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Archive for February 2008

Missionaries in Jordan

In Jordan on February 16, 2008 at 11:24 am

I 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 am

Last 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 am

Finally, 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 pm

Since 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 pm

Another 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.