ArabianMonkeyTales

البحث عن الشرف

2009-11-04T11:32:00.005+02:00

نتيجة البحث لـ

جرائم الشرف

في الغد هذا الصباح

في قسم الاخبار: 8379

في قسم افكار ومواقف: 621

لا شرف في الجريمة هي حركة لاستنباط العدالة

نحن نؤمن بأن الافعال يجب ان تسمى باسمها

الجريمة هي جريمة والقتل هو قتل للنفس البشرية

نحن نؤمن بأن الأفعال يجب أن تحاسب على قدرها

الجريمة يجب أن تعاقب كجريمة والقتل كالقتل

لا شرف في الجريمة هي حركة تسعى للحقيقة ،

لأن الحقيقة هي أشرف مطلب إنساني .

ميثاقنا

Questions to media workers, bloggers and communicators

2009-10-27T19:03:00.002+02:00

Are you a media worker? And/or do you use any media for advocating/communicating on issues important to you?

I am developing a discussion session on women’s rights and the role of communication & media, and in preparation for it would like to know how you are using media for gender related content if you're an advocate for anything that matters to you.

Note: the term media in this context refers to traditional as well as social media and blogging.

What are you doing to keep your conversation alive?

For example....

If you blog, what issues are important to you and how is the conversation growing through blogging and what action is impacted?

If you're a filmmaker, do you use film to tackle certain social issues that matter to you, whether in fiction or doc?

If you advocate for women's rights, how are you using media?

If you're advocating against crimes in the name of honor, how how are you using media?

If you are working on creating awareness within society about the rule of law, how are you using media?

If you're working on generating a conversation about women's financial rights, how are you using media?

If you're advocating for legal changes that impact women, how are you using media?

If you're passionate about education and are leading a conversation around the topic, and it includes/impacts gender issues, how are you using media?

If you believe sex education is deficient in our curricula and you have a point of view on that, how are you communicating your thoughts and/or engaging others in the dialog?

If you are bothered by general harassment in the street while walking around your city, how are you using media?

If you're running for elections in a union, parliament, etc - how are you using media?

If you have something to say about the female quota, how how are you using media?

Anything you're willing to share about issues that matter to you and the media you're using would be great - whether within the above areas or something totally different. Share any questions and/or concerns you have about what is covered/not covered in the media which you believe should be.

Thanks a mil for taking the time to share your thoughts and work.

(also posted on UrdunMubdi3)

What I want from my teachers

2009-10-22T08:13:00.004+02:00

Educators need to go back to school to change the way they think about learning. As facilitators into the world of discovery for their students, educators must relearn how to learn in today's world and must become masters at the tools at hand so that they can become true facilitators.

For Jordan, perhaps for every 3 years of teaching, an educator should take a semester off to go catch up on some learning and open new areas in their brains to empower them to become enlightening, enabling agents for their students. One of the most frustrating things is someone who has been teaching for many years, certified, and is arrogant about new learnings... mainly due to fear, and consequently refuses to listen to what kids are aching for and instead believes that as an educator s/he knows what's good for the students and what they need to be learning. Now more than ever, educating is about listening more than it is about telling. To do that well we need some DNA reengineering.

On another level, many educators are parents, they have kids similar to those in their classrooms at home. I know some who are very double standard. They claim they know better and say they are good educators, but when it comes to their own kids, they allow themselves to get caught up in bad practices like pulling little favors with other teachers so that a daughter is excused from not delivering on time, or a favor to skew a grade compensating for a son's bad performance. But when approached by another parent about a kid in his class, same teacher takes a firm stand and doesn't accept the parent's requests. IMHO, these are the worst kind of educators coz they are not true to their trade. They do not believe in the code of their profession, therefore unconvincing to most kids and what happens is that everyone just goes thru the motions without deep thought, observation, evaluation and continuous self learning, building numbness, dullness and killing the appetite for learning.

I believe it's too simplistic to only call for educators to be facilitators coz the world we are shaping today is a facilitator culture by virtue of being connected to whoever we feel we can learn from if we so choose. Now more than ever facilitators to knowledge and opportunity are abundant. They are not necessary part of formal academia. They are reaching out and making themselves accessible. They are setting up solutions to reach out to kids and communities in new ways, they are using their experiences to give back and extend opportunity to others. They are generous in sharing what was once viewed as exclusive, proprietary and precious, free. The new DNA we need is being formed here and there and is only going to get contagious in amazing ways.

