As many probably know or have read by now, many of the Tawjihi results that were released yesterday were indeed false, due to, what is being reported by the Ministry of Education, as a technical error. The issue was naturally brushed aside as just a normal error that is simply no big deal. It probably […]

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to write something about the Jordan Times, specifically it’s reporting and even more specifically its editorials, which have increasingly started to read like press releases issued by the Ministry of Interior. They sound as Orwellian as it gets. But for some reason, that took a back seat when […]

AP PHOTO - A veiled Jordanian woman walks next to billboard with a model picture promoting a hairstyling show in Zara Expo in Amman, Jordan Tuesday Feb. 2, 2010

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Yesterday, I received that annual message from Orange Telecom, which I’m sure most of you have gotten by now. The love letter reads:
“Dear Customer, wither reference to the law of the additional Annual University fees, kindly note that 1JD will be deducted from your balance. Thank you for your cooperation.”
What is interesting about this message […]

It’s fairly interesting to note the number of corruption cases that seem to have made headlines in recent months. This past year in fact has arguably been one of the most corruption-laden years in recent Jordanian history. From Basem Awadallah being accused of human trafficking and his subsequent resignation, to Sahel Majali being involved in […]

Fellow Jordanian tweeps are tweeting (spontaneously) the “Top 50 reasons living in Jordan Rocks”. Thought I’d post it up just as a mental break from all the cynicism and the daily realities that can make you forget how great Jordan really is…

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The following are a series of interesting quotes from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech on global Internet freedom. In light of what’s been happening in Jordan recently over initial moves by the government to regulate the Internet, and in the process censor free speech, I thought the following excerpts were of some relevance […]

This is just a quick note to readers of The Black Iris or anyone else who may stumble on this blog, to take some time (about 5 minutes) to give to Haiti if they haven’t done so already. If you’ve noticed, I’ve put up a link to the International Medical Corps, which is a great […]