The Dilemma of Weather in a Small Country Called Jordan
You all know I live in Jordan. Well, last week it snowed a lot in the Southern parts of the country. What was very interesting about the snow storm was that nobody was prepared for it - not the government, not the people, and not even cars. Many people were literally trapped in the snow in the South, and it was comic how the almighty tax-fat government with all its faculties could not save them.
This entry is not about the government, as entertaining as that subject is, but it is about the Jordanian Meteorological Department. The department failed miserably last week when it did not produce accurate weather forecasts, and did not inform the people of what is coming.
That was only the beginning, however. The meteorological department denied that there will be snow on Sunday earlier this week. People checked online weather websites and learned about the anticipated change of weather. But when confronted about this during an interview, the president of the department strongly dismissed any “rumours” of a change in weather and he vehemently attacked the presenter when the latter told him that news about an upcoming change are all online, contrary to his predictions.
The really amusing part was yet to come. On Sunday, the South of Jordan saw more snow and Mr.Weatherman’s predictions were proven wrong. Not only that, his attitude in that interview was replayed during the 8 PM news. I thought Jordan TV did a brilliant job when they replayed the piece and contrasted it with, well, reality.
Mr.Weatherman was evidently scandalized by this and he must have taken it quite personally, because the next day JTV said that they cannot air a weather forecast because the Jordanian Meteorological Department did not supply them with any. How very game-like, won’t you say? Walaw ya3ni!
JTV people now rely on the internet to get their weather forecast for the 8 PM news, and a whole country does not use the facilities at the Jordanian Meteorological Department anymore because that person has a chip on his shoulder. I wonder how can a public servant rebel in such a silly way and deprive a nation of news that is paid for. Why doesn’t someone do something about this?
Since it is all a power game, I suggest we settle this dispute the good old Jordanian way - over a finjan* of Arabic coffee. I should change the title of this entry to The Dilemma of Weather and Wasta** in a Small Country Called Jordan.
*Finjan: small traditional cup of coffee
**Wasta: a local phenomena that involves the use of connections, through family or acquaintances, to benefit unlawfully
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January 3rd, 2007 at 2:39 am
loool yea i agree, that was a total mahzale’ to tell the truth!<br />although am livin in Irbid ,which had some snow but never accumulated, i heard alot of stories of people getting trapped in the snow…we r in 2007 now n still we have such silly problems…these ppl in charge never learn..<br />
January 3rd, 2007 at 9:05 am
Well, you see, obviously it’s because predicting the weather is no longer the job of the Meteorological Department. They’ve moved on to grander things– like predicting earthquakes (with the same amazing degree of accuracy that they predict snow).
January 4th, 2007 at 5:14 am
one of the nicest posts ever indeed.
January 5th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
<p>If the meteorological department is no longer doing it’s job, then perhaps it can be eliminated, especially if the television and radio can get accurate forecasting off the internet without them.</p>
<p>The large amount of tax dollars used previously to fund that meteorological department could be used to feed and house the poor, and the former members of the department could be put to work more suited to their abilities and temperment, such as shoveling the "not going to happen" snow perhaps?</p>
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January 22nd, 2008 at 8:45 am
[...] How come nobody said it is going to snow? Even Accuweather doesn’t have that. Did the Gods of Weather trick us all AGAIN? [...]