Has anyone seen this video clip and listened to the profound lyrics and the angelic voice of this “singer”?
Yay.
Archive for February 2008
بلا تعليق
In Jordan, Wonder Woman, عربي on February 28, 2008 at 1:17 am-1-
في ندوة المحامين حول قانون الاجتماعات، وتعليقا على حديث الوزير ناصر عن برامج تمكين المرأة، علق نقيب المحامين صالح العرموطي مداعبا ان “من يريد التمكين هو الرجل”، مدللا على رأيه بقوله ان المحامية السيدة تزداد نفقات تغطيتها في التأمين الصحي للنقابة سنويا بنحو 60 دينارا عن معدل نفقات المحامي الرجل!
-2-
مجموعة من الشباب المقتدرين مادياً.. يرفضون فكرة الزواج من كثرة الشوفات المتراوحة من أقصى حالات الانفلات عند بعض الفتيات إلى كل الانغلاق .. وعلى ما يبدو لم تسنح لهم فرصة التعرف على الشريحة المعتدلة بين النقيضين..
بينما ترفض بعض الفتيات العزابيات الزواج هرباً من المسؤوليات..
فهو بالنسبة لهن سلسلة كوابيس من المجاملات والتنازلات فبدلا من أن تتحمل الواحدة مسؤوليتها فقط.. فإنها بعد الزواج تنسى نفسها في سبيل تحمل مسؤوليات أسرتها النووية وما يتبع من حمولة أسرية ممتدة ! فبين رفض فكرة الزواج.. وقبولها.. وبين الإقدام.. والتراجع..
تبقى مشاكل الشباب معلقة تريد حلاً!
Rouge for the Feminist
In Wonder Woman on February 27, 2008 at 4:00 pmI have had several changes of heart concerning makeup during my life. Around third grade, I started biting my nails with a vengeance. As a passionate nail biter, the only cure to my bad bad habit was polishing my nails black or red. Oddly enough, this cure still works to this day –as the moment I color my nails is the moment they become untouchable by my eager teeth.
In 10th grade, I got called to the principle’s principal’s office. A disciplinary-type of administrator thought I had mascara on, and all my attempts to explain that I had nothing on my eyes were in vain. The administrative goddesses were not convinced my lashes were that long.
Then, of course, came college. The strange personas I adopted during this time were translated in my makeup rituals. At one point I was too practical for makeup, wearing minimalist block-colored clothes. At another I was an exotic dresser, wearing nothing on my face but mascara and black kohl along with fortune-teller type rings and necklaces. At another stage I preferred tight skirts, a black leather jacket and gloves, and the makeup was darker and more piercing. Later on, I took on a more sophisticated-chic look that toned down the makeup to more natural, less obvious selections.
Makeup was an integral part of all these transformations. Often I wondered, does makeup, the idea of covering up your supposed flaws and enhancing your beauty, mesh with the idea that you are a complete, independent woman regardless of male/female attention you may or may not get?
This question and more about the history of makeup (from royal courts to brothels to homes) were treated in this essay in The Smart Set by Paula Marantz Cohen :
Women’s application of makeup is an update of the Narcissus myth. One cannot apply it — or at least not well — without looking in a mirror. The self-reflexive gaze required has elements of the lover’s gaze: Eyes and lips are focal points and demand the most attention and care. Thus, applying makeup is a ritual of self-love, a kind of worship at the shrine of the self, though it can also reflect insecurity and even self-loathing. At its best, it is an exercise in self-critique, and, if you’ll permit me to be grandiose, a path to existential understanding.
…
Of course, one of the paradoxes of makeup is that it adds another level of concern to the one it is designed to appease. Wearing makeup means having two faces — a real face that threatens to be dull and unappealing if not given some assistance, and an artificial face that has to be maintained. If one wears makeup one has makeup worries: Is the foundation even, the eye make up smudged, the lipstick properly applied, etc.? By the same token, checking makeup is a useful rite. It allows for a respite from the hurly burly of life. It says, quite literally, hold on while I straighten up the mask that I’m showing the world. I suspect that men are more violent than women because they don’t have these “time-outs” in which to take stock and put their masks in place. If they wore makeup, they might think twice about going to war where, moreover, the opportunities to put on lip gloss are decidedly curtailed.
For the record, I always forget my lips. I like red lipstick but admittedly it does not look good on me, so they’re always alla naturale. I wonder what that says about me.
Solution Violence
In Salon on February 26, 2008 at 12:51 pmFor the past two days I have been reflecting on an aspect of my character which I have never taken seriously before. There have been some incidents in my life during the past three years, like being stalked online or having my computer sabotaged, that have angered me to such a degree that I considered punishing the people behind them using physical force.
I don’t believe in violence as a solution to any problem. For the most part, I don’t believe much can be done to solve 99% of the problems I face. When I do think of a solution, it is often communication. This is why I am always surprised when I think of a solution to a problem along the lines of “I will send a group of guys to break this person’s face.”
What surprises me the most is that I think of myself as an intelligent person who does not adhere to the “tribal violence” mentality that I see prevalent in my society. If so, I ask myself, why do I even consider beating a person up as a means to teach them a lesson or perhaps get them off my case? For example, if my online stalker is put in the hospital after having his jaw broken at my command, would that really keep him from stalking me? I know it would make me feel better. Is that wrong?
I guess any such action would solve the problem to a degree, but not entirely. I have never resorted to violence to the extent I mentioned above, but I have considered it seriously as a solution to a number of problems. Does that make me a violent person or simply a person at loss for a solution?
What do you think?
I Am Mother Earth
In Bits & pieces on February 24, 2008 at 4:02 pmIt is official, we are all, deep down, the sons and daughters of Africa. More exciting stuff at the bottom. From Discovery News:
DNA Confirms We’re Out of Africa
A new genetic analysis of people from around the world added further confirmation to the African origin of humans.
Scientists have long believed that modern humans first developed in Africa and spread from there to populate the rest of the world, a theory strongly supported by the new analysis, the researchers said.
In addition, they noted that residents of the Middle East can trace their ancestry to both Africa and Europe, which they said is logical since the region formed a bridge for movement back and forth between the areas.
