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Biology department publicizes registration complaints Ali Kassem News Executive The Biology department is one of the most important departments in AUB, yet its students seem to suffer the most. This is due, partly, to the hard curriculum and the competitive atmosphere. Nevertheless, that’s not the whole story. Students in the Biology department suffer because the department is suffering.

From a registration that drained many, to the overworked professors and lab assistants, to the Biology students themselves, one would not doubt that the Biology department had plenty of complaints. Attempting to reveal the facts behind the complaints, Outlook interviewed Dr. Colin Smith, Chairperson of the Biology department. Dr. Smith started out by establishing the problems of registration. Further, Dr. Smith claimed that he does not know “anybody in any department who is happy with registration.”

One of the main problems would be AUBsis. It appears that the 20-years old AUBsis offers too little information and does not allow enough flexibility. From not knowing which students

‫اوﺗﻠﻮك‬ photo from the Biology Department

Continued on page 4

Bust-up in Jafet Mohamad Sibai Staff Writer, and Outlook Board Jafet library is a place of bliss, peace, and solitude for many members of the AUB community. The library is their sanctuary from annoying little siblings, talkative friends, and ever-lurking professors. Most are accustomed to packing-up books and technological devices and migrating to Jafet in search of a desk they can transform into a sort of apartment, moving into for the rest of the day. As soon as that desk is carefully picked out, the unpacking starts, and in a matter of minutes we are seated and studying like our exam was in a couple of hours. As the day ends, we become tired and repack our stuff and head home. However, we tend to forget a few of our belongings inside the building. The second we realize we have lost something, we don’t fret or panic because we know that the never tiring staff at Jafet will find it and keep it in a safe place until we are there to claim our belongings. This is www.aub.edu.lb/outlook

exactly how things used to work in Jafet, but a recent bust-up with an anonymous student and the protection office has changed everything.

On Tuesday, March 27, at around 4:30 in the afternoon, a security squad barged into Jafet in a rather aggressive manner. Voices were heard all over Jafet; the shouting and screaming made many students feel uncomfortable, as if they were in the middle of a street fight. To shed some light on what happened, an anonymous source told Outlook, “It all started when a student came asking for a USB he had lost a couple of days earlier. We (library staff) showed the student our lost and found, but his device wasn’t in between the other electronics that we held for students.

So the student started making accusations that we were responsible for the loss of his USB and accused us of theft. We denied and tried to calm the student down, but to no avail, and he

marched out of Jafet. Later that day, a couple of security personal marched into Jafet. They came in after the student had complained to their chief, claiming what the student had accused us of to be true. We denied all accusations, so the security personnel started to shout at us and violated our privacy by demanding us to be searched and manhandled like criminals. That’s when they got violent and physically assaulted us, by searching one of our fellow workers.”

After the staff was abused, both verbally and physically, nothing was found and the staff ’s innocence was verified, but their dignity challenged. The staff has vowed to not let this event pass by as a normal everyday security measure, and they have promised to take action against this injustice. Throughout the coming week we will see how the events will escalate as well as the University’s view on this matter.

Bliss Street, West Hall 208 tel: 01 350 000 ext. 3193

readoutlook@gmail.com

Campus News

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Page 2

Big 4 and After is back!

Karen Sertin Staff Writer & Photographer It’s the second anniversary of the Big 4 and After competition, and this year the competition will take place on Friday April 27. This year is going to be just as competitive as last year’s, with the main objective to promote accounting as a profession for OSB’s graduating class’s future careers. The first place winner recieves a guaranteed job at either one of the sponsors: Ernst & Young or PwC. These sponsors are looking for students that are bright, have leadership skills, are committed and perseverant, have a positive attitude to learning, and have respect and tolerance for others in a working environment.

The competition will take place early in the morning of April 27, and will end promptly at 4:30pm. The participants of this competition will be divided into groups of four. In order to win this competition, the participants will be asked to solve logical problems and “general knowledge” problems. However, it is not sufficient to answer all the questions accurately, the questions need to be answered as quickly as possible. And this is why teamwork and coordinating ideas with team members will be crucial in order to win some amazing job opportunities.

Two AUB students who graduated last year, Elie and Yara Kassas, came up to the podium to share their experiences with the rest of the students who attended this meeting at the Maamari Auditorium. Elie won first prize in the competition and got a job offer at Ernst & Young as a social auditor. Yara won second place and got

an internship at PwC, and now she works there.

The two graduates each expressed how they love their job and love doing everything it is they do and their working environment. They both agree without any doubt that they are working for the best institutions suitable for their careers.

Both Elie and Yara seem to agree that a big part of being able to win the competition would be that the teams need exceptional social skills in order for the teamwork to be efficient; and of course being well prepared and knowing the finance and accounting material would be a lot of help.

Yara illustrates the experience of being in the competition last year as having to “run around campus all day” and having to make phone calls, Googling things, asking people for help, going to the libraries and so forth. It seems chaotic, but all this needs to be done in order to answer the given questions. One rule that every participant must follow is that they are not allowed to ask any OSB professors questions.

By the end of the meeting, the four panelists sitting to the right of the podium (two from Ernst & Young and two from PwC), Mr. Khalifeh, Ms. Dima Malak, Mr. Nadim Dimashiekh, and Mr. Wissam Mohsen took some questions and comments some students in the audience may have had. A few minutes later, everyone proceeded outside to the lobby of the auditorium to have some snacks and cocktails. Needless to say, the students were already excited. photos by Karen Sertin

Business Student Society’s business plan competition Raghid Naimi Staff Writer The Business Student Society is on a roll! After launching two competitions for the creative and the analytical (the Marketing and Virtual Stock Exchange Competitions), the society launched another competition for the creative and the initiative takers on Tuesday, March 27 .

The society launched the business plan competition through a social space that was meant to tickle the entrepreneurial spirit of the students. After welcoming the attendees, the entrepreneurship coordinator, Ahmad Wehbi, introduced AUB’s finance graduate Tara Nehme who, after a few years of experience, decided to start her own company “Tickle My Brain”, to help people, mainly students, start their careers, whether through improving their CVs and cover letters or through other career guidance services.

After an inspiring example that showed students that any one of them can in fact become their own boss, Wehbi explained that if the students are willing to progress in their fields, they’re not

alone. She went on to say that they can have the necessary supportive environment from NGOs that help entrepreneurs start their businesses, much like the Bader Young Entrepreneurs Program and Endeavor. As a matter of fact, Endeavor representative Sara Daniel, Entrepreneurs Services Associate, explained that they offer to the high impact entrepreneurs the support in all aspects that one might require, and showed that the many entrepreneurs who received the organization’s assistance worldwide were able to generate more than $4.5 billion in returns and create more than 156,000 jobs.

Afterwards, Joelle Yazbeck, Program Manager of the MIT Enterprise Forum, took center stage and was keen on communicating to the students what a winning plan or a successful project in general required. She had a simple outline; the idea should cater to a need, and should be innovative and scalable. As for the start-up team, it should be an “A” team and a well diversified

one to cover the various aspects of the business.

After all, the competition is pretty simple, but if one benefits from every aspect of what’s provided it can lead to amazing outcomes. Any team can get together and register. A business plan workshop will be given, as well as an entrepreneurial clinic that will be later provided

by Bader to the participants, and the final pitch will take place in front of a jury consisting of faculty members, NGOs, and potentially Angel investors. After this whole month process, three happy teams will emerge with $500, $1500, and $3000. The prizes were generously provided by Safadi Foundation, Axa Middle East, and the major sponsor Fransabank; as a matter of fact, Fransabank is sponsoring the competition for the second year in a row.

One cannot help but wish the best of luck to the participants and hope that many start-ups come forward from AUB.

Off-Campus

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Page 3

Business Student Society’s virtual stock exchange launches smoothly Raghid Naimi Staff Writer The Virtual Stock Exchange competition has become a tradition in AUB; the Business Student Society has organized it for five years, and every year the competition gets even more exciting with students rushing the registration stands to join. Last year the game had more than 120 participants. This year, it has more than 140. The launching event for the Virtual Stock Exchange took place on Monday, March 26.

This competition is open for business and non-business students who have a feel for stock trading and care to try it with virtual money given to them. The game is pretty simple; you get a million dollars of virtual money to trade with and another million as leverage, just in case - and what you do is follow your favorite stocks’ news and trends and buy and sell for the sole purpose of making more virtual money.

BlomInvest, the competition sponsor for the third year in a row, generously provided several prizes for the winners. At the end of the 40

days of trading, the best five portfolios (i.e. the five making the highest returns) will get prizes ranging between $200 and $2000, and the owner of the portfolio with the best strategy will win an internship with BlomInvest.

The launching event was short and straight to the point. The president of the Business Student Society, Hadi Inja, warmly welcomed all the students who attended the ceremony, then left the floor to Finance Coordinator Adnan Abu Khadra, who explained all the necessary information.

Afterwards, OSB Professor George Namur gave a motivating speech to the students, encouraging their participation in the competition since AUB does not have a course that teaches trading. He also asked them to have fun, since that’s mainly what it’s all about.

In the end, BlomInvest representative Alexander Mouradian, acting as the coordinator between the bank and the Business Student Society, explained more about BlomInvest’s website

and how the students can benefit from it to get the news. He also revealed their intention to collaborate even more with the society for the benefit of the students.

Outlook was lucky to have a small chat with the Finance Coordinators, Lara Hitti and Adnan Abu Khadra, who had the following comments on the game. “We expect students to have fun, to learn more about the market, and hopefully to make a habit of becoming more engaged with what’s going on around them. We wanted to use a different platform that would be even more flexible to the students, so we hope to go towards an even more sophisticated game in the future.

