HW 42: Third Podcast

Hi this is Renee again with my third podcast. I am a member of the gamma pod, and this is homework 42. Today I will be discussing a passage that I found memorable in Baghdad Burning. There was a quote on page 260 that stated, "To see those smiling soldiers with the Iraqi prisoners is horrible, I hope they are made to suffer... somehow know they won't be punished." This passage was very touching for me, because in one way or another it represents America as a whole. When Iraq people suffer from America's harsh choices it may impact them to have a negative view towards all Americans. When she used detail and said smiling soldiers it made me sick to my stomach. How can people be smiling about torturing these people? To me they represent heartless and awful people. I have very few words to put out to people who may be taking this class in the future. While reading this book, you can expect to learn about controversial issues that Americans are involved in, and it will help you understand what it is like to live in Iraq. This is a very touching book, especially since it is being told directly from someone who is experiencing it herself. This is all I have time for today, but thanks for tuning and listening to my last podcast.

HW 37: Second Podcast

Hi this is Renee Miner and I am a member of the gamma pod. As I informed you earlier I am a student in the thinking and writing class called A Blog Of One's own. This is my second podcast for this class. This assignment is homework 37 and I will be discussing the holiday Eid that is mentioned in the book Baghdad Burning. Eid is like Thanksgiving for Muslims. A traditional Thanksgiving for me as an American consists of a nice turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy and stuffing. All of my family comes and we have a large festive dinner. Before our meal we might say grace and talk about what we are thankful for. This is very typical for not only my family, but a huge percentage of American families. Considering this description, we have it lucky. AS Riverbend discusses her Eid, it makes me wonder what it would be like to be in that position. Their Eid consisted of having lamb, chicken soup, and bread. This may sound appetizing, but the seating arrangements weren't that pleasant for them. The generator was making obscene noises in the background, and some conversations grew fierce. On page 202, she describes the conversations with much detail. " The elders soon began the usual discussion- politics. Politics in Iraq isn't discussed like in any other place. We have to do it the Iraqi way- mobile expressions, erratic hand signals, and an occasional table- pounding to emphasize a particularly salient point." This type of conversing lead to nothing but arguments when it was supposed to be taken as a peaceful celebration. If my Thanksgiving was encountered with family arguments and disagreements I know I would be in some sort of misery. Having read this example of Eid, it now makes me realize what a catastrophe they are living in. Within the past two weeks of reading, many things have changed my views of Iraq. One specific example being that Iraq women supposed freedom. It seemed to me that there was a small amount of freedom to women in Iraq, but I guess that is not the case. She states on page 191, "If I get any more e-mails about how free and liberated the Iraqi women are *now*