The italicized bit in the passage is even more interesting than the confirmation that we are all Africans. It means that I am Africa, and Europe, and Asia –all wrapped up in a petite package called Tololy.
Why?
Because my father is Arab, and as such he is Middle Eastern and by extension European and African, and my mother is Circassian and as such is Eurasian. The final product of this human mix of geography is me.
You can call me Mother Earth now.
Pro-Women Laws
In Jordan, Wonder Woman on February 24, 2008 at 11:27 amGood news for Jordanian women. As I blogged previously, Jordanian women’s organizations have been active in trying to improve Jordanian laws that affect women’s lives. A number of women’s organizations activists had started a campaign to organize a lobby in the House of Representatives last month. Now they met with Prime Minister Dahabi.
Check out this news from The Jordan Times:
Dahabi meets with women’s rights activists
AMMAN (Petra) – Prime Minister Nader Dahabi on Saturday met with a delegation representing the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW). During the meeting, JNCW Secretary General Asma Khader reviewed the committee’s priorities which focus on finalising women-related legislation and ending all kinds of discrimination in existing laws. Dahabi and the delegation members highlighted the importance of increasing women’s involvement in the workforce and examining reasons hindering their participation. Dahabi underlined the government’s efforts to boost women’s participation in the economy and amend related legislation. The delegation briefed Dahabi on amendments proposed by the JNCW on several laws, including labour, social security, nationality, elections and civil status.
The news in The Jordan Times is very brief, but you can read it in details over at Al Rai (in Arabic). I am hopeful things will change for the better for Jordanian women. I truly hope that our tribal and businessy House of Representatives will not overlook the importance of gender equality as its predecessors have.At any rate, that will only delay the legalization of our demands, and will not succeed in “erasing” them.
Linuxed!
In Bits & pieces on February 21, 2008 at 6:01 pmI am now safely Linuxed, thanks to Jad who met me this morning and fixed the mess that I created last night.
Installing Ubuntu, the version of Linux I am now using, was easy. It was piss actually and anyone can do it. You just follow the instructions and you’re done. BUT, being the troublemaker that I am, I admit that I messed things up last night. That was not entirely my fault, but also the fault of a bit old version of Ubuntu and some technical jargon I could not understand.
I accidentally erased everything on my HDD, and as a consequence, wanted to go back to Windows. Windows was gone by then, so I tried re-installing Ubuntu to gain access to an OS. Then, my laptop got really confused and said ENOUGH, thou shalt never enter here again! I was heartbroken until this morning when Jad fixed it for me. I should be bummed over losing my recent pictures and documents, but I am not. Not very much, at least. C’est la vie.
So far, I am loving the change. I even found a way to play my favorite strategy game (Caesar III) through Ubuntu. I am sure the ride will be bumpy along the way, but I enjoy trying new things and so I am glad things worked out.
Short Notice
In Bits & pieces on February 20, 2008 at 8:36 pmHi everyone,
I did a silly thing and decided to switch to Linux today. My laptop is no longer functional, it talks in strange tongues now and will not do anything. I will be back when my life is a little less ruined.
T.
A Country in Denial
In Jordan on February 18, 2008 at 11:21 amSome times I wish there was a huge creature who could slap Jordan on the face and wake us all up. Apparently, we are offended by a Human Rights Watch report on the situation of liberties and human rights in the country. We even call it baseless and partial and accusatory. Do we really think this state of denial we live in will last for long? Are the people dumb enough to be lulled by a governmental press release in newspapers?
Human rights, liberties protected – gov’tJordan on Sunday rejected as “baseless, contradictory and partial” a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on the situation of public freedoms and human rights in the Kingdom.
A government statement made available to The Jordan Times said Jordan “regrets the accusatory language” in the report and the “uncalculated judgements” made against the country.
“Rights and freedoms protection has not declined as claimed by the report, which made groundless judgements,” said the statement.
On the contrary, it added, Jordan has recently witnessed developments, accomplishments and measures that enhanced respect for human rights, noting that the Kingdom has a plan to achieve more in this field, which includes broad socio-economic changes.
The HRW report, “Democracy Charade Undermines Rights”, released late January, included Jordan among countries that allegedly held “dubious elections” in an attempt to pose as real democracies.
…
The New York-based group, which surveys the human rights situation in more than 75 countries, criticised Jordan for alleged violations related to freedom of speech, arrest procedures, the Public Assembly Law, the Political Parties Law, the NGOs Law, Iraqi “refugees” and treatment of foreign labour in industrial estates.
What would it take for a common Jordanian to realize the truth? A trip to a Qualified Industrial Zone, criticism of the royal family, or getting arrested. No amount of press releases will then blind the public.
Boo!
In T Play Box on February 17, 2008 at 11:03 pmWhen I was younger, and had longer hair, I used to enjoy scaring my nieces and nephews. I invented a faceless, hairy monster called “Brake” who would show up whenever I wanted to have a good laugh. I used to wear a black robe, flip my then long hair on my face, put on glasses, and crawl on the floor from behind doors making low and scary sounds.
I remember when I was a kid, there was an older guy in our neighborhood who some times put on a black robe and a maimed gorilla mask and went around running and screaming. That used to freak me out so much and I always cried when I saw him, despite my mother’s attempts to assure me it was just a normal guy underneath the costume.
It is only now that I think I was doing something pretty cruel, and that I might have scarred these kids for life. Who would do such a thing for fun, except a demented aunt like me? But in my defense, I stopped doing “Brake” a long time ago.
And now I found a new monster! I made fake eyeballs like the ones I blogged about earlier today, and wore my brother’s bank-robber’s mask and put on a black hoodie. I am taking my scary activities online. Be afraid, be very afraid.
The tilted head pose and lack of facial features sort of remind me of Jason.
Fake Eyeballs
In Bits & pieces on February 17, 2008 at 2:21 pmI want a dozen of these, and in different colors, please…
Explanation: those are eyeballs you stick on your eyelids and take a nap at work. Or scare some kids.