The point of the competition this year was not only to provide a game but to improve on the previous years, since it’s always our goal, and the first step was the trading workshop that we held a few weeks ago.”

Answers for the heart Loulwa Kalache Staff Writer

Why should women and men have boundaries in their relationship? How should Muslim men approach Muslim women for marriage? What are the proper ways they should follow to know one another? These questions were answered

by Civil Engineer Wissam Mogharbel, an AUB alumnus, in a lecture organized by the Insight club on Monday, March 26.

Mogharbel started his lecture by stating that everyone is doomed to love as love is something pure, human, and inescapable. If someone is not able to love another person, he or she might be suffering from a disease. Mogharbel proves his point by mentioning a verse from the Quran, saying, “And among His wonders is this: He creates for you mates out of your own kind, so that you might incline towards them, and He engenders love and tenderness between you!” Mogharbel adds that this feeling is vital for procreation, for building families, and for raising children. Children need the sense of belonging; the problem is ignoring the need or using it wrongly.

This need can be delusional and becomes merely a tool for satisfying one’s pleasures. He gave the example of eating food that has the purpose of providing nutrition for the body, but when the purpose shifts to only enjoying and satisfying the

pleasure of our senses, this leads to overeating.

Therefore, when people forget the main purpose, problems arise. Since attraction is something inescapable, the person is left with two choices, marriage or fornication.

This is where men may do wrong towards women. They may end up treating a woman badly and using her as a tool to satisfy their pleasures.

Mogharbel stressed that the role of religion is in securing this sacred relationship and protecting both the man and woman from the dangers of doing wrong. A safety system is important for everything in our lives, such as driving. Red lights are there to warn drivers to stop and green lights to go. Similarly, in a relationship, the mutual agreement is a “go” sign but this necessitates a “stop” sign for providing some kind of protection.

Islam puts these safety factors into consideration: Lowering the gaze and guarding the bodies of men and women. In the Quran, it is said, “Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them.” It also says, “And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty.” Men shouldn’t be soft in speech while talking to women and women should wear veils. The Prophet forbade men and women from being alone together. He said,

“Never is a man alone with a woman except that Satan is the third party with them.” Mogharbel claimed that, as with any safety factor, accidents still occur but the losses are minimal when compared to the absence of such systems.

He also said that in western civilization they lack this protection system. According to Mogharbel, in 1992, 10,000 people were raped below the age of 18 in the USA alone. In 1994, one out of four people was raped every five minutes. In Britian, 65 percent of relationships involved fornication, with 35 percent leading to illegal pregnancy. In Sweden, 50 percent of children are born without families, and in Norway 46 percent.

Mogharbel stated the four steps of building the sacred relationship: before engagement (meeting and getting to know each other, under the approval of the parents), the engagement (the mutual promise of marriage where either side may change their minds), the marriage agreement, and the wedding and eventually living together. One of the audience members criticized the extreme prohibition of mixing between men and women t can lead to serious social problems such as in Saudi Arabia.

Mogharbel replied that when religion becomes something forced, society breaks down.

Campus News

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Page 4

Biology department publicizes registration complaints continued

Ali Kassem News Executive need which courses to not knowing what to expect, the department cannot know which courses to offer. In an attempt to deal with this, the Biology department plans out the courses to be offered during the semester manually. As a result, the department had to zero all course capacities. This, a topic of great complaint by students, seems like the most reasonable of doings. It allows the department to control the courses and keep proper track of what is needed and what is offered. Yet, if students cannot drop courses, many complain that they can no longer drop and give to friends. Dr. Smith “recognize[s] no such right.” Nevertheless, the department is managing and to Dr. Smith’s best knowledge “no one has not graduated due to limited course offerings.” To achieve this, the department bases course offerings on those of previous semesters and offers as many sections of the required Biology courses as needed. Nonetheless, electives remain as the main problem. The department’s curriculum requires a huge number of electives and there is a great variety, from topics to applications. Getting these courses is the main cause of complaints, complaints that the chair considers acceptable since the alternative is not tolerable. But many claim trouble with getting the courses they want, with the teachers they want and at the times they want. Truly, the Biology department seems to be doing its uttermost to be fair in course distribution amongst students but trouble does exist. In an attempt to deal with it,

the department follows a certain hierarchy, at the top of which are graduating students, in granting courses. Giving courses to “those who complain the loudest” is not an option. Accordingly, the department reviews requests and answers them to the best of its ability. This last spring, 383 course permits were granted and 333 were used. But the department is not pleased. The number of courses, as well as the type, that the department can offer is too constrained. Lack of instructors (Dr Smith claims the need for six while the university is allowing advertisement for three), a lack of rooms, a lack of equipment and of funding leave the department paralyzed.

Further, the Office of the Dean seems to not allow the departments the right to a sufficient “exercise of authority.” Further, the issue of transfers complicates registration, as well as the whole functioning of the department. This last spring, transfer applicants received acceptances after the drop and add period had already ended. Not knowing where they belonged, they did not know what to register for. The delay in responding was due to the fact that the requests are sent to the department during the most hectic of times: the beginning of the semester. Consequently, since majors are the priority, Dr. Smith had to delay reviewing the transfer applications to manage registration. This led to many complaints but Dr. Smith claims that there is no other solution; there is “simply not enough time.” Another one of the problems faced is due to the fact that the

department is “being ignored.” Normally, the department should review transfer requests and present a recommendation that is to be taken into consideration. In application, this is not happening and the department is receiving a huge amount of transfers every semester.

Recently, the transfer requirements have been changed so not to turn away qualified students nor burden the department by allowing entry to those who will not succeed. Also, corruption is an issue. Students with a certain background come with their name, or that of a relative, and ask for privileges other students are denied. Dr. Smith states that, in the cases where they do get what they asked for, it is not through him.

It appears as if other branches of our university override the department and grant requests on the basis of what the Lebanese have come to call “wasta.” The quandary the department is in is not a case of its own, it is all over. The University’s administration does not seem to be the most cooperative and the resources available do not allow proper functioning. In light of what has been revealed, one cannot but appreciate the work the department’s administration is doing and realize that the problems are due to flaws in the system, flaws that the department refuses to deal with through injustice. In light of what has been revealed, one wonders how other departments are functioning and how much corruption they too might have.

Fire at the Speakers Corner Hashem Osseiran Staff Writer Mohammad Sibai Staff Writer

This past year has been a busy one, especially for the Arab world, what with all the uprisings and revolutions in more than ten Arab countries.

Oddly, in Lebanon, not a single revolution attempt was even made. Ironically, things changed for the better. Citizens now have access to a faster, as well as cheaper, Internet service all around the country. Additionally, there are new laws being passed against illegal motorcycle usage. The country is currently enjoying the serenity and peace that it has missed for years, now, unlike most of the Arab world. For this week’s speaker’s corner, The USFC has placed the “Evaluation of the Arab Spring” as the open-mic discussion topic. Students gathered around at noon, but hoarded West Hall at around 12:30, when the discussion had become intense. The first student to open the debate was Sima Ghaddar, a current Public Administration student, who believes that “it was the western foreigners who brought the theory of democracy into the Arab countries in one way or another.” Another student by the name of Mohamad Awada added to her claim that even if the revolutions were aiming for

democracy, “it wouldn’t be achieved in a few months or even a year.” Things were slowly starting to heat up, and all that was needed was a spark to set the student body on fire. That’s when Tarek Choikani, a CCE student, lit up the stage.

Full of confidence, he spoke of his home country (Syria) and of the events that are still ongoing from a little over a year now. He claimed to be speaking in the name of the 11,000 people he claimed to have been killed since “the revolution started.” Also, emphasizing the corruption of the constitution, he said “any law needs at least one year to be changed in the constitution, but it took 15 minutes for the age of presidency to be changed from 40 to 34.” Tarek also accused the current Syrian president of fixing his elections, saying he wouldn’t rise against Ehud Olmert but would do so against President Bashar since he was never voted for to “wait for his term to end.” The students were invigorated and were now waiting their turn to speak on the podium. More intensity was added to the atmosphere when Mazen Assi, current LMC president, was involved in a direct series of debates surrounding the Arab Spring’s

relativity to Lebanon. One advocate of March 14 had stepped up to the podium and openly declared who he supported, then he went on to say that “the Arab Spring was born in Lebanon inside of “Sahit Al-Shuhada” where two million people promoted the idea of revolution, but sadly the revolution never continued.” Mazen replied to the first of many, by stating that “the Arab Spring wasn’t born in Lebanon, rather in Tunisia, and that the Lebanese spring would never be completed until every little piece of Lebanese soil was free from invasion.” The event was exciting, and the number of attendee’s proved it. Students were overflowing at West Hall now, just to watch this intricate debate. The discussion proved to be a successful experience for almost all the students. It has shown that it has the ability to unleash hidden leadership skills in students all over AUB, which is why we hope that the USFC will continue to make an effort into making their speakers corners fun, safe, and intense year round.

Campus News

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Page 5

Doctor-patient communication Dania Machlab Staff Writer Countless times, doctors are faced with moral and ethical dilemmas when it comes to dealing with their patients, especially terminally ill ones.

How do you tell a mother of two that her colon cancer has come back with a fatal blow? Dr. James Tulsky, director of the Center for Palliative Care at Duke University, kicked off his presentation with these questions. The lecture, entitled “An empirical approach to talking with seriously ill patients,” was held on March 29 and focused on the significance of the doctor’s role in dealing with the situation at hand in an empathic manner.

