Suaidi however had no enrolment figures for the new academic year and instead offered a prospectus which showed that there were 57,500 students and 5,300 lecturers at Baghdad University in 2005 -- before the violence spun out of control, taking students, lecturers and staff members with it over the abyss.

Educators at the tree-lined, garden-sprinkled campus on the banks of the Tigris River are upbeat that 2007-2008 will restore the university's reputation for excellence that it has enjoyed since it was established 50 years ago.

It goes on to say that now they have only 7 Professors!

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jUrBpq8k3tj-FIxrb2rqZg5QZMfA

It's a lesser of two evils. And, I know I'm a real ass for saying this but.. Honestly. If Mccain gets in.. How long is the guy gonna last. He just had a brain tumor removed didn't he? I mean if you look at it that way.. Worry about who he's going to pick for his VP because the VP could easily become the P. haha If he wins. I mean c'mon.. What if he picks D I C K chaney? We're all going to get shot in the face!

Yes, we need more Mr. Smiths!!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031679/

The Saddam Hussein Pediatric Hospital is located in Baghdad. It is the main teaching hospital and the best-equipped hospital in the nation. It has a 400 inpatient bed capacity but due to the supplies, medications and nursing shortages it is utilizing only about 300 of these beds. There is a rapid turn over and a long waiting list also due to limited resources and unpredictable, supply deliveries experienced with the UN oil for food and medicine processes. The OPD sees an average of 1500 to 2,000 patients a day.

Most admissions now days are emergencies, chronic diseases, malignancies, especially childhood leukemia cases which have increased and for which there are limited oncology medications. In addition, there has been an increase in birth defects, congenital malnormalities, and ten-fold increase in kwashiorkor and marasmus since 1989.

http://www.iacenter.org/iraqchallenge/baghdadh.htm

this is correct....

also UNDIVIDE the party lines and accept the facts and dont BLAME!!!
its a waste of time...


seriously..could BUSH help all that he faced?????
would a clinton or obama do it better???
would YOU????????

lets unite and think american..
what do we stand for?????????

Pick Quasimodo (D I C K Cheney)?

He probably has less time to live than McCain!

Good point...Imagine Al Gore as our President During 9-11...

Or, **** Cheney somehow becoming our president when 9-11 happened (This was VERY CLOSE TO HAPPENING PEOPLE)!!!!

Things could be a lot worse......!

The health system before 1990. Prior to the Gulf War, Iraq possessed a well coordinated health system of primary, secondary and tertiary health care facilities that provided free medical care to 97% of the urban and 79% of the rural populations.1 Efficient communication and movement existed within the network; patients were rapidly transported from one level to a higher level, if more specialized treatment was necessary. The system was managed centrally by the Iraqi Ministry of Health (MOH) whose budget in 1990 was $450M for a population of less than 20 million people. More than $500,000 was allocated to a central agency in the MOH, Kimadia, to purchase, store, and distribute pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and disposable medical supplies. The majority of drugs and medical supplies were imported from foreign markets. While the focus of the rapid expansion of health care facilities in Iraq during the 1980s was directed toward curative therapeutic interventions, malaria and tuberculosis prevention programs were initiated, and the MOH embarked on an expanded program of childhood immunization.

Key components of the Iraq infrastructure --the electrical power grid, the water distribution network, and the sanitation system, are an essential part of the health care system. In 1990, there were 20 electrical generating plants (steam, hydro, and gas) in Iraq with a total capacity of 9,000 megawatts, with a reserve component of 40%.5 The electrical grid powered an advanced water system that provided potable drinking water to 95% of the urban and 75% of the rural populations.6 All sewage was treated before discharge into flowing rivers.

No Bush couldn't prevent everything that happened.

But he could have done a MUCH better job of responding to those issues, instead of spending most of his time lollygagging around his Crawford, Texas ranch.

Honestly, is there ANY other President that has taken MORE and LONGER vacations than this one?

What was he THINKING, the Presidency runs on AUTOPILOT?

The invasion of Iraq by Coalition Forces in March 2003, and the subsequent insurgency, has imposed enormous physical and emotional hardship on the Iraqi people. A Medicine for Peace (MFP) Study Team assessed the ability of the public hospitals in Baghdad to respond to this national crisis. Five general hospitals, seven specialized tertiary-care hospitals, and one specialized outpatient center were surveyed during October and November 2004. The assessment consisted of a structured interview with relevant hospital administrators, discussions with hospital staff, and validation of positive findings by direct observation.

Three of the surveyed hospitals suffered major bombing damage by Coalition Forces, and five hospitals were looted extensively and vandalized in March and April 2003. Most hospitals closed for weeks to months at that time, but have now reopened. Two facilities are operating at a markedly-reduced census level; the remaining hospitals are at, or above, capacity.

obama might get us all killed..

mccain will keep us at war for as long as he can stand..


my grandfather..hes 70..never voted anything but democrat...states he wont vote for president..
he will leave that box unchecked..
(my grandma says she gonna fill in hillary's name)
(they will change their minds before nov---thats the most important box..and we are given the freedom)

THERE is not a good choice..

