3 girls, no boys

Check out BBC News Photo Journal: Egyptian Family

I expect many Jordanian families fit this beautiful portrait. As a matter of fact, I learned cooking by doing some of the prep work for my mother (who worked as a school principle at the time) before she came home. She too had about an hour to prepare lunch. I'd like to think she had a cooperative family to help out.

I hope today's families have more of a partnership since most women work outside the house and should be at least equal partners if not more!

Medical fiasco…and the loss of consciousness

I join the voices of fellow Jordanian bloggers in condemning the treatment of who-sane’s father and offer my prayers and wishes for his speedy recovery. This story shows the disgusting level of apathy reached by Jordanians—contrary to their proud heritage of generosity, caring, aiding even strangers, and believe it or not selflessness.

Not to take away from the horror of this particular incident, I am afraid that it is by no means unique! Medical malpractice is so prevalent in Jordan, but as all other ills, it is not seriously addressed and remains a topic discussed in social circles—sometimes as news of the weird.

What on earth is going on in Jordan?! Is it too much to say there is a collective failure in the social system? If it is not driving it is Shawarma; or it is raising prices unjustifiably, dishonesty and theft; lack of consideration; barbaric violence and the list goes on.

You can fix a machine, a building, a street, but how do you fix such wide spread disregard for basic human values? You can fire a few workers for not doing their job, but what do you do when the majority of your workforce is failing? How do you re-engineer a society? Where do you buy essential human spare parts such as a brain, a heart, and a conscious?

Side note: my mother has 30% vision in one eye after several corrective surgeries and a cornea transplant. She initially lost her vision in that eye after what should have been a straight forward cataract procedure at a private hospital in Jordan. Three ophthalmologists in three different states in the U.S. agreed it was a physician error (a butchering job according to one of the doctors). However, my father could not find one Jordanian doctor to provide a testimony of that fact for a potential lawsuit. Off the record, they told him the doctor who did the surgery was “himar” (donkey in Arabic; used as in stupid, dumb, incompetent), but they said the could not testify against one of their own. Talk about professionalism (NOT).

Since that incident, I have thought about starting a web site to document medical cases. However, without the support of at least a few physicians it would difficult. How would the Jordan Medical Association think of such a project? Speaking of that, shouldn’t they uphold members of their profession to basic minimum standards?

Perhaps we can all work at establishing some kind of a consumer reports web site where people share their experiences on various services. Any thoughts?

Fuel Prices and Politics

Many Jordanians are celebrating the government’s decision to freeze current fuel prices for the remainder of this year. In explaining the decision, which led to the resignation of the Finance Minister in protest, the government clearly favored public sentiments over sound economic numbers. If not this year, the government will surely revisit fuel prices next year.

Energy is a hot issue globally in today’s mobile societies. Securing cost-effective and stable energy sources is an enormous challenge for non-oil producing nations, including Jordan. The situation in Jordan may be even more critical due to limited availability of alternative energy sources and a historic dependence of its socio-economic system on fossil fuels.

According to the latest statistics I was able to locate for the year 2000, the transportation sector accounts for about 40% of the total energy consumption in Jordan (source: World Resource Institute). Most official statistics place the number of vehicles operating in the country at more than 700,000. According to Jordan Traffic Institute’s statistics for 2004, passenger vehicles account for about 65% of the total vehicles registered in Jordan. Applying this percentage to the current estimate of 700,000 registered vehicles yields roughly 450,000 passenger vehicles. Further, the majority of these passenger vehicles are privately held (vs. the ones used for public transport such as taxis).

I could not locate concrete information on fuel consumption characteristics of motor vehicles operating in Jordan. However, small to midsize cars seem to dominate the fleet, with a growing number of gas guzzling sport utility vehicles (SUVs). So let’s use an ambitious average motor vehicle fuel economy rate of around 200 KM/20 liters (or 0.1 liter per KM). Every time these vehicles travel for one kilometer, they consume roughly 45,000 liters of gasoline, not counting trucks, buses, and other heavy equipment. If every motor vehicle traveled only 20 km on an average day, we are talking about 900,000 liters of fuel or well over JD 400,000 per day!

