Lines of my life…

إلى ذلك، قال ماكين إنه “يؤيد أن تكون القدس عاصمة أبدية لإسرائيل”، بيد أنه أكد “التزامه بدعم العملية السلمية بين الفلسطينيين والإسرائيليين للوصول إلى تسوية

Now, back to Pokemon.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will teach a seminar at Yale next year as a visiting fellow, the University announced Friday.

Blair — whose eldest son, Euan, is enrolled in a two-year master’s program in international relations at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences — will also participate in various events around campus as part of his appointment as the Howland Distinguished Fellow for the 2008-09 academic year, the University said.

Blair finished his ten-year stint as prime minister in June, and later this year will launch a foundation aimed at fostering interfaith dialogue. Fitting with that, Blair’s course — to be organized by the School of Management and the Divinity School — will focus on issues of faith and globalization.

“The appointment of Mr. Blair provides a tremendous opportunity for our students and our community,” University President Richard Levin said in a statement Friday.

“As the world continues to become increasingly inter-dependent, it is essential that we explore how religious values can be channeled toward reconciliation rather than polarization,” Levin continued. “Mr. Blair has demonstrated outstanding leadership in these areas and is especially qualified to bring his perspective to bear. We are honored that he is planning to join the Yale community.”

The Howland Distinguished Fellowship, created in 1915, recognizes a “citizen of any country in recognition of some achievement of marked distinction in the field of literature or fine arts or the science of government.”

Former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi once held the appointment, as did the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and journalist Sir Alistair Cooke.

It was not immediately clear how the University lured Blair to the post, although it has had success in the past courting former foreign heads of state for teaching appointments. Former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo GRD ’81, who served in that post from 1994 to 2000, now serves as the head of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.

Levin did pay a visit to the United Kingdom in late October; that trip, however, was for fundraising purposes, he told the News at the time. Never did he mention running into Blair — or any other former prime ministers — along the way.

Yale’s announcement, meanwhile, did not go into detail about whether undergraduates would have a chance to participate in Blair’s class. University Spokeswoman Helaine Klasky was not immediately available for comment.

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I am really ambivalent about Blair’s visit next year. For starters, his class on faith and globalization doesn’t sound that interesting to many people. Also, I personally don’t think he is the most qualified person to teach this class. What’s more interesting is that his son, Euan, was offered a $100,000 scholarship to attend Yale’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences although his grades were much below average. I guess this is what you get when your famous.

I was intrigued by the search engine keywords that directed viewers to my blog. I found “jordanian girls mobile numbers” along with other shameful topics and thought I’d finally write about why (or at least most) all schools should be co-ed.

There are three type of guys in Jordan: The experienced, the disgusted and the “Droolers,” each with its own qualities and reactions towards girls. The experienced are those who have been in contact with females at an early stage of their lives and treat them as equal. The disgusted is the male class who hasn’t had any contact with girls until university and are not used to the “disgusting” scene of seeing a guy and a girl together. Finally, the Droolers, who have had no contact whatsoever with females, treat them as sex objects and would “drool” at the mention of them or even a phone number.

At least 50% of Jordanian males fall under the last category. Why?

[These categories can be reciprocated with females, to a lesser degree]

We are still in an age where separation between the sexes is creating a barrier which is resulting in category #3. This undoubtedly will continue for sometime as most schools are not co-ed. This results in many side effects, including but not limited to, homosexuality, abuse of women (see: 7afartal, nawar), lust, and other social problems.

If that person who googled for phone numbers had female acquaintances or friends, he wouldn’t have been so perverted to search for phone numbers and satisfy his urges.

PS. Every rule has an exception, and I am trying to be as objective as I can.

After spending the night lamenting the stupid Jordanian Channel that was screening the New Seven Wonders of the World gala for their professionalism, I started thinking whether Petra actually deserved to win and actually win second place. I personally voted for Petra, Stonehenge, Taj Mahal and a couple others. While I personally believe that Petra should be a World Wonder, I didn’t really like how it “won.”

During the last week, on my way to work, the driver would turn on “saba7ak m3 el daleel (?)” program on Fan fm which hosted the “4 million vote” campaign. The program attracted people through making Jordanians feel “bad” for not voting because they wouldn’t be “nashama elwatan” since voting is a “wajeb” that every “mo5les” Jordanian should commit to. Of course not to mention the money companies pay in lieu of votes. What happened to democracy? Shouldn’t the votes be a reflection of what people believe to be the New Seven Wonders? And buying votes is anything but that.

