Gaddafi was “talking” to an audience of US academics at the University of Columbia via sattelite recently and informed everyone that the most democratic country in the world today was in fact Libya.

Buckle your seat belts…

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.black-iris.com%2F2006%2F03%2F24%2Flibya-the-most-democratic-nation-on-earth%2F’;
addthis_title = ‘Libya%3A+The+Most+Democratic+Nation+on+Earth’;
addthis_pub = ”;

â??The H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus has been confirmed in a Jordanian poultry farm located at Ajloun governorate, Health Minister Saeed Darwazeh stated on Friday
“Laboratory tests conducted on a sample of dead poultry at the village of Kofranjeh in the Ajloun governorate have proved the poultry is inflected with the H5N1 strain of […]

by way of www.thesmokinggun.com
as seen (by me) on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.black-iris.com%2F2006%2F03%2F24%2Fhow-dick-cheney-likes-his-hotel-suites%2F’;
addthis_title = ‘How+Dick+Cheney+Likes+His+Hotel+Suites’;
addthis_pub = ”;

This is a rant I think many people can relate to; both Arabs and Americans.
There are many things which I love and admire about my own Arabian culture, it’s a never-ending list. The things I don’t like about our culture or I would rather see fixed is also an endless list. And I think the […]

A very cool idea…
â??They’re high around the waist, wide around the leg and have lots of pockets for holding watches, bracelets, glasses and other knickknacks
A new line of jeans designed by a small company in northern Italy caters to Muslims seeking to stay comfortable while they pray.
“As far as we know we’re the first, at […]

“Cultural Bookstore”
This is supposed to be a funny cartoon I know, but sadly it is a scene I have actually seen before my eyes. A bookstore selling mobiles. Actually I’ve seen places that sell household appliances and even jewelry stores, which sell mobile phones too.
But it’s particularly sad to see a bookstore do it. I […]

It’s been a more rock-ish week for me and most of it is from the Canadian rock scene.
Evan’s Blue falls in line with nu-metal meets mainstream rock acts like Evanescence. The song “Cold” will probably remind you of the latter band’s “Bring Me to Life” hit from a few years ago. Sadly there are not […]

The World Cup in Germany is set to become a battleground between facists and Muslims, an Italian member of a new European neo-Nazi movement warned.
In a statement published by Italian daily Repubblica, the memeber of AS Roma’s notorious ultras hooligan group claims neo-Nazis across Europe met in Braunau in Austria to plan attacks against supporters […]

35,000 Non-Jordanian students are about to be de-enrolled from the next academic year in Jordanian public schools as the Ministry of Education has decided recently to alleviate the pressures of over crowding and the burden of financial expenses. Right now these students cost the state 14 million JDs.
Most of these non-Jordanians are Arab students […]

So apparently the plan to create a “Freedom Square” that hosted free speech in Amman has found its location. The Hashemite Yard in downtown Amman is going to be ‘transformed’ into a platform for freedom of speech.
Strange enough, when it comes to the kind of freedom of speech which really matters (i.e. freedom of press) […]

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.black-iris.com%2F2006%2F03%2F20%2Fopus-on-drawing-their-prophet%2F’;
addthis_title = ‘OPUS+On+Drawing+%26%238216%3BTheir+Prophet%26%238217%3B’;
addthis_pub = ”;

I’m pretty much as anti-starbucks as they come but I thought this was a neat photo that was sent to me by email today. The person who took this picture called it the “Clash of Cultures” which I felt said it all. To all you non-Jordanians wondering about this photo, this is the most usual […]

Every now and then the Parliament does something which I consider to be “good”. It’s a rare event but it’s something.
Case in point, the Lower House endorsed the temporary juvenileâ??s law of 2001 that bans the sale of alcohol, cigarettes and controlled drugs to citizens under 18. The punishment to facilities that serve alcohol […]

In this send-up of “Monopoly,” players don’t pass “Go” and they don’t go directly to jail â?? they go to Guantanamo Bay.
Instead of losing cash for landing on certain squares, they lose civil liberties. And the “Mr. Monopoly” character at the center of the board is replaced by a scowling former Attorney General John Ashcroft.
“Patriot […]