Classic Music back on the Jordanian airwaves

I don't want to say "finally", since i discovered this show on Radio Jordan English Service by mistake several weeks ago, but well, later better than never, we do have an hour of "Classic Music" weekly on the Jordanian airwaves!

With all this jam of radio stations on the jordanian airwaves, we don't have a single radio station providing us with "Classical Music", Back in April 2007 we had a potential of having a radio station playing this type of music on the airwaves, but the station turned to be, at the end of the story, Sunny 105.1 FM, a Hot AC station.

Thank god Radio Jordan's english service, took the duty of playing classic music after the continuous revolutions we had in it, especially after we used to have the french service airing over 5-6 hours of it daily, and utilizing the big classic music collection it has with a weekly show, which is being aired at 11 PM on Thursday nights.

The show, which i never heard a title for, is quite interesting, as there is a man telling us about the piece of music with all the tiny musical details before airing the musical piece.
The show lasts mostly for about an hour, but sometimes more, depending on the played piece's length. so don't get surprised if at a certain moment of silence, you get Rihanna singing! its just that the show has ended!

Update:
The classic music show broadcasting on radio jordan is called "Nocturne", and its prepared and presented by Tariq Younes, along with another couple of classic music shows:
"Fortisimo": Tuesdays 1-2 pm
"Jordanesque": Wednesdays 6-7 pm

نوابنا الحريقة! حضور أسوء من مدرسة ثانوية و أفكار نابغة

يعني فوق إنو بزبطوا حالهم بالسيارات و الزيادات من ألف و فوق و بصوتوا على إعطاء أبو عشر نيرات للشعب، و بمنعوا وزارة الزراعة من فتح استيراد زيت الزيتون مشان يحطوا هم السعر اللي بدهم اياه على تنكة الزيت و قوت المواطن اللي بطلع من مزارعهم.

فوق هذا كله كمان ما بيجوا على جلسات المجلس، مثل ما صار مبارح لما حضر 31 من 110.
و يا ريت هالــ 31 زي العالم و الناس... خذولكوا هالعينة

أشار الضلاعين، في نهاية كلمته، إلى أن العديد من الوزارات باتت بلا فائدة للدولة، ما حدا به إلى طرح الاقتراحات التالية حول مصير بعض الوزارات :
1- وزارة تطوير القطاع العام: لتصبح وحدة إدارية في المعهد الوطني للتدريب أو ديوان الخدمة المدنية.
2- وزارة التعليم العالي: تدمج مع وزارة التربية
3- وزارة التنمية السياسية: لا يوجد لها أي أثر، فالأفضل إلغائها.
4- وزارة الاتصال وتكنولوجيا المعلومات: أن تصبح جزءاً من المركز الوطني للمعلومات.
5- وزارة النقل: أن تصبح وحدة إدارية في هيئة تنظيم قطاع النقل.
6- وزارة البيئة: أن تدمج مع وزارة البلديات أو وزارة الزراعة.
7- وزارة الثقافة: أن تتبع للمجلس الأعلى للشباب

لا والله رأي حريقة، بده وزارة الإتصالات و النقل يصيروا جزء من دوائر فيهم، و البيئة هي و الزراعة واحد، مش كلوا بحكي عن كوكب الأرض، أما وزارة الثقافة فبرأيه شبابية بالآخر

Laugh it out loud with Jordanians!

This article By Mike V. Derderian, can be found in TODAY's edition of the Star.

“Does anyone have any questions for the sponsors?” Omar Al Maani, the mayor of Amman, with a hint of gentle sarcasm said to a silent hoard of media representatives before someone actually did.

Silence prevailed for a moment or two until one journalist finally asked a question and begged one sponsor to fund an association for theatrical actors. For a press conference about a comedy festival that was extremely funny. A few minutes ago Maani, who with the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) is sponsoring Jordan’s first stand-up comedy festival, said that he uses humor to face the trials and tribulations of a day at the office.

“If I don’t do so I would blow a vein or die of a heart attack. Please if anyone has a good joke or two e-mail them to me,” Maani, who gave a heartfelt laugh as members of the press soon joined in.

Sitting next to Maani was Dean Obeidallah, an American comedian of Arabian roots, who was there with Maani and the of course sponsors part of a press conference to talk about The Amman Stand-Up Comedy Festival, which is to be held between December 2 and December 5 at Al Hussein Cultural Center.

