http://www.black-iris.com A Jordanian Blog Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:07:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I just wanted to write a quick post to thank all the Jordanian netizens that joined us online yesterday in support of a censorship-free Internet in Jordan on World Against Cyber Censorship Day. The issue of censorship itself is not an easy issue and it's one that most Jordanians, including ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/03/13/a-big-thank-you-to-jordanian-netizens-on-world-day-against-cyber-censorship/ "More and more states are enacting or considering repressive laws pertaining to the Web, or are applying those that already exist, which is the case with Jordan" - Reporters Without Borders, Internet Enemies Report, March 12th 2010 While Jordan didn't make this year's Internet Enemies list, to join the likes of ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/03/12/world-day-against-cyber-censorship-jordans-government-has-a-choice/ Dear Jordanian Bloggers and Tweeps. March 12th is the World Day Against Cyber Censorship, which has been organized by the French-based organization, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) for a few years now. RWB will also be releasing their annual "Internet Enemies" list, which compiles the names of governments that have unfriendly ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/03/09/dear-jordanian-bloggers-tweeps-lets-mobilize-for-march-12th/ My eyes expanded ten-fold early this morning upon reading this late-breaking news that four individuals have been detained on corruption charges related to the very controversial Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company. Normally this kind of news might fly under the radar with the expectation that those detained will likely be low-level ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/03/04/prominent-jordanians-detained-on-corruption-charges/ Earth Hour is fast approaching. Only 30 days left and counting. I think we, as Jordanians, and especially those of you who are connected, online and have a green spirit, need to be pro-active this year. There's a lot that can be done to prepare for this global event and ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/02/25/earth-hour-2010-lets-put-jordan-on-the-map-this-year/ From a death sentence to a mere 10 year conviction - a young man who killed his married sister because he suspected her of having an affair simply because she was on the phone too long. Court transcripts said the victim had been staying with the defendant at the time of ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/02/24/dishonored-for-talking-on-the-phone-too-long/ With a gigantic deficit of at least JD1.4 billion on our back, it seems that pointing out the country is drowning in debt is simply an understatement these days. While some are asking where that money actually went, the natural government reaction is of course to tax the people who ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/02/22/taxed-to-death-in-jordan-but-is-the-government-tightening-its-own-belt/ I missed my five year blogoversary by one day, which is perhaps a testament to the difficulty of finding time to blog these days. Yes, I haven't been blogging as much as I would like to these days. 7iber has me occupied most of the time lately. But nevertheless, it ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/02/21/blogoversary-the-black-iris-turns-five-pick-your-favorite-post-and-win-a-gift/ AP PHOTO - A Jordanian man looks at clothes inside a lingerie shop at a shopping mall in Amman, Jordan. Jordanians, like the rest of the world, celebrate Valentine's Day in the 14th of February every year. http://www.black-iris.com/2010/02/14/photo-of-the-moment-valentines-in-amman/ 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 ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/02/07/the-tawjihi-fiasco/ 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 ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/02/07/jordan-times-goes-from-bad-to-atrocious/ 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 http://www.black-iris.com/2010/02/03/photo-of-the-moment-juxtapositions/ 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 ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/02/01/reforming-education-in-jordan-good-will-no-money-less-discourse/ For those who read Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox during their childhood, or thereafter, Wes Anderson's adaptation is definitely a fantastic take. Written by Anderson and Noah Baumbach, Fantastic Mr. Fox isn't exactly a childhood classic as much as it is an adaptation for the more mature audience. Filled with ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/31/movie-review-fantastic-mr-fox/ 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 ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/26/how-to-fight-corruption-in-jordan/ U.S. Department of State NONIMMIGRANT VISA APPLICATION 38. Do you seek to enter the United States to engage in export control violations, subversive or terrorist activities, or any other unlawful purpose? Are you a member or representative of a terrorist organization as currently designated by the U.S. Secretary of State? Have ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/25/question-38/ 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... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/24/top-50-reasons-living-in-jordan-rocks-a-tweet-digest/ 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 ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/23/verbatim-hillary-clinton-on-internet-freedom-the-view-from-jordan/ Haven't done one of these posts in a while but it's been a long first three weeks of the new year, and a lot of depressing news that's enough to make a person want to... But what better timing than this to have something to pick one's spirits up. Ok Go, ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/21/thursday-feel-good-post-ok-go/ 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 ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/21/give-to-haiti/ A few days ago we were all surprised to learn that a ruling from Jordan's Supreme Court decided to include "websites" as subject to the country's notorious Press & Publications Law. The reason bloggers, technologists, activists, journalists, free thinkers and anyone with a half a brain and a beating heart ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/19/on-jordan-censoring-the-internet/ AP Photo - Jordanian boys warm themselves at a workshop during their break in Amman. Keep warm today, and remember that some people have it worse than you. On another note, whatever happened to our child labor laws? Never mind. http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/19/photo-of-the-moment-cold-fire/ On June 2, 2005, just weeks after the Cedar Revolution resulted in the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon, prominent Al Nahar journalist Samir Kassir started his car at 10:30am and seconds later he was dead. An outspoken critic of the Syrian regime’s political and physical presence within Lebanon, Kassir’s ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/18/book-review-samir-kassirs-being-arab/ I know it's been a tough month for you. Security breaches have been all over the international media and things just don't look great right now. I know in such times it's easy for you to retreat to safer grounds where fear tactics and terrorism rhetoric is comforting, but please, ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/17/dear-jordanian-government-can-we-stop-with-the-fear-tactics/ 8:45pm: If you've been driving around Amman tonight you've probably notice traffic is everywhere, and so are the Jordanian police. Most of the traffic circles have been highly controlled since around 4pm, specifically the 4th to the 7th circles. Police are diverting traffic and their police vans are blaring sirens ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/16/false-security-threat-shuts-down-half-of-amman/ This is just a quickie post, as a lot of people have been asking my opinion about the recent court decision to include websites under the Jordanian Press & Publication Law. There's plenty to say about the topic and I want to write an extensive post about the issue (in ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/16/quickie-post-about-that-websites-law-thingie/ It seems the Israeli Ambassador to Jordan was the target of a bomb attack on his car earlier today (6pm). The AFP reports: JERUSALEM — Israel's ambassador to Jordan escaped unharmed in a bomb attack on his car in Jordan on Thursday, the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement. "In ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/14/bomb-targets-israeli-ambassador-diplomats-in-jordan/ GETTY PICTURES - Father of Jordanian Mahmoud Mahdi Zeidan, a Taliban fighter killed by US in Waziristan, looks on at the family's home in Irbid Camp for Palestinian Refugees, on January 11, 2010 in Irbid, Jordan. Zeidan was a spiritual leader as well as a fighter with the Taliban and ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/13/photo-of-the-moment-jordanian-taliban-fighter-mahmoud-zeidans-funeral-contrasts/ In what has got to be one of the silliest stories of the new decade thus far - a move to name a street in Al Mazar after former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, has been revoked after a great deal of interference by the Jordanian government, supposedly lead by the ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/11/jordans-saddam-street-angers-kuwait/ Several days after international media reports, vis a vis CIA officials, indicating Humam Balawi, a Jordanian, as being the bomber who killed seven CIA agents and his Jordanian handler, Sharif Ali, a video of him has surfaced on Al Jazeera. The video is very short, but in it, Balawi, in ... http://www.black-iris.com/2010/01/09/humam-balawi-video-surfaces-on-al-jazeera-other-notes-from-jordan/