ArabianMonkeyTales

Greetings من المنجم عالمريخ

2009-12-25T14:24:00.006+02:00

I won't be doodling here anymore.

Leaving footprints:
Curating at UrdunMubdi3
Tweeting here
Blogging here
Hacking here
Rewiring here

Or look around and catch me in a city near you :D

MeenTheBand on Twitter

Download full Christmas album.

Syrian treasures abound

2009-12-18T07:38:00.004+02:00

I've been exploring the neighborhood for sometime now, and after years of merely crossing to get to the other side.. as fast as possible... I'm intrigued by this new found Syrian magnetism. I don't know what it is yet, and I've never been anywhere but Damascus, however I can smell the roses and I like the scent of the journey ahead.

Sipping coffee to the sound of pouring rain on the overhead vinyl courtyard cover before I wander out to explore, I tripped into this Sea Side.

Syrian treasures abound.

البحث عن الشرف

2009-11-04T11:32:00.005+02:00

نتيجة البحث لـ

جرائم الشرف

في الغد هذا الصباح

في قسم الاخبار: 8379

في قسم افكار ومواقف: 621

لا شرف في الجريمة هي حركة لاستنباط العدالة

نحن نؤمن بأن الافعال يجب ان تسمى باسمها

الجريمة هي جريمة والقتل هو قتل للنفس البشرية

نحن نؤمن بأن الأفعال يجب أن تحاسب على قدرها

الجريمة يجب أن تعاقب كجريمة والقتل كالقتل

لا شرف في الجريمة هي حركة تسعى للحقيقة ،

لأن الحقيقة هي أشرف مطلب إنساني .

ميثاقنا

Questions to media workers, bloggers and communicators

2009-10-27T19:03:00.002+02:00

Are you a media worker? And/or do you use any media for advocating/communicating on issues important to you?

I am developing a discussion session on women’s rights and the role of communication & media, and in preparation for it would like to know how you are using media for gender related content if you're an advocate for anything that matters to you.

Note: the term media in this context refers to traditional as well as social media and blogging.

What are you doing to keep your conversation alive?

For example....

If you blog, what issues are important to you and how is the conversation growing through blogging and what action is impacted?

If you're a filmmaker, do you use film to tackle certain social issues that matter to you, whether in fiction or doc?

If you advocate for women's rights, how are you using media?

If you're advocating against crimes in the name of honor, how how are you using media?

If you are working on creating awareness within society about the rule of law, how are you using media?

If you're working on generating a conversation about women's financial rights, how are you using media?

If you're advocating for legal changes that impact women, how are you using media?

If you're passionate about education and are leading a conversation around the topic, and it includes/impacts gender issues, how are you using media?

If you believe sex education is deficient in our curricula and you have a point of view on that, how are you communicating your thoughts and/or engaging others in the dialog?

If you are bothered by general harassment in the street while walking around your city, how are you using media?

If you're running for elections in a union, parliament, etc - how are you using media?

If you have something to say about the female quota, how how are you using media?

Anything you're willing to share about issues that matter to you and the media you're using would be great - whether within the above areas or something totally different. Share any questions and/or concerns you have about what is covered/not covered in the media which you believe should be.

Thanks a mil for taking the time to share your thoughts and work.

(also posted on UrdunMubdi3)

What I want from my teachers

2009-10-22T08:13:00.004+02:00

Educators need to go back to school to change the way they think about learning. As facilitators into the world of discovery for their students, educators must relearn how to learn in today's world and must become masters at the tools at hand so that they can become true facilitators.

For Jordan, perhaps for every 3 years of teaching, an educator should take a semester off to go catch up on some learning and open new areas in their brains to empower them to become enlightening, enabling agents for their students. One of the most frustrating things is someone who has been teaching for many years, certified, and is arrogant about new learnings... mainly due to fear, and consequently refuses to listen to what kids are aching for and instead believes that as an educator s/he knows what's good for the students and what they need to be learning. Now more than ever, educating is about listening more than it is about telling. To do that well we need some DNA reengineering.

On another level, many educators are parents, they have kids similar to those in their classrooms at home. I know some who are very double standard. They claim they know better and say they are good educators, but when it comes to their own kids, they allow themselves to get caught up in bad practices like pulling little favors with other teachers so that a daughter is excused from not delivering on time, or a favor to skew a grade compensating for a son's bad performance. But when approached by another parent about a kid in his class, same teacher takes a firm stand and doesn't accept the parent's requests. IMHO, these are the worst kind of educators coz they are not true to their trade. They do not believe in the code of their profession, therefore unconvincing to most kids and what happens is that everyone just goes thru the motions without deep thought, observation, evaluation and continuous self learning, building numbness, dullness and killing the appetite for learning.

I believe it's too simplistic to only call for educators to be facilitators coz the world we are shaping today is a facilitator culture by virtue of being connected to whoever we feel we can learn from if we so choose. Now more than ever facilitators to knowledge and opportunity are abundant. They are not necessary part of formal academia. They are reaching out and making themselves accessible. They are setting up solutions to reach out to kids and communities in new ways, they are using their experiences to give back and extend opportunity to others. They are generous in sharing what was once viewed as exclusive, proprietary and precious, free. The new DNA we need is being formed here and there and is only going to get contagious in amazing ways.

Specifically to Jordan,

1. Teachers should be required to take a semester off (or summer) every three years to upgrade their learning.

2. We should create a countrywide teacher exchange program - get educators out of their comfort zone. This should also be taken further to create an international exchange program to expose teachers to other environments.

3. We should design a teacher-becomes-student program where a teacher is required to take a class as a student in another teacher's class of a similar level s/he teaches. ie. 7th grade teacher enrolls in a class as a student in another 7th grade teacher's class - this gets them to change their vantage point and will teach them to listen and observe better so as to restructure their own approach.

4. We should ensure every educator in Jordan has a laptop connected to the internet, and knows how to use it, uses web 2.0 for education and is engaged in an online activity or program with other educators, as well as students.

5. Video document classes and share them with the school and put them online - useful to empower the good ones to keep doing better and the bad ones to either shape up or get out of the way.

madrasati 2.0 :)

Orange - not fresh, not juicy and so not connected!

2009-09-07T16:57:00.012+02:00

I spent 5 hours today in a building with 400+ people whose core business is communication. The Orange internet connection was down. I finally found a window to eject, but I have whiplash from the paralysis during those hours.

This Black Iris blog speaks for many.

I've liked the Orange brand for years, way before Jordan went Orange. And now Orange Jordan is just killing it all for me! Because of your rep, I've avoided subscribing to your Internet service, and only suffer your outage when not on my turf. The damage caused is way beyond!

What does it take for a fantastic global brand to deliver outstanding to 6 million people who hang around 92,300 km²? How can you not get it right?

Yahoo! Maktoob. Remarkable.

2009-08-25T11:09:00.003+02:00

Yahoo! and Maktoob acquisition announced.
What's next?
Maktoob founder launches tech firm.

At a time when our economy and general attitudes have been in a low lull, this industry news is just what the world needs. Solid endorsement of potential in the region, of growth prospects, and talent. Opens new possibilities for online & multiplatform business - a playground for content creators and applications designers :) Online advertising will evolve in format and grow significantly over the coming two years. New business opportunities for anyone interested in the zone. This is a very needed demo of confidence in the industry - the creative industry. The industry built on and nurtured by people, their talent and remarkable skill, and that which they create. Our most interesting and important natural resource. continue reading blog on UrdunMubdi3

To Kill in the Name of Honour

2009-07-17T06:14:00.011+02:00

Browsing through the shelves at Readers a couple days ago, I found a very important book that weaves a fictional account of the killing of Leen by her brother Ali. The story is led by Jude, the lawyer and activist who relentlessly tracks the appalling details of a case that reveals victims of others and their own culture, and the honor that shames societies.

To Kill in the Name of Honour is told from the brave point of view of Jordanian teenage writer, Shirin Mired. Shirin's engaging storytelling is filled with honest insight about the painful and confusing issue of crimes committed in the name of honor, the challenges our society faces, and the need for an entire nation to rise and take a stand against crimes that mar a culture and its people.

Shirin's remarkable effort is a call to action towards the goal of reminding ourselves and each other what the fabric of honor in humanity truly is, and to work towards the transformation of this deeply ingrained cultural mindset. A crime is a crime, there's no honor in that.

From the book jacket:

To Kill in the Name of Honour is a shocking expose of the practice of honour killing, which illustrates the human and emotional costs of such traditions for victims and perpetrators alike.

Shirin Mired was born in Amman, Jordan in 1993. She is a student in the Amman Baccalaureate School and, at the time of writing To Kill in the Name of Honour, is in grade ten. She has a keen interest in social causes, is outspoken among her peers and hopes to make a difference in the future.

In Amman available at Readers/Cozmo.
ISBN 978-9957-406-82-0

Take time to pick up and read Shirin Mired's book. Then ask yourself and others to define honor. It's a conversation that needs to grow, get loud and unstoppable until we achieve the mindset shift for an entire culture to regain the true meaning of honor. It's our right.

Still having a cultural giggle!

2009-07-10T18:22:00.005+02:00

Jordan Festival has a 2008 billboard still up on the Jordanian-Syrian border.
The date on posters for the RUM concert at the Roman Theatre is wrong - it's NOT the 17th, it's Wednesday the 15th.
And I just clicked on their website and got this:
We all make mistakes and things do get messed up - that's life.
But the level of sloppiness the Ministry of Culture seems to embody is record breaking!

LMTO...

In name of the culture - do you English speak?

2009-07-07T12:45:00.006+02:00

I guess the Min of Culture has recently discovered some free online translating tool!

If you're not going to bother to get a speaker of the language to write it, why do you feel obliged to run an ad in English?

When the JordanTimes, our English daily, received this ad and booking order, didn't they feel some kind of responsibility to advise the Min of Culture against running it as is... and perhaps even offer help through a copywriter?! Yes pro bono!

How did this pass through everyone along the food chain and actually make it to print?

Absolutely ridiculous! What a joke!

Click on the pic for a clearer view and a good laugh! Careful not to hurt yourself!

Not my Jordan! اخجل ان اكون اردنية

2009-07-03T14:30:00.005+02:00

لا أدري عن حقيقة هذا الخبر في القدس العربي اليوم! يا مسؤولين في الأردن...الرجاء التوضيح. إن كان الخبر خطأ - يجب تصحيحه بسرعة. وإن كان صحيح، فأمامنا شغل كثير وجاد لتعديل هذا الخطأ الفاجع

عمان ـ 'القدس العربي'- من بسام البدارين:

قائمة ضحايا سحب الجنسيات في الاردن تشمل احد اشهر الجراحين وزوجات صحافيين وكتاب وابن وزيرة سابقة في الحكومة وابناء متقاعدين عسكريين وناشر صحافي اضافة لمئات العائلات البسيطة.
الجراح الوحيد في المملكة المتخصص في اورام الحنجرة والرقبة الدكتور احمد الجزار بين الذين سحبت ارقامهم الوطنية بموجب تعليمات لا زالت سرية تحمل اسم فك الارتباط، والجزار يستعد للمغادرة الى كندا بعد ان فقد الامل في استعادة رقمه الوطني.
ورغم ان الجزار يرفض التحدث عن الامر الا ان جراحين كبارا في المملكة بينهم الدكتور جهاد البرغوثي يحاولون التوسط له على امل مساعدتهم في اجراء جراحات نادرة تدر دخلا كبيرا على القطاع الطبي حتى يتمكن من تجديد رخصة عيادته في الجبل الذي يحمل اسم الملك الراحل حسين بن طلال وسط العاصمة عمان.
وقائمة الضحايا ضمت قبل سنوات في حادثة مشهورة نجل وزيرة الاعلام في الحكومة السابقة اسمى خضر قبل استدراك المسألة، كما ضمت زوجة الصحافي المعروف ناصر شديد مراسل 'بي .بي.سي' في عمان .
ولولا ارتفاع صوته لانضم ناشر صحافي يملك عدة مؤسسات في البلاد هو الدكتور زكريا الشيخ لقائمة الضحايا، حيث طلبت منه موظفة في ادارة الجوازات مراجعة ادارة تابعة لوزارة الداخلية لتثبيت جنسيته.
ومؤخرا اضطر مسؤول في الديوان الملكي التوسط بهدف ضمان عدم سحب الرقم الوطني لزوجة شقيقه العريس، كما قام وزير سابق ومهم بحمل اوراق رجل اعمال سحب الرقم الوطني من عائلته تحت عنوان تعزيز صمود الاهل في فلسطين.
ولا يزال الدكتور خليل ابو سليم وهو مثقف من ابناء مدينة السلط تزوج منذ 20 عاما من اردنية من اصل فلسطيني يصر على استعادة الارقام الوطنية لزوجته واثنين من اولاده رغم ان وزارة الداخلية تصر على ايفاد الزوجة والولدين للضفة الغربية بغرض التسجيل هناك قبل استعادة الارقام الوطنية بهدف 'دعم الصمود'. هذا الخيار رفضه ابو سليم بعد ان ظهر على شاشة 'بي .بي.سي' قائلا: اولادي اردنيون ولا اقبل غير ذلك.
واشار الكاتب الصحافي خالد محادين مجددا امس لآلاف الحالات التي يعرفها او يسمع عنها فيما تتحدث منظمات حقوق الانسان عن سجلات قوائم بالجملة تضم عائلات بأكملها.
وفي الوقت الذي اصبحت فيه هذه المسألة قضية رأي عام تطرحها وسائل الاعلام يصر وزير الداخلية نايف القاضي على ان قرارات سحب الرقم الوطني في معدلها الاعتيادي ويرفض اعتبارها سحبا للجنسية ويتحدث عن مؤامرة اسرائيلية تورط فيها من يطرحون هذه القضية.
لكن المواطن الذي سحبت جنسيته جمال عرابي نخلة يقترح على الوزير الاردني سحب السفير الاردني من تل ابيب ردا على المؤامرة الاسرائيلية قبل او مع سحب جنسيات اردنيين، مؤكدا ان جنسيته سحبت رغم انه لم يحمل يوما ايا من بطاقات الجسور وبدعوى وجوده قبل سنوات في الجزائر كمدرس، قائلا: سحب جواز سفري الدائم ومنحت بدلا منه المؤقت وكتب عليه اني اقيم في مدينة القدس التي لم ازرها في حياتي كما كتب اني احمل بطاقة خضراء وهذا لم يحصل اطلاقا. حالة اخرى طريفة خارج التعليمات واجهها صهرعرابي فارس محمد يوسف الذي قال لـ 'القدس العربي' ان جنسيته سحبت لسبب غريب وهو استخدام مطار العدو اللد في رحلة سفر الى فنزويلا عندما كان شابا وقرر زيارة ذويه هناك قبل ان يدفع الثمن جنسيته الاردنية.
ردا على الانتقادات التي طرحت في السياق ظهرت مقالات مؤخرا تمجد وزير الداخلية الذي ينفذ بدوره التعليمات ولا يصنعها.
وفي السياق قال امين عام وزارة الداخلية مخيمر ابو جاموس بان سحب الرقم الوطني مؤقت ولا ينتج عنه المساس بأي حقوق فردية، لكن المواطن درويش ابو درويش الذي سحب رقمه الوطني عرض لـ 'القدس العربي' مذكرة تبين الخسائر في مجال الحقوق ومن بينها منع العمل الخاص ومنع تجديد رخصة القيادة والحرمان من مدارس الحكومة وعيادات وزارة الصحة والتطعيم والحرمان من العمل لاحقا. المؤيدون لوزارة الداخلية وبينهم بعض النواب والصحافيين يستغربون الضجة المثارة حول ظاهرة سحب الجنسيات حيث استند الصحافي فهد الخيطان لارقام الوزارة في التحدث عن تجنيس اعداد اكبر من الاعداد التي سحبت منها ارقامها الوطنية فرد عليه محادين مذكرا بأن الحديث عن سحب الجنسيات وليس عن التجنيس. بالمقابل رأت نخب محسوبة على اركان الدولة والنظام ان المسألة تستحق البحث ومراجعة المؤسسات المركزية، خصوصا بعدما تحدث موظفون متقاعدون ومواطنون عن ترميزات توضع على جواز السفر يفهمها فقط اصحاب الامر وتحدد الوضع القانوني للمواطن. كل ذلك يحصل دون ان تقول الحكومة شيئا محددا، وفاقدو الارقام الوطنية يظهرون علنا مع كل مقال او متابعة للموضوع وملف القضية برمتها يدرس الآن في مؤسسة القصر الملكي وسط تطمينات عليا لشخصيات سياسية تقول بأن ما يجري لا علاقة له بقرار سياسي جديد.
المسألة ابعد من ذلك - يقول لـ 'القدس العربي' رئيس سابق للوزراء - ولها علاقة باطار علمي واحصائي يتفق مع نظرية داخل مرجعيات الدولة تتحدث عن التوازن الديمغرافي كضرورة للحفاظ على المصالح العليا في الدولة، ويضيف: المطلوب ان لا يحصل واقع ديمغرافي يفرض حلولا داخلية او خارجية تغير معادلة وتركيبة الحكم والدولة والنظام في الاردن، ويشرح: باعتقادي لذلك تراقب المسألة احصائيا وتشتد احيانا حالات سحب الجنسية وبرأيي ان الاخوة من اصل فلسطيني ينبعي ان يتفهموا ذلك.
هذا المنطق يرد عليه المدرس عرابي، ويقول: نحترم هذا الكلام لكن ما ذنبنا نحن كمواطنين؟.. واين نذهب؟ ولماذا لم يكن ذلك واردا عندما قاوم العرب ولادة الدولة الفلسطينية او عندما اندفع العقل الرسمي الاردني باتجاه وحدة الضفتين؟ متفقا مع ابو درويش برفض التحول لبدون في اطار حسابات الحكومة الاردنية وسلطة محمود عباس. بعد هذه الاسئلة - يقول عرابي -: لا يوجد مشكلة سأحمل ملوخياتي واذهب للجسر مع عائلتي لكن اتحدى النظام العربي الرسمي برمته ان يتمكن من اجبار اسرائيل على عبوري، فالاردن وطن يعيش فينا لا نعيش فيه، وفلسطين لا نستبدلها حتى بالجنة ومصيرنا واحد، وانا شخصيا لا ولن اقبل بالوضع الذي تريده وزارة الداخلية لي ولأسرتي

