Hw 37: Second Podcast

Gabcast! A Blog of One's Own #36




This is Hannah and Sarah's second podcast for Baghdad Burning

Hw 36: baghdad burning podcast 1

http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&b=play&id=8538&cast=49836&autoplay=true

this is sarah and my podcast on Baghdad Burning

Hw 35: Letter to Blog Readers

Over the course of the past 13 weeks, I have learned a lot about maintaining a blog. Before I started "A Blog of One's Own," I wasn't even that sure what a blog was. Now that I have written about many different topics, from other online blogs and the books we have read, blogging has showed me how you can get an opinion out to anyone who comes across my blog. I hope that anyone who reads my blog gets a feel for every topic and subject area we have covered in the class. I wouldn't say that I have a favorite blog, or a blog that I am proud of, but the blogs toward the last few weeks are definitely much better than the ones that I wrote when I first started writing them. Although I thought writing blogs were a very different and interesting way of writing a homework assignment because it was more personal than any other homework assignment that could have been assigned, but I don't think that I will be writing any more blogs on my Blog in the future. On the other hand, if you are someone who likes to get your thoughts and opinions out there, than blogging is something you should definitely take up.

Hw 34: Culture in Iraq

In Baghdad Burning, Riverbend shares Iraq's differences in their culture, such as the importance of date palms and the importance of their custom of evening tea. Date palms are found in Dhuluaya, which is an area north of Baghdad. "Orchards in many areas in Iraq--especially central Iraq--are almost like oases in the desert"(Riverbend 103). Palm trees are very useful to Iraqi people for things that come from dates. "Dibiss," which is a dark smooth syrup that comes from the date is a main source of sugar in their sweets. Another thing that is produced by dates, is "khal," which is vinegar. Many people use for seasoning their. "Areg," which is an alcoholic beverage, and lastly dates can be used as presents. Another custom that is important to the people of Iraq, is evening tea. "In the evening, most Iraqi families gather together for 'evening tea.' It's hardly as formal as it sounds...No matter how busy the day, everyone sits around in the living room waiting for tea"(Riverbend 108). It is also a time for the family to have a conversation together and talk about everything from war strategies to politics. What I found most interesting about their tea, was that they use tea leaves and not tea bags. If you have "teabag tea" they think of it as an insult.

Hw 33: Iraqi Teens Work to Help Their Families

The title of the episode of that I chose was "Iraqi Teens Work to Help Their Families." The title of the series is called "Alive in Baghdad." The podcast was published on October 15th 2007 and the link to the video is http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/10/15/iraqi-teens-work-to-help-their-families/.
The podcast was about three boys in their early teens that are currently working for their parents and not attending school. The three boys that appear in the podcast are names Hussein Kamal, Mustafa Malek Futhullah Ali, and Yousif. Mustafa Malek Futhallah Ali is 14 years old and is in the 6th grade. He worked with his father ever since he was a child and he his currently working for his uncle doing carpentry. The scenery at the places that these teens work are run down and not in the best condition. During Husseins Kamals interview inside his house, it shows his kitchen and it is also run down and in not in very good condition.
From watching this podcast, a viewer may learn how hard it is for teens in Iraq to live, working numerous hours everyday in the conditions of war. It shows a good comparison with how different it is for teenagers living in America today, and what the Iraqi's have to go through everyday. The most memorable thing from the podcast, was when Hussein Kamal said "Stop supporting terrorism because many youth of my people are being killed." This line stuck out to me because of how greatly children and teenagers are being effected from the war, and nearly 50% of Iraqis are unemployed and there is nothing that they can do about it.

Hw 32: Shopping for School Supplies

In Baghdad Burning, Riverbend explains her trip she takes to get school supplies. She goes with her cousin, his wife, and her brother E. so that they can get school supplies for her cousins two daughters. Both of the daughters are not able to leave the house since the war began because their mother won't let them. The 4 of them went to " 'makatib' or stationary shops that sell everything from toys to desks"(Riverbend 94). They all picked out everything from scented erasers and crayons to Barbie notebooks for the two little girls. When the four of them were done school supply shopping, the two girls were impatiently waiting for them to get back, waiting at the door. The oldest was grateful for what she had gotten but the younger one was a little jealous of her sisters Barbie notebook because she had outgrown Winnie the Poo one she had gotten. Getting to school, on the other hand, was a little more difficult than picking out the school supplies. The girls had to me walked by Riverbends cousin S. every morning, and then wait to see when school would be out to walk them back. She explained the school to be full of people, but the classrooms were empty and unfurnished. The school systems had no money to fix it up or for any supplies so the kids would have to pitch in for paint and chalk and everything else that they needed. Her cousin S. is very worried about the girls starting school since she can't keep her eye on them at all times.

Hw 31: Responding to Riverbernd --Arbil

The Place that I chose that I wanted to learn more about, is Arbil. In the book it was mentioned as one of the northern Kurdish areas where a huge explosion took place on Tuesday, September 9th, 2003. " They say it was a suicide bomber in a car in front of the American intelligence headquarters. The number of casualties varied form news network to news network, but the one thing is sure-- a child in a house e across the headquarters was killed.Horrible" (Riverbend 61). Wikipedia.org says that "Arbil is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and is one of the larger cities in Iraq. The city lies eighty kilometres (fifty miles) east of Mosul. In 2005, its estimated population was 990,000 inhabitants. The city is the capital of the Kurdistan Region." The latest modern history of Arbil " in the mid-1990s when fighting broke out between the two main Kurdish factions, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The city was captured by the KDP in 1996 with the assistance of the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein......Since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, only isolated, sporadic violence has hit Arbil, unlike many other areas of Iraq. Parallel bomb attacks against the Eid celebrations arranged by the PUK and KDP killed 109 people on February 1, 2004. Responsibility was claimed by the Islamist group Ansar al-Sunnah, and stated to be in solidarity with the Kurdish Islamist faction Ansar al-Islam." This city is Iraq has a lot of history too it and recently has had a lot of violence, more than most places in Iraq, and has continued to have more and more bombings.

