[DeltAlum]

Pretty interesting stuff.

A friend of mine (former co-worker) just got back from a three month freelance job in Baghdad working as an uplink and IT engineer for Fox.

They were set up in a hotel not far from the Green Zone -- and, basically, unless they had to leave to set up a microwave system or something for a news conference, they just didn't leave the hotel.

He's a former Air Force Security Policeman (used to guard nukes). He moved his bed as far away from the window as possible in his room, and always wore body armor. They were not allowed to carry personal weapons, but had former SAS (British Special Air Service) guards who worked for a private security company with them.

(ETA that Fox and/or the hotel had set up a store, restaurant, exercize room and other amenities for their use -- beyond what the hotel usually offered, so they could be reasonably self-sufficient. The had generators for power, etc. -- although the air conditioning in his room never worked and they couldn't fix it because they couldn't get parts for it in Iraq)

With the exception of a couple of rockets or other rounds that may have been aimed at the Green Zone and fell short which caused some damage to the window frame in his room, his stay was fairly uneventful.

Doesn't sound like a great place to live at the moment.

Another engineer-type friend who freelanced for CBS during some Scud attacks on Israel came back from Tel Aviv with some little pieces of Scud missle for us. Obviously, he was able to get out of the hotel more than my other friend was.