http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&query=&b=play&id=8538&cast=74122&castPage=&autoplay=true
Episode # 141
http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&query=&b=play&id=8538&cast=73132&castPage=&autoplay=true#
episode 117
Date palms are important to the Iraqi people because the majority of the people who live in the area are landowners who make a living off of the orchards that they have been selling. Riverbend says, “Orchards in many areas in Iraq- especially central Iraq- are almost like oases in the desert”(Riverbend 103). This means that orchards are extremely rare and important to the Iraqi people and that it is very uncommon to have them in such a humid place. The palms are useful because they act as “resorts” for the exotic birds that come to Iraq during the winter. In the summer, the palms provide tons of dates for consumption, storage, and processing.
In the evenings, Iraqi families would gather around for “evening tea”. Iraqis don’t use tea bags, they find it scornful to use them. Instead they use a three stage process. The boil the water, put in some tealeaves, and then allow the water to boil. The tea in Iraq is special because it’s flavored with cardamom and served in “istikans”. During tea time, the families have conversations and it’s just a time for the family to all get together and discuss different stories. The stories they share are a little different then the stories any American would share during tea time. Riverbend says, “ …from stories of abductions and hijackings, to demonstrations, to empty gas cylinders and burned out water pumps”(Riverbend 109). This shows that “evening tea” is a time for families to tell about what is going on with the war in Iraq and what they have to live with.
The podcast that I watched was called “ Iraqi Teens Work To Help Their Families.” The title of the series was called Alive in Baghdad. The general topic that this video discussed was how Iraqi teens have worked since they were 14 years or younger with helping their families. About 5 teenage boys speak, and say how they have been working ever since they were young and trying to support their families. One boy, Yousif, was born with a birth defect as a result of the war. He had to have many operations done when he was a child. One boy was describing his daily life, which consisted of waking up, having breakfast, and driving an hour to work for his father. He says it takes so long to get to work because of the traffic jams and the killings.
The scenery in the video looked poor and deserted. The video mostly showed white, brick buildings and the boys working on cabinets. The interior of the buildings was very plain and the walls were white.
While I was watching this video, it made me realize how difficult life is in Iraq, especially for young teenagers. I think about teens life in America, and it is nothing like teens life in Iraq. One Iraqi boy said that terrorism needs to stop because many youths are getting killed. Watching this episode can make you realize how difficult it would be growing up in Iraq and how kids can’t go out and have fun because it’s not safe. What I found most memorable about this podcast is one of the boys saying “ the tragedy we live in” and how sad it is that they have to live like this.
10/15/2007
http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/10/15/iraqi-teens-work-to-help-their-families/
In the book Baghdad Burning by Riverbend, there are a lot of terms that I would like to know more about. One term that I didn’t know was depleted uranium which was mentioned on page 47. Depleted uranium or DU is uranium that is composed of the isotope uranium. DU comes from weapons and bombs and creates radioactive dust and breathing it in can make you sick. It also ruins the environment and can raise the cancer rate. Many birth defects are from depleted uranium. DU is related to this reading because in Iraq there are so many bombings and weapons that cause people to get sick. Riverbend says, “ I remember seeing babies born with a single eye, 3 legs, or no face- a result of DU [depleted uranium] poisoning” (Riverbend 47). I find this disturbing and shameful that people are getting sick because of all the DU in the air. It ruins people’s lives and the environment.
Riverbend. Baghdad Burning. New York: Feminist Press, 2005.
Soueif, Ahdaf. Foreword. Baghdad Burning. By Riverbend. New York: Feminist Press, 2005. vii-ix.
“Depleted Uranium.” Military Analysis Network. Webmaster. 1999.
