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Big breasts are out as Jordan slumps to last place
It doesn't get much better than this - the 100 hottest babes in the world, as chosen by British magazine ‘Zoo’!
The list contains actresses, singers, models and athletes, from foxy temptresses like Lindsay Lohan (22) to stylish ladies like Kate Middleton (26), and from experienced yummy mummies like Angelina Jolie (33) to whippersnappers like Ana Ivanovic (20).
'Girls Aloud' singer and WAG Cheryl Cole (25) managed to take top spot in the list. While the beautiful babe claimed first place in the world’s hottest women table, Chelsea, where husband Ashley Cole plays football, are currently top of the Premier League.
What a power couple! Spare a thought for Katie Price (30), though, who came in last...
See the top 100 and all the pics at www.bild.com It doesn't get much better than this - the 100 hottest babes in the world, as chosen by British magazine ‘Zoo’! ... more -
Country Fast Facts: Jordan
Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the UK received a mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain separated out a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s, and the area gained its independence in 1946; it adopted the name of Jordan in 1950.
The country's long-time ruler was King Hussein (1953-99). A pragmatic leader, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, despite several wars and coup attempts.
In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary elections and gradual political liberalization; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King Abdallah II, the son of King Hussein, assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and undertaken an aggressive economic reform program. Jordan acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2000, and began to participate in the European Free Trade Association in 2001.
After a two-year delay, parliamentary and municipal elections took place in the summer of 2003. The prime minister appointed in November 2005 stated the government would focus on political reforms, improving conditions for the poor, and fighting corruption. Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the UK received a mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain ... more -
Jordan valley withers in wilderness of Mideast politics
The Ein Gedi spa, built 40 years ago on the shore of the Dead Sea -- the lowest point on Earth -- now offers a tractor shuttle to carry bathers across the kilometre (more than half a mile) of salt flats that separate it from the water's edge.
A few kilometres (a couple of miles) up the shore, a campsite that used to rent out cabins by the sea has been sucked underground by the opening of cavernous sinkholes, some more than 30 metres (yards) wide.
The first one burst open in 1998, swallowing a cabin and a cleaning woman.
"The earth swallowed her up. She fell nearly 10 metres. They made everyone leave that day and closed the camp down," says Gundi Shahal, an Israeli environmentalist who came to Ein Gedi from Germany in 1979.
"Since then it hasn't stopped. The whole campground looks like a moonscape," she says as she walks past the massive holes, one of which contains the rusted shell of a car.
Across the street are rows of dead trees, the remains of a date plantation that was closed because of the danger of the sinkholes.
Scientists have documented some 2,500 such holes, with an average of 300 new ones opening up each year.
As the Dead Sea shrinks, the level of groundwater drops and as it retreats under the surface it dissolves layers of salt, creating underground caverns that eventually collapse into the sinkholes.
The Dead Sea derives most of its water from the Jordan river, which over the past 50 years has virtually disappeared as a result of massive upstream water projects in Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
For Mohammed Saida, a farmer in the Palestinian village of Al-Auja some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Ein Gedi, the Jordan river vanished completely when Israel fenced it off after seizing the West Bank in the 1967 Six Day War.
The land his family once owned along the river is now in a closed military zone and they have to rely on village wells and a seasonal underground spring.
During the winter, the spring spouts up to 2,000 cubic metres (70,000 cubic feet) of water a day but in the summer and early autumn it is reduced to a squalid puddle.
"This valley floods every year, but we have no dams so it all goes into the Jordan," Saida says. Israel restricts the building of dams and drilling of wells by Palestinians in the West Bank.
At the foot of the valley sits a water pump freshly painted blue and white like the Israeli flag. Inside an engine pumps water for Israeli settlers and Al-Auja residents.
Per capita water consumption in the West Bank stands at 50 litres (around 13 gallons) a day, according to a World Bank report published this month, about two-thirds less than the target recommended by the World Health Organisation.
Israel uses around 83 percent of the water originating in the occupied territory, with the rest going to the Palestinians, whose annual water extraction has dropped by around 10 percent in the past decade, according to the same report.
