by Natasha Tynes | Jun 30, 2005 | Film
I just finished watching Ameen Matalqas‘ two Jordanian short movies and they were both a delight. Suffi Suffi (in Arabic) was hilarious and even made me homesick. Crossroads (with English subtitles) was very well made but ended on a sad note. It is worth mentioning that Crossroads was written and co-produced by our friend and Jordanian blogger Lina. Excellent work, Lina. And the editing was done by yet another Jordanian blogger Laith . Are not they just great? The best thing about watching these two movies — for me at least — was hearing the Ammanite accent and seeing beautiful scenes in Jabal Amman. Ah Jordan, I miss you.
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 30, 2005 | Film
Last night we watched Omar Naim’s The Final Cut
and I have to say it was pretty intriguing. The first reason I picked up this movie
was because the director is Jordanian-born, the second: because it was highly recommended by Laith. I was not
disappointed. It was very enjoyable.
The movie’s forte is its script, which was also written by
this young first time feature film director. It discusses the idea of storing then replaying people’s
memories after they are dead so they can be shared and cherished by their loved ones. The star of the movie was Robin Williams who performed brilliantly, as expected. But I
guess the most impressive thing about the movie, as a whole, was the director
himself, who at only 27 managed to direct such a powerful film with a cast of high-powered, talented actors like Robins, Mira Sorvino and James Caviezel.
Truly, a very good movie that’s worth both your time and money. 8/10
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 27, 2005 | Jordan, my nation
AMMAN, Jordan (Reuters) — Jordan has banned Saddam Hussein’s new novel on the grounds the tale of an Arab tribesman who defeats a foreign intruder could hurt relations between the two countries, censors and the publisher said on Sunday.
"Get out of here, curse you!," believed to have been penned by the ousted Iraqi leader before the U.S.-led war, was set to be released in Jordan and other Arab countries on Thursday by a Jordanian company with the permission of Saddam’s family.
"Publishing this novel will harm the Iraqi-Jordanian relationship and we are keen to have the best relations with Iraq. Jordan will not approve its publication. If they want to publish it they have to do it abroad," Ahmad al-Qudah, head of the government’s Press and Publication Department, told Reuters.
Source: [CNN]
I understand why Jordanian authorities want to ban this novel, especially after the scandal of Raed al Banna. But I’m one of those that believes banning should be banned. I’m sure this novel will be nothing more than a sensationalist mediocre piece of writing. Banning it will only bring more attention to it. Really! This is not a wise move on part of the Jordanian censorship department!
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 27, 2005 | Life as a Virginian, Shutterbug
We had a wonderful weekend. It was so wonderful that I had to blog about it. It began early Saturday when we made our way to the city of Charlottesville, VA primarily to wander around its very lively pedestrian plaza downtown. The weather was nice, although a bit on the hot side, but overall the atmosphere was very enjoyable. We examined what downtown had to offer, which consisted primarily of restaurants, art galleries, quaint little shops and several movie theaters.
After some walking and window-shopping, we had a great lunch at the Hardware Store, an extremely unique restaurant built inside what was once just that and now is filled with its memorabilia. Right after lunch we walked down to the Regal movie theater and watched the Land of the Dead, which I thought was too disgusting for such a nice day, as it is a movie about the dead rising up and eating the living; not really my cup of tea.
After the flick, we wandered around looking for any sign that the city is indeed the home of Dave Matthews. We visited Miller’s Bar, where Dave worked as a bartender some time ago. It was nothing spectacular but was something related to this great artist. Before leaving, we had a drink at an outdoor Italian café and watched the patrons of downtown enjoy their time as the area began to fill up for the evening.
Around five o’clock, we made our way back over the mountain to downtown Harrisonburg to watch the Great American Race, where antique cars race across the USA, from Washington DC to Washington state.
Downtown Harrisonburg was buzzing with excitement. While many people were cheering the incoming flow of antique autos, others were admiring and taking pictures of those already arrived and parked. Some were just enjoying the live music and good food. It was exhilarating! We really got to see a plethora of cars — none made later than the 1960s — in every shape and color. It really was a memorable scene.
Sunday had an historic flavor as well, as we, along with Dad and Mom T, made our way to the town of New Market, VA to visit the civil war museum there. The visit was very informative for me personally, as my prior knowledge of the American Civil War was pretty limited.
When we got there, we wandered around the field where a famous Civil War battle took place, wandering around the famous Field of Lost Shoes, and took a look inside the house where soldiers were tended during and after the battle. We also watched a documentary about the battle and looked at Civil War artifacts displayed in the museum. It was very educational and an extremely enjoyable manner to get acquainted with an event that shaped American history.
All in all, our weekend was a fine and memorable one. Virginia has a lot to offer and I’m very grateful to have this fantastic chance to explore these fascinating locales.
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 25, 2005 | Weblogs
I guess it is about time to update the blog. There are many things that need modification, including the profile, and most importantly the blog tagline. As one reader said, I no longer live in the Middle East thus the title on top of the page does not fit my current circumstances.
I have a number of ideas for a new tagline. Here they are:
- Jordanian scribbles in a foreign land
- Jordanian on the loose
- Ramblings of a Jordanian mind
Which one is more appealing? If you have any suggestions, they would be highly appreciated.
Last night we watched Omar Naim’s 
