It's Obama!

So the Americans did it and made history as the first African-American was elected president of the United States and I can't help but feel joyful and excited. I think Obama's message of hope and change has spread here, to our side of the world, and we desperately need a change after what can only be described as a catastrophic presidency of George Bush. It's no longer about how will benefit this region, it's about who will cause the least harm.

And so here's to hoping the world will become a better place, even if just a little. And adieu to the mavericks. Frankly, I would've shot myself had I had to hear Palin's you betchas and say it ain't sos for the next four years. But most importantly, goodbye George Bush, you nutjob. May we never see the likes of you again.

P.S. McCain is quite the gracious loser, I have to say.

If McCain Wins

19

You are only young once, but you can be immature for a lifetime

John P. Grier

It's been a very good year.

What's On My Mind This Week

• I'm pretty shocked that police in Jordan are actually setting traps to arrest alleged homosexuals. According to "sources", this crackdown is to prevent the increasing numbers of gays, whose number is approximately 600, from spreading STDs. Where they obtained such a number is beyond me. Now I'm not campaigning for LGBT over here, but i find this inhumane and stupid, especially when they put it under the excuse of "preventing STD spread". You want to prevent STDs? Make sex education a part of highschool curricula. The way I see it, this "campaign" is just to win easy points with the public.

• I can't believe Jordan is one of the four water-poorest countries in the world. We sure don't act like it. We use water like we have an infinite supply of it. Just observe the streams of soapy water running down the streets from people hosing down their cars every morning. It's ridiculous.

• 17 honor crimes have occurred to this day since the start of 2008. Four only this month.
  
  
• I love the cold weather. Despite the fact that people sort of freak out and the streets become crazy from the combination of stupid drivers and a practically non-existent drainage system. I love the rain, the jackets, the scarves, the blankets. It's all very cosy. I even don't mind being cold. But I don't understand why only my right hand gets cold, mostly when I'm working on the computer. I'm right-handed, so if anything, shouldn't it be my left hand that gets cold? So every 20 minutes or so i go to the kitchen and stand over the stove for a minute, till my hand gets warm, after which i resume my computer session.
  
  

• Cups and kilos is an awesome place. Even though I've been introduced to it fairly recently, like 2 months ago, I've been an addict ever since. I especially like any banana-flavoured drinks they have. Last week they had a concert featuring college students playing cover songs and jazz tunes, it was really nice. A friend of mine has been going to the same Cups and Kilos branch for 25 consecutive days now!
  

• I've been a terrible blogger and I know it. I'm feeling pretty guilty about it, and I've been kicking myself for it especially since toot added a new bunch of bloggers about a week ago. It's that i can't seem to get back to the blogger mode I was in when I first started this blog. That's when you automatically start writing posts in your head and start categorizing everything into bloggable or non-bloggable. Hmmmmph.
  

And now that my right-hand has become cold again, I'm going to go.

Bloody Murder

Is it me, or are murder stories in Jordan becoming more and more common? Everytime I open the newspaper there seems to be a new murder in the headlines, each one more violent and shocking than the next. 

So I took a look at the archives, and over the last 10 days the following took place: 

• A 61-year old shot his 17-year-old daughter to death in an "honor crime" in Al Balqa. Upon questioning, the father said his daughter allegedly confessed to having consensual sexual relations. A source said he saw the victim's family members congratulating each other after the murder.

• A 44-year-old man murdered his married 42-year-old sister by strangling her with a "dishdasheh" (the traditional robe), in yet another so-called "honor crime". The victim, who has been living alone for the past 5 years because her husband is in prison, was murdered because "she would often leave the house without her family's approval". The victim became the 15th person killed for an honor crime since the beginning of the year. You think we'll be able to reach our yearly average of 20? 2 more months to go!
  
  
• A body of a man in his thirties was found stabbed in the King Abdullah Gardens. The suspect, who confessed, reportedly killed his friend over 200 JDs. 
  
  
• The body of a newborn baby was found attached to a tree in Wadi Il Seer. I don't know what to say about this one. This is just beyond despicable and sick.

• A chopped up body turned up in Marka in Amman. The police apprehended the suspect, an Egyptian worker for the victim in his factory, who killed his boss for refusing to give him a raise, and them disassembled the body into four parts to facilitate moving it.

• A man was sentenced for 10 years in prison for poisoning his neighbor unintentionally. The man wanted to kill his father by poisoning his tea, but a number of neighbors happened to drop by and drink the tee. Ah the irony.
  

Not to mention the multitudes of car accidents and hit-and-run accidents which seem to have become everyday news by now. Are we becoming a more violent society?