Specifically to Jordan,

1. Teachers should be required to take a semester off (or summer) every three years to upgrade their learning.

2. We should create a countrywide teacher exchange program - get educators out of their comfort zone. This should also be taken further to create an international exchange program to expose teachers to other environments.

3. We should design a teacher-becomes-student program where a teacher is required to take a class as a student in another teacher's class of a similar level s/he teaches. ie. 7th grade teacher enrolls in a class as a student in another 7th grade teacher's class - this gets them to change their vantage point and will teach them to listen and observe better so as to restructure their own approach.

4. We should ensure every educator in Jordan has a laptop connected to the internet, and knows how to use it, uses web 2.0 for education and is engaged in an online activity or program with other educators, as well as students.

5. Video document classes and share them with the school and put them online - useful to empower the good ones to keep doing better and the bad ones to either shape up or get out of the way.

madrasati 2.0 :)

Orange - not fresh, not juicy and so not connected!

2009-09-07T16:57:00.012+02:00

I spent 5 hours today in a building with 400+ people whose core business is communication. The Orange internet connection was down. I finally found a window to eject, but I have whiplash from the paralysis during those hours.

This Black Iris blog speaks for many.

I've liked the Orange brand for years, way before Jordan went Orange. And now Orange Jordan is just killing it all for me! Because of your rep, I've avoided subscribing to your Internet service, and only suffer your outage when not on my turf. The damage caused is way beyond!

What does it take for a fantastic global brand to deliver outstanding to 6 million people who hang around 92,300 km²? How can you not get it right?

Yahoo! Maktoob. Remarkable.

2009-08-25T11:09:00.003+02:00

Yahoo! and Maktoob acquisition announced.
What's next?
Maktoob founder launches tech firm.

At a time when our economy and general attitudes have been in a low lull, this industry news is just what the world needs. Solid endorsement of potential in the region, of growth prospects, and talent. Opens new possibilities for online & multiplatform business - a playground for content creators and applications designers :) Online advertising will evolve in format and grow significantly over the coming two years. New business opportunities for anyone interested in the zone. This is a very needed demo of confidence in the industry - the creative industry. The industry built on and nurtured by people, their talent and remarkable skill, and that which they create. Our most interesting and important natural resource. continue reading blog on UrdunMubdi3

To Kill in the Name of Honour

2009-07-17T06:14:00.011+02:00

Browsing through the shelves at Readers a couple days ago, I found a very important book that weaves a fictional account of the killing of Leen by her brother Ali. The story is led by Jude, the lawyer and activist who relentlessly tracks the appalling details of a case that reveals victims of others and their own culture, and the honor that shames societies.

To Kill in the Name of Honour is told from the brave point of view of Jordanian teenage writer, Shirin Mired. Shirin's engaging storytelling is filled with honest insight about the painful and confusing issue of crimes committed in the name of honor, the challenges our society faces, and the need for an entire nation to rise and take a stand against crimes that mar a culture and its people.

Shirin's remarkable effort is a call to action towards the goal of reminding ourselves and each other what the fabric of honor in humanity truly is, and to work towards the transformation of this deeply ingrained cultural mindset. A crime is a crime, there's no honor in that.

From the book jacket:

To Kill in the Name of Honour is a shocking expose of the practice of honour killing, which illustrates the human and emotional costs of such traditions for victims and perpetrators alike.

Shirin Mired was born in Amman, Jordan in 1993. She is a student in the Amman Baccalaureate School and, at the time of writing To Kill in the Name of Honour, is in grade ten. She has a keen interest in social causes, is outspoken among her peers and hopes to make a difference in the future.

In Amman available at Readers/Cozmo.
ISBN 978-9957-406-82-0

Take time to pick up and read Shirin Mired's book. Then ask yourself and others to define honor. It's a conversation that needs to grow, get loud and unstoppable until we achieve the mindset shift for an entire culture to regain the true meaning of honor. It's our right.

Still having a cultural giggle!