What does this mean?

First, Jordan must put in place policies that effectively curb fuel consumption while investing in alternative and renewable energy sources (such as wind and solar energies which are quite abundant in the country).

Second, the transportation sector, which consumes a significant portion of fossil fuels, must be tackled through a series of strategies, including but not limited to:

• Developing fuel consumption standards to greatly penalize fuel inefficient vehicles


• Providing incentives to individuals and businesses to encourage the use of hybrid vehicles (electric, electric/gasoline combination). A Hybrid Honda Civic for example yields 63% more fuel economy over its gasoline-based counterpart. Not to mention, a hybrid vehicle produces much less pollutants and noise than a gasoline-based vehicle.


• Improving public transportation in order to provide a viable alternative to driving to an increasing segment of Jordanians (especially in Amman)


• Developing and implementing land use and development policies which promote walking and public transport compared to the ugly urban sprawl plaguing Amman

Third, the government needs to address the impacts of rising transportation costs on the economy. Producers, service providers, and workers are negatively impacted by transportation costs to the point it can hinder Jordan’s economic competitiveness. Therefore, targeted subsidies combined with consumption reduction policies will still be needed to ensure Jordanian businesses and individuals have reasonable access to mobility.

Work has already begun on some of these steps.

For example, according to information on the Customs Department web page, hybrid vehicles receive a 26% discount in taxes. I wonder how many people are aware of this discount. This incentive clearly demonstrates that even when a tax incentive reduces government revenues it also reduces its expenditures in the form of fuel subsidies. The Greater Amman Municipality is amidst a major master planning project which promises to curb urban sprawl and bring back the old livable city.

However, what seems to be missing is a comprehensive national strategy that coordinates the sometimes conflicting work of several ministries, departments, and agencies. What is also missing are strategies to engage the public because public buy-in is critical for the success of any government policy.

It is hard to change old habits, but Jordan needs to act now before it is too late. By making a few sacrifices now, Jordanians can avoid making even more major concessions in the future and could ensure a better future for the whole country.

(Lack of) Truth in Advertising

I clicked on one of the ads for real estate development while reading Addustour online. So I scanned the company’s web page for information on the project and also the company itself.

The link to the Project Photos offers the following information (I am providing rough translation for those of you who can’t read Arabic):

Site:
The site was selected in Shafa Badran for this area enjoys unique and beautiful features:

• Easy access through Jordan Street
• It has two universities and a number of private and public schools
• It has commercial, entertainment, and service outlets
• Quiet and low population density
• High elevation of site and nice view
• Clean environment
  

Now these are fantastic claims, however, they are barely supported from the project pictures. Figure-1 is a print out of the company’s web page on Project Pictures, with a listing of the site attributes which I have translated above.

Figure-1 Project Pictures

Enlarging the first photo shows the land plot for the project (Figure-2). Is it just me or does the location sit lower than the surrounding properties???

Figure-2 Enlarged photo of project site

OK, never mind the project location. Let’s learn a bit about the company (About Us: About the Director and About the Company). Here is the translation for the About the Director information:

Company Director:
The director and partner in the xyz company for real estate investments is John Doe who has the following degrees and qualifications:

• Holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering since 1987 from xyz University
• Worked at Engineering Company as a Design and Project Engineer...
• Invested in real estate and founded Engineering Company for General Contracting...
• Invested in hotel suites and founded xyz Furnished Suites in...then returned to Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
• Invested in furnished apartment sector targeting students in...
• Has been investing in real estate in Jordan since 1991
• Participated in several workshops specializing in the following areas:
  - Business management
  - Self growth
  - Psychology
  - Natural medicine (or Alternative medicine?)
  - He carries a diploma in “Diagnosis through the Iris of the Eye” from the University of Natural Medicine in California

Figure-3 About the Company Director

I understand his interest in psychology, but natural medicine? And worse yet diagnosis through the Iris of the Eye?! I am speechless. What does this have to do with me buying a house in this project?????