Just Who the Hell Is Joe the Plumber?

So the press seems to be smitten with this "Joe the Plumber" guy, who's apparently been mentioned by Obama and McCain a multitude of times. Check out this Jon Stewart video!

So who is he? He's your average American who when encountered Obama, asked him about and criticized his tax-plan. Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame, Joe.

What Your Tax JDs Are Paying For

مجلس الوزراء قرر في الجلسة التي عقدها قبل اسبوعين منح اعفاءات جمركية لسيارات اعضاء مجلس النواب. وبموجب القرار فان آلية حصول النواب على الاعفاء ستكون بالحصول على كتاب بهذا الخصوص من دائرة الجمارك اعتبار من اليوم للتوجه لشراء ما يرغبون من انواع السيارات.وحصل نواب في المجالس النيابية السابقة على اعفاءات جمركية فيما حصل نواب المجلس النيابي الرابع عشر على تسهيلات جمركية ومالية فقط للحصول على سيارات

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As if a JD2460 a month salary is not enough, now our lovely Parliament members are entitled to duty free cars, all paid for by us, the naive Jordanians who helped elect them in the first place. And to do what? To go and throw water and juice cups on each other. Great. Long live democracy.

Bab El 7ara Mania

Silly me, I thought it couldn't get any worse than the obsession with the notorious Noor and Muhannad. But we sure take our entertainment very seriously.

Attempting to recreate the famous show, a group of youngsters renamed two areas in Tla'a il Ali, Amman into "7aret Shaker" and "7aret al Bostan" after the tv show Bab il 7ara, and then ignited a fight between the two "7aras" that was broken up by the police.

Now I understand the show's popularity with the older demographic: the nostalgia towards old values and traditions in a modern society now, but I really wonder why so many young people find it appealing. I mean, even my 11 year-old cousins were avid followers of the show.

But like Noor, this show's popularity will also remain a conundrum that baffles me. Oh well.

Stupid News Stories

I honestly don't know what Alghad editor was thinking when he approved this news story which is now placed in the front page of their website. The entire news piece basically describes the life story of Areen, a 24 year-old born in the Israeli occupied Joulan, and is leaving her family and home to wed her cousin in Syria.

سارت عرين بخطى حذرة في ثوب زفافها الابيض عبر الأسلاك الشائكة التي تحيط بهضبة الجولان لتلتقي زوجها في الجانب الآخر من الاراضي السورية. وقبل ان تبتعد التفتت بعيون ملؤها الدمع لتلقي نظرة اخيرة على ارض مولدها التي لا تعرف ان كانت ستعود اليها يوما

ولدت عرين الصفدي قبل 24 عاما في قرية عين قينيا الدرزية في منطقة تشرف على الاراضي اللبنانية والسورية على هضبة الجولان الاستراتيجية التي تحتلها اسرائيل منذ 1967.وقبل عدة ايام، بدأت عرين الاستعداد للرحلة التي تقودها الى سوريا حيث تتزوج الاحد ابن خالها ربيع الذي يعيش في بلدة جرمانا القريبة من دمشق.

اما تحضيرات الزفاف فبدأت قبل اكثر من اسبوعين. ولدى مصفف الشعر قالت عرين التي كانت ترتدي بنطلون جينز ضيقا "انا بالطبع سعيدة لاني ساتزوج، ولكني حزينة لاني ساغادر عائلتي". ووسط زحمة تحضيرات العرس تمكنت عرين من زيارة صالون للتجميل للعناية بزينتها وطلاء اظافرها الطويلة. ولكن رغم انشغالها وفي حين كانت اخصائية التجميل تكحل عينيها السوداوين بدا عليها القلق. "كلما اقترب الموعد احسست بصعوبة الامر لكني احبه وهذا خياري".واضافت "سأبدأ حياة جديدة. من الصفر".

كل ما تعرفه عرين عن سوريا هو ما سمعت عنه او شاهدته على شاشة التلفزيون، وهي تعرف ان "حياتهم بالطبع مختلفة عن طريقة حياتنا". ولا يزال اهل الجولان يحافظون على تقاليدهم مع بعض الانفتاح بسبب التواصل مع المجتمع الاسرائيلي.

