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Outlook

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 Vol. XLIV, No. 10

Social Media: Changing Lives Sarah Zaytoun & Raghid Naimi Staff Writers / Mohammad Hijazi Photographer A great amount of people filled the Issam Fares Hall to attend one of the biggest conferences of the year presented by the Online Collaborative Club at AUB, entitled, “Social Media Changing Lives,” on Friday. The event was in partnership with ArabNet and Digital Media Solutions (DMS), and with the technical assistance of SeeBeck Audio.

The Online Collaborative Club at AUB seeks to gather social media enthusiasts and experienced individuals in the digital media world to help promote proper digital citizenship through making the most of social media in the best ways possible.

It is safe to say that social media has emerged drastically in the world and is expanding even more now in the Middle East. The highly anticipated conference touched on the fact that social media is now not only related to technology, but is also revolutionizing every part of our lives.

The organizers of the conference faced a nine hour challenge of managing and introducing presentations and performances by some of the most prominent digital media users and enthusiasts from the Arab world who ranged from students, social activists, bloggers, university professors, directors and CEOs. “Twiplomacy” in Action Mohammad Hijazi, president and founder of the Online Collaborative Club opened the con-

ference with a welcome note and then introduced the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Her Majesty’s Ambassador Tom Fletcher, who gave his speech about how Twitter can change diplomacy.

He asserted during his speech that, “Increasingly, it matters less what a minister or diplomat says is our policy on an issue – and more what Google, Facebook or Twitter says is our policy.”

On the other hand, Farid Chehab, honorary

Chairman and advisor to the board of Leo Burnett for the MENA Region and author of “A Bet for National Conscience,” emphasized the importance of social networks in starting and supporting public causes and expressed his uncertainty about whether these online campaigns are sustainable on the long run.

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Weaving the Arab Spring: the Arts in Uprising Issam Kayssi Staff Writer “The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution.” Paul Cézanne, a French post-impressionist painter, is quoted to have said these words in the late nineteenth century. Now considered “the father” of Matisse and Picasso, Cézanne was merely talking about a revolution in painting, but his words can be seen in a different light today.

himself alight outside a local municipal office in protest against police brutality on December 16, 2010. His name was Mohamed Bouazizi, and his single act of protest arguably set off a revolution that would ultimately end a twenty-three-year despotic regime in Tunisia and indirectly signal the beginning of a wave of Arab uprisings in various countries such as Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Bahrain.

A local market fresh produce vendor in Tunis The political, social, economic, and medial poured inflammable liquid over his body and set causes and consequences of Bouazizi’s act and

www.aub.edu.lb/outlook

the subsequent Arab uprisings have been continuously discussed this year. However, little attention has been paid to the arts, especially the literary medium. In that light, Weaving the Arab Spring, an Anis Makdisi Program conference, was held on December 16, 2011 aiming at attracting attention to the literary currents that are shaping and being shaped in the Arab world.

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Campus News

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

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AUB Choir and Choral Society delivers powerful performance Lojine Kamel Editor-in-Chief

Every year the AUB Choir and Choral Society presents a myriad of hymns and classic pieces, celebrating the Christmas spirit with song. This year, on December 12 and 13, Assembly Hall was packed with audience members all eager to listen to Choir Director, Dr. Thomas Kim’s arrangement of the season.

The evening began with an ensemble by the Polyphonica, elite members of the AUB Choir.

Unlike previous years, Kim opted to form an allfemale group, delivering an interesting mix of soprano and alto voices. Perfoming “A Ceremony of Carols” by composer Benjamin Britten, the ladies delivered a mystifying show, with soft melodic harp accompanying their nearly impossible pitch.

Soloists Lama Zakharia and Yasmina Sabbah both enchanted the audience with their powerful instruments, the former delving into rich deep tones and the latter infallibly producing a pure soprano ring.

The full choir then took the stage, entrancing onlookers with a powerful rendition of Gustav Holst’s “Hymns to the Rig Veda.” A moving performance about battles fought in the name of Hindu deities, the choir sang rich chords of anguish and power, only to be interrupted by the strong, clear notes of the piano.

Two pieces were then sang in English, “Mary had a Baby,” and a gospel tune, “Ain-a that Good News.” The former featured a performance by another soprano soloist, Youmna Jreissati, while the gospel hymn took on a lighter, more merry spirit.

Finishing up the concert was the choir’s interpretation of Willam Dawson’s “African-American Spirtuals,” complete with percussion and dance moves. Perhaps the highlight of the evening was when choir members began an enthusiastic dance, clapping along to the beat of the song. Audience members were enthralled by the entertaining number, among them Business senior Sarah Sabbagh, who remarked, “It was really nice, and the African part, especially the clapping, was very interesting.”

Later the choir and audience members trekked to the outside area, where lit trees and old-time

carols brought back wistful memories. Said Sabbagh, “My favorite part was when everyone went outside and started singing, when they lit the trees up.”

Choir member Camelia Harb reflected on the performance, saying “This year, the music we chose to perform was really different from what we usually do. I think it was different for everyone. But in the end, I think that it was a successful performance as the choir really put their all into it.

I hope that the audience enjoyed it and the Christmas caroling afterwards, because we certainly did!

Photo by AUB Office of Communications

Social Media: Changing Lives Continued Sarah Zaytoun & Raghid Naimi Staff Writers / Tugce Coskun Photographer Business and NGO’s Benefit “Social media is saving lives,” said Teyrouz, Founder of Donner Sang Compter.

Founder and Action President of Donner Sang Compter, Yorgui Teyrouz, spoke of how social media tools help to raise awareness to the important cause of donating blood. He explained that social media has four main responsibilities, which are to recruit, raise awareness, educate, and to be used as a marketing tool. Teyrouz further explained that his most important volunteers are online, who help to share and create interactions.

He closed by stating social media is “saving lives.”

Other panelists who partook in the conference targeted social media’s influence on political decisions and business, and social media for personal use.

When Culture takes part in Social Media Culture did not escape the social media buzz

with several inspirational speakers sharing with the audience how they were able to convey social change through their “digital voice” that they could not keep silent. Riham Kowatly, manager at “Be7ke,” the first Ramadan Web Series that helps to inspire youth by breaking stereotypes and share their experiences, explained, “the media is a powerful force in our lives, but we need to voice our views because we know ourselves more than anyone.” Aliaa El Zeiny, an Egyptian Blogger and Political Science student at AUB, said that it is the Arab Women’s role to show “THEM” who Arab Women are.

Some people shared a different view on social media like Maan Barazi, Editor at Business at eBusinessLebanon. Instead of labeling this emergence as “social” media, Barazi prefers to call it the “new” media. He closed his presentation by asking, “Is social media changing lives or are

lives changing social media?”

The Arts and Entertainment The conference was not just about the innovative discussions and thought-provoking presentations, but also fit into the schedule was lunch provided by Crepaway and coffee from Dunkin Donuts. The audience was entertained by a “Social Media Standup Comedy” show by Malek Teffaha, event organizer and Head Editor at Gaming Desk of Giga LB, who left the audience laughing with his clever comedic act, poking fun of the misuses and overuses of Facebook and Twitter.

The eventful day came to an end with the venue being rocked by musical performances by EpiSode, Lazzy Lung, Anthony Touma, and Poly, who all shared their experiences with social media as well.

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Moulin Rouge on the AUB stage Tracy Dariane Member at Large Mohammad B. Azzam Photographer Opera music was playing in the background, lights were dim, fairies were floating about smoothly on the stage, and the Moulin was spinning, as the audience found their ways to their seats. The ambiance of the Moulin Rouge set itself in from the moment viewers walked into the auditorium.

From the scenes of Paris, directors Omar Moujaes and Majid Moujaes brought the drama of the “Moulin Rouge” to the stage of the American University of Beirut (AUB). The AUB and its drama club, in collaboration with the Lebanese American University (LAU)’s School of Arts and Sciences, worked together in order to present this dazzling student theater production. Initially planned to perform for two nights, the high demand of tickets required the production to be shown for a third night, bringing the production to a close on Sunday night.

Although they had less than two months, the whole crew behind the play successfully presented a delightful show. The stage design was what stood out the most, bringing it close to perfect. What is worth highlighting is the actual mill that looked realistic. It was well constructed and spinning, dominant to the audience’s eyes as they walked in. The lighting that served as a décor also ornamented the stage in a beautiful manner, lighting the stage appropriate to the situation.

Another element worth highlighting was the intense creativity behind the choreography. Using the music from the movie’s soundtrack, the dancers presented a blend of modern contemporary moves with a tinge of the French seductive moves including the “Cancan.” A member of the audience, who wished to remain anonymous said, “the choreographies were great but it showed that they needed some more rehearsals.”

As for the acting, few performers stood out with more talent than others, and embodied their roles with brilliance, capturing the fitting mood. Tanya Khoury, a member of the audience said, “The comic reliefs that were brought in by few of the actors were well placed and quite humorous.”

Most of the music was live and the singers proved to be brilliantly talented. One of the fairies stood out with an impeccable opera voice, who was accompanied by a brilliant piano player.

The “Roxanne” scene was by all means the most memorable one, with a beautiful choreography filled with intense emotions; it took the whole play to another level.

One could point out several flaws, but for a production that was constructed in roughly a month, one must say, hats off to the whole crew.

Weaving the Arab Spring: the Arts in Uprising Continued Issam Kayssi Staff Writer The purpose of the symposium was to invite writers, bloggers, artists and journalists from different parts of the Arab world and it did just that. The conference was divided into two panels; the first included Mohammad al-Shennawi (Egyptian activist and editor of a contemporary comic series TokTok), Yasser Jeradi (Tunisian artist), Majed al-Mathhaji (Yemeni novelist), and Zahi Sahili (journalism student at the Lebanese American University).

The second panel was more focused on Lebanon and included Sara Abu Ghazal (editor of feminist Sawt Al Niswa), Mohamad Houdeib of al-Walad, Ibrahim Sharara (editor of Shabab Assafir), and activist and blogger Farah Kobeissi. It is worthy of note that the conference initially intended to host a speaker from Syria, but due to security reasons, this could not materialize.