What makes these conversations so hard are their ethical dilemmas, expectations, uncertainties, and most importantly emotions.Dr. Tulsky stressed on good communication being the key, saying that it’s not magic but a learned skill. He distinguished between kindness and empathy, viewing them as separate, and portraying good communication with patients as an acquired skill doctors ought to practice. Empathy – the “I could be you” message - was the focus of the lecture. Studies showed that patients whose

doctors responded to their worries with empathy were more likely to have more improvements healthwise. Studies that had been conducted in the Netherlands and Australia revealed that 64 and 72 percent of the time, respectively, oncologists dismissed the opportunity to respond with empathy to their patients. Instead, they resorted to diverging from emotional topics and giving more medical or technical answers.

Tulsky went on to reveal some results of studies conducted at his university, where almost 1,500 conversations between doctors and patients had been recorded and analyzed. The numbers were matching with the other studies, where 73 percent of the time doctors had the chance to respond empathically to their seriously ill patients but deferred from the topic. They found fear to be the most commonly expressed emotion amongst patients, but sadness the most likely to receive a response from a doctor. Undoubtedly there is major concern for the patient’s well being. Is the doctor telling them what they need to hear?

Would an oncologist rightly convey only part

of the real story upon request from the family not to tell a terminally ill patient about their condition? Yet Dr. Tulsky argues that responding with warmth and understanding greatly help the patients. He went on to reveal a disproportion between the doctors’ estimates of their patients’ survival and those of the patients themselves. A further insight showed that doctors who gave pessimistic statements did not affect the moods of their patients but did make the patients more realistic about their conditions. “Everything the patient says is data,” says Dr. Tulsky. The doctor has to be aware of every detail and rightly identify and respond with empathy when the patient needs it. Teaching oncologists how to converse and communicate effectively with their patients is of utmost importance for the latter’s well being, which is why a series of courses called “Oncotalk” have been developed for that purpose.

Ultimately, doctors in general and oncologists in particular ought to treat the patient rather than the disease by means of good communication.

Green buildings discussed at AUB Rayane Zahreddine Staff Writer & Photographer

The “Green Building Seminar – 2012” was hosted on Wednesday March 28 by the AUB Student Branch of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) in collaboration with the Lebanese ASHRAE Chapter. The event gathered above 80 interested students and professors. It was held in the Engineering Lecture Hall (ELH) in the Bechtel Engineering Building.

Sustainable development and eco-friendliness are a worldwide trend and green buildings are gaining popularity everywhere; even the AUB campus has its own green building: the Charles Hostler Student Center. In this spirit, the “Green Building Seminar – 2012” featured two guest speakers who discussed the aspects and technologies of green buildings, as well as their certifications. The first speaker was Mr. Mohammad Tassi, the Senior Project Manager at the Facilities Planning and Design Unit at AUB, the President of Lebanese ASHRAE Chapter and the Coordinator of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Training Program at the AUB Continuing Education Center. The second speaker was Dr. Samir Traboulsi, the President of the Engineering and Architecture Alumni Chapter of World Alumni Association of AUB, the President of Lebanon Green Building Council (LGBC) and the Director At Large of the Lebanese ASHRAE Chapter. Mr. Tassi’s presentation was entitled “Green Building Technologies and Certifications, with sample applications on AUB campus projects”. He defined green buildings as “high performance buildings that provide healthiness, durability,

affordability, and consider the environment,” As buildings are the number one source of CO2 emissions in the world, Mr. Tassi stressed on the importance and necessity of switching to green buildings. He then showed many “green” technologies being applied in the world in general and at AUB in particular, such as green roofs, vertical and horizontal shading, and efficient heating and cooling, among other things. He also exposed some of the widespread green building certifications that have been developed around the world such as the US’s LEED and the UK’s BREEAM. Mr. Tassi finally mentioned that green buildings are not necessarily more expensive and more complex than regular ones as simple and innovative technologies can save a lot of energy without costing a lot of money, but the important thing is to operate them well.

The second presentation by Dr. Traboulsi was entitled “ARZ Green Building Rating System.” He introduced and explained the functioning of the new green building rating system for Lebanon, the ARZ building rating system launched by the LGBC, an Non-Governmental Organization that promotes environmentally friendly construction.

This system was developed for assessing existing commercial buildings in Lebanon and what distinguishes it from worldwide certification systems is the fact that it has been “adapted to the local availability of resources, the unique Lebanese conditions, lifestyle, and culture,” Dr. Traboulsi said. He hoped that the Lebanese construction law, dating from the seventies, will be modified to become a green construction law and that the requirements of the ARZ rating system will be

part of it. But, meanwhile, he urged the future engineers in the audience to implement the green building policies even before they become part of the law. The speeches were followed by the presentation of the “2012-2013 ASHRAE Undergraduate Senior Project Grant,” a 4900 US dollar grant to a Final Year Project group from the AUB Department of Mechanical Engineering. After the seminar, a reception with refreshments took place outside the ELH. Hani Taha, a third year Civil and Environmental Engineering student said: “Nowadays, it’s the responsibility of every engineer to have basic knowledge about the green building concept and to be able to apply it. I appreciate that such events are organized at AUB to raise awareness for such a vital topic.” Jad Hajj-Ahmad, AHRAE AUB Student Branch Vice-President said: “This seminar is a building block toward fulfilling our mission to reach a sustainable, environmental friendly community. We are really comfortable with the turnout today, the number of attendees actually exceeded our expectation, and their interest in both lec tures was exactly what we hoped to accomplish.”

photo by RayaneZahreddine

Arts & Culture

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Page 6

Blind date Rachelle El Helou Special-to-Outlook and Photographer On the evening of March 20, blind dating was taken to a new level. Organized by the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace (SCORP) in association with the NGO Youth Association of the Blind (YAB), Hard Rock Café witnessed an unforgettable dinner encounter between blind and blindfolded participants. Traditionally, events are described in chronological order but that would never quite capture the spirit of this nontraditional event. Each table, which seated one blind person and three or four blindfolded participants, had its own story. On one table, the participants curiously explored the Braille menu with their blind date, undecided on which starter sounded best. Close by, a blind university professor captivated the attention of his company with his remarkable life story.

Meanwhile, another group struggled with their forks and knives as they learned how their blind date found their way around the plate. The room was filled with giggles and laughter, and the occasional tear, as the crowd enjoyed a delicious meal obliviously seated under Hard Rock’s “Love all, Serve all” slogan. The aim of this encounter was simple: spread awareness. The president of YAB gave an informative speech about the hardships blind people face in Lebanon due to the lack of legislation to uphold their rights to equal opportunities. The blindfolded participants

were truly humbled by experiencing a full night of stairs, dinner, and acquaintances, all without their visual sense. Furthermore, some generously filled out organ donation forms made available by SCORP to donate their cornea and other organs.

Though no legal action was taken that Tuesday night, 100 people did walk out knowing a little bit more about another perspective. That in itself is a triumph.

About SCORP: The Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace (SCORP) is part of the Lebanese Medical Students’ International Committee (LeMSIC.) LeMSIC is a nonpolitical, non-religious, non-profit, student-run organization that represents medical students in Lebanon. It is a full National Member Organization (NMO) of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) founded in May 1951 and run by and for medical students on a non-profit basis. SCORP aims at working on the problems of displaced people in an effort to raise awareness, resolve conflict, and preserve human rights. Over the years, their programs have dealt with the issue of child abuse in Lebanon, raised funds for various NGOs, and facilitated volunteer work in free clinics in underprivileged areas.

About YAB: The Youth Association of the Blind (YAB) is a national nongovernmental and nonprofitable organization that has no religious or

political affiliation. Its overall goal is to attain an inclusive society to persons with visual impairment. Its strategies are advocacy work, presenting program models, and involving DPOs and stakeholders in accomplishing YAB goals.

Among their many programs, YAB works on pilot projects to integrate the blind in both public and private schools, and has a special program to support blind students in higher education. YAB also works on the formation of a national policy for the educational inclusion. Additionally, they implement vocational training programs for persons with disabilities and offer them training experiences while working on the institutions themselves to become inclusive institutions.

photo by Rachelle El Helou

Hail! Brings out the Lebanese metal crowd Joe Riggs Staff Writer A sea of metalheads wearing black t-shirts emblazoned with band names filled the Demco Steel warehouse off of Dawra on Saturday night to head bang and mosh to the all-star metal band Hail. Hail’s members have all played in legendary big name metal bands such as Judas Priest, Megadeth, and Slayer. The audience’s expectations were high given the band’s metal credentials and this being their second show in the country, Hail did not disappoint. If having a metal show in an actual industrial steel warehouse wasn’t awesome enough, the crowd of rabid fans was fueled by a certain manner of refreshments.

The event was presented by Rock Ring, and sponsored by Mozart Chahine Musical Instruments. AUB alumni Nemr Abou Nassar hosted the event, taking aim at pop music with his jokes and introducing the bands. The local Lebanese progressive metal band Episode opened up for Hail. Episode consists of three members, a drummer, bassist, and violinist. While they

are definitely talented, the audience was mostly unresponsive to the three songs that they played.

They were slower, more melodic, and did not utilize any vocals. In all fairness, they were playing to an audience wearing Slayer and Cannibal Corpse t-shirts, devouring “refreshments” and wanting to mosh.