Pre18: What Every Girl Must Do Tag
In Bits & pieces on February 17, 2008 at 10:08 amDave tagged me just now. I have to list 6 things that I think a person should do before they turn 18. I am limiting my list to things a girl should do, because that’s the stuff I know best. Here goes nothing:
1- Get pierced. Start young because you won’t get away with that when you’re older.
2- Meet people off the internet. But be careful!
3- Make silly videos of you and your bestfriend and send them to random people.
4- Break siblings’ things when they make you angry. It’s now or never.
5- Use your webcam extensively. You can later say you were just a kid when you did so and so.
6- Be rude to relatives when they call you “3aroos.” If you’re rude to them later, they’ll think you have issues. Yes, you, not them.
That concludes this very wise post. Now I am tagging Rebellious Arab Girl, Euroarabe, Liza, Lulu, Omar, and Lina.
The rules for this tag are:
Post these rules before presenting your list.
List 6 actions or achievements you think every person should accomplish before turning 18.
There are no conditions on what can be included on the list.
At the end of your blog, choose 6 people to get tagged and list their names.
People who are tagged write their own blog entry with their 6 suggestions.
Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged.
Chef Tololy
In Picturesque on February 16, 2008 at 7:15 pmI made grilled shrimps tonight, complete with butter garlic dip. Why? Because I was bored enough to actually undertake cooking something other than a turkey sandwich.
However, I remain utterly untalented compared to my sister, who made this cake yesterday:
I shall never become a chef.
On V Day, AGAIN
In V for Video on February 16, 2008 at 4:04 pmOh, yeah, and I love this Foamy video too. It’s about Valentine’s Day…I should’ve linked to it yesterday. I really should’ve.
Don’t watch this if you’re,um, sensitive. It will offend you. You have been forewarned.
ROFLING, again.
Missionaries in Jordan
In Jordan on February 16, 2008 at 11:24 amI found a very interesting press release, it seems, in Al Rai this morning. It was issued by the Jordanian Churches Board in response to a report published by Compass Direct News. The report which I have linked to maintains that “Jordan has increased pressure on foreign Christians living in the kingdom, expelling many long-time residents over the past 13 months in what local churches see as an attack on their legitimacy.” Read the rest here.
In response to that, the JCB said that the report had many incorrect accounts and mistakes that could harm the Christian-Muslim relationships in the country. They also warned from the dangers of allowing several groups to enter the kingdom under the pretense of offering educational, health, and social services, and which will later develop into pure missionary work outside the scope of local churches.
The JCB denounced these groups as “extremists” and said they are not recognized by Jordan’s official churches. They also added that they each form their own “churches” after luring in a number of people through whatever services they provide. The total number of these groups is 40, according to the JCB. Here is a link to the article about JCB’s reaction.
وفيما يتعلق بالفرق التبشيرية الوافدة الى الاردن اوضح بيان مجلس رؤساء الكنائس في الاردن..أنه كثرت في السنين الاخيرة تحت ستار الخدمة الاجتماعية والتعليمية والثقافية..ويبلغ عددها في الاردن حوالي 40 فئة..وقد قدم لهم الاردن التسهيلات اللازمة لكي يقوموا بالخدمات الانسانية التي جاؤوا تحت غطائها..وهذه الفرق التي قدمت على أنها جمعيات خيرية،سرعان ما كشفت عن نفسها،فأخذت تسمى بكنائس وهي ليست بكنائس على الاطلاق،وأخذت تطالب بما للكنائس الرسمية من حقوق في الدستور الاردني..وأخذت تقوم بأعمال تبشيرية بين الكثير من المواطنين بأساليب تثير النعرة الدينية،ولا تحترم حرية الضمير،وتضع الفتنة بين المواطنين مسيحيين مسيحيين ومسيحيين مسلمين،واصبحوا يشكلون خطورة أمنية..وتمكنت هذه الفرق من استمالة بعض المواطنين نتيجة للخدمات والاغراءات التي قدمتها وما تزال تقدمها فبلغ عدد المنتمين اليهم بضع مئات..وهذه الفرق التبشيرية الدخيلة على المسيحية أخذت تحاول ان تفرض ذاتها بكل الوسائل لانها مدعومة سياسيا وماليا من بعض الدول.
وجدير بالذكر ان الكنيسة الانجيلية الاسقفية العربية والكنيسة اللوثرية الانجيلية لا تعترفان بهذه الفرق التبشيرية على أنها كنائس.
Wow. Everything seems to be taking me back to the Middle Ages these days! Missionaries in Jordan, hah! I guess with the current financial situation, people will worship the devil if someone gave them anything for free.
What I Did on V Day
In Personal on February 15, 2008 at 10:31 amLast year on V Day, I did the following:
1- Made up excuse about having to go out for something work-related.
2- Drove around Amman and felt like crap run over twice.
3- Cried.
4- Came back home to find that a loyal someone who reads this blog got me an Amazon gift certificate worth 300$.
5- Felt good.
6- Took pictures of myself.
7- Opened a Facebook account.
8- Spent the rest of the day shopping on Amazon.
9- …and complaining to my mom how nobody understood me.
This year, I did the following in no particular order:
1- Felt loved.
2- Visited sister and kids.
3- SMSed loverboy.
4- Almost had a fight with loverboy.
5- Put cheesy status message on GTalk.
6- Discovered that life has no meaning, and as such, whatever I do or don’t do will not make a difference to its outcome.
7- Enjoyed the rain as I drove around Amman.
8- Became sleepy while driving in traffic.
9- Cursed loverboy for being away but looked at thoughtful present and smiled.
10- Decided not to care for V Day ever again. I don’t believe in saints anyway!
What did you do on V Day?
Swimming in the Street
In Jordan on February 14, 2008 at 9:34 amFinally, The Greater Amman Municipality has decided to do something about the flooding in Amman’s streets after any amount of rain no matter how insignificant.
I had posted about this last year and I was thinking of posting about it again recently, because the situation in Amman in the winter is despicable. The streets are always flooded, the drainage holes are spitting water instead of taking it in, and driving is really dangerous especially because you can’t see the many bumps and holes in the streets under the water.