The first panel, chaired by Ziad Dallal, was indeed focused on the arts, in the entirety of the term. Zahi Sahili began by speaking about the conference in general. He was followed by Al-Shennawi who introduced his online comic series TokTok which deals with the daily Egyptian struggles, especially during and after the uprising which brought down thirtyyear president Hosni Mubarak earlier this year. Ma-

jed al-Mathhaji, well versed in Yemen’s literature, spoke of how the intellectual revolution existed in the sense that different sides (in opposition historically) managed to unite and exchange ideas in their struggle against the oppressive regime of Ben Ali. “The fall of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt gave Yemenis real hope for change in their country,” he added.

Yasser Jeradi presented the different projects he and his compatriots were working on: the production of short films, the design of public murals and old regime cars destroyed by the revolution, as well as the recording of the now Tunisian hit, ‘Enti Essout’.

The second panel, chaired by Nermine El-Horr, dealt with the case of Lebanon in relation to the Arab Spring. The panel began with revolutionary poetry from Houdeib and a presentation of Jessica Khazrik’s symbolic and interactive performance on Hamra Street, involving the cooking of Sheep’s legs in public. The panel then moved to a hands-on approach on the Lebanese secular protests which occurred during 2011. It discussed and debated the efficiency of the secular campaign and whether it is the right approach for the case of Lebanon. Inevitably, there were comparisons between the Egyptian, Yemeni, and Tunisian revolutions and Leba-

non’s secular campaign. Ibrahim Sharara pointed out the Lebanese protests were different than those of the Arab countries because of the immateriality of their targets. He explained that since the protests target a sociocultural idea, it takes more time, effort and devotion to topple the sectarian regime. Points of argument revolved around the role of women in the campaigns (or the disregard of the campaign of the importance of women’s rights). The second panel was noted for its vehement Q&A session wherein attendees and speakers engaged each other.

The conference was a pioneering experience in its focus on the arts vis-à-vis the one-year anniversary of Bouazizi’s initiation of uprisings in the Arab World.

Indeed unique, it portrayed the genuine need for an intellectual aspect for all uprisings. The conference revealed how the arts cement actual change in the Arab world, change in the minds of its citizens and not only of tyrannous regimes.

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“Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.” Anthony Brandt Lojine Kamel Editor-in-Chief It’s that time of year again when family matters.

Not that they don’t matter the whole year around, it’s just that we seem to remember them more often around the holidays. When Christmas eve brings with it wistful memories of giant turkeys, tree decorations, and dreams of snow, we begin to remember why holidays really are so special.

Its true, holidays are a time of love and relaxation, but the opposite should not be true. Life flies by so quickly that we often forget to take the time to tell our little sisters we love them (I love you Kanzi), and our mother dearests how wonderful they are.

We forget to be grateful for everything.

My family holidays are never complete without high-pitched Egyptian arguments about politics, religion, and the best food recipes of the year. Of course, gallons of kahwah and chai are consumed, Egyptians flags are flown, and many slippers are boomeranged throughout the house. Thrice removed tantes kiss me once, twice, three times, each one begging for more awkwardness and leaving a further pronounced smear of lipstick on my

cheek. Amo’s argue with happiness or anger, for one never knows the difference. Everyone is loud, boisterous, hungry all the time, and never without chai. This is my family.

With the year rapidly fading into another, resolutions are made as we once again reevaluate the priorities in our life. My goals are unlimited, but my priorities are few. I truly believe we should never lose sight of all the things we hope to achieve, and the bigger the dreams, the better.

This Christmas and New Years, take some time to enjoy being with your family. Friends may come and go, but whether you like it or not, family will forever be a part of who you are. So do try and like it.

Purdue University’s Professor Dr. Connie Weaver lectures at FAFS

Loulwa Kalache Staff Writer

A Distinguished Professor and Head Department of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue University, Dr. Connie Weaver, gave a series of three lectures at the Faculty of Food Sciences and Agriculture last week.

Weaver’s accomplishments were in the area of nutrition research and mineral bioavailability.

She has published over 165 original research articles and 116 book chapters. The results of her research on calcium metabolism are being used to set recommendations for calcium for populations around the world. She was appointed to the National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board Panel to develop new recommendations for requirements for calcium and related minerals.

In her first lecture, Dr. Weaver debated about the need of Vitamin D pill supplements as the sun can account for 99 percent as a source of vitamin D. Dr. Weaver listed sources of vitamin D commonly found in the USA that are still not available in Lebanon, such as fortified milk, fortified juices and fatty fish.

Remarkably, most students of all ages who stay

in their classes and people who work indoors are less exposed to the sun, which explains Vitamin D deficiencies among the Lebanese population. Other people at risk are the elderly, dark skinned individuals, the lactose intolerants, and those living at temperate latitudes.

Vitamin D is important in bone development and growth as it is involved with calcium absorption from the diet. Vitamin D deficiency causes bone pain and muscle weakness. Dr. Weaver pointed out that medical research have associated low vitamin D intake with cardiovascular diseases, asthma in children, cancer, hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

Dr.Weaver also focused on the controversies in the literature about the cutoff that determines whether an individual is Vitamin D deficient or not. A question was raised from the audience as to whether everyone needs to be checked for vitamin D deficiency, or merely wait for clinical symptoms, since it is a very expensive.

Prominent Lebanese Endocrinologist at AUH Ghada ElHajj Fleihan, was also attending the lecture and gave her own point of view of doing these tests. She stated that these tests are

not done routinely so they aren’t necessarily a good judgment on the status of the patient.

They also don’t give reliable results because of variations. She also suggested that giving supplements during winter won’t harm, as most of the student don’t drink milk and are in their classes from 8 am to 5 pm. And in summer, the supplements can be moderated because of increased exposure to sun.

Dr. Weaver concluded again that most physicians recommend diet adjustments for their patients but she truly believes that the sun is the most important source for Vitamin D absorption.

As for the other two lectures, Dr. Weaver discussed several topics including: biomarkers developed for use in experimental nutrition, and discoveries at the food science and nutrition Interface. As a URB visiting scholar, she also met several graduate and undergraduate students to discuss the Nutrition and Food Sciences program and their concerns at FAFS.

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AUB Outdoors 2012 is back

Karim Zahed Staff Writer

The General Assembly for the Annual Outdoors was crowded with students from various faculties on Tuesday, December 13, in West Hall’s Auditorium B. CEO of the cabinet, Miriam Assaad, welcomed back those who had worked with the team before, and greeted the newcomers to the Outdoors family. Yes, many of the Outdoors veterans do consider each other part of the family that AUB has been raising over the years. Ramzi Taybah, current COO, said, “We all consider each other as family, as the hard work and commitment we go through brings us so much closer together!”

The following are the cabinet members for Outdoors 2012: Miriam Assaad – Chief Executive Officer Ramzi Taybah – Chief Operations Officer Nour Jalloul – Operations Officer Mohammad Kobrosly - Clubs Officer Nour Ajouz - Secretary Jad Hajj Ahmad - Treasurer Jawad Kamal – Vice Executive Food & Games Nadine Hamdan – VE Sponsorship, Marketing,

Entertainment, & Concert Kamal Hasan – VE Construction and Decoration

Asaad then expressed the team’s enthusiasm, and expectations that are growing every year.

This year, it is time for a little twist. Although the two day event has been hosted for more than thirty years, only recently has a theme been chosen for it. From “Texas,” “Hawaii,” ”China,” “Carnival,” to “Beirut ‫ ”ست الدنيا‬just last year, the themes have been various. This year, the Outdoors theme is going to be chosen by the students themselves, students who can be creative enough to contribute to the hopes of breaking last year’s record of 16,950 attendees. The underlying reason behind this was the realization that many applicants to the cabinet positions stated that their main reason for being part of the AUB Outdoors, was the desire to be part of creating the Outdoors theme.

After eventually choosing the ultimate theme, the actual work has to proceed. Weekly meetings and discussions have to occur in order to

coordinate between members and their teams to challenge their professionalism and scratch their heads beyond the limits. Ghida Ismail, a member of last year’s games team, said that, “Taking part in the games team was a great experience and so much fun, I got to meet new people and it was all the more rewarding being able to contribute to such a huge and successful event as the AUB Outdoors.”

If we are to take into consideration last year’s event, many performances either restored the taste of old school music and traditions, while others sought to combine between the past and the present. The last event was when AUB’s own alumnus, Nemr Abou Nassar, got the whole Green Oval cracking down with laughter. So what possibly could be in store next year? What should the audience of the Outdoors expect in May? “One thing for sure is that we are going to work day and night to give every single person in AUB Outdoors 2012 the experience of a lifetime,” promised the Outdoors’ cabinet.

AUB Campus Yearbook- a new structure Nour Jane Kachicho Associate Editor The AUB Campus Yearbook cabinet introduced a new structure among its team for the coming year, 2012. With its new cabinet and team members recruited only two weeks ago, the implementation of a new and more efficient structure was developed.

The first assembly of this year’s AUB Campus Yearbook 2011-2012 gathered around 30 members, including Dr. Charbel Tarraf, Associate Dean of Student Affairs and former advisor of the yearbook, as well as new advisor of the yearbook Dr. Diana Jaalouk, on Monday, December 12.

Editor-In-Chief of the Yearbook 2011-2012, Sarah Sabbagh, introduced the new structure. She compared the old structure where the Editor-In-Chief was in charge, followed by the two Associate Editors and Business Manager, to the new system where a more circular structure exists, loosening the rigidness of the hierarchy. According to Sabbagh, “Everyone starts as a member and works themselves up, everyone must be involved in every step in the process.” Under the Editor-In-Chief’s position, there is now a spread of responsibility amongst the Creative team, the Editorial, and a new category, the Events/ PR team.

“With the new structure, we are able to be more specific with the roles a member can choose from,” said Sabbagh.

