Hooked on ‘The Closer’

Kyra Sedgwik is the closerAlthough I enjoy watching TV a great deal, my current life doesn’t leave me with enough time to do so. There are always things to do over the weekends and evenings such that I rarely turn on the TV to see what’s playing.

But Monday night is a special case. Every Monday night this summer I wait patiently for 9:00 PM so I can kick back and watch The Closer, a police investigation show that runs on TNT. What makes the show a viewing pleasure is not the plot or storyline per se. It is the amazing performance by Kyra Sedgwik. Playing the character of Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, Sedgwik is "the closer," — the one who interviews suspects and closes cases by getting them to confess. She is entertaining, witty, sexy and just plain fun to watch.

Before watching the show, I’d never paid much attention to Sedgwik. I always thought of her as that woman who looks like Julia Roberts. I really had no idea she was that talented (nor that she is married to Kevin Bacon for that matter). I highly recommend this show to anyone looking for top-notch TV entertainment. Six more days before the next episode.

Demolition Derby: A truly baffling pastime

DemoDerby flipoverLast weekend I learned about (and experienced) the American pastime dubbed: Demolition Derby. Thanks to Leiloulta and spouse we made our way to the Montgomery County Fair, which featured the derby among other things.

I have to admit that I was quite baffled watching this demolition take place to the cheers of nearly a thousand spectators. So what is this event exactly? It is a way of getting rid of nearly-dead vehicles by smashing them into other almost-dead vehicles until they die, to the applause of an excited crowd. The winner is the person whose car continues running after all others die.

The testosterone-fueled event was fascinating for me. It’s not that I enjoy destruction or the sight of dead cars. I was intrigued by how my husband along with other male friends in our group were sucked into the event. There is something about cars and demolition that makes such an event as enjoyable to men as, let’s say, tanning on the beach with a Piña Colada is for women. I could not find it in myself to cheer or stomp with the animated crowd, as they did when one car flipped over and a firetruck had to intervene. I got agitated and kept wondering if the driver was okay. Somehow the driver came out unscathed and kept on driving.

Would I attend such an event again? I don’t think so. Been there, done that. Did I regret seeing it? Not at all. It was quite an experience seeing up-close-and-personal how men and women’s interests can be such oceans apart. When I asked my parents, who had accompanied us, what they thought of the event, they simply said: "Crazy!" Crazy indeed.

Smoke and fire Safe in the stands Auto carcassas post battle

Iraqis accepted in Jordanian public schools: where is the applause?

Jordan has been facing a great deal of criticism over its treatment of Iraqis at Jordan’s Queen Alia airport, some of it deserved, some not so much. However, I have not seen many reactions or blog postings hailing Jordan’s decision to allow the entry of Iraqi children into the public schools.

AMMAN — Public schools in the Kingdom are witnessing a heavy turnout of Iraqis residing in the country, who want to enroll their children before classes start next week. Last Monday, the Ministry of Education finalized a decision to allow Iraqi students to study in public schools as of the beginning of this scholastic year, without the prerequisite residency permit.

The decision, which was taken in response to the humanitarian situation the Iraqis are going through, is intended to ensure that Iraqi children have access to education, according to an Education Ministry official. Previously, private schools were accepting Iraqi students, and only Iraqis holding residency permits were allowed to enroll in public schools. "Large numbers of Iraqis are registering their children in schools across the country," Managing Director of General Education and Students Affairs Mohammad Okour told The Jordan Times yesterday.     Figures of how many Iraqi school age children have been registered so far are not yet available, he said. According to Okour, some 50,000 Iraqi students are expected to enter the country’s public schools, in addition to 14,000 who are already in the educational system. Source: [The Jordan Times]

In my humble opinion, I think this is a very courageous and noble step by Jordan. I wonder how the expected enrollment of 50,000 Iraqi children will change the makeup of Jordanian public education in the long-run. How will Jordanians react to this huge influx of Iraqis into their children’s schools when there is already a great deal of tension between Jordanians and Iraqis over the refugee issue and others. Only time will tell. Meanwhile, where is the applause?

Update: Here is a quick update from The Jordan Times.

HRW hails acceptance of Iraqis in schools

AMMAN — The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday welcomed Jordan’s decision to accept all Iraqi school-age children into public schools, but criticised country’s refusal to recognise Iraqis as refugees. In a press release, the group said: "For the first time, Jordan has officially pledged to allow Iraqi children to attend public schools regardless of their residency status." Responding to the statement, a senior official reiterated that Iraqis residing in Jordan do not meet the criteria of refugees as stated in the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees. Read more.

“Why are they running?”

The Washington, D.C. Metro One of the most amusing comments my mother made when we took her to Metro Center, the metro’s busiest station, was: "Why are they running?" Of course, she was referring to the fast pace of commuters who rush to catch their trains to get to their destinations on time. While my sister was teasing my mom about her comment, it suddenly hit me that after two years of living in the US, I’m actually one of those runners.

I take the train everyday to get to work. My actual train ride is 30 minutes long but to make it to work at 9:00 am, I have to do my share of running. The minute the alarm goes off at 6:00 am, the running starts. From preparing breakfast, to packing lunches, to taking a shower and then taking care of some chores, there is no time to take a breather. I run the escalators in the metro to catch the train, then run the streets of DC to get to work on time if there were any delays in the Metro’s Red Line (a constant occurrence).

When my husband and I get home after work, there is also some running to do. From making dinner, to sorting the mail, and taking care of chores, we only stop when we fall asleep watching reruns of Law Order: Special Victims.

This is how my life has been the past two years: running in constant pursuit of the American Dream. Despite the hard work, I can easily say that I’m happy here and quite comfortable. Somehow, this constant fast-paced existence fits my lifestyle. Alright, time to wrap up this post. I have to run. [Picture: Courtesy the husband].

Do I really need my husband’s ‘permission’ to get a passport?

Jordanian bloggers are currently talking about women’s rights in Jordan. Sweet! I like that. The reason for the interest in this issue now is because Jordan recently endorsed a United Nations convention eliminating discrimination against women — albeit with some reservations.

I’m not sure if this endorsement will really mean anything since Jordan did express some concern over clauses that related to the Personal Status Law, citizenship, housing and the free movement of women. I’m assuming that although Jordan endorsed the convention, Jordanian women are still unable to pass citizenship on to their children and will continue to receive half the share of inheritance compared to men [in accordance with Sharia Law, which, in this case, is applied to both Muslim and non-Muslim alike]. I hope I am mistaken.

While reading some of the comments on Roba’s blog, I was surprised to realize that "the law requires a married woman to obtain her husband’s permission to obtain a passport (see Section 2.d.)." Is there anyone out there who would like to make my day and tell me that this antiquated law is no longer enforced? Is this really the case? With all due respect, I see this type of legislation as the epitome of discrimination. Would I need my American husband’s permission to renew my Jordanian passport? I wonder.

Update: Nas just made my day. I do not need permission to get a passport thanks to Provisional Passport Law (No. 5 of 2003). Phew… This is from the Freedom House report on Jordan:

Jordanian law provides citizens the right to travel freely within the country and abroad except in designated military areas. Unlike Jordan’s previous law (No. 2 of 1969), the current Provisional Passport Law (No. 5 of 2003) does not require women to seek permission from their male guardians or husbands in order to renew or obtain a passport. Nevertheless, in several recent cases mothers reportedly could not depart abroad with their children because authorities complied with requests from fathers to prevent their children from leaving the country. Social norms continue to play a major role in maintaining restrictive measures on women’s freedom of movement.