تخصيص 6ر9 مليون دينار لمشاريع تصريف مياه الأمطار فـي العاصمة
خصصت أمانة عمان الكبرى ضمن موازنتها للعام الحالي 9 مليون و600 ألف دينار لغايات إنشاء خطوط تصريف مياه الأمطار والعبارات الصندوقية في العاصمة.
This is taken from last year’s Waterland Amman: City-Sized Pool post. I feel exactly the same way still:
Every winter the same problem arises — it gets talked about on morning radio shows, evening news, and 60 minutes, those in positions of responsibility are brought to comment and they say next to nothing in citizen-O-meter, and then after the usual citizen rants nothing is done to remedy the situation on the ground. Nobody is charged with anything (ruining people’s cars, for instance) and nobody cares.
How very, utterly, desperately pathetic this situation is! I refuse to get my pants soaking wet up to my knees when I decide to cross the street, I refuse to get water up to my brain when I dive in a street pool, and I refuse to cramp someone’s style by spraying them with dirty wheel water when I pass them by. Moreover, I refuse to sheep-up about this.
Amman Municipality and everyone working in it — FIX OUR STREETS or by the devil, this time, someone will get hurt.
My Adoption Files
In Bits & pieces on February 13, 2008 at 8:49 pmSince I put myself up for adoption ten days ago, I received several offers and several emails concerning my Beddi Wasta post. Honestly, I was surprised I did not get anything of a suggestive Daddy nature, but what do you know, people can still surprise me after all. So as promised, I will publish some of the offers I got and I will comment on each one of them.
A thinks that I don’t really have to put myself up for adoption, and that a site called Qiran is a good place to advertise to change my family name.
I think: Hmmm…I’m never changing my family name.
Vincent sends the best offer EVER:
I’ve never wasted my wasta. My wasta value is, therefore, beyond counting.
Beyond numbers. Beyond mere human comprehension.The benefits of my wasta include:
-Flight.
-Super strength.
-Adamantium claws.
-X-ray vision.
-Mind control.
-Fabulous riches.
-Good looks.
-Keen wit.
-Space station.
-And more!
I think: You’re definitely a candidate.
Kinzi sends me another great, yet realistic, offer. “We have ‘Jones’ wasta, fly under much radar as we ignorantly by-pass ‘the rules’, and get the ‘American pass’ with regularity. Plus a platinum American Express card and a place on our Lufthansa frequent flier family package. I would have to say no to corset piercing, tho.”
I think: You’re fantastic! I will consider your offer seriously, but I just don’t know about the corset piercing. How about a tattoo? Is that OK? Please say yes?
Firas suggests I go for Angelina Jolie. He says that she’s my best shot adoption wise and wasta wise in Jordan.
I think: Very smart, but she’d probably swallow me if she gives me a mommy kiss. Besides, if Brad Pitt is going to be my foster father, I think we will be a very dysfunctional family, ehem.
Madas gives me solid advice on how to get by in Jordan. She says her secret is being herself and that’s all she needs to get wherever she wants.
I think: You’re probably a lot more charming and sociable than I am, Madas. I’m mean to people, not very popular. That’s why I need wasta. More power to you though! Girl power!
Anonymous thinks that I just don’t get it, and that I “need a wasta to get a good wasta.”
I think: Right on. I need another wasta, any volunteers? anyone?
Abdullah wants to be my foster brother if I find someone with wasta to adopt me.
I think: Dude, do your own wasta adoption process! I did all the hard work, complaining, begging, etc. Jeez.
And finally, a number of people sent me emails and they noted how nobody commented on that post. Their theory is that because I asked people for a favor, they freaked out and did not comment. Well, the thing is, I disabled comments after 12 hours of publishing that post because everyone was sending me offers and comments through the contact form I published. So it’s all good.
Since I remain undecided and greedy, I want to say that I am still up for adoption and I am being completely serious. I bet if I post a picture of the stuff in the hot pink paper I’d get loads of offers involving incest and other ewness, but I am not going to. I want you to want to adopt me for me, for who I am, but YOU have to be somebody with wasta. Otherwise, I am not playing.
There. I’m still up for grabs — virtually speaking.
I Heart Foamy
In T Play Box on February 13, 2008 at 4:07 pmAnother one of my quirky posts sharing unnecessary but possibly life-changing knowledge. You’ll thank me for this later.
Foamy is a grey squirrel that rants and raves and swears and makes me laugh every time I watch him. I love him and I want to marry him one day. He is the star of Neurotically Yours series by iLL WiLL PreSS. He is owned by a Goth Punk girl named Germaine.
I always watch Foamy ranting and raving whenever I am down, you’re gonna love him too:
ROFLING.
You can watch Foamy either on the official iLL WiLL PreSS site or over at YouTube.
That squirrel’s got some attitude.
Big Change
In Love, Personal on February 13, 2008 at 10:40 amLast night at around 9 PM, I got an SMS from my best friend Mai who’s now in Kuwait with her husband. She told me in all-capital letters: I AM PREGNANT!
We have been together since 7th grade. We’re the same age. We know each other better than sisters.
During college years, we used to hang out every single day, gossiping about the guys she went out with and the guys I went out with. I’d often advise her to dump hers and she would advise me to dump mine. We were kewl like that.
She was always the friendly one, I was the bitchy one.
She always laughed at my dirty jokes, and we always had grilled turkey sandwiches and pepsi every day.
She always covered my tracks, and saved my butt.
We got our ears pierced together. She got two new holes that day, I got six. A year later, she went again with me but did not get pierced again.
We did things I can’t list here because they will damage both our reputations. But they were loads of fun and I would do them again with her any day.
We wrote our names in the fresh concrete of a pavement on campus. They’re still there today.
We went shopping for belly dance costumes down town once. The shop owner hit on us in an icky way.
I couldn’t even blog before and after she got married. I was so lonely.
I had the best times of my life with her, and I love her very much.
And now she’s having a baby!
Knafeh in The Office
In Life on February 11, 2008 at 6:51 pmWe celebrated Egypt’s African Cup today at the office because we have an Egyptian colleague named Saeed. He’s such a sweet man and he was so very happy today that he even got us knafeh! He was like the king on the first day of Eid, receiving hearty congrats from everyone, in person or on the phone.