Part of this new structure is the Events/PR De-

partment. They aim to increase yearbook takes by increasing knowledge of the yearbook among students, as well as including them in it. “The main reason that we were left with many copies from previous years is because AUB students think that the yearbook is only for the students graduating, but that is not true,” explained Events and PR Director Mohammed Jichi. He goes on to explain that there are different sections in the yearbook for every student to associate with. Jichi plans to heavily advertise last year’s yearbook, through stands on campus and social media, in order to make sure that all copies are taken. He adds that the Events/ PR team plans to organize more events during the year to promote the yearbook.

With the organization of the Yearbook 2011-2012 team, the cabinet chose to limit the team to only 50 people, in comparison to last year’s team which saw over 100 members. “It was very difficult to coordinate that big amount of people,” said Sabbagh who was a member of last year’s team, “As a result many members felt excluded and uninformed. We lost the sense of team spirit.” She further explained that the yearbook doesn’t require a large amount of people, as long as the team members are effective and interesting.

During the assembly, Sabbagh emphasized communication. She stressed that the interaction among

students has changed greatly because of the Social Media. “There is now a whole other online platform that we must communicate through,” said Sabbagh, “We hope to engage the AUB community with us online in order to build this year’s yearbook.”

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ACS Advanced Choir’s Christmas Concert Sarah Khalil Staff Writer The American Community School at Beirut’s Christmas concert was held on December 17 at Assembly Hall in front of a full house of parents, friends, teachers, and other students who dropped in to watch a free performance on a damp December evening.

ACS’s large choir is composed of an interesting mix of students. Unlike the other two choirs to perform at AUB in the same week (AUB’s Choir on December 12 and 13 and IC’s Secondary School Choir on December 15 ), this choir is composed of students of all ages: some up and ready to graduate, others barely into their elementary school years, and every other age group in between. This, however, did nothing stop the choir teacher and conductor, Ms. Yara Rubb, from treating every member as equals in both praise and (as the anxiously shuffling children who made up most of the soprano section can confirm) scorn during the rehearsals for the concert in the hour preceding.

When the performance began, however, the

choristers were absolutely unified: months of practice and perseverance shone in the series of complex numbers traversing at least three different languages other than English, from the Russian number “Bogoroditse Devo”, to the Latin “Locus iste”, and the Arabic “Khallina Nimshi.” Each song was decidedly different than the last – some sounded surprisingly depressing for Christmas, others soaring; some were, as well, a bit on the boring side, especially the first two numbers by a dozen or so members by themselves. But the determination never wavered; the ACS Choir sang and sang and sang; four violinists, a pianist, and three different drummers by their side. A full Assembly Hall remained reverently silent save for the occasional beep of digital cameras. The concert was punctuated every few songs by a small commentary from Ms. Yara, who would tell the audience about the nature of some songs, how some were more difficult than others to conduct at times, some very advanced for children that age to be sing-

A Japanese Culture Club Screening: Princess Mononoke Hashem Osseiran Staff Writer

The Japanese Culture Club hosted a screening of the Miyazake anime phenomenon Princess Mononoke, an epic tale of the war waging between man and the Gods of the forest, on Thursday December 8.

In his quest to, “live up to his fate,” and find a cure to the curse he caught whilst battling a possessed boar, the antagonist Ashitaka finds himself amidst a battle that is greater than himself. Iron Town, obviously notorious for its iron production, is an arms pioneer in terms of producing the most advanced war machinery. The town is a matriarchy run by the fierce Lady Eboshi who is determined to clear the forest of all Gods in order to expand her Iron Empire and form a land of endless wealth. However, a wolf girl, San (known by the villagers as “Princess Mononoke”), is an impediment in the face of Lady Eboshi’s ambitions as she, along with her wolves, counter all attacks that the Iron Town warriors wage on the forest. Ashitaka finds himself internally conflicted in the middle of this entire calamity. While his traditions and beliefs call for salvaging the forests and preserving the balance of nature Lady Eboshi’s town, it is a refuge for social outcasts, lepers, the accursed and the prostitutes that have been given a chance to live a peaceful life. Ashitaka decides that Lady Eboshi’s hostile means of propagating her industrial empire must come to an end.

As a result, the protagonist accompanies San in

an attempt to restore the balance between nature and man. Numerous encounters take place between the spirits of the forest and the warriors of iron town. In a particular encounter, the Great Forest Spirit (a Kirin-like creature) is beheaded and as a result morphs into a malevolent spirit of death that obliterates its surroundings.

Thankfully, Ashitaka and San reclaim the head and return it to the Forest Spirit, which in turn heals the land and cures the lepers and the accursed, including Ashitaka. Iron Town was reduced in to rubble as a result of the malevolent spirit of death, however, Ashitaka, with, “eyes unclouded by hate,” decides to assist the people in rebuilding their village.

The unclear victory at the close of the movie is a metaphor for the endless struggles between man and nature. During many times man will prevail, however when nature unleashes its wrath nothing can stand in its way. Miyazake’s main purpose was to skillfully portray the cyclical nature of the relationship between man and nature. Princess Mononoke is a movie bursting with life lessons and morals. Its supernatural allure adds upon its educative intentions, and both blend in to an animation that stands the test of time.

URL: http://mymovies.ge/ru/movie/1999/ Princess+Mononoke/posters

ing, and once even to invite the audience to sing along.

With all that was going on, what brought the concert together and made Christmas spirit fill the air was the simplicity and pleasure of watching music being created, the fruit of many hours of hard work, for the enjoyment and pride of all participating in this concert. Happiness in a flurry of activity radiated from hundreds of people as they exited Assembly Hall, lighting up the cold, dark night sky.

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“Du Bois, Palestine and the Riddle of Internationalism” Grégoire Dugueyt Staff Writer Le Center for American Studies (CASAR) de l’Université Américaine de Beyrouth a accueilli, mardi 13 Décembre 2011, une conférence intitulée « Du Bois, Palestine and the Riddle of Black Internationalism ». Ce sujet a été analysé pendant près d’une heure par Bill Mullen, professeur d’Anglais et d’American Studies à l’Université de Purdue aux Etats-Unis (Indiana).

la communauté noire partage la même identité biologique. Il considère donc les afro-américains comme étant à la fois américains et membres de la communauté noire par leur appartenance à un « monde noir ». Cette « double conscience » caractérise les Noirs et doit aboutir à la création d’une Nation Africaine libre, comme il l’explique dans les premiers Congrès panafricain.

La conférence était consacrée à l’œuvre de William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868-1963), intellectuel afro-américain, qui milita pour la reconnaissance des droits civiques de la communauté noire, à travers la création en 1909 de la National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Il fut pendant vingtcinq ans le rédacteur en chef de The Crisis, journal mensuel publié par la NAACP et ayant pour objectif de dénoncer les discriminations dont sont victimes les afro-américains. Du Bois est un auteur prolifique publiant de nombreux livres tels The Conservation of Races (1897) ou The Souls of Black Folk (1903). A partir des années 1930, il devint un fervent militant communiste et adhéra au parti communiste des Etats-Unis en 1961.

Bill Mullen souligne le fait que le sionisme était considéré par du Bois dès sa création comme un exemple à suivre. En 1919, il écrivit dans The Crisis : « Le mouvement africain représente pour nous ce que le mouvement sioniste doit représenter pour les Juifs, la concentration du travail racial et la reconnaissance de l’existence d’une source raciale. » Cette nouvelle idéologie permet, selon lui, de légitimer les revendications noires. En d’autres mots, les Juifs étaient déterminés pour « récupérer la Palestine », les Noirs doivent donc l’être tout autant pour récupérer l’Afrique. L’intellectuel afro-américain admire, pour cette raison, la déclaration Balfour et la considère comme un « mouvement de modernité », dont l’aboutissement final est la création de l’Etat sioniste, dont Du Bois est un fervent partiDu Bois est considéré par de nombreux spécial- san. Une nation africaine doit être créée afin de istes comme le père fondateur du pan-african- rassembler toute la diaspora noire comme le fut isme. En effet, il développa l’idée selon laquelle Israël pour la diaspora juive.

Organic Competition in AUB Lojine Kamel Editor-in-Chief The second of a hopeful series, the 2012 Organic Chemistry Competition is well underway in the Chemistry Department of AUB. Organized under the patronage of the Lebanese Ministry of Education and the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO, the competition will take place on February 7 in AUB’s lower campus.

Open to all undergraduate students in Lebanon as well as the MENA region, any two students who have completed both Organic I and Organic II courses may register as a team. If interested, send an email with the names and email addresses of team members to AUB Chemistry Professor Dr. Bilal R. Kaafarani at bilal.kaafarani@aub.edu. lb.

The 2011 competition was a huge success wherein 42 teams from six universities in Lebanon participated. The regional version of the competition brings students from outside Lebanon to compete in a friendly and fun atmosphere with students from AUB and other Universities in Lebanon. Said Biology Senior Dania Machlab of last year’s tournament: “It was very well organized and executed. I enjoyed it a lot! It was

also nice to have people from other universities participate; I like how the competition brought students from various places together.”

Biology Senior and one of last year’s winners Ziad Adas also spoke of his enjoyment, remarking, “The competition was a blast! It was a fun and beneficial experience at the same time.”

At this time, 29 teams are currently registered for the 2012 Organic Competition. Among them are one team from Bilkent University (Turkey), two teams from Sultan Qaboos University (Saltanat Oman), one team from the American University of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates), and one team from Texas A&M University at Qatar (Qatar). Updates are available on the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/OrganicCompetition For further information: 2011 Competition (http://www.aub.edu.lb/iyc2011) 2012 Competition (http://www.aub.edu.lb/oc/).

The deadline for application is on January 7, 2012.

Cette conférence très pointue, à propos d’un auteur peu connu en France, fut très intéressante et a permis de comprendre les liens entre le « Black Internationalism » et le sionisme.

Sports

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

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The ESS Futsal Tournament Ghida Ismail Staff writer The Engineering Student society (ESS) organized yet another event this month. This time it involved sports, it was a Futsal tournament.

Enthusiastic engineering students jumped to the occasion of participating in it. In fact it was the perfect distraction from all their studies and projects.

At first the number of teams was limited to sixteen; however the amount of students wanting to participate was so high that they had to increase the limit to 24 teams. Even then it wasn’t enough, and the 24 teams became 30. Each team is formed of 4 players and a goal keeper, and each game is 25 minutes long. Overall 29 games will be played to determine the winners.