Smart Falafel ???

I spent most of last week in San Jose, California in the heart of Silicon Valley. For those of you who experienced life outside of Jordan, you know we would go great lengths in search of that perfect falafel sandwich. This usually proves to be an elusive exercise because there is often disappointment in the quality of the Falafel offered at the Falafel wannabe outlets. Perhaps enjoying Falafel is more than just consuming food, but rather an experience enhanced by the traditions at its original source.

Having said that, I had to choose from two possible venues for my Falafel quest: House of Falafel or Falafel Drive-in.


I opted for House of Falafel after seeing burgers on the Falafel Drive-in menu. So I made the short drive just before noon and arrived at a modest, but relatively well-appointed dining room. A line of 30 plus customers extended from the order counter all the way to the entrance of the store. It was complete chaos (typical of all Middle Eastern joints I have been to in the U.S.) Arabic pop music was blaring in the background as two young servers were rushing among the sea of people to deliver Falafel and kabob combo plates. Loud exchanges among the 3 young Arab workers (cashier, waiter/busboy combo, and cook) interrupted the continuous buzz of hungry customers and the Arabic music in the background.

I stood in line for more than 20 minutes before being able to place my order and then stand aside since I opted for take-out. Besides the usual chaos (read municipal election in Jordan), I was fascinated by the diversity of the mostly young clientele in this place. Given that this was Silicon Valley after all, it was amazing to see the world represented in the faces, features, colors, and accents of young smart IT workers. They dress from total slobs to total chique yet they all blended in and they all knew their Falafel.

Cashier and cook had a heated exchange that I later discovered was related to one customer’s special request. The customer wanted Kunafeh but the cook said it was too busy for him to prepare. After several exchanges the cashier began informing the customer that it wasn’t possible today. Customer replied that he has been coming for days wanting to buy the Kunafeh. Crisis averted when waiter/busboy combo volunteered to make the Kunafeh. He shouted at the cook to throw some butter in the skillet and he’s make the Kunafeh! As much as I was drooling on the prospect of eating Kunafeh, I had to go back to my meeting (sadly)…

Given all the outstanding Falafel Jordan has to offer, I wonder if it could be possible to attract a few bright minds to help create that long awaited revolution to move Jordan into the IT world? Better yet, perhaps Jordan can create a welcoming environment to keep its brilliant young generation at home where they can focus on developing their country rather than migrate to Western countries in search of that elusive Falafel look-alike?

Hands off my BELLY

Last year when my wife and I were visiting Jordan, I got to see an old woman friend of the family whom I have not seen in years. The first thing she said when I entered the room was: “Allah yi-3wed 3laik.” This is an Arabic Jordanian phrase used for a variety of occasions that pertain to loss. The most common uses are for the death of a family member, the major loss of a car or house, and lastly but more commonly, for a couple who do not have children (as in my case).

The rough translation of the phrase may be something like: may God provide a substitute for your loss or may God grant you what you are missing.

Although anybody living native to Jordan, or even spending paying a short visit, would agree that there is very little regard to personal privacy. I would also argue that there is little regard to personal feelings of others who are usually bombarded by unsolicited opinions which cross the line of naïve curiosity to plain old rudeness and lack of consideration. Where else would somebody (can be a family member, casual acquaintance, or a total stranger) comment on very private attributes relating to your persona. Here are some examples of comment or question topics directed at me, often out of the blue:

Physical attributes

• You would look better if you lose a few kilos


• Your cheeks are too skinny you should gain a few kilos (this after my working my butt off to lose weight)


• Shoes too big
  These are not shoes you are wearing, they are more like boats
  You should park your shoes away from traffic
  Where can you find shoes to fit these monster feet?


• Butt too big or too small (depending on the day)


• Too tall – you have to bend down so we can kiss you

Clothes

• This color (name any color) does not look good on you


• This color make you look FAT (also old, young, etc)


• Do you ever wear decent clothes? (usually after arriving from 24 hour flying back from the U.S. in JEANS!)

