…And then the headphones emanate their last gasps of breath. The suddenly disappearing sound from a single ear lobe resulting in a frantic jiggling of the wire to try and resuscitate the melody. And it works for awhile; euphony replaces cacophony. For awhile. But then there’s the realization, that awareness that you can’t move your [...]

Almost two years ago forced marriages were banned in Saudi Arabia under the discovery that it was in fact un-Islamic. Who knew eh? Some argued at the time that this wasn’t the reason and instead it was an attempt to curtail the 50% divorce rate. I think it was neither. Simply because while forced marriages [...]

I was reading an article in the Jordan Times today that states several traffic jammed areas in Amman are getting a new parking system where the driver can reserve a parking spot by sending an SMS (text message) in advance. You dial *147# (or send an SMS to 94488) with your license number and your [...]

Who’s supplying Iran with arms…head and shoulders…knees and toes?

With a mental plan having fallen through I drove to Mecca Mall last Thursday night frantically in search of a last minute graduation gift. This is after having not been there for almost two years. Mecca Mall is locally and somewhat jokingly nicknamed “Baghdad Mall”… …On a Thursday night I discovered exactly why that is. [...]

Nearly 10 days ago before the other shoe fell and a unity government was in the works, an interesting event occurred that flew under my radar; probably because it was a different kind of Palestinian “infighting”. In a meeting between top Fatah members at the government headquarters in Ramallah, Mr. Tawfiq Tirawi, who heads the [...]

The Decemberists’ “16 Military Wives” has to be one of the more clever songs that comes with a social statement attached. And the video, directed by Aaron Stewart, is just laugh out loud funny. It reminds me of Wes Anderson’s film ‘Rushmore’. It’s based at a boarding school where Henry has a deep-seated resentment for [...]

Last night Ahmad calls at 10pm to remind me to wear a suit. “Something imrettib, mashi?”, he says over a shaky phone connection. Mashi. Sick as a rabid dog I get a suit out. Iron my shirt. Shave. Put on my lucky watch. Spray some Dolce & Gabbana across the neck. And dare I say [...]