I Must Have This T-shirt

It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.

1-2-3...Hasselhoff!

If you happened to grow up in the US in the 80's, there's a good chance you were a fan of the hit TV show, Knight Rider. And considering that Knight Rider was a decent show (as far as cheesy 80s TV shows go), one might be willing to forgive David Hasselhoff for his next major career move, the downright stupid Baywatch.

But you have to hand it to Hasselhoff, he sure knows how to use his cheesy celebrity status for gain. He poked fun of himself as the coach for the German dodgeball team in the movie, Dodgeball. He also starred as Adam Sandler's sleazy boss in the movie, Click.

When I was in England this past summer, I was waiting in line at the movie theater and happened upon the following post card ads for Pipex, a UK-based broadband company. It looks like "the Hoff" has done it again, pimping his celebrity-ness via some hilarious personal jabs.

Click the pictures for more Hoff than you can handle.

A Day at Amman's Children's Museum

It's been about two months since the Amman Children's Museum opened its doors. Since that time, there have been several great articles and local reviews on the museum, but this past week was the first time I had a chance to check it out.

So a friend and I ventured out this past Friday with our kids (5, in total) to explore the museum. The museum advertises that it is designed to engage children ages toddler to 14, but I quickly found out it easily engages children around the age of 31.

I've been to some very nice children's museums in my day, the notable ones being the Chicago Children's Museum, the Los Angeles Children's Museum and the Richmond Children's Museum. After spending several hours at the Amman Children's Museum, I am happy to say that is easily on par with those three.

The museum is well-designed and fantastically outfitted with a great assortment of exhibits and activities. The exhibit signage is design to provoke learning and is written in both Arabic and English. The staff is very helpful and maintains a close watch on the kids, offering their assistance and expertise at just the right times. The museum is clean, spacious, and well decorated.

During my visit there were about a dozen or so exhibits that were not functioning (the signs said "under construction", which means broken). However, I did see maintenance men making their way throughout the museum, working on specific exhibits in order to get them back up and running. Even with the exhibits that were down, there was plenty to keep my kids busy.

I must applaud the Queen for her vision, which has now become a reality. I also applaud the designers and engineers who produced such a wonderfully thought out and creative space for children to explore and learn. And lastly, I applaud the director and staff of the museum for their care, maintenance, and hospitality. I hope the Amman Children's Museum continues to stand as a shining example of education for many years to come.

Update: Check out further pictures of the Children's Museum.

A Blog Worth Reading

It was recently brought to my attention that a group of teachers from California are traveling through Jordan in order to "learn more about the Middle East region and to return home with another perspective other than what the media provides".

One of those teachers is Lysa De Thomas and she is chronicling her experiences in a blog. I've just spent the last hour reading her impressions and I highly recommend you take some time to do the same. Her perspectives are extremely enlightening, as she approaches topics from a caring, non-biased—and yet explorative—direction.

Petra Becomes One of the New 7 Wonders

Congratulations on Petra becoming one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Chosen from among a number of extremely valid candidates, Petra was announced second behind the Great Wall of China.

If you've ever visited Petra, you'll realize immediately that this win is completely valid. If you've never been to Petra—especially if you live in Jordan—I suggest you reevaluate your priorities.

EDIT: Be sure to ready Sha3teely's post on the subject. He does a good job of reviewing some of the issues that Jordan needs to address once the celebrating dies down.

Being a part of this competition has put Jordan on the tourist map. But can Jordan's infrustructure and culture handle a larger influx of tourists? After all, Jordan does an OK job with tourism, but if we're going to rely on it as a major source of income, we need to evaluate some of the major areas that are lacking.

Tiesto...Who?

I'm with Hal; until a couple months ago, I had never heard of Tiesto. In my ignorance, I was unaware that he is "the best DJ in the World", an honor bestowed on him 3 consecutive times by DJ Magazine (a rag we all read, I'm sure). And to the ultimate chagrin of one of my friends, I was not planning to attend the Tiesto electro/trance party in Petra (gasp!).

I'm not sure I understand the drive that compels thousands of people to pay huge bucks and travel a lot of hours just to see some dude play other people's music. It's not like the guy is U2 or Van Halen. I might make the pilgrimage if either of those two bands came to town, but I couldn't give a flying flip about a DJ with a stupid name.

Thou Shalt Not Receive Thy Salary

The government of moderate Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad promised Monday to pay full salaries to tens of thousands of civil servants for at least six months, but also warned that employees cooperating with the Islamist Hamas will be cut from the payroll.

In Hamas-ruled Gaza, mosque preachers struck back with a religious decree that government workers who accept Fayyad's money under such conditions violate the rules of Islam.

I think they're making this up as they go.

The Jordan Times, July 3, 2007

Dave Simpson

This is what I would most likely look like on The Simpsons. Feel free to make your own.

And yes, this is blog filler, since I don't currently have the time to write anything else.