My uncle
My uncle passed away yesterday from liver failure. It was a sad day. May his good soul rest in peace. He will be missed.
Zarqawi’s family in Jordan disowns him
The family and tribe of al-Qaida leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, disowned him Sunday in a large newspaper advertisement. Local Jordanian newspapers published a...
Zarqawi’s desperation
Zarqawi's latest speech -- in which he threatened to kill His Majesty King Abdallah -- is a desperate attempt by a low-life thug who has realized his battle to win the...
Jordan scroes 4.45/10 in Economist political freedom index
According to the Economist magazine, Jordan ranks 8 out of 20 in predictions of where and how democracy will spread in the Middle East and Africa next year. Jordan...
The Iraqi massacre and the Jordanian reaction
Over 60 Iraqis were butchered today. This horrible attack is the latest in a series of massacres committed by, you guessed it: the insurgents in Iraq. After reading...
His Majesty’s statements to the foreign press
I just finished reading the interview that His Majesty king Abdullah gave to foreign papers in which he discussed a number of interesting topics. One particular quote...
Large representation of women in the new Upper House
After quickly glancing at the new Jordanian senate formed yesterday, I couldn't help but notice that there are now six women in the senatorial mix. Please correct me if...
Terrorist attacks claims bride’s mom
The mother of a Jordanian bride whose wedding was devastated in last week's hotel bombings died of her wounds on Thursday, bringing the bombing death toll to 59. A...
‘La Ya Amman’: Song condemning the terrorists attacks
Yazeed from the Jordan First blog has a link to a Jordanian song, entitled La Ya Amman. The song was made following the terrorist attacks in Jordan and is performed by...
Jordan’s war on Zarqawi
According to David Ignatius, who is currently in Amman, Jordan is determined to get Zarqawi.A senior official told me that Jordan is considering aggressive new...
Poll: Jordanians disapprove of Al-Qaida after suicide bombs
Almost two thirds of Jordanians have changed their views of Al-Qaida for the worse following suicide bombings against Amman hotels that killed more than 50 people last...
Breaking News: Top Jordanian officials resign
Jordan TV has announced the resignations of 11 top officials, including the national security adviser, in the wake of the Jordan bombings. King Abdullah II appointed...
Jordan unveils new anti-terror measures
I just finished reading this article about the new anti-terror measures put in place in Jordan. This particular paragraph grabbed my attention:The laws propose allowing...
Albawaba’s irresponsible journalism
The Jordanian-based news and entertainment portal Albawaba insists on calling insurgents in Iraq "resistance fighters." Unbelievable! Don't they realize that...
Can someone shut this person up!
Iran sees 'Zionist' link to Jordan attacks LONDON (IranMania) -- Iran said it suspected Israel was behind the suicide attacks in Amman, even though Jordanian officials...
The surviving Amman bomber confesses
I just watched the chilling confession of this low-life, bloodsucking terrorist whose efforts to butcher still more Jordanians failed. I really do not know what to say....
Nariman Rousan’s embarrassing statements
Khalaf drew my attention to the fact that a member of Parliament, Nariman Rousan, bluntly accused the Israeli Mosad of being behind the terrorist attacks in Jordan. She...
Jordanians show their support in DC
I felt much better after participating in the silent candlelight vigil that took place in front of the Jordanian embassy in DC last night. Around 100 people gathered on...
Post massacre rumination
It has been almost two days since the barbaric terrorist attacks took place in my beloved country and I do not feel any better. I cried at nearly every picture I saw of...
Candlelight vigil in DC
There is a candle light vigil tomorrow in front of the Jordanian Embassy in DC between 4-6 PM. Here is the e-mail:Dear Friends: Please join us tomorrow, Friday,...
Don’t cry our bride
Don't cry our Bride ... This Abu Mahjoob cartoon just shattered my heart into one million pieces. It says: Don't cry our bride, don't cry Amman!
Jordan’s Radisson SAS issues statement on bombing
I just received this press release from the owner of the Radisson SAS hotel bombed earlier today:We are the owners of Radisson SAS Jordan. As the owners we want to send...
Breaking News: Explosions in AMMAN!