Update:
Conversation evolving here.
First hand story on personal incident here.

Another blog on Obama's Cairo speech

2009-06-05T16:47:00.011+02:00

Changing minds requires continuous conversations and a long chain of actions versus sporadic acts of charity. It's a diligent process that needs to focus on dignity, independence and inclusion versus dependence and exclusion.

The experience of Obama's Cairo speech was interesting. The content, I expected. He's an eloquent, intelligent, charming storyteller with sincere passion and values. I truly believe he's a good man. He's also got some amazing people around him as part of his communication team - among which are some great strategists and outstanding writers. Very admirable.

So what of Obama, Muslims, the Arab world, etc?

I really can't understand how we got here actually. How did the Arabs decide that they want to be a castrated race when it comes to their own issues? When did we agree that to be so pathetic and helpless is what we need to be? Where in history is the day we planned to become such dependent beggars? How do our own leaders keep getting away with spewing anesthesia in their public rhetoric?

I watched Obama's speech twice. Once to hear what he said, and the second to amuse myself at the reaction of the audience in that room. Hilarious! Waiting to applaud this serious, hard working man, who came very well prepared. Every time he mentioned a reference to the Quran - applause... cheering at his phrases of sensible thinking and an attitude of compassion.

While Obama used the theme 'a new beginning', I wonder when we, the Arab people want our new beginning to start. When will our leaders work for change rather than pitch for charity? When will we, the people, garner the confidence in ourselves and find our own common ground? When are we planning to start working?

That work needs to happen on this end of the world. We need to get our act together to fix negative stereotypes against Islam. We need to invest in economic empowerment of our own. We need a shakedown on education towards the rise of learning and enlightenment. The man came, he spoke, he conquered hearts and minds. It's now up to the Arabs... leaders, people in the region and beyond, to rise to the occasion. Rather than follow suit of what some are already doing by dismissing Obama's words, dissecting through conspiracy theories and paranoia, and being skeptical about what may be, it's time to shift into progress mode, change our own attitude. Time to do, time to deliver. Oh, PS: Obama is not the mahdi!

متى سينهض العالم العربي بنفسه؟

Trails along the stairs

2009-05-27T11:14:00.021+02:00

One of the charming traits of Amman are the stairs around the city, almost artery-like connecting the hills and downtown - that heart pumping life along the stairs into the neighborhoods and nooks.

A couple of wonderful stair trails connect Jabal Al Qal3a with Hashmi street, right across the Roman Theatre.

On Salamah bin AlAkwa Street on Jabal Al Qal3a, there's a square viewing point that overlooks the hill down to Hashmi. On either side of the viewing point is a flight of stairs. They are easy to go down and up.

Along one, you can find a little Internet cafe and the eclectic Amman Panorama Art Gallery.

Towards the bottom of the other, you pass by a sweets bakery and get a delicious whiff of fresh Hareeseh and other local yummies before you hit the little road that winds down to Hashmi street, and as you look up ahead sits the Roman Theatre.

Oh...if you linger outside the bakery, the baker is sure to come out and give you a free taste of his latest fresh bake, still warm and total satisfaction for those with a sweet tooth.

So when you're on Hashmi street next time, walk along to shop #7 and take the stairs up Jabal Al Qal3a, and before you get to the very top to visit the archeological site of the Citadel - experience the pulse of life in the heart of Amman, hang out with the neighborhood kids playing in the alleys, some will be making the colorful kites you see flying over the Jabal on breezy summer afternoons.

This little excursion is a total immersion into typical old Amman life - for Ammani's it's a trip down memory lane. For visitors, it's one of those authentic experiences you are sure to cherish from a part of Amman with a true soul.

When in Amman, take the stairs, it's a walk full of delights.

Stories and the city - what's yours?

2009-05-27T10:46:00.004+02:00

"The real story of Amman is the story of its people: their memories, struggles, encounters and events. This inspired the idea to solicit these stories directly from the people, to be published on the Centennial website once it is launched next month.

For now, you can already go to the site and submit your story, along with photos or documents if you like." More from Ahmad on 360east.

Just say no

2009-05-26T21:05:00.003+02:00

Notice that when you say no to something loud people expect you to say yes to, a whole world of opportunity opens up?

continue reading here...

When expression is not enough

2009-04-28T06:31:00.028+02:00

Given the rise in tragic situations with women and youth, and the desperate behavior of men, women and society in general - all leading to the demise of the family unit and our human values, it's probably high time to up the ante. This country is way too small to be falling apart so badly. There is no excuse for ignoring human-centric needs.

Yesterday I received emails from GOs, NGOs & RNGOs about an Amman gathering on the evening of the 29th for expression against child abuse triggered by the story of Yazan.

While a gathering for artistic expression for a few hours may help soothe some souls momentarily, I must wonder what kind of impact towards action and change will result.

IMHO it is not enough to gather and express. Isn't it a tired tactic? And then what?

This country needs a wall-to-wall call to action that humanizes these tragic happenings and keeps an entire population haunted and awake, motivated to work and deliver serious results towards fundamental change. Total inclusion - today, this year, not sometime in the future. This is our problem, we have no right to pass it forward nor impose inheritance on our kids.

What if:

10% of every outdoor communication carried pictures and stories of every single child abused?
10% of every outdoor communication showed pictures and stories of every single woman victim of abuse and crimes of dishonor?
10% of every outdoor communication revealed pictures and stories of every single fatal road accident?
10% of every outdoor communication told stories of the troubled men committing heinous acts of violence against their own?
In between the super sale and the special on the radio you heard the horror story of the blow by blow slow death of every woman who died as men of her family brought dishonor to themselves?
Every single working woman did not show up at work tomorrow and the next day and the next day demanding legislative change for basic rights?
The freebie ads and papers at our doorsteps and on our mobile screens taught us the names and personal stories of Jordanian victims of our own injustice?
Your 16 year old ran home wanting to know more about such stories, demanding of you a better world than this one you've brought him into?
Your 14 year old daughter came home everyday and shared with you her fears and torment of being raped like that other girl next door?
Your 7 year old came home today and told you his friend's secret - the story of how he was molested by that man around the corner
You walked out of your house every day and heard the woman across the street wailing in pain from the beatings by that man who just left to work wearing his camouflage elegant suit and tie as he got into his expensive car?

It would be hard to sleep in peace, night after night, if these stories consumed our existence. It would be hard to not get up and act!

The Jordanian family is in dire need of help.

Why do we have the right to celebrate our kid's 12th birthday when Yazan doesn't get his, ever?
Why do we have the right to walk in confidence when Ayat's mom can't give her kids a Jordanian passport?
Why do we have the right to give birth to another kid, while Tariq next door is being beaten up?
Why do we have the right to dream of amazing when Noor's blood stains her father's soul?
Why do we have the right to a white wedding when Dana can only wear black bruises on her face and body?

After an evening of expression, what's next?
When do we walk the talk?
When would we like to wake up to a better Jordan?

A country that continues to accept laws against the well-being of it's own people should not be allowed to join the global conversation for human dignity.
A country that allows its kids to go into schools to consume archaic curricula should not be invited to engage in stories of enlightenment and empowerment across other lands.
A country that ignores obvious needs to improve it's economy from within should not be eligible to aid from the other.
A country that includes the hatred industry within it's investment portfolio should not be included in the conversation for world peace.
A country that lives knowingly with bad governance should take a stand and change everything.

And just in case we've forgotten what good governance means, HRH Prince El Hassan reminded us during last week's WANA Forum that it includes these characteristics:

Starts today: Libraries, Education & Museums Conference

2009-04-24T07:41:00.004+02:00

The purpose of the Libraries, Education & Museums Conference in Second Life is to provide a gathering place for librarians, information professionals, educators, museologists, and others to learn about and discuss the educational, informational, and cultural opportunities of virtual worlds.

Couldn't resist sneaking a peak at the set up. Conference starts today 12noon Second Life time, 10pm Amman time. Click to know more, register and join - and when you do, look for the av with big funky hair :)

When you sing you begin with...

2009-04-17T12:26:00.022+02:00

Do-Re-Me of course!

Antwerp Central Station was entertained by four minutes of joy last month when 200 performers danced to Do-Re-Me at the station. The MariaDans vid keeps you smiling, singing along, and wanting to dance in the street.

Bring whimsy into an unsuspecting crowd and the fun becomes infectious. Also gets people like superdefender1 to post a vid on YouTube proudly declaring, "I saw it live" :)

Performance

Making of

(i) T-Mobile rocking Liverpool Station

You know it's there

2009-04-10T09:23:00.002+02:00

Arab cultural capitals, taking a stand, changing the game

2009-03-20T12:35:00.010+02:00

The Arab Cultural Capital for 2009 is Jerusalem. This 10+year UNESCO* program respected the fact that in 2006 Arab cultural ministers voted for Al Quds, which as you can imagine irked the Israeli government who actively objected to it, but UNESCO said it would/could not overturn the decision by these Arab ministers. A couple years went by.

The cultural calender for this occasion was slated to kick off in Jerusalem in January, but due to the Gaza war was postponed for a while. Until now. Festivities are back on the calendar and artists, cultural workers, residents and visitors will engage in a year long program.

And I can't help but wonder....

What if Jerusalemites, Palestinians and the Arab ministers who voted it in took a stand and said, "stop - this is wrong, we want Gaza to be the cultural capital of the year instead of us".

Jerusalem can say, "Gaza is our surrogate choice".

Yes, I know Gaza is not a capital city. However, in light of its recent annihilation, I think of Gaza today as the capital city of Israel's crimes of war against humanity as the world watched.

And what better way to make a statement, create a lot of noise, and rewrite the rules, than for artists and creative industry workers to take a stand towards changing the game.

Imagine.

* According to UNESCO, the Cultural Capitals Program aims "to provide the Arab countries with a framework within which to develop their cultural heritage, preserving the past but placing particular emphasis on the future, opening the Arab world to new influences and technologies while safeguarding the integrity of Arab heritage. It should especially promote contemporary literary, artistic, scientific and intellectual Arab culture."

The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told

2009-03-14T08:27:00.011+02:00

A Funded by You production :)

Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by e-mail. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana. Set to the 1920’s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, Sita Sings the Blues earns its tagline as “The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told.” synopsis via Sita Sings the Blues

Directed by
Nina Paley

"I hereby give Sita Sings the Blues to you. Like all culture, it belongs to you already, but I am making it explicit with a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License. Please distribute, copy, share, archive, and show Sita Sings the Blues. From the shared culture it came, and back into the shared culture it goes.

You don't need my permission to copy, share, publish, archive, show, sell, broadcast, or remix Sita Sings the Blues. Conventional wisdom urges me to demand payment for every use of the film, but then how would people without money get to see it? How widely would the film be disseminated if it were limited by permission and fees? Control offers a false sense of security. The only real security I have is trusting you, trusting culture, and trusting freedom...." continue reading Nina's note.

Watch Sita Sings the Blues

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 US License

Quantum leap for emerging filmmakers

2009-03-13T15:17:00.017+02:00

A couple nights ago people crammed into the auditorium at the Hussein Cultural Center and stood against the walls and sat on the floor for the first screening of Fadi Haddad's short film, HIGH HEELS. I love crowded screenings, and I love the energy infused into first time audiences to such an event -they are always in disbelief that there are so many people interested in independent films by emerging filmmakers, and are surprised by the talent and the work shared.