When Hail finally took the stage however, the crowd went wild. They started their set with Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades”, which caused a mosh pit to erupt immediately. Hail’s set consisted of hits and classics from bands such as Pantera, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, and many more. Between song’s, front man Tim “Ripper” Owens engaged the audience and promised to come back to Lebanon. With good metal shows few and far between in this country, the band’s promise to return was greatly appreciated by the audience, who responded with roars of approval and metal horn hand signs. Other high points of the show included the

audience singing happy birthday to guitarist Dave Linsk. The audience truly seemed to enjoy the opportunity to see a decent metal show, and the band seemed to enjoy playing for the Lebanese crowd.

While the energy in the warehouse remained lively for most of the set, there was a point in the middle where the audience felt worn out. Hail’s response to this was to play Slayer’s “South of Heaven”, which snapped the audience out of it until the end of the show. Hail finished their set a half an hour later, and left the stage. The crowd chanted “we want more” in unison and Hail returned to the stage to an outburst of cheers. Hail started their encore with Metallica’s “Seek and Destroy”, and finished the show and their 2012 tour after a few more songs, including a tribute to the late great Ronnie James Dio. The band seemed impressed by Lebanon’s metalheads, so much so that Owens said they would return in one year rather than three.

Spotlight

Blind date Rachelle El Helou Photographer

Syrian protest AUB Photos from Mohammad Alameh

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

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Outloud

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

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April Fools: What do you think of the AUB board’s recent decision to ban the hijab on campus?

Robert Isaf Staff Writer 1. I disagree with it because they should have a chance to express their religion and beliefs and it isn’t harming anyone in any way.

6. They banned what on who now?

What? Excuse me? Da [EXPLETIVE].

That is retarded. That’s stupid. No one’s [EXPLETIVE] business.

2. Well, that’s like, it should be a matter of choice. Why the hell did they ban it?

7. Lebanon’s a Muslim country, right?

3. So I can’t come to university anymore? Where am I going to get my degree from?

8. Um, that’s not good. How are women supposed to wear hijabs? I think that’s a bit outrageous, I guess.

4. Kief ya3ni they’re banning it? La, like actually I agree. La 2inno I agree and disagree actually. They have the freedom to do what they want with it, but AUB has the right to do what they want with their students. In the end it’s the students’ decision to come or not. It’s too complicated.

9. Computer & Communications Eng. There is such a decision? Basically that shows that there’s no respect for other cultures and that will create a major conflict on campus. I mean, like, really I would go somewhere else or on strike or whatever.

5. I disapprove. You should respect each person’s belief.

10. It’s banning hijabs? But I’m muhajabee! No one can enter campus wearing a hijab, that’s the idea? I’m really astounded. Of course I’m against such action! It’s racist!

Arts & Culture A little from everywhere

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Page 9

Zeina Mhaidly Staff Writer

At Anthon Burg, Chocolate Costs Good Deeds Instead of Money! March 30th, 2012 Anthon Burg, the popular worldwide brand of chocolate, has opened its generous last month in Copenhagen. This time, the candy boxes had unique price tags such as “don’t comment on your girlfriend’s driving for a week” or “no talking behind you girlfriend’s back for a month.” The most popular one was “Help clean a friend’s house.” The concept behind this idea was to pay for the candy by doing good deeds. Instead of paying at cash registers, people pay at iPad stations by signing in to their facebook accounts and posting the deed on the walls of both the giver and receiver of the good deed. Therefore, by making their promises public people will be more committed to realizing them.

So far everyone who purchased candy has kept their promises and even posted pictures as proofs on Anthon Berg’s facebook page. The aim of this act is to “reconnect the brand with generosity and inspire people to see the positive effects of being generous.”

“Urine-Soaked eggs” a spring treat in China!

March 29, 2012

The “virgin-boys eggs” has become a traditional and cultural heritage for Chinese people. In Dongyang, a Chinese City, eggs are soaked and cooked in the urine of young boys, preferably under the age of 10. The urine is collected from primary school toilets and used to boil the eggs. There’s no clear explanation whether the urine has to be that of boys, but citizens claim that it has always been done this way. People buying these eggs state that eating them has many health benefits such as reducing body heat, promoting better blood circulation and strengthening the body. The eggs are sold for $0.24 per piece.

Girl’s best friend is a dog who carries her oxygen

March 21, 2012 Aaron and Debbie Knobloch have discovered that their daughter Alida was suffering from a rare lung disease since the age of 8 months and needs to carry with her a portable oxygen tank that will help her breathe. The parents, wanting to provide Alida with a normal life that allows her to play with other kids, were happy that the oxygen tank would bring her health back, but the problem was that she had to carry the 6 pound oxygen tank with her all the time.

They didn’t want her to remain tied to them, so they started looking for ways that would make carrying the tank easier until they found Mr. Gibbs, a golden doodle trained to be the companion of kids with such conditions. The dog is trained to remain near Alida at all times, climb slides with her and more importantly hold the 6-pound tank. Alida, 3 years old now, might grow out of her disease and might not need the oxygen tank later on. In this case Mr. Gibbs will always remain her best friend.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/29/us-china-urine-eggsidUSBRE82S0EE20120329 http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_ http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/at-the-generous-store-

“Barbie goes bald”

news/2012/03/21/10780622-girls-best-friend-is-dog-who-carries-

March 30, 2012

chocolates-cost-good-deeds-instead-of-money.html

English Students Pay University Loans by Renting Out Their Faces

“Google’s Self-driving car”

March 30th, 2012

Google introduced its self-driving car allowing people to drive now using no hands and no feet. The car, which is a Toyota Prius, has a “spinning cylinder on its roof that uses artificial intelligence software to sense any traffic or activity near the vehicle mimicking human behavior.” This technology makes driving easier and possible for blind men who no longer need to see the road in order to be able to drive. Google stated that there’s still some designs and tests that need to be done but more than 200,000 miles of computer-led driving has been safely completed so far.

her-oxygen

Mattel, the worldwide leader in designing, manufacturing and marketing toys has decided to start making bald barbies and having them limitedly distributed starting next year. This campaign is targeting children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy or any other medical reason. Barbies will be distributed among children in hospitals. The aim is to make these children feel more normal and less different by showing that there are barbies out there just like them. Many people thought that these barbies must be made available in retail stores in addition to hospitals in order to get normal children more familiar with the idea.

March 29, 2012 A couple of 22-year old British boys, Ross Harper and Ed Moyse, have managed to rent out their faces in order to be able to pay their college fees. Their concept called “Buy my Face” is based on the idea of selling their faces to different advertisement companies every day where advertisers can paint their ads. The boys then film themselves doing funny things, such as skydiving or plunging into cold waters, with the ads on their faces. The videos are put on the website along with the name of the day’s advertiser and viewers are allowed to enter the advertiser’s website. Their first ad brought them exactly £1 but now they moved up to £400 a day which led them to collect £30,000 ($47,000) so far from the total amount of their college debts which is £50,000 ($80,000).

http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_ http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/03/look-ma-nohands-googles-self-driving-car/

news/2012/03/30/10938746-barbie-goes-bald-thanks-tofacebook-campaign

http://www.odditycentral.com/funny/english-students-payuniversity-loans-by-renting-out-their-faces.html

Arts & Culture

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

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Natural versus processed food Loulwa Kalache Staff Writer “Don’t eat anything your greatgrandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” Michael Pollan As extreme as this notion might be, it does hold some truth. There has always been debate about processed and wholesome (natural) food. Some scientists claim that processed food offers convenience, saves time, money, and transportation costs, and makes food available all year round throughout the globe.

Others argue that processed food has been a major cause of disease due to their low nutrient content, high artificial ingredients, and high caloric value. The World Health Organization states that the increase in obesity levels and chronic diseases (like diabetes and heart disease) are attributed to processed foods. Increased risk of cancer is also due to the amount of chemicals in these types of food. Also, hyperactivity and attention deficiency disorder in kids are said to be caused by consuming food loaded with artificial colorants and flavors, like candy and soda drinks.

It is important to distinguish between minimally processed foods from processed ones. Foods

that go through several steps of processing, such as washing, cutting, slicing, baking, cooking, and frying, are processed. Thus, food prepared at home is minimally processed food. Sometimes, though, this minimally processed food has added ingredients that are artificial, such as colorants, preservatives, emulsifiers, bleachers, sweeteners, stabilizers, odor, and flavors. They have been altered from their “natural state” to become fully processed.

However, one has to note that processing is vital for some kind of food, such as pasteurizing or heat treating milk in order to kill harmful bacteria. Also, meat, chicken and fish must be cooked to make them edible and easy to digest.

Sometimes vitamins and minerals are added to food to fortify it and compensate for their deficiency. Such is the case for vitamin D fortified milk and iron fortified bread or rice.

Scientists warn people not to consume a high amount of these foods: Canned foods that contain a lot of salts Foods made with refined white flour, such as white breads and pastas

Packaged snacks (like potato chips) Processed meats Packaged baked cakes and cookies Sugary breakfast cereals Thus, the advantages of eating natural food are that they are full of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are crucial for the body to function properly. Moreover, they contain certain chemicals such as antioxidants that help in boosting immunity and can heal certain diseases.

Health practitioners recommend that people need to be “label literate”. They need to read the ingredients list every time they are buying something from the shelf. So, if one is reading the list and cannot understand or recognize the ingredient, this might be something they should not buy and eat. Also, they should be aware of food that has one of these words: “modified”, “bleached”, or “refined”.

A rule of thumb is that if one can make it in the kitchen, it’s more nutritious than if it was produced from a food factory.

Movie Review: Mirror Mirror

Edward Abou Jaoude Staff Writer

“Mirror mirror on the wall, is this movie the fairest of them all?”

