GG’s Blog

In Baghdad Burning, on pages 70-79 it explained two different traditions, one being the importance of date palms to the Iraqi people, and the other the custom of evening tea.  The evening tea is important to the Iraqi people because it’s what we call, “family time.” This is the time where everyone gets together and just talks about life and such.  I liked this because today, at my house we are all so busy we hardly have the time to all get together and sit together.  It’s nice because they do it every night.  Riverbend says, “Tea is so important in Iraq, that it makes up a substantial part of the rations we’ve been getting ever since the sanctions were imposed upon the country” (Riverbend 109)

            The other tradition, was the importance of date plams.  Riverbend explains that they are found in Dhuluaya which is located in the Northern Baghdad area.  Riverbend explains that, “Every bit of a palm is an investment.  the fronds and leaves are dried and used to make beautiful, pale-yellow baskets, brooms, mats, bags, hats, wall hangings and even used for roofing.” (Riverbend 104) These are really important to them because they use them to make a lot of things.  

The podcast that I watched was, “Challenges at a Girls School in Baghdad.”  It aired on May 27, 2007.  The link to view this can be found here, http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/05/21/challenges-at-a-girls-school-in-baghdad/.  This podcast is about a girls school in Baghdad that is experiencing many problems.  Due to the war, it is often not safe for some girls to go to school which causes them to fall behind.  One girl talks about how there was an explosion near her house, and her family was too scared to send her to school but she really wanted to go because she doesn’t want to “fall behind on her studies.”  I think it’s really unforunate that things like this have to happen. It’s sad that people get some behind in their education, and they can’t do a thing about it.  The background of this school didn’t look too great.  It looked old and beat up.  Our schools in America are much nicer, and it makes me feel really bad for them.  This is different from what I’ve seen about Iraq because I usually only see what is on the news, and never really get to see the civilians and how they are feeling, and how the war is negatively effecting them.  

Dear Riverbend,

            I would just like to simply ask, how do you do it?  Everything you have gone through must be so hard to just keep going, and especially writing about it.  If I was experiencing what you are, I honestly don’t’ know if I could wake up everyday, it must be so hard.  It makes me feel better about myself that you don’t have a strong hate towards Americans.  It’s upsetting what’s happening to you guys over there, and it makes me feel bad that my country is the people putting you through this.  But honestly, a lot of us don’t’ agree with what is happening, and we are on your side!  After reading your book, I also got a different perspective on the average Iraqi’s life.  I thought you would just sit around all day in dirt, but then I realize you guys are a lot like us.  You have Internet, TV, and everything just like we do.  It’s kind of weird the assumptions people make, and I find it interesting when you learn the complete opposite.  Well I hope all is well with you, stay safe!

            Sincerely,

                            GG

Riverbend. Foreword by Ahdaf Souief; Introduction by James Ridgeway. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq. New York: The Feminist Press, 2005.

  The book is by author, Riverbend who is a female bloger, blogging about her experiences with the Iraq war.  It fits our class because we always talk about popular bloggers, and we also blog ourselves.  She is an Iraqi citizen during the time and she is just explaining all of the things she’s seen and heard.  I believe this is a good book for Americans to read.  It helps us understand more of what’s happening to the Iraqi’s, rather than just ourselves.  This book is good because it shows true emotions, and she doesn’t hold back anything.  It’s nice to see the other side and know what they’re feeling, because sometimes it’s not all about us.  

After reading Baghdad Burning it became really interesting to me to learn about an Iraqi’s women perspectives on the Iraq War.  It was interesting for me to learn that the Iraqi people felt bad for the American troops.  They hated the American government, but realized that it was the government’s fault, and not the troops so that’s why they didn’t hate them.  I honestly don’t remember much from the beginning of the war.  I know it was constantly on the news, always and also a lot of people didn’t really agree with it, as they still don’t today.  I remember hearing that the war was not going to last very long, and at that time I think we all believed it, and now it’s been a long five years of fighting. 

