by Natasha Tynes | Feb 13, 2007 | Everyday me!, Media watch
Update: Very good news! Soon after posting this, I was contacted to run this article. I’ve moved the whole of it there, but here’s a bit of it with the rest now on their site.
Here’s the link to the full article, as published on Common Ties. Enjoy!
I submitted the following essay to an unnamed media outlet but it never made it to print. So I thought I’d give it exposure in the place it really belongs: Mental Mayhem. Comments are welcome.
If you scratch the glass
My husband and I moved to the Unites States from Amman, Jordan a year and a half ago. During this period I had to adjust to a myriad of lifestyle changes. Whether it was learning how to use the garbage disposal, handle a furnace, or even attempt to catch a glimpse of the American dream, my life in the past 18 months has been overwhelming and hectic at most times.
But of all the pieces of Americana that I try to acquaint myself with on a daily basis, there is one that never ceases to dazzle me to this day. It is the American high school. We currently live in the suburbs of Washington DC, right next to a buzzing high school. This location has its perks, one being the serenity of the suburbs and affordable rent. But living next to a school can be tiresome, as it brings into our quaint neighborhood at some instances a good share of noise. From weekend concerts to high school football games, the serenity of our suburbs gets shattered as a result of this constant teenage activity.
Putting the inconvenience aside, I have to admit that our location near an educational edifice has introduced me to a new realm: the world of American high school kids. It is a world that I had previously watched in awe from my parent’s house in Amman via American movies. Of course, being so close to a high school doesn’t really give me a full access to the mysterious life inside this building. I am merely a voyeur. I observe from afar as kids march half asleep to school in the mornings and drag themselves back home in the afternoons.
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by Natasha Tynes | Dec 1, 2006 | Jordan, my nation, Media watch, The Disturbing
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While the world’s eyes are focused on Jordan these days, I was shocked to find a quarter page anti-Jordan ad in The Washington Post yesterday [image enlarges on click]. The ad, entitled Highlighting intimidation by the Jordanian authorities was signed by a New York-based businessman named Omar Karsou.
In the ad, Karsou alleges that his son was intimated and harassed by the Jordanian authorities due to the father’s dealings with some Jordanian businessmen. Karsou concluded his ad with the following:
This to me looks more like a move away from basic human values towards a police state more akin to those hated regimes that exist in certain parts of the Middle East.
I never heard of this case or this businessman before reading this ad. Karsou obviously has a grudge, as he was wailing to pay big money to broadcast his case to the world and try to put Jordanian authorities to shame.
Of course, we are only hearing one side of the story. We really do not know what happened. Nor do we know if his allegations are accurate. Regardless, I believe Jordanian authorities should reply to his ad and publish a rebuttal ad — one that offers some explanations — in the same spot in the Post, if possible. Those, like myself, that read the ad yesterday, need to hear an official Jordanian response to such serious allegations, ones which seemed primarily aimed at tarnishing the image of Jordan.
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Update: Omar Karsou left a comment on this blog with a bit more detail, saying:
Natasha,
I do not have a personal grudge against Jordan, or the majority of
Jordanians. I love that country, I spent the better part of life in it.
But I happen to love my Son just as much, if not more.. Anyway, before
I placed the ad, I contacted the Jordanian Embassy in Washington,
pleaded with them to help out, even sent them a draft of the ad, to no
avail. Again, I am pleading with the Jordanian authorities to let
justice take it’s course, clamp down on corrupt officials. Only then
will I have achieved my "objective", which I believe, is yours too.
Omar
by Natasha Tynes | Nov 18, 2006 | Jordan, my nation, Media watch
Here is a link to a feature that I wrote about a Costa Rican artist who is currently displaying her Petra-inspired artwork at the Jordanian embassy in Washington DC. The feature was published in The Jordan Times last Thursday.
Artist displays Petra-inspired paintings in Washington, DC
By Natasha Twal Tynes
WASHINGTON, DC — For Costa Rican artist Marité Vidales, a brief trip to Jordan in the summer of 2005 served as more than just mere tourism. It was in this trip where she found a muse in the Nabatean city of Petra. Her fascination with Petra started from the first time she laid eyes on it. "I have to paint something about this," Vidales told her husband as soon as they got there. Immediately, the artist and her spouse started taking various pictures of the red-rose city to document everything they saw. "As I walked in the Siq, everywhere I looked I began imagining paintings, in the niches, on the stained rocks and the textured and wind-worn columns," Vidales explained. "I imagined the colors slowly changing throughout time. As soon as I returned from Jordan, I began to paint these images, based on my photographs and memories. I wanted to reproduce and perpetuate the experience," she added.
