Are Jordanian Bloggers Making a Difference?

Sometimes I wonder if the Jordanian government doesn't have a small department of people stashed away somewhere...people who's sole job is to read the popular opinion of local bloggers and report to a task force in charge facilitating change for the betterment of the Kingdom.

Perhaps this is just an overblown theory, but let's look at some of the more recent (and welcome) changes that have previously been the topic of conversation in the blog-o-sphere.

The nasty black and yellow striped curbs that border Amman's streets

The result? All the curbs are now in the process of being painted gray.

The unknown factor when it comes to determining dates of holidays, especially when it comes to having to physically visualize the moon.

The result? The king has recently requested that government holidays and other occasions, such as daylight saving time, be scientifically determined and announced in advance.

The hindrance of trees and other obstructions in the public sidewalk

All trees are supposed to be trimmed to a specific height. Smaller trees are to be transplanted to another location.

The lack of a city-wide master plan, resulting in poorly planned construction and infrastructure.

The result? The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has adopted a 30-year master plan which should set greater standards for parking needs, road construction, water, electrical, and sewage placement, as well as proper zoning restrictions throughout the city.

The mandate that all buildings in Amman be constructed out of white stone.

The result? Buildings of varying construction types are being erected throughout the city. (So far, I've been impressed with much of the new constructionnwith the exception of that blue-tiled monstrosity on Zahran Street between 3rd and 4th Circles.)

These are just a few examples of issues that have mysterious been addressed after being lobbied over by Jordanian bloggers. Other issues that still need addressing, however, include:

Garbage bins

Those ugly, gray bins are still lying disheveled in the middle of the streets. And bi shan Allah, stop putting wheels on those things; they're always bent and folded up under the bin anyway!

Smoking in public places

Darn you, America, for introducing tobacco to the world! And the fact that the Jordanian government still hasn't enforced a non-smoking policy in public places, shame on you.

Double (and triple) parking

Why hasn't the government been doing anything about this? If the government needs some extra income to make up for all of the excessive amount of holiday days taken in January, they should just task all of the police officers to go around writing tickets for double parking. And I'm not talking about those lousy 10JD tickets, which apparently don't have any effect on the populace.

Jordanian currency's third decimal place

I haven't mentioned this one before, but I thought I would throw it in for good measure. After all, the thrid decimal place serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever, other than to confuse foreign tourists visiting the country. Why not pull a monetary system reform, Turkish-style, and just do away with it once and for all?