The story of HIGH HEELS, written and directed by Fadi Haddad, is set around the wake of Nawal's departed husband. All characters have dysfunctional personal lives but put up the act that everything is going well. Nawal, a social snob finds out her husband left her nothing but an empty bank account, traces of a mistress and a mobile phone she can't unlock. Nawal, played by Mouna Moussa, projects her complexes onto her daughter, played by Phaedra Dahdaleh, who is raising a four-year old alone far from the husband who abandoned her, not letting on to society her true story. What would Nawal do if her dead husband's young mistress suddenly shows up at the funeral? The story spirals out of control when the mischief of Lara Sawalha explodes into the scene. See trailer.

The script was well cast with an eclectic mix - Feryal Haddad & Lara Sawalha were great! Beautiful art direction, and camera that lends to good storytelling by Samer Nimri. I felt the choice of music was overbearing most of the time though. The lyrics of Soap Kills were too distracting from the performances who did a good job and did not need the over dramatic music at times when I would've rather had a quieter background. The production was tight - the good planning and careful production choices showed - something the determined and tough Nadia Eliewat ensured as producer with a super talented crew.

Fadi, your best so far and in a whole new league. Very much looking forward to your next.
Lara, still my absolute favorite Jordanian actress - big time.
Phaedra, give up your day job, the camera loves you!
Mrs. Haddad, you rock!
Nadia, I'm lucky to know you.

Thank you to everyone involved for bringing us 20 minutes of good local entertainment.

10,000 is not just a number

2009-03-12T18:34:00.006+02:00

In a 1993 study at the Berlin Academy of Music, Dr. Anders Ericsson found that by age 20 top level violinists had practiced 10,000 hours.

Buddhist monks who have meditated for over 10,000 hours score off the scale for compassion.

It takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become a chess grand master.

"Around the world, people typically talk of 10,000 hours of training to win an Olympic medal", emphasises Marty Toomey the high performance manager.

Malcolm Gladwell talks about the 10,000 hour rule in his book Outliers where he observes that the key to success in any field is a matter of practicing a specific task for at least 10,000 hours.

Greatness is about performance and focused attention on something over and over and over - for about 10,000 hours.

Then 10,000 is about mastery.

So when Yusuf Mansur set the goal of 10,000 steps towards a creative economy in Jordan, he wasn't kidding. It's not an exaggeration nor is it haphazard. Getting to remarkable is committed hard work. It's not easy and it's not overnight. It's a relentless, determined and deliberate effort towards a goal. And the goal of UrdunMubdi3 is about removing 10,000 small obstacles between where we are today and the creative Jordan we deserve.

Don't forget to blog about Jordan today - it's not an initiative, it's an ongoing conversation with a live pulse.

What is a creative Jordan?

2009-03-06T13:56:00.002+02:00

When discussing the need to evolve towards a creative economy, I'm often met with uncertainty in meaning, and a reaction that says: "so you think that Jordanians should be concerned with art and culture, and become writers and dancers and filmmakers?"

To a certain degree yes, but there's a lot more to that which I posted here on UrdunMubdi3. And there's no absolute definition, so your thoughts, contributions, questions and challenges are needed so that we figure out the opportunity ahead and how it works for us.

Idiot-proofing the streets

2009-03-05T10:23:00.013+02:00

Why did the Jordanian cross the street?

Two seconds before I clicked the pic, this sensible citizen was perched on the railing about to get off on the other side, where he landed elegantly on a flushed edge, and as you can see unhooked his bag and crossed the street....to get to the other side, of course!

A few meters behind him down the street - busy Mecca Street/Amman, across from the Social Security building right there in the back, is a pedestrian bridge. A few meters down that, is yet another pedestrian bridge!

So... how does the city develop to include kamikaze-idiots-with-their-common-sense-gene-mutated, and everyone else?

Massive mural perhaps?

Life is for loving

2009-03-05T01:00:00.009+02:00

I'm in love with life. Love that's absolute. Love that shakes me to the core. Gets me singing out loud in the street (and no I can't carry a tune). Makes me devour words, smells and tastes. Loving life makes me skip when many are shuffling.

Never quit on life. Disrupt. Change everything. Take a back seat when you need to. Go crazy. Get angry. Show it. Just don't give up. Coz when you least expect it, life makes your heart smile.

Life is the best kind of love. Simply!

2009-02-28T22:25:00.000+02:00

What is sadness?

2009-02-18T14:51:00.000+02:00

What is wisdom?

What year are we in?

2009-02-16T08:45:00.005+02:00

Reading the local paper, minutes ago, I kept wondering what year we're in.

I got the feeling I was reading someone else's news, in an age that's much darker than mine.

Has an alien taken over my entire existence and transplanted me into a time way back when?

I wonder!

This story below does not sound like it's the year 2009, in a country with big progressive claims, expensive campaigns, signatory to some of the most admirable charters of humanity.

Gender bias by Nermeen Murad
An influential group of Jordanian women’s associations and civil society organisations are preparing arguments to advocate for the repeal or amendment of a package of 15 laws that are seen as discriminatory against women in the country.

Some have received wide attention, such as the Civil Status Law, which has become synonymous with legislative discrimination against women, in support of their male “guardians”. Among its most perplexing articles, in my opinion, is one which punishes a girl who chooses to stay with her divorced mother instead of moving in with her father when she reaches puberty. The law allows the father to stop his financial support payments for the girl as a form of punishment, but incredibly, does not take a similar action against a boy if he chooses to stay with his divorced mother.

I am unable to delve into the bewildering legislative imbalance and bias against women in Jordan, some of which dates back to the 1950s and has no relevance to the modern Islam practised in Jordan or to the modern-day realities of life and family dynamics. But I want to shed light on one of the laws that is being put forward for amendment and which I believe should be one of the easiest to amend because it clearly has no basis in cultural or religious arguments that are usually used to explain away discriminatory attitudes against women.

Jordan’s Residency and Foreigners’ Affairs Law Number 1973/24, Article 22 B, stipulates that the minister (of interior affairs) can, upon recommendation from the head of department, grant a five-year residency permit to the foreign wife of a Jordanian man but it does not mention any residency facility for the spouse or children of a Jordanian woman. In fact, to the legislator, that category does not even exist.

The foreign husband and children of a Jordanian woman are not granted residency in Jordan. I am not talking about giving citizenship to the foreign family of a Jordanian woman, which would have been her internationally recognised right, I am speaking of a woman’s right to settle with her family in her country of birth and citizenship.

The only way that the foreign husband of a Jordanian woman can reside in the Kingdom is if he applies for residency based on a work contract with an influential national or international company or is considered a wealthy investor. Under that scenario, the foreign husband would renew his residency permit every year, queuing in line at the different departments carrying documentation that attest to his work and financial status, which is the only criterion that the law considers for a non-Jordanian man’s residency in the country.

Every year the “foreigner” would pay his annual residency fees. Every year he would await the authorities’ verdict on his residency permit before he applies for his new driving licence, which he is required to renew annually, and pay the fees for that as well. If the residency issue comes up at a time when he is between jobs, or out of a job, or working with a company that cannot prove that it can’t find a “local” alternative for the post in question, he can be out of the country regardless of the fact that his wife and his family through marriage, and his whole life, are tied to his place of residency.

The foreign children of a Jordanian woman follow the residency status of their father. If a Jordanian woman seeks residency permit for her children, she would have to bring a “hujjet nafaka”, which amounts to proof that they are her financial dependents. The process for receiving this document is demeaning and reminiscent of the dark ages. The woman in question would have to accompany her legal male relatives, i.e., father, brother, uncle, etc., who will attest in a sharia court that the woman’s husband has deserted her and her children and isn’t contributing financially to their upkeep. The court will then grant her permission to keep her children and therefore apply for a residency for them based on their relationship to her.

I wonder what arguments our legislators and executive authority will find to explain why a woman in Jordan is seen only as an extension of a male guardian and not as an independent adult in her own right. Why can’t we recognise, in this time and age, that women are now heads of families, wage earners, independent decision makers, mature and intelligent human beings on a par with the male citizen?

The law is not supposed to be a reflection of bigotry in society, nor is it expected to cater to the opinions of those who live behind the times. The law needs to protect all citizens, equally irrespective of their gender.

I can perhaps accept the fact that there can be discrimination by individuals in a society, but I cannot understand this widespread discrimination by the state against half of its population. We need to see concrete action to end all forms of gender discrimination and recognise that the time to do that is now. Otherwise our claims to modernity, education, common sense and justice would be just meaningless words.

Jordan Times, 16 February 2009

What planet are we on, and what year is it exactly?
Or am I reading the fiction section of the paper?
Has the columnist taken a shift in her pen towards writing make believe?

I wonder.

So we can become a happy ending*

2009-02-14T15:13:00.013+02:00

Ever imagine how cool it would be if you look onto a roof top around Jordan and instead of seeing ugly clutter and life's leftovers, you find a visual story?

Ever wonder how come roof tops in Beirut or Rome are so pretty and alive, while roof tops around Amman are such an eye sore?

Ever get puzzled over the stories you hear that the good folks at the Greater Amman Municipality give people a hard time when they find them painting on their water tanks and walls?

Ever wonder why Amman is so beige and bland and lacking in flair and color, and why the barren facades don't come to life with images by interesting artists?

Ever notice the ugly, dirty, messy, graying elevator shafts when riding a lovely glass panoramic elevator, and think what's the point?

Aren't you glad that everything can indeed change :) and that there are people who take action and lead that change....

Farah Hospital roof top

Farah Hospital elevator shaft

Rima Malallah started out with Love on a Bike, then spent a chunk of last summer painting the wall around the Amman Radisson SAS. Farah Hospital is her latest contribution thru her public space visual stories that whisk you away into a whole other world of colorful possibility.

I wonder where she's heading next....

*Rima's greeting to her online visitors at Fly My Pretties Productions.

More from the open world: open source funding

2009-02-13T15:48:00.005+02:00

Just got blown away reading this brilliant open source funding call. Mark Cuban, the billionaire entrepreneur, is looking for a biz plan to fund. His stimulus plan calls for innovation, accountability and total transparency.

WOW!

Looking for some funding for your projects?

2009-02-12T15:02:00.009+02:00

With more people taking action to make a difference, choosing to work through independent collaborations, engaging in their communities, and creating projects with social impact for a better future, there are increasing opportunities to tap into for funding and different types of support.

KAAYIA is one of these sources, and their deadline is coming up on February 22nd. The team at KAAYIA are looking to reward people between 18-29 years who have set up projects that are positive contributions to their society, wherever that may be in the Arab world. They will select 3-5 winners, and offer each $50,000; part of which will be given in cash to sustain the project, and the rest will be used for training to develop leadership and management skills of those selected.

If you're a citizen of any Arab country and have been working for at least six months towards innovative social impact, check out their site for details of the award and selection criteria. It's a fantastic opportunity for some funding and technical know-how for the work you're already doing and are passionate about.

Life's for sharing

2009-01-29T12:35:00.004+02:00

So is effective advertising. And so is the work of fun, creative people. And so are these classic dance tunes. Check out how T-Mobile rocked Liverpool Station for their latest ad. Talk about lifestyle communication!

The T-Mobile Dance

Making Of T-Mobile Dance

h/t Ruba

A conversation worth growing

2009-01-27T21:45:00.010+02:00

Voices for Palestine is a new progressive dialog. In their own words:

"We are Arab women from Jordan who have come together in response to the appalling attacks of Israel on Gaza and its people.

....As believers in human rights and dignity, Voices for Palestine, seeks to present what is really happening in Gaza. To speak about this issue with no reservations is our goal, hoping that after you hear what we have to say, you will feel compelled to stand up and speak against what is happening, and act in whatever capacity you can to end the destruction of a nation and its people. We cannot idly watch and allow this genocide to take place."

Watch the first four vids and share them with your community. You'll find a lot to think about, learn and discuss.

Gaza & international humanitarian law

Gaza & the humanitarian crisis

Gaza & the media spin

Call to action

Visit Voices for Palestine, learn more, contribute. Raise the bar of dialog and debate and grow the conversation.

Respect.

2009-01-25T09:00:00.012+02:00

To stand for something! Israeli conscientious objectors - 12th graders or Shministim say why they refuse to serve in an army that occupies the Palestinians.

Stories you should know about. On the Objection Front - a must see film by Shiri Tsur. Norman Finkelstein on Gaza War. And wanted by these Israeli human rights activists.

Update:

Israel's lonesome doves

Gaza - we have an obligation

2009-01-19T11:06:00.008+02:00

Strategy gets done between wars. It's what happens when death and destruction are not hourly breaking news anymore. It's the thinking and the work by people who can see a better tomorrow. It's a living conversation and a total commitment - by everyone, for everyone.

Razan Khatib on Websessed, Karim Arafat on watwet and Ahmad Humeid on 360east have kicked off a very important conversation: keep the momentum going, brand Gaza.

This is a dialog that must be kept alive. Let's process it. Contribute. Grow it. It requires new thinking to an age old problem, it needs imagination and guts and creativity. And most of all it needs hearts and minds that want a better deal for humanity.

Let's not allow the death and destruction of Gaza to go in vain. Wherever we are, whatever we do, this is our obligation.

Take a stand. Brand Gaza. It's about changing the world. It's time.

Reading the pictures, imagining the future

2009-01-10T15:33:00.010+02:00

Palestinians or Israelis? Stay or leave? Claim or blame?

There is no right answer to the wrong questions, especially 60 years on and counting.
There is no consolation for the dead of war, especially when combat is not their choice.
There is no excuse for our politicians who don't take a stand, especially when the voices on the street are so loud.

A few years ago I attended a work in progress screening of Shiri Tsur's On The Objection Front, a documentary about the Refusniks. Images of coexistence continue to pile up. And voices of engaged civil societies are getting louder. All the while, children bleed to death in Gaza, and humanity chokes.

Where is the active Arab political conversation?
Where is the enlightened political dialog?
Where is that stand countries like Jordan can take at a time like this?
Where is the strategic power of diplomacy that should be taking place between wars?

It's an important time for Jordan to take this stand. It's a vital time for Jordan to cultivate and exercise some clout using its advantage as a signatory to the paper of peace.

We need so much more dialog, not less. We need it every single day until we are able to imagine a tomorrow that works for everyone. The vision for a future that could work needs powerful imagination. It's not going to fix the past. It's not going to sound logical today. It's not going to heal wounds nor console pain. But it will save the soul of this region for a better world for our kids.

While Gaza is being annihilated....stop the charade and get to work

2008-12-29T22:58:00.006+02:00

Flag burning, calling for cutting off relations - ie communication, and sporadic protesting without true activism is useless to everyone. Jordanian officials and any Arab official who care about the Palestinians and peace in general need to truly get their act together and step up, stand for something and sincerely and diligently take action towards it.... every waking moment of their life until resolution is achieved.

