I’m sick and tired of people using the phrase “after the jump” totally inappropriately!

“after the jump” suggests there’s a divider between the introduction and the continuation of the article, usually an Ad of some sort, hence the jump, but when the rest of article is RIGHT THERE and THERE IS NO F***ING JUMP, its really stupid to use that phrase!

Here are examples:

PROPER USE:
blablabla blabla and you can check out the list after the jump.

And now the list:
1- blablabla
2- blablabla
See? Here There is a Jump!!!

BAD USE:
blablabla blabla and you can check out the list after the jump.
And now the list:
1- blablabla
2- blablabla
See? Here There is a NO JUMP!!!

And now for something completely different, David Letterman’s Thursday night Top 10 list “Surprising Facts About Barack Obama”… presented by Barack Obama:

Llewellyn Werner admits he is facing obstacles most amusement park developers never have to deal with – insurgent attacks and looting.

When you are building an amusement park in downtown Baghdad, those risks come with the territory.

Mr Werner, chairman of C3, a Los Angeles-based holding company for private equity firms, is pouring millions of dollars into developing the Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience, a massive American-style amusement park that will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum. It is being designed by the firm that developed Disneyland. “The people need this kind of positive influence. It’s going to have a huge psychological impact,” Mr Werner said.

Ali al-Dabbagh, a spokesman for the Government, is equally optimistic: “There is a shortage of entertainment in the city. Cinemas can’t open. Playgrounds can’t open. The fun park is badly needed for Baghdad. Children don’t have any opportunities to enjoy their childhood.” Mr al-Dabbagh added that entry to the park would be strictly controlled.

The project will cost $500 million (£250 million) and will be managed by Iraqis. Under the terms of the lease, Mr Werner will retain exclusive rights to housing and hotel developments, which he says will be both culturally sensitive and enormously profitable. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t making money,” he said. “I also have this wonderful sense that we’re doing the right thing”

[source:Times Online]

What a Grand Idea, isn’t it? Anything to make a buck.

The Vending Machine isn’t something new, in fact, it is ancient. its been in use in the western world, Japan, China and a lot of countries forever now. in fact they are so popular and has become an integral part of every day life that there is virtually a vending machine for absolutely anything you could think of. from flowers to subway tickets to disposable cameras to phone cards to beer to magazines. anything. even iPod vending machines.

Will we ever have Vending machines in Jordan? Probably not, due to the mentality of disregard, carelessness and negligence for anything that is public property they will probably get destroyed to get robbed out of contents, or just for the heck of it.

Still, its not a far fetched thought, nor is it an extravagant luxury. some well placed machines in select areas can do much good, lets say for bottled water or beverages and snacks, prepaid phone cards, or prepaid internet cards, or perhaps even cigarettes and newspapers? or dare i say even iPods?

The first modern coin-operated vending machines were introduced in London, England in the early 1880s, dispensing post cards. I wonder, in what century will wee see vending machines on the Jordanian streets?

Isn’t it startling how many people in the west do not realize that not all Arabs are Muslims?

I was having a conversation with a friend from Bulgaria the other day, and I mentioned to her that there is a good amount of Christians in Jordan, and that Christians and Muslims live in brotherhood and complete harmony. In fact you will see Mosques and Churches right next to each other, like in Al Abdali area, This totally took her by surprise and she thought i was joking.

Interesting, isn’t it?

I do not have solid numbers but I’m willing to bet that most westerners, especially in the United States, think that words Arab and Muslim are pretty much the same. they somehow forget that Jesus, Peace be upon him, was born here, that the middle east is the birth place of Christianity. Thus naturally There are significant populations of Arab Christians throughout the region, including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Northern Africa and Palestine/Israel.

Another fact that seems to allude them is that Arabs are Semites, We’ve all heard the term anti-Semitism being used — often to describe Arabs. While antisemitism does specifically indicate hatred for Jews, Being an Arab is not a religion, Arabs are part of an ethnic group, Arabs were around long before Islam, and there have been (and still are) Arab Christians and Arab Jews. and even though you can’t really compare Arabs and Jews, since one is an ethnic group and the other is a religion, many don’t realize that its a paradox to call an Arab an Antisemitic.

So that’s that.

And here’s a quick note for my American and western readers, its pronounced Muslim with an S, not Muzlim with a Z, i think thats pretty easy to manage :)

Her Majesty Queen Rania’s video on stereotypes currently stands at 1.13 Million page views, That’s 110 thousands views a day since the date its been added on March 30th, with 34 Honors, 20 Video responses and 3716 comments, Now thats impressive!

Setting that aside, it is clear that what Queen Rania is doing is remarkable, not only on a domestic level, but internationally as well. very rarely do we see world leaders or high profile people reach out to the public in such a manner. What Her Majesty is doing is invaluable, and her aim is to bridge and link people and communities together, something we desperately need these days in light of the onslaught of the western media against the Arab world.

The problem with with our Media is that it is targeted towards ourselves and not the other, In order to get your point across and make your voice be heard you need to address the other directly through channels that are sure to reach their people, those who matter. I doubt it that any significant part of the American or European public concern themselves with watching Al-Jazeera or Al-Arabiya or any of the other various Arabic news networks That broadcast mainly domestically and aimed primarily at the people of the region. This kind of approach is pointless. Thankfully in this time and age the Internet has provided a much better way of communication that is sure to attract attention and deliver the message directly without any interference or distortion, Which is exactly what Her Majesty has done and used wisely through her youtube channel.

There is no denying that Her Majesty is not only a Queen by title but also by right, she is indeed a Queen of what she does, her efforts both locally and Internationally testify to that, she is renowned for her philanthropic work. She has pushed for education reform, fighting for better school facilities and mandatory English language training. She is also an enthusiastic supporter of the micro-fund movement which provides financial assistance to would-be entrepreneurs. In 2003, she was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Criminal Court’s Trust Fund for Victims, She has traveled to a great number of countries in representation of Jordan and to contribute to worldwide causes. Some of these are the United States, India, Kuwait, France, South Africa, Greece, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Morocco, Italy, The Vatican. She is involved with many local and international organizations such as:
- Arab Women’s Summit
- Jordan Cancer Society
- National Team for Family Safety
- Dar Al Aman Child Safety Center (center for abused and neglected children, the first of its kind in the Middle East)
- World Economic Forum (Foundation Board member) In 2004, Queen Rania chaired the nomination committee for the newly-founded Forum of Young Global Leaders, associated with the World Economic Forum.
- United Nations Foundation
- UN Children’s Fund (particularly the Global Leadership Initiative)
- The Vaccine Fund (board member since 2002)
- International Youth Foundation
And Many others.

And most recently of course, her newly created youtube channel, some might argue that Her Majesty surely can’t hope to change the world with a couple of videos. but it is never the less a step in the right direction, and an initiative that is highly effective, and the numbers prove it. Using the web as a Medium of communication as opposed to directed Media, be it TV, Radio or the Newspapers has proved its worth and success. even though putting oneself on the line and in direct contact with the public can sometimes be difficult to manage, it does show courage and wisdom and an approach that is efficient and consistent with this new digital age.