An article in Time Magazine describes a cool anti-Guantánamo detention center, where would-be Saudi terrorists enter a type of theological-rehab program. The idea is to get them to abandon their extremist ways in a facility that offers everything from video games, ping pong and art therapy to reformed religious classes. Here’s the part I thought […]

A lot of people have been talking about this around town lately, since Laylat il-Qadr, but only recently did I get to watch it:

“It was an emotionally charged scene worthy of an Oprah Winfrey show when a mother and son who had been parted for 25 years were reunited on live TV. However the American […]

The Jordan Times today has an interesting article on former MP Nariman Roussan who won her seat in the 14th parliament through the women’s quota. Apparently (and allegedly) Roussan, who was president of “Al-Awn Society for Helping Widows”, used the charity’s funds for “campaigning purposes”, or in layman’s terms: bribes. The Society’s building was also […]

Typical - Mute Math | One of the best and freshest bands I have heard in a long time. Front man, Paul Meany has a voice that is reminiscent of a coarser Sting, and many of the songs will drive you in that direction before leading you away into a more synth-indie-rock style. Mute Math […]

One issue. One day. A thousand voices. Blog Action Day, held on October 15th, was pretty successful for a one day event. According to the statistics around 20,603 blogs participated with 23,327 posts on the environment. At a cost of nothing but a little time, energy and dedication. I’m glad I had the opportunity to […]

I was in the Jofa area this past weekend with my family when apparently this incident took place. The Jordan Times reports, in a rather confusingly-written article, that two 20-year old British female tourists were raped during their short stay in the Jordan Valley over the Eid weekend. From what I understood, the story involves […]

Let your
Intelligence begin to rule
Whenever you sit with others
Using this sane idea:
Leave all your cocked guns in a field
Far from us,
One of those damn things
Might
Go
Off.
- Hafiz

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This morning my best friend Saher calls me up all excited. His fiance, Sara - who heads up the Action Committee featured recently on the Black Iris and 7iber - received an important phone call. It turns out Her Majesty Queen Rania decided to give Sara a ring and tell her that she discovered the […]

Let’s face it, the environment in Jordan is the least of anyone’s concern. Poverty, unemployment, corruption, standards of living; these are the main issues facing the average Jo. This year alone we nearly had a chunk of our most treasured (and rare) forests, the Dibbin forest, uprooted for a tourist complex. Thankfully, that catastrophe was […]

DISCLAIMER: The following post is totally a rumor. I usually don’t believe in rumors, especially of Jordanian origin, but I’m inclined to believe this one for various reasons. This disclaimer is by way of asking you to please read at your own discretion.
A fellow Jordanian blogger pointed out a few days ago, the political […]

I have these relatives who love to talk about themselves. They’re not wealthy; probably as middle as middle class can get in Jordan. Nevertheless they enjoy nothing more than to speak of their accomplishments. Their kids are tremendous. They’re not big achievers or anything, mediocre at best, but nonetheless, anything small they do is a […]

Eid il-Fitr, just like the holy month that precedes it, is naturally a religious holiday and celebration. In Islam, there is an entire list of “Eid Etiquette” rules or guidelines to follow and many of those rules have become embedded in the way we celebrate the day. The sunnah (way of the Prophet pbuh) outlines […]

Friday is Eid il-Fitir in Jordan. Eid Mubarak everyone!

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I, along with everyone else, have a completely different definition of what friendship is and what it embodies. So many of the people I know personally are mentally categorized as mere acquaintances. But lately I’ve been wondering more and more about friendships formed online and the protocols that come along with them. We seem to […]

I received an email today from one of my readers asking why I haven’t said anything about the recent decision to sentence Oweidi (already serving jail time)to 2 years in prison for ‘harming the dignity of the state.’ Oweidi, sent an U.S. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid accusing people in the Royal Court of corruption […]

I think given our country’s population, plus the number of Jordanian bloggers, that we really, desperately, direly, need yet another aggregator.
Yes, there, I said it.
Sue me.
Another aggregator.
Preferably either named after a Jordanian blogger or has something Jordanian about it.
Maybe a flag.
Yeah.
A flag would be nice.
It’ll, you know, show how united we are and stuff.
Yeah.

[…]