UPDATE 3: Who are the culprits? Since no one has claimed responsibility for the barbaric attacks, speculation has already begun and almost everyone is pointing to the...
The Shenandoah Valley’s cornucopia of color
We spent last weekend with Mom and Dad T in the breathtaking Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. On our way back home we made our way up and through the Shenandoah National...
Jordan and the US torture trail
The following paragraph caught my eye yesterday while reading this Washington post article: Salah Ali and Muhammad Bashmilah, who were living in Indonesia, were...
BBC’s debate on Christians in the Middle East
The BBC website is asking Christians in the Middle East to talk about how their faith affects their way of life. I wonder what brought this up? Was this debate...
The National agenda and women’s rights
Nas at Black Iris has addressed the issue of skepticism amongst Jordanians over changes promised in the upcoming national agenda, a 10-year political and economic...
Drug addiction among Jordanian women
IRIN news, the UN news service, has a disturbing article about drug addiction amongst Jordanian women. Here is one 'lowlight': A recently UNODC conducted Global School...
No longer a Halloween virgin!
I might be a bit late to all the Halloween talk but I don't care, I'm going to talk anyway. This was my first Halloween in the US and I must say I loved it. Seeing...
The Squid and the Whale
Last week, the husband got us some free passes to the screening of the movie The Squid and the Whale, which was showing at the Bethesda Row Cinema, an independent...
More on ‘Al-Shatat’ program
The Associated Press finally picked up the story about Jordan's banning "Al Shatat" program. This particular paragraph caught my eye:Waleed al-Hadidi,...
Ode to Magloubeh
Thursday night was a special night. Beisan, whom I'm gonna start calling the "great cook," invited us over to try her wonderful magloubeh. Oh my God, it was...
Controversial show Al-Shatat stopped
Here is the latest development in the Mamnou channel controversy.The new network took the controversial show al-Shatat off the air. In the US, the Jordanian Embassy...
Meeting ‘The Kitchen Conqueror’
Last night we made our way to the Jordanian Embassy in DC to attend the screening of a short film entitled The Kitchen Conqueror created by Jordanian-American movie...
Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian DJs get together
An Israeli club DJ who has helped make ethnic Arab music the hottest late-night trend in fashionable nightspots in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the 26-year-old Tel Avivian...
The Taboo channel’s latest controversy
It seems that the new Mamnu channel (taboo channel ) that I blogged about the other day is already causing an uproar. Reader Chaya alerted me to the fact that the...
Jordanian press freedom improving!
It seems Jordan is doing better with regards to its freedom of the press. According to Reporters Sans Frontiers press freedom index, Jordan ranks 96 this year. Last...
Paying the price for their dictators’ arrogance
In a strongly worded editorial the Washington Post is suggesting sanctions be imposed upon Syria. The Security Council has a good precedent to follow here. When Western...
Highlights from the Newswire
I haven't highlighted items in the newswire for some time, so I think it is about time to do that so especially since there are so many exciting things happening...
Will they be able to spin this one?
So the truth regarding the assassination of Rafiq Al-Harriri is finally out. The Melhis report boldly points a finger at top Syrian intelligence officials. Surprise,...
Imad Hajjaj gets it wrong
Reader Emad Hassan drew my attention to Imad Hajjaj's latest cartoon, which I found personally annoying. In the cartoon he refers to Saddam's trial as an act of...
Saddam’s popularity in Jordan
Elaph (Arabic) has an intriguing article about the Jordanian reaction to Saddam's trial, which is expected to start tomorrow. According to the article (Arabic), there...
Anniversary celebration in New York City
The husband and I made a pact two years ago to put expensive gifts aside and celebrate our wedding anniversary with a trip. Last year our trip was to Dubai where we...
Will the real Norma Khoury please stand up?
A post from over a year ago generated an interesting comment recently that I thought was worth highlighting. It is from someone claiming to be the real Norma Khoury --...
Jazzing it up with ‘Shusmo’
We had a unique musical outing last night when we got the chance to listen to a live performance by the band Shusmo, Arabic for "What's his name?'' The band...
Where are the Jordanian movies?
The Arab Film Festival kicks off in DC today featuring an eclectic mix of Arab movies from Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco among others. After reading the...