I just remembered that the Egyptian sports commentator who was talking during the whole of last night’s game really brought it to a new different level. He was so funny with his unintentional cute Egyptian humor that the game was twice as fun.
بص أبو تريكة ابتسامته عاملة إزاي
أبو تريكة رجله كلها حركة
الكورة دي مش عاوزة تيجي خلاص
That really brought the game to life. Gold!
Jordanian Girls, Smoking Kills You and Spares the Boys
In Jordan, Opinion on February 11, 2008 at 10:44 amAl Rai has graced its e-pages with a fascinating mix of science,90’s Jordanian culture, sexism, and mere retardedness courtesy of a certain Rania Tadrus.
Tadrus has sort of put together an article about smoking women in Jordan and how they are no longer embarrassed by the fact that they smoke, how they smoke in public and how they flaunt this once-taboo behavior with complete freedom.
So far so good. But then the article proceeds to quoting the most ridiculous statements such as these:
وتوضح ان الانفتاح وتوجه الفتيات نحو الدخان -سواء كان سيجارة أو ارجلية – يعود الى التأثر بالثقافات الاخرى، ويرتبط بعلو الأصوات التي تنادي بتحرر المرأة، خصوصا في ظل ثورة المعلومات .
وتتابع التدخين أمام العائلة خارج وداخل المنزل بات مؤشرا لاتجاه المجتمع نحو قيم وعادات غريبة بعيدة عن ثقافتنا العربية .
and
ولأخطر من ذلك وفق الدكتورة أيوب أن نضوج الفتاة يكتمل عند سن 25 عاما، فإذا بدأت التدخين في سن مراهقة متأخر تكون النتيجة حسب الدراسات العلمية، حدوث مشاكل في نضوج ونمو الجزء الأمامي من الدماغ، الذي يتحكم بالتصرفات والسلوكيات ،وطبعا هذا يفسر التصرفات غير المقبولة منهن .
and
ويحذر من خطورة الارجلية على أجسام النساء ويصفها بأنها موضة آخذة في الانتشار على نطاق واسع رغم خطورتها بسبب احتوائها على الملونات والأصباغ في المعسل وعدم الاحتراق الكامل ما يعد احد اسباب السرطانات
and the worst bit
اما مديرة مجموعة لينا للإبداع التربوي/ برنامج مكافحة التدخين ماويا حمّاد فتفسر إقبال النساء على التدخين لأسباب أساسية أهمها غياب التشريعات والعقوبات الفعّالة ،وكذلك سهولة الحصول عليها من حيث البيع وتواجدها في كل محل تقريبا ، إضافة إلى غياب القدوة الحسنة فالام تدخن مع بناتها وكذلك الأب عندما يطلب من ابنته اعداد الارجلية له
To sum it up, it turns out that smoking is a Western habit that Jordanian women are picking up, it causes them to behave in unacceptable ways if they pick it up before 25, it is a problem that is directly related to the increasing awareness of women’s rights, Narguile is a dangerous trend that is infesting women’s bodies with diseases, AND according to Mawya Hammad women who smoke do so because there are no regulations enforced to prevent them and because they have ready access to cigarettes coupled with lack of guidance.
I felt like I am living in the Middle Ages after reading that article, or perhaps back in the times where clerics and philosophers pondered the question of The Woman and if she has a soul. To have an article written by a woman, and featured like that in a national newspaper, is a scandal to Jordanian journalism I believe.
If the article is about smoking women in Jordan, who represent a 19% segment of our feminine population, then it should be unbiased and unsexist to say the least. Unless, of course, it aims to bash this segment, which it basically does.
I am amazed at the absence of a single word mentioning Jordanian male smokers. What is the percentage of that segment, do you think? (my guess is 50%+) How come all the negativity is directed at female smokers (Western habits, unacceptable behavior, no regulations, no guidance, etc) ?
Granted, smoking is not good for your health. I don’t care if you are a woman or a man or a goat, it will kill you eventually. I just find it absurd that this article would so portray women as if they are children who have been let out by accident and who are picking bad habits in the absence of parental control.
If an article of the same genre was written about male smokers in Jordan, would it have mentioned that they “have ready access to cigarettes” and “lack of guidance” and that they have adopted it as awareness of men’s rights started to emerge in Jordan, and with the same tone of this article? I very much doubt it.
It upsets me that even articles that fall under the “raising awareness” genre stoop to such a low level of sexism in this country. The sheer amount of bashing women smokers not because they smoke but because they are women who smoke in our society is outrageous. These articles mix science with witchcraft, so to speak.
These articles do not raise awareness as much as they raise anger and a feeling of inferiority in women. Why else would they be signaled out like that and a supposedly scientific article would mention their taboo behavior and quote people who say they are breaking with Jordan’s culture and traditions? I daresay the amount of anger this article has produced in me might push me to burn a packet today.
Now where’s that awareness it was supposed to raise?
The Game
In Life on February 10, 2008 at 9:12 pmEgypt has just won over Cameroon and is now the Champion of African Football. Woohoo! I really enjoyed this game and Egypt deserved to win the African Cup of Nations. Now onward to the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. I so can’t wait!
As a plus, those Cameroon players were so very entirely hot. I have a huuuge crush on Rigobert Song now. I wish he would join Faisali as a pro and then I promise I will not miss any of their games, I will even camp in King Abdullah stadium.
I also love Drogba from Ivory Coast, although he didn’t feature in this game obviously, but he’s fine .
Black. 6 pack. Long hair. What’s there not to love? Maybe the color of his outfit, but in my world, clothing is optional.
Ehem. Bas mabrook ya masr!
Ain’t I a woman?
In Wonder Woman on February 9, 2008 at 4:49 pm“That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud puddles, or gives me any best place, and ain’t I a woman? … I have plowed, and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me — and ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man (when I could get it), and bear the lash as well — and ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children and seen most all sold off to slavery and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me — and ain’t I woman?”
- Sojourner Truth
To be a black woman in America in the 18th century meant being thrice disadvantaged: black, woman, slave. Still, Sojourner Truth was able to say these words and achieve a lot more throughout her life. Read more about her remarkable journey here.