The tournament took place in the Charles Hostler center over a period of five days: Monday 12 December, Tuesday the 13th, Thursday the 15th, Saturday the 17th, and the final will take place on

Thursday the 22nd where the winning team will be rewarded 400 dollars and medals, the team in second place 200 dollars and medals, and the best scorer will also receive a medal.

Though these awards were very attractive, they weren’t the main reason students wanted to participate in this competition. For the students it was more about having “fun” claims Raef Abla a mechanical engineering student.

For most of the teams, the games were very friendly and pleasant; there was no tension in the air. Salman Doueihy, a civil engineering student states “the competition is fun, it enhanced our team spirit!” Moreover, friends and classmates were present to support, applaud and cheer their favorite teams.

Raed kuntar, active member of the ESS and head of the organizing subcommittee said: “It is a very nice tournament, there‘s a lot of excitement, and

about the quarter of the engineering students are participating. I hope they will all enjoy it!” And they did enjoy it, in fact Nassim Hamed, a civil engineering student encouraged the organization of more sports tournament.

The ESS’s main goal is to create a network uniting the Engineering students in the American University of Beirut, and with this tournament, this objective has been realized, mainly because it gave engineering students the chance to mingle together.

BSS Football Tournament unleashes competitive fury Lojine Kamel Editor-in-Chief & Photographer Ready for more Premed competition? The Biology Student Society (BSS) certainly is.

In an effort (and subsequent success) to stimulate friendly interactions between biology students of different years, the BSS cabinet organized The BSS Football Tournament, hosted on December 11 and 18 on the AUB Green Field.

The BSS cabinet, composed of President Mohamad Raad, Vice President Hisham Mansour, Treasurer Sandra Atweh, Secretary Jacques Halbi, and Member-at-Large Mickael Khouzami, among others, was determined to host an exciting event, advertising for the competition weeks in advance.

Boasting an impressive 700,000 L.L as first prize and 200,000 L.L for second, turnout proved to be excellent, with 12 teams signing up for the event.

Among them Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors alike, competition proved intense as each team was determined to be victorious.

In true Pre-med spirit, each match was played with fierce competitive spirit, with several players earning redcards and injuries along the way.

Said Biology student and Sports Officer Mohamad Ghannam, “The BSS football tournament is competition beyond grades.”

The competition was divided into four stages: The group stage, quarter finals, semis and the final. Each game was 30 minutes long, divided into two 15 minute halves. The group stage, which took place Sunday, December 11, featured four separate groups with three teams each. The eight winning teams advanced to the quarter finals, semis, and finally the final match, all of which

occurred the following Sunday, on December 18.

The final four teams, “Rammal Team,” “Salem,” “Victorious Secret,” and “Penrose,” battled it out Sunday afternoon as the audience cheered on their friends and favorites. Salem and Victorious Secret were, ironically, un-victorious, while Rammal Team and Penrose advanced to the finals.

The pressure was on, the weather gorgeous, and the competitive spirit more intense than ever.

The first goal by Penrose left the crowd erupting in cheers with disappointed Rammal Team fans anxiously waiting for revenge. Another goal

by Penrose and it seemed like a done deal, with the third goal bringing in the final score at a resounding 3-0, crushing the competition like a true doctor-to-be.

Seven gold medals later, and the tournament was over, with Penrose team winners Somar Swaid, Fares Rifai, Karam Saker, Omar Tayyan, Khaled Mheid, Mark El Khoury, Majd Eid, celebrating their victory. Silver medals were given to a deserving second, the Rammal Team, composed of players Mohamad Rammal, Ibrahim Saleh, Kareem Harb, Ali Bitar, Abdelkarim Mohamad, Ahmad Hachem, Mohamad Serhal.

Said Member-at-Large Khouzami of the event, “There was efficient organization, lots of teams, a great atmosphere, and a whole lot of cash!”

Campus News

IBSAR Ta3a Ne7ke: Herbal Supplement and Therapies Tugce Coskun Photographer

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Page 9

Outloud

Tuesday , D,ecember 20,13, 2011 Tuesday December 2011

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How was registration?

Ghida Raher & Rayane Zahreddine Staff Writers & Photographers

“It wasn’t very good; I didn’t get my courses, the service crashed. But I opened capacities” - Elie Antoun

“It was very good, the system, I got all my courses, the system crashed for like a second but then it worked.”

- Kanjana Ilango

“The registration was bad! I ended up not getting a course, the service crashed.”

- Clauda Ashkar “Being a sophomore and the last one to register, I have a bad priority and can’t get all the courses I want” - Elias Hayek

“I didn’t get a problem” - Aboudi Hatahet “I suffered; I didn’t get the courses that I wanted” - Hassan Ataya

“I only got 9 credits, registration was terrible.

AUBsis is a failed system that should be changed!”

- Talal Naboulsi

“I didn’t get two courses, one because it was full, and the other because there was a restriction.

But it’s my last semester so I don’t care because they have to open these classes for me. “ - Iyad Raya

“Frantic! I had to follow the usual way: copy pasting from Word, and then when I didn’t find a place I used my backup CRN and found out there was a time conflict!”

- Hadi Inja

“It was terrible, I’m still having trouble till now, there‘s no courses left.”

- Ghina Ghanem

“Registration was chaos!” - Farah Abou Salem “The atmosphere was stressful in the library, so I went to the dorms and I registered calmly and got all my courses!”

- Rama El Sheikh

“I was abroad and couldn’t get in contact with my advisor. I spoke to the Dean, he claimed I can only get my pin from my advisor face-to-face!

- Germaine Najjar “I didn’t get my major course! And the department wouldn’t open for me capacities!”

- Karen Nasrallah

Spotlight

Christmas spirit at AUB Mohammad B. Azzam Photographer

tueSday, december 20, 2011

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artS and culture

tueSday, december 20, 2011

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Restaurant Review: Food 101 Lojine Kamel Editor-in-Chief / Mohmmad B. Azzam Photgrapher As students, we require large amounts of food to function, especially around exam period. Further, for those of us who live on campus, healthy and affordable food is scarce. Indeed, with the question of whether Bliss’ food is healthy, one becomes in a tight spot.

This is where Food 101 comes in. With an odd name, Food 101 is the latest novelty, around two weeks old, on Bliss Street. As owner and manager Reem Chalabi puts it, “We are food 101 because we decided that this was a missing course within AUB. Food 101 allows you to make your own food, the idea is to come and create.” An idea that is not paralleled around our campus, the motivation to start such a project came from the observation that, as Ms. Chalaby puts it, “Since the closing of EuroDeli, Bliss is missing a fresh food place.”

With an “organic theme,” the restaurant presents itself as a refreshing outlet where students can go to at any time of day.

There are two main concerns when it comes to food: health and price. As for health, Food 101 is all healthy food. Unlike the fast food that we have grown accustomed to, and unlike the junk food that our body runs on, Food 101 offers a great diversity of meals, serving a wide variety of breakfast foods, including waffles and pancakes, satisfying body, soul and mind.

As for pricing, Food 101 is a delightful surprise.

The prices were pleasantly affordable, as Ms. Chalabi describes, “We offer something within students’ budgets, something that you’ll like and a place that could become a home for you.”

In addition to its proximity to AUB’s main gate, Food 101 operates Sunday to Wednesday until 2 a.m., and Thursday to Saturday till 4 a.m. Enthused waiter Suhail Karanouh, “Come visit us, the food is great!”

As a matter of fact, the need to “visit” might disappear soon after having introduced carry-out food, as Food 101 is currently considering incorporating deliveries to dorms in its structure.

An excellent experience, the only thing that remains to be seen, for some of us, is the matter of whether some foods, such as meat and poultry at Food 101 are halal. Until that is answered, some of us will want to limit ourselves to the veggie part of this enchanting restaurant. A great delight, Food 101 is definitely worth the visit.

As Assaad Khoury, AUB vet sciences senior said, “it was good food for good prices.”

We wish you a healthy Christmas Rola Ghaddar Nutrition Society Member Christmas seems to be the favorite time of the year for people. Nevertheless, for dieters, it may seem like a nightmare. We see ourselves bombarded with all the chocolate, platters, cakes, puddings and the endless table of food and dessert, and we ask ourselves, “How can we stop ourselves from eating all these tasty foods?” Well maybe you don’t have to avoid them 100 percent and stress yourself; you just have to eat with consciousness and in moderation.

It is surely important for dieters not to eat hazardously during the holidays, because by doing this you’ll spend January struggling to lose the weight you gained. Always keep in mind that gaining weight is not like losing it. Here are some tips and strategies to cut off some calories from your holiday food.

First of all, the most important thing is to keep in mind is that moderation is the key to keep away all the extra pounds. However it is more easily said than done, so here are some ideas that can make you eat less without even feeling it: 1. Use a smaller plate, your mind will consider it full, regardless of its size.

2. When there’s a variety of food on the table, try to eat a bit of everything rather than a lot of one thing. By this you’ll be eating less, getting more nutrients, and not depriving yourself of tasty foods.

3. It is always better not to eat fatty food, but if you’re craving it, eat a small portion.

Besides, you should always choose the healthier alternatives. For instance if you find a Christmas cake vs. Fruit salad on the dessert table always go

for the fruit salad, knowing that a piece of Christmas cake contains 280 kcal, and 18g of fat - when your daily intake of fat should be 65 grams. Also, instead of cooking vegetables in creamy fatty sauce, use spices and herbs to give it a flavor, or go for a salad, but avoid adding bacon crisps and salami (which are high in fat). In addition, if you want to eat turkey, try to cut off the fat by removing the skin that is high in calories and choose the turkey breast instead of the thighs, by that you’ll cut of 110 kcal of your dinner.

Finally, Christmas should be a joyful time of the year, so make the most of this holiday, keeping in mind to control your food intake without stressing yourself and flushing away all the regrets.