Works Cited:

"Arbil." Wikipedia. 12 Nov. 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/arbil

Riverbend. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq. New York: Feminist Press, 2005. vii-286

Hw 30b: "Citizen Soldiers and Global Warriors:Challenges of Iraq"

The Citizenship Symposium presented last Thursday, spoken by Scott Ritter was titled "Citizen Soldiers and Global Warriors:Challenges of Iraq." Scott Ritter, former UN chief weapons inspector and former marine, discuses the title of the session and talks about how the Constitution comes into play. He said that the constitution is "who we are as citizens of America," and how it represents us as people with our rights and responsibilities. He defines the title of the session very clear by saying a soldier is "Someone who defends citizens. Men and women who proudly represent us as people from foreign and domestic enemies." He defines global warrior as "Men and women who wear the uniform that are deployed throughout the world doing the bidding for the government of the United States." Ritter says that a soldier is someone who defends citizens, but a citizen solider is "someone who can defend the constitution,uniform or not." All of these characterizations deal with the citizenship of Americans and how the Constitution comes into play. Scott Ritter stresses this point when he says "true citizenship is one who can defend the Constitution--solider of democracy."
This citizenship symposium was much different from June Cross's and it was also not my favorite. I felt that John Ritter was very straight forward and opinionated about what he was saying and i didn't agree 100% some of his beliefs on what was going on with the war.

Hw 30a: Secret Daughter

Former Journalist for the Boston globe, and Former professor at Colombia University, June Cross, presented a documentary,Secret Daughter, on November 6th in the Mabel Brown Room at Keene State College. The main topic to this session was for people to understand the race division that she(dark skinned) and her mother(white) had dealt with throughout their lives. The main question she asked before she presented her documentary, was "What is it that makes dark skinned people so different than white."
The Documentary showed what it was like for June Cross to grow up, and all the obstacles that came her way being a dark skinned girl living with a white mother. When she was only 4 years old, her mother sent her away to live in a Black family in Atlantic City. She did this because she was "Afraid society friends will drop me if they find out." They will do this if they find out that she once was with a black man. The rest of the documentary discusses her life and the relationship her and her mother have grown to have today. One interesting thing that I learned in the documentary, was when June Cross's mother explained how people would be treated if you were with a black man. "I was walking down the street and I saw a black man hitting his wife who was white, and people walking by didn't do one thing about it because they thought she deserved to get hurt if she was with an black man."
Overall, I found the symposium to be very informational and interesting. I learned many things June Cross had gone through being a African American child during that time period.

Hw 28: Open Letter to Riverbend

Dear Riverbend,

After reading your blogs from August through September of 2003, the posts gave me a true sense of what your life is like. Even after reading the first entry you wrote when you talk about how awful you night sleep was the previous night, and then in later posts you continue to write about your insomnia and how uncomfortable it is to sleep. I immediately began to feel the pain and suffering you are going through just by the first post. It doesn't take a lot to realize the awful things that you and your family are going through, but there were a few events that really caught my attention. One post that I was blown away with more than the others, was Saturday August 23rd. You discussed how females can no longer leave their homes alone. "Each time i go out, E. and either a father, uncle, or cousin has to accompany me. It feels like we've gone back 50 years ever since the beginning of the occupation." Even how you are told what to wear, and how you would never leave the house if you weren't wearing a long skirt and a long sleeved loose shirt. It amazes me how girls who wear jeans are at risk of being attacked or abducted because here in America just about everyone wears jeans. Another post that caught my attention was Saturday, September 6th, 2003. It is titled "Bad, Bad, Bad Day." One bad thing that occurred Wasthe Mosque shooting in Al-Sha'ab. I think it is awful that things like this occur on a regular basis and you don't even get to know the amount of people that die in such an traumatic event. Another thing that happened in this post was the electricity was off and the water pumps didn't work leaving you and your family with no water to shower, wash dishes, or to do laundry with. It is tragic to hear that things like this happen on a regular basis also, and there is nothing that can be done about it. These blog entries that you wrote over the course of a month, really gave me a feel for the things you and your family suffer from day to day, but also what it is like to be female and Muslim living in Iraq.

Sincerely,
Hannah

HW 27: Annotated Bibliography Entry for Baghdad Burning

Riverbend. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq. New York: Feminist Press, 2005. vii-286

Baghdad Burning, written by a young Iraqi girl who goes by the name of "Riverbend," is a collection of Blogs written from August of 2003 to March of 2004. The book gives the reader a feeling of what it is like being an Iraqi living in the middle of a war. "Riverbend," wrote these blogs, which are all in English, so Americans could understand the war and live through the eyes of her and her family. She wrote blogs whenever she got the chance, depending if the power was on or not. From reading this book, you will learn everything from personal to political events that Riverbend and her family witness everyday in Iraq. The book displays many benefits, which are getting information from a solid source and viewing it differently than you might see on the news. This book fits in well with this course because it shows how different news can come through blogging and not on television. It is also being written through a women's perspective, which fits into the feminist part of this course