“If Israel continues its unjust offensive and continuously refuses to lift the blockade on the brotherly people of Palestine and the Gaza Strip, the House will call on the government to reconsider Jordanian-Israeli ties. This includes recalling Jordan’s ambassador to Israel and requesting Israel’s ambassador in Amman to leave the Kingdom” - Official statement issued […]

The people at 7iber and the Action Committee are organizing an emergency clothes and food drive for the people in Gaza.
It’ll be a 48-hour campaign starting tomorrow morning, with the goods being delivered to Gaza by coming weekend.
This is all going to be driven through the virtual community, with contributions of Jordanian bloggers […]

Whenever an event of this magnitude happens, which in this region is at least twice a year, there is always the feeling of an obligation to say something. To express something. Something emotional. Something heartfelt. Typically, anger. Yet all I tend to feel is instantaneous frustration. There are things in this life of which we […]

Dear Readers,
This morning, the 7iber crew will be hosting a little workshop on social networking in Jordan. Some of the topics that will be introduced and debated include privacy and ethics, the use of Facebook in social movements, the business community, and the political sphere, as well as its impact on Jordanian youth and the […]

8:25pm: Breaking news over the AP wire…
WASHINGTON (AP) - In a Dec. 22 story about gifts to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, The Associated Press, relying on faulty information published by the State Department in the Federal Register, reported erroneously that King Abdullah II of Jordan gave Rice jewelry valued at $147,000 in January 2007. […]

It’s too bad this year it looks like it’s going to be a wet Christmas instead of a white one. But then again, it’s the Middle East. What did you expect? A miracle? Bah humbug. Consider it an opportunity to wear that red and green wool scarf your grandma knitted for you five Christmases ago […]

I saw this two-liner news report on Ammon last note as they broke it but the details were still to sketchy to post. Those details have not much improved over night, but the gist of the story is that two Jordanian journalists were stopped by an unknown body (most likely security-related) and held for several […]

Jordanian boy Hazem Hawamdeh sits on a scale to show his weight at his home in Jerash December 3, 2008. Hawamdeh, an 11-year-old boy from the northern city of Jerash, could be the smallest boy in the world, weighing 5.6 kg (12 pounds) with a height of nearly 70 cm (28 inches) as his family […]

I would like to preface this post by saying I am well aware of the type of comments such a topic might draw, but as a blogger, staring at this article on my screen, I felt it would be utterly wrong and self-defeating to self-censor myself as a Jordanian citizen. There is an obligation to […]

The Islamic Action Front (IAF) on Monday expressed concern over news reports of an alleged government decision allowing MPs to sell vehicle customs exemptions. Local dailies reported on Monday that deputies were given the green light from the government to sell the customs exemption they receive on vehicles after assuming their posts at Parliament.
The news […]

Two sites were brought to my attention recently, both having similar missions in mind: a Jordanian bloggers association and a Jordanian bloggers union. Both are hosted on Maktoob blogs, and looking through them briefly I read their respective charters. The idea is fairly unique as you don’t see too many blogging associations or unions in […]

More universal proof that the readers make up at least half of a blog’s identity. My deepest gratitude to all of you who voted for the Black Iris as the best blog in the Middle East. It is probably not, but it was indeed fortunate enough to be nominated by the readers and voted for […]

The eye-catching swimming pool in Mumbai, India, has been built to raise awareness about the threat of sea level rises as a result of global warming. It was constructed by attaching a giant aerial photograph of the New York City skyline to the floor of the pool. The idea was conceived by advertising agency Ogilvy […]

According to a recent poll conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org, 41% of Jordanians believe that the US “opposes democracy in Muslim nations”, making it the highest of 21 nations polled. Moreover, 40% of Jordanians believe that the US does favor democracy in Muslim nations, as long as they are cooperative with the US. Only 6% believe that […]

Seven Pounds is probably one of Will Smith’s more interesting dramatic roles, along the lines of “The Pursuit of Happyness” and 1993’s “Six Degrees Of Separation”. The story feels almost cut and presented in pieces so that you don’t know exactly what Will Smith’s character, Ben Thomas, is up to. All you can really tell […]

I know this post might sound repetitive because a year ago a similar tragedy took place and a similar commentary on this blog unfolded. The point that I was trying to get across back then is the same point I’m trying to get across now: the fact that we, as a people, tend to place […]