Blackout in Amman

My laptob is still alive to write these lines. Sounds like writing my last e-mail before joining the rest of the paralized life here in Amman since the early morning. Not sure what happend, I just heard that a main electricity generator fall down and the electricity won't come back untill the end of the day. Not sure how much the blackout is covering nor for how long, but life is so strange without electricity...No work, No internet, no telephone, ... OK...I have to stop writing just to save my battery!!!

So what's up in Jordan these days

Reading reports and statistics are always good to follow, so we have a better understanding of what's up in Jordan. Even I believe in the conspiracy of the statistics, but lets assume they are like the news we got everyday, an editorial.

So, What's up Jordan:

Ministry of Industry and Trade market inspectors found 1,200 traders in violation of the ministry’s regulations during Ramadan compared to 2,200 last year, a senior official said on Monday.

Referring to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI), which ranked Jordan 47th out of 180 nations, Judeh said the government is committed to fighting corruption and will not hesitate to refer violators to judicial authorities. In its annual CPI, which covers the perceptions of public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories, Transparency International gave Jordan an overall score of 5.1 up from 4.7 in 2007.

Garment sales during Ramadan were “very slow” compared to last year, according to owners and staff of clothing stores, who attributed the decline to difficult living conditions citizens are undergoing and a surge in the prices of clothing.

The Kingdom has in the past 10 days received a total of 10,000 tonnes (74,000 barrels) of oil from Iraq at an average of 7,400 barrels a day.

The Iraqi embassy in Amman has dispatched two busloads of Iraqis who were residing in the Kingdom back home after reports of improved security conditions.

Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs Join the Road Safety Center of Excellence

Tuesday 16 September 2008

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs will join the German-Jordanian University (GJU), Greater Amman Municipality, and HIKMAT Road Safety foundation to become the fourth party in the Memorandum of Understanding singed last June for the establishment of the Road Safety Center of Excellence, located at the German-Jordanian University. The parties signed on 16 September 2008 an addendum to the original Memorandum of Understanding, stipulating the addition of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs as a fourth party. The four sides were represented by: His Excellency Eng. Shehade Abu Hdeib/ Minister of Municipal Affairs, Prof. Labib Khadra/ President of GJU, His Excellency Eng. Amer Al-Bashir/ Deputy of Amman Mayor, and Mr. Maher Qadura/ President of HIKMAT Road Safety foundation.

Through this addition, the Ministry will offer technical support to the Road Safety Center by providing documents, information, and blueprints needed for its road safety activities, in addition to offering financial support. The Ministry will also nominate specialized staff to participate in the courses offered by the Center.

It is noteworthy that the Road Safety Center of Excellence was established at the German-Jordanian University with the aim of qualifying specialized personnel in the field of road safety, conducting studies and research about road safety vital issues, coming up with solutions to road problems, and enhancing positive public attitudes and practices. It will offer a professional diploma program in road safety, in addition to short training courses and workshops. .


Already, the Center began its activities at the German-Jordanian University last August by organizing a two-week workshop entitled "Road Safety Audit – level one". Numerous specialists took part in the workshop representing various official bodies, such as Greater Amman Municipality, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Transport Regulatory Commission, Public Security Directorate, Jordanian Engineers Association, Ministry of Education, insurance companies, and other bodies. German professors who are international experts in this field were especially invited by GJU from Germany to give the lectures of the workshop.

European Street Art Festival to kick off Friday

Celebrating the streets of Amman, celebrating the people, arts, and culture.

AMMAN (JT) - The European Commission and the French Cultural Centre will kick off Friday the third annual European Street Art Festival. The yearly celebration and exhibition of street art aims to provide opportunities for young and emerging artists from Europe and Jordan to explore and exhibit their talents. Performances will include various music styles, modern dance and street theatre. The festival, which will last until September 6, will include events at Hussein Park, downtown, Rainbow Street and Wakalat Street in Sweifieh.

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Eco-Cities of the mediterranean 2008 exhibition in the Dead Sea

When: October 18-20, 2008
What: Eco - Cities of the Mediterranean
Where: Dead Sea - Jordan



Our region’s energy, water, waste, air and environment are all facing significant and complicated challenges that are affecting the quality of our lives today and will continue to affect the quality of future generations if they are not addressed.