The burning of the Israeli flag in our parliament achieves nothing other than an outburst of emotion. What a farce this kind of action is. Calling to cancel the Jordanian-Israeli peace agreement is an even bigger joke. Wanting to expel the Israeli ambassador solves nothing. That is not diplomacy, and it's certainly not a conversation for peace. Then what? Does anyone calling for such ridicule ever ask that? Do they stop to imagine what's next after they kick up a seasonal tantrum?

Perhaps using our best strategic minds and communicators to find new solutions to this old problem would serve the Palestinians, and humanity, better. Perhaps an active and continuous commitment towards effective negotiation and creative forward looking plans would serve better.

It's time to wake up from this slumber. Time to remain alert and active every moment of every day until a Palestinian/Israeli solution is established. It's time to stop the anesthetic in our air and the delusion in our water.

Compassion is a way of life rather than a momentary fad.

The woes of our world today require minds, words and a whole new conversation for effective achievements. Until then, the blood will continue to flood the streets.

Collecting for Gaza in Jordan this week

2008-12-28T17:15:00.011+02:00

7iber and the Action Committee are organizing an emergency clothes and food drive in Amman 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. Find out how to contribute. Join forces with civil society movements in your neighborhood and make a difference.

Feel free to browse these pix, read this and this, and this, watch this, or simply Google Gaza, if you're looking for a reason.

Just what the economist ordered

2008-12-23T20:23:00.012+02:00

It's enlightening when economists talk creativity, and dialog ideas and innovation into business speak, and when creative industries are highlighted for their unique strengths and economic potential.

That's what Jordan's leading economist Yusuf Mansur does as he positions Jordan as a creative economy in this interesting piece in today's Jordan Times. He starts off by asking,

Can Jordan become a creative economy where young people’s ideas, those with the most creative minds in the world, can be translated into a powerful industry worth billions of dollars?

This economy is about the convergence of creativity, innovation and business, and his response is optimistic and attainable,

The answer is a qualified yes. Some work, however, needs to be done.

He reminds us that the

....wealth of a nation, and thus its competitiveness, derives from the stock of the following seven types of capital: natural, financial and man-made resources, institutional, human, knowledge and cultural capital. The last four make up the core of a creative economy, the environment where ideas acquire an economic content (i.e., have value).

and why creative workers are needed as important contributions to the workplace,

A creative worker turns an event and its logistics into a holistic experience. He/she turns a monolog into an evolving dialog that rhymes with and resonates in the hearts and minds of others. A producer finds synergy among some of the most unlikely components and delivers an audiovisual output that sells and creates economies of scale and scope where there was none. The R&D worker designs the next patent or solution for an environmental challenge and benefits not only the economy of today but also that of the future.

Creative economy empowers the jewellery worker in a social development program to think in an entrepreneurial way about starting her or his own design line. A curator transforms buildings erected in the name of culture into a year-round dynamic and buzzing home for artists, audiences and the community at large, thus making culture, molding with creativity rigid mortar and structures into a working social and economic capital.

and like any good economist, he shows us the way,

Urgently needed is the use of language and understanding of: creative economy, creative industries, creative workers; legal awareness and environment - legislation and intellectual property rights; restructuring and funding public plans to enhance capacity building of creative people; positioning and pitching Jordan as an investor in the creative economy; inviting local and foreign investment in the portfolios of specific industries with the aim of enhancing creativity; conducting economic evaluations of the impact of creative workers on Jordanian industries and categorizing them with Creative Economy global metrics; documenting stories of successes with facts and proofs; delineating potential growth trends, challenges, opportunities and strategies; transforming attitudes towards what we have and should do in order to create an urgent sense of commitment towards nurturing the potential of a creative Jordanian economy.

Jordan can deliver world-class creative work. The solution lies in cooperation between business and government to enhance, not harness, this creativity. Give creativity a chance and it will manifest itself. Better still, give it a platform and it will dazzle. Let it have centre stage and it will win the day and achieve for Jordan that competitiveness that has for long eluded it. read full article

Is creativity what we need to drive our new economy? Are these the industries that will help generate the jobs needed and the environment we desire?

This UNCTAD 2008 report on the Creative Economy provides an interesting overview from the world and delves into the components of this economy to help guide more informed policy making. On Facebook, Ramsey reminded me of Richard Florida's book The Rise of the Creative Class, and the importance of and impact on place. Something CSBE's architectural historian Mohammad al-Asad writes about thru his many soulful Amman and Arab city journeys. Among many others, a must read is his piece from last summer, The City's Creative Energies.

As we look towards a new year, yearn for creative and cultural richness, and search for economic optimism, an investment in Jordan's creative economy could offer that boost we deserve.

Related on this blog

Open everything
For a good time, engage creators
The poorest country in the world
Imagine The Life You Want For Yourself, Then Live It
That Soul.... it's in the Details

60 years of history matter

2008-12-22T09:17:00.014+02:00

CHRONICLES OF A REFUGEE is a 6-part documentary looking at the global Palestinian refugee experience over the last 60 years. Filmed in over 15 countries, includes more than 250 interviews of Palestinian refugees living in over 25 countries.

CHRONICLES OF A REFUGEE is an independently produced film made by Adam Shapiro, Perla Issa and Aseel Mansour, with a musical score by Tarik "Excentrik" Kazaleh.

Learn more. See the faces, know the voices, visit the stories. Get a whole new conversation going.

Arabic

English

I appreciate this kind of historical documentation with straight forward conversations by diverse people.

Shoo?

2008-12-16T12:45:00.048+02:00

Starting a shoe collection....

شو الفرق بين الكندرة والصرماي؟

ADI MIZBAN/The Associated Press

That guy totally threw a shoe at President Bush - the game.

Also read Dean Obeidallah's Arab perspective on shoe tossing.

Not shoe trained.

Reaction to shoe attack.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

For shoe fans.

Gorillaz - get the cool shoe shine

Flying shoe thread

Lame duck - crappy flash game

In AngryArab's shoes

Shoes and more.

Missed Opportunity.

The Kids In The Shoe

Taming of the shoe

Fred Astaire solo shoe dance

Shoe targets Bush - Sparta version

Shoe flinging - contempt in Adelaide, Australia.

WikiShoeThrower

How to throw a shoe - handy hints for angry demonstrators

Werner Herzog on images, TV and shoes

Adopted 60 years ago today

2008-12-10T17:16:00.005+02:00

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights preamble includes:

..... Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,..... full text

And article 27. 1 reads:

Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

How are we faring?

Stand for something

2008-12-07T13:10:00.008+02:00

You can't please everyone.
You can't get it your way every time.
You can't do it all.
You can't reach everywhere.
You can't say the right things to everyone.

Choose.

Define what you don't want.
Select what you do want.
Live it. Work it. Breathe it.
Do it all the way.

Some people won't like it.
Some situations will get uncomfortable.
It will get lonely at times.

Choose your principles and live by them.
Make your voice heard about that which you believe.
Move everything you do in the direction of what you stand for.
Ignore the lure of the popularity contest.
Have faith in your choice.

Whoever you are, whatever you do, now more than ever, Jordan needs us each to stand for something.

Reflect. Listen. Observe. Choose. Contribute.

Must do from above

2008-12-05T11:12:00.013+02:00

I never tire from doing Wadi Rum floating snug in a basket to the hush of a balloon. I've been up a few times and it's a breathtaking journey over what I find to be one of the most magical places on earth.

The Royal Aero Sports Club reopens this weekend, so if you're into skydiving, microlights, tandem jumps and flying high, this club's for you. The south of Jordan from above is spectacular. Unless you have vertigo I suppose! A trip that clears your head and imposes an incredible feeling of awe. You can imagine the water that once covered everything, hang out with the creatures of once upon a time, and explore your favorite camping spot in a whole new light. From above, Wadi Rum is a sight to experience!

For a good time, engage creators

2008-12-04T21:23:00.015+02:00

"No one has ever changed the world by consulting", blogs Matt on triiibes.

It got me thinking about the long list of initiatives and issues and institutes in Jordan that have been choking for years and counting because they have not been delivered on. So much is piled up in files and has not been created into reality, not much got to the finish line, and so much is ailing and aching as a result of. We are in danger of continuing this downward spiral of non-delivery if our attitude and sense of accountability doesn't shift, fast.

Creators are obsessed with making things. The work of a creator is nothing without that which is created. An output (physical or non, experience or movement). A creation. A product of the intellect.

Usually that creation has a function, an effect or use that impacts people in some way. And usually, creators feed off that use. They need to know that what they created has been used by their target in ways it was intended. Creators are curious.... they can't wait to see how things manifest.

An artist needs his audience to react/interact with his art so that he gauges how they received it. He wants immersion for the other to find out how they are moved - reactions he may like or not, but he wants them.

A leader needs her team to engage in the plan that is created so that she knows how better to lead and inspire, and how to illuminate opportunities for the innovative to shine. She also needs to evaluate how the created plan works with the target market so as to evolve and grow and do well and do good.

Consultants are generally satisfied with delivering a plan. They are not curious to know how well it's implemented and how people use/react/interact with the plan. They believe their job is done with a big document, or sexy presentation, or an award winning proposal, or a bigger title on the business card. They are usually not makers. They are satisfied with the photo op and press release and growing the resume.

You can tell people what to do.... sure someone has to. And you can also be part of the making, stick around and participate in the fine tuning of the work so that people benefit for real. That benefit may be entertainment, or an event, an ad campaign, an invention, art, a movie, jewelery, a game, a book, a kids classroom, a software solution for the health care industry, a workspace for the physically handicapped, a public space for everyone, music, a movement....

Last night I went to the Amman Stand Up Comedy Festival and enjoyed the talent lined up for the themed Arabian Nights. And I would've have been blown away had the overall environment/atmosphere/event been created with care for audience experience. The show started twenty minutes late which got intolerable by the minute not because of idle time, but because of how that time was filled. Blaring Arabic pop music was louder than a night out clubbing, causing throbbing headaches and a bit of nausea for that mere one third of an hour wait which seemed like a whole day of loud. Some in the audience signed to the closest usher to lower the volume a tad only to receive a shrug miming back, "the show will start soon". The mic level of the performers remained as loud throughout the show! The first three check points from the street to the theatre where guests were required to show their tickets were manned by police officers in uniform who continued to roam the inside of the theatre during the show. The lighting on the stage included a blaring white spotlight aimed at the audience, and remained glaring throughout the entire show, and no the invite did not say 'bring your dark sunglasses'. The outdoor ad campaign was formulaic in style, tired, ineffective in design and positioning, and tasteless for trashing the streets, unnecessarily. All I could think of whenever passing a fallen poster was 'where is the social responsibility of the sponsors towards culture and communication, and where is the GAM's social responsibility towards this city's public spaces?

Were the comedians good? Yes they were.
Were the event logistics handled well? Yes they were.
Then why did I not enjoy the overall experience? Because nobody had created the event for the audience.

It seemed like the deaf dudette got the sound gig, the blind dude got the lighting gig.... and the experience producer just didn't get the memo. The night seemed like it was put together by a bunch of consultants that did not include experience creators. A cold list of tasks delivered without atmosphere crafting. Logistics experts and not makers of a movement.

There's so much talent out there. There's so much need and desire and following for that talent. There's so much consultancy work that's shelved and boxed and pickled in this country while people wait and wait and wait. It's not enough to service anymore. Isn't it time for those paying the bills to engage creators?

The story of Ezra, a child soldier

2008-11-30T19:24:00.006+02:00

Filmmaker Newton Aduaka shows clips from his powerful, lyrical feature film "Ezra," about a child soldier in Sierra Leone.

Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi asks, "What makes a life worth living?" Noting that money cannot make us happy, he looks to those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of "flow."

Why do people succeed? Is it because theyre smart? Or are they just lucky? Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success.

(i) On Storytelling at The Black Iris

Visionary producer and more

2008-11-29T14:49:00.017+02:00

In 2002, Adnan Awamleh sold his 19 year old production company, Arab Telemedia, to his son Talal, but remained active on key productions and as chairman of the board. Why did he do that? Because Adnan realized that it's time for a whole new attitude and generation to take the business forward. And because he knew that the spark in Talal's eyes and his knack for the industry was interesting and brave and very much needed.

And so began the journey of the young man who grew up dabbling with his father's business, and was now ready to blaze a trail thru unchartered waters. Talal is a producer at heart. Passionate about his business, visionary about the industry. He looks for compelling stories that Arab audiences are hungry to see. He works with regional broadcasters and every year brings audience favorites to the satellite TV screens.

Last year he independently produced a 30 episode TV series called AlIgtiyah. Seeming as the Palestinian/Israeli conflict is the region's most complicated and pressing issue, he believed broadcasters would be very interested in acquiring the series for their Ramadan 2007 programming and beyond. But they all said it was too sensitive for them, and they turned it down. LBC however saw an opportunity and jumped on the series. They aired it last Ramadan with a rerun later that year. The only broadcaster who saw the value of the series from a story point of view as well as production value. LBC believed in the production and said yes as they knew it was important for their audiences. In Q2 this year, Libyan TV saw value in AlIgtiyah and acquired it for their audiences.

The lack of enthusiasm and the over cautious regional broadcasters disappointed Talal but did not dishearten him. His faith remained strong and he knew the value of AlIgtiyah and so decided to submit it to the International Emmy® Awards. Last week AlIgtiyah won this prestigious award for outstanding achievement in the telenovela category - the first ever Arab production to be nominated. The first ever Arab production to win. Talal Awamleh's visionary and brave attitude towards his business reaped this well deserved award - an international endorsement for good, hard, quality work produced by a Jordanian company.

Is that all it achieved? No actually.

AlIgtiyah's Emmy® win put Jordan's name on a prestigious slot in screen entertainment history, internationally.

Now that is big.

What is Talal doing now to take his business to the next level? He is spearheading Jordan's biggest and most ambitious independent broadcasting project. If you're interested in screen media in any way, you're going to love his new plans!

Related:
We're not good at celebrating accomplishments by Dr. Nabil Al Sharif

Jordan takes home first ever International Emmy® Award

2008-11-25T10:18:00.011+02:00

This year Jordan has been sharing Jordanian produced screen stories with the world. The result? A long list of awards are being reaped by first time filmmakers and veteran producers and many in between :)

The latest win gives Jordan a place in history with a first ever International Emmy® Award!

At last night's New York Gala, the TV series Al Igtiyah was honored the International Emmy® Award in the Telenovela category. Produced by Talal Awamleh, Arab Telemedia Productions, the story is set in the West Bank against the back drop of the atrocious invasion of the Jenin Camp by the Israeli Army's 'Operation Defensive Shield'. Al Igtiyah is a story of life, love and struggle of everyday Palestine far beyond the stereotype of news reports. Mustafa, a Palestinian fugitive and the Israeli Jew Yael fall in love against all odds, sharing a story of humanity despite occupation, violence, prejudices and the struggle for survival. Written by Riyad Saif. Directed by Shawqi Al Majeri. Starring Abbas Al Nouri, Saba Mubarak, Iyad Nassar, Nadera Emran.

