Category: Analogue life
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“Jihadist” violence. Fascist violence. No difference.
The Jordanian state, media and large part of public opinion are loudly condemning the violence that happened in Zarqa last Friday. Of course, many people are extra nervous because the people who demonstrated in Zarqa belong to an ultra-fundamentalist group. Some call them Salafists. Some call them Takfirists or Jihadists. Whatever. These are scary guys…
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Who will be Jordan’s entrepreneur of the year?
I get contacted by PR agencies quite often to plug product launches and stuff like that for 360east, and I usually decline, unless its something that really interests me. So here is one of those We’ve all been engulfed in the news of political change that is sweeping the region this year. But you know…
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19 things we have gained/learned already in the struggle for reform in Jordan
1. Jordanians have been forced to be interested in politics and public affairs. It’s Politics 101 for many young Jordanians. (Question from a young colleague at the office: “Ahmad.. What is a ‘Leftist’ party?”) 2. Students, workers and other groups suddenly have a voice after years and years of not being heard. Political organizations reflecting…
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Jordan’s choice: democracy & unity, vs. fascist thuggery
Two photos from the last 2 days in Jordan. You choose what Jordan you want to live in.. The youth of the March 24 movement. (via 7iber) The so-called “loyalists” with knifes. Am I over-simplifying here? Aren’t there a million shades of grey between these two pictures? At a very basic level, the choice is…
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Egypt’s Revolution. My Revolution.
I’ve been glued to Twitter for the past 16 days. Too many thought racing through my head to think clearly. A total emotional roller-coaster. My generation’s first revolution! All that I can think of right now is that everything in this region, in our lives, need to be rethought. I am part of the 1989…
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Can 1 million Jordanians stand up for dignity, solidarity and societal peace?
I am no politician and neither do I have an ambition to become one. But I am becoming, despite my optimistic nature, a politically worried Jordanian citizen. Almost everyday there is news in Jordan about this tribe bashing that tribe, about fights between students in universities, about security forces having to intervene in this city…
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Why think of a graduation project when you can buy one?
This is a real ad and a real page from Facebook, blatantly advertising “graduation project” ideas in the fields of electronics and communications engineering. It’s apparently a business in Irbid, which makes sense given its close the the Jordan University of Science and Technology. “We spare you the effort of your graduation project,” says the…
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Amman memories: a teenager and a bookstore
I’ve been noticing that as I grow older, I’ve been generally thinking more about the people, places and events that made me who I am today. Maybe its the nostalgia that comes with age, although I do not consider myself nostalgic at all. I am also aware that looking at these things in retrospect might…
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Amman the FFilm: a font, a city, and a piece of my life..
From a message I sent Yanone, the designer of the FF Amman typeface after watching a preview of this film he created. “Ok.. I just watched the entire film. On my iPad.. The film had a strange effect on me. Somehow it encapsulated my career and life for the last 10 years. It’s not just…
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Elections 2010: political bankruptcy of Jordanian society?
Cartoon by Omar Abdallat / 3alarasi.com (Candidate before and after Photoshop) Take a quick drive through Amman’s 3rd electoral district, spanning from the extremely affluent Abdoun to the poor neighborhoods around Amman downtown, and supposedly the most “urban” part of the Kingdom. Just a couple of days after the deadline for candidacy for the next…
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Arabic children books (again): force feeding your kids trash
Back to one of my favorite things to rant about. Arabic children books. I’ve been helping out a little with teaching my 2nd grade kid with Arabic reading. Now don’t get me started about the official curriculum for Jordanian second graders. But I will say this much: the design is horrible. And I’ve been comparing…
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Jordan’s Universities: watching as we destroy our future
I am the product of the Jordanian educational system in the late 1970s, 80’s and early 1990s. Not everything I learned came from the schools I attended, of course. There is family, friends, private reading and travel. But I can still can confidently say that I got an adequate education, with moments of great education.…