Join us and let us work together at The Eco Cities of the Mediterranean Forum 2008 that will be held from October 18- 20, 2008 at the Dead Sea in Jordan. The Forum has been designed to update you on key topics pertaining to environmental issues. It is being organized for the Mediterranean region by the Jordanian Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Greater Amman Municipality, UNIDO and USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ).

The Forum will feature panel discussions led by experts covering topics on environmental challenges, strategies, policies and solutions in urban areas, with a motivation for action. There will be breakout sessions where you will be able to discuss issues of great importance in this field and examine regional case studies as practical examples demonstrating good practices.

Ministers, Mayors, members of the local authorities, service suppliers, intermediary and non governmental organizations will all be participating in this rich exchange of ideas, information and experiences, while networking with the leaders and experts in this field. We anticipate more than 200 practitioners from the region and worldwide will attend this valuable Forum.

The Forum will also include an exhibition for service and technology suppliers to showcase their latest services, products and state of the art developments in the environmental field.

An additional activity, in which participation is optional, has been planned towards the end of the Forum. A trip to the rose-red city of Petra, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, has been scheduled for October 21, where you can experience history from an ecological perspective.

We request that you extend this invitation to your entire organization and/or individuals you feel would be interested in attending this event. For more information and online registration, please visit us at: www.eco-cities.net or contact us by email at info@eco-cities.net

We look forward to welcoming you in Jordan,
Forum Organizers

A DEAD CITY IS A CITY WITH MALLS

When the city starts building more malls it will loose it's ability to be a livable city and it will die.
A livable city is when the citizens shop, stroll, and socialize on the sidewalks and the streets.

Who would imagine that ZAHRAN street will have a Shopping Mall of more than 11 dunum land? Who would imagine to locate a Shopping Mall between the 6th and 7th circle? between the two inaccessible nodes to an unlivable corridor! Who would imagine after Jordan Gate and the many many debates and problems it caused and a few meters away on the main corridor we will have another MALL?

What about Wakalat street which is only a few meters away? What about the Whole Swefieh shopping area? How much more traffic will this new mall generate? How much will it harm the businesses in the area?

Was it part of the Amman development plan? HDMU? or Corridor intensification?

If we couldn't stop building the Jordan gate towers! And nobody is calling for putting them down. Can't we immediately stop the building of this mall?

I wanna be a believer. I wanna see a livable city, a city with a soul.
I don't know from where this MALL came from!

Excuse me but we do live in a city full of ignorance, greed and conspiracy. On the other hand, we do have great leadership surrounded by a few good men who can make a difference, but they need to move faster.

Instead of building malls we could have infrorced an urban re-generation plan for the Swefieh area were all the shops, and businesses become part of it. Delivering solutions to incrase the social, economical, and urban live of that neigbourhood.

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Slow Seasonal business ...Why? Building what and why Amman?

How to live in Amman?

How to live in Amman? Is life expensive?


I received this post from Gonçalo Silva whose planning to live in Amman and failed to get any information of

HOW to Live in Amman?


"Hello guys,
I am thinking of going to amman to live but so far I failed to obtain some information of how it is to live in Amman, Hows the city, and specially whats the day life like.

I also wonder how expensive is life and how much money you need to live?stuff like day life expenses!like milk, bread, meat, renting a house, etc....
I hope you can help me..

Thanks

GS "

My recommendation:

1) Live close to work. I recommend Jabal Amman or Weibdeh for a foreigner.
2) For transportation you better own your own car, we don't have Trains, Subways, or proper bus system inside the city. Be careful of Taxi drivers. Note: They are building a new transportation system for Amman.
3) You will love to eat Meat, chicken but it's cheaper to eat Falafel, Humus, and Shawerma.
4) Cheaper to make your own food.
5) Don't smile to people, well don't take it personal if you see too many angry people, or depressed faces.
6) U need to bargen alot.
7) For a weekend vacation outside Amman check Dead Sea, Aqaba, Petra.
8) Unique cultural activities can be found from different organizations, I recommend Joining Jordan Facebook netwrok and joining different groups.
9) It's a safe and clean city.
10) etc. etc.