Viewpoint

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

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Facing the elephant in the room Mohamad Al Medawar Webmaster

Doesn’t it almost always happen that when you are out with a group of friends, or you’re spending the evening at someone’s place, that one couple quarrels about the silliest of things, like what movie to watch or which football team will win tonight’s game, and it almost always ends up with a big fight and possible break ups as a result? Well for those who don’t know the couple well and haven’t been keeping up with the little details of their relationship, they wouldn’t be able to see the elephant in the room! For those who do, it’s as clear as sunshine.

But what is this elephant I speak of? It’s the sum of unresolved issues these couples have and never had time to discuss and move on; and most frequently, it results from someone having more social/psychological power over the other, inducing a defensive aggressive behavior in the partner.

So the issue of power in interpersonal relationships is one that cannot be avoided and that surfaces as soon as communication is being analyzed between two individuals!

What’s interesting is also the fact that the amount of power one posses can vary as it follows the principle of less interest, where more power comes with less interest. For example, the individual that expresses the least interest in the relationship usually possess power over the needy, clingy partner, making the partner beg for attention and care.

However, the best way to resolve the issue of power is by empowering others, which means

transferring that power in one’s possession to their partner to close the gap of power difference between them, and create equality instead of control and submission.

Empowering others can be achieved through

growing confidence in them through effective communication and showing interest in what connects the partners.

URL: http://jack0224.files.wordpress. com/2011/08/elephant-in-the-room1.jpg

It’s Not Just a Song Sarah Zaytoun Staff Writer Music has the power to transform one’s body and soul to a different place in time. All of the sudden the pain one once felt lessens and he or she feels empowered beyond words. One of the best things about music is it has the power to unite people of different ethnic backgrounds. It has a taste that can satisfy any person with no kind of discrimination. During the 1950s and 60s, when African Americans were segregated and treated harshly, music was one of the things that brought people of different ethnic backgrounds together. Musicians such as Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry were just a few of the artists who brought people together through their music.

The king of pop, Michael Jackson, once sang, “It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white.” His music is timeless to say the least, and brings people together from all over the world. He spoke through his profound and heart-felt lyrics. No one cared that he was African American because he sang for a common

1. Entertainment- Any kind of party is not the same without music.

2. Revival – Music revitalizes in the morning and calms in the evening.

3. Strong sensation- It has the affect to brighten your day and make you fee different emotions or sensations.

4. Diversion- Any negative feelings or thoughts can be healed when listening to music and bad experiences during the day can be diverted for a while.

5. Discharge- Music is a release of energy and a discharge of anything the mind and body does not need. It is cleansing in many ways.

6. Mental work- Music allows a person to go into a different place and increases the brains mental work which is good for overall health.

7. Solace- Music can provide a shared connection of Music has the power to impact your mood and experiences whether good or bad. provide all of the following: cause. His music alone was enough to help, “heal the world and make it a better place.” When the mentioned artists performed and sang, people no longer judged them based on their ethnicity, but rather the way they performed, the lyrics they sang, and the energy they possessed that spread quickly across the room, and eventually across the nation.

What is nice about music is it has the power to unite people and does not have a specific language.

Even if a person does not understand the words in a song, he or she can definitely feel the words and emotions being perpetuated. The words being communicated can be of sadness, love, anger, or happiness. Music is artistic and can elate you or play along with any moods or emotional states one is feeling at the time.

Viewpoint

tueSday, december 20, 2011

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Christmas, a history Rida Daher Staff Writer Santa Claus DID exist! “Christmas” goes back hundreds of years before the birth of Christ! And Jesus wasn’t born on the 25th of December!

It’s that magical time of the year again; where families gather in the midst of that decorated shiny tree, exchange those colorfully wrapped gifts and cherish the beauty of a frosty white Christmas. In fact, these traditions started way before the Virgin Mary delivered Jesus. The middle of winter has long been a celebration around the world. Early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter; for at that time of the year most wine and beer was finally fermented and ready for drinking, and most cattle were slaughtered for the consumption of fresh meat throughout the months of winter. Many peoples rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight. Scandinavians celebrated this solstice from December 21, till the month of January, where fathers and sons would bring home large logs which they would set on fire. The peo-

ple would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. In Rome, Saturnalia, a holiday in honor of Saturn, was celebrated.

This holiday was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were ample and the normal Roman social order would be turned upside down. For a month, slaves would become masters. Farmers would take command in the city, and schools were to be closed so that everyone could join in the entertainment.

It always goes back to that chubby and plump white bearded old man, Father of Christmas; who was first sketched by Haddon Sundblom for his Coca Cola campaign. That’s why Santa is always presented wearing red. But, in fact, the idea of Santa goes back to Saint Nicholas, a rich Christian priest, who later became a bishop.

Born in 280 AD, he was called the gift giver of Myra. His gifts were given late at night, so that the gift giver’s identity would remain a secret. St Nicholas was eventually named the patron saint of Russia, Greece, children, and sailors. By the end of the 1400s, St Nicholas was the third most

beloved religious figure, after Jesus and Mary, for there were more than 2,000 chapels and monasteries named after him. Also, the name Santa Claus was derived from the Dutch Sinter Klass pronunciation of St. Nicholas.

What’s more interesting is the fact that people tend to think that Jesus was born on December 25, and this idea is wrongly assimilated. For the Bible tells us that shepherds were staying out in the fields overnight when Jesus was born (Luke 2:8), and in that part of the world it would have been far too cold at night to do so in December.

In fact, Christian scholar Dionysius Exiguus was asked by the Pope in AD 525 to calculate the date of Christ’s birth, and by the 9th century it was discovered that his calculations were severely wrong. Unfortunately, by that time, it was too late to fix the date. What is more likely is that He was born in the spring, perhaps between March and May; that’s what scholars agreed with!

So let the children believe! And it’s no secret that Santa is real, for the magic of Christmas truly does exist!

AUB students and migrant workers: Being the first to break the walls Jon Martin Cullel Staff Writer It starts off with a shot of two Asian-looking girls walking along the Corniche in what seems to be a bright sunny summer day. Both wear beach dresses and sunglasses. Next shot shows both girls staring at the sea; next to them, a prohibition sign. The following sentence then appears: “56% of private beaches limit access to migrant workers.” This was one of the short documentary films made by the association Migrant Workers Task Force (MWTF) to put forward the reality of the 1.2 million migrants working in Lebanon and denounce the lack of awareness, not to say toleration, which exists among large parts of the Lebanese society.

An initial distinction needs to be made between migrant non-domestic workers and domestic workers –which count for approximately 300,000 to 400,000. Whereas the former suffer from an inherently unstable illegal status, it is from an extremely rigid and unfavorable legal framework that the latter suffer. The so-called Kefala system, which regulates the concession of visas to tempo-

rary workers in many countries other than Lebanon, ties the temporary worker to its employer, preventing the former from changing jobs. If the worker does so without the permission of the government and the employer, he/she will automatically lose his/her legal status and will be thus potentially subjected to arrest and, eventually, deportation. Often denounced as “modern slavery,” the Kefala system lies at the heart of the numerous other abuses of which migrant domestic workers have become the objects. Although difficult to verify, it is estimated that around 80 percent of them are not allowed to leave their employer’s house and that 14 percent have gone through physical abuse. Moreover, according to a recent Caritas-led survey, 98 percent of employers keep their domestic workers’ passport.

On the basis of such statistics, a recent article published in Al Jazeera wondered where the social activists were. The truth is that until the early 2000s little interest was shown by Lebanese civil society on this issue. Today, the picture is quite

different. Grassroots initiatives such as the volunteer-based MWTF and other more campaignoriented NGOs such as Anti-Racism Movement are starting to consolidate themselves. Last September a migrant house, conceived as a space for and run by migrants, was set in Nabaa with the collaboration of these two associations. Yet, efforts from a handful of NGOs are unlikely to lead to substantial change if they are not backed by a strong governmental action aiming at preventing such abuses –there is today a legislation vacuum on the topic- and, above all, by a change in the mentalities of the Lebanese citizens.

AUB’s walls and lush vegetation makes of it the perfect oasis from which to ignore the reality of those living beyond it. As some of the country’s most highly-educated and wealthy youth, AUB students should pioneer this change of mentalities. They should give example; they should be the first to break the walls.

Viewpoint

tueSday, december 20, 2011

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Is college really worth it?

Edward Abou Jaoude Staff Writer “Only the educated are free,” said Epictetus.

Even if education enlightens the human mind by directing it to the path of truth; is the time, effort, energy, and money spent in college really worth it? In other words, how much value does your bachelor’s degree have in today’s market?

I once saw a college graduate set his Philosophy diploma on fire in an attempt to find warmth seeing that he was too cold and unable to afford proper heating. Okay, maybe I didn’t actually see that happen, but whether or not your investment in college is a smart one is still a question worth asking.

Let’s check how many years it will take your, “Revenues to Costs ratio,” to begin rendering profit. For that, let’s calculate how much an average AUB student spends on his/her education.

Tuition at AUB ranges between $13,726 and $19,158 for two semesters (Fall and Spring) depending on your major (Engineering students pay around $19,000 every year plus an additional $5700 for the summer session, whereas nursing students pay an approximate $13,500 every year). To make calculations easy, let’s assume the average student has a tuition fee of $17,500 per year of study and stays at AUB for four years.

This would imply that tuition alone adds up to $70,000. Add books, food, gas money, and rent and your average student’s bank account will be

debited an amount close to $100,000 by the time he/she graduates. Yes that is a hundred thousand dollars!

Furthermore, when in college, you usually exclude yourself from the workforce to focus on your studies. Again, this is basically money spent (opportunity cost) since you could have been making a solid $600 bussing tables at your local restaurant. So you missed out on $30,000 while pursuing higher education, big whoop.

You graduated. Congratulations! You are now part of an elite group which strives so that the peoples of the Middle East and the world, “may have life and have it abundantly.” Let’s see how much green you’re getting out of it.

