by Natasha Tynes | Dec 13, 2005 | Political mayhem
In its editorial condemning the assassination of Lebanese journalist Gibran Tueni, The Jordan Times came down hard on believers of conspiracy theories. Here is an excerpt:
The criminals who are orchestrating all these attacks are definitely doing Syria no favour. Still, this is no time for conspiracy theories. Only backward elements, sad dinosaurs entrenched behind a long-gone cold war mentality and naïve enough to think that anyone could believe them in this 21st century of ours, would point the finger at their usual suspects: The Zionist enemy, imperialist America, or both.
Thinking that serious allegations could be brushed off merely by resorting to decades-old rhetoric and propagandistic slogans is as ridiculous as irresponsible.
Indeed. I voiced similar sentiments in an earlier post published after the release of Melhis first report, saying then:
I wonder how believers in conspiracy theories in the Arab world (and there are loads of them) will spin this one? How will they find a way to pin the blame on the favorite Middle East culprits, the US or Israel? It will be interesting to watch. Never underestimate the creativity of analysts in the Middle East.
Unfortunately, I’m starting to believe that conspiracy theories will never die in this part of the world. They will always find a niche in the Middle East.
by Natasha Tynes | Dec 13, 2005 | Weblogs
I spent a good chunk of this morning listening to Jordanian podcasts found on this new podcast blog: www.ninish.com. I have to admit, they were highly entertaining. There was an interview with a taxi driver, an ATM operator, a lifeguard, among others. However, these podcasts made me extremely homesick. They made realize how much I yearn to be in Amman amongst my family and friends. Sigh!
Ninish is still a brand new initiative created by a group of young Jordanians and, in my humble opinion, I think the site has great potential. I also liked their choice of music that accompanies the podcasts. Great job guys! Keep it up!
by Natasha Tynes | Dec 11, 2005 | Film, Political mayhem
I had been looking forward to watching Syriana since I’d read an article about it nearly three months ago. Back then, the movie seemed to have all the elements that would prompt me to eagerly await its release: Middle Eastern politics, the relationship between US and Arab leaders, and, of course, George Clooney (I hope the husband is not reading).
After we watched it last night, I came to the conclusion that while the movie is intriguing, with an engaging script, it could have been directed better as I found some parts of the film confusing and extremely hard to follow. The film revolves around oil and the world of corruption that surrounds it, sending one central message: Oil affects us all. However, I could not fully understand the behind-the-scenes politics of the oil industry in the US. Maybe it was just me, but for some reason I could not connect the dots on a number of occasions.
A number of my friends expressed concern that the movie might be condescending to Arabs, but after watching it I felt that despite some Arab clichés, the flick was more critical of the US pursuit of oil than anything else. Actually, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee thought the movie was acceptable and highly recommended it. Here is an excerpt from their press release.
The overriding plot does not vilify the Arab world, its people, religions, or cultures, but rather creates a world in which evil feeds off of itself, much to the detriment of Arab and American societies. Money determines everything, and individuals, including oil company executives, Arab princes and covert CIA operatives, are expendable.
Syriana is an entertaining, if not always completely lucid, thriller, representing many of the anxieties in post-9/11 America. It represents a commendable effort to deal seriously with numerous troubling aspects of the relationship between US and Arab societies, and as such is highly recommended by ADC.
The use of the Arabic language in the film was an issue for me, as it wasn’t consistent, proving a bit annoying at times. The Arab-speaking characters in the movie spoke both classical and colloquial dialects, which I thought undermined the authenticity of some situations. Also, Alexander Siddiq, the actor playing the role of prince Nasir, spoke with an accented Arabic that really got to me. Was it really that difficult to find someone that spoke proper Arabic? Hearing George Clooney speak in my native tongue was really priceless, although I could not understand a word of what he was saying beyond ‘Shukran’ and so had to revert to subtitles.
All in all, despite its glitches, the movie is worth your time and money. It’s insightful and touches upon a basic commodity that is currently making our world go round if not ruining it at times.
UPDATE: Here are some reactions from the blogosphere: Moorish girl, Black Iris, Raja, and Darren Barefoot.
by Natasha Tynes | Dec 11, 2005 | Jordan, my nation, Shutterbug
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Here is this week’s "look back" picture. Once again, the photo is provided by the one and only Abdo. [Click to enlarge]. The captions reads:
"Members of the Arab Legion rehearsed their great parade for the coronation of King Hussein of Jordan. The parade will take place at Amman airport on May 3rd, the day following the coronation ceremony." [Dated 30.4.1953]
Is not this awesome? Thanks again Abdo for sharing these wonderful pictures with us.
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by Natasha Tynes | Dec 10, 2005 | Life as a Virginian, Mi Familia, Shutterbug
Last weekend, the amazing Mom T arranged a "welcome-to-the US" reception for us at their wonderful home in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The idea behind the event was for friends of the ‘senior’ Tynes’ to greet the husband and his "not so new" wife, which happens to be yours truly.
The event turned out beautifully, as I was able to meet and greet a huge number of people that were extremely friendly, welcoming and quite generous. That’s right. Many of those attending the reception brought wonderful gifts with them, making this ‘reception’ feel like a second wedding.
I also got a chance to finally meet some of the husband’s life-long friends whom I’d heard so much about. It was a real pleasure to hear some anecdotes of the husband’s younger days as told with a wink and a nod by Jeff’s childhood’s compatriots.
Even two of my Jordanian friends who live in the DC Metro area made it to the reception, something that meant a great deal to me since they drove over two hours just to be part of the festivity.
Mom T had worked for nearly a month on the reception and it showed, turning out truly super-fantastic. From wonderful invitations, to a tremendous assortment of food and drinks and, of course, lovely decorations, the event was just perfect. It was really special to feel like a bride one more time! Thanks Mom T and thanks for everyone who helped make the reception a great success, and that include Dad T and Aunt G.
