I was sitting in my office today around 10:55am local time and a bomb went off nearby. I could hear it and feel it shake the building. The staff gathered together in the main section of the finance office area and about a minute or two later another bomb went off. The second either was closer or more powerful than the first. Nothing was damaged, nor was anyone injured but it brought me to the harsh reality that I am certainly in Baghdad and the situation is always volatile. We were told that the bombs were about 2 blocks away from the compound I work in.
One of my Senior members of the Finance staff had to leave to pick his daughter up since her school is close to the compound. Many times after a bombing, the checkpoints increase and some of the nearby streets are closed. Hopefully he can travel safely without incident.
The other day a local Iraqi employee had to resign because he and his family were threatened because he was found to be working for the Americans. He was told to resign or suffer consequences. There aren't many jobs here, so people have to find work wherever they can to support their families.
The link to the reported news on the bombing is below.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Car-Bombs-Kill-18-in-Baghdad-96748149.html