A ‘Taboo’ channel
Al 'Mamnou' satellite TV channel begins test transmission AMMAN (Petra) -- A new independent satellite TV channel, Al Mamnou' (taboo), has started its test transmission...
Annapolis Snapshot
If you live in the suburbs of DC and haven't done this yet, I'd highly recommended a trip to the sailing capital of the US: Annapolis, Maryland. This pleasant,...
The atrocity continues!
Shepherd gets 6 months for murdering his sister AMMAN — The Criminal Court has sentenced a 26-year-old shepherd to six months in prison for the murder of his older...
Targeting Jordanians
Jordanian court sentences 3 gunmen to prison for alleged terror plot Jordan's military court convicted two men Tuesday in a foiled terror conspiracy targeting liquor...
Aboard the ‘Whale Rider’
The other day we watched the beautiful movie Whale Rider. Although it has been out for a couple of years, it was just two days ago that we managed to put our paws on...
Last night in Amman
While sifting through our photo archive, I came across this night picture of Amman that the husband took last May one day before we left Jordan for the US. The picture...
Amman’s one billion dollar project
I'm really looking forward to seeing the final outcome of the downtown Amman project, which according to the article below will cost some $1 billion. Frankly, I'm not...
The ‘camel jockey’ saga continues
Qatar Camel Jockeys left disabled The risk of serious injury, disability and death is shockingly high among child jockeys in camel races in Gulf countries, a report...
Al-Ghad: The early days
I recently got a comment from Jerash Festival Director Jeryes Samawi regarding a post written last summer where I gave my impressions about the very first issue of...
Franz keep on rocking!
One piece of good news I've heard this week was that Franz Ferdinand released a new album yesterday. According to the reviews on-line, this album is as brilliant as the...
Change in Alghad’s editorial line?
My near daily reading of Al Ghad's coverage of regional news over the last few months has prompted me to believe that the paper might have changed its editorial policy...
Signs of a healthy and solid marriage!!
According to Al-Arabiyeh's website, a 40-year-old Jordanian guy divorced his wife after one week of marriage over a fight involving Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram. The...
Jordanian tragedy!
Mid-air crash kills two Jordanian pilots AMMAN, Jordan -- Two pilots died in Jordan on Tuesday when their Royal Jordanian Air Force Planes collided in mid-air. An army...
A look at ‘The War Within’
Once again the husband managed to score some free tickets for the screening of an independent movie prior to its release in DC. The movie this time was The War Within,...
Lack of politics on Jordan planet
Jordanian blogger Firas recently raised a very important issue on his blog. He drew the attention to the fact that that bloggers contributing to Jordan Planet rarely...
Abu Sinno in DC
The one and only Abu Sinno (better known as Laith) made it to DC last night to showcase his acting talents in front of two Jordanian bloggers during a small-scale...
Movie Talk
Since subscribing to Netflix, our trips to the local movie theater have grown scarce, amounting to a visit a month -- a huge cut from the frequent visits during our...
A message of tolerance
Convening an unprecedented meeting between a Muslim head of state and Jewish religious leaders, King Abdullah II of Jordan urged Jews and Muslims yesterday to ''take...
Madaba still shining
Still on the issue of Madaba, during their respective visits here both Amal and my sister insisted we put up a picture of our car and its license plate on the blog. For...
Madaba shines
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...
A weekend with Amal
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...
Getting a baseball education
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....
Uplifting news of the day
Muslim, Christian youth discuss tolerance challenges AMMAN, Jordan -- Arab Muslim and Christian youth are meeting in Amman for a dialog aimed at enhancing the...
Finding it hard to believe
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...
A journey into ‘2046’
After spending some time online, the awesome husband managed to get us free tickets for the screening of the Chinese movie2046. So last night we made our way to the E...
View from the top
Still on the topic of the Washington Monument, probably one of the coolest things we did while the sister was here was taking a trip up inside the monument and getting...
Photo of the day
This picture was taken by the husband during our tour in downtown DC yesterday. The photo was shot from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where there's a great view of...
Take your hands off our hatta!
Can anyone one tell me what this Pakistani-British lunatic is doing wearting this red headscarf (commonly known as a Hatta). This headgear is primarily worn by...