"(The Israelis) took the entire river, their share and ours, they took the land, and now they are drilling wells to take our water," says Hussein Saida, Mohammed's cousin and a village councillor. "How can there be peace?"
Shahal and the Saidas belong to Friends of the Earth Middle East (FOEME), a group of environmentalists from Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank.
They have long lobbied for a project to rejuvenate the Jordan valley and the Dead Sea by using desalinated water from the Mediterranean to meet upstream demands.
But the idea getting the most attention, and dividing scientists and environmentalists, is the proposed construction of a massive canal between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea. The Ein Gedi spa, built 40 years ago on the shore of the Dead Sea -- the lowest point on Earth -- now offers a tractor shuttle to carr... more -
Mount Everest Climbing Achievement: traveling from the world Lowest Spot on Earth ...
Mount Everest Climbing Achievement: Jordan Flag is on the World's Highest Summit - traveling from the world Lowest Spot on Earth [Dead Sea]
As a part of Jordan Independence Day celebrations, a great achievement has been made by a proud Jordanian "Mustafa Salameh", who represents all proud Jordanian People, to express how thankful we are, how proud we are, how much we love our country, and to express some of our feelings, he made it right and offered a great gift for our beloved country Jordan, by planting Jordan Flag there on the World's Highest Summits ever, to place Jordan where it should be on the Top of the World!
The great King of Jordan Abdulla II made a phone call to check on Mustafa Salameh, thanking him for his great effort, being one of the Mount Everest Climbers, the first Jordanian and one of the first Arabians to climb Mount Everest! planting the great Jordan Flag - handed to him by HRH Prince Ali Ben Al Hussein - on MT Everest, traveling from the Lowest Spot on Earth: Dead Sea in Jordan! Mount Everest Climbing Achievement: Jordan Flag is on the World's Highest Summit - traveling from the world Lowest Spot on Earth ... more -
McCain's Florida finance co-chair: war profiteer.
Don't like the Iraq War? Think it costs too much? Read the Miami Herald story today about one Florida Republican donor who may beg to disagree.
Harry Sargeant III has $1 billion in contracts to ship fuel to the military in Iraq. In March, John McCain tapped Sargeant to be his Florida campaign co-finance chairman.
Not bad for a company Sargeant founded in 2004 with a Jordanian business partner. If not for bundled contributions from Arab Americans in California-- apparently foreign nationals-- Sargeant's business activities and influence peddling in Washington might not have come to light.
"The company has established a massive operation, with some 300 tankers shipping oil from Saudia Arabia to Jordan, where the fuel is trucked in convoys into Ramadi, Iraq, using drivers from Jordan, India, the Sudan and the Dominican Republic, according to a Defense Department newsletter."
The Herald report is sprinkled with refusals, denials, and unavailability for comment by Republican officials with close ties to Sargeant.
Hey, someone has to get fuel to our troops in Iraq: it might as well be a Republican. In the past two years, Sargeant has given $2 million to political causes and candidates-- mostly Republican. Don't like the Iraq War? Think it costs too much? Read the Miami Herald story today about one Florida Republican donor who may be... more -
Israelis warned of 'very high' risks in Egypt and Jordan
The government's counter terrorism unit yesterday warned of concrete terror threats against Israelis traveling abroad, especially in Sinai, Thailand and Turkey.
While the counter terrorism bureau already issued the warning a number of weeks ago, it chose to reiterate it ahead of the High Holidays at the end of September, a time when many Israelis holiday abroad.
The bureau, a branch of the Prime Minister's Office, advised Israelis currently in Egypt, and in particular in Sinai, to leave immediately.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday confirmed that Israel security forces had recently foiled two attempts by the Lebanese militia Hezbollah to kidnap Israeli businessmen abroad.
Last month, new intelligence on Hezbollah's intentions to abduct Israelis abroad prompted the bureau to issue a warning to travelers, who were advised to take special precautions.
In its warning, the unit explained that intelligence reports suggested Hezbollah was planning abductions as revenge for the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh, the militia's operations chief, who was killed in a Damascus car bombing in February. Israel has denied any involvement in the bombing.