2009-07-10T18:22:00.005+02:00

Jordan Festival has a 2008 billboard still up on the Jordanian-Syrian border.
The date on posters for the RUM concert at the Roman Theatre is wrong - it's NOT the 17th, it's Wednesday the 15th.
And I just clicked on their website and got this:
We all make mistakes and things do get messed up - that's life.
But the level of sloppiness the Ministry of Culture seems to embody is record breaking!

LMTO...

In name of the culture - do you English speak?

2009-07-07T12:45:00.006+02:00

I guess the Min of Culture has recently discovered some free online translating tool!

If you're not going to bother to get a speaker of the language to write it, why do you feel obliged to run an ad in English?

When the JordanTimes, our English daily, received this ad and booking order, didn't they feel some kind of responsibility to advise the Min of Culture against running it as is... and perhaps even offer help through a copywriter?! Yes pro bono!

How did this pass through everyone along the food chain and actually make it to print?

Absolutely ridiculous! What a joke!

Click on the pic for a clearer view and a good laugh! Careful not to hurt yourself!

Not my Jordan! اخجل ان اكون اردنية

2009-07-03T14:30:00.005+02:00

لا أدري عن حقيقة هذا الخبر في القدس العربي اليوم! يا مسؤولين في الأردن...الرجاء التوضيح. إن كان الخبر خطأ - يجب تصحيحه بسرعة. وإن كان صحيح، فأمامنا شغل كثير وجاد لتعديل هذا الخطأ الفاجع

عمان ـ 'القدس العربي'- من بسام البدارين:

