Ever since the War of Iraq has begun, I have become accusstomed to hear read articles that describes the brutal life women experienced in Iraq. Usually, women are victims of abuse and nothing is really done by the government to prevent it. However, this article was different and had some irony to it. As I was reading the article in the beginning, I thought that the narrator was sobering over how she might be restricted from going to college and how she cannot continue her education. The tone in the first paragraph seemed depressing since it seemed as if the narrator is use to living in a environment where she is restricted do anything or even live her life freely.
Throughout the article, the tone of the article become repetitive. For example, its about the narrator being occupied with college activities or exams, while the family always have guests over for several occasions. In addition, it interesting how, the narrator's life depicts similarites to my life. For example, I am always occupied with my college life and my family always tends to have relatives or friends over. However, I liked the end of the article, which was the "power to say no." This line indicates that it is a privilege to saying no is a privilege for women in nations like Iraq. Even though saying no should be a natural born right, it is a privilege to say no. In the end, the narrator feels good saying NO, since hardly do women get the right to say no in Iraq.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Albanian Memorial Day
In my country there’s a memorial day too. It is celebrated on May 6-th every year. When I think of this, it always comes to my mind the patriotic songs they made us study in school. They were made in war time (when my country was fighting for independency against fascists and Nazis). They were made to encourage Albanian soldiers (a.k.a Partisans) who weren’t in fact proper soldiers but normal people fighting for their own country, for their own families.
That is the relationship I can make to myself and Memorial Day. Even when I forgot about it, I just had to turn on the TV and see that every channel was broadcasting war songs. This way I could tell that it was Memorial Day.
That is the relationship I can make to myself and Memorial Day. Even when I forgot about it, I just had to turn on the TV and see that every channel was broadcasting war songs. This way I could tell that it was Memorial Day.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Blog 8- Baghdad Burning
‘Bloggers Without Borders’
This blog is written by a girl who has escaped
The Mesopotamian
This blog is by an Iraqi man who recently moved to Canada. Reading his comments about our politicians and candidates and the Iraq war is really refreshing. His tone implies that he knows a lot of insightful stuff. Thankfully, he gives original perspectives, in my view, of how the Iraq war is going. He is against the jihadists and terrorism, and firmly believes that success in Iraq is paramount for the Iraqi and American people. His english is different from what I'm used to, but his ideas and thoughts around world events imply that he knows more than me and is worth reading to gain a good perspective on the war.
My War: Killing Time in Iraq
This blog is about an Iraq veteran and author that gets called back to duty. He wrote a book about his time in Iraq and what he did while he was over there which is sold through the blog. He also published an article in the San Francisco Chronicle right before he was redployed to Iraq. In the article he states how he always knew that it was possible for him to be called back to Iraq but he always wished it would never happen. He says how if he had enough money and a secure job he never would have enlisted. He is negative towards people that do not enlist in the military and rich people that can afford to avoid having to. I feel a little bad for the author of this blog but he did know what he was signing up for and regardless of what happens he should defend this country with honor and courage until his contract ends, regardless of whether or not it is what he wants to be doing.
Daimnation!
This blog is fairly cynical and critical of the actions of the United States. This seems appropriate for the blog, seeing that the main contributors are from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Ottawa and the strongly liberal New York City. I agree with what they write but is still get annoyed with stereotypical liberal tone that is constantly pitying the United States actions. I'm suprised by the contributors knowledge of the United States, they greatly concern themselves with the flaws of the United States' government but rarely reference the Government of Canada. But when they do they are also fairly critical and do not hesitate to expose it's own flaws. Realizing this, i have to admit that this blog isn't overly biased, just overly critical. I don't disagree with the blog, but I think its unfair to criticize the U.S's efforts to aid the disaster victims of Myanmar.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A Star from Mosul
Since my name starts with the letter "s," I chose to read the blog A Star from Mosul. The reason I initially chose this blog is that, out of the blogs I had to chose from, it was the only one that involved the point of view of an Iraqi citizen. Instead of all the other blogs, which in general focused on news and media, or perhaps the point of view of a soldier, this blog focused on the life of a student at the University of Mosul, in Mosul, Iraq. I thought it would be interesting to see the war out of the eyes of someone who was about the same age as me.
I'm not totally sure what I expected from this blog, but I was definitely surprised by what I read. I was expecting stories of a young man struggling to live a normal life and get a good education in a turbulent and troubled place, yet there were few to no explicit references to the war, other than perhaps mentioning how annoying it was to have mandatory curfews and such. Yet still these problems were casually regarded, as though only a simple nuisance, while if any American student were forced to live in the same conditions, they would not now how to react to the lack of justice. The author, Namja, talks about things any normal teenager would, from the joys of sleeping in, to playing sports and hanging out with family. Now while this may seem sexist on my part, I cannot deny that I expected the author of this blog to be a guy, so I was reasonably shocked to discover that the author was actually a girl. I would never have expected a young girl, in Iraq, to be able to talk so freely. Although I hate to admit it, I suppose this foolish idea led me to the misconception that the young women in Iraq were much more reserved and un-opinionated than those around the rest of the world. As I read more of the author's posts, which were always about her day to day life, I realized she was like many girls I know, and I began to feel guilty for being so judgmental. Her tone differed from post to post, angry to happy, but were always simple and honest. Now that I think about it, I can't believe I was surprised by something that should probably be regarded as normal.
I'm not totally sure what I expected from this blog, but I was definitely surprised by what I read. I was expecting stories of a young man struggling to live a normal life and get a good education in a turbulent and troubled place, yet there were few to no explicit references to the war, other than perhaps mentioning how annoying it was to have mandatory curfews and such. Yet still these problems were casually regarded, as though only a simple nuisance, while if any American student were forced to live in the same conditions, they would not now how to react to the lack of justice. The author, Namja, talks about things any normal teenager would, from the joys of sleeping in, to playing sports and hanging out with family. Now while this may seem sexist on my part, I cannot deny that I expected the author of this blog to be a guy, so I was reasonably shocked to discover that the author was actually a girl. I would never have expected a young girl, in Iraq, to be able to talk so freely. Although I hate to admit it, I suppose this foolish idea led me to the misconception that the young women in Iraq were much more reserved and un-opinionated than those around the rest of the world. As I read more of the author's posts, which were always about her day to day life, I realized she was like many girls I know, and I began to feel guilty for being so judgmental. Her tone differed from post to post, angry to happy, but were always simple and honest. Now that I think about it, I can't believe I was surprised by something that should probably be regarded as normal.
Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln
The author of the blog, M.L. Lyke, is a journalist who spent three weeks in March 2003 on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the
Postcolonial Iraq
As I was reading the blogs for Postcolonial Iraq, I realize that the most previous blogs were written in February of 2007. Now, one year isn't that much, but still, a lot has happened in a year. The dates of the posts seem to be very distanced and I feel like there are not that many posts for the blogs. I don't feel like I can use this blog as a reliable source just because of that. Other than that, I feel as if the words of the posts are very inspirational towards the future.
"I believe this document can be defined as an historic event in the annals of the Palestinians in Israel and of their relationship with the Jewish majority and establishment. This is the first time a representative national body of Palestinians in Israel has prepared and published a basic paper that describes both the existing situation and the changes that are needed across a broad spectrum of Arab life: relations with the Jewish majority, the legal situation, land, social and economic issues, the status of civil and political institutions, etc. "
As I read this, I felt a sense of excitement that there is such a document that defines the firm principles and the desires of the solutions for this situtation. The tone of the blog is motivational and makes it very easy to read because I want to know what exactly this document does.
http://jelloul.blogspot.com/
"I believe this document can be defined as an historic event in the annals of the Palestinians in Israel and of their relationship with the Jewish majority and establishment. This is the first time a representative national body of Palestinians in Israel has prepared and published a basic paper that describes both the existing situation and the changes that are needed across a broad spectrum of Arab life: relations with the Jewish majority, the legal situation, land, social and economic issues, the status of civil and political institutions, etc. "
As I read this, I felt a sense of excitement that there is such a document that defines the firm principles and the desires of the solutions for this situtation. The tone of the blog is motivational and makes it very easy to read because I want to know what exactly this document does.
http://jelloul.blogspot.com/
Guardian.CO.UK
The Guardian is a newspaper that seems to have a very big following in the UK area. The site that the blog http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/diary/ comes from, is a branch of this newspaper. The Guardian by the looks of it, spans a large spectrum of subjects. Of these subjects, the US has it's very own section on the site. Also on this site are blogs that users (or employees) create. Just like the one I'm reading now.
