Iraq News (10 Mar)

The Good: While the recent car bombing in Baghdad may have been devastating, it is not an indication of an escalation in violence across Iraq according to military spokesmen. I agree, since it's a desperate, brutal attack by Al-Qaeda to destroy confidence in the security situation. With the stability in the once violent Anbar province, there is work in progress to fix up one of the oil refineries. With record-high demand and prices for crude, I'm inclined to say that this is a wise investment for the Iraqis.

The Bad: Violence in Mosul and Tikrit killed a few Iraqi civilians by means of a car bomb and IED respectively. But otherwise, in the words of the LA Times Baghdad Bureau: "A typically low-key day".

The Ugly: Maybe this explains where this rash on my arms and back came from, haha. The multi-billion dollar contract where KBR provides many services to coalition personnel is under some scrutiny (food, laundry facilities, etc). Apparently, the water has been foul...of course this report is a little dated since it cites evidence from 2004 to 2006.

The K-3 Refinery in Anbar might take some time to fix up