Enjoy your stay

Emad

Car accidents in Jordan

I have to write this before I head to the hospital. I just got a phone call from my Mother that my aunte had a car accident and was seriously injured.

As we said before, and according to the car accidents and injuries statistics in Jordan, don't you ever think that YOU or someone in Your family is safe in the street, not in Jordan streets.

It's hilarious that we are proud of building towers and creating a master plan for high rise buildings while we don't have a safe street or a pedestrian to walk in.

Comparing terrorism, last year more than 900 citizen died from car accidents in Jordan, compared to palestinians killed by the Israelies, our streets is even more dangerous.

Unfortunatly, we are paying a serious price. For how long!

Through the Road Safety Center of Excellence (RSCOE) we need to work hard before it's too late. This only can happen if we all took this tragedy as a national cause for protecting the citizens.

Not only we need to let the government do it's part, we shall be a major role in collaborating the efforts to make Amman and Jordan a " Livable country with safe roads"

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In Jordan Size Does Matters

model of the 220-metre high-rise, which is slated for completion at the end of 2011 (Photo by Hani Hazaimeh)


AMMAN - (JT)The UAE-based Tameer Holding Company on Sunday unveiled plans to construct a 220-metre high-rise in Abdali, set to be the highest building in the Kingdom.

The $300 million project will be built as part of the Abdali Urban Regeneration Project, Tameer Director General Mohammad Habib told reporters at a press conference yesterday.

"The project comes as part of our strategy to expand operations in Jordan in light of the country’s progressive growth in the construction sector," he said, adding that the tower will be designated for commercial use.

"We expect to lay the cornerstone in October and complete construction in three years," he noted.




The tower will include conference rooms, as well as fully equipped health spas, fitness centres and swimming pools.

It will also incorporate more than 30-high-speed elevators as well as a 1,000-car parking lot.

The average area of each floor will be 1,200 square metres and the tower will be surrounded by two eight-storey buildings, also allocated for commercial use.

The tower will be environment-friendly by rationalising water and electricity use, in addition to utilising wind and solar energy for heating and electricity purposes, Habib said.

He added that all projects in Abdali will be served by a central cooling and heating system, which will reduce energy consumption by 40 per cent.

Habib noted that the company studied the area’s infrastructure before deciding to build the tower.

"We have no fears or worries regarding infrastructure or traffic," Habib said, noting that several new bridges will be constructed in the area to ease congestion.

Tameer is also partnering with the Housing and Urban Development Corporation in the construction of Al Majd City in Zarqa, which will include more than 20,000 apartments, villas and town houses, in addition to 2,500 commercial units for shops, offices and a shopping centre.

Habib said the first phase of Al Majd City, which includes some 500 residential units for limited-income families, is completed and will be up for sale by the end of this year.

In related news, Tameer is taking part in an architectural conference which opens today.

The event, held under the patronage of Prime Minister Nader Dahabi, will highlight challenges facing the construction of high-rise buildings in the Kingdom.

More than 650 participants from 10 regional and foreign countries will discuss 30 working papers on the environmental and the social impact of high-rise buildings.

Road Safety Center of Excellence

Signing of the agreement for Launching The Road Safety Center of Excellence between the Municipality of Greater Amman (MGA), German Jordanian University (GJU) and Hikmat Road Safety (HRS).

Proceeding from the role of the Municipality of Amman in road safety and to complement the preceding initiative, the agreement for launching the road safety center of excellence has been signed by the municipality of greater Amman represented by Engineer Omar almaani secretary of Amman and with the German Jordanian University (GJU) represented by Prof. Dr. Labib Al-khadra also with Hikmat Road Safety (HRS) represented by Mr. Maher Qadoura, during a press conference held on the 3rd of the current month of June at the headquarters of the Municipality of greater Amman

The center aims to rehabilitate & qualify specialized staff in the road safety, study & understanding the vital issues in addition to set appropriate solutions for the road problems and to develop them through circulating of standards & best practices, which in turn affect positively on the practical & applied aspects

The center will provide a various activities which will be the creation of professional diploma program in road safety, to qualify specialists in road safety to begin in 2009-2010 as well as holding a short duration training courses ranging between 2-4 weeks to be started in the summer of 2008. The center will also hold other specialized workshops and researched in road safety.