قائمة ضحايا سحب الجنسيات في الاردن تشمل احد اشهر الجراحين وزوجات صحافيين وكتاب وابن وزيرة سابقة في الحكومة وابناء متقاعدين عسكريين وناشر صحافي اضافة لمئات العائلات البسيطة.
الجراح الوحيد في المملكة المتخصص في اورام الحنجرة والرقبة الدكتور احمد الجزار بين الذين سحبت ارقامهم الوطنية بموجب تعليمات لا زالت سرية تحمل اسم فك الارتباط، والجزار يستعد للمغادرة الى كندا بعد ان فقد الامل في استعادة رقمه الوطني.
ورغم ان الجزار يرفض التحدث عن الامر الا ان جراحين كبارا في المملكة بينهم الدكتور جهاد البرغوثي يحاولون التوسط له على امل مساعدتهم في اجراء جراحات نادرة تدر دخلا كبيرا على القطاع الطبي حتى يتمكن من تجديد رخصة عيادته في الجبل الذي يحمل اسم الملك الراحل حسين بن طلال وسط العاصمة عمان.
وقائمة الضحايا ضمت قبل سنوات في حادثة مشهورة نجل وزيرة الاعلام في الحكومة السابقة اسمى خضر قبل استدراك المسألة، كما ضمت زوجة الصحافي المعروف ناصر شديد مراسل 'بي .بي.سي' في عمان .
ولولا ارتفاع صوته لانضم ناشر صحافي يملك عدة مؤسسات في البلاد هو الدكتور زكريا الشيخ لقائمة الضحايا، حيث طلبت منه موظفة في ادارة الجوازات مراجعة ادارة تابعة لوزارة الداخلية لتثبيت جنسيته.
ومؤخرا اضطر مسؤول في الديوان الملكي التوسط بهدف ضمان عدم سحب الرقم الوطني لزوجة شقيقه العريس، كما قام وزير سابق ومهم بحمل اوراق رجل اعمال سحب الرقم الوطني من عائلته تحت عنوان تعزيز صمود الاهل في فلسطين.
ولا يزال الدكتور خليل ابو سليم وهو مثقف من ابناء مدينة السلط تزوج منذ 20 عاما من اردنية من اصل فلسطيني يصر على استعادة الارقام الوطنية لزوجته واثنين من اولاده رغم ان وزارة الداخلية تصر على ايفاد الزوجة والولدين للضفة الغربية بغرض التسجيل هناك قبل استعادة الارقام الوطنية بهدف 'دعم الصمود'. هذا الخيار رفضه ابو سليم بعد ان ظهر على شاشة 'بي .بي.سي' قائلا: اولادي اردنيون ولا اقبل غير ذلك.
واشار الكاتب الصحافي خالد محادين مجددا امس لآلاف الحالات التي يعرفها او يسمع عنها فيما تتحدث منظمات حقوق الانسان عن سجلات قوائم بالجملة تضم عائلات بأكملها.
وفي الوقت الذي اصبحت فيه هذه المسألة قضية رأي عام تطرحها وسائل الاعلام يصر وزير الداخلية نايف القاضي على ان قرارات سحب الرقم الوطني في معدلها الاعتيادي ويرفض اعتبارها سحبا للجنسية ويتحدث عن مؤامرة اسرائيلية تورط فيها من يطرحون هذه القضية.
لكن المواطن الذي سحبت جنسيته جمال عرابي نخلة يقترح على الوزير الاردني سحب السفير الاردني من تل ابيب ردا على المؤامرة الاسرائيلية قبل او مع سحب جنسيات اردنيين، مؤكدا ان جنسيته سحبت رغم انه لم يحمل يوما ايا من بطاقات الجسور وبدعوى وجوده قبل سنوات في الجزائر كمدرس، قائلا: سحب جواز سفري الدائم ومنحت بدلا منه المؤقت وكتب عليه اني اقيم في مدينة القدس التي لم ازرها في حياتي كما كتب اني احمل بطاقة خضراء وهذا لم يحصل اطلاقا. حالة اخرى طريفة خارج التعليمات واجهها صهرعرابي فارس محمد يوسف الذي قال لـ 'القدس العربي' ان جنسيته سحبت لسبب غريب وهو استخدام مطار العدو اللد في رحلة سفر الى فنزويلا عندما كان شابا وقرر زيارة ذويه هناك قبل ان يدفع الثمن جنسيته الاردنية.
ردا على الانتقادات التي طرحت في السياق ظهرت مقالات مؤخرا تمجد وزير الداخلية الذي ينفذ بدوره التعليمات ولا يصنعها.
وفي السياق قال امين عام وزارة الداخلية مخيمر ابو جاموس بان سحب الرقم الوطني مؤقت ولا ينتج عنه المساس بأي حقوق فردية، لكن المواطن درويش ابو درويش الذي سحب رقمه الوطني عرض لـ 'القدس العربي' مذكرة تبين الخسائر في مجال الحقوق ومن بينها منع العمل الخاص ومنع تجديد رخصة القيادة والحرمان من مدارس الحكومة وعيادات وزارة الصحة والتطعيم والحرمان من العمل لاحقا. المؤيدون لوزارة الداخلية وبينهم بعض النواب والصحافيين يستغربون الضجة المثارة حول ظاهرة سحب الجنسيات حيث استند الصحافي فهد الخيطان لارقام الوزارة في التحدث عن تجنيس اعداد اكبر من الاعداد التي سحبت منها ارقامها الوطنية فرد عليه محادين مذكرا بأن الحديث عن سحب الجنسيات وليس عن التجنيس. بالمقابل رأت نخب محسوبة على اركان الدولة والنظام ان المسألة تستحق البحث ومراجعة المؤسسات المركزية، خصوصا بعدما تحدث موظفون متقاعدون ومواطنون عن ترميزات توضع على جواز السفر يفهمها فقط اصحاب الامر وتحدد الوضع القانوني للمواطن. كل ذلك يحصل دون ان تقول الحكومة شيئا محددا، وفاقدو الارقام الوطنية يظهرون علنا مع كل مقال او متابعة للموضوع وملف القضية برمتها يدرس الآن في مؤسسة القصر الملكي وسط تطمينات عليا لشخصيات سياسية تقول بأن ما يجري لا علاقة له بقرار سياسي جديد.
المسألة ابعد من ذلك - يقول لـ 'القدس العربي' رئيس سابق للوزراء - ولها علاقة باطار علمي واحصائي يتفق مع نظرية داخل مرجعيات الدولة تتحدث عن التوازن الديمغرافي كضرورة للحفاظ على المصالح العليا في الدولة، ويضيف: المطلوب ان لا يحصل واقع ديمغرافي يفرض حلولا داخلية او خارجية تغير معادلة وتركيبة الحكم والدولة والنظام في الاردن، ويشرح: باعتقادي لذلك تراقب المسألة احصائيا وتشتد احيانا حالات سحب الجنسية وبرأيي ان الاخوة من اصل فلسطيني ينبعي ان يتفهموا ذلك.
هذا المنطق يرد عليه المدرس عرابي، ويقول: نحترم هذا الكلام لكن ما ذنبنا نحن كمواطنين؟.. واين نذهب؟ ولماذا لم يكن ذلك واردا عندما قاوم العرب ولادة الدولة الفلسطينية او عندما اندفع العقل الرسمي الاردني باتجاه وحدة الضفتين؟ متفقا مع ابو درويش برفض التحول لبدون في اطار حسابات الحكومة الاردنية وسلطة محمود عباس. بعد هذه الاسئلة - يقول عرابي -: لا يوجد مشكلة سأحمل ملوخياتي واذهب للجسر مع عائلتي لكن اتحدى النظام العربي الرسمي برمته ان يتمكن من اجبار اسرائيل على عبوري، فالاردن وطن يعيش فينا لا نعيش فيه، وفلسطين لا نستبدلها حتى بالجنة ومصيرنا واحد، وانا شخصيا لا ولن اقبل بالوضع الذي تريده وزارة الداخلية لي ولأسرتي

