the ten Annoying facebook users populating my news feed

after a while, you kind of figure out the next status update before it's even written. there are those on facebook (and recently increasingly on twitter) who are adamant about posting the same thing over and over again. here are the ten personalities I've been encountering on my facebook news feed. I am sure you'll relate.

• the weatherman/woman

Every freakin' morning with a "what a beautiful morning" and every sunny afternoon with an"it's a shame to be inside with this weather :(" Dude, we can all look out the window and see the sun, we can all feel temperatures, and we all can tell as soon as the clouds crowd the sky and it starts raining!

• the quiz taker

your future spouse will not look like a supermodel, major celebrity, or a royalty; your taste in music sucks; and your lucky number isn't 7. Did you really need a quiz to tell you that?!

• the photo tagger

Let me just say that If I am not in it, I should NOT be tagged! period.

• the quote poster

do you not have anything better to say? Do you really understand these quotes? Do you just sit in the basement of your parent's house and spread wisdom?!

• the news linker

are you out of your mind?! Chances are you're posting yesterweek's™ news. Believe me, if it was worth knowing, people would have noticed the minute it came out.

• the music video attacher

Do you realize that all the crap you post on your wall, ya wall, is included in the feed that all your "friends" see?! We don't all share your taste in music. we would most likely Click "Unlike," if such an option was available!

• the "Like" clicker

you don't have to. I swear. We all like something or another. but to treat the "Like" button as a communication tool is uncalled for. leave something to the imagination!

• the Ass Kisser

this overly patriotic facebooker would get a punch in the face from his/her friends if it were legal. Your country, no matter where it is, is not perfect. Don't pretend as if it is god's gift to humanity. Leave that to the Jews! :)

• the complainer

if you're happy and having a good day, please click "hide" to forget this person ever existed. S/he would just ruin your day. from traffic to work, and from bad weather to the poor taxi driver, ولا حدى بيسلم منه/ا

• the stalker

every social network has them. Think of them as if you were their only friend. they would Like AND Comment on all your status updates. They would tag you in all their photos. they would even have you as the subject of an application/quiz/post on their wall.

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To Hell with Arranged Marriage

قصة حمده للشاعر السوري عُمر الفرّا

ما أريدك ... ما أريدك 

حتى لو .. تذبحني بايدك 

ما أريدك 

***

إبنَ عمي ... ومثلَ اخويَ 

ودم وريدي .. من وريدك 

أمّا خِطبة .... لا يا عيني 

لاني نعجة .. تشتريها 

ولاني عبده .. من عبيدك 

ما أريدك ... 

***

هذي القصه .. قصة حمده 

حمده الرمش .. اللّي يتحدا 

الرمش الياخذ 

قلب الناس 

ما عمرو ودَّا 

حمده كانت 

أجمل ورده 

بوجه الريح .. وصمدت مِدَّه 

حمده كانت .. نقطة بمصحف 

تحدّت كل سيوف الرِّدّه 

اليوم الأول .. تحدّث حمده 

اليوم الثاني .. صرخت حمده 

اليوم الثالث .. نزلت دمعه 

اليوم الرابع .. يوم الجمعه 

دخلت أمّها .. غرفة حمده 

انشدهت !! ترجفت !! 

عيون تكذّب .. قلب يلجلج 

خافتَ !! ... شافت !! 

جسم .......... مثلَّج 

شعر تناثر .. فوق مخدَّه 

صاحت ... جاوب 

مِروَد كُحْله .. 

ماتتْ حمده !! ... 

ماتتْ حمده !! ... 

ثوب المخمل ... مراية حمده 

المُشط ... البُكله .. كُلهُمْ صاحو 

والصوت الرايح .. ما وَدَّا 

تبكي ... كل رمال الصحرا 

وتبكي ... كل بنيَّه حُرَّه 

حتَّى ... طير الورور ناح 

وفوق ترابك .. مرَّغ خده 

تغطي حمده .. برد الصيف 

المثل السيف .. يمرض عينك 

أنا خايف إنها .. تمرض عينك 

تغطيَّ حمده ... تهنّي حمده 

ها لأرض اللي .. تحت أجرينا 

أكرم من اللَّي .. فوق بمدّه 

تهنّي حمده ...

حلفت أمي ... 

وكل نسوان الديرة ... شهدن 

إنهن شافن .. بليلة جمعه

فوق القبر.. الضامم حمده

حلفن إنهن.. شافن شمعه

الشمعة شمعة نور.. وعِليت

عِليتْ عِليتْ.. عليتْ

فوق لفوق.. لفوق

لفوق اللي.. ما تعرف حدّه

وحلفن انهن.. سمعن حمده

من جوَّات... القبر تصيح

تصيح وتنده:

ما أريدك...

ما أريدك...

ما أريدك...

