Month: July 2008
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Muhannad and Noor and the fate of the Arab Nation!
If the poor Ottomans only knew! They could have controlled the Arab lands till this day with just a bunch of dubbed soap operas. But, as history would have it, the world didn’t have satellite TV 100 years ago. Armies, railways and other such “hardware” was still necessary back then. But the Turks are back.…
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Design by committee can kill
What happens when corporate committees start “art directing”.. Read these related posts on 360east: A parliament that wants to jail journalists Are we tall or what The King’s letter: taxation, poverty and energy Impressive names (like Bruce Mau) at the upcoming Tasmeem Doha design conference Jordanians are fat-eating, smoking couch potatoes..
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How “Necessary” is it for an “online” shopping business to have a website?
Tucked away in one of the harder to notice alleys of Zara Center in Amman, I found the poster above and the shop it advertised: Unnecessary Necessity (say that 10 times quickly and win a 360east car sticker).. The poster caught my eye. I mean who wouldn’t wish King Kong is unleashed onto the top…
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live blogging from a blogger’s wedding!
i am at roba and musa’s wedding. While everyone is dancing to arabo-pop beats i am siting at the far end of the party live blogging. Just to prove a point. Congratulations! UPDATE: I just came home past midnight. And here’s a photo I took
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Say goodbye to the ‘Factory of Smoke’. Say hello to Amman’s Opera House
This would make a great anti-smoking campaign. “Sing and dance instead of sucking on that cigarette”. The Tobacco Factory (or ‘Masna’ al-Dukhan’, Arabic: the Factory of Smoke), one of Amman’s old industrial landmarks is being demolished these days. In its place, the Amman municipality will build Darat King Abdullah II, a very ambitious project that…
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Amman’s first Arabic typo facade
Deconstructivist architecture meets modern Arabic typography in this facade of a new restaurant that will open on Amman’s Mecca street! This building has caught my attention for the first time some months ago, as I saw its “haphazardly” placed metal columns being erected. But it was a real surprise around a week ago to see…
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Two faces of Ammani villa architecture
The contrast cannot be greater. Two villas on the western edge of Amman. Two totally different styles of architecture. I say “styles” because both are rather large houses and share the same rural-urban setting that is typically Amman, where, since the 1970’s the western part of the city has been exploding further westwards, engulfing villages…
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Revenge of a blogger
The blog posts have been piling up in my brain. The potentially bloggable photos have been crowding my camera phone. It’s been 10 days since my last blog post and my “inner blogger” is about to explode. So tonight he will get his revenge! Prepare for a 360east BLOG EXPLOSION. TOOOONIIIIIIIIIGHT! Read these related posts…
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Hello ‘West Amman”: the biggest mall is in East Amman
Now this is an interesting ad. Beituna, an investment company is announcing that the biggest, already constructed mall and commercial center is it’s own Beituna City on Yarmouk Street, beyond Al Wihdat refugee camp. What’s more, the ad says: Seven minutes from 4th Circle with no traffic lights. Wow. The new highway that connects Jabal…
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Japan’s zero waste town: recycle everything!
The people of this Japanese town have to compost all their food waste and sort their trash into 34 different bins (see below) at their community’s “zero waste” center. No joking around with trash. Check out the BBC video. I don’t want to even start thinking about what we do in Jordan with trash. It’s…
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What? No iTunes Music store for Jordan?!
This is so disappointing. Although Jordan is one of only 3 Arab countries who will, later this year, get the iPhone officially, Jordan did not make onto the long list of new countries who yesterday got access to the iTunes music store. In the Arab world, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon where…
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The most beautiful interview: Lennon and the teenage kid with a tape recorder
Almost 40 years ago, a 14 year old Beatles fan snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room with a tape recorder. He convinced the star to do an interview about peace. Now, Lennon’s words come alive again in this amazing short film. Read these related posts on 360east: Cross cultural: The wonders of Tabla and a…