The tuition fees will be determined in a manner commensurate with the courses and teaching program, where students or the deputed party will bear the entire tuition fees required.

The center already started operating to produce in 2008 a Road safety audit guide, a pedestrian road safety guideline, and a work zone safety guide. I was appointed as the general manager of the center by HRS and GJU. Hikmat Road Safety will fund and manage the center.

In June we will have the first Road Safety Audit workshop at the GJU. More details about the course will be published soon.

Road Safety Center of Excellence logo

Amman Disabilities Guidebook

A new disability guidebook will be issued listing "democratic" friendly places with disability access.

I hope one day Amman city will be listed also. It's not a joke, but we need a national move toward imposing accessibility act toward new and existing projects in Amman. For the city to be democratic, every citizen need to enjoy living it, living, working, and shopping.

AMMAN (Petra) –– Hmoud Elimat, secretary general of the Higher Council for the Affairs of People with Disabilities, on Sunday said the council launched field surveys on centres and societies which provide services to the disabled and will issue a guidebook listing centres that meet the needs of people with disabilities.

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National Awarness for Car Accidents, a National Priority.

A poster showing KAFA campaign logo at the official launch of the nationwide traffic awareness campaign on Monday (Photo by Hani Hazaimeh)

A serious actions have been taken place in the Kingdom since the beginning of this year addressing the National catastrophe of Road Accidents in Jordan. Since then, the number of accidents is declining. An unofficial statistics claimed that the number of Road Accidents in the Kingdom decreased 30% and the curve is improving. This time it's not just Guerilla Campaigns, at least not all of them. Many initiatives in the country call for serious moves to stop the increasing number of accidents and to develop awareness to this national problem.

Some of these campaigns are :

Kafah (Or Enough): KAFA was originally an initiative by Her Majesty Queen Rania that kicked off in 2005 under the title: "The National Traffic Awareness CampaignAll concerned public, private and civil society institutions were engaged in the nationwide effort.

Hikmat.org: The leader for car accidents awarness in the Kingdom, introducing the first steps towards social excellence and effectiveness. Hikmat.org is introducing social change through real work at schools, streets and home zones.

Fact box
• A civilian is killed every nine hours
• A child is killed every 36 hours
• Road accidents are the second leading cause of death in Jordan, after cardiovascular diseases
• Every day, 303.1 accidents take place, 2.7 people die and 49.2 are injured
• Jordan’s material losses resulting from accidents amounted to JD281million in 2007, while the Arab world loses around $65 billion due to traffic accidents every year
• More than a million people worldwide are killed and more than 25 million are injured in road accidents annually

Source: PSD and RHAS


AMMAN - (By Hani Hazaimeh)

Promoting and fostering a culture of traffic safety by raising public awareness and bringing about behavioural change was the goal of the "KAFA", or “enough”, campaign the Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS) launched yesterday.

KAFA was originally an initiative by Her Majesty Queen Rania that kicked off in 2005 under the title: "The National Traffic Awareness Campaign
All concerned public, private and civil society institutions were engaged in the nationwide effort.

Last Tuesday, Queen Rania, who chairs RHAS’ board of trustees, headed a meeting of KAFA activists, who represent grassroots Jordanians in different governorates.

She highlighted in the gathering the youths’ role in road safety endeavours and their ability to persuade their peers and families to adhere to traffic regulations.

"The campaign is meant to be one of the leading community-based projects addressing traffic as a national priority," RHAS Director General Enaam Barrishi told a press conference on Monday.

Barrishi explained that the programme comprises three components: KAFA Youth, KAFA Children and KAFA Media.

"We aspire through the campaign to spread traffic awareness through media to influence individuals’ behaviour and motivate them to be more responsible drivers on the road," she added.