Some of you may be asking how come you've never heard of Al Igtiyah and that you haven't seen it across your satellite screens. Well, that's because broadcasters refused it! When Talal Awamleh produced it independently and offered it to stations in the region, they all said no, except for LBC who screened it twice. Last night's win is an incredible endorsement. 2008 is ATP's 25th year of business producing out of Jordan. This Emmy® win is a fantastic way to celebrate a silver jubilee!

The rewards of creating and producing our own screen stories and sharing them with the world are huge. The impact of the screen production industry is big on our local economy, and provides one of our most important export products to markets everywhere.

Screen stories have no boundaries. And as this year has proven, they do in fact change everything!

Vids Ur Gonna Luv

2008-11-23T19:55:00.009+02:00

Nollywood - 3rd largest film industry in the world....2000 films made in 2006. WOW!

LOL. Who said Jordanian's can't be funny?!

'Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.' -Carl Sagan. Cosmos was great television. One of the most awesome storytelling voices!

On Storytelling

The Black Iris tribe

2008-11-19T23:12:00.008+02:00

Naseem blogs The Black Iris and has just posted #2000.
Why is he a remarkable blogger?
He is an incredible leader of quite an eclectic tribe.
At 25, he has changed the status quo.
He challenges many things out of a little country going thru very confusing times.
He inspires the anonymous, he inspires a King, and he inspires many a wandering soul.
The tribe Naseem leads is looking for something.
We don't agree on everything at all. That's a great thing.
One absolute that we do agree on though is that we all want and believe in this journey.
I wait for his lead because I respect his voice. I am in awe of how he crafts his words. I am curious about what makes him tick. I am moved to action by how he views this world of ours.
I know I can find a place among this tribe to be the unedited me.
The Black Iris empowers me to contribute.
I am intrigued by the other tribe members who brave unchartered waters. They strengthen my faith.
What an honor it is to be part of The Black Iris tribe.
Naseem, thank you for leading us.

A new tribe in the making

2008-11-11T21:27:00.005+02:00

Sha3teely is one of those creative people who knocked me off my rocker from the day I met him, and he just gets better! Check out the complete Meen 7adirtak on his blog here.

Lend your voice, join the tribe.

Read Wael Attili/Kharabeesh interview on JCR8.

Overheard

2008-11-11T21:13:00.003+02:00

I hate Facebook.
Really, why?
Had a bad experience.
Like what?
My boyfriend broke up with me on Facebook.
What do you mean?
One day I logged on and saw that he had changed his status to 'no longer in a relationship' with that broken heart icon.
And then?
Nothing.
What do you mean?
Nothing. Never heard from him, never understood.
That was it?
Yup!

Last night I met someone over dinner who went thru this. It was my first human encounter of such a story. I'm so weirded out by it!

Remembering

2008-11-09T22:19:00.005+02:00

Life is full of remarkable people who do wonderful things for others. Why? Because that's just the way they are. And because they want to contribute to changing the story. They also want to empower others to imagine, create and live their own remarkable stories.

Life is also full of incredibly soulful people who keep memories alive, for themselves, and for us. That is very important for strengthening the bonds among us. It's a reminder that we share the same pains and sorrows, and need each other to heal.

At Ruwwad, the Mousab Khorma Youth Empowerment Fund (MKYEF) is changing people's lives. This program is giving huge opportunities to young people who aspire for amazing. It is opening the world up to youth who never believed they had a chance to see. It is enabling young people to own and shape their future and co-author their history books. It is a program that delivers on hope and change.

The Mousab Khorma Youth Empowerment Fund honors the memory of Mousab Khorma who was killed in the Amman bombings Nov 9, 2005.

Storytellers change the world

2008-11-07T15:52:00.015+02:00

When Axelrod imagined the Obama plan, his strategy was simple. He knew people are moved by stories and he knew Obama had remarkable ones to share. And when that bright, brave soul spoke about his vision, people were hearing those stories.

Some started to imagine a better place. Some started to taste hope. Some started to feel warm. Some started to see out of the darkness. Some started to touch the other. Some started to smell the freshness. Some started to find that which they had once lost. Artists were moved to create. Elders revisited their past. Kids shaped images of their future. And that spirit of storytelling got really, really contagious.

Obama delivered on that strategy, and invited questions and offered a collective journey towards the answers. He asked, how would you like to restore those torn pages, and how would you like to fill in the blank ones, and how about we do this together? He said, we are a tribe and here is our storybook.

That got people to listen. And it got people to take action. They were inspired. And they began to author their own story.

Once upon a time....

The insincere are outnumbered

2008-11-07T13:04:00.010+02:00

This summer I got to know a man who eventually earned his seat in the hall of human disappointments. He made me think of bad things. He made me see ugly when I wasn’t looking.

He chose to deceive himself and those around him long before I fell into that pit of fraud it seems. It's his choice of life. I was just another page among many before me and after me. That makes me sad and mad. Not because of not gaining a new friend. Not because of stupidly erring and holding the door open. But because I know there is a brute soul grazing about out there.

This week I realized that the insincere are truly out numbered.

Apologies for this callous post.

I met a man yesterday

2008-11-07T12:23:00.003+02:00

who....
awed me with his humility.
changed my perspective with his wit.
strengthened my hope thru his determination.
made me reflect thru his sincerity.
excited me with possibility.

For those 75 minutes, I am forever indebted to this remarkable man.

I met a woman on Sunday

2008-11-07T11:42:00.001+02:00

who....
shocked me with her passion.
blew me away with her commitment.
tickled me with her silent naughtiness.
anchored my restlessness with her vision.

It is impossible not to have hope when you find out that people like her really exist.
What an exciting time to be alive!

404 error

2008-11-06T15:10:00.008+02:00

Way back when we were building the Rolls Royce of Arab dot com portals, at a time when a handful of people in the region were online and were very happy riding a Skoda, our worst nightmare was server problems and broken links. The baddest message on a screen was a 404.

I haven't seen that bare page much since and up until Nov 2nd, when this blog was 404ing, every hour of the day until early this morning. Quelle nightmare! Between a custom domain transfer (because of the pressure from those who mock this second life name), Google/GoDaddy online support, Google Apps, SetUpMadeEasy, and a bad connectivity week in Jordan, I've been in cyber purgatory for days.

It's a horrible feeling of homelessness by the way. With a tinge of embarrassment!

Apologies for the broken links in the feeds out there and thanks to those who lent a sympathetic ear :)

The hero who resuscitated it, and to whom I'm very thankful is Manish from SetUpMadeEasy. Shukran!

Work, play or way of life?

2008-11-01T12:09:00.020+02:00

Atto are obviously having fun at work. They're having a blast actually! Go ahead, build a beard.... you can have some fun too.

AND, Atto will give Kiva a dollar for your giggle.

If you know Kiva, you know the work they do is important. They're about person-to-person lending. I like that. And if like me you've just discovered Atto, you're going to love what they do.

On their site they share the 3 things people often say to them:
You sound nice. Can we talk?
You sound nice. Can I have a job?
Atto? That's not even a word.
Or is it?

(i) CoCreatr & Seth & 360east

Another excuse to get silly

2008-10-31T10:31:00.011+02:00

I love Halloween and enjoy a good eerie flic. I also want to make that horror film with Suleiman some day - looks like it could be sooner rather than later ;)

YouTube has a special I've been checking out all morning. There are many vids I liked from the selection Wes Craven pulled out. Here are my favorites.... one for the obvious reasons, the second for the genius of the art of it's characters/stop motion technique, and the third coz it's visually very interesting.

Monkey-Ed Movie: Scream

Day with the devil

Black string theory

Do writers and storytellers matter to you?

2008-10-29T12:57:00.012+02:00

There's a Time Travel Mart on Sunset Boulevard that's really cool. But even cooler is what happens in the back rooms. 826LA is a place of inspiration and fun and learning. It's all about writers and storytellers, curious students exploring thru words, passionate teachers and writing tutors.
If writers, stories and their tellers matter to you, and if you're looking for unique holiday gifts, you may want to spend some money at their store this season.

Once Upon a School is about the power of private tutoring - it's a wonderful program made possible by Dave Eggers.

FADE is a story in a wallet by
Author: Claudia, age 12. Artist: Rama Hughes.

Icons and products

2008-10-26T22:08:00.018+02:00

I'm living a challenging stage of a project that includes product development, branding and positioning, and so my censors are on alert for what's going on locally and globally. Not a space nor phase I'm particularly fond of, as in this world of clutter we are often invited to be distracted away from content, while lured by the emballage. And I live in a loud and flashy community, where exterior matters and where interior is often inferior (blanket generalization, of course there are exceptions).

In a market where huge claims take out full page ads that say nothing, I often wonder what the convo in the room is just before sign off. Again and again, this ad about decay knocks the wind out of me.

Today I found out that Pepsi are repackaging with a bold redesign of their logo. First I thought, really? Why? What a waste! Then I thought, why not? It's not bad. I don't have a problem with the change. I'll still reach for a Pepsi to drink. I'll also reach out for a Coca-Cola by the way. I know what they taste like. I like them at certain times. They've been reliable all these years. Pepsi can redesign if they want. And actually I kind of like the new icon. I'd be equally happy with the old, sure, but the new doesn't change the product for me.

But is it necessary? Will it matter? Is there something more remarkable that they should be doing and investing resources on? After all, your brand is not your logo. Stories or icons? Or how do we do both, really well?

Dance Monkeys, Dance

2008-10-25T07:06:00.013+02:00

On one of my pix on ikbis, I got a comment asking why I'm using the username ArabianMonkey, and if I'm not Arab requesting that the owners of the site remove my account. I found it hilarious and sad.

Why are some people focused on being defensive, and when you look around, they've built nothing of value themselves? They just want to bash things. Do they construct? No. Do they create? No. Do they imagine? No. Do they inspire? No.

So, dear defensive-bigoted-passive-aggressive-people-concerned-with-the-state-of-the-Arab-image, go create something amazing and long lasting to celebrate your pride of being Arab. And while you're at it, please stop being the no-fun-allowed-police. Stop contributing to hatred and racism and comment pollution. Nobody wins. Also, a sense of humor won't hurt. You'll see the world in a whole new light if you laugh more..... at yourself first, hopefully.

This vid is dedicated to my race and species

They make us better people

2008-10-23T01:38:00.007+02:00

I got to dinner (yes late) and sat across the table from two remarkable artists. Samia Zaru and Muhanna Al-Durra. I was the luckiest person on earth for those couple of hours. It's been a hellish week, and dinner with inspiring artists just makes all the bad go away.

It was exciting to see Muhanna. I was curious to chat about his current works and his latest indulgence. We spoke of madness, kidults, and the quest towards the next obsession. I've gotten so lost in Muhanna's paintings since I don't know when. I stare into the colors and lines and faces for hours. I play around his stories on the walls. His paintings always make my heart smile. And talking to him makes my head spin in new, strange ways. I love that.

I was in awe talking to Samia Zaru. The incredible rich experiences of her life radiate. She has narrated Palestinian stories through her sculptures, murals and paintings and kept a fading spirit alive through these years. When she talks, you just want to listen. She is tireless, and sought after the world over to visit countries near and far to share her art and work with those hungry for color and texture and meaning. When she tells stories of her art programs and children, you know she's changed their lives.

Both Samia and Muhanna teach as well as create. They pass it forward. They inspire creative hearts. They empower hungry talents. They help anchor lost souls. But best of all they keep curiosity restless.

Jordan is blessed to be the home of Samia Zaru and Muhanna Al-Durra. If you know their work, go ahead, reignite your senses and look for them again. If you don't know their work, you really should. And don't forget to ask when their next exhibit is. It's important for artists to know that we're eager and want more from their generous spirits. Afterall, artists make us better people. They keep memory alive, and dreams exciting. They make us cry when it matters, and give joy when we need it. They connect us. They remind us to reflect. They change our world.

Creative Commons Conference - Amman

2008-10-22T07:38:00.006+02:00

If you're interested in Creative Commons and are in Amman, this first conference should be interesting. All details in the invite below. Feel free to attend and share/remix/reuse with others who may also benefit.

Cannes moods

2008-10-19T08:55:00.018+02:00

The flirtatious town.
click each pic for larger view

The poorest country in the world

2008-10-15T21:18:00.027+02:00

Today the world is blogging poverty.

According to the UN, about 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes.

According to me, none of these 25,000 are Jordanian.

I thought about what to blog today many times over the weeks. I finally decided that I wanted to blog about the poorest form of poverty. A poverty that destroys from the inside, no matter how rich the outside may look. It’s a poverty that suffocates and starves and blinds and deafens and impedes.

Today this blog is dedicated to Jordan - the poorest country in the world. And why getting Jordan out of poverty should be the priority of every Jordanian.

But Jordanians are not dying of hunger.
Jordanians are not homeless in the streets.
Jordanian babies are not dying in the hundreds because of malnutrition.
Jordanian kids are not walking around with bulging stomachs.
Jordanian communities are not dying of XDR TB.

Brand Jordan is bust though. Today, ironically, I’m looking at Brand Jordan from the outside, and honestly, I have no idea what it stands for. No clue. It’s so broken, I recognize and see nothing. With such a crackling reputation and rock bottom poverty attitude, how are we expected to build and nurture?

Why is Jordan one of the poorest countries in the world?

Because we have people goals, and we are still not building people capacities.
Because we claim huge people assets and have very little to show in intellectual and created outputs.

We can find the money for a physical structure, because we’re pros at putting up erections, but we won’t invest in educating 10 people to become the best cultural curators around to infuse life into these buildings and run them once the structure is finished. Building after building, city after town they come up and remain lifeless coz no one knows how to program them and give them a pulse.

Because we count monuments and initiatives, and no one keeps count of the wasted, lifeless, unused spaces where nothing happens. No one tracks the initiatives that get the best kick off at the start line, but never make it to the finish line.

Because most of our Jordanian Embassies around the world are not cultural Ambassadors for the Jordanian product – neither the tangible nor the intangible, and certainly not for Brand Jordan. They do not have music libraries nor films nor books nor paintings nor sculptures nor databases of creative workers and their portfolios. The do not have an online database of updated cultural and creative products from Jordan. They do not know what gets made, they do not celebrate the makers, they do not seek. They do not tap into the riches being made, everyday, instead they choose to represent poverty.

Because our media leads with doom and gloom and news about things that go boom. But the media will not tell you about the upside of the economic down slide. They don’t tell you about how this is a great time to start your own business in Jordan. They don’t tell you about why it’s better for you to take your lunch from home to work, instead of ordering in or junking out. The media don’t encourage you to walk and car pool. The media don’t tell you soulful stories about local heroes, but will run a cold press release about nothing, anytime.

Because our media has succumbed to the poorest form of journalism which does not require investigation, nor responsibility, nor integrity, nor risk, and instead is a bad copy/paste job of sensationalized stuff on pages and screens and airwaves.