Needless to say, I’m really happy Petra won. It was ironic to see all Jordanians finally agreeing on something, and hear all the fireworks and such. But then, was it worth staying all night long?

On a totally unrelated note, Al-Ghad’s marketing and advertising campaign is just pathetic.

I guess I’m to cynical today

…with a vengeance. Not really. I’ve been in Amman for around seven weeks now. To my surprise, it’s not that horrible. I’ve been enjoying my time with friends, compensating for the 6 hours of sleep I used to get at Yale, and trying to make the most out of my internship. However, life is not always that smooth…

Yesterday as I was coming back from Mecca Mall, destiny had already made plans for me to meet the guy I have (or maybe not) been wanting to meet for a while. No, its not the girl of my dreams or something like that, and definitely not an old friend from middle school. That person had the following qualifications: male, 32, a taxi driver, and most importantly, DOES NOT SMOKE. For the first time in my life, I saw the “Don’t smoke” sign put into effect. Finally. The whole smoking phenomenon in Jordan has been killing me for ages. Instead of feeling different for smoking, its the total opposite. Again, this is not the point of the post.

The same taxi driver started talking to me about how taxi drivers take advantage of the end of the Tawjihi to make money; “wein fee 7ob fee masari” [whenever there is love, there is money.] Now, that isn’t strikingly strange, but the whole situation became totally awkward when he started telling me about how the seats shake and the other shameful acts some people engage in. Still not awkward enough.

Being the “innocent looking” person I happen to look like, the driver was trying to communicate other “happenings” and thoughts through simple and conservative words. He was hinting that he had some “unusual (see: shath)” couples who used to “shake the seats.” It wasn’t until I told him that I was totally knowledgeable of what he was saying, that he started using the terms gay and lesbian. A bit striking, but not that much.

By that time, I was already at my house, and waiting him to shut up. Apparently he really liked talking to me that he started telling me secret. The driver wasn’t married and had his own type of urges that he fulfilled through accepting invitation by those couples to watched “perverted” movies, which he explicitly told me he enjoyed. Now the point is, WHY WOULD A TAXI DRIVER GO AND DO THAT?? Another question, WHY WOULD A COUPLE, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION IS, WANT TO HOST AN OUTSIDER (I thought of threesomes, but its just illogical!)???

Anyway, still not the point of the post…

Today at work, as I was heading back to my office, two workers were walking ahead of me, suddenly one of them turned around and sayed hi in Arabic. I said hi back and immediately the guy told his partner “I told you.” Apparently, they had a bet on whether I am a foreginer or Arab. Almost all the staff, who don’t know anything about me, think I am. Its funny sometimes, and sometimes is not. And here is where I start complaining…

WHY DOES EVERYONE WHO HEARS MY ARABIC ASKS WHY I HAVE “3rabeyat mkasarah” [broken Arabic?] It happened to me since the first day I got here. It’s not funny. I really get insulted. Even the BARBER asked where I am from. Today the taxi driver (also a non-smoker with a sig, yes!) told me that I sounded like someone who came from the “West.” Moreover, why does everyone ask me, “Where are you from?” It’s annoying, a lot!!

Now allow me to make a call and start venting…

As June 16^th is approaching, around 120,000 students will be heading to the overheated test halls in different schools around the Kingdom to sit for the Tawjihi exam. The Tawjihi, which consists of 14 exams in every subject you can think of, not only exhausts the brains of young people, but also limits motivation and creativity. So the question is, why is Tawjihi wrong?

1.       Tawjihi depends on how much you memorize, not how much you understand: Let’s take the Social Studies book for example. Besides the many factual errors in the book, students have to mechanically memorize 220 pages of outdated and boring information that has no practical use whatsoever. Topics include memorizing what every single King of Jordan achieved in every aspect of life. The funny thing is that many of them had done the same thing, but is phrased differently in the book, and if you happen to know the “general idea” of what’s going on, say goodbye to 2 or more points. Another concrete example is the religion book. The religion book is just another 300 or so pages that have to be memorized word-by-word. Many of the subjects are about Islamic Jurisprudence and other topics that will never be applied in every day life.

2.       Tawjihi shows how little you know. Math is one of the most feared and dreaded exams in the Tawjihi. Tawjihi math covers University Calculus I and II, a good thing in my opinion. The bad thing about it is how it’s mechanically taught, step by step, without seeking to make the student understand the concepts. Tawjihi question makers make sure no one gets a full mark, and if it happens, your math teacher(s) will remember you forever.

3.       Tawjihi Questions are sometimes WRONG. It’s funny how many times your math or chemistry teacher points out a wrong question in the 1997, 2002 or some other exam sheet saying that the person who wrote that question is retarded.

