by Natasha Tynes | Dec 23, 2005 | Metro Daze, Mi Familia, Shutterbug
We are off to Virginia tomorrow morning to celebrate Christmas with various assembled family members. I’m really looking forward to the festive season, as Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. I have to admit, though, I’ve never felt as homesick as I’m feeling now. Last year, we had such a wonderful Christmas with our family back in Jordan.
One of the many useful results of this, at times, time–consuming blogging business is that I can go back in time and re-read entries about my feelings and thoughts during a certain period of time. Looking back at last year’s Christmas, I remember how blissful it was. This Christmas photo album is only a snapshot of the wonderful time we had.
All our family members on this side of the world have been working hard to make this Christmas a special one. From a Christmas Eve dinner to singing Christmas carols at church and a planned Christmas day lunch, things are looking as wonderful as possible.
The picture above is of the National Tree with assorted trains around it behind the fence. The tree is at the Ellipse, the public space in front of the White House in Washington DC, between it and the Washington Monument. If you click the picture, it’ll enlarge and you can get a glimpse of the White House in the background. I really enjoyed being there last Sunday, experiencing a fun, festive atmosphere. Besides the tree and wonderful decorations, Christmas carols were played at a loud enough volume for everyone to enjoy.
The best thing about the day was that the repulsive, commercial part of Christmas that I have seen so extensively here was missing. It was purely a spiritual celebration, as music played and happy families enjoyed the season. Seeing the Nativity scene at the Ellipse also put a huge smile on my face, as it served as a crystal clear reminder of what Christmas is all about: The birth of Jesus Christ. It was never about maxing out credit cards by getting the "best deals." Merry Christmas everyone and happy holidays!!
by Natasha Tynes | Dec 21, 2005 | Media watch
For some reason I’ve been blogging all about Mamnou’ channel, or the "taboo" channel, since its inception. First, came its launch announcement, then the "controversy," then further controversy, and now, the latest: The channel’s transmission has been halted. In an article published in The Jordan Times, the CEO of Jordanian Media City said Mamnou’ did not follow the rules:
"The channel’s owners had breached their contract by airing various films without legal permission,” Jordan Media City (JMC) CEO Radi Alkhas told The Jordan Times.
According to Al-Khas, the closing of the channel has nothing to do with its decision to air the controversial show Alshatat.
"We have no control over what is aired. All we care about is JMC’s reputation, and to allow a channel to broadcast copyrighted material illegally would have eventually subjected JMC to countless lawsuits."
However, Mamnou’ channel spokesperson Ibrahim Omar Albahri denied these claims, saying:
"We never broadcast anything without permission and were very surprised with the decision to ban the channel," Albahri said.
After reading these two opposing statements, I guess the truth lies somewhere in between.
by Natasha Tynes | Dec 21, 2005 | Everyday me!, Media watch
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I was featured in the globetrotter section of a new Jordanian lifestyle magazine called Viva. I thought I’d share. My awesome friend Lana scanned the article in Jordan and sent it to me so I could get an idea of how it turned out. Now the hubby has shrunk it down a bit more for you guys on the web. The image, though, is a bit larger than usual — about 300k. Click it to give it a read.
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by Natasha Tynes | Dec 19, 2005 | Film
The first time I heard about Narnia was during the first days of my arrival in the US, almost six months ago. I vividly remember the day the husband and I were talking a walk through the quaint streets of Harrisonburg, VA when we came across what looked like a college student house with a sign on its entrance that had but a single word upon it: Narnia.
Being the curious "immigrant" then, I asked the husband about the significance of this word. He was more than happy to answer my query, as, to my utter surprise, he turned out to be an ardent Narnia fan. A few months later, the movie Narnia made it to the big screen. So this weekend we had to watch the film, primarily for me to fulfill my curiosity about Narnia and for Jeff to re-live his childhood reading memories.
I loved it. I enjoyed the plot, the scenery, the storyline, and the acting. I regard the film as a mesh between The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, combining the elements of children’s escapades similar to those in the Harry Potter series with the scenes of war found in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Watching the movie, which I understand is the first of many more Narnia movies to come, made me very interested in reading the whole series of books. And speaking of books, it’s worth noting that a Jordanian publisher has already translated the Chronicles into Arabic. Here is an excerpt from an AP article published in The Jordan Times last week:
A Jordanian publishing house on Wednesday introduced Arabic translations of the first three books in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series, timed to coincide with the release of the film version of one of the books in US and European cinemas.
"I thought, if the American and European children enjoy such fairy tales, why not our Arab children," Sinan Sweis, director of Ophir Publishing, said after a launch ceremony attended by the publishers, British embassy officials and about 70 students.
I’m also wondering if anyone besides me has noticed the insertion of Turkish elements in the movie. The lion in the film is referred to as "Aslan," which, as I understand it, is Turkish for "lion." Also, the younger brother in the movie, Ed, is so enamored with Turkish delights that he asks the white witch to give him some and it becomes a bit of the reason for his treachery.
All in all, I would say the movie is worth your time and money whether you’re a fantasy fan or not. Score: 4/5.
by Natasha Tynes | Dec 19, 2005 | Jordan, my nation, Shutterbug
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Here’s another great picture from Abdo’s secret cache. The caption reads:
"Scenes of the demonstration in Amman on the occasion of the 5th of June war, in which the public took part as well as commando organisations. [Dated 06-06-70]"
Civilian men with guns, right in the heart of Amman! Now that’s something! Once again thanks Abdo!
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