The evil Queen and stepmother (Julia Roberts) takes control of the kingdom after the king’s death and locks the king’s daughter, Snow White (Lily Collins), inside the walls of the castle away from the kingdom she was meant to one day rule. On her eighteenth birthday, Snow decides to venture outside the castle to explore the village despite the queen previously banning her from leaving her room. During her small journey, she meets Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) – heir of the throne of Valencia – robbed and tied upside down to a tree in the forest. After releasing him from the strains the seven dwarf-bandits put on him, Snow proceeds to the village where she witnesses the misery the queen has put the people in. Back in the castle, the Queen, who found herself in financial calamity, wished to marry Prince Alcott. However, once she knew that he had not only met Snow outside the castle, but that he was also attracted to her ordered Brighton (Nathan Lane), her exclusive toady, to kill Snow White. Brighton, feeling compassion towards Snow, decides to release her in the forest where she teams up with the seven dwarfs to steel the Queen’s taxes in the greater aim of dethroning her and bringing joy back to the kingdom.

AUB students expressed satisfaction after

watching the movie. In fact, Youssef Yassine (ECE Junior) described the movie as “fun and entertaining.” Sabine Haddad (Economics Junior) said that she “really enjoyed the movie because it reminded her of the fairytale stories of her childhood.”

In addition to being a fun and entertaining movie to watch, Mirror Mirror implicitly addresses major social issues. The first being social discrimination: the Queen banished the dwarfs from the kingdom simply because they were small in height. The second is the role of the woman in society. The director, Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, greatly marginalizes male characters.

In fact, the prince is robbed from his clothes more than once in the movie and is, at some point, under a spell that makes him act like a dog! Not only that, but the Queen’s male assistant Brighton is reduced to a cockroach by black magic. What could be more demeaning than being transformed into an insect? Furthermore, Snow White is portrayed as being able to combat better than Prince Alcott. She even locks him in the house and goes to fight a monster during the movie. One can’t help but wonder who’s wearing the pants in this family?

All in all, this movie embodies entertainment and promotes social awareness whilst resurrecting Grimm’s legendary fairytale of Snow White.

photo from disneydreaming.com

Arts & Culture

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

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Artist Review: Trevor Hall Heather Jaber News Executive Every now and then, you hear an artist for the first time and know it’s one of the ones that will stick. Sure, you might appreciate a catchy tune on the radio or an obscure song in an indie film, but when was the last time you added a modern artist to your all-time favorites list? If you’re looking for something to stick, listen to Trevor Hall.

Blonde dreadlocks, bare feet, and an easy attitude combined, Hall is that guy you wish you knew. That go-with-the-flow energy and quirky attitude is contagious, and his latest album leaves the listener feeling optimistic.

And that voice. Looking at the guy, you wouldn’t expect that voice to come out of that body. As soon as he opens his mouth, a deep, almost gritty voice flows out, a voice laced with tension and versatility – he can literally sing anything with that instrument.

“Lime Tree” is perhaps the best song to highlight this. The lyrics are vivid: “It took a while for you to find me/But I was hiding in the lime tree/ Above the city and the rain clouds/ I poked a hole and watched it drain out.” His voice remains steady, with the rhythmic picks at his guitar in the background. Then comes the end, the part

that makes this song his staple. His voice is at its best here, when he belts out the lyrics with raw emotion, an almost primal sound. He sings as if he cannot contain himself, as if he has to say it, as if having this exceptional voice is the most natural thing in the world.

Listen to “Well I Say” to get a feel for Hall’s ability to play with the flow of a song. This one has not only a smooth feel, but he plays with the rhythm impeccably. One notable line is, “Last night, well I had a vision of a princess/sparked up a candle and lit her up with incense.”

If you’re more of a romantic, listen to the song, “Te Amo,” guaranteed to become an instant favorite. You can’t help but love this song, and you might even get a few goose bumps.

Not only are these songs great, but Hall also has poetic talent. At the end of selected tracks or in between songs in concert, he stops and out flows this poetry. Some of is influenced by the ancient poet Kabir, and some about a kindred soul. In one he says, “But rare is such a soul/who swims in ecstatic bliss/on the high tide of heavenly love” All of it is lasting and seemingly effortless.

He has a sort of Dave Matthews meets Ben

Harper meets Jack Johnson meets Bob Marley meets Joshua James meets Sublime meets John Butler Trio kind of thing going on. Still, there’s something very distinct as well. It is almost impossible to listen to Trevor Hall and not get hooked on his voice, his poetry, the rhythm, and even his personality…but it’s worth a try. Go on, I dare you.

photo from facebook.com

Album Review: The King of Limbs Nerses Arslanian Contributing Writer

It’s been almost a year since Radiohead released their last album the King of Limbs. There is not much that can be said of this album because ever since Kid A and most definitely Amnesiac, the band has alienated a considerable number of their fans and challenged critics and musical artists alike to call for a revolutionary take on music.

Of course there still remained a large dedicated fanbase that plodded along with the band’s experimental phase. They weren’t waiting for them to go back to the full-on guitar driven poprock sound because they knew Thom Yorke’s musical originality (and integrity) did not allow it. This dedication, however, paid off on the long run with the release of Grammy winning In Rainbows, which went so far as to include guitars in almost all the tracks. In The King of Limbs, however, Radiohead seems to go back to the electronic and eerily atmospheric sound in the vein of the earlier half of last decade, with a few minor changes. It can be noticed from its title (and tracks) that the album has a recurring

theme of nature. Some songs (“Give up the Ghost”) were mixed in with sounds of nature and wildlife, probably as a gesture from the band as staunch environmentalists.

Approximately thirty-seven minutes long with only eight tracks, The King of Limbs is the bands shortest full-length album. The first single, “Lotus Flower”, was released a month before the album and garnered positive reviews from fans and critics who singled it out as the best song on the album. This might partly have to do with the fact that the song follows a relatively more conventional structure compared to the rest of the tracks, making it more comfortable for mass audiences.

The lyrics, while abstract, paint a postmodern picture about “the magic of losing yourself in music and the senses”. The music video of Yorke dancing in “spastic” choreography went viral and eventually ended up being an internet meme.

“Little by Little” is reminiscent of the band’s capability of imbuing charged feelings of tension and anxiety in their songs. If the two guitars

won’t get you, wait until you hear the harmony in Yorke’s falsetto and the soft high notes of Greenwood’s guitar in the chorus which is, to the extent of coining a new word, shudderworthy. “Codex” is a slow, atmosphere-oriented song that starts off with a steady rhythm of piano chords and goes on accompanied by Yorke’s restrained vocals that lead up to that chilling, barely audible “ooh”.

“Separator”, the last track, sounds like a normally weird Radiohead song at first with its persistent bass line and percussion, but halfway through, the presence of relaxing and vaguely happy-sounding guitars gives the song a pop-song feel which might be a sign that the band will shift from their electronic phase. The band members themselves once recounted how they were getting tired of the slow process of recording such albums. The King of Limbs might very well be the last we see of Radiohead’s experimental style.

Viewpoint

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

My evil bird

It’s not stalking, it’s research

Lojine Kamel Editor-in-chief

Assaad Khoury Staff Writer

“I’m too wacky for most weirdos. Who am I to judge?” Tori Amos On Saturday, my baba bought a new bird that shrieks. We’ve decided to call him Septimus, after an evil usurper in the movie Stardust.

I’m kind of scared of him. Actually, I’m really scared of him. I can’t go within three feet of him without him starting to hiss and scream.

Septimus is a menacing gray color with a tinge of bloody red on his tail. Probably bloodstains from all the beautiful maidens he’s clawed to death. His eyes are a suspicious yellow and his beak and talons an evil blackness that probably reflect his cruel heart. I’m exaggerating really.

I’m sure Septimus is okay, pleasant even, when (or if) you get to know him. And since I’m going to be living with him, it’s probably best we become mutual allies. Probably.

I try and remember, when Septimus is making his threatening blender-roaring sound, that he’s only a poor smallish birdy (I think an African Grey), who’s been shoved into a household that thinks yelling, and occasionally singing, is the only way to communicate. Poor Septimus is alone and afraid, and I’d like to think this is the reason behind his evilness.

Do try and forgive my real-life extension, but if you think about Septimus as your average run-of-the-mill homo sapien, it becomes much harder to pass judgement on their character.

Perhaps this homo sapien, lets call him George, is really just in a new and uncomfortable environment. Perhaps his first instinct is defense rather than friendship. If we knew how uncomfortable and afraid George was, wouldn’t we think twice about thinking badly of them?

I’m realizing while typing this that I’ve done this same exact thing only recently. I’ve met my own George/Septimus and cast unfavorable judgement without so much as a blink of my eye (Fun fact: Birds trust you more when you blink - I’m trying it on Septimus). Maybe their growling, so to speak, is really just a way to communicate their uncomfortableness. Or maybe they really are evil. One way or another, I’m going to keep blinking. A lot.

Facebook has become a crucial part of our social lives. We make friends, acquaintances, and enemies everyday and what’s the first thing we do? Add them on Facebook, or delete them from our profiles. But it has come to more than innocently increasing the number of people on our friends’ list. Innocent being the keyword here, Facebook has become a mode of executing our ulterior motives: namely, finding out all that we can about the people we know. This ‘activity,’ so to speak, has been warranted the term ‘Facebook stalking’ as an attempt to justify it and render it socially acceptable by adding some humor to it, in avoidance of the dirty looks and the disapproving nods from those who disapprove.