Jordanians were first introduced to the stand up comedy format a few months ago when Obeidallah performed along The Axis of Evil comedians Maz Jobrani, Aron Kader and Ahmed Ahmed, who will all perform in the upcoming festival.

Some journalists attending the press conference mistook this social, religious, economic and political driven art form of self-expression as a branch of comedic theatre. Ok, maybe I am pushing the envelope when I religious. Stand-up comedy is an inner monologue that is voiced out-loud to a sitting crowd and a stand-up comedian is only armed with his razor sharp tongue, wits, jokes, humorous dialogue, punch-lines and of course a microphone.

For the upcoming festival there will be over 15 performers including Arab American comedians like Ali Hassan, Amer Zahr, James Smith, Mike Batayeh, Nemr Abu Nassar, Ronnie Khalil, Meena Dimian, Ronnie Khali, George Azmy, Ted Alexandro, James Smith, Russell Peters and of course Maysoon Zayid.

On their Facebook group the organizers announced that they want Jordanians in the lineup of the festival. So anyone interested in performing can upload videos online and send the links to ascf@ammancity.gov.jo and dean@deanofcomedy.com.

The stand-up comedy fever is spreading and the festival's posters that were fixed over electricity line poles are worth the checking. Reading the festival's main tagline Rah Tedhak Khawa, which roughly translates to You Will Be Forced To Laugh, which is written over and under human faces that have a wide smile superimposed over their real and dull expressions, one cannot but wonder why Jordanians are looked upon as no more than a bunch of sourpusses—hardly the case when one attends a gathering of friends, young and old, read a caricature for Emad Hajjaj or even strike up a conversation with a taxi driver.

Jordanians are funny but they have been repeating this lie—Jordanians are not funny—for so long that they've started to believe it and the Festival of Comedy will hopefully change this.

"The purpose behind the festival is to change this misconception as I believe Jordanians are intelligent and often express themselves through humor in their daily activities," Maani stated, adding, "the success of Laughter Week yielded the idea for this festival, which is part of GAM's mission to hone individualistic skills and talents."

The festival, which is part of a non-profit program, was developed in close collaboration with the critically acclaimed New York Arab-American Comedy Festival, which according to Maani is here to stay if it proves successful with Jordanians.

“This is truly the first festival. The other show we did had the same performers each night. This is each show is a different night with different performers and that's truly the essence of a festival in my eyes," Obeidallah said, before adding, "such a festival will result in positive press coverage for the locality that is having the event. The Montreal and Edinburgh Comedy Festival did the same respectively for Canada and Scotland.

Obeidallah believes that this Festival will encourage young talents to become more active in the Jordanian performing arts arena especially stand-up. "I also see this event creating a wider appreciation for comedy in Jordan and should be recognized as a marked calendar occurrence staged in Amman, as the region is full of raw talent that we are hoping to bring to the forefront and if all goes well this year the festival will become a staple of Amman,” Obeidallah added.

The festival according to Maani will contribute to Amman's position as a pioneering city that embraces, creates, and hosts cultural activities like the stand-up comedy festival that he hopes will attract headlining performers from the Middle East, United States of America, and Europe.

“The Greater Amman Municipality anticipates that this festival will increase tourist traffic to the City during the month of December and will also place Jordan and its talent pool on the international map of comedy. We are always keen on urging our community members to express themselves and interact through the many forms of performing arts and stand-up comedy is the rawest and most interactive form of comedy,” explained Maani, "if this year's festival proves successful we will turn it into an event that will turn Amman to a comedic hub that will attract comedians from across the Middle East."

"The goal of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival that I worked on and created with Comedian Maysoon Zayid, five years ago was not only to entertain but to break stereotypes and show other Americans that Arabs can be funny. I hope that there will be media coverage back home about this festival to show that Arabs in this region are funny, "Obeidallah explained.

Well, Jordanians will just have to prove, to themselves first, and the world second, that they have funny bones and a Jordanian holding a microphone standing on an empty stage facing a crowd can be as funny as an American stand up comedian doing the same.