Because it’s 2008 and people living in our refugee camps live in sub human conditions. Does it make us weaker if we build camps inside Jordan with dignity? Homes and schools and streets that respect people instead of reminding them about their dead end hopelessness.

Because we don’t respect the Jordanian nationality of a woman, and we do not allow her to pass on this nationality to her children who are born in Jordan of a non-Jordanian father.

Because we are passive aggressive with our social codes thru which we are castrating our men, mutilating our women, stunting our kids, and dishonoring our elders.

Because we don’t believe that the next remarkable MP who will change the world is a sophomore at the University of Jordan right now. And the world will only discover this person if the students are helped to achieve successful student council elections this year – their first full elections since I don’t know when.

Because our streets are full of feel good ads about stuff. The signs do not include the faces and names of the mothers and sisters and daughters who were slaughtered in the name of (dis)honor. The streets do not remind us of the blood on our hands. The billboards do not tell us the dysfunctional stories of the motherless and bastard children left behind. The wallpaper does not remind us of the criminals running loose among us who take the law into their hands and dishonor, and an entire nation enjoys watching the horror scenes. One free for all reality show.

Because we don't believe in good governance, transparency, nor accountability. Because so many of our public servants do not respect themselves nor the honor of service of their posts, but they speak in the name of honor.

Because when something bad happens somewhere in Wadi Musa, and people are involved in an accident, the first question the cops ask when they arrive on the scene is: ‘fi ajanib?’

Because we spend limitless time and money and resources on being defensive when we are accused of something, instead of making the same investment in genuine, hard work that delivers great which cannot be refuted and does not need getting defensive over.

Because we do not harvest our collective expertise and experiences and build/weave/nurture. We're in some weird and perpetual reformat-with-every-sunrise mode.

I think it’s possible for Jordan to become one of the richest countries in the world. I think we are able to achieve this right now, during this economic downward spiral. And once we do, we can turn around and address our other challenges, and in the same breath look out to the world and help out there.

Imagine how fast we can inject a pick me up enema into Jordan and provide proof of hope and possibility.

Imagine how much wealth can be uncovered if we look in the right places.

Imagine if we embraced an open attitude.

Imagine if the CEOs of every single company decided to take public transportation to work next week.

Imagine if every affluent Ammani mother walked and/or used public transportation to get her kid/s to and from school for a month.

Imagine if PR agencies said no to their clients about writing and running press releases that say nothing.

Imagine if government stopped talking in press release lingo and thru band aid strategy.

Imagine if the communication around important causes and great issues was effective rather than insulting advertising.

Imagine if the ad spend of Jordan invests 10% into a couple of Jordanian athletes over the next 4 years towards getting them to the 2012 Olympics with the objective of gold. Imagine how many remarkable media-worthy stories that can be over the 4 years, which Brand X can bring to the world. Imagine how much more value that can be over the tired, painful, wasteful media spend. Imagine the 2012 Olympics, and because of Brand X, Athletes A & B gets to go with confidence, and Jordan stands as tall as the richest country on earth.

Imagine if we delivered on our heritage legacy of Arab generosity, and instead of saying, ‘you’re nothing, you’re not Jordanian’, we could ask with pride, ‘would you like to be Jordanian?’ You want social reform and social activism? People need to belong first. Once they belong, they will stand up for something.

Imagine if there was an exchange program between kids in Jordan across social groups.

Imagine if we really delivered that revolution for education.

Imagine if developers contributed a couple of high-rises for new and improved housing needs in each of our congested refugee camps.

Imagine if we believed that the soul is in the details, and worked fueled with that soul.

Imagine if the public sector had conversations with communities instead of the charade of monologue-like actions.

Imagine if low income housing was structured with soul and life and creativity and environmental sense, rather than blocks and locks. Imagine if instead of using the language ‘low income housing’ we said, ‘creating new lifestyles’? Wouldn’t that push us to design more relevantly instead of tick boxes in an excel sheet already crumbling?

Imagine how rich we can all be. And when we are, imagine the remarkable ways in which we can move on to the next level and change the world....

'Hello, this is Jordan and we're here to contribute. What can we do for you?'

It's 2008, there's no excuse for poverty. It's time we pulled Jordan out of this poverty stricken rut. And as soon as we do, we will know how to contribute and turn the daily 25,000 hunger deaths into 0!

Of course it’s easy to have clarity of thought and confidence, and it’s certainly a tad out of whack that I’m blogging this as I look out over the maddening crowd on the Croisette, and in a few minutes will be getting on my way to join yet another party exploring what’s next.

Don't miss the lifeboat!

2008-10-14T07:35:00.018+02:00

Two things just happened:

1. The power of the ability to think and behave like a global village. A new tribe is emerging. It's a tribe for everybody. Feel free to join.
2. Creative solutions come thru for very serious money and sense problems. Text book options said no. A bunch of people with the ability to stand up and imagine a solution said 'yes we can'. And they are.

Is there a bill to settle? Yes there is.
And isn't that a constant we're used to? Yes it is.
So let's get over the price part.

The power of the global village just demonstrated its ability to deliver in the right direction in the last 24hr turnaround of global markets. Yes, there's economic adjustment the world over around the corner, but that's OK. I see it as lifestyle adjustment. Attitude adjustment. Perspective adjustment.

What we should stop for a second and take in is the incredible endorsement and confidence that just manifested itself. And it's in response to universal needs and is the result of pure and basic people abilities.

I think humanity just got itself one hell of a lifeboat.

Now it's about choice.

Will we choose to be less greedy?
Will we choose to be more sustainable?
Less selfish?
More soulful?
Less about figures?
More about images?
Less about cold facts?
More about stories?
Less arrogant?
More cool?
Less claim?
More possibility?
Less fearful?
More fearless?
Less labels?
More content?
Less uptight?
More fun?
Less faithless?
More creative?

That second life you mock, it just got here, you're living it real time.... and it's by design.

Missed the train

2008-10-13T14:15:00.003+02:00

How people react to missing the train is relative. When rail traffic delayed my train into Paris and I realized I’d miss my connecting to Cannes, I was happy. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. Spending a couple of hours around the fall streets of Paris before catching the next train south wasn’t such a terrible option.

I had a delicious tomato salad, steak and fries with mayonnaise and mustard, pineapple juice and an espresso in the café across from the roller hockey game outside of the Gare de Lyon. The bums were bickering, the dog was playing with a tennis ball, travelers were killing time, the kids were skate boarding, les flics were patting down some dudes, and of course the smokers were hanging around the edges and ledges puffing away. The smokers were like a cult. They had a certain code of conduct. They knew who, how and when to ask others for a light or smoke or company to puff away with.

I’m amazed at how no one smokes inside anymore. Not in work places, not in bars, nor restaurants, nor hotels, nor lounges – only open air. I don’t know if this has/will cut down consumption. In Paris, it seems everyone still smokes, just like they have the past 25 years of my memory!

It got me thinking about Jordan wanting to enforce a ban on indoor smoking. That would be great for all the obvious reasons. But it would be amazing to also drive everyone into the streets to synergize in different ways. Compel people to utilize public space and create new relationships. A dynamic that gets things ticking to a different tune.

For want of a nicotine fix, a new social fabric is woven ;)

Could be a game changer.

What we can learn from past presidents

2008-10-09T18:24:00.006+02:00

I found this to be an interesting TEDTalk by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. She's a wonderful storyteller and talks about learnings from American presidents, including Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson - and a funny personal Johnson episode. She also shares a moving memory of her own father, and of their shared love of baseball. I thought it's good timing for this talk - an example of the idea of the America I admire.

Syrians/Lebanese/Other Don't Let You Make a Phone Call?!

2008-10-09T14:22:00.014+02:00

A slither of news is out that American journalists Taylor Luck and Holli Chmela are detained/arrested/held up in Syria. They've been missing for days - last heard from on the 1st in Beirut for Eid, enroute to northern Lebanon and Syria heading back to Jordan.

Related at
Jad's Thoughts
Blacksmith's of Lebanon
The Black-Iris
Menassat
JordanTimes
VoiceOfAmerica
AP
WTOPnews

UPDATE Released to US custody

One-Holey War

2008-10-04T11:07:00.020+02:00

Virginity

Female Genital Mutilation
Honor Crimes
The Vagina
One-Eyed Burka
Hole. New. Meaning.
And there lies one-holey obsession.
Some day memory will tell about those peoples and the choices they made, dwelling in that damp, tight darkness.
Why?
For want of a-hole!
-Holey inspiration from here.

The Cyclops, 1914 painting by Odilon Redon.

Spread the Story. Stop the Disease.

2008-10-03T17:57:00.028+02:00

It's 2008 and there's a lot of proof that modern medicine has worked miracles, but there's so much disaster still looming. XDR is a strain of TB that's threatening communities, killing someone every 20 seconds! Not because there's no cure, but because of INADEQUATE TREATMENT.

What?

Because of INADEQUATE TREATMENT.

Humanity fails itself yet again, while fully able to do better. Much better. Actually, while able to do GREAT. So what's holding us back?

Extreme drug resistant tuberculosis is touching off a medical crisis affecting 49 countries around the world. Armed with the power of spreading this story through his photographs, James Nachtwey reveals the threats of of XDR-TB.

His TED wish:

“I’m working on a story that the world needs to know about. I wish for you to help me break it, in a way that provides spectacular proof of the power of news photography in the digital age.” -James Nachtwey

Today in London James Nachtwey calls out to the world to use his photographs to help spread this untold story and stop this strain of tuberculosis - the ancient disease that still hasn't gone away.

It's easy to get involved, and yes it will make a difference.

Related in TIME this week

Other remarkable wishes:
Jehane Noujaim - Pangea Day
Dave Eggers - Once Upon a School

The Great Debate?

2008-10-03T07:07:00.009+02:00

Not.

Biden vs. Palin was quite an anticipated debate. The result. Bland. Vanilla. Whatever!

Yes Biden was wonderful and relevant and eloquent and proper, but did anyone expect him not to be? Palin did her homework to pass.

The challenging, inspiring rhetoric of America has waned.

The other day over wara2 dawali among Arab Americans and Arab Canadian I said the US and its politics have become a liability on the world in very many ways. The days of America the great are gone. The times of reaching out to America for the possibility of amazing solutions have passed. The ability of America to lead with englightening prose is lost. Even with Obama, America will need some time to fix itself and catch up with other parts of the world to regain it's ability to contribute.

One guy across the table said, 'hey watch it, you're among Americans'. I replied, 'yes, and you should be thankful to have your Jordanian passports as back up'. They of course thought I was being facetious and the convo moved on as my plate was being piled with delicious koosa and cucumber yogurt on a sunny afternoon around a table of love.

But in truth I was very serious.

Time to think Arab. Time to learn Chinese.

Didn't You Get The Memo?

2008-10-02T09:48:00.006+02:00

psssst....a Google search trumps a Photoshopped wire image.

Eid Ritual - Early Morning Graveyard Visit

2008-09-30T11:48:00.012+02:00

When I was a kid my dad would take me with him to visit the dead folks in the family cemetery at the crack of dawn on the first day of Eid. I used to be fascinated by this ritual and always wanted to go with him. Then one eid visit in my 11th year I got spooked about decaying bodies in the ground, and decided that I'd like to be cremated when I die. I stopped going to the cemetery that year coz I just did not want to hang with dead people at my feet. Not my thing.

Early this morning on the first day of Eid Al Fitr, under an angry almost growling grey sky, I was reading Brokerage Firms Scandal and got an aweful, cold, morbid feeling - a flashback of that last cemetery visit.

The economist Dr. Yusuf Mansur writes:

The recent scandal that rocked the financial market in Jordan had its roots in the ambivalent attitudes of some bureaucrats. The story is about over 200 Jordanian brokerage firms that claimed to deal in international currency, stock and currency markets. The direct loss was a claimed embezzlement of over JD500 million, according to news reports, and an impact on the Jordanian stock market of twice that, easily. The impact on the real estate market, especially in the northern region, and the liquidity crunch that emerged have not fully unfolded yet. The tale of how they came about is sickening. continue

What does it take for public servants to serve with integrity?
Why is legislation not respected by those sworn into it?
Until when do we want to remain pathetic and in the dark, while knowing better?

IMHO, fixing this country is easy if we adjust our attitude and life ethics.

What are we waiting for?

One day in the future the stories about the ugly people of a little country called Jordan, their conscious choices to adopt bad mores, the greed and wickedness that they lived by, are going to be what we are remembered for – kind of like the Sodom & Gomorrah story – just different time, different badness!

Eid Mubarak to those celebrating.

Related
This Country Brand Has Lost Its Way
Jordanians suffer financial loses

It's a Wrap

2008-09-29T18:10:00.005+02:00

Ramadan, the workshop, is over.

Divastation wraps it up:

"We're seeing the crescent but we sure ain't seeing the light!"

Walid Zou'bi donnig his own make

Enough said.

That Soul.... it's in the Details

2008-09-27T08:54:00.036+02:00

GAM have been trying hard to lay some sensible groundwork for a good urban lifestyle in Amman. That's a massive feat given our past, our lack of vision/real understanding of, and public sector job/worker mismatch. There's a lot of progress that's been made, and we should probably blog more about the good stuff....another day.

GAM's workplace slogan includes "A livable city is an organized city.... with a soul".

That's nice. And I'm sure the municipality's consultants, communication and PR workers all oohed and aaahed when they came up with this and started to use it. Sounds great actually.... if you're writing a song.

To deliver on "A livable city is an organized city.... with a soul" is a whole other story. To deliver on that claim takes a lot of soul. To translate plans, images, words and dreams into real life takes a lot more than bricks, mortar, new orgs, a white board, a check list, a new logo, a slogan and a cold press release. If we want to stretch our imagination about the life we want in this city, let's invest a bigger amount of soulful work into it to make it happen right. It's easy.

This lovely attempt at a public garden on 1st circle is wonderful. I've spoken to a few kids, parents and passersby around that neighborhood, and they like that there's a garden there. But there are a few buts - an ongoing conversation since mid summer when they installed this - thank you for removing the broken and shattered glass from that third structure, but the rest of the dangerous glass erection (among others) sits right there waiting for someone to have a nasty accident. It sits by 1st circle where everyday people across the GAM food chain pass by. Every single day.

The 1st circle Saleh Burqan Garden is a great idea and lousy, sloppy implementation. It's not safe nor totally functional. What happened to responsibility?

Questions to the GAM kind folks:

Do you want the kids to play there?
Do you want them to be safe?
Do you want parents to enjoy a public place with peace of mind?
Do you want it to work for everyone, including the coffee cart guy, the ka3k guy, anyone in a wheelchair?
Do you want it to be something you're proud to showcase, like that nice award you got? - (which you do realize remains a nice-to-have-useless-trophy if not delivered against)
Do you want to cross it off your to-do list, or do you want it to be a contribution to the lifestyle of the neighborhood?
Do you want to be part of the soul of this city, or do you want to stop that soul from feeling good?