The counter terrorism unit stressed that a continuous threat exists in Thailand called upon Israeli citizens to avoid unnecessary visits. The unit warned that a potential threat also exists in the Philippines, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The government's counter terrorism unit yesterday warned of concrete terror threats against Israelis traveling abroad, especially... more -
Tourism Revenue in the Hashemite Kingdom surpasses JD1.099 billion
The Jordan Times reports that figures recently released by the Central Bank of Jordan indicated that the Kingdom’s tourism sector generated 1.099 billion in Jordanian Dinars (1.5 Billion USD) during the first seven months of this year, up 16 per cent from JD949 million in the same period of 2007.
According to the latest Minister of Tourism and Antiquities figures, the number of visitors on package tours increased by 60 per cent to 287,646 compared to 180,052 tourists in the first seven months of last year.
According to hotel records, the top locations in order were Amman, Petra, Dead Sea and Aqaba; Petra alone witnessing a 58% increase with 455,024 registered tourists. Visitors to Jerash rose 66 per cent to 190,400 tourists, while the St. George Church of Madaba saw an increase of 104 per cent, drawing 163,027 visitors. The Baptism Site also witnessed a 63 per cent increase in visitors, as some 79,954 tourists visited the site, The Jordan Times reports that figures recently released by the Central Bank of Jordan indicated that the Kingdom’s tourism sector gene... more -
Defense contractor KBR accused of human trafficking
Defense contractor KBR Inc. and a Jordanian subcontractor are accused of human trafficking in a federal lawsuit filed in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday by an attack survivor and family members of victims claims subcontractor Daoud & Partners recruited the men in Nepal to work in hotels and restaurants in Jordan.
The company allegedly seized their passports when they arrived in Jordan in 2004 and had them sent to Iraq to work on a U.S. air base.
See Link for full story... Defense contractor KBR Inc. and a Jordanian subcontractor are accused of human trafficking in a federal lawsuit filed in Los Angeles. ... more -
Valley of Peace
Shimon Peres' dream of a new Middle East...brings you this Valley of Peace Project -- creating a canal between Jordan and Israel could nourish the world! I believe;-) Shimon Peres' dream of a new Middle East...brings you this Valley of Peace Project -- creating a canal between Jordan and Israel... more
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Jordanian artist wants to build statue in Sderot
Avid peace supporter Ahmed Khalifa wants to build peace status with Sderot
Israel's embassy in Amman and the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem received an unusual requested this week: A Jordanian artist expressed his interest in visiting Sderot and building a statue of peace in the southern city along with local children.
The artist, Ahmed Khalifa, is a sculptor and painter known for his enthusiastic support for peace with Israel, despite the treaty's unpopularity in Jordan. Khalifa does not shy away from openly maintaining contacts with the Israeli embassy, and in the past built statues for the Peres Center for Peace.
Recently, Khalifa turned to the Jerusalem city hall and asked to place a statue in the capital in order to promote peace. Several days ago, he presented his work at a Jerusalem fair.
"It is important for me to convey a message against violence and the firing of Qassams through the statue," Khalifa said. "It hurts me to hear about every rocket that lands in the city. I want to come in order to bear a message of peace and support from Jordan. We must show that in the Arab world too there are voices that oppose the Qassams."
The Jordanian artist said he does not fear an attack because of his initiative. "When you do something good, you shouldn't fear anyone," he said.
Sderot's Mayor Eli Moyal pledged to assist Khalifa in realizing his mission.
"I laud such initiatives and I'm happy that some people in the Arab world think differently," he said. "We'll be glad to cooperate with any peace initiative." Avid peace supporter Ahmed Khalifa wants to build peace status with Sderot ... more -
Katie Price on Dream Team, mega cleavage in corset and nip slip
Katie Price on Sky One's great Dream Team.
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Katie Price and Peter Andre in Los Angeles
A slim looking Katie Price, aka Jordan, arriving at LAX yesterday. She went through customs more quickly than husband Peter Andre, who was held up for security checks, and had a 15 minute delay waiting for him. A slim looking Katie Price, aka Jordan, arriving at LAX yesterday. She went through customs more quickly than husband Peter Andre, who... more
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Danish cartoonist charged in Jordan: interview
After drawing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad with a lit bomb in his turban in 2005, Kurt Westergaard has lived under constant police protection. Now Jordan wants to prosecute the Dane. In a SPIEGEL ONLINE interview he discusses the legal summons and his anger.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mr. Westergaard, I am assuming you're not planning a vacation in Jordan this year?