Update:
Conversation evolving here.
First hand story on personal incident here.

Another blog on Obama's Cairo speech

2009-06-05T16:47:00.011+02:00

Changing minds requires continuous conversations and a long chain of actions versus sporadic acts of charity. It's a diligent process that needs to focus on dignity, independence and inclusion versus dependence and exclusion.

The experience of Obama's Cairo speech was interesting. The content, I expected. He's an eloquent, intelligent, charming storyteller with sincere passion and values. I truly believe he's a good man. He's also got some amazing people around him as part of his communication team - among which are some great strategists and outstanding writers. Very admirable.

So what of Obama, Muslims, the Arab world, etc?

I really can't understand how we got here actually. How did the Arabs decide that they want to be a castrated race when it comes to their own issues? When did we agree that to be so pathetic and helpless is what we need to be? Where in history is the day we planned to become such dependent beggars? How do our own leaders keep getting away with spewing anesthesia in their public rhetoric?

I watched Obama's speech twice. Once to hear what he said, and the second to amuse myself at the reaction of the audience in that room. Hilarious! Waiting to applaud this serious, hard working man, who came very well prepared. Every time he mentioned a reference to the Quran - applause... cheering at his phrases of sensible thinking and an attitude of compassion.

While Obama used the theme 'a new beginning', I wonder when we, the Arab people want our new beginning to start. When will our leaders work for change rather than pitch for charity? When will we, the people, garner the confidence in ourselves and find our own common ground? When are we planning to start working?

That work needs to happen on this end of the world. We need to get our act together to fix negative stereotypes against Islam. We need to invest in economic empowerment of our own. We need a shakedown on education towards the rise of learning and enlightenment. The man came, he spoke, he conquered hearts and minds. It's now up to the Arabs... leaders, people in the region and beyond, to rise to the occasion. Rather than follow suit of what some are already doing by dismissing Obama's words, dissecting through conspiracy theories and paranoia, and being skeptical about what may be, it's time to shift into progress mode, change our own attitude. Time to do, time to deliver. Oh, PS: Obama is not the mahdi!

متى سينهض العالم العربي بنفسه؟

Trails along the stairs

2009-05-27T11:14:00.021+02:00

One of the charming traits of Amman are the stairs around the city, almost artery-like connecting the hills and downtown - that heart pumping life along the stairs into the neighborhoods and nooks.

A couple of wonderful stair trails connect Jabal Al Qal3a with Hashmi street, right across the Roman Theatre.

On Salamah bin AlAkwa Street on Jabal Al Qal3a, there's a square viewing point that overlooks the hill down to Hashmi. On either side of the viewing point is a flight of stairs. They are easy to go down and up.

Along one, you can find a little Internet cafe and the eclectic Amman Panorama Art Gallery.

Towards the bottom of the other, you pass by a sweets bakery and get a delicious whiff of fresh Hareeseh and other local yummies before you hit the little road that winds down to Hashmi street, and as you look up ahead sits the Roman Theatre.

Oh...if you linger outside the bakery, the baker is sure to come out and give you a free taste of his latest fresh bake, still warm and total satisfaction for those with a sweet tooth.