What we aspire for and what we are are two different things right now. The missing ingredient is that soul. If we don't want to put some soul into what we do, why bother?! If we don't want to get things right by getting the details right, then let's just drop the soul. And let's stop wondering why this place is full of skepticism. We simply don't deliver.

Are we building communities or are we building portfolios?

If we want to continue to work sad and soul-less, we're going to be sorry - again and again.

Choose.

If you choose to go with the soul option, then why not:

Remove that protruding, rusty pipe out of the ground, as well as the unfinished fountain (we have historic proof that's been a failing element of urban public deco)
Remove the remaining glass art (one shattered, two to go)
Ramp the sidewalk from the street (and no, a little edge doesn't work)
Ramp the garden from the sidewalk at both levels
Landscape the space for function
Show the coffee/ka3k cart guys their new spot in the garden
Move on to what's next, smiling

It's easy, and everybody wins.

Today is a beautiful day in Amman. Enjoy the weather shift. Enjoy the fall.

Related on 7iber.com
Hope & Cynicism Abound in Community Forum

The Next Big Conversation

2008-09-25T08:34:00.011+02:00

This 360east read is the next big conversation passionate, progressive young minds in Jordan are going to have. Full elections for University of Jordan's student council means something remarkable could happen.

And that needs a lot of work from a lot of different people. This is about new, brave, unrelenting leaders standing up and speaking out. And it's an opportunity for everyone to get involved to bring out the voices of reason thru these powerful megaphones within our reach.

continue reading AlGhad - Sept 25

What are the questions students should be asking? What are the questions candidates running for the elections should be asking? -asking themselves and those they want to serve and represent. How can you contribute?

Campaigning can be one of the healthiest, most important conversations young people can get engaged in, and today is a good/much needed time for this. A well elected student council can impact the shift learning environments are aching for.

Exciting!!

Related
English announcement
Thabahtoona
Jordan and the Power of Blogs on 360east
Cost of Jordanian Silence on the Black Iris
University of Jordan by Nermeen Murad

This Country Brand Has Lost Its Way

2008-09-20T06:30:00.039+02:00

A couple days ago this Books@Cafe story in Jordan slapped me with incredible clarity about many things I’ve been struggling with for a while. When I first read it I thought, give me a break, that was predictable, another year of the same old confusion. Then I realized this story comes shortly after this remarkable Jordanian blogger calls it quits. After seemingly never ending tales of corruption revolving around public officials. While reckless brokers were collapsing after bad trading, ruining lives. Amidst a country facing political, economic and social challenges all taking a heavy toll. A local media in a perpetual downward spiral. And an extremely frustrated people.

Brand Jordan is bust. Brand Jordan is in the worse shape ever it seems. And no sooner had I come to that revelation, this appeared. Country brand ranking. I’m not big on rankings, but it is some kind of gauge. So not only is brand Jordan aching from the inside, but it’s also aching from out there.

Brand Jordan needs to evolve into amazing so as to regain the trust of those who love it. Brand Jordan needs it’s diverse lovers to find new ways of existing on common ground. Brand Jordan needs to reignite the fires of compassion in everyone.

While reading the wide range of comments on Madian’s Books@Café story I realized every single one was right. Nobody was wrong. Not only was every contribution right, but each was put out there with so much passion.

So if they are all right and the passion is felt, what's the problem?

The lack of vision is the problem. Brand Jordan has failed to keep the vision alive and the lights are dimming. Brand Jordan fell off the track at some point. Why does that matter? Because passionate people need a vision to be able to achieve their goals, fulfill their desires, face their fears, overcome their challenges. Passion helps us define the spheres we want to be in. Vision helps us see the journey. And when brand Jordan is bust, we can’t see.

Vision is for everybody. If we can share the vision of the Jordan we want so that we all see it, the passion in everyone finds direction. And these passions that come in diverse origins, faiths, ethnicities, classes, political affiliations, cultural choices, colors, ages, shapes and sizes, will all find their places on the road forward.

Shutting down Books@Café and the other F&B outlets around the country in a way that allows the system to abuse it’s own system is the saddest low point we can get to. It does nothing but drive us to lose faith and cultivate apathy. A license should be honored. A rule should be respected. Common sense should be heard. Public servants should not forget that they are there to serve. The business of fear, amnesia and anesthesia should not be allowed to prevail.

If our vision includes a Jordan with special rules during Ramadan, everyone will respect that. If the vision includes business as usual twelve months a year, everyone will respect that. But when we dishonor our own rules, disrespect our own diversity, deny our own realities, we become a broken people with a broken country brand. And no matter how hard we try, how much we invest, how loud we shout, we will not get it right. All that happens is that we pollute the intellectual, physical and spiritual landscape.

Vision is why we are able to devour change and challenges passionately when everyone else says not possible. Brand Jordan is shrieking out. Defining, sharing the vision for, and fixing brand Jordan must be our absolute priority. If we know where we want to go, we can better define who we each need to be for the journey.
An edited version also on ArabComment

UPDATE - interesting/related
Newspapers, blogs and Books@café by Nermeen Murad
Debating the Real Issues at The Black Iris
Closed for Maintenance short doc by Ibrahim Owais
They Even Cover Our Queen at The Arab Observer
When you stand for something Seth Godin
ساحة المعركة بين المحافظين و المتحررين - al-akhbar

....................

A TEDTalk by Eve Ensler on security, insecurity, tribes

A TEDTalk by Jonathan Haidt that makes you think about morality

What's Green & Emits Hot Air?

2008-09-12T13:17:00.017+02:00

The bad ad campaign about nothing

The unenvironmental ad campaign for the eco meet. Wasteful in so many ways. Over days I saw these ads - some a full double spread! Then I stopped looking thru the papers. They're still running for all I know! And what do they say? NOTHING. Full pages of nothing. It's an invitation to register for an event! Zero information. Zero value. Zero inspiration. Zero relevance. And in truth defies any common sense of eco-anything with wasteful ad space, wasteful ad design, wasteful non-message.. You can never build real eco-cities and enviro aware communities with such an attitude and behavior. But hey... it's funded... and green... ok in color!

What if these full page ads and double spreads in the dailies taught us something? Compelled us to learn? Empowered us to get involved?

What if the ad campaign included stories about enviro issues, solutions, practicalities?

What if the ads invited young people to join the event and share their perspectives and stories?

What if the ads invited artists and cultural workers to get involved?

What if the ads told us about successes and remarkable people?

What if the ads invited active citizens and bloggers to join, bring their cameras and share the way they see things?

What if the ads included real life details of the challenges at hand and references to resources to learn from and contribute to?

What if the ads told stories that inspired us to get up, take action and lead?

Getting green is relative.

Eco is just three letters.

Green is just a color.

Getting it is an attitude, mindstyle and lifestyle.

Is it about communication or communications?

Is passion fueled thru stories or facts?

What kind of conversation do you think we should have?

Virtual Power in Your Real World

2008-09-11T13:05:00.017+02:00

The power of human compassion never stops. Give them the tools and they will shine! The NYTimes shares this touching story of how virtual gets personal after a blogger's plane crash.

Meanwhile in virtual Arabia, The Black Iris calls sheer lunacy out at Morocco sentencing blogger Mohammed Erraji with two years in jail for speaking his mind. UPDATE: blogger Erraji released and appealing his sentence.

Khalaf, the remarkable anonymous Jordanian blogger, calls it quits! UPDATE: re-inspired for one more post.

And this community remembers.

Where do you want to click today?

Collectibles

2008-09-08T16:22:00.006+02:00

I'm a huge JD1 DVD consumer. I don't keep them though, I pass them on in bulk. Small fee that spreads a lot of love, coz movies are made to be seen.

Every now and then there's a movie I want to own and cherish an original. Nadine Labaki's CARAMEL is the latest. I crossed borders to catch it in the cinema. I took friends and strangers to the Amman screenings and watched it over and over with joy. I knew I wanted the DVD. Mine arrived today :) Some people make things you want to keep, proudly. They're the good guys. Thanks for this warm keeper Nadine Labaki!

Look At These Incredible Humans

2008-09-07T19:23:00.018+02:00

So far, 2008 for me is the year of super people. Beautiful minds. Mighty humans. Incredible souls.

Last month China initiated an inspiring conversation with its own and with the world about the road forward. The Chinese hosted a new kind of Olympics. Not only was Beijing a good home to superhuman athletes enabling them to set phenomenal records, but it was the Olympics of contribution. The Chinese stood up and took action to give us a mind-blowing production around the Games.

And I don't just mean that spectacular opening ceremony on the 8th day of the 8th month in the 8th year after 2000 when China demonstrated the power of people's intellectual and cultural abilities to manipulate technology that enhanced all our senses. Despite pollution, censorship, blankets of security apparatus, and skepticism-of-the-other, the Chinese said 'let's talk'. In preparation to the Beijing Games, the Chinese looked deep into their souls and figured out who they need to be for the journey, then spent seven years delivering on that vision. They invited us into the best setting ever. They catered to our every need. And when someone complained, they said they were willing to try harder. And this conversation they started is only the first chapter of a new Chinese dialog - among themselves, and with the universe.

Yesterday Beijing was home to yet another opening of an awe-inspiring event of human potential - the Paralympic Games - under the motto One World, One Dream. The Jordanians who have made it to be part of this dream are:

In table tennis:
- Maha Barghouti (the only athlete to win a Paralympic gold medal for Jordan)
- Khitam Abu Awad (team gold medalist and individual silver medalist at 2006 World Championship)
- Fatima Azzam (multiple medalist at Pan-Arab Games and 2006 World Championship team gold)

In athletics:
- Olympic medalist Jamil Shibli (and 2006 Asian Championship gold medallist)
- Amer Salti
- Mohammad Abdul Aziz
- Omar Hmadeen
- Tharwat Hajjaj

In powerlifting:
- Fatima Lawi (who finished 5th at the World Championship in Busan in 2006)
- Mutaz Juneidi (5th in Busan)
- Faisal Hammash (7th in Busan)
- Omar Karadeh
source

Over the past few months, I've been lucky to follow the prep of one of the athletes in Beijing right now embedded in the new conversation. Edward Maalouf is a member of one of the tribes I belong to. In detailed emails over many months, Edward spoke of his training, preparations, supporters, challenges, fears and joys. As September got closer, we could feel the heat thru his emailed stories (some of which are on this Act For Lebanon Facebook group).

Edward Maalouf at the Mannheim Marathon/May 24, 2008

With every story that landed in my inbox, I would find myself thinking in new ways. With every challenge Edward shared with us, I discovered new solutions. And with every brave achievement he celebrated, I knew there was so much more work ahead. But the most amazing thing that would always come thru was the bravery. His incredible determination to keep the conversation alight - and that was contagious. The dialog Edward Maalouf was leading was not only about a Lebanese paraplegic handbike racer going to the 2008 Beijing Games. He inspired conversations about what kind of world we need to create to transform our disabilities into remarkable new abilities.

What is the conversation Jordan wants/needs to have with its own and with the world?

I think we haven't quite figured that out yet.

I know when we do, everything will change for us. The right conversation includes everybody, impacts everybody. The challenges we're fumbling with will become manageable. The feats ahead of us will morph into motivations. And the power fueling this force of change will shine with the souls of our humanity. And the footprint we leave behind will trace our fascinating cultural heritage only to find it alive with the pulse of present times.

We are incredible humans. Look in the mirror. Look down the hall. Look across the street. Look thru the window. Look up. Look out into the world. Listen. Then speak up. It's time for that conversation.

Little Ecosystem in Harsh Asphalt

2008-09-05T18:12:00.019+02:00

A Municipality crew in white coats landed in this Amman hood on Shanqeet mid November 2007. They left behind this hole and grate.

Then the winter 07 rain came. The hole that was filling with autumn leaves and trash, started to fill water and not drain much.

Finally, one day in August 2008, I got what this is for and the vision behind it! The hole was put in to collect the trash that rolls half way down this road - a mini landfill. The grate is there to catch the larger items like this can to stop it from rolling down, and to separate it for easier recycling. And the water collection underneath is to green the patch - notice the sprouts above.

I get it now. It's an initiative! Part of the Municipality's Enviro/Greening with an organic neighborhood sustainability plan: Street Green - Multipurpose Creative Eco-Thinking. They're looking for a sponsor to implement city-wide. The prototype locations are now part of the eco-tour route of Amman, a first in the urban enviro circle.

The words in this post are fiction. The images are fact.

Seif's Throne

2008-09-04T06:00:00.004+02:00

He Accepted The Peace Pipe

2008-09-03T17:57:00.004+02:00

He was seeking a thrill

She frolicked

He wooed

She aaaahhed

She teased

He cooed

He tried on a new veil

She let down her hair

He reached in far

She gave him a peace pipe

He laid out the lace

She closed her eyes

She let herself through.

He didn't come in peace.

Portal in Salt

2008-08-30T20:29:00.002+02:00

Anton's Table - part 2

2008-08-30T19:07:00.003+02:00

Just got this message on my iphone:

UPDATE:

Anton's Table - part 1

2008-08-29T12:27:00.025+02:00

Anton wore a patch on his right eye. His left was a deep, sharp blue. An eye that could've been kind, somehow seemed hardened with time. His dignified yet shy look made you notice him. He spoke eloquent English, but had a slight accent I couldn't quite place. He had a certain rhythm as well, and his voice made me feel he may have been in the choir once upon a time.

We sat enjoying a colorful drink in a huge even more colorful container. The sounds were soft drums, strings, a smooth voice every now and then, and I think a harmonica - or maybe that was just in my head! I couldn't see the band, but they sounded like they were having fun as they filled the air with Indonesian tunes, mixed with world pop. We talked about life and loves and likes in this little hideaway in West Papua. We had booked Anton's table months ago and finally got one, and here we were as Anton played our table for one night. It was our first time.

And Anton played it well. He recommended our drinks and he got them perfectly right. I don't know what my ingredients were exactly, but I seemed to be sipping on a smooth rum chilled to the taste of pineapple. When his piercing eye looked down at me and suggested that, I just smiled back up, looking deeply back into the blue.

When we walked in, Anton escorted us to the table and sat me on the chair facing the mirror. As I reached for the arms sitting myself down, I felt his thumb brush against my hand. I had noticed his half bow welcome at the entrance, and now he was implying, I know you did...immediately suggesting the right refreshing drinks in the warm night.

There was no menu. No one else served our table other than Anton. It felt like we were in a bubble somehow removed from the rest of the place, but right there in the middle of it. When Anton came back to check on our drinks with a taste of a special appetizer, I felt him turn the corner. I looked up into the mirror, and his eye was fixed on mine as he walked to our table. With a delicate, old, firm hand, he took an appetizer off the plate and told him, "taste this in between sips sir". I smiled across the table in amusement as he obeyed and Anton fed him a morsel of this treat.