The media campaign, which began on April 30 in cooperation with local media outlets, aims to increase traffic awareness through “messages from a reality perspective which will encourage the public to be up to their responsibilities”.

"We hope people will realise the dangers on roads," she said, stressing that the campaign will focus in the coming three months on the dangers of speeding, proper use of seat belts, improper use of lanes, ignorance of “stop” signs and speaking on cellphones while driving.

"The campaign's committee will assess the impact of its initiative on the community after three months and will decide the next course of action accordingly," she added.

However, Barrishi added, the campaign will focus on speeding as the main culprit in the high number of accidents and casualties.

Colonel Khalid Kilani, deputy director of the Jordan Traffic Institute, said improving the situation of road infrastructure, setting and activating stiffer traffic regulations, along with traffic awareness programmes, will lead eventually to changing the mentality of motorists.

Efforts are already paying off, he said. The officer pointed out that the number of traffic accidents dropped by 30 per cent in the first quarter of this year and by 20 per cent in terms of injuries.

"The PSD has deployed officers in plainclothes on all public transportation vehicles in order to monitor the behaviour of drivers while at work," he said.

Responding to a question by The Jordan Times, Kilani said PSD is considering granting incentives to drivers who keep a clean record regarding traffic violations One of the suggestions, currently under discussion with insurance companies, is to exempt disciplined drivers from part of the mandatory insurance fees, he told reporters.

He noted that the Ministry of Higher Education, in cooperation with the PSD, is preparing a traffic textbook that will be incorporated into public university curricula.

Meanwhile, KAFA team will be staging a rally on May 9 under the patronage of Queen Rania.

The march will start at the Children’s Museum in King Hussein Park and finish at the Ministry of Public Works and Housing near the 8th Circle.

Activism .. Actions Not Words

Students of Nayfeh school in Amman cross the street in front of their school after the area was made safer under an initiative by Hikmat Road Safety (Photo courtesy of Hikmat Road Safety)

"To be effective, I didn't come here for some billbords and words I came to make an action," this is how Mr. Maher Qadourah started his speach last weekend at the seminar conducted by Shoman Association titeled: " Road Accidents ... Order point".
He continued: "and we are doing it right now" ... "We need your support and participation" We need volunteers

The father of a victim of a car accident in Jordan want to make a change. Do we have to pay that big of a price for us to be a doers?

I believe this initiative is in the core goal of Amman Voice: " We need to start thinking about a campaign building the movement to re-imagine our streets as lively public places."

And it's happening now, Hikmat Road Safety are doing it.


AMMAN - (JT) In order to encourage the private sector to help
address traffic accidents, Hikmat Road Safety founders on Tuesday announced the
“Sponsor-a-Zone: Save-a-Life” initiative.
The Hikmat Road Safety organisation was established in memory of Hikmat Qadourah, who was killed in a hit-and-run car accident in January. The organisation began as a personal initiative by his father, Maher Qadourah, who refused to let his only son’s
death become just another statistic.



“Sponsor-a-Zone is a programme where individuals or organisations play vital roles in reducing accidents in the country,” Qadourah told The Jordan Times on Tuesday, adding that sponsors will be directed towards enhancing road safety in specific zones selected by stakeholders.
“We aim to make individuals realise their responsibilities towards ensuring better road safety and a safer environment,” Qadourah told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.
This initiative offers the opportunity to the private sector as well as individuals to participate in the campaign to ensure pedestrians safer roads, he added.
The initiative aims to enhance safety measures in at least 100 schools and 100 streets by the end of 2008, Qadourah said, stressing that the financial contributions made to the initiative will be directed towards reducing traffic speeds, creating safer home zones for children and guaranteeing pedestrian safety around schools.
For example, Qadourah said, 15 girls from Nayfeh school in the east Amman’s Al Hashimi Al Shamali neighbourhood have been victims of road accidents in the vicinity of their school over the past year.
“We have just finished renovations that should considerably reduce the frequency of the number of such accidents in that area,” the activist added.
He noted that students in Nayfeh school themselves made a symbolic contribution to the maintenance works to the roads,which cost a total of JD5,000.
“They paid 10 fils each. We wanted to make them feel that they share the responsibility,” Qadourah said.
According to Education Ministry’s statistics, over 4,800 accidents took place in the vicinity of schools in 2007, Qadourah pointed out, adding that his institution has targeted 15 other schools to be made pedestrian-safe areas before the end of March.

