After the successful release of their second album "Zad" last September, Jordanian band Sign of Thyme will be performing in a live concert on Sunday December 2nd, 2007, alongside guest musicians Aziz Maraqa on Piano, Yazan Roussan on Percussions, and Nabih Boulos on Violin. The show will feature new works besides songs from their album Zad, which includes rearrangements of famous and/or important pieces of music ranging from Egyptian masterpieces to jazz standards to pieces from Turkey and Tunisia, as well as originals composed by the band members. The core of the band consists of the trio Yacoub Abu Ghosh on Bass Guitar, Ahmad Barakat on Oud, and Nasser Salameh on Percussions. The concert will take place at the Terra Sancta Theater in Jebal Luweibdeh, at 8:00 pm. Tickets are for 5JDs, sold at the door....

Ahmad Humeid first published this press release on his blog about AmmanNet being refused a permit to open a new community radio station in Zarqa. While details seem sketchy as to why the permit was rejected, we join Daoud Kuttab's call for the new governmental cabinet to reverse this rejection of a community-based media outlet in Jordan. We also join calls for a transparent process and a full investigation. The press release from AmmanNet is published below:

The government rejected a petition to grant a local radio license for the third biggest city of Jordan, Zarqa. In one of its last decision the outgoing Jordanian cabinet rejected the application by AmmanNet to set up a community radio station that will not broadcast news or politics. This is the first known case in which a radio license has been rejected in Jordan since the deregulation of...

Written By: Mohammed Dalabih

Earlier this month, the world celebrated "World Diabetes Day". Diabetes is a disease affecting blood sugar control in the body, a major cause of morbidity around the world, and with its many complications a major contributor to death.

Without getting into too many details, diabetes is of two kinds, type I and type II. Type I primarily affects children. Type II mainly affects adults, has a hereditary component and is strongly associated with poor lifestyle habits such as high fat diet, lack of exercise and stress. Type II diabetes has been increasingly appearing in childhood because of the increasing childhood obesity.

However, the question is this: How much of a...

“In my opinion, the olive tree is the symbol of peace. The trees are as old as time, and are absolutely delightful; you can walk around it smell it and rest under it. To the people, they are everything.” – Mahmoud Twaissi, Mapping Coordinator, Abraham Path Initiative A project to create a path that connects many of the places and paths that Abraham once traveled; an ambitious and provocative project that hopes to bring the peoples of the world around a uniting piece of history: Abraham himself. (more...)...

The elections are over, (most of) the votes have been counted, the winners announced, and the morning papers are aflutter with post-election coverage. Here's a rundown of some of yesterday's highlights as relayed by the local media and Jordanian bloggers: Despite the gloomy and rainy weather, voter turnout as of today, stood at around 55%, representing just over half of Jordan's 2.4 million eligible voters. Of previous MPs, 29 kept their seats. Preliminary results breaking down turnout, seats, and number of candidates can be viewed here and here (arabic). The Islamic Action Front, the Muslim Brotherhood's political arm, cried foul, pointing to vote-buying and the government's inability (or unwillingness) to stop it, as signs of voter fraud. Nevertheless, the IAF suffered a disappointing loss as a party, with only 7 of its 22 candidates managing a win. However, Wihdat camp residents retain a lot...

Written By: Maha Note: The following is based on a true story which took place a few days ago. The author's mother is a parliamentary candidate. Once upon a time a candidate was at a dead relatives' house packed with people paying their condolences to the family. She got the following call from a private number: -Aloo? -Marhaba inti fulaneh fulaneh el follaneyeh? (hello, are you so and so?) -Na’am Tfadal. (yes, go ahead) -Bintek isemha “absar sho”? (is your daughter's name so and so?) -Na’am (yes) -Bintek 3emlat 7adeth sayyara …t3eeshi inti! (your daughter's been in a car accident...sorry for your loss) Beeeeeep (line goes dead) And that’s exactly how it went, and the bomb was dropped on the 50-something mother of 5 who once had 6 and lost a daughter before! As with any parent she freaks out! No one calls her daughter with her documented name unless they know her or have an ID of some sort,...

In accordance with the upcoming Parliamentary elections and in the context of last summer's Municipal elections and the corruption charges which plagued them, 7iber dot com has formed an Election Watchdog. The Jordanian government has allowed for several organizations to monitor the elections however the extent of their participation and/or the potential restrictions they might face have meant it is upon the average Jordanian citizen to perform his or her national duty of ensuring a truly free and fair election. If on voting day you witness any acts of fraud, restrictions, bribing, or anything that seems suspicious, email us at editor@7iber.com We will post your comments immediately. Join the Facebook group and invite your friends! ...

Amin Matalqa continues the journey with his Jordanian feature film "Captain Abu Raed", bringing it to life with the help of Austin Wintory's orchestral score. The score was recorded on October 27th, 2007 at Warner Bros. Studios with the Hollywood Studio Symphony. Get an exciting sneak peak at the scoring session for the storytelling cue, in a video shot and edited by Ray Peschke. ...

Photography By: Sabri Hakim...

"Walk With Us" is a one day event to promote youth participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections. It will take place on Friday, 16th of November, starting at the Sports City and ending at the Parliament building where there will be a national music festival as well as speeches from participating members. Time: 11am - 3pm Contact: bader.dokhan@gmail.com ...