Tawjihi Mom
In Life on February 8, 2008 at 12:01 pmTawjihi results came out earlier today, so my mother has been on the phone ever since asking about the results of a bunch of Tawjihi students in the family. From what I could hear, she was always disappointed at any grade less than 90 out of a 100. “Ah, ballah? 80? Mmm…yalla kwayyes kwayyes beshed 7eelo el fasl el jay.”
I gave her evil stares when she said that to the mothers of Tawjihi students. I don’t understand this need that many Jordanians have to butt in everyone’s business and evaluate their performance in school. I just don’t get it. If a person passes Tawjihi, they do so for their own good. If they don’t, it’s their bad. Why should everyone get involved and offer unnecessary advice to the mothers of these students?
Turkey Unbans Hijab
In Wonder Woman on February 7, 2008 at 9:18 pmHow did I miss this earlier today?
Turkey has unbanned veiled women from enrolling in public universities. What a victory for human rights!
I am ecstatic!
Hot Pink
In T Play Box on February 7, 2008 at 2:01 pm
My new key chain after yesterday’s little incident.
Medical Doomsday
In Jordan, Salon on February 7, 2008 at 10:46 amAn important milestone in Jordan’s medical history occurred yesterday. The father of a kid called Mutasem won a malpractice suit which he filed in 1999, after his son was put under the knife for hernia repair in a public hospital and emerged with a damaged-dead penis. The amount of the compensation was the biggest in Jordan’s medical history: 281,000 JD. The name of the doctor who operated on the kid was undisclosed.
I say good for Jordan. We can’t always boast about our medical expertise and about the quality of services we provide to Jordanians and Arabs alike, although most of this talk is valid only for private or military hospitals. We have to acknowledge our mistakes and when we do that, we will have credibility and we will be responsible for improving this important sector.
When my late aunt was rushed to a public hospital in Zarqa, she was still alive. Her good neighbor who was with her told me that she was still alive but the medics/nurses at the hospital were so slow in attending to her, and she eventually passed away. Thinking that she could have still been with us today had they reacted quicker is painful, to say the least.
An interesting bit in the article I linked to says that in Jordan we do NOT have a clear “medical responsibility” law, which means that the errors made since the dawn of medical practice in Jordan have gone mostly unaccounted for, the patients or their families have not been compensated, and no legal action was taken against the doctors or nurses.
وأوضح الحديدي أن قانون المسؤولية الطبية موجود على السطح ويحتاج للتوافق بين نقابة الأطباء ووزارة الصحة والمستشفيات الخاصة والجهات التي تمثل المريض ومنظمات المجتمع المدني لوضع قانون يضمن المساءلة الطبية للطبيب وضمان حقوق المريض بصورة عادلة وغير جائرة لأي طرف منهم.
وبين الحديدي أن غياب هذا القانون وعدم البت فيه منذ عام 2003 سيخلق فوضى في الاتجاهين أي اتجاه تزايد الأخطاء الطبية من جهة وتغول التعويضات في حال عدم إيجاد سقف وحد لها من جهة ثانيةن لتكون في حدود المنطق والمعقول وهذا سيحدث في حال غياب التشريع الواضح للأخطاء الطبية
Another interesting bit in the article is where it says that it is upon the patient to prove a medical error existed in their treatment. Very well, but in the case I cited above, it took the man NINE years to prove that a hernia surgery left his son basically incompetent. How is it possible that a case would take that long when the damage is so severe and so obvious? Also, there were many many cases where doctors left towels or scissors inside patients’ guts. How would the patient know unless they get sick and get opened up again?
Additionally, most patients who resort to public hospitals probably cannot afford to hire lawyers or to get legal assistance to prove that there have been medical complications beyond the scope of their treatment. I suppose that when they feel that they have been treated unjustly, some of them, or their families, resort to violence and beat up the doctors or nurses. Then we make a big fuss about it.
Busted
In Personal on February 6, 2008 at 3:37 pmI was away this morning.
Act I
9:00 AM: Mother wants to get a present we hid in my bags’ closet, to wrap it.
9:05 AM: Mother notices how disorganized and cluttered the closet is. There’s even a cats poster inside, a teddy bear called Kareem, blue bear, Animal from The Muppet Show, an old typewriter, papers in Hebrew, and possibly rodents.
9:06 AM: Mother decides that this can’t be allowed. “Must.put.closet.in.order” — she thinks.
9:08 AM: Mother is having the best time of her life. All bags are out, the poster is out, the typewriter, the papers, no rodents.
9:09 AM: Mother thinks “Oh, but what is this bulk of hot pink paper with some objects inside it? mmm!“
9:10 AM: Mother peels the hot pink paper away to see what’s inside.
9:11 AM: Mother throws the stuff away and shouts “Lord have mercy! My little girl has gone astray! Oh My God!“
9:12 AM: Mother tries to think clearly amidst her shock. “Where did she get that from? Why does she have it? WTF, dude?”
Act II
2:00 PM: I return home, put the ice cream I got in the freezer and head to my room.
2:05 PM: I take off my jacket and empty my bag. I decide I want to put the bag back in the closet where it belongs.
2:07 PM: I notice something strange has happened while I was gone. Just when did my closet become so tidy?
2:08 PM: OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD.
2:09 PM: Nooo! Say it isn’t so! No, please!
2:10 PM: Maybe I didn’t hide the stuff here. Maybe in my other closet.
2:11 PM: I start to frantically grab and grope every bag in the closet searching for the stuff.
2:12 PM: I see the bundle of hot pink paper under some bags. She must have found it.
2:13 PM: Oops!
I am eternally busted. It’s not fun.
Picturesque Biblical Teachings
In Mythology on February 5, 2008 at 12:39 pmA certain Clarence Larkin, a Baptist pastor in the early 1900s, created charts to visually explain some biblical teachings to the faithful. To take a look at these charts, click here.
It is very fitting that I should come across these charts now, as I am currently reading Dante’s Inferno (thanks, Hala) and the drawings of the Inferno have been very helpful in explaining the various cantos. If I am going to hell, it pays to know the address beforehand.
