by Natasha Tynes | Sep 16, 2005 | Jordan, my nation
For centuries a place of pilgrimage, the ancient Biblical town of Madaba opened its first three-star hotel on Tuesday as part of a strategy to encourage visitors to stop over, while providing job opportunities for local people. The Madaba Inn Hotel, owned by the Social Security Corporation, is situated in the heart of the town opposite the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, famous for its 6th century mosaic map of the Holy Land.
Munther Hamarneh, director of accommodation and public relations at the hotel, told The Jordan Times that the hotel was constructed following a feasibility study. "The rationale behind the establishment of the hotel is to encourage tourists to stay in Madaba overnight, rather than just visiting the archaeological sites in one day due to a lack of suitable accommodation," said Hamarneh.
Source: [The Jordan Times]
This piece of news about my hometown of Madaba has pleased me to no end. I expressed my infatuation with Madaba in an earlier post so I won’t add more to it here. I’m just looking forward to visiting this hotel on my next visit to Jordan.
by Natasha Tynes | Sep 13, 2005 | Metro Daze, Mi Familia, Shutterbug
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Last weekend was special, as my very dear friend Amal was in town for a few days on business. We got a chance to visit with her on three separate occasions, catching up on where our journey has taken us since we last saw each other in Doha this April. I have to say she looked great and seemed in wonderful spirits. It was such a joy to spend some time with her. For a while, I felt we where back in Doha, just talking about work issues while making plans for the final exodus from the Persian Gulf.
Our new friend Beisan (yeah, the active Jordanian blogger from Jordan Planet) joined us on two occasions during which we enjoyed our time and ate wonderful food at funky restaurants in the DC boroughs of Georgetown and Adam’s Morgan. Our conversations revolved primarily around life in DC, being away from home and of course the current state of global political mayhem. All in all it was such a wonderful and memorable weekend. Nothing beats quality time with a very dear friend. Here is a picture of yours truly and the one and only Amal in the hippy neighborhood of Adam’s Morgan.
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by Natasha Tynes | Sep 11, 2005 | Metro Daze, Shutterbug, Sports
As part of a new subscriber promotion, our cable company, Comcast, decided to give us free tickets for a baseball game between the DC Nationals and the Florida Marlins. So the other day we made our way to RFK, the stadium for DC’s Nationals for me to get an education watching this all-American experience live. I must admit, the overall atmosphere was exhilarating with live music and vendors wandering here and there shouting out names of different kinds of beer and other merchandise.
It was also fascinating to see the excitement of a crowd that came from all walks of life. As to the game itself, well, frankly, I really did not get that much of what was going on. Although the husband spent most of the duration of the game explaining the rules to me, I only managed to come away with the following: there is a guy who hits the ball and then runs from one base to the other before someone "tags" him out!
While it was very thrilling to watch baseball live, I thought the game dragged an eternity, as it lasted over three hours. I also felt it lacked the continual excitement provided by some of my favorite sports like football (not American) or basketball. But all in all the experience was memorable and well worth the time and the effort. Go Nationals!
by Natasha Tynes | Sep 9, 2005 | Jordan, my nation
Muslim, Christian youth discuss tolerance challenges
AMMAN, Jordan — Arab Muslim and Christian youth are meeting in Amman for a dialog aimed at enhancing the "exemplary" religious coexistence in the region and protect it against outside interference. Participants at the "Muslim and Christian Youth and Challenges to Coexistence" symposium, which opened yesterday at King Hussein Club in Amman, will discuss an array of issues including Jordan as a study case of peaceful Muslim-Christian coexistence and the principles set by the Amman Message.
Speakers at the opening ceremony focused on the common ground between Islam and Christianity and the need to protect this long history of coexistence between the followers of the two monotheist faiths in an era characterized by sectarian and ethnic struggles.
Source: [The Jordan Times ]
I am a firm believer that Jordan is indeed a perfect model of Muslim-Christian coexistence. In spite of what many might see as a current global clash of religions, Jordan remains intact and its people — regardless of their beliefs — continue to live peacefully and amicably, providing a prime example of tolerance and acceptance.
by Natasha Tynes | Sep 8, 2005 | Jordan, my nation
Blogger Hareega drew my attention to Hajjaj’s latest cartoon, which I found both powerful and disturbing. In the cartoon dubbed "That’s how the world sees us," the renowned Jordanian cartoonist Imad Hajjaj refers to the findings of three recent polls conducted in Jordan:
1) 77% of the Jordanian population fear criticizing the government in public
2) 66% support Al-Qaeda
3) 87% approve of wife-beating
I do not know how scientific these polls are but I find the results hard to believe. While I believe the results of the first poll might somehow be accurate, I think the findings of the last two polls are exaggerated. I know my people, this can’t be true!