Many AUB graduates get great positions as fresh graduates, making a starting salary of more than $40,000 (in Lebanon) or even six-digit salaries in consulting firms in the Gulf! Obviously, there are also outliers, the people who make millions starting up their companies or taking over daddy’s branch. For these individuals, college is definitely worth it: within a matter of a couple of years, they manage to collect at least as much money as they invested in their degree. But, what about the average Joe? It would be a good estimate to say that the average AUB fresh-graduate makes around $12,000 per year as a starting salary. For this spectrum,

you can expect to regain your investment in about 10 years or so. But wait… the guy who was bussing tables at Roadsters was promoted to the position of a waiter, then manager and he/she too is now making $12,000. Indeed, growth potential is bigger and the rate at which a college graduate’s salary increases is higher than that of the high-school graduate, but are those differences really that big? I would say no. Odds are, as a college graduate in Lebanon, you will be working in a field that has nothing to do with what you learned in college, so why not start from high school and save that $150,000 or even invest it (entrepreneurship can shoot you up the ranks of salary figures hence making you one of those outliers I discussed earlier).

No, I am not saying that everybody should stop studying after grade 12, I am merely pointing out the fact that one should weigh one’s options.

However, if you do decide to enroll in college, do the math upon graduation and think about applying to graduate school. Keep in mind that postgraduates make elusive salaries with comparison to holders of bachelor degrees and remember what Jack Yelton said, “There is a very easy way to return from a casino with a small fortune: go there with a large one.” So is college merely a fancy casino promising you big fortunes?

Read the printed word Rayane Zahreddine Staff Writer As university students, we do a great deal of reading. We study lectures and assigned readings and papers for many courses, and we do a lot of research. With the digital era came many changes to the reading experience, like the digitalization of documents, the transformation of hard copies into soft copies and the easy access to such documents. In AUB, professors use Imail and Moodle to easily send all the reading material to their students as soft copies. Students search the Internet for articles and information to do most of their research.

But can this digital reading compare with reading printed words on paper? The experiences are very different. The feel of paper against our fingers and the smell of ink loaded pages when we open a book are absent when we read things on a computer screen. Books were the support of human knowledge and culture. Books, newspapers

and magazines feel more personal than eBooks and online articles and they have a certain physical presence as they can be stored on our shelves instead of merely in our hard drives. However, I fear that the habit of reading the digital word is slowly replacing the habit of reading the printed one, and that books will one day become obsolete.

I recently stumbled upon a website called, “Read the printed word.” The website stated: “We support the printed word in all its forms: newspapers, magazines, and of course books. We think reading on computers or phones or whatever is fine, but it cannot replace the experience of reading words printed on paper. We pledge to continue reading the printed word in the digital era and beyond.” (http://readtheprintedword.org/) I loved the idea of continuing to read the printed word despite the digital revolution, so I hap-

pily took the pledge. The only problem I had was that I also loved the environment. E-Newsletters and E-Books are not just called that way because they are E-lectronic, it is also because they are E-nvironmentally friendly. No matter how nice it feels to read words printed on paper, it is much greener to read digital words on the computer screen.

It is always good to find a balance when two principles tell you to do different things. For now, I try as much as I can to do with e-copies of the lectures and documents I need to read in order to save paper and, when I need to print something, I try to print on both sides of the paper. But when it comes to books, magazines and newspapers, I always look for those which promote sustainable forestry practices, because I still dislike eBooks and online articles.

Outlook Team Chairperson Editor-in-Chief Associate Editor Arabic Editor Photography Editor Layout Editor Webmaster PR Manager Business Manager

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Talal Nizameddin Lojine Kamel Nour Jane Kachicho Nouhad Awwad Mohammad B. Azzam Nadine Razzouk Mohamad Al Medawar Emile Zankoul Timmy Malkoun

Proofreader

Camelia Harb

Member-at-Large

Tracy Dariane

Layout Team News Executives

Photographers

Annegret Funke Nabil Saleh Dalia Hosn Ali Kassem Mona Ayoub Tugce Coskun Lara Saab Khalid Abou Kossem

Staff Writers Sarah Zaytoun Loulwa Kalache Gregoire Dugueyt Jon Martin Cullell Edward Abou Jaoude Robert Isaf

Cartoonists

Amer Sare Mohamad Alameh Nader Ahmadieh Jad Shammsseddine Mada Dibs Mohammad Yaghi Heather Jaber Rayane Zahreddine Hadi Mehio Lama Zakharia Rami Panayoti Zeina Mhaidly Sarah Al-Dirani Karim Zahed Rida Daher Deedee El Jilani Ghassan Nassar Jad Jari

Outlook is a weekly publication of the American University of Beirut (“aub�) and represents the voice of the student body. It is an independent, non-affiliated publication that f vors no ethnic, religious, or political group. All columns, articles, and reports are the property of Outlook and do not necessarily represent the views of Outlook or the AUB community. Outlook welcomes all contributions. Authors are asked to please include their full name, major, ran ing, and contact information for verification. No part of this publication may be reproduced for verification. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way, shape, or form without the written consent of Outlook and/or higher a .thorities. Outlook reserves the right to edit all material

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‫الثاثاء ‪ 20 ,‬كانون األول‪2011 ,‬‬

‫صفحة ‪17‬‬

‫وجهة نظر‪ -‬اإلمتحانات!‬ ‫مدى الدبس – كاتبة صحفية‬ ‫يف األسبوعني الفائتني‪ ،‬إزدحمت جداول ّ‬ ‫الطالب مبواعيد املسابقات‬ ‫واإلمتحانات النصفية للمواد املطلوبة‪ .‬أثناء خروجي من أحد الصفوف‬ ‫الطالب‬ ‫ُخري فيه‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫املتأخرة األسبوع املايض‪ ،‬جذبني حديث بني طال َبني ‪ ،‬ي ّ‬ ‫اال ّول رفيقه بني النوم مع الدرس ‪ ،‬أو الدرس مع الحياة االجتامعية ‪،‬أو‬ ‫الحياة االجتامعية مع النوم ‪ّ .‬‬ ‫الطالب الثاين كان صاحب أفق أوسع‬ ‫‪ ،‬فتجاوز الخيارات هذه إىل خيار آخر جديد يوازن فيه الثالثة معا‪.‬‬ ‫السؤال الذي أطرحه عليكم هو ‪ :‬ماذا ُتبقي هذه الخيارات لصحة االنسان‬ ‫التي يجب أن تكون لها األولوية القصوى؟ و ملاذا تستثني هذه املعادلة‬ ‫الحياة العملية والحياة العائلية والحياة العاطفية والحياة الحزبية؟ أال يجب‬ ‫أن تتعدّى اهتاممات طالب الجامعة الدرس والنوم والسهرة مع األصدقاء؟‬

‫و لعله يكون أحد العنارص الجاملية للحياة الجامعية قدرتها عىل‬ ‫إرهاقنا فكرياً ‪،‬و إطالق رصاع أولويات يف نفوسنا‪ .‬ففي وسط‬ ‫هذه الحالة‪ ،‬نصبح مجربين عىل االعرتاف بأولوياتنا وتنظيم‬ ‫حياتنا قدر املستطاع‪ ،‬واال انحدرنا إىل عامل الفوىض والالإستقرار‪.‬‬ ‫ال شك ّأن االنسان كائن اجتامعي ال يستطيع أن ينأى بنفسه أو ينعزل‬ ‫عن العامل‪ ،‬فالحياة االجتامعية رضورة بالنسبة له‪ .‬االنسان بحاجة‬ ‫اىل أن يكون فاع ًال يف املجتمع وإال هُ ّمش وجوده وضاعت قضيتُه يف‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫الشهادة األكادميية العلمية‪،‬‬ ‫سطحيات الحياة‪ .‬لكن رغم ذلك‪ ،‬تبقى‬ ‫خاص ًة من الجامعة األمريكية‪ ،‬إحدى أهم الخطوات للوصول اىل‬ ‫تطوير مستوى الوعي اإلنساين الذي بدوره يُف ّعل العمل االجتامعي‪.‬‬

‫تط َّوعْ مع مباراة العلوم ‪2012‬‬ ‫مدى الدبس – كاتبة صحفية‬ ‫بعد أن حقق مرشوع مباراة العلوم نتائج متقدمة العام الفائت‪ ،‬بدأ‬ ‫التحضري الجدّي ملباراة العلوم ‪ .2012 .‬ستجري املباراة عىل امتداد‬ ‫شهري نيسان وأيّار يف كل محافظات لبنان‪ .‬يتبارى بها طالب يف صفوف‬ ‫املتوسط والثانوي وفقا لسبع فئات مختلفة‪.‬يف املراحل األخرية يصل‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫األوائل عىل املحافظات إىل قرص االونيسكو و يتبارون عىل مستوى لبنان‪.‬‬ ‫تهتم إدارة مباراة العلوم ‪ 2012‬بتشجيع طالب الجامعات للتطوع واالنضامم اىل‬ ‫فريق العمل‪ .‬التجربة مهمة جداً لطالب جامعي‪ ،‬إذ يصبح جزءاً من نجاح مرشوع‬ ‫يُشارك فيه ‪ 100‬دكتور جامعي يؤلفون لجنة علمية مسؤولة عن التحكيم ‪ .‬كام‬

‫تتيح هذه الفرصة للطالب إمكانية املساعدة واملشاركة الفعلية يف أرض الواقع‪،‬‬ ‫أو يف إدارة املوقع االلكرتوين التّابع للمؤسسة و صفحة الفايسبوك الخاصة‪.‬‬ ‫الجدير بالذكر ّأن الفريق اللبناين‪ ،‬الذي تش ّكل من الفائزين يف مباراة العلوم‬ ‫‪ ،2011‬نافس ‪ 216‬مخرتعاً من األساتذة الجامعيني ّ‬ ‫والطالب الباحثني من ‪45‬‬ ‫دولة أوروبية وآسيوية وعربية أل ّول م ّرة خالل العام الفائت يف الكويت‪.‬‬ ‫وقد ترأس الوفد مدير املباراة رضوان شعيب الذي حصل والفريق عىل‬ ‫جائزة أوىل وست ميداليات بعد أن شارك يف سبعة مشاريع هي‪ :‬الحاسة‬ ‫التكنولوجية‪،‬التغليف التلقايئ‪ ،‬ماكينة القهوة الذكية‪ ،‬نظام املرور الضويئ‬