So the blog is basically a collection of links from writers picking certain articles (usually their own) to post. The authors, from what I've seen, are professional writers for the newspaper or the Guardian Website. What is cool is that some of the authors are actually in Iraq and have their own personal stories.
Since the blog is a collection of other articles. it doesn't have much more than a basic summary of the article within the posts. So there isn't really room for a tone. The blog is also not up to date. The last of the posts is from April 28th. So it seems like the blog is focusing on main stories or really good articles to post. It acts sort of like a filter. Choosing only what the writers feel should go onto it.
So the blog is basically a collection of links from writers picking certain articles (usually their own) to post. The authors, from what I've seen, are professional writers for the newspaper or the Guardian Website. What is cool is that some of the authors are actually in Iraq and have their own personal stories.
Since the blog is a collection of other articles. it doesn't have much more than a basic summary of the article within the posts. So there isn't really room for a tone. The blog is also not up to date. The last of the posts is from April 28th. So it seems like the blog is focusing on main stories or really good articles to post. It acts sort of like a filter. Choosing only what the writers feel should go onto it.
For the People, by the People
Upon looking over Command-Post.org, I was confused as to what purpose this blog served. When the site first loaded, I was wondering whether or not the site was, indeed, a blog. However, when I first read the initial message at the top of the page, I was quickly informed as to why the page looks so odd. The Command Post is simply a collection of web blogs recorded over recent years surrounding the current war.
According to the presumed owners of the site (who go by the name of Alan and Michele), they believe that this site serves no purpose anymore as the internet has seen a substantial influx of other similar blogs over the years. As a result, Alan and Michele have decided to close the site and simply use it as an archive of blogs that people can gain access to. Simply put, The Command Post represents a piece of journalistic history.
In the opening message, the assumed tag-line of the site seems to be "For the people, by the people." Thus, I got the vibe that the entire site is not written by one such person, but by a group of people who represent the general public in trying to represent multifaceted views on ideas. Upon further speculation, I discovered that, there are, indeed, approximately 13 contributers to the entire blog.
However, I wanted to make sure that my assumption proved to be true when I previously assumed that the individual blogs represent multifaceted political views. Thus, I dabbled into some journalism. Once perused, I found most of the articles to be simply informative with little to no personal emphasis or input. On specific topic of blogs I read, entitled "Global War on Terror," seemed to display this quality to a "T." It seemed as if every blog post (usually posted by a contributer under the name of California Yankee") was pulled directly from the news source itself. Thus, I came to the conclusion that this collection of blogs simply serves a historic piece of archived news events.
Peace Blogs
My last name starts with P, and I had two options, PostColonial or PeaceBlogs, and since someone just did PostColonial, I thought I would do PeaceBlogs. PeaceBlogs is a site that is made of a collection of blogs made by other people. The site started after the first bomb hit Baghdad and the site only accepted posts for about a year. There is a collection of 2272 blogs on the site from 89 countries around the world. The site is still active for everyone to read the feelings of people around the world the war on Iraq as well as war in general. It was interesting to see that mostly all people agree, that war is not the answer to America's problem. The most interesting was seeing all the blogs, and most of the international one could not be read because they were written in another language other than English. Other than having American blogs dominate the blog, Brazilians weren't that far behind them in the number of blogs. It looked like a battle between the two countries going back and forth.
It seems like eveyrone is against war and would like to see this war end, and this blog began as the first bomb was dropped. The authors were from all over the world from different backgound and different cultures. It would be to hard to generalize them. From the blogs though, I did feel where they were coming from because I was opposed to the war from the beginning. There was a picture of an elderly woman and man eating their breakfast and it looked as if nothing had changed because of the war. Life is still the same, and war made no difference at all.
It seems like eveyrone is against war and would like to see this war end, and this blog began as the first bomb was dropped. The authors were from all over the world from different backgound and different cultures. It would be to hard to generalize them. From the blogs though, I did feel where they were coming from because I was opposed to the war from the beginning. There was a picture of an elderly woman and man eating their breakfast and it looked as if nothing had changed because of the war. Life is still the same, and war made no difference at all.
Waiting in the Light
As I read through the blogs that Waiting in the Light concluded I felt pretty upset. The subjects of most of the blogs were concerned with the people in Iraq and Palestine. The tone was very dismal and had no hope. I thought there would be comments on the US in Iraq, but most of the blogs dealt with the damage that the Iraqi and Palestinian people have dealt with. Most commented on how the US has made it even worse for the people to live and how their friends and family are dying left and right. The first blog was titled, "there are no words" and basically described how there were no words for the suffering in Iraq. I felt sympathetic to the Iraqi people because I got a new perspective on their side. I have been so focused on what we are doing over there, I tend to forget what it must be like for the Iraqi families.
What I tend to forget is that they are people too, they have feelings and families and we are over there killing and ruining their cities. To hear comments about life from the other side made me realize the effects of war. We are really devestating thier lives and the blog was quite and eye opener.
What I tend to forget is that they are people too, they have feelings and families and we are over there killing and ruining their cities. To hear comments about life from the other side made me realize the effects of war. We are really devestating thier lives and the blog was quite and eye opener.
I Want Out
The article i read was about a young college student living voer in the middle east during the War. He talked mostly about how angry he was that he was stuck over there during these times. He was suppose to go to college sor his studies but because most of the girls werent't going back to college he decided not to gom back either. His mom who worked at the college still had to go and work but on her first day she found out that they were shutting down the college and stopping all lectures and classes. There had also been a new curfew set forth that required people to stay in there homes for most of the day or night. He was angered by the fact that he was trapped in his house and trapped in this country he wanted to leave. He ended up spending most of his days watching tv and eating worrying about gaining weight and becoming a clostrophobic. The main tone in this stroy was of anger and frustration over the situation he was put in. This is very understandeable i know that if i was stuck in my home and wasn't able to do anything i would want to leave to.
American Soldier
The title of the blog I read is American Soldier, which is pretty much self explanitory since it is about a day in the life of an American Soldier. The entries range from topics about the war to soldiers talking about their families to information helping soldiers get used to regular daily life again. It starts off with one story in particular about a soldier who gave his life to save those of his fellow army men when their post came under heavy attack. It then goes to a post about mortgage offers and programs for veterans and talks about a promising documentary about war and veterans life after war. The creator of this blog was actually nominated and was a finalist for the 2007 weblog awards. The tone of the blog is informal and is basically the author putting all of his thoughts online for people to comment and think about also. The author of the blog itself seems very friendly, knowledgable, and his goal is just to make people aware. He is very opinionated and there are a few entries where he just seems to be blowing steam. When I was reading the blog each post brought out new emotions. The stories made me feel for soldiers and their families and it made me think about all the people going through similar situations now. Reading the posts where the author got heated actually made me smile just with the way he worded things and I thought it was admirable how strongly he felt on certain issues. Overall, I think this blog is good because it offers many different aspects of the war and gives suggestions on other media connected with the war that would be correct and interesting.
Here's the link to the page: http://www.soldierlife.com/
Here's the link to the page: http://www.soldierlife.com/
A Star From Mosul
The blogger is an Iraqi woman of about 20 years of age. She writes under the pseudonym Najma (for security reasons) and currently resides in Mosul despite being born in Baghdad. She is a communications major at the University of Mosul, but, according to Najma, the university is currently closed to students.
Najma blogs about her activities and thoughts on different topics stretching the last couple of days. Her current blog mentions a curfew and that students attending the University of Mosul were told to go home. It seems her mom works at the college and Najma wanted to go with her but she overslept. Once her mom comes home, she tells Najma she only received her salary and that there were no lectures for the few students that remained at the university. She repetitively lets her readers know how bored she is and that she cannot stand the curfew. Najma believes she will gain weight as a result of staying home for long periods of time and that she will regain her natural skin color. Lastly, she mentions having her favorite cousin over and playing badminton for a while with her family.
