Code Blue

Great slice-of-bureaucratic-life story in the Washington Post today about the State Department's Operations Center, where 60 foreign service officers and other federal employees work round-the-clock to handle highly sensitive worldwide diplomatic communications.

Best anecdote:

[The center has a] Barbie-size wooden outhouse, nailed to a beam, fitted with a miniature blue bulb.

"I'm going blue!" duty desk officers call out when they stand up to go to the bathroom. They flip a switch, triggering a blue glow from the outhouse. As on an airplane, the light signals: Bathroom occupied; remain in your seats. Work stations must be staffed in case of an emergency.