Hair

• Too little hair (every time they see you, they make the discovery that heck he is bald)

Facial/body hair

• Too little facial/body hair
  It’s NOT nice for a man to be smooth like this (this pretty much raises doubt about my manhood)

There is so many more examples, but this post would get too long if I attempt to list them all. Keep in mind that I am a 43 year old man. Can you imagine how bad it could be for a woman????

Ok back to the pregnancy/children thing, I saw this article on MSNBC about a married woman's struggle with comments about pregnancy. I thought it was hilarious, especially the part about some woman touching her belly (in Jordan they tend to TOUCH too).

Why do they hate us?

I started my day by looking at the local newspaper this morning as I sipped my coffee. Like most small local newspapers, this paper tends to focus exhaustively on local news-every insignificant detail you could imagine. For the hard-core news addicts, this paper does not do any justice for national and international events. Therefore, our subscription to the paper is mainly to keep up with the opinion page to see what’s on the mind of our community and of course to keep up with the store specials and promotions. However, for the average local readers, this is their source of information.

Although I have gotten accustomed to seeing all kinds of misinformation—both by the newspaper staff or opinion pieces, today was even worse. The paper printed an op-ed piece by James Pinkerton, an ultra-conservative right-wing columnist who promotes an ideology of civilization wars vs. reconciliation. Read the article here (our local paper decided to title the article as “Chertoff’s gut might be right” in reference to recent comments by Department of Homeland Security about possible attacks in the U.S).

What troubles me most is that this poison laden article may not be too far off from public sentiments here, at least in private. Certainly, right-wing zealots have succeeded in brainwashing public opinion (beyond the point of no return?) into believing that: a) they are in dire and immediate danger, b) that Muslims and Islam are the source of this danger, and c) that the only way to face this danger is to fight it with overwhelming force.

Even with significant public opinion now against the Iraq war, the public is easily swayed by scare tactics. In this case, it is the bizarre events in the UK. So it is very convenient for a columnist with a not-so-hidden agenda to use this incident out of context to propose some outlandish and drastic measures – nothing short of banning any more Muslims from entering western countries and enacting a re-certification of all those who have entered in order to stop them from their harming their fellow citizens in their new communities.

I had the opportunity to discuss the UK event recently with a couple of Arab doctors in a small college town (which has embraced diversity). They were apprehensive about the prospects that their patients now view them with a tainted lens since the terrorist in the UK were mainly doctors. Interestingly enough, both of these doctors are Lebanese Christians, and one is actually a born-again.

Please understand that I acknowledge that there are plenty of examples of Arabs and Muslims whose deeds have directly contributed to a global negative perception of more than a billion people. These individuals are rotten not only for committing heinous acts, but also for claiming they did them in the name of Islam.

With that admission out of the way however, extremism and terror are by any means confined to Arab and Muslims. Therefore, it would be naive to believe that this vicious war on Arabic and Islamic heritage is simply a justified and measured reaction to the 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. There is more at play here and the factors range from protecting American world dominance to experimenting with defense and geopolitical models.

The Catholic Church just agreed to a $600 million dollar settlement in the abuse scandal that plagued its bishops. Yet, you don’t see anybody badmouthing Christianity or Catholicism as a religion that abuses children. If this were remotely related to Islam, can you imagine the reaction?

News reporting standards in Jordan

I am really interested to hear other opinions on news reporting standards (or lack of) in Jordan, especially online media. Here are some of my observations:

1. Photos not related to the story
2. Photo captions are misleading, irrelevant, and inaccurate
3. You see people receiving certificates, holding meetings, etc but few names are provided
4. Inaccurate translation to English
5. Story talks about launching a new web site for example but the link is not provided
6. No references to sources of information and mixing original contributions with copied material from other news media
7. Poor taste

Here are a couple of examples of photos that perhaps should not have made the Petra web page which is the Official News agency in Jordan (photos copied from www.petra.gov.jo):

This photo was part of a series on a news story last summer on a sit-in by citizens unhappy with new broadcast restrictions on world soccor games. Should a picture like this appear on Jordan's official news agency's web site??? I am also curious, was the man on the ground asked for permission to broadcast his picture to the whole world basically?