It is very surprising and interesting that Najma is able to read and write English so well. From my experience, students learning a new language do not master it on their own unless they had some sort of tutor or lived in another country for a period of time. The blog she maintains is much like a diary. She is straightforward about her likes and dislikes and also expresses frustration and happiness at certain points in her blog. For example, Najma seems to be frustrated about not waking up in time to go to the university with her mom. In the end, however, when she talks about having a great time playing badminton, she seems to momentarily forget about all the horrible things that go on in Iraq.
Najma blogs about her activities and thoughts on different topics stretching the last couple of days. Her current blog mentions a curfew and that students attending the University of Mosul were told to go home. It seems her mom works at the college and Najma wanted to go with her but she overslept. Once her mom comes home, she tells Najma she only received her salary and that there were no lectures for the few students that remained at the university. She repetitively lets her readers know how bored she is and that she cannot stand the curfew. Najma believes she will gain weight as a result of staying home for long periods of time and that she will regain her natural skin color. Lastly, she mentions having her favorite cousin over and playing badminton for a while with her family.
It is very surprising and interesting that Najma is able to read and write English so well. From my experience, students learning a new language do not master it on their own unless they had some sort of tutor or lived in another country for a period of time. The blog she maintains is much like a diary. She is straightforward about her likes and dislikes and also expresses frustration and happiness at certain points in her blog. For example, Najma seems to be frustrated about not waking up in time to go to the university with her mom. In the end, however, when she talks about having a great time playing badminton, she seems to momentarily forget about all the horrible things that go on in Iraq.
"Kurdo's World" Review
The blogs in this particular section were about life in Kurdistan, more particularly about voting in Kurdistan by a Kurdistan blogger. The blogger finds his or herself in a position where they are deciding not to vote, and a friend calls the blogger out about not voting by noticing that the person's thumb was not purple. They use purple ink, by thumb, to indicate the votes on the ballots. The blogs start off mentioning the imprisonment of a writer for so much as swearing towards the Kurdistan President. The writer tells a story of an election a friend went to where they ran out of ballots even though there should have been enough. When going to vote the official said they had already voted for him. The voter made a scene about voting for who he chose and was allowed to vote and told to not tell anyone anything of the matter. How easy the ink was able to be washed off and how the elections were always frauded was also detailed by the blogger.
The tone of this is as of straight forward, here is how it is, manner. I would characterize the blogger as wanting something to be done about the issues, but is not entirely a radical or extremist in the situation. Reading these blogs confirms more of feeling that there is alot of corruption in these foreign countries and that people like hte blogger have become rather accepting of this, while others who are accepting, like the friend who voted, will be content with doing what they are suppose to do even though it may be completely rigged and fraudulant.
The tone of this is as of straight forward, here is how it is, manner. I would characterize the blogger as wanting something to be done about the issues, but is not entirely a radical or extremist in the situation. Reading these blogs confirms more of feeling that there is alot of corruption in these foreign countries and that people like hte blogger have become rather accepting of this, while others who are accepting, like the friend who voted, will be content with doing what they are suppose to do even though it may be completely rigged and fraudulant.
Baghdad Journal
This blog is about soldiers in Baghdad and the way they interact with other troops and soldiers and how they deal with their current war situation. The tone of the blog is relaxed but you can sense that the soldiers are ready to come home. They admit that they can not win this battle alone and that they need help from the UN and other outside allies. The blog starts out talking about what the soldiers' favorite baseball teams are and they make jokes. Reading the blog made me realize how real the war in Iraq is and how these soldiers deal with being in Iraq. It helps me see what the soldiers feel and think about and how they interact with each other. It is a realistic good blog to keep up with if you are following the war in Iraq.
Postcolonial Iraq
This article talked about the state that Iraq is in now after the peak of the war and troops being there for five years. It was interesting to read because opens your eyes to what Iraq is really like. The author compared it to conditions in Africa where the poverty rate is around 75%. This article made me question why we're really in Iraq. We've been there for five and years and I can't think of a major achievement we've had. Other than capturing Saddam, which could have been done without tearing a country apart, no pluses have come out of it. Increasing poverty rates, unnecessary civilian and soldier deaths, hundreds of billions of dollars being spent, those are the major affects the war has had. It's time to leave Iraq and let them form their government. They need to control their own land.
Birding Babylon
This blog is about a soldiers time in Iraq and the wildlife he encountered around him. The tone of this blog is hope especially in his posts about the geese. There were these geese that traveled over 3000 miles through the chaos and war in Iraq. The author I felt like he looked toward these animals for comfort in knowing if they can survive then he can make it too. Reading this blog made me feel good that at least this soldier had something to look towards as oppose to seeing all the bad he was using these animals to look toward the good.
Cigars in the Sand
Cigars in the Sand
This blog was written by an individual named “Ryan” who describes himself as “Farmer by genetics, Lawyer by training.” Currently he considers himself “vacationing” in Iraq as he advises on security issues to the Iraqi government.
The tone of this blog is rather informal as Ryan begins his most recent blog with “So…” as if we are his friends and he is having a rather relaxed conversation. His blog seems rather personal as he states that he has recently just found out after only a short amount of time back in the states that his father is diagnoses with lung cancer. He uses a most sincere tone as he refers to the people in Iraq as “his brothers and sisters” and states that he has experience times where “I've needed to be a lawyer, a time when I've needed to be a "diplomat"- but right now I need to be a son.”
However, the majority of his blog talks about his experience in Iraq and how it feels to live in a war zone. In one blog he exclaims that living in a war zone seems to “dull the senses.” As he gets used to hearing bombs and gunfire constantly, it no longer phases him.
Ryan seems most honest and genuine as he professes the great respect he has for the military. He makes a reference to the military forces as he gives examples of how self sacrificing they are, helping Iraqi car bombing victims. He makes it known to the public that the military is not just looking for terrorists to kill but looking out for the wellbeing of the Iraqi people.
This blog mainly expresses Ryan’s thoughts and opinions of the going s on in Iraq as he experiences life in Iraq first hand. He not only makes references to the reality of the matter but he tries to relate it to past events that help us understand his nature, providing quotes from past presidents and making references to the “Guardian.” The blog did not try to evoke from me any fake emotions but mostly led me to think more about the situation in Iraq. It provoked thought and helped provided insight on the matters, which is what I think a real blog should do.
This blog was written by an individual named “Ryan” who describes himself as “Farmer by genetics, Lawyer by training.” Currently he considers himself “vacationing” in Iraq as he advises on security issues to the Iraqi government.
The tone of this blog is rather informal as Ryan begins his most recent blog with “So…” as if we are his friends and he is having a rather relaxed conversation. His blog seems rather personal as he states that he has recently just found out after only a short amount of time back in the states that his father is diagnoses with lung cancer. He uses a most sincere tone as he refers to the people in Iraq as “his brothers and sisters” and states that he has experience times where “I've needed to be a lawyer, a time when I've needed to be a "diplomat"- but right now I need to be a son.”
However, the majority of his blog talks about his experience in Iraq and how it feels to live in a war zone. In one blog he exclaims that living in a war zone seems to “dull the senses.” As he gets used to hearing bombs and gunfire constantly, it no longer phases him.
Ryan seems most honest and genuine as he professes the great respect he has for the military. He makes a reference to the military forces as he gives examples of how self sacrificing they are, helping Iraqi car bombing victims. He makes it known to the public that the military is not just looking for terrorists to kill but looking out for the wellbeing of the Iraqi people.
This blog mainly expresses Ryan’s thoughts and opinions of the going s on in Iraq as he experiences life in Iraq first hand. He not only makes references to the reality of the matter but he tries to relate it to past events that help us understand his nature, providing quotes from past presidents and making references to the “Guardian.” The blog did not try to evoke from me any fake emotions but mostly led me to think more about the situation in Iraq. It provoked thought and helped provided insight on the matters, which is what I think a real blog should do.