Sin City
The film of choice last night was Sin City. It had been sitting on the computer table for a bit but we never got around to watching it until yesterday, as we were busy...
Picture of the day
Jordanians demonstrate against Aqaba attacks I must admit, reading this story in Alghad (Arabic) has put a huge smile on my face. I have to say I'm very proud of these...
Jordanians’ source of news
The results of the latest poll on Jordan Planet reveal that the majority of Jordanians (assuming the respondents are mostly Jordanians) heard about the Aqaba terrorist...
The sister is here!
My sister Tania has arrived here from New Hampshire and we've been busy for the past two days showing her around DC. Yesterday she had a big day taking an all day DC...
Nothing beats quality time with a good friend
We had a wonderful time last night with my good Jordanian-American friend Serene (AKA Ajlounieh), who I got to know back in Jordan some four years ago when we were...
Jordan under attack
Although I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, I'm extremely furious at what happened in Aqaba this morning [More here]. Those al-Qaeda blood suckers are now...
Is Amman’s cultural gap shrinking?
Architect Mohammad Al Asad — who has always been critical of Sweifieh — has something positive to say about the busy Amman neighborhood. He wrote an article in the...
The Skeleton Key
One of the first things you need to locate when you move into a new neighborhood -- or a new country for that matter -- is the nearest movie theatre. Following this...
First dispatch from the new apartment
We just finished eating a meatloaf made by yours truly and I must say it was very good. In spite of the lack of a few kitchen utensils, I stuck it out and made my first...
Books galore
Roba "book-tagged" me a long time ago but I never got around to responding for one reason or another. Now that I have some time on my hands here is my response: The...
‘Moving sucks’
As Ameen said on his blog: “moving sucks," and moving is exactly what we've been doing for the past two days. We moved north into the DC metro region after finding...
My prayers go out to Jordan and my people
I just read Ameen's post about an expected al-Qaeda attack in Jordan and I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight. I really don't know what will I do if...
Jordanian in the North Pole
My friend S (aka the cook) sent me this picture of her recent trip to the North Pole. Now isn't this cool! What amused me in this picture is the fact that even in the...
Some ‘Dirty pretty things’
Last night we finally watched the English movie Dirty Pretty Things. We had it laying around for a while but never got around to watching it for some reason. Maybe it...
When will this end?
We were away all day. But as soon as we got back we heard about the horrible bombings in Sharm el Sheikh. Can anyone tell me what's going on? Why is the world becoming...
Very disturbing poll findings
Mental Mayhem reader Heiko alerted me to a survey whose findings disturbed me to no end. According to the survey by the Pew Research Center:In Jordan, confidence in bin...
Quoted in The Times
Thanks to Mahmood's blog, I found that I was quoted in the Times of London. Great, but they got the link for the blog wrong! Anyway, knowing that the Times of London...
A trip into the ‘Deep South’
We returned last night from a wonderful road trip into the Deep South where we visited Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina. The whole purpose of the trip was to visit...
Middle East anti-terror vigil
I was delighted to see this vigil taking place in Bahrain where Muslim youth took to the streets condemning the terrorist attacks that happened in London, saying...
My last year in the 20’s
Two days ago I turned 29. On that morning, I woke up in a sour mood knowing that the 8th of July 2005 marked the beginning of the last year of my twenties. Eventually,...
Shocked and horrified!
I woke up this morning to hear the horrible news of the barbaric terrorist attacks in the beautiful city of London. I'm so furious. This was a mass murder of innocents....
Dining with deer
Monday was my first 4th of July in the USA and what a day it was. Every second of it was memorable. We started the day early, as the husband, Dad and Mom T, Grandma G...
New poll
Inspired by Isam's post about corruption in Jordan, I have finally updated this blog's poll, which can be seen in the upper left corner of the sidebar. So make yourself...
Two Jordanian movies
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....
The Final Cut
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...
Banning should be banned!
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...
One fine weekend
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...
Updating the blog
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...
On homesickness and more
I have been getting the question "are you homesick?" a lot lately. My answer these days is "no, not yet." I miss my family and friends something...
Sucked into consumerism
I never liked shopping. For me, shopping had always been this tedious process of hopping between shops, trying on clothes, negotiating with vendors (in some cases) and...
