24 DEC 2007 Santa is cleared for landing

"There are may tiny cultural differences that remind us that even though we are essentially the same, we become the products of our own society's mannerisms. Beyond language and gesture, there are the little nuances like how close to stand to each other and how long to make eye contact. Our new indoor hospital, (to differentiate it from the old tent hospital) was built by a contractor that uses Turkish labor as well as machinery and resources brought in from Turkey. In addition to the contract to build the place, they also are charged with maintaining and cleaning the structure. There is a good bustle of activity in recent weeks because they are laboriously adding a structural security feature which is a (redacted.) This is a bit awkward, because the hospital is already built and in use.The current construction involves breaking down certain parts and working around the beehive of activity in what is probably the most busy trauma-only hospital in the world. From time to time, we have to shut down sections of the hospital or go without running water. All told, it is far less interruption in essential infrastructure than most Iraqis have to put up with. Our power source is nearly continuous, and we have loads of bottled water for the times that the tap is turned off."
Made a Difference