The week was hectic. Classes to finish the syllabus, followed by terminal exams, deadlines for presentations and submitting papers but still Valentine was the main topic of the week. Lecturers included it as an example almost in each class. Seasonal and events promotion for marketing was the best example. Students bragged about their plans and [...]

This post was written by Faiza al-Araji for her blog and cross posted to the Olivebranch Network.
Peace be upon you
These days I’m in Cairo on a short visit. I came to spend the feast holiday with my son Majid as he is living and studying here. The weather is warm- I ran from the [...]

A very merry X-mas to all our Olivebranch Network readers on behalf of me here in Australia & all of the Olivebranch Network writers in Iraq and around the globe!
Lets pray today can bring a little extra peace around the globe.

Woke up at some point in the night on a weird noise, or early morning was it? It was dark. My senses started to realize slowly it was war outside! Heavy shooting! It involved RPG, guns and rifles. In between there was a horrible sound of bombing. I was still not completely awake but those [...]

The Jordanian official in Queen Aliya Airport asked me about my surename even before his fingers touched my green passport while my hand was extended to him to hand it over to him. I was taken aback for this question usually comes after checking my passport, asking the usual question of “ Why you are [...]

Cross posted from First Words, First Walk, First….in Iraq
Za’roor is the term used to describe people who are viewed as bad luck or once they lay their hands in something they screw it up. I officially earned that label only last year, August 2005 to be exact. A family friend, whose son happened to live [...]

Cross posted from First Words, First Walk, First… in Iraq
I have never been a Saddam fan, but I’d be only lying if I said I was abused by his regime. Born to a family whose motto has always been “Never come near the government, be part of it or against it, never slander nor suck [...]

Cross Posted from First words, first walk, first….in Iraq
It has taken me a while to come to terms with the fact that good things had to take a break and it is now evil’s turn to be the star of the show. Ever since my friend’s plight, I found myself inundated with a constellation of [...]

This post was written by Baghdad Treasure for his blogTreasure of Baghdad and was cross-posted to the Olivebranch Network.
Since the Lancet report showed up, newspapers, blogs, and TV stations rushed to talk and analyze how terrible the situation in Iraq has become since the invasion. Some people said the number is accurate while others said [...]

In a first-of-its-kind event, a sizable number of Iraqi bloggers sat down together and discussed the recent Lancet study, which states that more than 650,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the U.S. invasion and its ensuing chaos.