A Jordanian in the 1850’s
Probably one of the coolest things that we have done here so far was our trip last weekend back into the 1850's, when the whole of downtown Harrisonburg, VA was made to...
Movie talk
I just realized that I haven't blogged about movies in along time. The reason for that, of course, is the fact that we have been traveling for over a month now....
Call for a ban on coed student trips
Jordan's Islamists Tuesday called on the ministry of education to ban coed student trips, charging immoral acts were being committed. The Islamic Action Front, the main...
The hunt begins
Three days ago I had my first job interview in the land of milk and honey and I believe it went pretty well. The interview took place in Washington, DC -- the city we...
All things Virginian
For the past four days or so we have been touring around Virginia with Dad and Mom T and I must say I have laid eyes on some of the most beautiful sights in nature that...
Thoughts and observations
Sitting here in Jeff's old room in his hometown of Virginia, I have a myriad of thoughts dancing around in my head. I guess, in a way, I'm just trying to grasp what I...
In the land of milk and honey
Currently in the land of milk and honey, we are now in the city that never sleeps, New York. Before I begin babbling to no end about how fascinating this city is and...
Jordanian bloggers meet-up
Last night we had our 3rd Jordanian bloggers meet-up and, according to Roba, the meeting was "serious." Well, I guess it was serious in a way, as we are in...
Pedestrian rights! what rights?
The newly established Jordanian Society for Pedestrian Rights (JSPR) is currently preparing two pilot projects that seek to raise awareness on pedestrian issues in the...
Police Huts arrive in Amman
While in Jordan, we've noticed a new Jordanian invention popping up: “Police Huts,” as they are tagged. These blue, glass-enclosed little stations are positioned such...
Book talk: A journey with Djinns
I recently finished Jamal's Mahjoub's novel Travelling with Djinns and I have to say it was better than I expected. I borrowed it from Amal back in Doha maybe two...
A peek inside Karak Castle
I'd been meaning to write about our recent visit to Karak Castle earlier but I have fallen ill for some reason. I have just gathered strength enough to last me a bit,...
‘Kingdom of Heaven’ and the city of Karak
We went to see the movie Kingdom of Heaven last night at Century Cinema and were very surprised to find how packed the theater was. In order to find available seats for...
The 2nd Jordan dispatch
For the past five days or so, we have been spending most of our time with la Familia, mostly with my sister and her family as they leaving for a vacation at the end of...
Ode to al-Rai
For one reason or another -- and perhaps at this particular period of my life -- it is always exhilarating to wake up in the morning and pick up a copy of al-Rai. As...
Jordan dispatch
This is a quick update from Jordan. We arrived home safe and sound after an exciting exodus from Doha. I don't have the time to get into the details of what happened...
You can call me neurotic!
We are extremely busy nowadays, taking care of last-minute errands while packing, cleaning and trying to keep sane. I have to admit, I'm the one who is stressing out...
Mental Mayhem radio is here!
In a bid to share our favorite music with dear readers of this blog, we created Mental Mayhem Radio, which can be accessed from the top menu bar (or click here!). Click...
Jordan, here we come!
I've got the plane tickets in hand for our much-awaited trip to Jordan, now just right around the corner. My excitement is overwhelming. I'm afraid I'm just gonna pop....
Last day at work!!
Today is my last day at work and what better way to celebrate my exodus than getting a facial at the Ritz Carlton! I know, I'm splurging but damn it, I deserve it!
Jordanian journalists stir the stew
I was alerted by a reader, Fred, to this article published in the Washington Times: Jordanian journalists Saturday demanded their Iraqi counterparts admit their country...
Fair and unlovely
I'm not in the best of moods today and I have this irresistible urge to lash out at something. I think I will just go ahead and slam this commercial that runs...
Jordanian sues CNN over false report
A Jordanian national is suing U.S. cable's CNN for scaring him by reporting an earthquake could strike in Jordan. The CNN report said a massive earthquake measuring 9...
Meeting Nour Al Sharif
Because of our tight time table, we were only able to sit for one documentary in the Alajzeeara documentary festival. The one we saw was a Radio Canada production...
