Continental Tupperware

On the 13th, they'll be sealing the Iraqi border in preparation for the referendum. Can't say I'll be thrilled at the prospect of being sealed on the inside, but... It does raise one question - how on earth do you seal the border of a country? I mean, sure, you can keep all traffic on the roads from passing through, but what about the miles and miles of uninhabited places? You can close a border, officially, but who has the manpower to actually enforce that? What it means for us, though, is that we'll be sealed in our house, which will be sealed in our governorate, which will be sealed in the country, with sealed borders. It's like the nesting sets of tupperware you can buy for $5 at Ikea. Here's hoping the tops don't pop off.

It's actually quite relevant to all the discussions that are going on at the WHO about bird flu - the other woman in our house was at a WHO conference a week and a half ago, and they were talking about methods of quarrantining entire countries. I don't know how effective that would be, but it sounds like a herculean effort. It also seems like the countries that have the most effective means of sealing their borders are also the ones that would have the most effective means of containing an internal outbreak. Mom, any thoughts on that one?

I don't really have many stories to tell today - I suppose that's a good thing, quite frankly. I'm enjoying the work out here - it's a lot more writing than I would normally have a chance to do, and I think I've learned more in a week and a half than I have in the last 6 months. It's exhausting, but it's nice to finally stretch my brain a little after doing the same thing for a year and a half. I've gotten so used to my job at home that I hardly need to think about it any more (or, at least not in a challenging sort of way). Doing something new, that I've just barely managed to get my head around, is a luxury.