Alright, out with the seriousness and in with the snarky remarks. Who hasn’t done this at least once or twice since activating Facebook? Very few. So, this doesn’t really leave much room to play the “Oh My Gosh! Who does that?!” game, mostly because, well, everybody’s doing it!

Starting with the annoying girlfriends, passing through the socially awkward bedroom dwellers, and ending with corporate administrations, this Facebook “thing” has swiped through everyone and will continue to do so.

In the case of the annoying and untrusting girlfriends, one should really consider all the hardships and pain they’ve gone through with their sneaky two-timing boyfriends; unless they’re just regular stand-up guys who just happen to be attracted to very annoying girls with “daddy issues.” We constantly overhear (or eavesdrop on) girls’ conversations revolving around how one of them saw her boyfriend’s recent activities on Facebook, one of which included adding another girl to his friends’ list.

The audacity! How dare he make friends? One

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may even encounter the jealous boyfriend who gets all fired up because another male of the species posted on his girlfriend’s wall, causing him to leave a not-so-subtle comment showing the trespasser (so to speak) who’s boss.

Moving on from awkward teen drama (although sadly, in this part of the world, it’s not restricted to teens anymore), corporations and institutions have also been doing their fair share of “research.”

Since administrations cannot legally follow their employees around and investigate what goes on in their lives, Facebook has proven to be an adequate alternative. Several cases have been reported of several men and women who have been forewarned, or even fired, due to activities on their Facebook profiles. Prospective job applicants have been rejected for the same reason as well. Schools have also resorted to this method of “control,” one might say, adding students to an account linked to the school so as to keep an eye on their behavior, as well as the teachers’ behaviors.

The ends may justify the means in some of these cases. Finding out if you’ve been betrayed by friends or lovers may just save you the pain of having been in the dark about it and investigating potential employees may also prove to prevent any inconvenience in the workplace later on.

There is, however, a downside to all of this. It’s still an invasion of privacy, although one could argue that if one is on Facebook, privacy isn’t their primary concern, so let’s just stick to betrayal of trust. After having gone through the trouble of vigorously investigating someone’s profile, and finding nothing that may cause concern, one should seriously consider that they’ve just betrayed someone’s trust.

Errata In Volume 44, Issue 17, the article entitled “Nael Gharseddine and The Prophecies of Karma”, improperly spelled the name of the author, Nael Gharzeddine and was incorrectly attributed to writer Mohammad Sibai instead of writer Deedee El Jilani.

In Volume 44, Issue 17, the photographs used on the AUB Alumni page were incorrectly attributed to photographer Mohammad B. Azzam instead

of the AUB Alumni Relations.

In Volume 44, Issue 17, the photographs used for the Spotlight: “Breast cancer awareness by Red Cross Club”, were incorrectly attributed to photographer Mohammad B. Azzam instead of the Luqman Ali AlNahab.

Outlook Team

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

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‫الثالثاء‪ 3 ,‬نيسان ‪2012 ,‬‬

‫صفحة ‪14‬‬

‫الذكاء العاطفي بني الوهم واحلقيقة‬ ‫�أ�رسة �أوتلوك‬ ‫األسبوع املاضي ّ‬ ‫جذبني على احد حواسيب مكتبة يافث‬ ‫«جافيت» درس عن «الذكاء العاطفي»‪ .‬سألت أستاذة‬ ‫السوسيولوجيا عن املوضوع وأجريت بحثاُ على املواقع‬ ‫االكادميية مما زاد من اهتمامي ‪ .‬ما هو الذكاء العاطفي؟ كيف‬ ‫معدل هذا الذكاء ؟ وكيف ّ‬ ‫تبي أن‬ ‫نحدد‬ ‫نغذيه؟ بعد البحث نّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫احد أكثر الكتب العاملية مبيعا ً عن املوضوع هو كتاب «الذكاء‬ ‫العاطفي» للدكتور دانييل جوليمان‪ ،‬الذي يحدد أبعاد الذكاء‬ ‫العاطفي بالتّالي ‪ :‬مهارات التحفيز الذاتي‪ ،‬الوعي الذاتي أو‬ ‫معرفة املرء لعواطفه‪ ،‬القدرة على إدارة عواطف املرء والدوافع‪،‬‬ ‫التقمص العاطفي أو القدرة على حتسس كيف يشعر اآلخرون‪،‬‬ ‫واملهارات االجتماعية أو القدرة على معاجلة عواطف األشخاص‬ ‫اآلخرين‪ .‬اذا ً الذكاء العاطفي أو الذكاء االنفعالي هو القدرة على‬ ‫فرز العواطف الذاتية‪ ،‬وحسن استعمالها‪ .‬ففيما نحن نعمل‬ ‫على حاصل الذكاء (‪ )IQ‬علينا أن نعمل على امتيازنا أيضا ً في‬ ‫الذكاء االنفعالي (‪. )EI‬‬ ‫سؤالي ‪ :‬هل تصويب العواطف منفصل عن تصويب أفكارنا‬ ‫العقالنية؟‬ ‫هذا أحد اختبارات الذكاء العاطفي وهي من إعداد الدكتور‬ ‫حسان املالح وهو استشاري الطب النفسي في دمشق و أستاذ‬ ‫محاضر في اجلامعة العربية األوربية ‪AEU‬‬ ‫اختبار الذكاء االنفعالي ‪:‬‬ ‫في هذا االختبار اخملتصر حتتاج إلى إحضار قلم وورقة لإلجابة‬ ‫على األسئلة السبعة عشر التالية ‪ ..‬تتضمن اإلجابات خمسة‬ ‫احتماالت لكل سؤال ‪ ،‬اختر إجابة واحدة فقط على كل سؤال‬ ‫وأكتب رقم السؤال ورقم اإلجابة ‪ ..‬وبعد االنتهاء ميكنك حساب‬ ‫نسبة ذكائك العاطفي من النتائج أدناه‪.‬‬ ‫‪ -1‬عندما أشعر باالنزعاج ‪ ،‬ال أعرف من أزعجني أو ما هو الشيء‬ ‫الذي أزعجني ‪.‬‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -2‬كل شخص لديه مشكالت ‪ ..‬ولكن هناك أشياء كثيرة‬ ‫خاطئة عندي ‪..‬ولذا ال أستطيع أن أحب نفسي ‪.‬‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -3‬بعض األشخاص يجعلونني أشعر أنني شخص سيئ ‪،‬‬ ‫مهما فعلت ‪.‬‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -4‬عندما أخطئ أقول عن نفسي عبارات حتطم من نفسي مثل‬ ‫‪ :‬إنني شخص فاشل ‪ ،‬غبي ‪ ،‬ال أستطيع أن أعمل عمالً ناجحا ً ‪.‬‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬

‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -5‬أشعر باحلرج واالرتباك عندما يتوقع مني أن أظهر عواطفي ‪.‬‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -6‬تأتيني حاالت مزاجية أشعر فيها أنني قوي وقادر وكفء ‪.‬‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -7‬عندما أشرف على إجناز أمر ما أو هدف معني ‪ ،‬تأتيني عقبات‬ ‫متنعني من الوصول إلى أهدافي ‪.‬‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -8‬الأستطيع التوقف عن التفكير في مشكالتي ‪.‬‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -9‬من األفضل أن أبقى باردا ً وحياديا ً إلى أن أعرف الشخص اآلخر‬ ‫بشكل جيد ‪.‬‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -10‬لدي صعوبة في قول أشياء مثل « أنا أحبك « حتى عندما‬ ‫أشعر بذلك بشكل حقيقي ‪.‬‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -11‬إنني أشعر بالضجر ( امللل ‪ ،‬السأم )‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -12‬إنني أقلق على أمور اليفكر فيها اآلخرون عادة‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬

‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -13‬أحتاج إلى الدفع من شخص ما كي أتابع مسيري‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -14‬حياتي مليئة بالطرق املغلقة‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -15‬لست راضيا ً عن عملي إال إذا امتدحه شخص ما‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫‪ -16‬يقول لي اآلخرون أنني أبالغ في ردودي على مشكالت صغيرة‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫‪ -17‬لست سعيدا ألسباب ال أفهمها‬ ‫أ‪ -‬معظم الوقت‬ ‫ب‪ -‬غالب األوقات‬ ‫ج‪ -‬أحيانا ً‬ ‫د‪ -‬نادرا ً‬ ‫ه‪ -‬أبدا ً تقريبا ً‬ ‫كل إجابة من اإلجابات اخلمس على األسئلة السبعة عشر‬ ‫السابقة لها الدرجات التالية ‪:‬‬ ‫أ=‪1‬‬ ‫ب=‪3‬‬ ‫ج=‪5‬‬ ‫د=‪7‬‬ ‫هاء = ‪9‬‬ ‫أكتب الدرجات التي حصلت عليها عن كل سؤال ‪ ..‬مثالً إذا‬ ‫كانت إجابتك عن السؤال ‪ 1‬هي أحيانا ً = ج فهذا يعني أنك‬ ‫حصلت على ‪ 5‬درجات ‪ ..‬وهكذا لكل سؤال ‪ .‬إجمع الدرجات‬ ‫فتحصل على درجة ذكائك االنفعالي ‪.‬‬ ‫ذكاء انفعالي منخفض جدا ً = من‪ 50‬إلى ‪ 70‬درجة‬ ‫ذكاء انفعالي منخفض = من ‪ 70‬إلى ‪ 85‬درجة‬ ‫ذكاء انفعالي متوسط = من ‪ 85‬إلى ‪ 115‬درجة‬ ‫عال = من ‪ 115‬إلى ‪ 130‬درجة‬ ‫ذكاء انفعالي ٍ‬ ‫ذكاء انفعالي عبقري = من ‪ 130‬إلى ‪ 150‬درجة‪ ‬‬