Aljazeera documentary film festival
Aljazeera's documentary film festival might be one of the most exciting things that happens in Doha. Documentaries from across the world are being shown here and it is...
Child jockey violators risk penalty
I found this in the Gulf Times today: Heavy penalties are expected to be imposed on the violators of the new law prohibiting the use of child jockeys in camel races,...
Salt in the news
According to this AP report, the beautiful city of Salt is turning into "a center of Islamic radicals traveling from Jordan to fight in Iraq." I haven't been...
Farewell my friend …
Our good friend Amal is leaving Doha for good next week and relocating home to Beirut, Lebanon. We are very happy for her as it is a great career move. Not only will...
Custody battle concluded
An Amman Islamic court has ruled in favor of Christian widow Siham Qandah, revoking legal custody from her children's Muslim uncle and ordering him to repay misspent...
Qatar camel race: What an experience!
Yesterday was a unique day. We, along with Amal, our partner-in-crime, and friend Ranjit headed to a Qatar camel race in al-Shahnniya, some 40 km outside Doha. What we...
Disturbing report on wife beating in Jordan
Mariam highlighted a very disturbing report (in Arabic) published on al-Arabiya's website that says over 80% of Jordanian women support wife-beating! I'm not sure if...
With a falafel in his hand
While browsing through Amazon the other day, I came across a book entitled He Died with a Falafel in His Hand. And then, low and behold, I found out that they'd...
Jordanian bloggers get more exposure
The website Middle East Window picked up my story about Jordanian bloggers. That's fantastic for the Jordanian blogging community. Soon enough Jordanian bloggers will...
Bahrain First?
While browsing through Chan'ad's blog, I realized that the Jordan First campaign might have left its mark on the people of Bahrain. Chan'ad took a picture of a Bahrain...
Only half a million dollars, baby
SPOILER ALERT -- I have wanted to talk about this movie for a while now but haven't gotten around to it for one reason or another. Maybe it is because this film...
King abolishes Jordan cabinet
According to this BBC report, His Majesty was unhappy with the now defunct cabinet for a number of reasons, prompting him to send them packing. Although historically...
New Jordan group on Flickr
The husband has created a Jordan group, Kingdom of Jordan, on Flickr. The idea behind it is to create a pool where photographers can post pictures taken from across the...
The Pope is dead. Long live the Pope!
I have to admit, the news of the Pope's death disheartened me. May his blessed soul rest in peace. He was a champion of peace and solidarity, something that gained him...
Suha Arafat spam
I'm not in the habit of reading spam mail, but this one is quite unique. It is signed by the one and only Suha Arafat. I thought you would enjoy it. I'm putting just...
L’Auberge Espanogle
Last week, while on our weekly unpleasant trip to Carrefour we were surprised to find the megastore selling some discounted DVDs that they'd piled into two huge wire...
Convert harassment
Kinzi alerted me to this story published in World Magazine tackling the issue of harassment Jordanians face when they convert from Islam to Christianity. Here is an...
The latest at al-Ghad: Editor sacked
I can't believe I missed this. I'm glad Abu Aardvark picked it up: Aljazeera reported that the editor-in-chief of the Jordanian newspaper al Ghad, Imad al Hmoud, was...
A trip north
We had a very nice day today with Amal on a half-day trip to the north of Qatar. The excursion began at 9:00 am when we were picked up by a driver from Qatar...
Doha snapshots
This month we are going to be doing some exploring in Qatar primarily for a writing project we are working on and secondly to make sure we've seen most everything this...
‘Not without my daughter’ obsession?
I hope I'm mistaken but it seems the US media has gotten into a fairly recent frenzy about Jordan-related news that has a distinct Not without my daughter flavor about...
Majida, the Lebanese diva
Last night, we once again conquered fear of another Doha terrorist attack and made our way to the city's iconic Sheraton Hotel to see Lebanese singer Majida al-Roumi in...
An Um Qais afternoon
Here is a highlight from The Gallery, showing youths chilling in the late afternoon sun at the Greco-Roman site of Um Qais in northern Jordan. Have I mentioned that...
Sexual miscoduct of Jordanian peacekeepers
Some bloggers have been discussing the alleged sexual misconduct of the Jordanian peacekeepers in East Timor for a while now and I must admit I'm extremely embarrassed...