A Star from Mosul
When I saw that this blog was written by a young Iraqi woman, actually living within Iraq, I thought that it would be much more interesting to hear her thoughts rather that more from American soldiers and reporters. The author’s name is Najma, and she is a student of Engineering at the University of Mosul. Most of what she discusses in her blog relates to how hard it is to live in Iraq and how she is trying to find the good in living where she is. Her writing is very informal, choosing to detail the events of her day in a way that many teenage girls do. For example, “There wasn't anything to do if I woke up so I closed my eyes only to be awaken by mom after what seemed like only minutes later.. it turned out to be 1 PM however!!” Her tone is one of frustration and depression from a life that she is unhappy with. “Possible results of the curfew are (unless I killed myself before its end): gaining some weight, getting back to my natural skin color and I think I am going to be a claustrophobic.” She is definitely unoptimistic about her situation and surroundings. The author seems to always feel down or look for things to be bad before they happen, even when someone gives her encouragement or reasons to feel good. To be honest, the blog kind of depressed me because the author was always down on things, but, I guess it is hard to expect her to optimistic when so much bad is happening around her.
A Minute Longer
The blog that I read was about a soldier who toured in Iraq and Kuwait back in 2004. His last entry to the blog was in April of 2004 at the end of his most recent tour. Since he has not written to this blog since then, I would assume that he has not been redeployed. His final entry was one of joy and anger at the same time. He seemed very happy to be home, as all soldiers typically are, but he still held a grudge. It was quite evident that he supported the war and believed in what he was fighting for. He literally called out the Iraqis by telling them they control their own fate. He told them that if they wanted the US to leave then they should stop fighting and finally control their government. At that point, they would be able to tell the US to leave, which he said we would gladly do. It is always great to see the perspective of someone who experienced it. He knows more about the war then I would ever know, and he basically said what no one believes. Everyone seems to believe there is no end to the war, but he came out and voiced his opinion on exactly how the war can come to an end.
Family in Baghdad, A
This blog is shared by a family of three sons and their mother. The father in this family did not want to contribute. They have been writing in this blog for a long time now, since November of 2003. When they started the blog, they lived in Baghdad. Since then, they have moved to Jordan. The family writes about both serious things regarding politics and the war, but also about what they have been up to in their personal lives. It is such a good example of how no matter where you are from or what language you speak, everyone is fundamentally the same. They have likes, dislikes, wants, and fears just like we do. They have jobs and friends and dreams. It is so amazing to think that there is a regular, everyday woman - a mother - sitting at a computer half way around the world writing a blog that I'm reading from my dorm room. It put a personal touch to the war, to the stories that we hear regarding that portion of the globe.
Recently, only the mother has been writing. She writes about her cat that brings her so much joy, about going to visit her son in Cairo, and about her job, to name a few things. She takes time out of her day to write long, detailed, very truthful posts that anyone in the world could read. It goes to show that we can all learn from each other.
In some of the posts, the tone is funny and light, in others it is very serious. Some posts are hopeful, some are full of worry and concern. The posts change with the moods and emotions of the writer. But in all of them the women seems like a very smart and strong person. She travels a lot and is very dedicated to helping people. I think that her posts are really a reality check for people who think that all middle-eastern woman are a certain way.
A sentiment that really stuck with me that seems to be shared by the whole family, and probably a lot more people, is that although they know that they did not have the best life before, that although they know that they were oppressed and that things that they deserved were withheld from them, at least they had a life. Now, they don't feel like they do anymore. They have to worry about stray bullets, bombs, and ambushes every time they leave their house. These sorts of blogs were written in the end of 2003 and the beginning of 2004.
Another amazing thing to think about is how much of their lives, and consequently, their blog entries, revolved around having/not having gasoline and having/ not having electricity. Neither of these things are available 24/7 like they are here. Although we complain about the prices of these things, at least they are always available.
Recently, only the mother has been writing. She writes about her cat that brings her so much joy, about going to visit her son in Cairo, and about her job, to name a few things. She takes time out of her day to write long, detailed, very truthful posts that anyone in the world could read. It goes to show that we can all learn from each other.
In some of the posts, the tone is funny and light, in others it is very serious. Some posts are hopeful, some are full of worry and concern. The posts change with the moods and emotions of the writer. But in all of them the women seems like a very smart and strong person. She travels a lot and is very dedicated to helping people. I think that her posts are really a reality check for people who think that all middle-eastern woman are a certain way.
A sentiment that really stuck with me that seems to be shared by the whole family, and probably a lot more people, is that although they know that they did not have the best life before, that although they know that they were oppressed and that things that they deserved were withheld from them, at least they had a life. Now, they don't feel like they do anymore. They have to worry about stray bullets, bombs, and ambushes every time they leave their house. These sorts of blogs were written in the end of 2003 and the beginning of 2004.
Another amazing thing to think about is how much of their lives, and consequently, their blog entries, revolved around having/not having gasoline and having/ not having electricity. Neither of these things are available 24/7 like they are here. Although we complain about the prices of these things, at least they are always available.
Much hope for peace
The blog 'Stand down', is based on articles about the middle east war conflict and its background. It primarily discusses about the US invasion in Iraq and its after effects. The president of the US, George.W.Bush has been accused of intervening with a country's sovereignty which finally lead to war. The authors of the articles declare that if Bush had not been involved in this conflict, it would have been a much simplified issue. Authors present a plethora of information from a significant number of sources to prove what they say. there are figures of the actual numbers of deaths and causalities to support the argument. The tone of the articles is aggressive as it talks about a controversial issue at hand. The authors go against the Bush government with proven evidence.
By reading this blog entries, i absorbed a lot information i didn't know about the issue in the middle east. The techniques the authors have used to prove the case is impressive. Even though the information is accurate or not, the authors have been successful in tempting the reader to read this article. It is up to the reader to decide whether the information given makes a good argument or not.
By reading this blog entries, i absorbed a lot information i didn't know about the issue in the middle east. The techniques the authors have used to prove the case is impressive. Even though the information is accurate or not, the authors have been successful in tempting the reader to read this article. It is up to the reader to decide whether the information given makes a good argument or not.
Major K. Blog
I read the Major K. Blog (http://www.visetveneratio.com/) whose author is a 35 year old Infantry Officer stationed in Iraq. The tone is almost too cheerful from what I have read: "The arhabiyin (plural - thanks to an e-mailed correction from a nice Dutch lady) always try to get in their last shots before we shut down the streets and the borders. It is the same stuff; IED's, a few mortars or rockets, and a sprinkling of small arms fire." In the same sentence he talks about being shot at and being corrected by "a nice dutch lady." He clearly is taking the getting shot at part lightly. Also, his word choice is a little bizarre as well. The term "sprinkling of" usually implies putting salt in a stew, not watching bullets fly in your general direction. The author is so optimistic about everything that you almost want to cry "Bullshit!" on the authenticity of his feelings. Either he is genuinely (albeit absurdly) optimistic and happy, or he is hiding his true opinions. I think the latter option is the more likely one, because it is generally accepted to hide feelings of despair/negativity and is seen as the manlier thing to do. However, the author is clearly very intelligent and is writing in a "Dear Diary" sort of style. His writing reminds me very much of "Heart of Darkness." It is deep and retrospective, but as stated above sometimes childishly simple: "The arhabiyin are lousy shooters, except for the occasional foreign-trained sniper. The other thing they can't seem to do is come up with an alternative to democracy for the Iraqi people other than more suffering death and destruction." This seems like something a school-child would say, not a battle-hardened officer.
Healing Iraq
In this blog, many posts were mainly focused on the possibilities of future Iraq after the execution of their former dictator, Saddam Hussein. Most of the authors took a pessimistic approach towards their future expressed clearly in their posts. Many of them felt the future is a blur and the execution did not resolve the bloody civil war in Iraq. The authors had their own opinions that those who are for Saddam and those are against Saddam did not accept each other's differences and will only continue their battle using the death of Saddam as a catalyst. Many of the writers express their joy of the execution and their experience of freedom but still has a part in their heart that feels sad. They are glad that their lives under the regime of Saddam are over but still have grieve lingering in them. I can really feel the way they feel since they all live in Iraq, what they fear is an experience that I would never feel.