“Unless individuals understand the social responsibility of road safety and begin to act, the efforts to promote a safer environment will become increasingly more difficult,” he said.
In addition to schools, Qadourah said that the organisation has made a road safety
plan for Mecca Street, where his son was hit and killed, a street he believes
lacks minimum requirements of pedestrians safety measures.
“We will make our roads more pedestrian-friendly and according to world-class standards,” he added.
“Studies revealed that the average speed on that street is over 90km/h while it should not exceed 50-60km/hr,” he said, adding that today they will meet with officials from Greater Amman Municipality and the Public Security Department.
“If the design was adopted by the participants, we expect maintenance work on Mecca Street to be completed by June15,” he said.
According to Qadourah, the changes will include more speed bumps and guardrails to prevent pedestrians from crossing the street in places other than pedestrian crossings.

Starbucks VS Tsch Tsch

Last night after a nice dinner with my friend we decided to go at 10:30 Pm to check the new Tsch Tsch cafe in Swifieh, I don't usually go these kind of places but I thought of checking it out, my mood was into smoking an Arghellieh. We drove 20 min and we were excited to try the new place, but, it never happen.

As soon as we got in, the waiter asked us: Where are you going?
I answered with surprise: we are here and we need a table.
The waiter replied: It's not allowed.
I said: why, are you closing?
The waiter answered: no, it's only for Families.
I argued: what do you mean by families.
The waiter answered: you need to bring girls.
I answered: who do you think we are?

And we left, pissed off and I am still pissed off and that's why I am writing about it here.

I can argue and argue about it and say a million reasons for this sexiest, discriminated, unprofessional, (what other words can I use...I am so pissed) ok..unfriendly behavior but it didn't seem that the waiter was hungry enough to let us in.

Me and my friend Rami are in our 30's, a good looking handsome guys, he lived outside this country like I did, traveled the world and explored different cultures, decided to come back to our home country to celebrate it with our families and participate in it's development. We wanted to celebrate a local coffee, like our grandfathers did, then we end up being kicked out from it, and it happened also in other places too, just because we didn't have a company from the other sex.

We wanted to enjoy our bachelor life, but we left pissed off from the Hospitality of this Jordanian branded coffee house that we decided to abandon forever.

So we end up going to the other coffee house besides Tsche Tsche, which was Starbucks.

Oops, Starbucks! Yes, a nice clean smoke free place were they welcome you with smiles, and never ask you to leave, they sell the best coffee and offer the best environment, locally and internationally. You can bring your laptop there or sit on a table for hours without any interruptions, and they don't look at your pocket while you are enjoying their service.

I am not promoting for Starbucks, they don't need it from me anyway, but this is a comparison between us and the others. Between an equality culture VS sexiest cultures, quality vs no quality, healthy Vs unhealthy, between too services and too countries.


Finally, I will keep enjoying my cup of coffee at starbucks because our countries can't produce something like Starbucks.

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Zero Carbon Dioxide City in Jordan and bigger than MASDAR

It was announced today, April 22nd, 2008 and during the Think Green Conference in Amman at Zara Expo by H.S. Sahl Majjaly, minister of public works and Housing that there is an initiative to build in Jordan a Zero Carbon dioxide city, bigger than Masdar City in abu Dhabi .

No further details were announced, but, that's a surprise that came out of the bloom. looking forward to hear more details since no other details were announced.

Also, announcing two new building codes involving environmentally green projects. One of them is the Building Insulation Code, which will be announced in two weeks.

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King Support Madrasati initiative

The Madrasati launch attracts major corporations, community organisations and representatives eager to assist some 100 schools in desperate need of repair (Petra photo)


AMMAN - (JT) His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday offered JD3 million in support of Madrasati, a bold initiative that partners the public and private sector for the restoration of neglected public schools.