So when you're on Hashmi street next time, walk along to shop #7 and take the stairs up Jabal Al Qal3a, and before you get to the very top to visit the archeological site of the Citadel - experience the pulse of life in the heart of Amman, hang out with the neighborhood kids playing in the alleys, some will be making the colorful kites you see flying over the Jabal on breezy summer afternoons.

This little excursion is a total immersion into typical old Amman life - for Ammani's it's a trip down memory lane. For visitors, it's one of those authentic experiences you are sure to cherish from a part of Amman with a true soul.

When in Amman, take the stairs, it's a walk full of delights.

Stories and the city - what's yours?

2009-05-27T10:46:00.004+02:00

"The real story of Amman is the story of its people: their memories, struggles, encounters and events. This inspired the idea to solicit these stories directly from the people, to be published on the Centennial website once it is launched next month.

For now, you can already go to the site and submit your story, along with photos or documents if you like." More from Ahmad on 360east.

Just say no

2009-05-26T21:05:00.003+02:00

Notice that when you say no to something loud people expect you to say yes to, a whole world of opportunity opens up?

continue reading here...

When expression is not enough

2009-04-28T06:31:00.028+02:00

Given the rise in tragic situations with women and youth, and the desperate behavior of men, women and society in general - all leading to the demise of the family unit and our human values, it's probably high time to up the ante. This country is way too small to be falling apart so badly. There is no excuse for ignoring human-centric needs.

Yesterday I received emails from GOs, NGOs & RNGOs about an Amman gathering on the evening of the 29th for expression against child abuse triggered by the story of Yazan.

While a gathering for artistic expression for a few hours may help soothe some souls momentarily, I must wonder what kind of impact towards action and change will result.

IMHO it is not enough to gather and express. Isn't it a tired tactic? And then what?

This country needs a wall-to-wall call to action that humanizes these tragic happenings and keeps an entire population haunted and awake, motivated to work and deliver serious results towards fundamental change. Total inclusion - today, this year, not sometime in the future. This is our problem, we have no right to pass it forward nor impose inheritance on our kids.

What if:

10% of every outdoor communication carried pictures and stories of every single child abused?
10% of every outdoor communication showed pictures and stories of every single woman victim of abuse and crimes of dishonor?
10% of every outdoor communication revealed pictures and stories of every single fatal road accident?
10% of every outdoor communication told stories of the troubled men committing heinous acts of violence against their own?
In between the super sale and the special on the radio you heard the horror story of the blow by blow slow death of every woman who died as men of her family brought dishonor to themselves?
Every single working woman did not show up at work tomorrow and the next day and the next day demanding legislative change for basic rights?
The freebie ads and papers at our doorsteps and on our mobile screens taught us the names and personal stories of Jordanian victims of our own injustice?
Your 16 year old ran home wanting to know more about such stories, demanding of you a better world than this one you've brought him into?
Your 14 year old daughter came home everyday and shared with you her fears and torment of being raped like that other girl next door?
Your 7 year old came home today and told you his friend's secret - the story of how he was molested by that man around the corner
You walked out of your house every day and heard the woman across the street wailing in pain from the beatings by that man who just left to work wearing his camouflage elegant suit and tie as he got into his expensive car?

It would be hard to sleep in peace, night after night, if these stories consumed our existence. It would be hard to not get up and act!

The Jordanian family is in dire need of help.

Why do we have the right to celebrate our kid's 12th birthday when Yazan doesn't get his, ever?
Why do we have the right to walk in confidence when Ayat's mom can't give her kids a Jordanian passport?
Why do we have the right to give birth to another kid, while Tariq next door is being beaten up?
Why do we have the right to dream of amazing when Noor's blood stains her father's soul?
Why do we have the right to a white wedding when Dana can only wear black bruises on her face and body?

After an evening of expression, what's next?
When do we walk the talk?
When would we like to wake up to a better Jordan?

A country that continues to accept laws against the well-being of it's own people should not be allowed to join the global conversation for human dignity.
A country that allows its kids to go into schools to consume archaic curricula should not be invited to engage in stories of enlightenment and empowerment across other lands.
A country that ignores obvious needs to improve it's economy from within should not be eligible to aid from the other.
A country that includes the hatred industry within it's investment portfolio should not be included in the conversation for world peace.
A country that lives knowingly with bad governance should take a stand and change everything.