Blogs of War
Blogs of War is run by a conservative American who is supporting the war on terror. The blog covers politics, technology, terrorism, and the military. I enjoyed reading some of the posts in the blog because the author had a sense of humor in some cases. For example, the author mentioned how Hillary Clinton must have felt awkward when she sat in on an adultery sermon in Kentucky during her visit. The author also talks a little bit about sports and how he views different events, such as Michael Vick getting busted for dogfighting and Barry Bonds breaking the homerun record. I really like how the author includes YouTube videos in many of his posts. The author seems like a really cool guy and i enjoy reading his posts.
Blogging Baghdad: The Untold Story
The blog I looked at was titled Blogging Baghdad: The Untold Story. In this blog, bloggers try to bring the real life living conditions of residents in Baghdad to light. It is hard for Americans to realize what daily living conditions in Baghdad are like because they are so far from our own here at home, however, this blog may clear up a few questions.
The living conditions in Baghdad are very hard. Daily living expenses have severely risen due to the lack of necessities. Water and electricity as well as many other needed items are in short supply therefore raising the prices to very high levels.
However, the higher expenses are not the real problem for Baghdad residents. The real trouble is leaving the house alive and coming back in one piece. People must be constantly on the watch for bombings, ambushes, cross-fire, etc. For hard working people in Baghdad, simply going to work is a dangerous event.
The mood of the blog was a bit depressing. Hearing these horrible stories was very hard to listen to. It is very hard trying to imagine living like those in Baghdad. After reading this, I no longer taking life for granted, for any moment in Baghdad, an individual can be killed for no reason and Baghdad residents must live in these conditions for which they cannot control.
The living conditions in Baghdad are very hard. Daily living expenses have severely risen due to the lack of necessities. Water and electricity as well as many other needed items are in short supply therefore raising the prices to very high levels.
However, the higher expenses are not the real problem for Baghdad residents. The real trouble is leaving the house alive and coming back in one piece. People must be constantly on the watch for bombings, ambushes, cross-fire, etc. For hard working people in Baghdad, simply going to work is a dangerous event.
The mood of the blog was a bit depressing. Hearing these horrible stories was very hard to listen to. It is very hard trying to imagine living like those in Baghdad. After reading this, I no longer taking life for granted, for any moment in Baghdad, an individual can be killed for no reason and Baghdad residents must live in these conditions for which they cannot control.
A minute longer
This blog is about different things that the author, Will, experienced while being in the military. He mentions the different locations that the job has taken him to, including Iraq. He seems to be a pretty down to earth guy from what he writes. He uses a lot of sarcasm and humor in his writing. I think that he is trying to lighten the situation he is in while sharing his story. I felt like this guy would be a nice guy to hang out with because he seemed easy going and laid back for the most part. I think that it's good that he was able to write about his experience and have people comment. He mentioned preparing to come home and what it's like having to clean everything. He said that sometimes it seemed unneccesary and a pain but he realized that it was important not to take things back to the States from Iraq. He said that he really like his job and that he had been doing it for thirteen years. I think that he believes in what he's doing but isn't talking all politics or war. I picture this guy as someone that would be a really cool uncle. He would come home and have all these great stories to tell. This blog made me feel less worried about the war and the people that I know serving. I think it's nice hearing different stories from different soliders and what they experienced or what the war means to them.
The Rational Enquirer, December 2005
I chose the most recent blog in this section. The author is angry at Scott McClennan for some comments and things he has said. The author uses parts of interviews that McClennan has talked in and has written about some hypocracy he has found. One point the author makes is while he says he's saddend by the saddened by the loss of life, but then goes and makes jokes about it. The author piles information about wrongs done against veterans like, slashing benifits, exposing them to toxins, etc. while saying things about how they feel for the families, etc. The author points out how the goverment and it's spokesmen talk about how they feel sad for the families and over the loss of life, while they're doing things to harm veterans and people coming back from the war.
Operation Yellow Elephant
The tagline of the Operation Yellow Elephant blog is, “It’s there war. Why aren’t they fighting it?” The writer of this blog is trying to convince readers that since republicans support the war, they should be the ones fighting. I found this blog very interesting, because the author makes many good points, and he is very persuasive. There is one blog post that I found particularly persuasive, which was about UConn College Republican President. There are many quotes from this young man about the War in Iraq, and the author of this blog thinks that he should enlist. Operation Yellow Elephant is more than just a blog. The author of this blog encourages supporters to write to these young outspoken republicans and essentially tell them to put their money where their mouth is and enlist. He also gives frequent updates about the people that they try to get to enlist, and apparently, not too many actually respond to these requests. The tone is very sarcastic at times, which seems to be effective because every one of his posts have many comments either supporting what he says or angered by it.
The Foxhole Philosopher
The blog entitled The Foxhole Philosopher contains a header that clearly states what its purpose is. “A forum for thoughtful discussion of practical issues facing the military, civil, and political world today. None of the Opinions expressed here are a reflection of United States, her Military, or any other organization other than those of the author.” It is written in the first person, making the tone very informal but yet professional. Its audience seems to be for an older crowd, judging on the word choice and topic of interest. The latest blog entry discusses deployment to the military in a time of war. His argument states that some soldiers leave while the world around them is still going on while they are away, and thus they do not have anything familiar to come back too. He is not optimistic about the future of the military because of this issue.
For the most part, this blog was very intriguing. I’ve never read about an opinion first hand from an ex soldier about what the effects on the war does to people. It kind of felt like I was reading this blog from right out of a novel; and if I could, I would continue on to the next chapter to see what else this author has to say.
For the most part, this blog was very intriguing. I’ve never read about an opinion first hand from an ex soldier about what the effects on the war does to people. It kind of felt like I was reading this blog from right out of a novel; and if I could, I would continue on to the next chapter to see what else this author has to say.
Scenic and Deadly
The blog I read talked about how the worst things happen to beautiful places. The author, Jason Burke, spoke about his time spent in Halabja. He started the blog by explaining some history about Halabja and goes on to talk about the fighting that he watched and the deaths he witnessed. When reading this blog I felt even worse about the entire concept of war. This beautiful town, along with innocent peoples lives was ruined because of fighting. When I think about the war in Iraq, or any war, I always find myself concerned with the other things that are being affected. What if the war was being fought in America? So many things would be different and so many beautiful places would be destroyed. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to walk out of your house every day wondering if it will be your last. Even for a reporter such as Jason Burke, when he was talking about watching the fights and hearing the gunshots and explosions over the radio. No one will ever understand the real damage that is being done unless they are there first hand, which is why Jason Burke’s blog made me feel this way. To read something that he personally witnessed is a scary truth. It is not like what you see in the movies because it is really happening.
Minute Longer, A
This blog concerns a gentleman named Will. The webblog is about his hardships, adventures and time in Iraq. Throughout a few entries, you can tell this guy is definitely optimistic. You get an idea of how he learned from his time there and grew from it. The latest entry of the blog is actually his last. He returned home from Iraq to Wisconsin where he could not get enough nachos and beer. By the short entries upon his return, he was more than ecstatic to be home and see his family. Throughout his time in Iraq it was apparent that he found ways to keep himself sane and remain his optimistic self, through inside jokes, and making light of the hardest times.
While it’s still really difficult for me to read these sort of personal diaries so to say, because they are that: personal. I could not imagine how someone can return from such a scary and barren land and not be plagued with thoughts and memories. But the fact that I read a detailed and personal account of someone who was real, but optimistic made me feel optimistic about the war. This gentleman made a simple quote "Give us what we want and we'll go away." – he makes it so simple…and I just wish the rest of the world would think and feel this way.
While it’s still really difficult for me to read these sort of personal diaries so to say, because they are that: personal. I could not imagine how someone can return from such a scary and barren land and not be plagued with thoughts and memories. But the fact that I read a detailed and personal account of someone who was real, but optimistic made me feel optimistic about the war. This gentleman made a simple quote "Give us what we want and we'll go away." – he makes it so simple…and I just wish the rest of the world would think and feel this way.
