by Natasha Tynes | Mar 24, 2005 | Books, Everyday me!, Film
I have been under the weather for the past two days. I have the usual symptoms of a nasty flu: coughing, sneezing, runny nose, scratchy throat and general grumpiness. The husband has been wonderful in taking care of me and my bad mood, supplying me medicine, food and healing liquids.
I didn’t do much the past two days besides moving from bed to sofa, but I managed to finish a great book that I recommend highly. That book is High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. I saw the movie years ago but the book is something else: witty, funny, entertaining, musical and very well-written. It helped perk me up for sure. If I ever decide to write a novel of some sort then the writing style that I would like to adopt would be something like Hornby’s. It is very close to the heart.
I have already started another book, again upon Amal’s recommendation, prompting me to give her the official title of "Book Adviser." The novel is called Traveling with Djinns by Jamal Mahjoub. So far I’ve read only the first chapter so there’s nothing much to report.
In the interim I also managed to watch the movie Grease for the very first time — yeah, you heard me right. I thought it was very cheesy but fun. It worked perfectly as entertainment for someone with a strong flu. I have been away from the blogosphere for two days now and have lots of reading to do. Hopefully by the end of the day I will be able to catch up with the wonderful bloggers out there. Ta ta for now.
by Natasha Tynes | Mar 24, 2005 | Jordan, my nation
I’m not sure if I’ve become paranoid after Doha’s blast, but lately I have been reading lots of terrorism-related stories emerging from Jordan. Here is one:
Jordanian authorities have dismantled a terrorist cell accused of plotting to kill Israeli visitors to the industrial city of al-Hassan, reports said Wednesday. Amman dailies al-Rai and al-Dustour said the cell was composed of three Jordanians of Palestinian origin who lived in a Palestinian refugee camp in the city of Irbid, in northern Jordan. Two of them were arrested last month and one is still on the run.
Source: [Big News Network]
and another:
A Jordanian military court convicted three Iraqis on Tuesday of smuggling rockets and hand grenades into the kingdom in connection with a plot to attack U.S. and Israeli targets. The three Iraqis were charged with crimes including importing and possessing handguns, automatic rifles, hand grenades and rockets.
Source: [Salt Lake Tribune]
Meanwhile, the trial of Azmi Jayousi who attempted a chemical attack in the Kingdom continues. Should I be concerned? Probably. Here’s today’s prayer: May God protect Jordan and its people from those filled with hate that seek to destroy it.
by Natasha Tynes | Mar 24, 2005 | Jordan, my nation
With six summits behind him, the biggest challenge now remaining for Jordan’s sole mountaineer Mustafa Mahmoud, is Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. Mahmoud, who is embarking on his 72-day journey tomorrow, will carry the Jordanian flag, which was presented to him by HRH Prince Faisal, the Regent. Many before him have ventured to climb the 8,848-metre-high peak and some have failed to return, but 34-year-old Mahmoud remains steadfast and faithful to his goal. “With enough training and my faith in God … I think I am now ready to do this,” Mahmoud told the press. The mountaineer said he has to be well-equipped for the ascent and ready to face all the possible dangers like the harsh weather conditions, rugged terrain and even mortality.
Source: [The Jordan Times]
I have been following the travails of Mustafa for a while now [additional reporting here] and I must say the guy is driven! Best of luck Mustafa. You are making us proud!
by Natasha Tynes | Mar 22, 2005 | Jordan, my nation, Media watch, Weblogs
Finally, the feature I wrote about the Jordanian blogging community has seen the light of day, published over this past weekend (the Fri-Sat print edition) and available online here.
The original plan was to publish it in Jo magazine, but they kept delaying, so I got upset and asked them not to run it anymore! I sent it to the Jordan Times and they were interested. Here it is for the next week or so, then perhaps I’ll archive it.
by Natasha Tynes | Mar 21, 2005 | Doha affairs
Today, Doha residents gathered in the late afternoon to show support for victims and to condemn the attack. It has also been determined that the deceased, Briton Jonathan Adams, 40, was the director of the play taking place at the time of the attack. Additionally, the attacker, Umar Ahmad Abd Allah Ali, was apparently an Egyptian national that had lived in the Gulf state of Qatar for the last 15 years, working as an information technology engineer for state-run Qatar Petroleum.
The attack has been claimed by an as yet unheard of group calling themselves "Jund al-Sham Organization," or the Organization of Soldiers of the Levant, an area comprised of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. The organization issued a statement claiming responsibility, although that statement cannot be confirmed. They also indicated another statement would be released forthwith detailing "the martyrdom-seeking operation carried out by a lion from Jund al-Sham in Qatar."
Egyptian religious scholar Shaikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi denounced the attack, telling Aljazeera.net "Islam strongly forbids the shedding of blood without a reason." Additional details on the story are available here.
I have been under the weather for the past two days. I have the usual symptoms of a nasty flu: coughing, sneezing, runny nose, scratchy throat and general grumpiness. The husband has been wonderful in taking care of me and my bad mood, supplying me medicine, food and healing liquids.
I have already started another book, again upon Amal’s recommendation, prompting me to give her the official title of "Book Adviser." The novel is called Traveling with Djinns by Jamal Mahjoub. So far I’ve read only the first chapter so there’s nothing much to report.
With six summits behind him, the biggest challenge now remaining for Jordan’s sole mountaineer Mustafa Mahmoud, is Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. Mahmoud, who is embarking on his 72-day journey tomorrow, will carry the Jordanian flag, which was presented to him by HRH Prince Faisal, the Regent. Many before him have ventured to climb the 8,848-metre-high peak and some have failed to return, but 34-year-old Mahmoud remains steadfast and faithful to his goal. “With enough training and my faith in God … I think I am now ready to do this,” Mahmoud told the press. The mountaineer said he has to be well-equipped for the ascent and ready to face all the possible dangers like the harsh weather conditions, rugged terrain and even mortality.