Hate to burst your narrative, but Jordan doesn't have any significant oil reserves (and is a net oil importer):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Jordan#Energy
Depending on how high the speculators drive up the price of oil, the oil shales may or may not become worthwhile to exploit (which will require billions of dollars of additional investment, and probably a decade or two).
The (extended) interview with the Jordanian UN Ambassador, Prince Zeid Ra'ad was also quite good (and hilarious):
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-march-1-2011/exclusive---zeid-ra-ad-extended-interview-pt--1
Or if you're Canadian, like me:
http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart/exclusive-interviews/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart---prince-zeid-raad-extended-interview/#clip426425
Abdullah was supposed to show up again to promote his book, but given the situation in the Middle East, he sent the Ambassador instead. Interestingly enough, he's a Pretender to the Throne of Iraq--if they ever brought back the monarchy, I think they could do quite a bit worse than him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Zeid_bin_Ra'ad
Let me preface what I'm about to say by saying that from everything I've read and seen, and with the comparative openness of Jordan and Jordanian society, I think King Abdullah (and King Hussein before him) is a good man and leader, and in no way compares to some of the people that follow. I think many foreign dignitaries come off quite well on the Daily Show and the Colbert Report (like Pakistani ex-president Pervez Musharraf, and former Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak)--it's their opportunity to present themselves to a good portion of the American public (and given the international distribution, probably a not-insignificant amount of viewers throughout the western world). I have a feeling that were Asma (Emma) and/or Bashar al-Assad ever to go on, they'd probably be similarly charming and well-spoken. During World War II, Joseph Stalin cultivated the image of Uncle Joe in Allied countries.
All that said, Jordan hasn't launched invasions of its neighbours, there don't seem to be mass-graves or concentration camps in Jordan, there haven't been brutal and bloody crackdowns (as in Libya or Syria), and Jordan is open enough to the rest of the world that we'd probably be able to tell.
Football
I haven't watched hockey in ages, whereas I used to be a huge fan. Given that I don't see many games on television and horse racing season has a few months before it really kicks off, I decided to get back into football (that is not to say that I ever understood the game)...just in time for the last couple of games of the season. It was surreal watching one of my old favourites--Green Bay--play because Brett Favre is still in the game, which was a pleasant surprise.
Apparently even the IRS couldn't resist the lure of a free gmail account. My question is: who gave the IRS an Invite? And who granted the IRS copyright protection? One of the more clever phishing scams, so I thought I would share. I think that this phisher would do better waiting until after April to throw this out there.
Even though I don't drink coffee (I grow it, I don't drink it), I read with great interest the article "Don't Fear Starbucks: Why the franchise actually helps mom and pop coffeehouses."
Oh my. My, my, my.
I made the decision earlier last week to kick the Pepsi habit. I will probably still allow myself the occasional reward of a tall, cold glass of carbonated crack whenever I join my friends at a fast food restaurant--because, let's face it, nothing goes better with a big helping of deepfried, greasy potato-like rectangles and a soggy burger than a refreshing papercup of high fructose corn syrup. But, if you believe everything people tell you, I will eventually find it too sweet to drink any
Another Dexterpexter Friendly Reminder (TM) before trying to journal again like a normal human being...
There is a crisis developing--a problem that most people probably haven't heard much about. See if you can determine what these things have in common:
In a state of emergency, could you keep your family alive inside your home for a week?
I visited the animal shelter today, hoping to come home with a new companion.
Instead I came home crying.
I am not someone who easily shows those emotions, but I honestly broke down there in front of the shelter staff. To see a terrified dog (more precisely, many dogs) crouching in the back of his kennel (admittedly fairly nice kennels), abandoned there because his owners "put in new carpet" or "the old dog didn't get along with the new dog/cat/child," I was angry beyond words.
Vital papers will demonstrate their vitality by spontaneously moving from where you left them to where you can't find them.