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twitter killed blogging

this post is best read while listening to Gipsy Kings' Moorea

well, may be at least for me. it's no secret that my blogging frequency has plummeted as I took to twitter. twitter has been a more direct and the interaction is more instantaneous. however, with every tweet I post, a seed of a potential blog post is wasted. case in point, yesterday I tweeted the first if #ChuckNorriz was Jordanian. the reaction was a very active, and let me say hilarious, contribution from many Jordanian tweeps. had I made that into a post of all the iterations of Norriz' Jordanian-ness, it would have been at least a day to get my blog readers to be part of the tag line. 
Also, the immediate feedback to a tweet/mention has eclipsed the best commenting system a blog could ever have. with twitter you are at liberty to read, comment, and write your own tweets all at the same time. 
but, the 140 character limit of twitter inhibits one's ability to go at length in presenting a view point and/or comment/reply to others' reactions and opinions. this limitation might hamper Jordan's ديجيتال members of the government to have a meaningful dialogue with the masses. I am not against them using the medium. But, I think it should be a small part of a more comprehensive, two way conversation on Jordanian matters. 
lastly, but certainly not least, there are those readers of this blog who never warmed up to the idea of twitter. I surely don't want to miss on their insights to whatever thoughts mab3oos dumbs in here! 


good luck having all the above in one single tweet! 

this post was brought to you by AbuEl3abedList.org

"get more for your crap than Souq El Joura!"

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The most Corrupt Jordanian official is the Jordanian Citizen

in the spirit of encouraging people to register for the upcoming elections, I am reposting the following entry as it fits the current mood and that nothing really has changed during the last couple of years. This entry first appeared on mab3oos.com on Nov. 14th, 2008. 


Ammon news started a new poll asking readers to nominate a Jordanian Official whom they think is the most negligent Official in the country. The post attracted numerous comments/nominations. However, I only agree with a couple. Only two commenters mentioned the Jordanian Citizen as the cause of such corruption and negligence.

It is true. As we say in Arabic: الساكت على الحق: شيطان أخرس.
Not only that, almost all members of the Jordanian Parliament are repeatedly elected on the bases of tribal affiliation in disregard to their incompetence, inexperience, and the lack of credible performance in prior terms in the Parliament.

Jordanian citizens are the source of such corruption.

They are guilty of supporting corrupt officials with their corrupt practices, such as:

• Responding to every person disagreeing with them on an official's credentials with: عيب، ما بصير
• Inviting officials for Mansaf to score points,
• Defending incompetent officials only because they belong to the same tribe, not because of any meaningful qualifications
• Insisting on not following rules or laws
• Allowing those members of parliament to fool them repeatedly into electing them with false promises...
• Strongly believing in some archaic morals and traditions that grant undeserved respect to those officials that have not benefited the country in any way.

In addition, and I hope I won't be labeled "Americanized" or have "defected," King abdullah does not need the crap Jordanians so proudly, and loudly, broadcast. King Abdullah is an educated, intelligent man. He does not need people to insult him by inserting "long live the king" between every other word they utter. He does not need people to follow him blindly. He needs to know that he is running a country full of people that belong to the الانسان أغلى ما نملك attitude of his father, and not a flock of sheep. He needs to be challenged. Not through violence, but through questioning and debating, directly or otherwise. Jordanians are in a dire need of attitude realignment. They need to figure out their own destiny and not leave it to شيخ العشيرة. Jordanians need to learn how to be persistent, persevering, and focused on issues that matter to them the most. If your MP candidate promised to question فلّان and demand information from علّان, why not hold him/her accountable and let the word out. Why spend all that money on an ad in the daily paper congratulating the King on Eid, when you can use the same space to question your Representative. Why spend all that money on mansaf for a filthy rich (also morally filthy) official, when you can buy a full page ad in any daily paper and direct your questions to the government or whomever has the answers.

The list will go on, but I am afraid the Jordanian inferiority will go on further. Unless we work on building a strong voice for the street, the cries and complaints will never reach the ears of those we entrusted with speaking on our behalf and arguing in our favor against a government that has no opponents.

One last thing: King Abdullah, why do we still have the inefficient, unproductive, and unstable habit of forming a government every year or so. Why not borrow a page form the play book of some developed, and far superior nation, and try to give a competent minister the chance to implement his/her policies and changes without the fear of a "تعديل وزاري خلال اسابيع"!!

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If you are NOT on this List, You are boring and suck at blogging

this entry was first posted on mab3oos.com on June 3rd, 2008. Since it's off season, mab3oos' posts at the moment are in syndication.