فلس الأعلاف في الإعلام الأردني
In Jordan, عربي on February 5, 2008 at 10:51 amإلى الآن لم نسمع أي اعتراضات من وجهاء الإعلام الأردني على ما يسمى بفلس الأعلاف(ضريبة فلس واحد على كل دقيقة خلوي تستخدم لدعم قطاع
الأعلاف و الثروة الحيوانية في الأردن) كما اقترحه مجلس النواب, إلا ما كتبه أحمد الزعبي في جريدة الرأي اليوم
(تفضّلوا على كيس المعازيب): عبارة تقال عندما يتكارم الضيف فيدعو ضيفاً آخر على مائدة المعزّب..
ويبدو أن هذه العبارة لم تعد مقتصرة على دعوات الطعام فحسب، بل تجاوزتها إلى دعوات (الضرائب) أيضاً، فقد قيلت هذه العبارة بصيغة مشابهة في جلسة مجلس النوّاب ليوم أمس الاثنين عندما تقدّم أكثر من أربعين نائباً بمشروع ضريبة جديدة يدعى: ” فلس الأعلاف”..مطالبين من خلال هذا المشروع بفرض فلس إضافي على كل دقيقة مكالمة من هاتف ارضي أو خلوي لدعم مربي الماشية والأعلاف، تخصم مباشرة من رصيد المشترك أو تضاف إلى فاتورته الشهرية..
السؤال الآن، إذا كان السادة النواب أصحاب مبادرة، وقلبهم يتقطّع فعلاً على (وضع الماشية) و(يؤرّقهم) جداً غلاء الأعلاف، لماذا لا يطالبون بخصم هذا الفلس عن كل دقيقة تدخل في حساب شركات الخلوي والاتصالات، لا من رصيد المشترك نفسه؟؟..اقصد لماذا يتحمل المشترك هذا (الفلس) من رصيده لماذا لا تتحمّله شركات الخلوي من أرباحها من كل دقيقة؟.. ونحن نعرف أن أرباح الشركات تتجاوز ال500 مليون دينار سنوياً..لماذا درتم قرص الضريبة على المواطن الغلبان و(المعزّب) الفقير..
يا أصحاب السعادة إذا أردتم أن تتكارموا فتكارموا من كيسكم انتم ومن كيس” شركات” الخلوي،وليس على حساب المشترك المسكين..يكفيه انه يدفع دينار الجامعات ودينار التلفزيون وفلس الريف،وضريبة المبيعات ..يكفيه أنه يتحمل كل هذه الأعباء رجاء (شوفوا حدا غيره)..بالمختصر اعتبرونا شعباً ”نباتياً”مكون من خمسة ملايين مواطن” بقولي”، نكره اللحمة ولا نطيق ريحتها ولا نريدها أن ترخص ما حيينا (بسّ حلّوا عنّا)..
***
منذ اللحظة حطّيت عقلي بعقل الخروف وأغلقت جميع هواتفي الخلوية والأرضية..سنرى من ”سيباعي ويماعي” أولاً ؟..
سترون، نكاية به..سألوّعه جوعاً، وأرهقه ذهاباً وإياباً ..في كل مرة ”أرنّ وأسكّر” فيها ..
…
تدوينات ذات علاقة: Al Muwaten Al Kharoof: Shut Up
هناك أيضاً تصويت في موقع جريدة الدستور:
هل توافق على فرض ضريبة جديدة لدعم الثروة الحيوانية ؟.
نعم : 11.13% (55)
لا : 85.83% (424)
لا أدري : 3.04% (15)
المجموع الكلي #: 494
من : 04/02/2008 الى : 12/02/2008
سؤالي:أنا مواطنة, و المواطن خروف, و الخروف حيوان. هل أستطيع الانتماء إلى قطاع الثروة الحيوانية حتى أحصل على بعض الدعم؟
Beddi Wasta
In Jordan, Life on February 4, 2008 at 7:46 pmI want wasta.
I am plagued with a father who does not like wasta nor is he willing to pull any strings whatsoever for whoever’s sake. I do not know what radiation he was subjected to to turn into this mutant. I cannot move on with life unless I have this crucial wasta (connections), and I am tired, so tired, of doing things the right way. You never get anywhere in this country when you do things the right way.
I am sick of anti-wasta rhetoric, including mine. Anti-wasta campaigns will never work in Jordan because we are born with a wasta gene called family name. I do not care if nobody believes me, but that is what I think. Our society is so full of wasta crap that we cannot wake up and smell the shit. At least not before a long, long time has passed and we are all nuked and another generation in another time lives on this piece of land.
I cannot bear this helplessness that I feel any longer, therefore, I am putting myself up for adoption. I will only be adopted by the best wasta-holding person that applies. If you are a person with a wasta, please write your wasta value and benefits down here. I will review all entries and publish some in the coming few days.
Once You Go Black: Racism in Jordan
In Culture Arabia, Jordan on February 4, 2008 at 10:28 amI have an African-American friend who spent a year in Amman studying Arabic. When I first got to know him, he gave me a list of all the things he hated about Jordan. The most prominent item on his list was racism.
I used to think that Jordanians are generally not racist, that we accept people regardless of their skin color, and that we do not discriminate based on that. But my friend’s list was an eye-opener to me, because it showed me what a black person actually felt while being in Jordan. You can’t know these things unless you are in someone’s shoes like that, as a non-Black person you are not sensitive to them because you simply don’t have to face them.
My friend told me he had never been so conscious of his skin color, of being “black,” as much as when he was in Jordan. He told me stories about random guys calling him “Abu Samra” and laughing, about people’s insistence that he was not from the U.S.A but from somewhere else “originally.” No really, originally, where are you from? — that’s what they used to ask him.
I was really shocked, especially when he mentioned that most Jordanians counter-attacked any critique of their country with a “but America brought blacks from Africa and made them slaves!.” I can imagine that it was as if my friend’s being black was the be-all and end-all of his humanity. That was how people defined him.
I find black people beautiful. My best friends in kindergarten were black orphans. Their names were Ward (boy) and Gulnar (girl). Perhaps because I interacted with black people at such an early age that I have developed a profound liking for them.