The Command Post
This blogs main focus is terrorism and the world's effort to stop it. It also highlights world political campaigns as well as our own political landscape here in the United States. When reading the blog, it seems as if they are trying to make the audience surprised of a fact not commonly known. The authors that write on the blog very concise and are more concerned with factual knowledge than length or writing styles. It is a very "in your face" type of blog, that can easily captivate and take a web-surfer away from what they were originally doing for a minute or two. Overall, the blog made me feel like i don't know everything and that there are many people constantly trying to tell me that.
Guardian Unlimited:Iraq Diaries
I went through some of the blogs posted by a Bristish journalist called Burhan Wazir in the blog “Guardian Unlimited:Iraq Diaries”. This journalist was posted in the cities of Basra and Umm Qasr when he was posting in his blog. In one of his post ,he shares an email which he gets from one of his friends who lives in L.A. This friend of his always briefs him up on the “America” in which he lives now. Burhan Wazir is very critical of the decisions made by the U.S. government to deploy more troops in Iraq and continue with this “War on terror”. He feels perplexed by the growing and ambitious American presence in the Arab world. There is also a stark contradiction since this “war on terror” is a vacuous attempt to civilize the so-called uncivilized world, America, much like the terror states it so despises, will go to any lengths to protect its own interests. In another of his blogs, he talks about how the aid being supplied to the residents of the city of Basra is too little and too late. He takes first- hand accounts of one of the residents who tells him the difficulties they are facing due to lack of water and food which are supposed to be basic amenities. People are left to suffer without any water for three days. There is an air of desperation in the manner these people tell their tales of extreme discomfiture and the problems the war has left them to deal with. The general tone of all these blogs is that of staunch disapproval of activities of the U.S. government in Iraq. I think the author is trying to demonstrate how the war has done more bad than good for the people of Iraq. According to him ,it is the responsibility of the U.S. government to provide for the people of Iraq since they freed them from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.
Blogging Baghdad
This post seems as though they are trying to show the other side of what is happening over in Iraq. There is a one blog that goes on to talk about the Iraqi forces on the American side and how many problems are occuring for them. These people believe that the Iraqi soldires don't have the means to have a successful army. One of the bases that the Iraqi soldires are residing in right now is very broken down and run down. Most of the electric doesn't work and the building is literally falling down. The Iraqi army is also complaining that they have no ammunition and the guns they have are broken. Then another blogger wrote about family living in Iraq and about the worries the mother of the family has to go through becasue she lives in dangerous territory. She Fears that her husband who is a trasporter for a hotel and her children who just regularly attend school are in much danger. The tone of all these blogs looks to me as sympathetic to the Iraqi people who are just enduring these horrible times.
Operation Yellow Elephant
These blogs are about people not going into the military and encouraging people to draft themselves so that people that have already been in the war to fight for our country do not have to continually be deployed. I would characterize the authors of this blog by saying they are hopeful and pushy and make valid points on why people should man up and enlist themselves. Reading these blogs really opened my eyes and made me realize that people should enlist so that other men and women can finally come back home and stay home, however there are many people that want no part in risking their lives.
The first blog "Reward for Honorable Service: Being Sent Back to Iraq" is about a man wishing that other people would enlist into the army so that he would have less of a chance of being enlisted into the army for a second time. He fears that his pictures will be in his hometown paper and "it was his second deployment" stated in is obituary. The tone of this blog is somewhat and annoyed and sad because he wishes that he wouldnt have to go back into the army.
The second blog "Jenna Bush and Henry Hager: We Wish Them Well and Here's Why" is about Jenna Bush getting married to Hager and that he will soon be graduating from Business School and they will move to Baltimore and he will forego national leadership. The tone of this one is very positive and the person is happy for Bush and Hager"
The third blog "Stop-Loss Wont Stop Anytime Soon" is saying that more than 12,200 soldiers are under stop-loss orders, compared to over 8,500 in May 2007, during the surge. But the 30,000 combat troops that were part of the surge are in the process of coming home, and the Army is returning to 12 month deployments Aug 1. Because soldiers are placed under stop-loss as members of deploying units, reducing the numbers sent to war reduces the numbers involuntarily held. The tone of this one is optimistic. A good point made about this blog is that with so many college and young republicans eligible to serve, it is pathetic that these soldiers have to continue to go beyond their original commitment to Our Country. These soldiers have done their part, it is well past the time for the cheerleaders to get in the game.
The fourth blog, "Quick! Before He Leaves Town!" is about a Senior at UConn who is the college republican president who will not soften himself by joining the Military. This blog suggests that since he is graduating soon to offer our encouragement to Be a Man! Enlist!
The fifth blog "John Bruhns: Support The Troops-Draft Yourself!" The message is to all the young, able-bodied, male cheerleaders advocating for victory in Iraq with no intention of ever wearing the uniform is this: support the troops- Draft Yourself!
The sixth blog is "Waivers for Recruits Increase" is repeating our call to those eligible-to-serve civilians, who support what our troops are trying to accomplish, to support them even more by becoming one of them.
Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln
This blog focuses on a soldier, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. He describes his life in the marines in a very easy, almost laughable tone. When he talks about the routine required in the case of a terrorist attack, while on the ship, he uses phrases such as “A lovely image,” which shows that he is not bitter about fighting in the war. He also describes the $150/month pay that he gets, and that this is equivalent to buying a box of cheerios a day. Also, he says that money is not the motivator, which shows that he is truly fighting for his country, and not any financial gains. This marine also describes his homesickness, and tells of how hard it is for his fellow sailors that have children at home. Reading this blog makes me appreciate our armed forces even more, because being able to have a humoristic attitude, in light of war, takes a lot of courage and motivation. This author is obliviously a laid back guy who lives each day to the fullest and appreciates what he has. No where in his entries, did I find the slightest sense of frustration. Instead, I found happiness that he is alive and that he has a loving family at home that supports him. Also, the USS Abraham Lincoln is in the top 10 of the longest deployment ships. This author, talks about how hard it is to come home, but it is even harder to leave because he knows he will not be home any time soon.
Mudville Gazette
When I read this blog I noticed it was very judgmental. The author openly degraded Dick Cheney in the first couple of paragraphs. I can completely understand why because he was making fun of John Kerry claiming he lacked understanding of the war on terror, when he has no real war experience himself. The author got very upset at this. Another blog entry was a story about a soldier who was returning from a jail sentence of eight months because he tried to higher a hit man on himself to hurt him so he wouldn't be sent back to Iraq. And he tried to pass it off like his new bride was behind it. The marriage ended shortly after. Mainly it was a blog about the effects of post dramatic stress disorder. And the effects it can have on people. The author seemed like he really didn't care about it, like it was a stupid guy that did something stupid to get out of fighting in the war. But it is a serious problem when it comes any war. Reading all of these blogs made me feel good that people were so passionate about the war but at the same time it made me feel sorry that some people have to stoop so low that the only way they are heard is by ridiculing others.
Impacts of Iraq
It is clear that the war in Iraq has impacted many aspects of pop culture and entertainment. From these I feel that cartoon like Family Guy and the American Dad has been influenced bit more than others. However I want to mainly focus on American Dad and how it has been influenced by the war in Iraq. American Dad is an animated show that focuses around a CIA agent named Stan and his family. It is mainly filled with crude and racial jokes that mainly appeals to the American audience. First of all American Dad was started its premiere in 2003, which is well after the start of the war in Iraq. The main theme of the cartoon is about how it is great to be an American and that the American race is the greatest of all. This encourages patriotic emotions and spirits in its audience. Therefore, it is not very accurate for me to throw this statement out without solid evidences but American Dad might have helped to justify all the events that took place during war in Iraq and even encouraged its young audience to volunteer and fight for their country. The war in Iraq still seems to have a major impact on the new episodes of this show as the theme continues.
Doc in the Box
This blog is written by a Navy Corpsman stationed in Iraq. This is his 4th trip there. His name is Sean Dustman. A good portion of his blog reflects how he wants to share his skills with other servicemen. He also mentions that sometimes he does manage to rub people the wrong way, and there isn’t much he can do about that.