First, I could have just started by listing the suckie bloggers. But, that would be too rude and straight out defamation. As if I care! Anyways, I usually go over Qwaider.com for my daily dose of blog reading. Like everyone else, I really don't have time to go into every blog and get disappointed by the low quality, boring, and stupid writings. Therefore, I present you with my "preferred" bloggers:

• Garfan: This guy is awesome, humble, and true to his word. No masking, lying, or pretending. What goes on in his head comes out unfiltered into the screen.
• H.A.N.I 101: Hani is great. very intriguing and informative posts. simplicity, deepness, and insightful-ness are found here. (quit blogging)
• Moey's: This one is a cosmopolitan rebel. I could swear that he doesn't belong to Jordan. Creative and fun loving. beware of the beard though.
• 7aki Fadi: 7aki's writings are a lot of fun to read. You would get a very diverse collection of styles and themes. Work, maternity, parenting, books, ملفوف , you name it
• The Black Iris: Some got offended when I expressed my respect to this blogger. Very intelligent and bold. Very insightful posts about Jordan and World issues
• Abed Hamdan: If it weren't for his latest post, he would not have made the list. As if I was reading my own blog. way to go حمد عبدان
• Qwaider: despite what has been said about him, his blog remains one of the most enjoyable reads. a large variety of topics from the perspective of a homesick Jordanian (more often without the "home" part!)
• محمد عمر tells it as it is. A great blog written by a mature person from the heart of Amman. Has been pissed lately, but don't let that deter you.
• 360East: If you want to know if Steve Jobs dreamt about Amman, you will find a post here the next day. For all contemporary and Tech related topics of Jordan.
• Hareega: A case of undiagnosed  MD/Comedy schizophrenia. The best of both worlds in a comical way. Also, an avid soccer fan.
• Bakkouz: politics, tech, and social issues of middle eastern and Jordanian flavors. Very entertaining to read.
• Jordan Watch (مرصد الاردن): a very thoughtful and intelligent writer. Always tackling sensitive issues affecting Jordanians and Arabs alike.
• Za3tar: From the US longing to Palestine. Great to read on a cold day with a cup of tea and toasted, what else, مناقيش زعتر
• ASKAdenia: Candid and funny, although he gets on my nerves. Reminds me of Muhanned
• Muhanned: The enemy of Jordanian corruption and صالح القلاب always posting the witty and daring about politics the world over
• Maioush: Yes it has been a long time! very pleasing to read and funny at times. Others, she could be very deep.

OK. If your name is not up there, it isn't 100% that you suck. You could be annoying, a nut case, slow, ADD, or you could have just escaped my memory. So, it isn't all bad. 


Sayonara, suckers.

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The Evolution of a Jordanian Patriotic Song in three steps

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

this post was brought to you by:
مركز الامل للخدمات القانونية و حفظ الحقوق الفكرية
on the web @ kolshiblairahLLP.com

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a look at Arab tech startups

This post is brought to you with limited commercial interruptions by:

تو تَن جي

210g.com

I have been thinking about the state of Arab tech startups for a while now. However, sometimes I am discouraged of writing about any particular company/startup/entrepreneur for fear of being labeled negative/pessimist or to just avoid a barrage of insults from people with more egos than they deserve. therefore, I will not mention any by name.

The Arab tech startup landscape is overflowing with mediocrity. Nothing that stands out. Nothing that is ground breaking. With a quick look at what's out there, one can classify all Arab startups as follows:

• the outright shameless copy and paste. These people saw something that worked somewhere else and decided to do the exact freakin' thing! Not even localization is thought of in this category.
• the copy-paste with a twist. Arabizing a service/product is NOT original! Adding a social element to some over-consumed service is NOT original. Targeting a particular segment with an established service is NOT original!
• The wanna-do-it-all. These are companies that think of click count as the holy grail of entrepreneurship. Ad revenue is front and center for these people that they forget why in hell visitors even come to their sites.
• The Forums. no list discussing Arab internet behavior will ever be complete without at least a mention of Arabs' clinging to Forums. give it up people! it's 2010!

that's not all bad, though. with all this below average-ness, the opportunity to shine with a product/service is very much available to all those with tenacity and original ideas. How do you get original ideas if you spent your whole life, academic or otherwise, memorizing crap and never questioning the status quo? it's simple. think of the internet as a digitized way of doing the same things you've always done. Shopping, community organizing, political activism, sports playing/discussing/watching, entertainment, flirting, and so on were once done in the streets, cafes, shops allover the place. Now, they're done online as well. The question is: what else out there could we digitize?

Another way to come up with original ideas is to track your activities for a whole week. What was it that bothered/inconvenienced you during that week? what service/product could you provide to eliminate that negative experience? was there anything that could be digitized?

there are many other ways to come up with original ideas. But, don't start working on something only to be told: "video hosting and sharing sites are a dime a dozen!" the key is to have people you trust surrounding you and others that can provide you with crucial advice throughout the process. brainstorm with these people to know what they have to say, share experiences, and to provide you with a fresher look قبل ما تبلّش تخبيص!!

and finally, the Gates and Jobs of the world might be getting all the attention, but they wouldn't have made it if it weren't for other "team members" standing next to them.

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