في اليوم المحدد للسفر، استيقظت عرين في الرابعة صباحا وتوجهت الى اشهر محل لتصفيف الشعر في بلدة مجدل شمس المجاورة من حيث خرجت وهي تضع تاجا وترتدي طرحة العرس وثوب الزفاف. كان جميع الاهل والاصدقاء مجتمعين في منزل العروس لوداعها. بكت النساء وانطلقت حناجر بعضهن بالزغاريد. ولم يتمكن بعض الرجال من مقاومة دموعهم. تم تحميل امتعتها وملابسها واغطية السرير المطرز في شاحنة سترافقها الى دمشق. وقف ابوها يحيى بعينين دامعتين صامتا في ركن من باحة البيت. قال ودموعه تخنقه وهو يشاهد افراد العائلة يقتربون منها لوداعها، "لم انم طيلة ليلة البارحة. لقد ربيتها وشاهدتها تكبر".

حانت ساعة الرحيل فتحرك موكب طويل من السيارات باتجاه مركز القنيطرة الحدودي. وقف جنود اسرائيليون مسلحون يضعون نظارات سوداء على عيونهم لحمايتهم من الشمس يلتقطون صورا للعروس والموكب. حتى تتمكن من مغادرة ارض آبائها المحتلة كان على عرين ان توقع مضطرة على ورقة تقول انها تتنازل عن حقها بالاقامة في الجولان. قالت الشابة بعدما وقعت تلك الوثيقة المؤلمة "اتخلى عن حقي واعرف اني قد لا اعود الى اهلي في غياب علاقات دبلوماسية بين سوريا واسرائيل".

لقد انتهت اقامة عرين في الجولان فبدأت رحلتها الجديدة عبر الاسلاك الشائكة وابراج المراقبة المموهة باللون الكاكي لملاقاة ربيع عند نقطة العبور في المنطقة العازلة بين البلدين. التفتت عرين وهي تحمل باحدى يديها باقة زهر ولوحت بالاخرى مودعة. اجتازت عند الساعة الحادية عشرة والنصف صباحا البوابة الكهربائية الصفراء التي اغلقها الجنود خلفها ببطء

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Seriously? I would understand if this was a story in a magazine perhaps, but to run it in a daily newspaper? This is just an attempt at sensationalized journalism to attract readers. Like what good could it possibly do me to know that the bride-to-be was wearing tight jeans as she told her sad sad story? Are you kidding? And then we talk about improving the quality of journalism in the country. Scoff.

Here We Go Again!

The past week, head of the Royal Court, the very controversial Bassem Awadallah was once again under attack, this time for his alleged involvement in a human trafficking case that led to a lawsuit. I say once again because back in May, Awadallah was also viciously attacked by Parliament member Nariman Roussan for the land sales issue, who went as far as to compare him to Israeli spy Eli Cohen. And well, if you thought she won't be making another appearance amidst the chaos, you were highly mistaken.

This time, Roussan had questions for the government regarding an Independence day celebration that was aired on Jordan television. Apparently she is angry over cameras' focus on Awadallah during the event, and also because she's wasn't shown on television while greeting the King. The government sent her a detailed response saying that the cameras' positions are not determined on who will be standing in front of them, and that while a number of attendees (including Roussan) were coming in, one of the cameras encountered an error, which is why she wasn't shown on television. But she remains unconvinced.

Following what happened with writer Nahed Hattar, she may want to consider toning down her attacks on Awadallah a bit. See in the same week Hattar went on TV and attacked Awadallah, he also "resigned" from his post at a bank, stopped writing in his column in the newspaper and then suffered a health crisis that put him in the hospital. One of the commentators suggested that next news piece will read "Roussan suffers unfortunate car accident"!

You gotta love Jordanian politics.

Action Alert | Ramadan Food Drive!

So it’s that time of the year again folks and hopefully we can rally together to make a difference in the lives of a few citizens. The Action Committee has started its food drive for Ramadan and your help is needed! The Ramadan food package is going to cost 20JDs and will contain:

• 3 kg Rice
• 3 kg Sugar
• 2 kg Beans
• 2 kg Lentils
• 6 Packs of Pasta
• 2 Cans Tomato Paste
• 1 kg Tea
• 2 A’mar Eldin
• 1 Oil
• ½ kg Dates
• 12 packs Maggie

The drive is underway and will last for the next week or so, depending on the donations. The Action Committee is targeting the last 10 days of Ramadan for distribution.

So tell a friend, tell a family member, tell the neighbor, tell the people at work, even the weird guy who sits in the corner of the office and who no one talks to; this could be your chance.

For bloggers: Forward this message. Post about it. Spread it. Mobilize!

You can contact Sara at 079-5154498

Facebook group

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Matrix Aborted!

Hilarious Hajjaj cartoon about the recent developments with the investment company Matrix.

Now That's What I Call Irony

Check this. Did they call for an ambulance for the ambulance? Hmmm....