Throughout the blog, he shares personally stories. Most of them really show that he and his servicemen try to enjoy themselves. For example, they always make sure that there is coffee available for each other. Sean talks about an espresso maker he has with him in Iraq. He got it at a yard sale back in Arizona for $2.50. Another observation he makes is about the lifestyle change that was make now that they are in Iraq. Men who dreamed of being jocks, but never had 3 hours a day to lift weights, now have that time after their work for the day is complete. Another group enjoys playing Halo and Call of Duty. Sean enjoys reading and spending time online catching up with events back at home.
Throughout the blog, Sean seems to be in a very upbeat mood. This is surprising to me, because of all of the violence they deal with. In addition, they put in very long work days. This blog shows that Sean is a real American, just like everyone back at home.
Sean’s blog makes me feel a little bit better about the troops. His stories show the troops are very dedicated to their job, but also try to enjoy some time away. All of the troops are unique and have different hobbies and lifestyles. They all seem to find people who have similar interests as them, and they enjoy that sense of community.
Throughout the blog, he shares personally stories. Most of them really show that he and his servicemen try to enjoy themselves. For example, they always make sure that there is coffee available for each other. Sean talks about an espresso maker he has with him in Iraq. He got it at a yard sale back in Arizona for $2.50. Another observation he makes is about the lifestyle change that was make now that they are in Iraq. Men who dreamed of being jocks, but never had 3 hours a day to lift weights, now have that time after their work for the day is complete. Another group enjoys playing Halo and Call of Duty. Sean enjoys reading and spending time online catching up with events back at home.
Throughout the blog, Sean seems to be in a very upbeat mood. This is surprising to me, because of all of the violence they deal with. In addition, they put in very long work days. This blog shows that Sean is a real American, just like everyone back at home.
Sean’s blog makes me feel a little bit better about the troops. His stories show the troops are very dedicated to their job, but also try to enjoy some time away. All of the troops are unique and have different hobbies and lifestyles. They all seem to find people who have similar interests as them, and they enjoy that sense of community.
Stand Down!
The blog that I read concerned itself mostly with President Bush’s poor leadership and choices that are being made concerning the War in Iraq. The tone of these blogs is generally solemn and implies that there is not going to be a good outcome of this war. They come off as anti-government. I would assume that the authors of this article would lean towards a democratic vote in the next presidential election, since they seem so antiwar and the plans that John McCain has include continuing to send troops into Iraq. The authors sympathize with Iraqi citizens and the fact that their country is in ruins. They blame George Bush for this.
Reading the blog made me frustrated that our president is in control of this war and is continuing to push troops into the defeated country. It makes me further oppose the troop surge and the war.
Reading the blog made me frustrated that our president is in control of this war and is continuing to push troops into the defeated country. It makes me further oppose the troop surge and the war.
CyberJournalist
The blog I chose to do, based on the fact that it was the only one not chosen (as far as I could tell), was called Cyber Journalist. The little blurb under the link to the blog states that the blog focuses on how the Internet and technology relate to the Iraq War. After I clicked on the link, I have to say I was quite surprised. Obviously the blog isn't updated anymore because it looks like a bomb went off on the page. This may just be from my end, but everything was a mess. There were errors all over the page and many parts of the website no longer existed on the domain. The blog seems to follow this style: Find an article online, write a one paragraph description of the article, then hyperlink. Looking further back, the recipe seems to stay the same. The articles and blog posts from the past seem to be better kept and more well though out, but all in all they are the same. There really doesn't seem to be a distinct tone throughout the whole blog. Since it is more or less a collection of articles, it seems to be pretty objective. The only time the poster takes a stance is when the article he is talking about takes a stance. The CyberJournalist seems less like a blog and more like a website akin to Digg. The only thing I really took out of this assignment is how much coverage this war has received. With the advent of the Internet and how information can be sent across the world almost instantaneously, it boggles my mind to think of how we can improve upon this and also how further wars will be dealt with. A blog like this makes me wonder how World War II would have been treated had it been given the same exposure as wars that are fought today.
Stand Down
Stand Down is a blog that holds anti-war discussions including current events, the broader background of Western Imperialism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism in the Western media, anti-war tactics. The members post information which has not been covered in major news networks. Recently a member posted a article which showed a President Bush authorizing covert actions against the Iranian regime. The offensive covers an area from Lebanon to Afghanistan, which includes assassination of high ranked officers. Another post talked bout President Bush considered a nuclear strike against Iran. The blog basically criticizes President Bush's handling of the war. The blog gave me an impression that the bloggers were extremely biased and extreme. The first first two posts basically talked about covert operations against other countries and the use of Nuclear weapons against Iran.
http://www.nowarblog.org/section/__all__
http://www.nowarblog.org/section/__all__
Kurdos World
I read a blog that is mostly concentrated on Kurdistan. Much of his blog was based off of the elections that took place. He talked about how on election day, the government voted for the people, instead of allowing each individual person to vote for who they wanted. He also talked about a Dr. Qadir, that was sentenced prison time for writing a book that was against the government and their decisions. Most of the authors blogs are somewhat laid back. His tone is more of a less serious tone, than one would think one should have with writing about these kinds of issues. In addition, I felt like very disappointed in the blogs themselves. They weren't very thought out, just seemed as if the author wrote these blogs in a span of 5 seconds. As far as the blog with the elections, i thought it was very interesting that a government allows there to be an election, but yet doesn't allow the citizens to vote for themselves and instead for the citizens. That is taking away from the purpose of having an election.
The Reports of Embedders
This blog contains a bunch of first-hand accounts from special reporters in the field known as "embedders" These reporters are part of a special unit of reporters authorized by the pentagon to actually be in the field during battle, and report on what they see. It is entrusted in them that they will not give away valuable military strategies and intelligence that might put Americans at risk to attack. The embedders were authorized because of complaints from the media that reporters were not allowed to get close enough to the action. They have to bring all of their own protective gear and are responsible for themselves. This blog contains the reports of ten embedders.
Chief Wiggles- Home from Iraq
The “Chief Wiggles” blog is written by a man (using the penname Chief Wiggles) in his 50’s who has served in the Army National Guard for over 30 years. He was an interrogator and debriefer at a palace in Baghdad, Iraq. His blog archives date back to at least 2002 when he was actually stationed there and he talks about his every day life, but his most recent posts were written after he returned home. I’m not sure if he is in charge of it or whether it is just an organization he is active with, but one of his most recent blog posts (written back in 2005) has to do with an organization called “Operation Give.” This organization’s goal is to win over the Iraqi people by supplying toys, school supplies and medical supplies to Iraqi children. One blog post talks about the recent news with “Operation Give” and the different ways they are getting the word out about it in the community. Other blogs discuss the man’s views on the situation in Iraq. I enjoyed reading his take on events in the Iraq war. He sympathized with other soldiers fighting in Iraq and he is a strong supporter of the war. He talks about how the majority of Iraq citizens support the war, and you can tell by his “About me” page and through his blogs that he is very patriotic about our country. I felt like the blog confirmed some of what I believe to be true about the war. I support our troops and even though it seems like the war is hopeless a lot of the time, I believe we had a duty to go into Iraq, so it was refreshing reading the thoughts of an individual who has been in the Army for such a long time, has been to Iraq and tries to remain positive about the situation over there.
Compassion Fatigue - The Sandbox
The overall goal of the all the blogs written in The Sandbox is to inform us, the non-fighters in the war of what it is actually like being in the war itself, from the soldiers direct perspectives. But this blog takes a very interesting spin on that – readers are informed of what goes on in a more unconventional sense. We gain insight on what occurs on any given day with a behind-the-scenes impression of what the war is really like.
This light-hearted way of gaining insight best describes the tone of the entire blog. Although I only read a few blogs, there was not one that appeared to be a cry of shame or pain based on what is occurring overseas. One blog in particular, Compassion Fatigue, talks about how one man is just tired of everything and has a very cynical, careless view in regards to people in need of help. He says one man approached one of the humvees that the author was in, knocking on the windows, in dire need of help. The author of the blog claimed that this man became annoying, and he merely shooed him away.