4.       Tawjihi makes you unsatisfied with what you’ve got.  Parents force their Tawjihi-to-be to start studying the summer before Tawjihi. Not only that, they make sure you are taught by the best teachers in Amman. Of course, that is not an easy task. Your mom or dad has to a million phonecalls for a “wasta” to get a spot in the class that has been closed since April. In September, students make sure they have “doseyat” from every single teacher in Amman in every single subject. I think they go with the proverb, “the more the merrier.”

5.       Tawjihi makes you study physics. Now, to be honest, physics was never my favorite subject and I have no interest in studying it in university. Then, the important question is, why do I have to study it? Tawjihi makes you study every discipline ever created on Earth? Why? Why can’t the students chose subjects they are interested in and want to study in the future?

6.       Tawjihi starts late, and finishes WAY too late. Tawjihi usually starts mid June and ends early July. It really hurts to see your younger sibling done one month before you while you’re holding that chunky Religion book trying to figure out why in Earth you are destined to memorize it.

7.       The Tawjihi schedule is just messed up. Why should there be ½ a day before Social Studies and 4 days before 3^rd grade English? Not only that, it’s just an amazing experience when your exam is on the first day after Eid. I mean, that just HURTS.

8.       Tawjihi Kills. Literally. Many students have had heart attacks, health problems, Nescafe addictions, and sometimes it even reaches suicide. The freshmen 15 will be nothing compared to the Tawjihi hundred which you’ll struggle to get rid of.

9.       Tawjihi and family. If you happen to be the eldest, you sure have to show the whole extended family you are the smartest and keep the family’s dignity (or line for that matter.) If you have other siblings who have gone through the same misery, you have to get higher, even if that means getting 98%

10.   Tawjihi introduces new favorite study places. Forget about the library, the toilet, according to many students, is the new best studying place; there you get to do your thing, study, and, consequently, save some time.

11.   Some Tawjihi paper correctors have no work ethics. Many correctors are unqualified to correct papers of a certain subject. For example, geology teachers might be correcting biology papers. It’s even worse when a computer science teacher corrects English papers. Moreover, many correctors are nonchalant during corrections. Don’t they realize that the “future” of someone lies in their hands? HELLO?

12.   Tawjihi hall conditions are terrible. Its 4 C outside and the windows of the hall are all broken and you have to write 8 pages of that 220 Social Studies book. You are covered with every piece of cloth you’ve got and you’re still shivering. The luckiest you can get is to give the test in a private school with central heating, but besides that, sorry!

13.   Tawjihi defines you. The grade you get will hunt you for the rest of your live. You’ll be 70 and your grandchild will ask you about that number. You might lose employment because of that number even if you’ve excelled in your higher education. Reality bites.

14.   Tawjihi is against non-Jordanians. Has anyone noticed that all number one students are Jordanian? Is it me, or do all Jordanians happen to be smart? Also, authorities will never hesitate to take off points from you to let the son or daughter of an Army member to be number one in school.

15.   Tawjihi is manipulative. You’re asking how number 12 happens? Well, students write compositions or writing pieces worth 50 points and that’s where the points go. The argument is, correcting compositions is subjective and you can’t change that.

16.   Tawjihi determines your future. The worst drawback of Tawjihi is that it controls your future. Do you happen to be an aspired doctor but happen to be average at Math or Geology? Well, tough luck, you better start working on that, that is, if it’s workable.

17.    “Tawjihi is the best system around.” Well, at least that’s what Toukan claims. Ironic how his son, and many members of the Toukan family, are studying or have studied at the Amman Baccalaureate School (Which teaches the IB curriculum) and are now completing their education in the States.

18.   Tawjihi does not teach you English, it makes you memorize words. You should also take a look at the definitions of the words in the glossary. Your second grade brother would be ashamed.

19.   The Tawjihi aftermath. When college starts, you’ll either be in the college of your choice, or lamenting your luck in some other college. Either way, you’ll have zero motivation and maybe even less creativity left.

20.   Even if you can go back in time, you will be forced to do it all over again. It’s irremovable.

 

99.9999999999999% of men aged 15-35 smoke. *fumes*

I found it in my search engine terms along with others:

Today

Yesterday

My favorite today is the youtube one. Totally hilarious!

I can’t stand this anymore. I really do not want sick people to get to my website through their pervy searches.

And forsa to learn how to spell mawqe3…

Thank you facebook for telling me that I am

“on Facebook, reading [my] News Feed.”

I really needed to know!