Under the leadership of Her Majesty Queen Rania, Madrasati was launched on Tuesday at an exhibition that brought together major corporations, community organisations and representatives from 100 schools in desperate need of repair.

The long-term plan seeks to rehabilitate at least 500 schools and should directly benefit some 165,000 students in the next five years.

It is the latest in a series of projects led by the Queen to restore and equip the Kingdom’s schools to create more inspiring learning environments.

The Monarch’s support is in line with several initiatives over the past few years which include the construction of new schools, winter coats for children and heating to upgrade the education sector.

Other leading contributors include Abraj, Mawared, Saraya Al Qabidah, Zain, and individuals including the Bouchmaoui family and Saeed Darwazeh, all of whom Her Majesty expressed appreciation to at the launch.

A list of supporters and funding figures should be announced at a later date, according to organisers.

Meanwhile, at Tuesday’s launch, which was designed to encourage the private sector to foster their own communities at the grassroots level, students and teachers displayed photos and urged donors to support their cause.

Some students at the event told The Jordan Times their schools resembled prison facilities with metal mesh boards covering broken windows, concrete play areas with towering walls and locked science labs with no equipment.

Mohammad, a ninth grader from a school in Hay Nazal, said he loves chemistry and physics but does not expect to benefit much from his school days.

“We don’t even visit our lab because of broken equipment. How am I to absorb what I read in books if I can’t experiment?” he asked.

He described his computer class as a race for seats, with 5-6 boys jockeying for the use of one computer, knowing they may not get their turn before the bell rings.

Lama, a nine-year-old student attending a school in Qwaismeh, hopes next winter her school will have kerosene to power their new heaters that sat unused this year.

The national scheme will require the cooperation of the public and private sectors, civil society and academic sectors and already incorporates 12 main partners including the Ministry of Education, the Jordan River Foundation and the Greater Amman Municipality.

Organisations and individuals interested in building a better future for Jordan by enhancing children’s learning environments can join.

For more information on the initiative, visit: http://www.Madrasati.jo or call 0800 22 866.

World Car Free Day

World Car Free Day
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Every September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets, intersections, and neighbourhood blocks to remind the world that we don't have to accept our car-dominated society. Amman city suffers from Urban Sprawl and the domination of cars, our lifes became car dominated and we rarely enjoy nature and the environment. Shouldn't we become part of this global day?
"World Carfree Day is the perfect time to take the heat off the planet and putit on politicians and planners to give priority to cycling, walking and publictransport," says Randall Ghent, initiator of the first World Carfree Day in2000. The global day of action now takes place annually on September22.On September 22, 2007, World Carfree Network and its member organisationsaround the world call for permanent changes to make cities more environmentallyand socially sustainable 365 days a year. In more than 1,500 cities and 40countries, liked-minded active citizens around the world will call for measuresthat actively reduce car use, with carfree street festivals, bicycle parades,street closures and other special events.For individuals, the network and its supporters will distribute a condensed one-month version of its Autoholics Anonymous 12-step programme, to give people the support they need to kick the car habit.For municipalities, the network and its supporters will encourage implemention of the infrastructural and policy changes necessary to reduce our society’s car dependence and increase our quality of life. As a separate project related to World Carfree Day, the network has put out a call for submissions for its 2nd Annual Street Conversion Design Contest (www.worldcarfree.net/contest/), challenging people to come up with cutting-edge designs to transform existing areas to create lively people-oriented spaces free of traffic. They are encouraged to implement the designs on the ground on September 22."Related Posts:Amman City StreetsMechanisms to reduce traffic accidentsActivism .. Actions Not WordsAl-Weibdeh carnavalAmman City ParadeAmman City Street Block CelebrationType rest of the post here
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Queen launches initiative to renovate public schools

The ambitious ‘Madrasati’ (my school) initiative, spearheaded by Her Majesty Queen Rania, is designed to make education a social responsibility for the entire community (Petra photo)





AMMAN (JT)- Major corporations in the Kingdom have thrown their full weight behind a bold initiative launched yesterday to persuade the private sector to take ownership of their communities and foster the future workforce by upgrading ailing learning environments.

