September 2011
2 posts
Iraq Calls for New Inquiry on Deaths in 2006 U.S.... →
In a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks, a United Nations official warned the United States government that he had evidence that American troops had executed an Iraqi family.
Month Passes With No U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq →
An Iraqi crackdown on Iranian-backed Shiite militias resulted in no deaths of American forces in August, a remarkable, if fragile, achievement, officials said.
August 2011
3 posts
Iraqis Offer Libyan Brethren Advice on Liberation →
Weary of the chaos of Iraqi-style democracy, a group of men at a Baghdad cafe gave their insights into problems that still plague their country.
In Baghdad, Foreign Workers Can’t Leave or Get... →
Twenty-seven Ukrainians, seven Bulgarians and one Nepalese are stuck here, living in an abandoned building.
Turkey Blamed in Deadly Airstrike in Northern Iraq →
Seven Iraqis traveling in a civilian pickup truck were killed in an airstrike in Kurdistan, local officials said.
June 2011
5 posts
Baseball Still Investigating Alex Rodriguez’s Care... →
Dr. Anthony Galea, who is accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs to professional athletes in the United States, treated Alex Rodriguez after hip surgery in 2009.
Suicide Bombers Attack a Mosque and a Hospital in... →
In Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein, an imam and several local government officials are among 19 people killed in the attacks.
Activists Arrested in Iraq as a Reform Deadline... →
Rights group see recent arrests in Baghdad as an attempt to nip dissent in the bud, while fatal explosions in Ramadi raise new concerns about security.
Iraq: Blast at Policeman’s Wedding Kills 7 →
Explosives hidden in a plastic bag were detonated at the wedding of a policeman about 40 miles south of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing 7 people and wounding 15.
Village Trips in Southern Iraq
So when I went on patrol with the military in the south, we spent a lot of time traveling through local villages. Wherever our convoy went, small kids came running in the hopes the soldiers would give them something. Sometimes they stopped and gave out candy, school supplies and soccer balls.
The younger kids were generally pleased but the older folks had greater demands. They wanted military...
May 2011
5 posts
Hipstamatic
Several weeks ago, one of my colleagues here told me about a photography app called Hipstamatic. The app, which costs just a few dollars, is a camera that allows you to use different lenses and films to take photos that are far better than anything you’d imagine your iPhone could produce. Last year, Damon Winter, a photographer for the Times, shot pictures for some stories in Afghanistan...
M.L.B. Report Undercuts Claims About Rigor of... →
The report revealed that just slightly more than 10 percent of players had been tested in the 2010 off-season.
Local Iraqi Leaders Blame Al Qaeda for Attack →
A suicide bomber on Thursday attacked a police training center in the predominantly Shiite city of Hilla, killing 17 policemen and wounding 65 others.
WORLD BRIEFING | MIDDLE EAST; Iraq: Third Day of... →
Three explosions shook the neighborhood of Dora in south Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 10 and wounding 28, according to a local security official.
Iraqi Bomber Kills 8 at Market in Mosul →
Five of the dead in the northern city were soldiers, on duty as the merchants were closing shop for the evening.
April 2011
9 posts
Shiite Mosque Bombing Kills 12 in Diyala, Iraq →
A suicide bomber on Thursday attacked a large Shiite mosque in Diyala Province, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens, according to an Iraqi security official.
Decision to Reopen Blackwater Case Confuses Iraqi... →
Four American contractors who worked for Blackwater Worldwide are facing manslaughter charges in the deaths of 17 Iraqis in Baghdad in 2007.
WatchNot sure what to say here .. I ran into this ostrich on Friday while waiting to get into a U.S. military base. When I first saw the ostrich, she was standing outside of a car and I thought it was one of these .. But the ostrich’s owner put her back in the car and as I got closer I could see she was for real. One thing I did learn from being up close was that ostriches don’t have teeth....
Major League Baseball Takes Over Control of... →
Commissioner Bud Selig said he would appoint someone to oversee operations of the team because of “deep concerns.”
Back, Back, Back to Iraq
After a three-week break in the States, I’m on my way back to Baghdad — and I’m back writing for my little web site. On Monday evening, I boarded a plane in New York and arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday afternoon. I flew to Istanbul because it has two things I need: an Iraqi consulate and direct flights to Baghdad. Every time we go back to Iraq, we need to pick up a visa from an Iraqi consulate....
Manny Ramirez Retires After Testing Positive →
Manny Ramirez was facing a 100-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, according to two people briefed on the matter.
Ramirez Retires After Testing Positive →
Ramirez retired rather than face a 100-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the third time in his career.
By the Numbers: My First Rotation in Iraq
I apologize for not updating recently. My first rotation in Baghdad ended two weeks ago and since I’ve been back in the States trying (unsuccessfully) to stay away from work. I didn’t have a chance to write a last post from Baghdad and thought that the following list would be a different way of describing my time there. (I got this idea from a colleague at the Times.) I’m scheduled to...
March 2011
13 posts
Iraqi Delay Hinders U.S. Plans for Troop... →
Waiting for Iraq to finalize its government has complicated the Obama administration’s plans for after the end of the year, when the last American troops are supposed to leave.
Suicide Bomb at Iraqi Military Post Kills 11 →
A suicide bomber detonated a car outside a military headquarters on Monday about 40 miles northeast of Baghdad, killing 11 soldiers, officials said.