The same author goes on in his personal blog to share how there was a radio broadcast that he make a joke about in regards to cigarettes. He claimed that humor was really the only thing that was making this war move on with ‘ease’. This particular author seems very down-to-earth, and he makes an excellent point when it comes to the essentials of humor – humor is just that…essential.
The overall blog brings a very interesting view of the events that have occurred in the war thus far. They don’t look at the big picture so much, but the little detailed events that impact the soldiers’ lives in the biggest possible way. Personally, I enjoyed this blog, and it gives me a sense of hope as far as the soldiers’ mentality goes – if humor can be found within the soldiers’ hearts, then sanity lies adjacent in their minds.
This light-hearted way of gaining insight best describes the tone of the entire blog. Although I only read a few blogs, there was not one that appeared to be a cry of shame or pain based on what is occurring overseas. One blog in particular, Compassion Fatigue, talks about how one man is just tired of everything and has a very cynical, careless view in regards to people in need of help. He says one man approached one of the humvees that the author was in, knocking on the windows, in dire need of help. The author of the blog claimed that this man became annoying, and he merely shooed him away.
The same author goes on in his personal blog to share how there was a radio broadcast that he make a joke about in regards to cigarettes. He claimed that humor was really the only thing that was making this war move on with ‘ease’. This particular author seems very down-to-earth, and he makes an excellent point when it comes to the essentials of humor – humor is just that…essential.
The overall blog brings a very interesting view of the events that have occurred in the war thus far. They don’t look at the big picture so much, but the little detailed events that impact the soldiers’ lives in the biggest possible way. Personally, I enjoyed this blog, and it gives me a sense of hope as far as the soldiers’ mentality goes – if humor can be found within the soldiers’ hearts, then sanity lies adjacent in their minds.
DaimNation!
The blog concerns with many things but mostly politics and war. There are many subjects touched in this blog, such as the new Smart car that is not even fuel efficient and people don’t even understand spending money for that car. However, as I mentioned before, the concentration is war, and more specifically the War in Afghanistan. The authors concentrate in College kids who apparently don’t have a clue why US soldiers are in Afghanistan, and another discussion about why Canada should go in Afghanistan.
The tone of the authors is very critic, to anything mentioned in the blog, and specifically to the Canada government, that is not willing to send troops to support the mission in Afghanistan.
The authors are openly pro this war, and try to convince the audience that going to that war is necessary, and American government (which started the war) is right in what they are doing.
Personally, I never concerned myself with war issues and politics, but following a certain logic, I think since 9/11, the world started a new mission anti-terrorism, and if it takes that Canadian troops have to go to in Afghanistan and join troops from all over the world in order to preserve peace and fight terrorism, they should go there.
The tone of the authors is very critic, to anything mentioned in the blog, and specifically to the Canada government, that is not willing to send troops to support the mission in Afghanistan.
The authors are openly pro this war, and try to convince the audience that going to that war is necessary, and American government (which started the war) is right in what they are doing.
Personally, I never concerned myself with war issues and politics, but following a certain logic, I think since 9/11, the world started a new mission anti-terrorism, and if it takes that Canadian troops have to go to in Afghanistan and join troops from all over the world in order to preserve peace and fight terrorism, they should go there.
My War: Killing Time in Iraq
In My War: Killing Time in Iraq, I chose a link to a blog named Return to Sender-Iraq Veteran Gets the Call Again. This is about a person who voluntarily enlisted in the army and was initially worried about the fine print about being called back up to active duty once enlistment was over. The recruiter said this would only happen if WWIII broke out. Well what do you know, three years after he got out of the army he must go back because of that fine print in the contract. He states that “whenever someone asks me about enlisting, im tempted to encourage them I figure the more people that enlist the slimmer the chances that ill get called back up.” He seems to have a negative tone towards the war. He mentions that if he had a well paying job or something that he loved he probably wouldn’t have enlisted. The only people at the army’s disposal are the existing members. People are not enlisting. He is very negative towards the rich connected people that will always have the ability to evade the war. He makes a great point when he states that there would be riots in the streets if the government expected from the rich what the army expects from the veterans. Reading this blog didn’t really enlighten me all that much just because that’s what I expected. But he did sign the contract and he did read the fine print. Its not like he totally missed it altogether. It was poor judgment on his part. On the other hand, he should not be getting redeployed three years after his service in iraq. They let his guard down, he thought he would be fine but then he is called back for service. Is this right? The author was definitely a frustrated veteran, he wants to be treated better by the army and want what he should get, a leave from the horrors of the war.
Stand Down
"Gosh it seems like only last year that Iraq was a disaster, a catastrophe, a maelstrom, a ....... quagmire. Oh wait a minute, it WAS last year." This quote pretty much sums up the tone, and style of the blog "Stand Down". Most of the subjects of each blog concerned themselves with the upcoming election, current Iraq blunders and the president's failures. Most of the tones were sarcastic and snotty. The authors were your typical "I'm an expert on this subject because I read the news, I'm right, your wrong". After reading some of the blogs I wondered if these authors wanted some cheese with their whine. I think this blog needs to STAND DOWN.
The Sandbox
The posts in the blog "The Sandbox" are by a variety of people who have been deployed. And their stories are just as diverse. They talk about everything from the trash over in the streets of Iraq, language barriers, to personal defense mechanisms. Some of the posts seem generally laid back and very casual where others made you sit up and pay attention because what was being described was no laughing matter. Most of the authors seemed sure of one thing, they were glad when they were over. They authors all seemed to be very caring and I guess thats why they got in to military in the first place, because they care about this country.
Peace Blogs.org
PeaceBlogs.org shows many different blogs from all over the world uniting people who oppose the war. On the homepage there is a map of the countries that participate in the site and you can click on a country and then a huge list of anti-war blogs pop up. One of the ones I clicked on was called "War Must End or Humanity Will." The blog concerns itself with different aspects of the war with all the authors concerned with peace or against the war. Some write about friends that are going to the war, others write about Bush and his antics, while others just comment on the news. The tone of the blog is very straight forward with people just writing about different aspects of the war and peace. By reading the blog I felt a common theme of peace and I learned a lot because many people post news stories of interesting things about the war. I feel like the authors are rather young, maybe 18-30.
Tomorrow I willl Steal Someone's Heater
Gaurdian.co.uk is a blog news site that anyone can read. Based on the bogs I have read the tone of the writers is varied by post. Posts are from soldiers telling about their day-to-day activity in Iraq. Authors will write about sadness in one blog, yet in the next a soldier speaks of how much he loves being over in Iraq. One author writes about living in an abandoned house, eating their food, and enjoying what they had left behind. The soldier will go out and pilfer for mattresses and heaters to help them become semi-comfortable in the night. Reading these blogs reminded me that the soldiers are just like you and I in Iraq. They need food, sleep, and entertainment. The army did not change them to dislike those activities. It made possible to imagine myself there, searching along for mattresses, fearing the next day’s battle. From that aspect alone I believe that this blog has a positive effect of readers. The emotions evoked after reading allows you to empathize and support the troops, thus making the blog a success. This goal seem very different then the rest of the news blog’s stories. It seems as if they allow Iraqi blogs become an opinion piece whereas the rest of their post are more fact based.
"Eighty Deuce on the Loose in Iraq" Blogs
The blogs by a young U.S. foot soldier talks about his experiences, his opinions of the war in Iraq and how he felt about what he had done in Iraq, and gladly how he enjoy being back home. From his blogs it seems like he has seen battles and all the other shit that happens in Iraq. Despite the fact his blogs are usually happy and full of pride in what he has accomplished. He feels good about what he has done in Iraq and he truly believes that one day Iraq will be peaceful place that he can come and visit with his children and grandsons. The fact that his proud of what he and the U.S. have done in Iraq this is not something you would hear frequently about nowadays on the media. The last two entries of his blog talked about how great it is to be back home and how much he is happy to see his family and friends. From reading these blogs, it is nice to get another point of view on the war and that it is not bad as I have imagined. I thought every soldier would have hated his time spent in Iraq or what he had done there and they would suffer from the same illnesses as the “Marlboro Man” did. Yet this is not the case, it is great to know that at least not all young man who served in Iraq are suffering from wounds both visible and invisible.
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