<http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/du.htm>
Dear Riverbend,
I have really enjoyed reading about your experiences on the war in Iraq. Anyone who reads your book is fortunate because you’re from Iraq and can speak English and Americans are able to read this book and understand what it’s like to live in Iraq during the war. This book helps me to understand the war because my country is at war with Iraq and I don’t know what it’s like because it’s not happening where I live. I can’t even imagine how hard it was for you to live there and see buildings burning and millions of deaths and bombs all around you. As I was reading, I noticed you said you would wake up tired from having nightmares of people getting shot and killed. You also shared how a kid died during an American raid and how they never showed that on Fox news or CNN. I think you’re exactly right, I think it’s a shame that the U.S. media hides that and it’s a disgrace that children are getting killed. Also, I was reading about your opinion on Americans. I admire the fact that you don’t hate Americans, even though our country is at war with yours and is killing millions of your people. However, you did list off times when you hated the American troops for killing people you knew, but how can I blame you. If I was you I would hate America for all the damage and deaths they caused in Iraq. Reading your blogs made me angry at my country because you talked about how they shot and killed over a dozen kids and teenagers, and how the troops opened fire on a crowd of parents and children. Hearing all of these stories devastate me and I find it admirable that after all of these casualties in Iraq, you still have respect for Americans.
Sincerely,
A blog
Riverbend. Foreword by Ahdaf Souief; Introduction by James Ridgeway. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq. New York: The Feminist Press, 2005.
This book is about a female blogger, Riverbend, who writes about her experiences in Iraq during the war. This book fits into my work in the course because my class is about blogging and Riverbend blogged all her experiences. Also this book is something that anyone who cares about the war in Iraq should read. I feel that I should definitely read this book because my country is at war with Iraq now and I should know more about what is going on. Riverbend lives in Iraq and shares her story of the war with her readers. Anyone who reads this book will get a better understanding of what’s going on in Iraq and what it is like to live their during a war. This book challenges the reader’s knowledge on the war because some people might think they know a lot about what’s going on in Iraq, but then after hearing Riverbends experience, will learn a lot more. Also the reader can learn a lot more from reading this book then any other media source. She shares her story with the reader and tells about how her life completely changed from the war.
Riverbend. Foreword by Ahdaf Souief; Introduction by James Ridgeway. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq. New York: The Feminist Press, 2005.
This book is about a female blogger, Riverbend, who writes about her experiences in Iraq during the war. This book fits into my work in the course because my class is about blogging and Riverbend blogged all her experiences. Also this book is something that anyone who cares about the war in Iraq should read. I feel that I should definitely read this book because my country is at war with Iraq now and I should know more about what is going on. Riverbend lives in Iraq and shares her story of the war with her readers. Anyone who reads this book will get a better understanding of what’s going on in Iraq and what it is like to live their during a war. This book challenges the reader’s knowledge on the war because some people might think they know a lot about what’s going on in Iraq, but then after hearing Riverbends experience, will learn a lot more. Also the reader can learn a lot more from reading this book then any other media source. She shares her story with the reader and tells about how her life completely changed from the war.
In the book Baghdad Burning, the foreword describes what the book will be about. Ahdaf Soueif says that this book informs the reader about what it’s like to live in Iraq during the war. She also says, “ …inside the heart and mind of a young Baghdadi woman as she lives through the war” (Soueif 1). Riverbend, who is the writer of this book, writes blogs on her account of the war on the internet.
The introduction, which was written by James Ridgeway, discusses what Riverbend’s life was like and also informs the readers of what this book will be about. Ridgeway gives a brief description of what the war was like to Riverbend. An example of this is, “For Riverbend, war is something that is lived every day- and every night. She and her brother, E, sit on the roof to watch Baghdad burning…”(Ridgeway,1). I can’t even imagine what she went through, it’s so different then my own life. Ridgeway also gives a lot on information on the background of Riverbend and the wars.
My impressions on the war are different from Ridgeway’s account on the war. I don’t know much about the war in Iraq but I think that I should know because its my country that’s at war. I remember 9/11 and how devastating it was for our country. I’m definitely not as informative of the war as Ridgeway and Riverbend.
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