It’s that time of year again. Kids all across North America dress up in Taiwanese made costumes and roam their neighborhoods in search of candy or good houses to teepee. High glucose pagan rituals are not celebrated in Jordan, except for Valentine’s Day, but it’s a big deal over here. As for me, due to […]

Lose an hour, gain an hour.
This is your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time.

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.black-iris.com%2F2006%2F10%2F28%2Ffall-ing-back%2F’;
addthis_title = ‘Fall-ing+Back’;
addthis_pub = ”;

An interesting poll hosted on Al-Ghad posed the question: do you support the construction of skyscrapers in Amman?
When I was in Jordan last summer and spent many mornings rifling through the newspaper only to discover an advertisement for the latest skyscraper to be built, I have to be honest, it kind of got me excited; […]

A few days ago Gillo Pontecorvo passed away at the age of 86. I honestly didn’t pay attention to his death until yesterday; I don’t think many people noticed either. Gillo, an Italian Jew, made one of the most important anti-colonial films of all time: The Battle of Algiers. Few people probably remember this black […]

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a playlist. So in honor of Toronto’s beautiful autumn here’s what I’ve been listening to as I walk through leaf covered parks on my way to wherever. From the soulful Ben Harper to the electric Mayer to the political stylings of Public Enemy; call it autumn-music:
Empty Road - […]

When I saw this as the biggest headline on the BBC news site, I couldn’t help but slap my head in disappointment at the absurdity of such a statement. I mean at least the Pope didn’t use silly analogies. Maybe Hilali should’ve quoted someone else saying it. In any case I have to say that […]

We might need another planet, maybe three. People in the United Arab Emirates are placing most stress per capita on the planet.

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.black-iris.com%2F2006%2F10%2F25%2Fuae-ranks-first%2F’;
addthis_title = ‘UAE+Ranks+First’;
addthis_pub = ”;

The report from the annual government campaign during Ramadan to reduce street begging has resulted in the detention of 1,500 people, half of them under the age of 18, under “government protection”. 1,500 people in one month. “Government protection” or “protective custody” is more or less being detained until a judge hears your case. When […]

I thought this was a stellar flash animation of the geographical evolution of various empires and peoples that ruled the Middle East. It’s 5,000 years of history in a 90 second clip; literally the cliff notes version of cartography for what has been the most strategic lanscape in human history. But keep in mind I […]

Every now and then The Black Iris will show up suddenly on Jordan Planet and then quickly fade into the shadows of obscurity. Sigh. I miss the old days when I could orbit there like the third rock from the Sun. Now I just feel like Pluto.

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.black-iris.com%2F2006%2F10%2F24%2Fmissing-the-planet%2F’;
[…]

I know I’m coming late to the party by posting Yehia Abdallah’s short comedy film “Talaween” which fellow Jordanian blogger Laith Al-Majali edited. But I really don’t care because I finally got around to seeing it at 2:23 am and frankly it made my day. Not to mention that had I seen it a year […]

Let me first say Eid mubarak to everyone and their families. Eid il-Fitir is tomorrow, Monday 23rd, although Jordan will have an additional day. For the religious I guess this shouldn’t matter as the six white days start on the second day of Eid so there’s still plenty of fasting to be done.
Let me end […]

An expression of extreme anger appeared on the face of Lebanese singer Haifa Wahbi when she was suddenly faced with an embarrassing and personal question by one of the journalists upon her arrival at Cairo Airport. A journalist had asked her if she fasts during the holy month of Ramadan.
Haifa became angry and demanded the […]

Recently I pondered the future of blogging with a series of random questions. I wondered at first if blogs were merely cyber fads but by the time I finished writing the post I had drawn conclusions that blogs will be around for a long time.
Recently in the Jordan Times, Jean-Claude Elias wrote an article on […]

It’s unofficial but it seems NBC’s Heroes is about to become a phenomenon. I have to admit, as a comic book/superhero fan since childhood, the show is quite addictive. The characters and cast are likable and the storylines are the most seductive and mysterious since LOST. Every episode seems to play like a movie on […]

Remember that silly U.S. terror watch list that people threw a fit about simply because it contained thousands of common Arab names? Well evidently that list just helped apprehend one of Saddam’s son in this Daily Show story.

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.black-iris.com%2F2006%2F10%2F19%2Fthe-son-of-saddam%2F’;
addthis_title = ‘The+Son+Of+Saddam’;
addthis_pub […]