Bloggers Paradise

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.

For this assignment I have chosen to identify statements that contain irony. After reading the second chapter of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own.

On page 32. an example Ive found is at the bottom of the page, last paragraph.

“Whatever the reason, all these books, I thought, surveying the pile on the desk, are worthless for my purposes. They were worthless scientifically, that is to say, though humanly they were full of instruction, interest, boredom, and very queer facts about the habits of the Fiji Islanders. They have been written in the red light of emotion and not the white light of truth.”

I can relate this to irony in the sense that is is implying that when he states, ” in the red light of emotion and not the white light of truth” what this means is that the red symbolizing the worthlessness of his feelings is that the books lying around on his desk is worthless although there is that white light of truth that has a meaningful affect.

Another example I have found is on page 37 it states in the middle of the second paragrah,

“A solicitors letter fell into the post box and when I opened it I found that she had left me five hundred pounds a year for ever.” .. “I had made my living by cadging odd jobs from newspapers, by reading a donkey show here or a wedding there, I had earned a few pounds by addressing envelopes, reading to old ladies, making artificial flowers, teaching the alphabet to small children in a kindergarden. Such were the chief occupations that were opent to woman before 1918.”

I find this very ironic because as state that she had left her five hundred pounds, that is alot of money especially during this time period. It is close to unbeliveable.

One of the blogs that I have found shocking and interesting was one of the first ones that I read on Jezebel, “Loose Lips” this article reveals news that really makes you wonder and concerned about doctors, and if they are treating their patients the correct way with useing safe procedures and material. It speaks about Priscilla Praisley being one of the Argentine doctor, Daniel Serrano’s victims who has been charged for injecting low levels of silicone similar to those that are used to lubricate auto parts. From what people assume is that he has smuggled in this silicone from outside of the United States and has sold it for up to five hundred dollars per patient. This has lead many to question and wonder what others can get by with and leaves us with concern for our future.

After reading “Web of Influence” the foreign policy article by Daniel Drezner and Henry Farrell on p. 85 I found it very interesting to hear what they had to say on whethere or not blogoshphere influences global politics as well as political scandals at the bottom of page 85 (last paragraph). According to them, “Compared to other actors in world affairs–govornments, international organizations, multinational organizations, and even non govornmental organizations- blogs do not appear to be very powerful or visiable. ” and “According to the 2003 Pew Research Center for the people and the press internet survey, only 4 percent of online Americans refer to blogs for information and opinions.”

I really can relate to what they are saying, becuase often most people dont refer to blogs unless you happed to be really interested in a certain topic of conversation. The statistics that have been calculated I feel are very accurate. Before this class I wouldnt be able to tell you the last time I researched or read a blog aside from a social networking group. This alone shows that blogging isnt very powerful when it comes to politics, and I agree that it isnt as affective and dosent have a huge impact on global politics.

“They Say/I Say”

Essentially, I am arguing that the information provided in  “Web of Influence” the foreign policy article by Daniel Drezner and Henry Farrell on p. 85, they are stating that blogosphere dosent have an impact on global politics. In other words. What this is saying is that their isnt enough people statistically that follow up and use blogs as a daily follow up. Statistically only 4 percent of Americans use blogging.

After reading all of the assigned readings, Chapter 9 from (Graff 115-122) “Ain’t So/Is Not: Academic Writing Doesnt Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice.” “Blogging the Presidency: An interview with Ana Marie Cox” and “Sex Lies and Political Scrapes: An interview with Ana Marie Cox. I feel that the interview with Ana Marie Cox really does a good job of applying itself to the reading from Graff. What this reading spoke about focusing more on words that you would use everyday to express your writing style rather than those big words that you use to try to impress someone and prove that you are intellectual. Throughout this interview she really speaks as if she was simply answering these questions to her best friend. She isn’t trying to impress anyone or use big words to make herself sound good.

The blog that would be more likely to influence me the way I would want to votes in a coming election would be Daily Kos. It is a different setup than wonkette. i feel that wonkette focuses more on top stories and is a little bit easier to follow, but Daily Kos really digs down into depth with information and statistics.

After reading the assigned readings and looking over the Scobles 20 principles that the blog appears to be living up to. I found it dificult to pick just one post. But i did look on Jezebel and found a very interesting kinda comical blog on Dr. Phil and his counceling session of an addict that discovers he has his own myspace. This man talks over about pages that he has looked over and how he had to look at his myspace even while his grandson was being delivered in the hospotile. His wife had even found out that he had cheated on her twice through this networking site. Dr. Phil even found out that he had his own site that someone had created for him. Of which he was unaware of. I find this topic interesting because not only am I writting my paper on social networking but this is rather commical to see on Jezebel. I thought it was really interesting that from the response of his client he learned more abou thimself.