Westergaard: No, I don't think so!
SPIEGEL ONLINE: The prosecutor general in Amman has issued a subpoena against you. He wants you to face a court in Jordan for the cartoon you drew of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005.
Westergaard: Yes, but so far I haven't received an official summons to court. I have already contacted the Jordanian Embassy in Berlin and asked them if they could inform me what the punishment would be. If I went to Amman would I be arrested as soon as I put my foot on Jordanian soil? But I never got an answer.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: You would likely be apprehended were you to travel to Jordan...
Westergaard: Yes, I suppose so.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What would you tell a Jordanian court in your defense?
Westergaard: I would try to explain that the cartoon was not aimed at Islam as a whole but aimed at the terrorists, who use part of Islam as their spiritual ammunition. You could also say that the terrorists have taken the Prophet as their hostage.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: The Jordanian government has passed a new law expressly forbidding the defamation of the Prophet Muhammad -- a direct reaction to your caricature and the others. There seems little doubt that you'd be convicted.
Westergaard: Yes, it has been very difficult to get Muslims to understand my intentions.
(continued at link) After drawing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad with a lit bomb in his turban in 2005, Kurt Westergaard has lived under constant polic... more -
Queen Rania goes online to challenge stereotypes
The elegant Queen Rania of Jordan, champion of women's rights and anti-poverty activist, has taken her considerable influence online to challenge Western stereotypes about Islam and warn her own country's youth against extremism.
Her YouTube channel, where videos featuring Arab comics, singers and the Queen herself are posted weekly, has drawn more than a million viewers since it was launched in the spring, surprising the Jordanian royal court with the reaction.
"I've been surprised by some of the questions that I've been asked about the Arab world and Middle East", the Queen tells viewers in one clip. "Do all Arabs hate Americans? Can Arab women work? Are there any YouTubers in Jordan?"
"YouTube is a great platform for dialogue and I believe we need to use that platform to get our message out there."
In a broadcast interview last week she added, "I do feel that our world is in a bit of a crisis at the moment, violence has overtaken dialogue and compassion has lost out to anger. I'm hoping this will become a channel of communication between east and west because I very much think our world is in dire need of that."
The YouTube channel has also kicked off a new round of public appearances and interviews with Queen Rania, who, while criticised among more conservative quarters at home for not wearing the Islamic headscarf, in all other respects epitomises the modern Arab woman: Young, beautiful and educated, she gave up a career at a multinational corporation to marry then-Prince Abdullah, who became king after his father, King Hussein, died in 1999.
A devoted mother of four, she has dedicated her royal life to such publicity-friendly causes as Bono's Product Red campaign against Aids in Africa, an end to honour killings in the Middle East and improving public schools at home in Jordan. Named one of the world's most 100 powerful women by Forbes, she has been featured in Hello magazine and the popular US television talk show Oprah, and earlier this year appeared on a collector's edition cover of Vanity Fair magazine.
She and her husband, both fluent in English and frequently welcomed in Western countries, have devoted much time to promoting moderate Islam and condemning terrorist attacks ascribed to radical factions.
The YouTube channel, however, is an entirely new approach. Entirely in English to appeal to a Western audience, it is also seen as a way to reach out to the often-fractious youth of the Arab world, reflecting the growing power of the Internet in a region where regular media often find themselves censored. Even in Jordan, it remains a criminal offence to criticise the King.
With 60 per cent of the Arab world's population under the age of 30 and hundreds of thousands plugging in, often via free dial-up connections and Internet cafes, to YouTube and Facebook, even the most authoritarian regimes find themselves struggling to control dissent. A young Internet organiser nicknamed 'Facebook Girl,' Esraa Abdel Fatah, was earlier this year arrested in Egypt for organising a series of anti-government protests via the online networking site. ***article continues,click link to read*** The elegant Queen Rania of Jordan, champion of women's rights and anti-poverty activist, has taken her considerable influence onl... more -
May this happen in our lifetimes
A wonderful vision. Wait and see....
