by Natasha Tynes | Nov 27, 2004 | Film
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Prominent Egyptian actor Nour El Sharif has announced that he plans on presenting the life story of the late Palestinian President, whom he was very good friends with, in a new film. Nour revealed that he video taped the funeral ceremony held for the President in Egypt and Ramallah in order to use them in the film, which he will begin work on once the morning period is over.
According to the Qatar based daily, Al Raya, Nour stressed that he will seek a good scenarist to write the script of the film once he completes collecting all the needed research on the President’s life.
It was added that once a scenario is written he will move on to nominating stars from around the Arab world to take part in the film, which still has not found a source for funding it.
Source: [Albawaba] via [Subzeroblue]
This is definitely a movie that I would be interested in watching.
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by Natasha Tynes | Nov 26, 2004 | Political mayhem
Since I’m currently living in the Arabian/Persian gulf, I’m finding the current debate about whether the "gulf" is Arabian or Persian rather fascinating. For me, personally, it makes more sense to refer to it as the Arabian Gulf, although history reveals otherwise, as it has been called the Persian Gulf for thousands of years.
Apparently Iranians are irked by National Geographic‘s decision to include the term Arabian Gulf in their latest Atlas decision. I understand their sense of identity, but I think their reaction is a bit over-exaggerated! This Iranian blogger is encouraging what he calls “Google Bombing” to make sure the “Persian Gulf” tops the list of Google search results! Wow, what dedication.
Another blogger suggests Iran should team up with Israel in order to eliminate what he terms "the Arab dominance of the Middle East." That’s a novel point of view that I think will never happen in our lifetime.
A journalist working in Dubai told me that following the Iraq/Iran war, the term “Persian Gulf" was banned indefinitely across the UAE. This applies to textbooks, publications and newspapers among others. I’m not sure about the remaining Gulf countries, such as Qatar and Bahrain. Any insights?
by Natasha Tynes | Nov 25, 2004 | Jordan, my nation
Jordanian architect Mohammad al-Asad hates the al-Sweifieh district. He unleashed his anger in this article.
A few days ago, my wife and I wanted to buy clothes for our two children. So all of us went to Sweifieh (Suwayfiyyah is a more accurate transliteration), one of Amman’s better known shopping districts, to look for clothes. I rarely go to Sweifieh, and this recent excursion there reminded me why that is so.
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article stating that Jabal Luweibdeh is Amman’s most beautiful district. In this article, I argue that Sweifieh in contrast is one of the city’s most unpleasant districts. The area is one where chaos rules supreme. If you need to drive through it, brace yourself for a most unpleasant experience. One is overwhelmed by extensive traffic congestion, coupled with bad driving habits.
The parking situation is nightmarish. Vehicles are parked everywhere in just about every conceivable manner. The arrangement of parked vehicles resembles what you get when a child throws his toy cars on the floor.
The state of the sidewalks is pathetic and they do not seem to conform to any design standards. Continuous stretches of sidewalks are simply nonexistent. We walked through a small stretch of Sweifieh, desperately trying to find an area where we might walk comfortably and safely without worrying about moving vehicles, poorly paved sidewalks, and sudden level changes.”
Source [The Jordan Times]
I completely agree with him. Sweifieh really is becoming intolerable. When I’m in Amman, I try to avoid it as much as possible, something now achievable thanks to the advent of malls in the Kingdom.
I also salute Al-Asad’s proclamation that Jabal al-Weibdeh is the most beautiful place in Amman. Really, where else can you see buildings of such distinctive architectural style located in lush and intact old neighborhoods?
by Natasha Tynes | Nov 25, 2004 | Film
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We watched Godsend last night and believe me when I tell you it was bad, really bad!
We picked it up primarily because it featured Robert De Niro. We thought, you know, it’s De Niro, it should be good. It was not! The acting was mediocre, the storyline was vague and the ending meaningless!
On a scale of ten I would give it four! A piece of advice: Don’t watch it.
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by Natasha Tynes | Nov 25, 2004 | Film, Jordan, my nation
Ameen has as a nice post about Jordanian movies, introducing the work of Amin Matalqa, a Jordanian living in the US. I watched a couple of his movies this morning right before coming to work and believe me they are hilarious.
If you have some time to kill, then watch Saliba bil Hammam. It might be a bit challenging for non-Jordanian speakers, as it lampoons local issues that can be only understood by those who live or lived in the Kingdom.
Saliba bil Hammam starts with "Shu bitgool," which is a popular phrase used in Jordanian TV series. For those who know what I’m taking about maybe this will ring a bell: "Shi bitgool? in7arag el masna3"
Anyway, another nice movie to watch is Abu Sinno.
I can’t wait to get back home to watch the rest of his movies.