And then his hand was full again and coming my way. I looked up and he said, "taste this, you'll find it amusing". Anton gently put it in my mouth, his finger touched against my lower lip, and as I closed my mouth Anton had already disappeared. We were both mmmmmmmming in amusement.

Anton did not say much, but rather was performing a silent ballad as he played our table. We never had to twitch or turn or wonder where he was. He new exactly when to be at our side He served the main meal and insisted we use our hands, especially with the rice. "You'll discover the secrets in the rice", he quipped. The spices and aroma filled the senses, making us alert of the hidden tastes.

Dessert was a delicious chocolate ice cream and fruit sauce with a hint of mint. It dripped gently around the edges of the bowl, and I instantly wiped it and licked my finger gently. Anton was somehow there by my side again, and I thought I heard a whisper, "how does it feel?"

We talked about Anton in between the chatter throughout the night. It was worth every moment of waiting, the long flight, the jet lag, nothing mattered as we indulged in the night. He noticed Anton was playing us, and we both liked it. What was Anton's story? Why was he sad? Where is Anton's table going next? Will we sit at Anton's table again? We wanted more. We had to dine again.

As Anton pulled my chair back while I stood up, I felt his breath behind me, I felt him brush against my curls. We told him what a wonderful night we had and that we'd love to find him again somewhere. Anton thanked us for the company, aptly peculiar I thought! Anton bid us good night, kissing my hand and walking us to the car.

I didn't notice the little note in the palm of my hand until a few minutes into the car as we drove back to the hotel. In classic handwriting, Anton had penned:

I knew I had to find it. But first I was going to rummage through google! There have been many who have dined at Anton's table before us, and I knew some would contribute pieces of this curious story.

Roses Beyond Sarajevo

2008-08-22T14:37:00.023+02:00

Rosa damascena coccinea by Pierre-Joseph Redouté

I grew up with a fabulous man in my life up to my teens who inspired me to appreciate stories that compelled people to share beautiful images. He was a loving, interesting, generous man, with overflowing intellectual wealth and charm. As a kid he would tell me stories while flipping thru pages of his precious books, being very patient with my curiosity to know more about the who and the why and the when behind each. I was nine when he brought out Redouté’s Roses. It was a jumbo sized book (which he later gifted me) with wonderful drawings that made you smell the flowers and feel the little prick of the thorns. They were exquisite. And the scent and feel of the large, thick, yellowing pages allowed me to time travel and day dream about Empress Josephine enticing Redouté into Malmaison to paint her flower gardens. She was asking Redouté to document her passion, deeming her pleasures timeless, allowing me to one day sit with an aging man in Amman and listen to then stories.... and yes, I could smell her flowers.

Empress Josephine with her courtiers in a painting from c.1867 by Jean Louis Victor(1819-1879).

I experienced a similar feeling this morning when I read an email from Dana Sajdi titled Sarajevo through its Roses. I clicked and I could instantly smell the roses. I could hear the chatter of her journey thru these colorful streets full of people whose stories were being scripted on every corner and balcony and patch of earth. What a beautiful treat it's been to take a peak into this city thru Dana's rose filtered lens - which she has graciously allowed me to share!

And it is no wonder that in Sarajevo death and destruction of warfare are manifested thru the beauty of a rose. A Sarajevo Rose is a scar in the ground by a shell explosion during the Bosnian war that caused civilian deaths, and is symbolically filled with red resin - splashes of red and pink in the ground are a unique feature to the city once under urban warfare.

Now click here to join Dana on her journey in Sarajevo through its roses. Dana writes:

I have finally understood what the 18th-century Damascene scholar, Ibn Kannan, meant by the following frequent entry in his chronicle: "we went picnicking in the attack of roses".

Imagine The Life You Want For Yourself, Then Live It

2008-08-16T07:28:00.038+02:00

Public space and community is a huge topic - or at least should be. So many questions are fundamental to the self and our spaces. Identity, belonging and our sense of contribution are impacted and shaped as one grows up in certain places. Are you happy? Do you feel this is your city? Is this home? Do you feel safe? Can you explore? Can you be the person you want to be in this city? Does it reflect your cultural and social needs? Do you find the social space that you want as an individual? Does it work for you economically? Does it work for when you want to be alone/part of the many? What do you not find? Can you contribute? What do you wish for? How do you want to be part of it? This is an ongoing conversation on several levels that will hopefully lend to wise planning that works for people, not just physical erections that satisfy few for a moment and eventually suffocate many for life.

At a recent Takween workshop I moderated one of the groups of 20somethings on conversations on identity, public city space, youth lifestyles, people and place.

At the Takween workshop I learned that the colorful and rich cultural fabric of Jordan is not reflected in the 1-12 school curriculum. Apparently, as you grow up in most schools here, the text books do not share past nor present stories of Armenians, nor Circassians, nor Badu, nor Druze, nor Baha'is, nor the constantly growing communities (Palestinian, Egyptian, Iraqi, Lebanese, southeast Asian....) that contribute to the rich cultural weave that is the beautiful make up of what we know as Jordan - all this does not exist in our formal edu. This is not the point of the post - I just had to express my shock at that revelation and the huge and important opportunity we are missing by sidestepping this wealth of learning. Actually I believe it's criminal to harbor this rich knowledge from kids in Jordan as they grow up in our schools!

So, our little group spent the day talking about our individual needs and the city around us.

Some did not feel they knew enough about other cultural groups in Jordan.

Most felt their own neighborhoods were impoverished from local libraries, cultural centers, community meeting spots, theatres, parks, extra curricular learning spaces - public places where one can see, learn, share, interact, be oneself , be enriched, explore, discover one's own creativities - at a neighborhood level - and not have to trek across town especially and occasionally. Hasmig wants spaces to interact with that don't revolve around the excessive food and drink going out habits. As she put it, "why is the first question we ask when we want to gather out is where shall we eat or which coffee shop shall we go to?"

Some pointed out the existing spaces being used inefficiently - like the Knowledge Stations - the hole in the wall with cool, connected computers - most of which are unwelcoming and rundown with a chain smoking supervisor and no year-long calendar of programs to sign up to. (Yes there are a few exceptions, but most of the 130something stations are useless). Ardash suggests a true, genuine and relevant use of IT skills and tools so that these serve us at a community level.

Ala' talked about the before/after Ruwwad on Jabal Nathif, and how lifestyle is being transformed for the kids. The kids that once sat idly in the streets or nagging in their parents faces all day now spend most of that time in the Shams Al Jabal library and engaged in Ruwwad programs and activities in the safe and engaging space designed for them. According to Ala' , a Nathif community member, the impact of improvement is already visible and part of their lifestyle on the hill.

Alia was concerned about finding a job now that she had just graduated, and wanted to remain in the capital rather than go back to her family village, although she spent her first eighteen years there up till her last four university years in Amman. Alia is looking to make the city her home for the next phase of her life and needs to feel safe and secure and resourceful and independent and culturally content while she pursues her ambitions.

All seemed to imagine a public space that engaged the various ethnic and cultural groups of Jordan, saying they knew very little about each other. They imagined it to be a constant all year round. It would include a program where one could sign up and join the lifestyle of another. They want immersion in experiences of cultural learning, and they do want authenticity, heritage, history, but in relation to their contemporary lives. Gharam, from the badia but lives in Amman, would much rather attend a traditional bedouin wedding over a westernized hotel ballroom one. She likes the stories behind the ritual of the bedouin wedding and is happy bridging her modern lifestyle with her family's traditions.

All imagined a place where the local average person's voice could be heard and be part of the development and planning conversation. They want to not only be in the know of the plans of their city, but they also believe they can be useful contributors. They want to be really engaged in the conversation rather than merely part of a cold survey and on the receiving end of the announcement. They want to participate.

This workshop is part of Takween's ongoing work, and there were many other sensible, interesting and doable suggestions throughout the day. Being part of this wonderful energy is extremely rewarding and a reminder of the abilities of beautiful and diverse young souls - given the chance.

One suggestion that stood out is one I am a strong believer in. Ala' imagined developing like-minded communities and conversations in virtual networks - like Second Life, Facebook and blogs. If the physicalness of our city is not catering to who we want to be for our journey, Ala' believes this conversation can go online first, and from there we can bring it to the forefront of our real lives.

Here's a glimpse of what's going on online touching real lives.

The Blues musician Von Johin's Second Life gigs get him a real life contract:

7iber.com's proof of the power of citizen media as these kids take back their streets - a story on 7iber caught the attention of public servants who in turn acknowledged and engaged in an Ashrafiyeh street activity.... yes, tiny, but oh so big.

UniversityLipDub watch this from Furtwangen University and others.

Filmaka rewards creativity.

From Dancing Ink TV watch below The Imagination Age, Understanding Islam:

Imagine it. Try it out virtually. Live it.

Get the picture?

Come Into The Garden

2008-08-05T17:58:00.012+02:00

What if we get rid of this dangerous and shattering glass decoration on this new and potentially lovely public space on 1st circle Amman?

It may allow a more pleasant pedestrian passage. It may encourage people to sit and hang out. It may invite the little coffee cart to get off the road and come into the garden.

Everybody wins.

UPDATE RELATED
That Soul.... It's in the Details

Humankind's YouTube Behavior

2008-08-03T08:09:00.010+02:00

This brave new world!

If you're fascinated/curious/believer/skeptic - check out this recent anthropological YouTube tale by Mike Wesch/Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University. Thru participant observation, and 40 minutes of video for this 55 minute presentation, explore a whole new people in the making.

Get the possibilities?

Are you participating?

And now enter this portal of media literacy and watch:

Sha3teely - The 7akawati That Could

2008-08-01T11:43:00.002+02:00

An architect by formal education. An entrepreneur by motivation. An artist by profession. A creator by choice. He says he is none of that.

Wael Attili tells his extraordinary tale through this passionate presentation at Sha3shaboneh last month. Block 25minutes and watch this storyteller's journey about how blogging changed his life.

Do Dalí in Bruges

2008-07-19T22:00:00.021+02:00

Half way through my delightful day in Bruges I stumbled upon an exhibit: Salvador Dalí, Marquis de Púbol at the Gallery Xpo in the belfry.
Salvador Dalí is a genius to me. I've admired his work and mindset since my very early teens. He was eccentric, and I love that. I love his choices and his attitude. I would have loved to know him, to breathe the air he did, to be intoxicated by him during his richest years. To have been a victim lured into his shameless self promotion. To have witnessed him probe the wildly irrational. To have envied the man who confidently said, "I am in a permanent state of intellectual erection".

I must admit that Salvador Dalí makes me a little bit uncomfortable as I am more and more magnetically drawn to his work. It is often said that he insisted on his Arab lineage. Maybe we're connected! As the years go by I see certain real life people in situations similar to his surreal depictions, in all their grotesqueness.

Where do I draw my reality line? When does my surreal world take over my real one? Over the last couple of years I'm finding it harder and harder to define. Not that that bothers me, but it does intrigue me. I am aware of it, but neither fight it nor wish it away. My reality with a veil of surrealism works for me. I guess I just don't like what I see anymore when the veil does come off.

More Dalí pix here.
And if you know/are interested in/curious about Bruges, more pix here and here.

Election 2008!

2008-07-15T17:21:00.001+02:00

How Yo Yo Ma Saved the Airline Staff

2008-07-15T09:06:00.009+02:00

I checked in for my 1:45am AirFrance Paris flight out of Queen Alia International Airport. I was rested, ready, looking forward to the conference and had packed a light carry on with laptop, phones, iPod all juiced up.

At 1:25am the AF staff announced a fault in the plane and that the pilot won't fly it. Flight canceled. Then very little information came out. The 1.5 hour of chaos that ensued was pathetic. There was no plan. There was bad communication. There were over 200 angry, frustrated, worried people. And no answers to, what's next?! And it did not matter if you were in coach or business class - no one was getting any kind of decent, professional nor solution oriented answers.

With every bit of non-information that would come out of the AF staff's mouth when he spoke the situation was escalating to ridiculous. He had nothing to say, no details on alternatives, no plan, nor was anyone taking action in canceling exit stamps for those who wanted to get out of there and try to fly again another day. The QAIA staff were unhelpful, saying it's an airline problem and they have nothing to do with it. But they were standing around, spectators, smoking in people's faces, mocking and almost enjoying the chaos. I overheard an airport staff on his cellphone tell someone about the canceled flight and that he was busy working on it, all the while he was chain smoking, lurking around, doing absolutely nothing except staring down my boobs and the asses of other women with his sick shifty eyes. We were stuffed and under the mercy of a communication breakdown and collective unprofessionalism.

I couldn't understand. This is an international airport. It's 2008. Flights get canceled. Surely we've got a workable plan to resolve situations like this and to help ease the frustration of people. I could feel rage build up inside me. My body was getting uber hyper and I was gritting my teeth, fidgeting. As I started to imagine myself lunging at the airline staff and shaking the sense out of them and bludgeoning the perve, I leaned against a railing and accidentally pressed against the volume of my shuffle.

The music grew louder and louder. Yo Yo Ma was playing the prelude from Bach´s Cello Suite No. 1 Prelude.

My whole body and mind were suddenly transformed. The music was intoxicating. Powerful. Soothing. It took less than 3 minutes to fix me. I could see clearly and was incredibly calm. It was almost trance-like. I replayed the Prelude. Another 3 minutes of Yo Yo Ma's Bach blasting at full volume in my ears guided me towards a QAIA staff and an AF staff. I said you have 2 minutes to cancel the exit stamp on my passport and I want to get out of here now. My calmness ensured they did not even think of hesitating. He took the passport out of my hand, gave it back less than 2 minutes later. I said thank you, walked down the stairs and out of the terminal and was home 20 minutes later, got a few hours of good sleep and was on the next flight out that evening.

Classical music is the miracle cure.

This morning I listened to a presenter that has changed my life. Check out Benjamin Zander in this TEDTalk:

Paris in July: Cloudy, Windy, Fabulous

2008-07-14T14:54:00.023+02:00

Walking around the neighborhood around the Cinémathèque Française in Paris, on a windy, drizzling July day in the year of France's EU presidency, I got to thinking about the French. Their women. Their cinema. Their attitude. Their choices. Their tactics.

Des athlètes proches de vous - RATP (Paris bus system) celebrating athletes exhibition.

Brave office space

A city for everyone

Some of the women who look over the city

I looked left and down this lovely little road I spotted it right at the end there - a theatre with the Sex And The City poster. Finally, I got my 2.5 hours with the fabulous women! Loved every moment.

Kung Fu Panda - huge in France! Why? Many animators on the movie where French. Some straight out of school with extraordinary contributions to the production. That certain something came from the French say the directors....

The Palais Omnisports

Little Amman in Paris

La Cinémathèque Française at 51 Rue de Bercy

Sarkozy's Club Med (photo Middle East Online)

Happy 14th of July!
An elementary school.