the Iraqis taste."
— Steve Conners and Molly Bingham, Directors, Meeting Resistance

On The Book Project

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:00:13 GMT

This is a photo of the last two packages I've received, both on the same day.. John and Dr. Cline have been sending books and helping with the project for so long now and I can not say thank you enough. They're the pillars on which the project stands.

The books on Civil and Environmental Engineering were sent by John, the college found then very useful. There has been donations of over 20 very useful and up-to-date books on environmental engineering alone!

Dr. Cline has also been so kind in sending me what he describes as a bit of technology yet turn out to be Gigabytes and gigabytes of technology (these include a 4 GB flash disk and a 160 GB hard disk! along with other things) leaving me even more speechless!

I am still receiving donations on the paypal account, thank you very much. We'll use these inshallah to buy international books from Malaysia since these are much cheaper. We've been thinking of subscribing to a journal related to environmental engineering (helpful to higher studies students) but I found them very expensive.