Back in Jordan!

After a month spent in Bremen, I am back again in beloved Jordan. Apologies for the lack of blogging, but I had no time to post anything. The course was great, the group I went with was great and the city itself was really nice. The weather was mostly cold, which in comparison with Amman's weather now is considered pretty good! Anyway, here are some pictures from the trip:


The Weser River, along which Bremen lies:

A statue at the City Centre representing die Bremer Stadtmusikanten, or the Town Musicians of Bremen, a Brothers Grimm fairytale about a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster who set off for Bremen to escape the abuse of their masters. On their way they enter a house and find a bunch of robbers, so they stand on each other's backs and make noises that scare off the robbers. The four animals have become the symbol of the city:

Pictures from the City Centre:

Hamburg:

























A trip to Heidepark, one of the biggest amusement parks in Germany and Europe:

The largest drop tower in the world, appropriately named Scream, drops 71 m in 2 seconds (at a speed of about 98km/h). I rode it twice :D

....and the steepest wooden roller coaster:

The island of Neuwerk on the North Sea. During low tide, the island can be reached by foot, which is what we did. 12 KM walking barefoot, to return later by ship. Hectic, but the scenery was breathtaking to say the least:

Some of the parks in Bremen:

All in all, it was a wonderful experience. Few observations:

• No food on the planet can measure up to Arabic food. Ever.
• Out of of a group of 20 people from Jordan, only 4 actually came from Jordan. All 20, however, were proud to say they're from Jordan :)
• Meeting people of different nationalities not only broadens your horizons, but makes you realise how similar people around the world are.
• You will actually miss hearing fireworks, honking cars and trucks in the streets.
• People around the world have immense respect and admiration for our King and Queen. Even if they don't know Jordan, just mention Queen Rania and they'll know where you're from.
• I really do suck at directions. I should never be allowed to lead groups of people around.
• When forced, I can manage to clean, shop for food, do laundry and iron. Therefore, contrary to my mother's beliefs, I will not die should I live alone.
  

Oh and Ramadan Mubarak lil jamee3! May it be a wonderful month with as few traffic accidents as possible!

Off to Germany!

Tomorrow morning I'll be leaving to Germany, where I will be taking part in a language course until August 30th. I'll be staying in Bremen (circled red in the map below), a city in Northwest Germany. I hope I will be able to blog from there, but I'm not sure as to the Internet access there as of yet. Let's hope there will be so I don't go into withdrawal symptoms and die.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Honor Crime and No Punishment

The Criminal Court attorney general on Saturday said he plans to appeal a ruling acquitting a family of an honor crime that occurred in July 2006. I know all honor crimes sound the same more or less, so I'll sum this one up for you:

• 16-year-old is abused by her family, so she leaves the family tent (I'm serious), and heads to the Family Protection Department and files a complaint against them.
  
  
• Her family become enraged when they find out, and decide to kill her. So they tie her up, pour kerosene on her and ignite her along with the family tent.
  
  
• Victim tries to scream and flee but the father, mother, and two siblings (aged 19 and 16), prevent her. After she was dead, one of her brothers starts calling for help, claiming it was an accident.
  
  
• The postmortem report indicated that the woman received burns on 96 per cent of her body and was charred beyond recognition.
  
  
• Victim's female sibling refuses to testify against her family.
  
  
• The court decides that the family never plotted to murder the victim and that the fire was "accidental", and acquitts the four defendants. “The defendants tried to wake the victim but were unable to in time. They managed to escape the fire but the victim remained trapped in the tent,” the court said in its 10-page ruling.
  
  
  

And if you're not sick to your stomach yet, this should do it:

“ Criminal Court Prosecutor Saturday charged a father and son with the premeditated murder of their 23-year-old female relative in the Kingdom’s latest so-called honor crime on Thursday, an official source said.

“The victim went missing for around four months. When she was found by police, they discovered that she was living with a man,” the source said.

The administrative governor ordered the victim to be detained on charges of adultery for an indefinite period for her own safety.

But after several visits, the father convinced him that he would not harm his daughter and won her release after signing a JD5,000 guarantee that he would not hurt her.

The father took his daughter home and as she was about to enter the house, her 21-year-old brother approached her and fired six shots at her, then immediately surrendered to police claiming that he had killed his sister in order to cleanse his family’s honor.

The victim became the ninth woman reportedly murdered in the Kingdom in a so-called honor crime since the beginning of the year. She is the second to be killed in the month of July. ”

Your Moment of Zen

That's John McCain hugging George Bush. Now isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever seen?