HW33: Respond to a Podcast

Podcasts have been becoming a new interest to me and my blogging class. I viewed some of the podcasts, one being "Iraqi Teens work to help their families". This is incorporated on the site alive in Baghdad, and was published 10/15/07. You can view the podcast too at : http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/10/15/iraqi-teens-work-to-help-their-families
This covers the children in Iraq's daily lives and what they have to struggle through. 50% of people in Iraq are jobless, and most of the children (mostly males) work as much as possible to help support their families. The video showed clips of different young Iraqi citizens, meaning real evidence as to what is truly happening. One person states that their is a security and it is difficult to protect yourself. People can't even work at their job sites without being threatened of murder. That is why people are starting to have workshops at their own homes. The background in the video was devastating, the streets looked abandoned and all work was done manually. People's clothes were awful skimpy, and it looked like a horrific place to call home. One particular person in the clip is very memorable to me. His name was Yousif, and he was a student at the College of Agriculture; unemployed. He was born with a birth defect, and has had many operations to correct it. He looked very sad, and in agony of what he has to daily go through. Life is rough for him, and he tells us by saying "look at the situation we live in", meaning please stop terrorism and come at peace. We need to learn from this to consider the lives that are at stake. I have never seen such footage this revealing and devastating.

Another podcast that I viewed was called "Challenges at a girls school in Baghdad", published on 5/21/2007. This is also a part of the series Alive In Baghdad, which can be viewed at: http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/05/21/challenges-at-a-girls-school-in-baghdad
This particular podcast covers information on how it is difficult for females to go to school. They interview the director of the Al-Safina Middle School (an all girls school)Jinan Jamel Mahmoud, a teacher and students as well. 225 female students from all over Baghdad go here to get an education and they explain how extremely dangerous it is. Not only is it dangerous, but the quality of their schools is gloomy and run-down. The supplies for students seem to be low, and a poor quality. When it came to interviewing the director, she claimed that there was a variety of teaching experience. She was wearing a headdress along with many of the others. They asked if she felt as if her school was suffering and she exclaimed that schools everywhere are suffering. "Schools are often shut down for 10 days due to searches", this is showing us that we are damaging people's futures and present lives. Students even say that fear lives by going to school, because you never know if you are going to make it or not. That was truly memorable to me and it made me realize that these people are just like us and need some peace. People can also learn the same moral from this video. The video reminds me of news clips that I see on television showing all of the people suffering from lack of education.