‫وجهة نظر‪ُ -‬مح ّبو القهوة‬ ‫الزهراء ماجد – كاتبة صحفية‬ ‫هي ملتقى اختالف الشعراء ‪ ،‬وحديث املبدعني‪ ..‬إرتبط وجودها برشوق‬ ‫الصباح الناعس‪ ،‬وبسهرات الليل‪ .‬هي القهوة‪ ،‬أو «النسكافيه» ومشتقاته‬ ‫كمرادفات لها‪...‬‬ ‫يقول محمود درويش‪:‬‬ ‫أريد رائحة القهوة ‪..‬‬ ‫أريد خمس دقائق من أجل القهوة‪....‬‬ ‫والقهوة ملن أدمنها مثيل هي مفتاح النهار‪.‬‬ ‫والقهوة‪ ،‬ملن يعرفها مثيل‪،‬‬ ‫هي أن تصنعها بيديك‪ ،‬ال أن تأتيك عىل طبق‪،‬‬ ‫ألن حامل الطبق هو حامل الكالم‪،‬‬ ‫والقهوة األوىل يفسدها الكالم األول ألنها عذراء الصباح الصامت‪.‬‬ ‫ويربط نزار قباين وصف الحبيبة مبحور القهوة‪ ،‬فيقول‪:‬‬ ‫حني أحببتك‪...‬‬ ‫صارت ضحكة األطفال يف العامل أحىل‪...‬‬ ‫ومذاق الخبز أحىل‪...‬‬ ‫وسقوط الثلج أحىل‪...‬‬ ‫ومواء القطة السوداء يف الشارع أحىل‪...‬‬ ‫ولقاء الكف بالكف عىل أرصفة « الحمراء « أحىل‪...‬‬

‫والرسومات الصغريات التي نرتكها يف فوطة املطعم أحىل‪...‬‬ ‫وارتشاف القهوة السوداء‪ ...‬والتدخني‬ ‫صحتنا‪ ،‬فإن للقهوة بعد آخر ال يعرفه اال‬ ‫بغض النظر عن التدخني الذي يد ّمر ّ‬ ‫املدمن عليها‪ .‬فهي التي نالت وصف الشعراء‪ ،‬وغارت منها النساء‪ ،‬واستعار‬ ‫رسها‪ ،‬يدرك ما بينها و ما‬ ‫الليل بعضا من سوادها القاتم‪ .‬و من يتقن القهوة و ّ‬ ‫قبلها و ما بعدها‪.‬‬ ‫كال‪ ،‬لست أبالغ‪ ...‬إن كان هذا ما تظنه يا عزيزي القارئ‪...‬‬ ‫فام هي فوائدها؟‬ ‫القهوة تساعد عىل مقاومة بعض أنواع الرسطان وتل ّيف القلب وتقلل نسبة‬ ‫اإلصابة مبرض «الباركنسون» أي الخرف ‪ ،‬إضافة إىل تنشيط خاليا الدماغ‬ ‫واملساعدة عىل الحد من الشهية وتخفيف األمل‪ .‬هذا كله بفضل املواد املضادة‬ ‫لألكسدة التي تحتويها‪ .‬كام انها تساهم يف زيادة القدرة عىل مقاومة النعاس‬ ‫ونزالت الربد من خالل مادة الكافيني املوجودة فيها والتي تعمل عىل الجهاز‬ ‫العصبي املركزي‪.‬‬ ‫لذلك‪ ،‬فللقهوة جوانب إيجابية من النواحي النفسية والصحية والعصبية عدا‬ ‫عن كونها مصدرا إللهام املبدعني‪.‬‬ ‫فكن مبدعا وانضم إىل محبي القهوة‪...‬‬

‫الذيك ‪ ،‬استخدام ألياف النانو يف تنقية املياه‪ ،i-robot ،‬و‪.A-Pill-D‬‬ ‫للراغبني يف ّ‬ ‫التطوع نأمل التواصل عرب ‪:‬‬ ‫الربيد اإللكرتوين ‪ajg04@aub.edu.lb :‬‬ ‫صفحة الفايسبوك تحت عنوان ‪ :‬مباراة العلوم‬ ‫الهاتف ‪03336599 :‬‬

‫الثاثاء ‪ 20 ,‬كانون األول‪2011 ,‬‬

‫صفحة ‪18‬‬

‫يف عيادة الطبيب النفيس‪...‬‬ ‫منى أيوب – كاتبة صحفية‬

‫يعرف الكثريون أن علم النفس العيادي يٌعنى بتشخيص و معالجة األمراض‬ ‫النفسية ‪ .‬هذا صحيح‪ .‬فاملاليني من الدوالرات تنفق سنويا عىل األبحاث‬ ‫املتعلقة بهذا العلم ‪ ،‬و عرشات الكتب تؤلف حول موضوعاته املختلفة‪.‬‬ ‫و رغم نجاح هذا العلم يف الكثري من املرات يف تشخيص و معالجة‬ ‫حاالت و أمراض نفسية مختلفة كاإلحباط ‪ ،‬و انفصام الشخصية‬ ‫‪ ،‬و مشاكل النوم وإضطرابات األكل و غريه ‪ ،‬غري أين أجده قارصا‬ ‫عن فهم الحالة النفسية لكثريين متواجدين يف عاملنا اليوم‪...‬‬ ‫هل يعترب الحاكم الذي ال يبايل بسفك دم أو إبادة أفراد شعبه‬ ‫كرمى لعيني كريس الحكم‪ ...‬هل يعترب ذو حالة نفسية طبيعية؟‬

‫هل يعترب العسكري الذي يقذف قنابال تقتل مدنيني أبرياء و‬ ‫تحرق األخرض و اليابس‪ ...‬هل يعترب سويا من املنظور النفيس؟‬ ‫و ماذا عن هذا أو ذلك الذي يكدس أمواال كالجبال و ال يفكر‬ ‫يف إخراج جزء منها ملساعدة الفقري أو الجائع أو املريض؟‬ ‫أليس استبداد الحاكم و قسوة القوي و جشع الغني‪..‬‬ ‫أليس كل ذلك أفظع من كل ما عرفناه من امراض نفسية؟‬ ‫أال يشكل هؤالء خطرا أكرب عىل عاملنا من شخص كئيب او آخر يفكر يف اإلنتحار؟‬ ‫رمبا تكون هذه األمراض ‪ .‬نعم‪ ،‬أسميها أمراضا‪ -‬أكرث انتشارا بني‬ ‫الناس من الحاالت التقليدية التي اعتدنا أن نصنفها كحاالت نفسية‪.‬‬

‫و رمبا حان الوقت للتعامل معها بجدية و دراستها علميا‪ .‬رمبا حان الوقت‬ ‫لتعريفها و إجراء االبحاث عليها من أجل الحد منها‪ ...‬يك ال يصل بعد اآلن‬ ‫اىل ُسدة الحكم شخص مجنون‪ ،‬و يك ال يرتدي بذلة العسكري سفاح مخبول‪،‬‬ ‫أو يسكت الناس عن املطالبة بحقهم‪......‬‬ ‫اإلنسان السوي هو الذي إذا جمع املال أعطى ‪ ،‬و إذا قوي رحم ‪ ،‬و إذا وُيلّ‬ ‫بني الناس عدل‪....‬‬ ‫إشتقنا‪« ...‬عن جدّ»‪....‬‬

‫أيادينا‬

‫نهاد غازي عواد ‪ -‬محررة قسم اللغة العربية‬

‫«سميت أيادينا ألن أيادينا ممدودة للعجزة الذين أصبحت أحالمهم‬ ‫ورائهم ومل يستطيعوا تحقيقها‪ .‬وأيضا أيادينا ممدودة لألطفال الذين‬ ‫ما زال املستقبل أمامهم ولكنهم غري قادرين عىل تحقيق أحالمهم‪».‬‬ ‫هكذا عرفت السيدة نجار جمعية أيادينا يف إحتفال أقيم نهار األحد يف‬ ‫“األسمبيل هول” ‪ .‬شارك يف اإلحتفال ‪ 14‬جمعية ومستشفى ودور رعاية‬ ‫من مختلف املناطق اللبنانية‪.‬وهم عىل التوايل‪ :‬مركز سانت جود للرسطان‪،‬‬ ‫أجيالنا‪ ،‬أيادينا‪ ،‬دار األيتام اإلسالمي‪ ،‬بيت اليتيم الدرزي‪ ،‬سيزوبل‪،‬‬ ‫فيست‪ ،‬انت أخي‪ ،‬جمعية العيش املستقل‪ ،‬الجمعية اللبنانية ملرض‬ ‫الداون سندروم‪ ،‬جنة األطفال‪ ،‬نقابة عامل ومستخدمي الجامعة األمريكية‪.‬‬ ‫أيادينا هي جمعية ال تتوخى الربح ومركزها يف منطقة النبعة‪.‬‬ ‫وهي منطقة فقرية وبحاجة اىل الكثري من التقدميات اإلجتامعية‪.‬‬ ‫جرت العادة أن تقيم أيادينا إحتفاال خرييا سنويا مبناسبة عيد امليالد‪ .‬للسنة‬

‫الخامسة عىل التوايل يقام اإلحتفال يف حرم الجامعة األمريكية‪ .‬متت اإلحتفاالت‬ ‫عىل يومني‪ .‬اليوم األول كان نهار الخميس وقد حرض اإلحتفال أهايل تالميذ‬ ‫االنرتناشيونال كولدج وعدد كبري من الشخصيات املهمة‪ .‬القت خالله جوقة‬ ‫االنرتناشونال كولدج ترانيم مميزة أرست الحضور بإبداعها‪ .‬وقد عاد ريع هذا‬ ‫الحفل لتمويل برنامج الفنون التشكيلية واملرسحية يف أيادينا‪ .‬اما إحتفال يوم‬ ‫األحد والذي حرضه حوايل ‪ 500‬طفل محتاج‪ ،‬فقد متيز بالجوقة التي كانت من‬ ‫مدرسة بعبدا للمكفوفني‪ .‬وعىل الرغم من إحتياجاتهم الخاصة أبهروا الجمهور‬ ‫باألداء املميز والصوت الجميل‪ .‬دام غناء الجوقة حوايل الساعة من الوقت‪.‬‬ ‫غنوا أغاين امليالد ك «جنغل بيل» كام غنوا األغاين الوطنية ك «بحبك يا لبنان»‬ ‫للسيدة فريوز‪ .‬ثم ذهب األطفال اىل» الوست هول» حيث إستقبلتهم أنغام‬ ‫املوسيقى‪ .‬تم تقديم وجبة طعام لكل منهم مع رقائق البطاطا واملاء‪ .‬فرحوا بها‪.‬‬ ‫وفور انتهائهم من الطعام‪ ،‬بدأت الفقرات الرتفيهية حيث قدم اإلستعراضيون‬