And just in case we've forgotten what good governance means, HRH Prince El Hassan reminded us during last week's WANA Forum that it includes these characteristics:

Starts today: Libraries, Education & Museums Conference

2009-04-24T07:41:00.004+02:00

The purpose of the Libraries, Education & Museums Conference in Second Life is to provide a gathering place for librarians, information professionals, educators, museologists, and others to learn about and discuss the educational, informational, and cultural opportunities of virtual worlds.

Couldn't resist sneaking a peak at the set up. Conference starts today 12noon Second Life time, 10pm Amman time. Click to know more, register and join - and when you do, look for the av with big funky hair :)

When you sing you begin with...

2009-04-17T12:26:00.022+02:00

Do-Re-Me of course!

Antwerp Central Station was entertained by four minutes of joy last month when 200 performers danced to Do-Re-Me at the station. The MariaDans vid keeps you smiling, singing along, and wanting to dance in the street.

Bring whimsy into an unsuspecting crowd and the fun becomes infectious. Also gets people like superdefender1 to post a vid on YouTube proudly declaring, "I saw it live" :)

Performance

Making of

(i) T-Mobile rocking Liverpool Station

You know it's there

2009-04-10T09:23:00.002+02:00

Arab cultural capitals, taking a stand, changing the game

2009-03-20T12:35:00.010+02:00

The Arab Cultural Capital for 2009 is Jerusalem. This 10+year UNESCO* program respected the fact that in 2006 Arab cultural ministers voted for Al Quds, which as you can imagine irked the Israeli government who actively objected to it, but UNESCO said it would/could not overturn the decision by these Arab ministers. A couple years went by.

The cultural calender for this occasion was slated to kick off in Jerusalem in January, but due to the Gaza war was postponed for a while. Until now. Festivities are back on the calendar and artists, cultural workers, residents and visitors will engage in a year long program.

And I can't help but wonder....

What if Jerusalemites, Palestinians and the Arab ministers who voted it in took a stand and said, "stop - this is wrong, we want Gaza to be the cultural capital of the year instead of us".

Jerusalem can say, "Gaza is our surrogate choice".

Yes, I know Gaza is not a capital city. However, in light of its recent annihilation, I think of Gaza today as the capital city of Israel's crimes of war against humanity as the world watched.

And what better way to make a statement, create a lot of noise, and rewrite the rules, than for artists and creative industry workers to take a stand towards changing the game.

Imagine.

* According to UNESCO, the Cultural Capitals Program aims "to provide the Arab countries with a framework within which to develop their cultural heritage, preserving the past but placing particular emphasis on the future, opening the Arab world to new influences and technologies while safeguarding the integrity of Arab heritage. It should especially promote contemporary literary, artistic, scientific and intellectual Arab culture."

The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told

2009-03-14T08:27:00.011+02:00

A Funded by You production :)

Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by e-mail. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana. Set to the 1920’s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, Sita Sings the Blues earns its tagline as “The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told.” synopsis via Sita Sings the Blues

Directed by
Nina Paley

"I hereby give Sita Sings the Blues to you. Like all culture, it belongs to you already, but I am making it explicit with a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License. Please distribute, copy, share, archive, and show Sita Sings the Blues. From the shared culture it came, and back into the shared culture it goes.

You don't need my permission to copy, share, publish, archive, show, sell, broadcast, or remix Sita Sings the Blues. Conventional wisdom urges me to demand payment for every use of the film, but then how would people without money get to see it? How widely would the film be disseminated if it were limited by permission and fees? Control offers a false sense of security. The only real security I have is trusting you, trusting culture, and trusting freedom...." continue reading Nina's note.

Watch Sita Sings the Blues

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 US License

Quantum leap for emerging filmmakers

2009-03-13T15:17:00.017+02:00

A couple nights ago people crammed into the auditorium at the Hussein Cultural Center and stood against the walls and sat on the floor for the first screening of Fadi Haddad's short film, HIGH HEELS. I love crowded screenings, and I love the energy infused into first time audiences to such an event -they are always in disbelief that there are so many people interested in independent films by emerging filmmakers, and are surprised by the talent and the work shared.