‫الثالثاء‪ 3 ,‬نيسان ‪2012 ,‬‬

‫صفحة ‪15‬‬

‫اعت�صام مفاجىء‬ ‫هيا الأتا�سي ‪ -‬كاتبة �صحفية‬ ‫كانت الواحدة إالّ عشر دقائق ظهرا‪ .‬حلظة خروج الط ّالب من‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫الكل ليرى ما يجري‪.‬‬ ‫سمع صوت صفرة‪ .‬التفت‬ ‫صفوفهم‪ُ .‬‬ ‫موحد‪ ،‬ووجو ٍه جد ّية‪ ،‬اتّخذوا‬ ‫بلباس‬ ‫مجموعة شباب وصبايا‪،‬‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫وضع ّيات غريبة‪ .‬فمنهم من ركع على ركبتيه ومنهم من‬ ‫استلقى على االرض ومنهم من وقف جامدا‪ .‬كانوا يحملون‬ ‫الفتات ُكتب عليها شعارات تضامن مع ّ‬ ‫الشعب السوري‪.‬‬ ‫كان هدفهم االساسي والوحيد هو التّذكير بأ ّن هناك من‬ ‫يعاني ويُقتل‪ .‬هؤالء الذين يعانون ويُقتلون هم على بعد بضع‬ ‫كيلومترات من لبنان‪ .‬من أجمل ما ُكتب على أحد اللاّ فتات‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫«الشام ليست بعيدة عن بيروت‪،‬‬ ‫مقولة للكاتب إلياس خوري‪:‬‬ ‫ولكن بيروت تبتعد عن نفسها‪».‬‬ ‫وقف اجلميع باندهاش‪ .‬ال أحد كان يدري ما يحصل ‪.‬لم يفهم‬ ‫الط ّالب الرسالة في البداية‪ ،‬لكنهم حني اقتربوا وبدؤوا بقراءة‬ ‫ال ّالفتات فهموا املعنى‪ .‬العديد منهم دُهش مبا قرأ‪ ،‬فالكثير‬

‫من الطالب هنا بعيدون ّ‬ ‫عما يحصل في شقيقتهم‬ ‫كل البعد ّ‬ ‫سوريا‪ .‬كانت ال ّرسالة عبارة عن لفت نّظر الى أ ّن هناك الكثير‬ ‫حس ّ‬ ‫الطالب بأنّهم يعيشون‬ ‫من املُعاناة واألسى‪ .‬يجب أن ي ُ ّ‬ ‫في نعيم‪ .‬يجب أن يعرفوا قيمة النّعمة التي هم فيها‪ .‬فهم‬ ‫كل يوم ويذهبون ملمارسة احلياة ّ‬ ‫يستيقظون ّ‬ ‫الطبيعية و‬ ‫السوريون ال يقدرون على فعل هذا‪ ،‬فهم ُمجبرون على‬ ‫ال ّروتينية‪ّ .‬‬ ‫االختباء في بيوتهم لالحتماء من ال ّرصاص والقنص‪ .‬هذا ّ‬ ‫الشعب‬ ‫السياسة ولن أتط ّرأ إليه‪ .‬ولكن‬ ‫هو ضح ّية‪ .‬ال اتط ّرأ إلى موضوع ّ‬ ‫شعب يعاني‪.‬‬ ‫هناك‬ ‫ن‬ ‫أ‬ ‫هو‬ ‫إليه‬ ‫ما أحاول أن ألفت انتباه النّاس‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫يوم هناك‬ ‫كل يوم هناك من يفقد أخا أو أبا أو ّ‬ ‫أما أو ولدا‪ .‬كل ٍ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫يوم هناك من يُش ّرد من بيته أو مدينته‪.‬‬ ‫من يحترق منزله‪ .‬كل ٍ‬ ‫مكان بعيد أو غير معروف‪ .‬إنّها في‬ ‫هذه األحداث ليست في‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫سوريا‪ ،‬الشقيقة الكبرى للبنان‪...‬‬ ‫كان ّ‬ ‫الطالب املشاركني في غاية احلضارة واالحترام‪ .‬فهم وقفوا‬

‫حزينني صامينت تاركني احلكم لزمالئهم ع ّلهم يفهموا الرسالة‪.‬‬ ‫ألصقوا الشرائط على افواههم كرمز لسلم ّيتهم و تعبيرا عن‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫حقهم في ح ّرية التعبير‪ .‬فالطريقة التي اختاروها هي من أسمى‬ ‫وأرقى الوسائل للتّعبير عن الرأي‪ .‬وقفوا محترمني صامتني غير‬ ‫حتض عليه‬ ‫مستفزّين ليع ّبروا عن آرائهم واستيائهم‪ .‬هذا ما ّ‬ ‫اجلامعة األميركية‪ .‬فحر ّية التّعبير في اجلامعة حقٌ‬ ‫مقدس‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫السلم ّية واحلضار ّية‪.‬‬ ‫ويحقّ للجميع أن يع ّبر عن رأيه بالوسائل ّ‬ ‫جامعتنا مليئة بكل املذاهب والطوائف واألديان واآلراء وهذا ما‬ ‫يجعلها متن ّوعة وغنية‪ .‬هذه هي جامعتنا ا ّلتي نفخر بانتمائنا‬ ‫إليها‪ ...‬هذه هي اجلامعة األميركية في بيروت‪.‬‬ ‫سوريا هي شهيد يسعفه شهيد‪ ،‬فيداويه شهيد‪ ،‬فيسعفه‬ ‫شهيد‪ ،‬فيص ّلي عليه شهيد‪ ،‬فيدفنه شهيد‪.‬‬

‫جائزة "البوكر"‪2012‬‬ ‫وئام دالل ‪ -‬كاتب �صحفي‬ ‫لم يكن ذلك الصباح الذي خرج به «حنا يعقوب» بائع البيض‬ ‫املسلوق‪ -‬املسيحي و جار كنيسة مار الياس الكاثوليك في‬ ‫األشرفية‪ -‬صباحا عاديا كغيره من الصباحات التي اعتاد أن يبدأ‬ ‫بها يومه من جامع السراي مرورا بجامع الدباغة و اخلان البحري‬ ‫اجلديد‪ .‬فهذا الصباح سوف يربط قدره مبصير أربعة و أربعني‬ ‫درزيا من املقرر نفيهم الى قلعة بلغراد عقابا على جرائمهم في‬ ‫أحداث ‪ 1860‬الطائفية بني املسيحيني و الدروز في جبل لبنان‪.‬‬ ‫فهو سيصبح ‪ ،‬مبقابل جرتني من الذهب إلسماعيل باشا‪ ،‬األخ‬ ‫اخلامس لألخوة «عز الدين» بدل سليمان‪ .‬فيبدأ درب معاناة على‬ ‫مدى اثنا عشر عاما عاش فيها أبطال الرواية مواجهة دائمة‬ ‫مع املوت‪ .‬و استطاع الكاتب خالل هذه الفترة بتجسيد أصغر‬ ‫تفصيل فيها من الثياب الى الطقس و أشكال الشخصيات و‬ ‫املناظر الطبيعية وصوال الى األحاسيس املتنقلة بني البرد و األلم‬ ‫و احلزن و السعادة و احلب و احلنني و اإلميان و الكره‪.‬‬ ‫فازت «دروز بلغراد‪ -‬حكاية حنا يعقوب» بجائزة «البوكر»‬ ‫العاملية للرواية العربية بنسختها اخلامسة للكاتب ربيع جابر ‪.‬‬ ‫تعتبر هذه اجلائزة اعترافا عربيا للكاتب بتألق عمله و «قدرته‬ ‫على تصوير هشاشة الوضع اإلنساني من خالل إعادة خلق فترة‬ ‫تاريخية بلغة عالية احلساسية» حسب بيان جلنة التحكيم‪.‬‬ ‫و هي روايته الثامنة عشر في مسيرته التي بدأت منذ عشرين‬ ‫عاما من على مقاعد هذه اجلامعة‪ ،‬و كان قد ترشح لهذه‬ ‫اجلائزة من قبل عن روايته «اميركا» التي ال تقل تألقا عن «دروز‬ ‫بلغراد»‪ .‬فالروائي ربيع جابر استعان باحلدث التاريخي ليرسم‬

‫تو�ضيح‬ ‫�أ�رسة �أوتلوك‬ ‫ورد في العدد السابق مقالة بعنوان املقاومة ببساطة للدكتور‬ ‫محمد نصر الدين وقد ظهر جزء من إسم الكاتب لذا اقتضى‬ ‫التوضيح‪ .‬وتقبلوا فائق اإلحترام‪.‬‬

‫قصته التي تعالج قدرين‪ -‬قدر جماعة الدروز و قدر حنا‪ -‬الذين لم‬ ‫ينفصال طوال القصة‪ ،‬و لكن كان كل محكوم بتربيته اجلبلية‬ ‫او املدنية‪ .‬فقدر جماعة الدروز هو الصمود بالرغم من الشدائد‬ ‫و اجلوع و العطش و الظروف غير اإلنسانية التي تعرضت لها ‪،‬‬ ‫و ذلك بفضل أخالقها في مساعدة اآلخر و الصبر و العمل‬ ‫الدؤوب و آداب األكل و احترام النساء‪ .‬و قدر حنا هو الصمود‬ ‫أيضا بفضل اخوانه األربعة املزعومني و مساندتهم له حتى‬ ‫موتهم جميعا‪ ،‬بالرغم من الفرق الطائفي الذي قسمهم في‬ ‫البلد و جمعهم بالغربة و احملن‪ .‬على أن احلزن الذي تولده الرواية‬ ‫خالل قراءتها نتيجة موت دروز بلغراد جميعا يخف عندما نعلم‬ ‫أن حنا عاد و «حضن زوجته و ابنته و بكى»‪.‬‬

