http://madas.jordanplanet.org The curiosity of an anthropologist Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:17:06 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Last few days, random people from different phases of my life have been calling me to go and clean their streets! So far, my first reaction was that of surprise and the second one is of delight…I will get back to the delight part, in a bit…   Nope, I still ... http://madas.jordanplanet.org/2008/08/19/cleaning-a-street/ One of  the project's associates, who had been dangerously uncooperative had miraculously become dangerously cooperative… he dropped in to pay us an unseasonable visit. I was extremely busy preparing for an event…  When he realized , he was not going to get the required social pleasantries form me, he rose ... http://madas.jordanplanet.org/2008/08/15/my-dirty-guest/ Words fail to describe my feelings… so I won't say anything…   This is one of my favorite poems.. Marcel Khalifeh turned it into a song... It is so  harsh yet so tender...         تصبحون على وطن عندما يذهب الشهداء الى النوم أصحو وأحرسهم من هواة الرِّثاء أقول لهم : تُصبحون على وطن، من سحابٍ ومن شجرٍ، من سراب وماء أهنئُهُم ... http://madas.jordanplanet.org/2008/08/11/mahmoud-darwish-%d8%aa%d8%b5%d8%a8%d8%ad-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%88%d8%b7%d9%86/ No, this is not the wailing of a delirious woman… in fact, this was a perfectly calm conversation taking place at a flawlessly respectable place in Amman, while Diala  and I were staring at the hills of Ashrafiah shimmering in the velvety sunset.   I have been begging Diala (an assumed ... http://madas.jordanplanet.org/2008/08/10/his-problem-is-that-he-does-not-beat-me-up/ With so much sadness, we say goodbye to one of the most celebrated and most controversial Arab personalities.     Egyptian film-maker Youssef Chahine, died on today aged 82 after several weeks in a coma. A funeral ceremony will be held in Cairo on Monday. He will buried in the family crypt in ... http://madas.jordanplanet.org/2008/07/27/youssef-chahine-you-will-be-missed/ I was invited to a meeting yesterday. I was supposed to tell them about my project. I got there only to find out that the meeting was this kind of meeting… Oh horror! I was a unique figure among all these men! When my turn came to speak, Tayseer gave me ... http://madas.jordanplanet.org/2008/07/24/262/ As I was flicking through my pictures, I found those two… they were taken two years ago in the heart of Cairo… I was fascinated with the idea of a non-fiction fiction…  and even though it was my least day in Cairo, I made it a mission to find out ... http://madas.jordanplanet.org/2008/07/20/two-years-later-yaqubian-building/ I have been inspired to write this post by a group of AIDS patient with whom I have been working recently. They were telling me about the harsh consequences they have to go through on daily basis because they are not anonymous. But why are you not anonymous, I asked naively?  ... http://madas.jordanplanet.org/2008/07/15/aids-patients-and-privacy/ While the world is busy debating the ethics and the effects of exploring water springs on Mars, planet Wadi Al Seer is busy debating who to complain to about sewage problems….   Honestly, the ravings of ten of Nasa's fevered imaginations could not come up with more inventive schemes to minimize waste, ... http://madas.jordanplanet.org/2008/07/01/water-springs-at-mars-and-sewage-in-wadi-al-sir/ We have been working hard to facilitate a meeting between the representatives of Ashrafiah area and the police. People have been complaining that there is not much seguridad social that area… Ashrafiah is marginalized, even though there is an astounding population density. Marginalized means that there are not many policemen to ... http://madas.jordanplanet.org/2008/06/17/why-do-we-need-a-policeman-at-every-corner/