Napoleon is Dynamite
We decided to conquer our fears of another terrorist attack and head courageously out to the movie theater Thursday, something I've noticed is becoming a bit of a fixed...
Rumba in the jungle
Dad and Mom T just came back from a safari in South Africa. This is a picture of Dad T that just made my day, even my whole month for that matter. Isn't he just the...
King’s website wins award
His Majesty King Abdullah's personal website has been named the best Arab website by the Pan Arab Web Awards organised by Dubai Internet City and the Assembly of...
Under the weather
I have been under the weather for the past two days. I have the usual symptoms of a nasty flu: coughing, sneezing, runny nose, scratchy throat and general grumpiness....
Should I be concerned?
I'm not sure if I've become paranoid after Doha's blast, but lately I have been reading lots of terrorism-related stories emerging from Jordan. Here is one: Jordanian...
Mustafa Mahmoud sets off on Everest expedition
With six summits behind him, the biggest challenge now remaining for Jordan's sole mountaineer Mustafa Mahmoud, is Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain. Mahmoud,...
Jordanian blogger feature out
Finally, the feature I wrote about the Jordanian blogging community has seen the light of day, published over this past weekend (the Fri-Sat print edition) and...
Doha blast update; responsibility claimed
Today, Doha residents gathered in the late afternoon to show support for victims and to condemn the attack. It has also been determined that the deceased, Briton...
Iraq and Jordan withdraw envoys
Iraq has recalled its ambassador to Jordan in a tit-for-tat move following Jordan's earlier decision to pull its envoy out of Baghdad. Jordan withdrew its charge...
Doha blast daylight photos
This morning I took my camera and headed to the blast site. I saw the damaged theater, a large number of local police in addition to some crime scene investigators. The...
Post-blast contemplation
It is early here and I still can't get my mind off last night's bombing. What really blew my mind was the fact that I was just discussing the possibility of terrorist...
Explosion in Doha; we are fine
We are fine and still in one piece so far. We were home when the blast occurred around 9:00pm. We heard it loud and clear! The apartment shook a bit as a result of the...
Today’s Beirut blast
Following the bomb that rocked the eastern part of Beirut today, I feel compelled to share with you a picture featured in the gallery of a curious collection of books...
White Noise
If you thought The Grudge, The Ring or even Saw were scary flicks, then to keep your heart intact I advise you not to watch White Noise. It freaked the hell out of me....
Jordan to host Nobel laureates’ conference
Many of the world's greatest thinkers will gather in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan in May for a conference of Nobel laureates, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Nobel...
Newswire highlights
It is that time of the week when we highlight some goodies on the newswire. Here are some snippets: Iran town rejoices at hanging of 'desert vampire' Vatican appoints...
This is just cool!
I have been following a really cool book blog entitled Moorish Girl for a while now and it got its hooks in me. This morning I was checking it when I found that the...
The beauty of localization
This sign is probably one of the most interesting things I have seen in Doha thus far. It is what I regard as localization at its best. When I first looked at it, I was...
Chalabi involvement?
It seems a comment on a post from reader Metal-or-die about Ahmed Chalabi's involvement in fueling the protests against Jordan might have a kernel of truth to it. This...
Al-Ghad editor responds to my complaint
Al-Ghad replied to the angry e-mail I sent after this story was published. In that letter I complained about the story and threatened to boycott their publication. They...
Al-Ghad apology
In today's issue (Arabic), al-Ghad published an apology on the front page. Here is the gist of it. Al-Ghad said Raed al-Banna was not the car bomber of al Hilla and...
Al-Ghad article explodes in Iraq
In case you have not heard the news, the ramifications of al-Ghad's irresponsible journalism continue to reverberate. Thousands of Iraqi Shi' ites protested Monday...
Could the rumor be true?
This is from Iraqi blogger Hammorabi: The rumours about the capture of the terrorist Abo Mosab Zarqawi last month near Mosel in the North West of Iraq looks true. The...
The Nasr Allah legacy
Lebanese blogger Raja, writes passionately about Nasr Allah shattering the Lebanese dream of unity. His post is worth highlighting: My impulse tells me that Nasrallah...