The ambitious “Madrasati” (my school) initiative is designed to make education a social responsibility by pairing corporations and NGOs with 500 schools in the Kingdom which are in desperate need of repair.

Over the next five years, around 165,000 students will benefit directly from this plan, according to organisers.


Her Majesty Queen Rania, who heads the initiative, launched the project yesterday at a gathering of supportive donors and representatives from 100 schools.

Madrasati is the latest in a series of projects led by the Queen for the advancement of the Kingdom’s educational institutions by restoring and equipping schools to create more inspiring learning environments.

“Today our schools have become a social responsibility. It is the responsibility of every active citizen and every organisation working to improve the standard of living in Jordan, and every company - private or public - that wants a hand shaping the future of our youth,” Queen Rania said in her address at the launch.

The national scheme requires cooperation between the public, private and civil society, and academic sectors and already incorporates 12 main partners including the Ministry of Education, the Jordan River Foundation and the Greater Amman Municipality.

At a recent event at the University of Jordan, Her Majesty expressed core reasons why Jordanians should be involved at the grassroots level to build a better future and hold each individual accountable in the process.

“Building our future is a social responsibility that excludes nobody. It is your responsibility and my responsibility. It is ‘and’ and not ‘or’. It is the responsibility of every Jordanian so that none of us finds himself in a path that has already been set for him. If you - the educated, the graduates, the politicians - do not participate in improving society, who will? If we do not move now, then when will we?” she said.

Madrasati targets any corporation or individual that can contribute to the effort through funding, in-kind donations, employee time or programmes to improve student learning.

With over 1.6 million schoolage children in Jordan, Madrasati also focuses on private schools that can be involved in “twinning” projects and offer resources, experience and time to public schools while teaching progressive values to their students.

Meanwhile, students from the almost 15 per cent of the Kingdom’s 3,257 public schools that are considered “badly inhabited”, headed booths armed with computer images of the dilapidated premises caused by years of neglect.

Shocking images of the ill-equipped schools included a library with two shoddy closets and no librarian, exposed electric wires, three students to a desk and “out of order” bathrooms.

One of the images depicted a school’s main doors, which are permanently locked because if opened, they would cause the surrounding concrete to collapse.

Corporate heavyweights already onboard, such as Zain and Aramex, were quick to show their support. As companies which already manage corporate responsibility programmes, they stressed that community involvement goes far beyond signing a cheque.

“It is not only a matter of funding; if we were to adopt 50 schools, each would have a designated employee to be directly involved in the long- term process,” Suzanne Afaneh, corporate communications director of Zain, told The Jordan Times.

Zain, which has already committed JD500,000 towards the initiative, considers this a “continuation of sustainable efforts and continual awareness for other corporations that there is always a way to make a difference”, according to Zain CEO Saad Nasir.

Founder and CEO of Aramex, Fadi Ghandour told The Jordan Times that public-private partnerships are at the core of his company’s philosophy, noting society must be influenced into seeing what these partnerships can accomplish.

Other main partners include the Jordan Education Initiative, the Royal Health Awareness Society, the Jordan Education Society, the Children’s Museum, the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education, UNICEF, INJAZ and Ruwwad.

Madrasati’s website was also officially launched Tuesday.

For more information on the initiative, visit: http://www.Madrasati.jo or call 0800 22 8 66.

Spring Festival

2nd Annual Spring Festival begins at Zara Centre

AMMAN (JT) –– The Second Annual Spring Festival starts today at the Zara Centre where over 150,000 flowers grown in the Jordan Valley from amaranths to zinnias will be on display. The event, which supports the Jordanian Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, is organised by the Zara Centre in association the Jordanian Association for Cut and Ornamental Plants and runs until April 27.


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Specialised renovation school in ALSALT

SALT (Petra) - The Balqa branch of the Jordan Engineers Association is planning to establish a specialised school on renovating old buildings in the city of Salt. Khalid Khoshman yesterday said the idea corresponds with His Majesty King Abdulla’s concern over the development of downtown Salt which includes over 400 old houses and buildings, adding that the planned school will be located in one the city’s old structures.