‫من مهرجون ودمى العابا مميزة شارك بها األطفال بفرح‪ .‬تفاعل األطفال كان‬ ‫مميزا‪ ،‬حيث علت الضحكات وجوهم ومأل رصاخهم املكان‪ .‬انتهى الحفل بتوزيع‬ ‫الهدايا من بابا نويل عىل األطفال‪ .‬وقد حظي كل طفل بهدية واحدة‪ .‬فرحة‬ ‫األطفال كانت عامرة‪ ،‬وقد حضنوا هداياهم كمن ميلك الكرة األرضية بني يديه‪.‬‬ ‫متت هذه اإلحتفاالت مبساعدة مكتب شؤون الطالب‪،‬ومكتب التواصل‬ ‫والنوادي الطالبية يف الجامعة األمريكية‪ .‬ومن هذه النوادي‪ :‬الصليب‬ ‫األحمر‪ ،‬النادي البيئي‪،‬نادي أوالد آدم‪،‬النادي الثقايف السوري‪،‬ونادي»‬ ‫الغرين بيس» السالم األخرض‪ ،‬وجمعية طالب إدارة األعامل‪ .‬كام تم ريع‬ ‫اإلحتفالت من عدة رشكات ك‪ :‬سقراط وبنك بيبلوس وبنك البحر املتوسط‪.‬‬ ‫هي محاولة بسيطة إلدخال البهجة إىل قلوب األطفال الذين‬ ‫عىل حق األطفال‬ ‫ينتظرون العيد بلهفة كبرية‪ .‬هي تأكيد‬ ‫اللبنانيني بالعيش حياة كرمية وسعيدة مثل سائر أطفال العامل‪.‬‬

‫حتت اجملهر‬

‫تصوير‪ :‬تتشا كسكن‬

‫صفحة ‪19‬‬

‫جزء ‪ ،44‬عدد ‪10‬‬ ‫الثالثاء ‪ 20 ,‬كانون األول‪2011 ,‬‬

‫وجهة نظر‪ -‬وداعاً ‪...2011‬‬ ‫جاد شمس الدين – كاتب صحفي‬

‫إنه عام استثنايئ بكل ما للكلمة من معنى‪ .‬أحداثه اخترصت عرشات األعوام‪.‬‬ ‫فمن منا كان ليتصور بأن الشعوب العربية ستنتفض بوجه جبال الظلم‬ ‫واالستبداد؟‪.‬‬ ‫الشك بأن عام ‪ 2011‬هو من أكرث االعوام إثارة ملا احتواه من أحداث هامة‬ ‫عىل جميع األصعدة‪ ،‬ان كانت السياسية أو الطبيعية او اإلقتصادية و غريه‪..‬‬ ‫فقد تغريت حياة العديد من الشعوب‪ ،‬وأصبح لها صوتاً يصدح عىل أثر‬ ‫تنحي حكامها عن مناصبهم بعد عرشات السنني من الحكم الظامل واملستبد‪.‬‬ ‫و شهدت بعض املناطق حول العامل كوارث طبيعية و بيئية ذهب حصيلتها‬ ‫الكثري من من األرواح باإلضافة اىل خسائر مادية جسيمة‪.‬‬ ‫لقد كان عن حق عاماً حاف ًال جداً‪ ،‬و أهم ما حصل فيه من أحداث ‪ :‬كارثه‬ ‫سيول جدة ‪ ،‬محاولة إغتيال الرئيس اليمني ‪ ،‬زلزال باكستان‪ ،‬زلزال تركيا‬ ‫زلزال وتسونامي اليابان وترسب الشعاع النووي‪ ،‬الجفاف واملجاعة يف منطقة‬ ‫الصومال‪ ،‬وفاة ستيف جوبز مؤسس رشكة آبل‪ ،‬هروب زين العابدين بن عيل‬ ‫‪ ،‬قيام ثورة البحرين‪ ،‬إعالن الرئيس املرصي تنحيه عن منصبه‪ ،‬قيام الثورة‬ ‫السورية ‪ ،‬مقتل زعيم تنظيم القاعدة «أسامة بن الدن»‪ ،‬تقسيم السودان‪،‬‬ ‫مقتل معمر القذايف‪ ،‬وفاة ويل العهد السعودي األمري سلطان بن عبد العزيز‬ ‫‪.....‬‬ ‫عام اخترص عرشات األعوام‪ .‬و رغم أحداثه االليمة‪ ،‬إال أنه أصبح خلفنا‪ ،‬وما‬ ‫علينا فعله هو التطلع إىل املستقبل لعله يحمل لنا ما نتمناه‪.‬‬ ‫إىل اللقاء يف العام املقبل‪ .‬أمتنى لكم أعيادا مجيدة‪ ،‬و عىل أمل أن تحمل ال‬ ‫‪ 2012‬معها أطيب األخبار و أسعد األوقات وأقوى النجاحات‪.‬‬

‫مو عد غرامي‪ ...‬أعمى‬ ‫يوسف ياسني – مساهم صحفي‬ ‫يعجز قلمي عن التعبري‪ ،‬و تعجز كلاميت عن وصف الشعور الذي‬ ‫متلكني أثناء هذه التجربة ‪ .‬نعم إنها تجربة غريبة‪ ،‬ونعم إنها فريدة‬ ‫من نوعها‪ .‬و هي حت ًام تحمل معها العديد من املعاين والعرب‪.‬‬ ‫يف الجامعة باملشاركة يف‬ ‫«‪»CCECS‬‬ ‫لقد قام مركز‬ ‫أو ال‪ »BLIND DATING »-‬يف‬ ‫نشاط»املواعدة العمياء»‪،‬‬ ‫ال «‪ »crepaway‬يف الحمراء مساء الخميس ‪.2011/10/16‬‬ ‫عندما دخلت‪ ،‬متلكني شعور ممزوج بني الخوف والحامس ‪ .‬تسارعت األفكار‬ ‫داخل رأيس‪،‬و مألت األسئلة فكري‪ .‬فتار ًة كنت أحاول أن أتصور كيفية القيام‬ ‫بهذا العمل‪ ،‬وتار ًة أخرى كنت خائفاً ومرتبكاً‪ .‬ولكن قبل أن أتردد‪ ،‬استقبلني‬ ‫أحد املنظمني مرحبا يب‪ ،‬و قام بحجب نظري و مرافقتي إىل الكريس الخاص يب‪.‬‬ ‫بدأت املغامرة‪ .‬ولحسن الحظ‪ ،‬كانت الفتاة أمامي جميلة الصوت‪ .‬من‬ ‫الكلمة األوىل‪ ،‬أحسست بأنها قريبة من القلب‪ ..‬خيم الظالم عىل نظري‪،‬‬ ‫فكانت الكلامت هي التي تلون مخيلتي وترسم وجوه الناس من حويل‪.‬‬ ‫بدأت سهرتنا بحديث صغري يكرس الثلج بيننا ‪ :‬ما هو اختصاصك؟ و يف أي‬ ‫سنة جامعية أنت ؟ ومن ثم تحدثنا عن هواياتنا‪ ،‬وتبادلنا األخبار و هذا‬ ‫كله دون أن أرى تلك الفتاة أو أحكم عىل شكلها الخارجي‪ .‬فأدركت معنى‬

‫الجامل الداخيل‪ .‬عربنا حاجز الشكل وتعمقنا يف حوارنا عن املغزى الحقيقي‬ ‫للتجربة ‪ .‬و عندما حرض النادل لسؤالنا عن طلبنا من الطعام ‪ ،‬تذكرت‬ ‫بأنني غري قادر عىل قراءة قامئة الطعام‪ .‬ساعدنا النادل وطلبنا ما أردناه‪ ،‬حني‬ ‫وصلنا األكل‪ ،‬بدأت التجربة تزداد حامساً و صعوبة ‪ .‬فلم أكن أرى الصحن‪،‬‬ ‫كام كنت خائفا من أن أسقط رشايب‪ .‬هنا فقط أدركت أهمية حاسة النظر‬ ‫وقيمتها ومدى تأثريها عىل حيايت‪ .‬فعشت تجربة غريبة‪ ...‬ال بل ممتعة وشيقة‬ ‫حملتني إىل عامل جميل وبعيد وجديد مل أعرفه من قبل ومل أدرك أهميته‪.‬‬ ‫وبعد رصاع طويل مع األكل‪ ،‬إنتهى املوعد وحان الوقت ألرى من جديد‬ ‫العامل حويل و أعيش حيايت الطبيعية‪ .‬أبرصت النور‪،‬ونظرت برسعة إىل من‬ ‫حادثتني ‪ ،‬و تفاجأت عندما أدركت أن الفتاة التي كانت أمامي هي كفيفة‬ ‫بالفعل‪ .‬و و أنا كنت زائراً خفيفاً عىل عاملها ‪ .‬فاطمة كانت فتاة طبيعية‬ ‫مثلنا‪ ،‬ولكن شاء القدر أن مييزها عنا ‪ .‬عندما سئلت عن رسها كان جوابها‬ ‫واضحاً « ال تبحث عىل ما يعيقك‪ ،‬بل اصرب وثابر ومتتع بالذي عندك» ‪.‬‬ ‫امتنى من كل شخص منا أن يحجب النظر عن عينيه لخمس‬ ‫دقائق ليشاركنا الشعور ويزور عامل مل يعرفه إال القليل‪.‬‬

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