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Obama reviews foreign trip at Jordan’s Temple of Hercules
Senator Obama spent a hot, dusty Tuesday in Jordan following his fact-finding mission to Afghanistan and Iraq. He arrived in Amman this afternoon and headed to the ancient ruins of the Amman Citadel to hold a press conference on his observations before the world press. Senator Obama then went to the Palace of His Majesty, King Abdullah, to have a private one-on-one meeting before his Senate colleagues joined them for dinner.
Photographs and the video of his press conference are included. Senator Obama spent a hot, dusty Tuesday in Jordan following his fact-finding mission to Afghanistan and Iraq. He arrived in Amman th... more -
Viral Video Tips From Queen Rania
In 4 steps, Jordan’s Queen Rania shows you how to create video clips designed break down stereotypes.
It’s fascinating to watch what Rania is doing with YouTube and how she’s using it as a platform to encourage understanding between cultures.
Does it still count as citizen media, though, when you’re the Queen of Jordan? In 4 steps, Jordan’s Queen Rania shows you how to create video clips designed break down stereotypes. ... more -
About these Blogs by Kelly Hayes-Raitt on location in the Middle East
By Kelly Hayes-Raitt | May 27th, 2008 |
Between May 16 and 25, I traveled with 9 other Americas to Amman, Jordan, and Damascus, Syria, to meet with Iraqi refugees. I expected abject poverty, decrepit camps, broken people. What I encountered were proud Iraqis who had held positions of accomplishment and, sometimes, of wealth, back in Iraq. Both the Jordanian and Syrian governments, which are dealing with runaway inflation and high unemployment, are trying to avoid repeating the specter of permanent Palestinian refugee camps. Consequently, Iraqis are barred from legal employment. They are provided with temporary and sporadic food and medical assistance by the government and by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The stories you will read were told through translators. Although each of the refugees was eager to tell his or her story, and consented to being photographed and interviewed, I have decided to change their names to protect any family members still in Iraq. While each person’s story is unique, the recurring themes of fleeing threats for communicating with Americans, of wishing to join relatives in the US, of knowing that they can never return to their homes or homeland, and of longing for productive lives to provide their children with bright futures were prevalent.
The delegation was organized by the Middle East Fellowship (www.MiddleEastFellowship.org) under the auspices of the Middle East Council of Churches (www.mec-churches.org). However, these blogs reflect solely my own experiences and opinions, not those of any organization or other individual. The Middle East Fellowship is planning future delegations, including one tentatively planned for October 24th to November 1st, which will meet with refugees in Damascus and Beirut. (The UNHCR estimates there are up to 1.4 million Iraqi refugees in Syria and 50,000 in Lebanon.) Further information may be found at Middle East Fellowship (www.MiddleEastFellowship.org/refugee_response).
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from TouchArt@aol.com ane OneEarthblog.blogspot.com By Kelly Hayes-Raitt | May 27th, 2008 | ... more -
Abrahamic faiths come together for MId. East trip
The 15-member caravan making the unlikely pilgrimage to Jordan, Syria and Israel includes a rabbi, an imam and two Christian ministers. They will build a Habitat for Humanity-type home in Jordan, carry medical and educational supplies to Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Syria, and visit some of their faiths' holiest shrines in Israel.
A little effort needed but peace is possible... The 15-member caravan making the unlikely pilgrimage to Jordan, Syria and Israel includes a rabbi, an imam and two Christian ministers... more -
A New Wonder
From http://intheknowtraveler.com. Steve Smith just returned from Jordan and I was dying to see the pictures. They didn't disappoint. Now I want to to go to Jordan. I suppose some may want to avoid Jordan due its proximity to neighboring countries, but this is a ridiculous idea. Jordan has a much larger reputation for being one of the safest countries and Steve had a few thoughts on this issue as well. Check out the video and one of the most impressive sites in the world, Petra. From http://intheknowtraveler.com. Steve Smith just returned from Jordan and I was dying to see the pictures. They didn't disappo... more
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