The story of HIGH HEELS, written and directed by Fadi Haddad, is set around the wake of Nawal's departed husband. All characters have dysfunctional personal lives but put up the act that everything is going well. Nawal, a social snob finds out her husband left her nothing but an empty bank account, traces of a mistress and a mobile phone she can't unlock. Nawal, played by Mouna Moussa, projects her complexes onto her daughter, played by Phaedra Dahdaleh, who is raising a four-year old alone far from the husband who abandoned her, not letting on to society her true story. What would Nawal do if her dead husband's young mistress suddenly shows up at the funeral? The story spirals out of control when the mischief of Lara Sawalha explodes into the scene. See trailer.

The script was well cast with an eclectic mix - Feryal Haddad & Lara Sawalha were great! Beautiful art direction, and camera that lends to good storytelling by Samer Nimri. I felt the choice of music was overbearing most of the time though. The lyrics of Soap Kills were too distracting from the performances who did a good job and did not need the over dramatic music at times when I would've rather had a quieter background. The production was tight - the good planning and careful production choices showed - something the determined and tough Nadia Eliewat ensured as producer with a super talented crew.

Fadi, your best so far and in a whole new league. Very much looking forward to your next.
Lara, still my absolute favorite Jordanian actress - big time.
Phaedra, give up your day job, the camera loves you!
Mrs. Haddad, you rock!
Nadia, I'm lucky to know you.

Thank you to everyone involved for bringing us 20 minutes of good local entertainment.

10,000 is not just a number

2009-03-12T18:34:00.006+02:00

In a 1993 study at the Berlin Academy of Music, Dr. Anders Ericsson found that by age 20 top level violinists had practiced 10,000 hours.

Buddhist monks who have meditated for over 10,000 hours score off the scale for compassion.

It takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become a chess grand master.

"Around the world, people typically talk of 10,000 hours of training to win an Olympic medal", emphasises Marty Toomey the high performance manager.

Malcolm Gladwell talks about the 10,000 hour rule in his book Outliers where he observes that the key to success in any field is a matter of practicing a specific task for at least 10,000 hours.

Greatness is about performance and focused attention on something over and over and over - for about 10,000 hours.

Then 10,000 is about mastery.

So when Yusuf Mansur set the goal of 10,000 steps towards a creative economy in Jordan, he wasn't kidding. It's not an exaggeration nor is it haphazard. Getting to remarkable is committed hard work. It's not easy and it's not overnight. It's a relentless, determined and deliberate effort towards a goal. And the goal of UrdunMubdi3 is about removing 10,000 small obstacles between where we are today and the creative Jordan we deserve.

Don't forget to blog about Jordan today - it's not an initiative, it's an ongoing conversation with a live pulse.

What is a creative Jordan?

2009-03-06T13:56:00.002+02:00

When discussing the need to evolve towards a creative economy, I'm often met with uncertainty in meaning, and a reaction that says: "so you think that Jordanians should be concerned with art and culture, and become writers and dancers and filmmakers?"

To a certain degree yes, but there's a lot more to that which I posted here on UrdunMubdi3. And there's no absolute definition, so your thoughts, contributions, questions and challenges are needed so that we figure out the opportunity ahead and how it works for us.

Idiot-proofing the streets

2009-03-05T10:23:00.013+02:00

Why did the Jordanian cross the street?

Two seconds before I clicked the pic, this sensible citizen was perched on the railing about to get off on the other side, where he landed elegantly on a flushed edge, and as you can see unhooked his bag and crossed the street....to get to the other side, of course!

A few meters behind him down the street - busy Mecca Street/Amman, across from the Social Security building right there in the back, is a pedestrian bridge. A few meters down that, is yet another pedestrian bridge!

So... how does the city develop to include kamikaze-idiots-with-their-common-sense-gene-mutated, and everyone else?

Massive mural perhaps?

Life is for loving

2009-03-05T01:00:00.009+02:00

I'm in love with life. Love that's absolute. Love that shakes me to the core. Gets me singing out loud in the street (and no I can't carry a tune). Makes me devour words, smells and tastes. Loving life makes me skip when many are shuffling.

Never quit on life. Disrupt. Change everything. Take a back seat when you need to. Go crazy. Get angry. Show it. Just don't give up. Coz when you least expect it, life makes your heart smile.

Life is the best kind of love. Simply!

2009-02-28T22:25:00.000+02:00

What is sadness?