Human rights groups say Israeli curbs on Palestinians in the West Bank town of Hebron have forced thousands of them to leave homes and close businesses. B’Tselem and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel said Israel had in effect expropriated central Hebron to protect some 650 Jewish settlers there. Israel had breached the Geneva […]

Four days ago, Israeli military went into a refugee camp and a violent exchange took place between soldiers and Palestinian fighters. During the gunfight a pregnant Palestinian woman was shot and lost her child. This is how various international media reported it:
A pregnant Palestinian woman lost her baby after being shot by Israeli troops during […]

“Naseem, what do you want from Starbucks?”
“No, that’s ok. I don’t drink Starbucks”
“Why? For Political reasons?”
“I guess you could say that”
“Yeah, me too but…”
I’ve had this exact exchange of words with 3 different people in the past 5 months. What follows the ‘but’ is almost always amusing and includes everything from “…there’s no alternative” to […]

It always seemed strange to me how we as a people have lacked the ability to criticize the way in which we resist. We all play for the same team for obvious historical, ethnic, cultural and religious reasons. We all have the same common goal. We all look at the occupations in the same way. […]

Wow. Simply wow. Just a great album. Talk about changing gears. Talk about sounding more pure and more raw than ever before. Talk about finding a new take on old sound. Talk about making both simultaneously successful. Talk about not skipping a single heart beat.
I think this is one of the best rock albums […]

somewhere…in the corner of a very dark room…my childhood has curled itself into the fetal position while rapidly sucking its thumb.
Despite the sad realities of Israeli occupation, you would think Hamas would give its own country’s kids a chance at a childhood instead of a monochrome world view.

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[…]

Who says God doesn’t work in mysterious ways? When I came back to Jordan in December I remember it hadn’t rained for months, inciting fears of a drought. This forced the country to have a ‘national’ prayer (supplication) asking God for rain.
God delivered.
It actually poured for the next few days right after.
The rain however […]

Perhaps the best critic and/or observer of the recent food poisoning cases in Jordan stemming from fish and shawarma mayo, has been Emad Hajjaj. These are some of the past few caricatures that captured my attention…

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“Taking part in the elections is a national obligation” - Government Spokesperson Nasser Judeh told reporters during a weekly press briefing yesterday.
The government on Monday urged citizens to register for the forthcoming municipal elections before the May 23 deadline. Minister of Municipal Affairs Nader Thuheirat last week said that 589,097 citizens have so far […]

Konstantine - Something Corporate | Long. Very long. But a blessing on the piano.
Bullet & A Target - Citizen Cope | When heckuva song. But also listen to Let the Drummer Kick and If There’s Love. Each sets three different moods. Give’em a listen.
Running Away - Hoobastank | So why are you still here?
Say It […]

Amman, May 7 (Petra) — Public Security Department Spokesperson Basheer D’ajah said that fire erupted in the main Courtyard of Amman Customs Department on Monday dawn where it burnt five trucks loaded with chocolate three of which are not Jordanian, one is Jordanian and the fifth one wasn’t identified because it was totally burnt.
In statements […]

[I’ve been writing this post in my head for awhile now. If you have happened to stumble upon it after googling “sex in amman” then this is NOT what you’re looking for.]
Since I’ve come back the number one question I’ve been asked is “how has Amman changed?”. My typical reply was until recently “the buildings”. […]

Probably one of the only things I enjoyed writing in the past several weeks.

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Ok, so you know summer’s here when the big movie blockbusters start coming out. And sure, last summer was somewhat of a disappointment but I guarantee this one will make up for it. I thought I’d put a little blockbuster guide of all the movies coming out. Here’s how the battle will play out at […]

So Spiderman came to Amman last night with the opening of the latest movie in the series. Which reminds me: Century cinema should really consider turning on the a/c. As for the flick…
What a way to start off the summer blockbuster season. The film plays on the special effects that made it famous years ago, […]

nuff said

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