Ammon has been reporting about a book written by an Iraqi author, called “The Rain of God”, which seems to “insult God” and has slipped Jordanian censors and made its way onto the market. It’s kind of ironic because I’ve never seen Ammon so much in favor of censorship! What makes this more interesting, is […]

Author’s Note: The following post is a critical look at the Jordanian education system. It is unapologetically long, as I believe education is one topic that needs all the words it can get its hands on. Your comments, in the context of the greater and much needed debate, would be highly appreciated. Thank you.
Yesterday […]

Apparently, there were “secret” plans, headed by the Bakhit government, to build a Casino at the Dead Sea; a project that was supposedly funded in the millions by an unnamed “British Kurd” investor (don’t ask me why his nationality is important, you know how the Jordanian media is). Upon discovering these plans, it also seems […]

Last night, Amman joined the list of cities all around the world and turned its lights off in honor of Earth Hour, a WWF initiative to raise awareness about global warming. Here’s a picture of the Capital that I took last night as it was plunged into darkness.

Ok, ok, so that picture was totally photoshopped. […]

Well, how about everything?
I know it would be easier to read my own summary of this Washington Post article, but I truly thought it would be funner if you just read it for yourself. Trust me, you’re going to enjoy it.
MUWAQQAR, Jordan — A U.S.-funded program to train and equip Palestinian security forces is mired […]

The Saudi-led snubbing of the Arab Summit in Syria is a demonstration, or rather an acknowledgment, of Saudi Arabia’s new-found leadership role in the Arab world, with several key states following its lead, including Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen (a total of nine no-shows). By the same token, it is also a demonstration, or […]

Here’s a selection of my delicious pickings for this week:
Some Politicking:
- The Unpopular Hilary: Nicholas Kristoff has an interesting oped in the New York Times on how Hilary will have to drop out if she can’t win the popular vote over Obama. The article is timely considering Senator Casey’s endorsement of Obama that might help […]

It’s been a long time since the Counting Crows, one of my favorite bands, has put out a studio album. Every Crow’s album is a mood swinger, from their folksy debut with August & Everything After, to its aggressive rock follow up, Recovering the Satellites, the laid back This Desert Life and the pop-friendly Hard […]

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.”
- Herman Melville
I’ve been thinking about Melville’s words lately as they relate to the human species. I’ve been thinking how we are all inevitably connected, yet craze isolation. We disconnect ourselves, detach ourselves from the common norms of social interaction […]

Sometimes, when you have an in-depth conversation with someone about certain issues, there’s a process of talking out loud and in doing so, your scattered thoughts on certain issues congeal and are aggregated to form an actual viewpoint. I enjoyed such a conversation recently with a reader of the Black Iris, and in doing so […]

The above is a map of the New York Times’ coverage of certain hot spots. The point of the heat map is to indicate the regions that some of the major papers, and even the blogosphere, gives more attention to (red). Guess which media is most balanced in its coverage?
These maps allow you to […]

Not many people in Israel still like Gideon Levy, but the Israeli left-winger has a valid point to make:
The amount of support being shown for Israel these days is almost embarrassing. The parade of highly-placed foreign guests and the warm reception received by Israeli statesmen abroad have not been seen for quite some time. Who […]

As Israel continues its illegal land grab of Palestinian territory, by caging in the West Bank, the controversial barrier wall has become more than just oppressive concrete slabs to some; it’s become an easel for various artists. Two Palestinians have come together to put a new spin on rendering the wall into an art form, […]

While in Uganda to open a large mosque for the Muslim community…
Ugandan Church leaders have asked Christians to forgive Libya’s leader for suggesting the Bible was forged as it didn’t mention the Prophet Muhammad.
LOL!
Ugandan clerics pointed out the Bible was written before Muhammad was born.
ROFL!
At Kampala’s Christ the King Church, Monsignor Paul Ssemwogerere said: “Since […]

It’s like I’m living in the Twilight Zone:
The Jordanian government said Monday it had terminated an agreement signed with a Pakistani-Chinese coalition of firms to build a light railway between Amman and the industrial city of Zarqa for legal reasons. “From a legal viewpoint, the documents presented by the coalition included a number of issues […]

When your dream house becomes an Israeli military post. The sad thing about this is that there are people who will still justify it, and I think you really need to view Palestinians, or Arabs in general, as truly less than human to be able to justify it; even to yourself.

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