BUUUUUUUUT.. my papa is 70...i would rather a hard headed old man lead me...(I already listen to one!!!)

lives could be taken from us each everyday......regardless of age

Never-the-less, many aspects of the system function poorly, presenting an ongoing danger to the patients and staff, and demand immediate intervention. With great concern, The MFP Study Team notes the following:

The majority of hospitals are generally unclean, unhygienic, and pose an imminent threat for hospital-acquired infections. Environmental surfaces are dirty; six hospitals lack disinfectants/detergents, gloves, masks and gowns, and eight hospitals have inadequate hand washing facilities (including hand washing stations, soap, and disinfectant). Of most importance, hospitals lack formal infection control programs and “best practices” standards to control hospital- acquired infection.
Disposal of waste is a daunting problem for the majority of hospitals, and eight of the 13 facilities have no plan for disposal of hazardous ( including infectious) waste. Health care waste is a reservoir of pathogenic organisms and puts patients, staff, and the community at risk.
Lack of potable water and sanitation services has been problematic in Baghdad for more than a decade and is accentuated in the current hospital setting. Sixty percent of the toilets in hospitals do not work. A number of hospital floors do not have a single functioning toilet. Water is reported to be unsafe to drink in four facilities.
All hospitals report either sporadic or persistent deficiencies of essential pharmaceuticals, including pain medicine. Specific essential disposable medical supplies, including sterile needles, i.v. tubing, cannulas, and --in hospitals with active surgical services-- sterile gloves, masks, antiseptics and soap, are in short supply in a number of hospitals.
Clinical laboratory equipment is generally old and malfunctioning. Seventy percent of the hospitals are unable to provide the necessary laboratory tests to support the clinical activities in the hospital.
The deplorable state of facilities caring for woman and children (dirty, poor sanitation, inadequate laboratory and supporting services) is of great concern in light of the excessively high infant and maternal mortality rates in Iraq.
Most medical and surgical sub-specialty services are available in the health care system in Baghdad, but a number have serious deficiencies. There are inadequate surgical support services (insufficient anesthesia, competent anesthetists, operating room nurses, and shortages of antibiotics for surgical procedures) in three of the hospitals with the busiest surgical services. Five institutions have marginal-to-inadequate radiological services, due to outdated and poorly-functioning clinical imaging equipment.
The only psychiatric services available are in two old facilities that were extensively looted. The smaller psychiatric hospital has undergone repairs. The absence of acute psychiatric services, and consulting services in all hospitals surveyed, and the general lack of knowledge of psychiatric aspects of medical illness is a serious problem in a society that has endured years of political oppression, and suffers from high levels of poverty and violence.
Many hospital staff feel isolated, and lack knowledge of principles of contemporary medical practice as a result of restrictions imposed by the Baathist government during the 1990s, the embargo of medical information by the UN sanctions, and the loss of an older generation of teachers.
The abduction of physicians for ransom, and the targeting of prominent physicians for assassination have become major impediments to rebuilding a high quality health care system.

http://www.medicineforpeace.org/news/mfp-report-civilian-health-in-iraq.htm

Fanta I don't doubt what your telling me.. But, this has nothing to do with the americans.. We're the ones bringing them supplies.. Helping with security. Trying to get UN sanctioned vehicles to the hospitals to supply them with what they need.. BUT the sunnis and sheites have been and will continue to intterupt any attempt at aid..

*This is from the first article you posted..*
"There has been a vast improvement in the security situation," he said, repeating a refrain that has begun to echo right across the Iraqi capital.

US commanders attribute the fall in bombings, shootings and death squad murders to a "surge" of an extra 28,500 American troops on the streets of Baghdad and its surrounding violent belts since June.

The more cynical say the city of four million people has simply been polarised into a maze of Shiite and Sunni enclaves off limits to anyone from a rival sect and that the "ethnic cleansing" of neighbourhoods is more or less complete.

Most students interviewed by AFP on the campus in the capital's central Jadriya neighbourhood acknowledged they take circuitous routes to reach the university -- avoiding either Sunni or Shiite neighbourhoods, depending on their own ethnic allegiances.

I have a beef with Regan. He cut the funds to mental institutions. The facilities wore forced to release the mentally ill onto the streets where they became homeless and without medication.

I do have one thing to say about Clinton. The economy was much better than it is now. Incredibly so.

My Dad was a Republican, but I won't vote for one just because he did.

I'm an Independent, with my own thoughts about who will best run this nation.

There is no perfect choice, just the lesser evil.

I agree. On both points.

Though Clinton did bring in NAFTA, which McCain supports.

NAFTA was one of the worst things ever done to this country's economy.

OK.....

Um......again, i think the point is being missed.

GWB is NOT one of my favorite people, OK?

NOW, that being said, he is our president right now whether we like it or not. Bad news: We have to deal with him 6 more months....Godd news? He can't run again for re-election.

GWB is not perfect. Again, citing my above paragrapgh:

"GWB is NOT one of my favorite people, OK?"

One more time: "GWB is NOT one of my favorite people, OK?"

Now, with THAT being said, what good is it that we bash him...just so we can feel better about ourselves? Not in the least, come on, give me a break.

It does no good that we bash GWB! What happens next? OH! I kNOW! Let's bash McCain and/or Obama, and say what bad of a job they are doing!!!! Great idea!

Oh wait! Next President! President Smith and VP Jones are both douchebags!!

Fast forward to the year 2143...our grandkids and great grandkids will say:

WOW! I'm carrying on my family tradition of Presidential Bashing! The world is a whole lot worse off than it was over 100 years ago, but dog gone it, I'm going to continue to focus on the problem and bash our president because I have no clue as to how to solve the problem!!

Hopefully it will never come to this...run for office, serve your country, but do SOMETHING constructive! Lead by example and let the children of today see you and say, "I want to be a good man, like that guy over there...shoot, he may not be able to make a difference now, but when I am older, I'll be able to work hard and solve all these problems he has worked his whole life to try to fix...."

Yeah, Regan had his bad points as well....but I was able to get a decent job under Clinton...that's about the only good thing that happened for me during his Presidency, IMHO...

Yes, but they didnt have that problem before we invaded!
That is when it all went to hell!

also one could say....
in the 1940's..
we were BOMBED by japan.


fact.



TODAY we commerce with japan..
(china and india)

who supports the war????


in 60 years..I want my kid to buy iraqi oil and BE PROUD!!!!