WatchMortars are small shells that are shot out of tubes high into the air over short distances. Upon landing, the shells turn into pieces of flying shrapnel. If the shells hit soft ground — like mud — the shrapnel does not go far but if the mortar hits a hard surface — think concrete — the pieces can go flying over a 100 yards. They are not very expensive or hard to...
Iraqi Women Feel Sidelined Despite Parliament... →
Women hold a quarter of the seats in Iraq’s Parliament, but they have less political influence today than at any time since the American invasion.
A Night at the Bootleg? Baghliwood?
There’s no Netflix in Iraq. No Blockbuster. And I haven’t seen a movie theater.
But there’s immense interest in movies, particularly American ones.
To meet the demand, there are stores that sell DVDs. But the stores are unlike any you’ve ever seen. The stores are completely filled with bootleg DVD’s. Not a single original DVD that comes in a regular DVD case can be...
newaccount20 asked: Hi Mr Schmidt,
I love reading your blog and your articles in the New York Times. I was wondering if you have any advice for an undergraduate student who hopes to work in international journalism, especially in the Middle East? Thanks so much, and I hope all is well in Iraq today.
-Elizabeth
I love reading your blog and your articles in the New York Times. I was wondering if you have any advice for an undergraduate student who hopes to work in international journalism, especially in the Middle East? Thanks so much, and I hope all is well in Iraq today.
-Elizabeth
Protest Organizers Ordered to Shut Offices in Iraq →
The actions came amid growing concerns that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is using force to stifle Iraq’s democracy.
Fears Grow About Maliki’s Hold on Power in Iraq →
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has taken far more power than the Constitution intended, undermining Iraq’s fragile democracy, experts say.
Another Sort of Snowday Because of a Wheel Ban
Protests are again scheduled for Friday in Baghdad and across Iraq. And like last week, the government has announced that there will be a ban on motorcycles and cars in Baghdad and several other major cities.
The wheel-ban worked as a very effective tool last week to defuse the protests because many people could not get to the main squares where protesters had planned to meet. It also...
New Fissures Exposed in Iraq Coalition →
Prime Minister Ayad Allawi rejected a high-ranking advisory job that had been created to end the country’s protracted political deadlock.
WatchAbout once a week, reporters from all the different Western media outlets here get together for a dinner party of sorts.
On Tuesday night, the folks from the Times of London and a few other news organizations that share a house had a large dinner.
Salad and some of the best lasagna I’ve ever had was served. There was also dessert. The food was a very nice change of pace from the food at...
February 2011
14 posts
Caught in the Heat's of Baghdad's Protests →
Piece by Duraid Adnan, the head of our newsroom here, on covering the protests on Friday.
Baseball Gave Mets Secret $25 Million Loan →
Major League Baseball’s intervention is yet one more sign of the distress plaguing the team’s owners, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz.
Demonstrations Turn Violent in Iraq →
Protesters burned buildings and security forces fired on the crowds as Iraqis in at least 10 cities on Friday demanded better government services.
WatchAlthough it’s over 70 degrees and sunny we are sort of snowed in here at the bureau.
Protests are taking place all over Iraq today in a “day of rage,” calling for better government services — not an entirely new form of government.
The government, in particular Prime Minister Maliki, has appeared very fearful of the protests. After Maliki called on Iraqis to not protest...
Prime Minister Urges Iraqis to Call Off Protests →
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki said that Saddam Hussein loyalists were behind the demonstration plans.
Pulling a Reverse Richard Kimble
At various points in my life, my dark hair and dark eyes have led people to ask whether I have any Spanish or Middle Eastern blood. Shortly after I arrived in Iraq, it occurred to me that I might be able to harness this to my advantage.
If I grew out my beard, perhaps I could blend in just enough that people on the street would mistake me for being Iraqi, or at the least, not a Westerner. The...
Iraq’s Top Shiite Leaders Urge Delay of Protests →
Moktada al-Sadr and the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani dealt a significant blow to protest organizers, who had hoped to fill Iraq’s streets with millions calling for improved government services.
At War: Ahead of ‘Day of Rage,’ Iraqis Have Mixed... →
Suicide Bomber Strikes Iraq Police Station →
Photo Essay of Saddam's Palace
On Tuesday, I went to Camp Victory, the large U.S. military base just outside Baghdad. The base is built around one of Saddam’s palaces. Inside the palace, the military has dozens and dozens of offices. Saddam built it with something far different in mind — he used it as a lodge for him and his friends to pal around in.
A view of the palace from the security check point you have to...
The Heart of the Bureau: The Newsroom
One of the great aspects about working at the bureau here is the infrastructure that The Times created after the invasion in 2003 and has refined over the past eight (yes, eight) years. A key part of the infrastructure – and something that makes reporting here much easier for us Westerners – is the team of five Iraqi reporters who work for us at the bureau. For nearly every moment that I...
My Life in the Emerald City
The most common questions I have received from my friends and family are: What’s your life like on a daily basis? And, what’s your living situation? After just seven days in Iraq, those questions are certainly far easier to answer than ones about the insurgency, the economy or Prime Minister Maliki. I live in The New York Times bureau in a quiet neighborhood that is close to – but not...
Jokes of the Day in Baghdad
As the protests in Egypt have continued on the heels of the uprising in Tunisia, jokes about the situations have been circulating the coffee shops and markets of Baghdad, and through text messages and chat rooms.
The jokes seem to emerge in piecemeal — just one new joke a day. Today - Wednesday - marked the third day in a row that I heard one of these jokes. I haven’t been able to...