Expressive enough :) See you at the Amman Stand-up Comedy festival between the 2nd and the 5th of December at Ras El-Ein :) .... hmm ,,, well, less the last couple of days, as i have another hot even for you to be reveled soon ;)

"Jordan Business" ignoring my response on last month's story

It was "interesting enough", as much as disappointing, how non of the points i mentioned in my response on Jordan Business's Magazine last month's cover story were neither commented by any of the magazine's staff to whom the response was sent, nor mentioned and not even commented in this month's edition of the magazine.

If you never tried public transportation, and can't move your self out of that car, just SHUT UP! we dont need your "Rich thoughts" if you consider public transportation for the "lower class".

Physically speaking, the bus riders are in a higher lever than car drivers by the way.

BBC DJ quits Beat FM's rock show!

Last Night, Beat FM's rock show "Rock N Jordan" witnessed a change, the show is not presented by the BBC presenter Andy May anymore, and is now presented as a LIVE show (instead of being recorded all the way from the UK), by Rob Stevens and Dana Hjazeen. same time, tuesdays 9-11 PM.

Quite an improvement in style, show quality (content and sound), and interactivity, since it was live.

This comes of course after less than 1 month of having BBC's Andy May presenting the show, and having Andy quitting the duty of doing this show due to problems that seemed to be between Andy and the management at Beat FM.

I was wondering from the beginning on the reason behind having a DJ doing a recorded show from abroad by a non-residence DJ, especially when the resource is already available locally.

Finally, I got a clue that a Jordanian DJ will be doing the show entirely withing the next couple of weeks, wondering if yesterday's co-host, Dana, will be the one taking over the show

How to implement a "startreck" technology!

• 35 HD cameras pointed at the subject in a ring
• Different cameras shoot at different angles (like the matrix), to transmit the entire body image
• Cameras being hooked up to the cameras in home base in NY, synchronizing the angles so perspective is right
• Infrared communication
• A 37-inch plasma where the return feed of the combined images are fed back. Useful for a misplaced hair or an unseemly boogar!
• Twenty "computers" are crunching this data in order to make it usable...

and the Result ....LIVE On CNN ... tataaan!



Amaaaazing ... for real!



More on Gizmodo ... in order to know exactly how it all worked! (text above is qouted from Gizmodo)

You can also get to see Cisco's "Musion System" Hologram in this Video

Also from andfaraway.net

My TEN to SPIN!

Ten reasons on why you can listen to Spin Jordan!

1- Its "Like it is"!

2- It has a FULL complete coverage for all the areas of Amman on 94.1 FM, unlike all the other western music radio stations who get to have a problem in an area or another.

3- Its the 1st western music station broadcasting out of Amman, the 1st western music radio station to broadcast in Irbid on 88.3, the 1st western music radio station to broadcast in Petra on 88.5 FM, & the 1st western music radio station to broadcast in Aqaba pretty soon! and not to forget on Nilesat!

4- It has THE BEST sound quality jordanian radio EVER witnessed!

5- It has LIVE shows covering your entire day! with over 12 hours of LIVE shows daily

6- Its the 1st western music radio station to get you entertained during the weekends with live shows, and not only repeating redundant music!

7- It Gives you money just because you are listening :) just like in the 10000 JD triple play!

8- It has Tamer Bataineh in the morning with his Breakfast Espresso! The only Jordanian DJ on a privately owned western music radio station in Jordan. with 100% jordanian craziness! followed by 100 spin hits in a row making you sacrifise to listen while you're at work.

9- It has an hour by hour at the top the hour update of REAL-TIME & "Like it is" 5 word weather. something understandable for the people!

10- It might bring you up some SPINIs as well! who knows!



SPIN Jordan ... Like it is :)

Does the TRC care only about licensing!

Thats an Open Question after the fact that Ministry of Trade announced it WILL NOT allow Mobile companies to charge 1 piaster/ SMS report as its illegal, while ALL the 3 GSM Mobile companies, Umniah, Zain and Orange simply kept ignoring that and CHARGING that extra piaster starting October 29th!

interesting is the fact that no comment from the TRC is out yet on this! and the companies are still charging

Can they, the TRC, tell us, the mobile telecom users, whats their point of view from this! will the TRC get our money back!? will it 1st of all try to stop the telecom companies from getting this piaster, as the companies are still getting it!