Al Ghad article update
Well, many interesting developments have taken place following the publishing of an inflammatory article in al-Ghad. First, Iraqi Shia protested the involvement of the...
Interview with King Abdallah
His Majesty King Abdallah gave a very interesting interview to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. I encourage everyone to read it. Here is an excerpt :...
Some uplifting news
Enough bad news for one day, here is something to cheer us all up. This is the success story of yet another empowered Jordanian woman. Journalist Rana Husseini deserves...
Al-Ghad inflammatory article translation
I still can't get over the inflammatory article I read yesterday. I e-mailed the editor-in-chief of the paper and complained. I encourage everyone else to do so as...
Inflammatory and irresponsible journalism
Jameed has drawn attention to what he regards as irresponsible and inflammatory reporting in Jordanian newspaper al-Ghad and I can't help but agree with him. Actually,...
Memories of a hill
Roba just killed me with her post showing a recent picture of a Jabal al-Weibdeh hill. She's made me homesick to no end. The reason is simple. This very spot occupies a...
Jordanian women filing for divorce
While browsing through the Jordan Times website, I found the following statistics, which I found very intriguing: The number of Jordanian women filing for divorce at...
Saw
As proof of my film obsession confession, we watched yet another movie last night. The film of choice was horror flick Saw. It was okay. The plot was engaging but the...
Change in tactics?
I can't really recall opposition groups in Jordan waving Jordanian flags while protesting. What I remember -- vividly -- is the burning of Israeli flags. Waving a...
The Gucci revolution
I found this picture hilarious. A Lebanese demonstrator drags her Sri Lankan maid to the demonstration. I hope this poor maid knew what she was demonstrating against....
Confessions
Inspired by And Far Away, here are some of my confessions: I'm very clumsy. I bump into things, drop almost everything I carry and I'm always zoned out I'm a very bad...
Kuwaiti women kick ass
Those Kuwaiti women kick ass. Their demonstration now is being dubbed the Blue Revolution. They want their rights and they want them now. Good for them. Around 500...
Overwhelmed
I'm about to hit the sack but before I do, I thought I'd post a quick round-up of what grabbed my attention in the blogosphere today. I keep discovering new blogs with...
Boy steals dad’s salary to woo TV star
Ok, enough politics! This one is fun. A seven-year-old Jordanian boy stole his father's hard-earned salary to buy prepaid phone cards to vote for his favourite female...
Kuwaiti women’s right to vote
I have been following the issue of Kuwaiti women voting rights for a while now and I was shocked to see these pictures (click to enlarge) today on the Kuwait Junior...
Zarqawi arrested?
Unconfirmed reports are saying that al-Zarwaqai has been arrested. I know it might be rubbish as usual but this time they have a picture. Well, I'm clinging to hope...
Mental Mayhem site updates
In addition to featuring recent comments to posts on Mental Mayhem (MM) in the sidebar, I have also added a section to show the most recent comments from Newswire so as...
Jordanains fear fate of Syria
Jordanians said Saturday they were concerned about Syria's fate with the escalating, multi-national demands for it to withdraw its forces from Lebanon. Although Syria...
Newswire highlights
Time for some highlights from Newswire: Erotic Novel Breaks Muslim Taboos New Online Magazine Urges Jihad in Iraq When in Doubt, Blame Syria The Welsh painter of Saudi...
Orry and I
Since I still can't get over how ugly Orry is, I decided to take a picture with him just for the sake of it. For non-Qatari residents, Orry is the mascot that was...
Union activities poll results
These are the final results from the last Mental Mayhem vote on union political activities It was a hot topic and so it follows that there was more or less a tie...
Dress Code
Big Pharaoh has a very amusing, witty post about his reaction to the case of a Muslim woman in Britain who won the right to wear the Jilbab -- a traditional Muslim...
A cinematic foray
We finally got to watch the highly-acclaimed film The Aviator. What did I think of it? I loved it. I thought it was brilliant. It made me feel even more sorry that...
Bedouin girls of Petra
I just love this picture. If you ever visit Petra, then prepare yourself for the Bedouin kids of Petra. They will be everywhere trying to sell tourists some small...