When I was younger, I kept telling my mother that I want to marry a black man. She usually dismissed the idea, like she did with plenty of my unusual whims. But at one point, it got serious and she got serious. She found it unacceptable that I would even think it possible for me to be with a black man.
My father joined my mother’s side, and I just could not understand why they had that attitude. So I kept harassing them with religious quotes and whatnot about equality, but they weren’t very affected. I knew I would not end up with a black man (because, how many black men are there in Jordan? 5?), but the idea so outraged me that I mentioned my fantasy to them whenever I got the chance just to prove they did not act out what they believed.
I think the situation in Jordan is similar. You have people telling you they do not discriminate, but their behaviors show the opposite. Read the following excerpts from an article about adoption in Jordan in Al Rai:
واشارت ان هناك فئات من الاطفال لا تقبل الاسر الاردنية على احتضانهم ويكونون بالعادة يعانون من امراض معينة تحتاج لعلاج او اعاقات معينة نتيجة الظروف التي وضعوا فيها اضافة الى الاطفال ذوي البشرة السوداء الذين ان لم تحتضنهم الاسر – غير العربية – فانهم سيبقون طوال عمرهم بالمؤسسات .
…
وهؤلاء الاطفال الذين لم يتم احتضانهم سيبقون في مؤسسات الرعاية الاجتماعية طوال عمرهم ، اذ ان الاسر العربية تميل الى احتضان الاطفال حديثي الولادة والذين لا يعانون من اية مشاكل إضافة إلى اختيارهم الأطفال ذوي البشرة البيضاء .
If you can’t read Arabic, the quotes say that Arab families that want to adopt Jordanian babies refrain from adopting black children and prefer to adopt whites. On the contrary, foreign families do not mind adopting black Jordanian children, or those with “problems.”
If that is not racism, I don’t know what is! I was heartbroken just by reading that. The irony in the situation is that these families probably cannot have children of their own, and YET they discriminate against children based on their skin color. These families would rather wait than readily adopt a black child. If not lucky enough to be picked up by foreign families, black children remain in government-operated, impersonal foster homes until they reach adulthood.
I just wonder who could be so evil, so low, as to be racist to a child. Now I ask you: How could people who so desperately want to love a child be picky about skin color? How could they break a child’s heart? No wonder Ward and Gulnar were orphans. Do you think they didn’t know why they were not adopted?
Al Muwaten Al Kharoof: Shut Up
In Jordan on February 3, 2008 at 2:10 pmOur distinguished parliament has suggested a new brilliant idea to shut us all up. They want to impose a one fils tax on each minute of cellular phone conversation, regardless of the destination of the call.
واقترحت “قانونية النواب” من اجل تحقيق موارد مالية للصندوق فرض اقتطاعات جديدة على فاتورة الهواتف الخليوية بواقع فلس واحد على كل دقيقة من كل مكالمة هاتفية داخلية أو خارجية أو أرضية، وفلسين اثنين مما كان يسمى فلس الريف والذي تحصله شركات الكهرباء العاملة في المملكة من المشتركين على أن يبقى الفلس الثالث الذي تحصله هذه الشركات مخصصا لكهرباء الريف
I was just thinking this morning about our telecom bliss in Jordan, and how we have five independent telecommunications companies and how we can make phone calls for reasonable money and talk to each other through reliable networks, even if we are hungry and cold.
After the government enforced a law to collect one JD annually from each and every phone line in the country (fixed and cellular) to support public universities, now we are faced with an ADDITIONAL tax on our airtime. And for what?
To provide the government with finances to support the ambiguous, still-in-the-works “Fund for Animal Protection.” What is that anyway? What’s even worse is that the resourceful, new parliament House of Representatives has suggested this tax idea!
This is the same government which has so far failed in generating money from sustainable projects, has liberalized our markets thus causing major price increases, has NOT provided sufficient and adequate alternatives for Jordanians to lead decent lives, has slapped public sector employees with a, what?, 50 JD raise in the face of the tremendous inflation, and has not intervened yet to assist the poor lot in the private sector.
This is the government which sees you, 3azeezi al muwaten, as its prime, Grade A, kharoof with a belly full of money. After starving you and leaving you in the cold, now the government is about to tell you to SHUT UP. In the coming few years, you will not be able to even afford complaining on the phone about gas and food prices.
What is that I hear? Ah, the Silence of the Lambs.
A Secular, Anti-Hijab Turkey?
In Opinion on February 3, 2008 at 10:43 amThousands of Turks marched towards Ataturk’s grave protesting a law draft that permits veiled Muslim girls to attend Turkish universities and colleges. The news is in English over here.
If I were in Turkey, I would not have marched with them. For a country to be truly respectful of human rights, and to be secular, it must not interfere with the religious practices of its people. Granted, the laws governing their lives should not stem from any particular religion or enforce religious doctrine, but to prevent someone from wearing a veil to school? To destroy a person’s educational prospects just because she chooses, or is forced to, cover her hair? That is the epitome of discrimination.
Let the girls in universities, Turkey! You can’t force them to discard their beliefs to get an education! Don’t become another right-wing France!
Perhaps the angry protesters fear the rise of political Islam in their country, and see that allowing veiled woman into universities will help spread it. But, news flash, Turkey is 99% Muslim! Obviously not every person tagged as Muslim is an actual one, but the situation in Turkey is ridiculous if only for this percentage.
I have long been amazed at the sheer discrimination, the phobia, many people have towards veiled women. I see that everyday through my experiences both as a veiled and a “sufoor” young woman in Jordan. Why doesn’t the world want to accept veiled women for who they are? Why not interact with them like normal human beings instead of looking down upon them as inferior, caged slaves? Read more about discrimination against veiled women here and also here.
This issue really upsets me beyond words.
Atheist Marriages in Jordan
In Jordan, Salon on February 2, 2008 at 11:37 amHow do atheists get married in Jordan?
I ask because my information on the subject is minimal. Supposing two atheist people want to get married, how do they go about doing it in a country where your birth religion is inscribed in every document, identification material, and any other formal piece of paper you may acquire during your life?
Obviously, Jordanian law does not allow for the choice “Religion: none,” so if that is the case, does it stretch to allow for a form of legal binding between two people who have no religion?