Read the full story here.
by Natasha Tynes | Nov 3, 2006 | Jordan, my nation, Media watch
I was dismayed to read that former Minister of Information Adnan Abu Odeh was charged after an interview he granted Aljazeera during which he expressed his opinions about the situation of Jordanian-Palestinians in the Kingdom. I regard it as a real blow to free speech in Jordan.
I interviewed Abu Odeh some years back for a university project that I was working on. I did not agree with everything he said, but I respected his right to say it and even used some of his quotes for my project. In this day and age, charging Abu Odeh for stating his personal opinion is simply outrageous. I want to reiterate what Abu Aardvark has said on the issue:
Whatever one thinks of Abu Odeh or about Jordanian-Palestinian identity politics, nobody interested in liberal reform in Jordan (or in the Arab world) should be happy to see someone like Abu Odeh being prosecuted for simply stating political opinions in public.
Indeed. I also would like to highlight some extracts from today’s The Jordan Times editorial:
Are we never going to learn that silencing the voices of dissent is, ultimately, a self-defeating act? Whether we like it or not, what former Royal Court chief Adnan Abu Odeh recently told Al Jazeera Television should be his right. That he should be charged with sedition is preposterous. First of all, someone engaging in what might be called a seditious enterprise usually intends to create public disorder or disturbance and thereby cause violence. This certainly, by any stretch of the imagination, was not Abu Odeh’s intent … Let us remember that the Jordanian Constitution guarantees citizens freedom of worship, press, opinion, petition and peaceful assembly. That the indignation of some towards Abu Odeh’s opinions should be allowed to be translated into legal charges, flies in the face of these sacred guarantees.
by Natasha Tynes | Oct 17, 2006 | Media watch, The Mideast
A contributor on the ABC News’ blog drew my attention to an anti-terrorism TV ad dubbed "Suicidal Terror" [see below] from a campaign entitled Terror has no religion that is currently running on TV channels and in newspapers across the Middle East. The blogger saw the TV ad while stationed in Amman. He says:
I was flipping around Arab Satellite channels in Amman last week and I noticed something rare — a slick Hollywood-style TV ad. The standard of TV production in the Middle East stinks – lots of bad lighting and make-up. So when a very polished ad popped up it grabbed my attention. In graphic detail, the spot shows the aftermath of a suicide bombing. Clearly, the aim is to try and dissuade would-be suicide bombers.
The special effects, the acting and general production value was so clearly NOT locally produced. It seemed very "Hollywood." Sure enough, the ads are made in America. They are part of a massive multi-million dollar campaign to win ‘hearts and minds’ in the Arab world. The production company based in LA, called 900 Frames, says it got money from some moderate Iraqis who would like to remain anonymous.
I skimmed through the campaign website and I must say it looks impressive. But it begs several questions. Will these ads make a difference? Will they make potential suicide bombers think twice before committing their fatal act? One can only hope.The blog’s author is skeptical, however.
Sadly, these ads appear to miss the mark. Sure they get your attention but they do look VERY American and will likely be viewed with plenty of skepticism, seen as mere propaganda. More importantly, all the ads are based on one message, "Terror Has No Religion" and suicide bombing runs counter Islam.
In my humble opinion, in today’s world any effort to stop the current bloodshed in places like Iraq should be applauded regardless of the party endorsing the effort. What really matters is ending the carnage once and for all. The ad in question is below, but you can click here to visit the site and see the rest.
by Natasha Tynes | Oct 12, 2006 | Jill Carroll, Media watch
Four female journalists will be honored this month in New York City, DC and Los Angeles for their courage. Among them is my dear friend Jill Carroll, who was held hostage in Iraq for nearly three months. Lebanese journalist May Chidiac, who survived an assassiantion attempt last year, will also be honored. Also among the feted is Gao YU from China, who has been jailed twice for her reporting. The award is being presented by the International Women’s Media Foundation. This is a description of what the award is all about:
The only awards program exclusively for international women journalists, the IWMF’s Courage in Journalism Awards honor women journalists who have shown extraordinary strength of character and integrity while reporting the news under dangerous or difficult circumstances. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a woman journalist who has a pioneering spirit and whose determination has paved the way for future generations of women in the media.
Kudos to all these wonderful journalists for their bravery and resolve. You can find a full list of award recipients here.
I was dismayed to read 
Four female journalists will be