            In the introduction, when James Ridgeway is telling the story about Riverbends life, I found it kind of amazing to what she had to go through.  I also found it interesting the reason for her name, Riverbend.  “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 think the book sounds really interesting so far, and I’m interested to read more.  

Virginia Woolf believes that everyone should have a room of his or her own, and I completely agree.  Sometimes people just need a place to themselves, where they could thing.  Or somewhere where they know they will be comfortable.  Do I have a room of mine own?  Well yes, I’d say I have about two.  I have a room all to myself at home in Seekonk, MA, and a room to share with two others in Keene.  Although my room at home is more like, a typical “room of one’s own” but I would still agree that they both are.  I have everything that I would need in both rooms.  Pictures of friends, family, all my cloths, and everything else I could want.  I agree with Virginia when she says, “A single leaf detached itself from the plane tree at the end of the street, and in that pause and suspension fell.”  (Woolf, 96)  I think that describes my room very well, and that my room is basically a piece of me.  

            I most certainly do not agree with Virginia Woolf’s quote that is “one would find any woman in that state of mind in the 16^th century was obviously impossible.” (Woolf, 58) Women today are completely different from what she imagined them and expected them to be.  But, seeing as all of the privlages that women have today, I feel like we may abuse some.  Women don’t really give themselves self respect.  Woman always complain that they don’t get enough respect from men, and how they always may be “hitting on them”  but sometimes it’s the women’s fault because some wear such small clothing. Some women just make themselves look horrible and take their free right a little bit overboard. It’s weird to think what women have evolved to.  Back in the day, in Virginia Woolf’s time women wore long skirts and shirts that completely covered them.  Now some women hate to cover themselves.  Some women think that in order to be excepted by men, you need to look good, which can involve wearing less cloths.  It’s weird how things change.  

According to dictionary.com, iron is the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.  In chapter 2 of Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own an example of irony can be found on page 26.  ”Have you an notiion how many books are written about women in the course of one year? Have you any ntion how many are written by men?  Are you aware that you are, perhaps, the most discussed animal in the universe?” (Woolf, 26) I think this is ironic because she is writing a book about women.  Another irony that I found was  on page 32, “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.”  (Woolf, 32)  I thought this was kind of weird because she used sarcasm in this quote.  She was talking about the books as them being completely, unnecessary, so to say.   The third one i found was on page 36, “Whatever may be their use in civilized societies, mirrors are essiential to all violent and heroic action.” (Woolf, 36)  This was weird to me, because honestly when you think about it, mirrors really have no major effect on life.  They don’t cause anything, or “un-cause” anything.  

The paragraph that I chose to write about was the first full paragraph on page 86, in the Kline and Burstein book.  The first sentence of this paragraph explains it all for me, “blogs are becoming more influential because they affect the content of international media coverage” (Kline, Burtstein, 86)  It also goes on to say how some tv or newspapers looks to blogs for information for their broadcasts or articles. I find this interesting because you would never expect for them to look to blogs,  Before this book, I would have assumed that blogs look to newspapers and such, but come to find out it’s the opposite!  I think blogs are better to go to find information, because anyone can comment on them so they can’t be bias because you get both sides.   At the end of the paragraph, it says, “A few elite blogs have emerged as aggregators or information and analysis, enabling media commentators to extract meaningful analysis and rely on blogs to help them interpret and predict political developments.” (Kinle & Burstein, 86)  I find that really interesting, and it’s something I’d like to look into and find out more information about.  

As a result of my reading, the interview that I enjoyed most was the one from Joi Ito.  To take case in this point, from the interview I could really tell he just loved blogging, and he doesn’t really do it for himself, nor thing he is higher than the people who reply to him.  Ultimately, he believes that his blog is just a “community” and he does it for the feedback.  Furthermore, he post his blogs because people keep on commenting him, which he enjoys. In fact, he believes that his blog is his living room, and he’s inviting everyone to hang out in his living room.