The picture above has the caption of: "Saudi Monarch Arrives in Amman" but all you see if this poor animal been slaughtered under the curious phone cameras of the crowd. Gross! At the very least there should be an explanation for what is being photographed.

New vision for Amman

I love what the Great Amman Municipality (GAM) is doing with the Amman Master Plan. Today they announced the second phase of the plan which targets concentrated (or high-density) development. I quickly skimmed the material developed for this phase and I like what I see. The photo below shows the proposed vision for Zahran Street for example—which looks much more attractive than the random development which currently plagues the capitol (photo from GAM web site).

High-density and mixed use developments can greatly enhance Amman. In addition to providing for an organized and harmonious development, this style of development can support cost-effective housing, reduced dependence on the private car (and hence less traffic), well-connected communities, and cleaner environment. Here is a picture I took in Washington, DC last spring which shows an example of the Victorian high-density urban development style.

Amman has grown in a hap-hazardous fashion, with much intense growth since 2001. The Master Plan is a much needed and way overdue effort for at least regulating future growth. Since much growth has taken place so far without proper planning, the process of retro-fitting existing developed areas into the new vision for the city will be very difficult and painful. Needless to say, it will also be very political because of potential resistance from property owners and traditional political powers.

The GAM has attempted to make this plan development open to participation from various organizations and citizen groups. However, it is the responsibility of these entities to engage the GAM in this critical planning process—after all they will be the ones directly impacted by its outcomes. It is our collective responsibility to support the GAM in accomplishing a vision that will make Ammanites and Jordanians proud of Amman.

Iraq's problems finaly solved (NOT)

It took only 4 years for the world to realize there is an Iraqi refugee problem. Therefore, the U.S. is acting generously and swiftly to shoulder some of the responsibilities toward Iraq by increasing the number of Iraqis eligible to enter the U.S to around 7,000. Thank God! (no it is not a typo...there are only 3 zeros after the seven). Meanwhile, Jordan has absorbed close to a million Iraqis (depending on the source the number varies).

Read the article on MSNBC.

The real (and ugly) face of poverty

The Jordan Times carried an editorial piece critical of the recently announced government plans to spend all of $8 million to root out poverty in the 16 most distressed areas. The JT was right to sound the alarm and call for a much broader and more meaningful plan to address the growing economic pains of a significant slice of Jordanian society.

Perhaps one of the first steps to deal with this problem is to use accurate and objective measures to define it. The government's definition of poverty is anybody making less than JD504 per year!!! This figure defies any logic given the accelerated rate of inflation experienced in Jordan over the last few years. Even with such an unrealistically low threshold, official statistics place 15% of the population under the poverty line. Clearly, the problem is much more extensive and serious.

For example, several news outlets reported on illegal Organ trading in Jordan. Alarab Alyawm reported police captured a group of people involved in kidney trading in the Ajloun area. By the way, Ajloun is one of those 16 areas targeted by the government for alleviating poverty. Meanwhile Al-Ghad ran a story on kidney harvesting in Egypt and its associated health risks and criminal activities.

Realistically, how much money per year should be considered below poverty line in Jordan? Keep in mind that regional variations are expected (i.e., Amman vs. rural areas).

Share your thoughts.

Happy Independence day Jordan

How does one start a blog?!

Having failed to come up with something remotely interesting or intelligent, I decided to emphasize this special day instead and celebrate its significance. So here are a few selected quotes that speak to this occasion.

Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better
-Albert Camus

Liberty is the right to choose. Freedom is the result of the right choice.
-Anonymous

Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom
-Albert Einstein quotes

Democracy means that if the doorbell rings in the early hours, it is likely to be the milkman.
-Winston Churchill

Freedom is never given; it is won
-A. Philip Randolph

If ever there was a holy war, it was that which saved our liberties and gave us independence
-Thomas Jefferson

That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves
-Thomas Jefferson

Information is the currency of democracy
-Thomas Jefferson