Gabcast! <a href=”http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&b=play&id=8538&cast=74302” target=”_BLANK”>A Blog of One’s Own #145</a><br><br><a href=”http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&b=play&id=8538&cast=74302” target=”new”><img src=”http://www.gabcast.com/images/linkplayer.jpg” border=0></a>
Gabcast! <a href=”http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&b=play&id=8538&cast=73021” target=”_BLANK”>A Blog of One’s Own #108</a><br><br><a href=”http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&b=play&id=8538&cast=73021” target=”new”><img src=”http://www.gabcast.com/images/linkplayer.jpg” border=0></a>
Gabcast! <a href=”http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&b=play&id=8538&cast=73012” target=”_BLANK”>A Blog of One’s Own #106</a><br><br><a href=”http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&b=play&id=8538&cast=73012” target=”new”><img src=”http://www.gabcast.com/images/linkplayer.jpg” border=0></a>
“Challanges at a Girl’s School in Baghdad” which was pulished on May 21, 2007 found on the website, Alive in baghdad, Link: Http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/05/21/challenges-at-a-girls-school-in0baghdad
The general topic of this podcast is interviewing students and teachers from Alsafina Middle School which serves girls all over Baghdad. It focuses on violance and wheither of not it is an issue to students. It speaks to students about their education. Most that have been interviewed really feel the need to continue their education. As a teacher it is hard to evaluate those who are continually absent due to bloacked road ways or invasion. Most teachers during this time are willing to work with the students and not downgrade them. They want them to continue to learn and work with them expecially during times like these. The background of the podcast seemed to showtypical classrooms with wooden desks and a chalk board. There are cement walls that have pictures on them. A viewer might learn from watching this that the students dont live in fear but rather want to learn and want to be at schol to do so. It is sad to think that situations like these get in the way of their learning. Most students have to miss a lesson or two which then puts them behind in the class. Its not fair. What I find most memorable about the podcast is listening to the students and what they had to say.
After reading August 31 through Septemver 16, 2003 of (Riverbend) p.52
I find it very interesting when she mentions on page 52, “I *love* Donald Rumsfeld’s latest comment on Iraq…”…It’s like Chicago.” and how she agrees with his statement but states he didnt finish it proparly. She suggest what he should have said which was, “It’s like Chicago…during the 1920’s when Al Capone was running it: gangs, militias, fighting, looting, vendettas, dubious business dealings, and shady figures in dark corners.” This caught me a little off track. I dont know who, or why she would compare the situation towards him. Yet alone I dont know anything about him.
After doing research I have found out that his real name is Alphonse Gabriel Capone he is known as one of Americas best known Italian gangsters. He was born in 1899 in Brooklyn, New York. He led a crime of smuggling and bootlegging liquior. He began his career in Brookln before moving to Chicago, and became the boss of Chicago Outfits a criminal organization. By the end of 1920’s he became placed on the Chicago Crime Commissions public enemies list. His crimminal carreer had ended when in 1931 he had been invicted and convicted by the federal income tax evasion.
After researching about Alphonse Gabriel Capone, it makes me realize what type of person he really is. Having been an Italian gangster says enough by yet to smuggle liquior and make a business out of it shows the risky life he lived. I think its intersting how in the reading he is refered to as the pupetmaster, because that alone shows from what type of guy he is what she was refering to.
Riverbend. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog from Iraq.
Unknown, “Al Capone”, April 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capone
TM & Courtroom Television Network, Time Warner Co., “Capone Moves Up” 2007 http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/capone/over_6.html
Dear Riverbend,
After reading the first fourty pages of your book, I feel that I have a completly differnt outlook on the war in Iraq than you do. However, your point of view has opened up my thinking of what an Iraqi is feeling at the time of war. Throughout most of your blogging you go into alot of descriptions of horrifying occurances that have been going on, and get up close and personal. I know that you mention a child Omar Jassim who was killed in Anbar for no reason but to act as a reminder that Iraq is not free or liberated. You mention the number of children that are being invaided at schools, and how they are to young to have been doing anything why are they deserving the punishment. You also mention the fear of Iraqis and how you can identify the sound of an American Mistle and an Iraqi. With all of the pain and fear, however how do you think Americans feel? They are risking their own lives away from family memembers. Some leaving behind childrean, wives, loved ones. Others having no shelter, having to pee on the streets due to no bathrooms. Not being able to shower for days, even not knowing who to trust. You dont know who are terrorists like you said and who isnt. Getting sick from unsanitary water, eating whatever they can get their hands on. Dealing with all types of weather. Do you think that they want to be over their distroying lives? I can relate to this from another perspective. Having a cousin over in Iraq who has been their for a year. His experiances alone have been similar to yours just a different point of view. From his experiances the people he has been working with are really trying to seak help. They just have no point of direction or anyone to take control of their govornment. I have enjoyed reading from your point of view and am anxiouse to read some more. It has been very interesting to me to compare my thoughts as well as yours.
Thank you,
Dawn Brushett
Riverbend, Ahdaf Soueif, James Ridgeway. Bahdad Burning 2003, (p. xi-7 )
After reading the first few pages of “Baghdad Burning” it appears to be set up in more of a journal, blog format which we have been studying over a general amount of time throughout this course. It focuses mostly on current events and leaves you with a feeling of having been there. I like how it mentions specifics on what occured on the day, for example she talks about a child that was killed in Anabar, named Omar Jassin, it gets up close and personal with experiances. It seems to be an easy read easpecially in the sense that it gets up close to personal experiances. I feel that it is easiest to relate to when you are reading someones personal experiances.
After reading the first reading assignment for Baghdad Burning (Riverbend vii-ix), which contains the foreword and introduction. I now have and understanding of this book, and am really interested in reading further on.
The foreword by, Ahdaf Soueiff it has helped me develope an understanding of the book as a whole and what it is about as well as setting the style for the book. He talks about Riverbend’s feeling on those that want to stop the war in Iraq and how she feels so strongly that those people who want to end the war, should put themselves in the shoes of a Baghdadi woman. What he expresses is that this book has alot of power to it, and will really give you a close up idea on what it would be like to live in Iraq today. For example he quotes, ” This book should shame all those with a lingering imperialist bent of mind who see Iraquis (or Arabs, or Muslims, or “third-worldeans”) as somehow lesser, or at best, “developing.” With that being states, it gives you an idea of how this woman is feeling about the war, and what she is going to be blogging about.
While reading the introduction by James Ridgeway, He did a good job of introducing the book as being written by a young woman in her mid twenites, Riverbend who has been blogging for over a year with her blog, “Baghdad Burning” which is described simply as a “Girl Blog from Iraq” She lives in a middle class area of Baghdad with her mother, father, and brother. Basically the introduction provided the history of the relations between Iraq and the Americans. The introductions provided a brief history of the dates and evens that have followed before the war today.
After reading the foreword and introduction, I am really intersted in reading the book, and feel that this is going to be an easy read in the sense that it is very interesting. I am interested to see if from her perspective. I have a cousin who is fighting in Iraq today, and reading this book I am hoping would give me a better idea of what it is like. It is hard for my family to relate to some of his experiances. All we can do is keep him in our prayers and thank God that he has the suportive family he does.
I live in a room with two other roomates. We all seem to get along and share our interests with eachother. We have our fun, but at the same time we set aside the time we need to get our work done. As well as keeping our space cleaned up and well taken care of. I feel that if i was a guy it would be a different story. Most guys rooms that you walk into on campus today are a disaster. Mommy isnt there for them to clean up after anymore, and nobody is there to tell them to do their work. Dont get me wrong this isnt every guy, but most. After reading chapter six, when Woolf states, “It would be a thousand pities if women wrote like men, or lived like men, or looked like men, for if two sexes are quite inadequet, considering the vastness and variety of the world, how should we mangage with one only?” I feel that I am able to relate to this quote in the sense that woman and men really do live differntly, and have a variety of interests. Therefore womans style of living is more neat, organized and planned, rather than a mans area. I feel that as Woolf would think woman deserce their own working space to think and write just as much as men do. This would really change the impact of woman and literature. I feel that me being allowed my own desk, and alone time I am able to get alot more done and concentrate. Everyone should be allowed their own alone time.
In the post Boo-Hoo: Some Men Are Afraid Of “Bossy” Women, on Jezebel. I felt that it was ironic that this post is the complete opposite of what Virginia Woolf believes and feels. I think that she would be extremely inspired by the post and it would take all of her anger about Woman’s rights with poetry and turn it around to show the true power of woman opposed to the man’s power and way of thinking during the nineteenth century.
website: http://jezebel.com/372379/boo+hoo-some-men-are-afraid-of-bossy-women
It is about time that finally men are feeling the tension of being unable to speak their minds. How does if feel to feel like you dont have the right to speak? Perhaps you feel as if you are being bossed around by a woman. With all of those years that woman werent allowed their own rights to poetry, and speaking their minds. It feels good to see that power brought down to your level, so you are able to relate to what woman where put through in the ninteenth century. During this era men where the ones with the power, influence, wealth and fame. However latly is has seemed to change. “Women have been struggling to meet the demands of work and home life forever, so it’s good that men are bearing some of the load of that difficult balance,” (Jezebel) I feel as though this is the best thing that has happened in a long time.