‫جزء ‪ ،44‬عدد ‪18‬‬ ‫الثالثاء‪ 3 ,‬نيسان ‪2012 ,‬‬

‫"�أ�صابني الأمل"‬

‫‪ ‎‬الزهراء ماجد ‪ -‬كاتبة �صحفية‬

‫يقول محمود درويش عن الشعر‪:‬‬ ‫«قصائدنا‬ ‫صوت‬ ‫بال‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫طعم‬ ‫بال‬ ‫لون ‪،‬‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫بال ٍ‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫اذا لم حتمل املصباح‬ ‫بيت‪..‬‬ ‫بيت الى ٍ‬ ‫من ٍ‬ ‫سيحمله الشعر‬ ‫أم‬ ‫الشعرية؟‬ ‫األمانة‬ ‫لهذه‬ ‫حامال‬ ‫علي‬ ‫كان‬ ‫فهل‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫حد قول الدرويش‪ ،‬في‬ ‫أمنيات عديدة؟ وأين كان «املصباح»‪ ،‬على ّ‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫شعره؟ أسئلة لم أطرحها على نفسي‪ ،‬و لكن على عدد من‬ ‫احلضور عصر يوم الثالثاء في السابع والعشرين من شهر آذار‪.‬‬ ‫أسئلة طرحتها عليهم ‪ ،‬لكي أكون حياد ّية فال أنحاز إلى‬ ‫نظر واحدة من احمل ّبني للشعر‬ ‫زميلي في الشعر‪ ،‬أو أكتب وجهة ٍ‬ ‫من جهة‪ ،‬وللق ّراء واألدباء والناقدين‪ ،‬من جهة أخرى‪.‬‬ ‫يقول أدونيس ‪:‬إذا كان الشاعر نزيهاً‪ ،‬فهو أول ناقد لشعره»‬ ‫بدأ حفل توقيع كتاب «أصابني األمل» في قاعة األسمبلي عند‬ ‫رحب كاتبه علي بدران باحلضور‬ ‫الساعة اخلامسة عصراً‪ ،‬حيث ّ‬ ‫وقام بدعوة الشاعر نصر الدين ليقول كلمات مختصرة بحقّ‬ ‫علي‪ ،‬والشعر‪ .‬ومن النصائح الثالث التي أعطاها نصر الدين‬ ‫كانت فكرة «عقلن قلبك وجنن عقلك»‪ .‬أعجبتني هذه الفكرة‬ ‫حقاَ‪ ،‬فهي ترمز إلى ما ينبغي أن يكون عليه الشاعر بالذات‪...‬‬ ‫وأعني بالذات‪ ،‬أي أ ّن ماهية الشاعر مفتوحة على فيحاء‬ ‫اآلراء‪ ،‬والسعي للسم ّو بحقيقية الشعر ّ‬ ‫لكل اجملاالت احلياتية‪.‬‬ ‫وإنني عندما أبحث عن الشعر‪ ،‬أبحث عن املكان الذي سأصل‬ ‫إليه من بعده‪ ...‬فكما أشار نصر الدين ‪ :‬إن»الشعر مت ّرد على‬ ‫كل ما هو كائن للوصول إلى ما يجب أن يكون»‪.‬‬ ‫بعد ذلك‪ ،‬ألقى بدران كلمة مختصرة عن احلياة وفروعها‪ .‬فحكى‬ ‫بفلسطني وشعب فلسطني‪ ،‬وعن جنوب لبنان‪ ،‬ورجال الدين وعن‬

‫األنثى‪ ،‬وعن والده ووالدته وعن أخته وأخاه وعن نفسه‪ ،‬جناحه‬ ‫وفشله‪ ...‬وكانت هذه الكلمة بابًا ليبدأ ببعض القصائد من‬ ‫ديوانه‪ .‬ولكن‪ .....‬إذا كانت احلياة تتف ّرع بكل االجتاهات‪ ،‬فلم كان‬ ‫شعره منحصرا بنطاق احلب واحلبيبة؟ ليس ّ‬ ‫كل رجل شاعر‪،‬‬ ‫أيضاومن يقول‬ ‫ولن‬ ‫يحب كل منا كل يوم‪ .‬في احلياة أسى وفرح ً‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫غير ذلك فهو خادع لنفسه‪ ...‬أو على األقل مكذب إلحساسه‬ ‫أشعة‬ ‫وذاته‪ ...‬ما املانع من ذكر بضع من السواد لكي متحيها‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫البياض والفرح؟ ومتى كان احلب كلمتني مركبتني على نغمات‬ ‫نزار‪...‬؟‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫أنا شخصيا‪ ،‬أهنّئ علي على ما وصل إليه وهو في غ ّرة العشرين‬ ‫من عمره‪ ،‬وأشجعه على االستمرارية كذلك‪ ،‬لكنني أتساءل عن‬ ‫سبب فقدان احلفل لبضع من القصائد العميقة الذاتية كما‬ ‫غير الذاتية‪ ،‬والتي ‪ ،‬وأنا أعلم ‪ ،‬لو سمعتها‪ ،‬لتأثرت كثيرا‪..‬‬ ‫ولكن عبثا كانت كلها مستقاة من تربة الغراميات النزارية‪.‬‬ ‫لست أنتقد هذا األخير‪ ،‬إذ أنه ال بد لكل شاعر من مصدر‬ ‫إلهامي ‪ .‬لذلك كنت أنتظر أن أسمع شيئا عن علي ‪ ،‬عن أخيه‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫‪ ،‬عن حياته‪ ،‬وأن ال أسمع ما اعتدنا عليه من غراميات أي شاعر‬ ‫اي كان‪ .‬يقول أنطون سعادة‪ »:‬الذين‬ ‫للسيدات العابرات في حياة ّ‬ ‫لم يتعودوا احلب غير آهاته الفيزيائية ال ميكنهم ان ميثلوا حاالته‬ ‫النفسية الراقية» ‪ .‬سؤالي اآلن‪ ,‬لعلي‪ ،‬وللنقاد‪ ,‬أو لألدباء‪ ..‬هل‬ ‫هنالك هذا احلس الراقي للحب أو للمشاعر االنسانية في شعر‬ ‫علي؟ أنا لن أجيب‪ ،‬ولكن ينبغي للمستمع والقارئ أن ينتبها‬ ‫أظلم من مجتمع‬ ‫لكل هذه التفاصيل الدقيقة‪ ..‬لست أجد‬ ‫َ‬ ‫يل ّوث معاني األدب عندما يقبل بشعر سطحي يظل خارج نطاق‬ ‫يحصل كل املشاعر االنسانية‪،‬‬ ‫السمو الشعري الذي يجب أن‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫وأن ينير آفاق القراء‪.‬‬

‫يحصل كل املشاعر االنسانية‪ ,‬وأن يؤ ّثر‪.‬‬ ‫يجب أن‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫أعجبتني قصيدة «املالئكة ال تراقص الشياطني» وبالتحديد‬ ‫عندما قال‪« :‬األرض القاحلة ال تنبت الياسمني‪ ،‬وأنا قد كثر‬ ‫الشوك على صدري»‪ .‬قد تكون مألوفة‪ ،‬ولكنها أعجبتني‬ ‫باالضافة إلى بضع جمل من كل قصيدة‪ ...‬على سبيل املثال‪:‬‬ ‫«خلف الباب إمرأة جنوبية»‪« ،‬الفرق الوحيد بيننا‪ ،‬أني أعرف‬ ‫أنك لست لي‪ ،‬بينما اجملنون ال يعرف األمل»‪« ،‬لكي أحبك أكثر‪،‬‬ ‫أحبك‪ ..‬ال لست أح ّبك»‪ « ،‬هناك من ينتظرها حتت املطر» ‪،‬‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ولعل اجلملتني‬ ‫«احلبيب األفضل هو الذي ال يرحل أبدا»‪...‬‬ ‫األخيرتني هما من القصيدة األخيرة «إلى نفسي» والتي‬ ‫فضلتها على غيرها من القصائد‪ ، ،‬وقد وافقني الكثيرون رأيي‬ ‫هذا‪ ..‬على الرغم من كونها نثرية‪ ،‬أكثر من كونها شعرية‬ ‫الشكل واملضمون وااليقاع‪.‬‬ ‫انتهى احلفل الشعري سريعا‪ ،‬وقام بدران بتوقيع كتابه وقد عاد‬ ‫بعض من ريع الكتاب جلمعية سرطان األطفال‪ ،‬مما جعل عمله‬ ‫رجع الصدى ا ّن‬ ‫انسانيا‪ ،‬بنظري على األقل‪ . .‬وما قد سمعته من ْ‬ ‫القاء علي لم يكن إلقاء شعريا كما يجب إضافة إلى مشكالت‬ ‫التشكيل وتش ّبثه بالورقة أثناء قيامه بعملية االلقاء ‪ .‬لن أزيد‬ ‫ولكن الفيديو الذي نزل على صفحات الفايسبوك عن الكتاب‪،‬‬ ‫‪،‬‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫السليم‪..‬‬ ‫كان مليئا باألخطاء من حيث القواعد والنطق غير ّ‬ ‫فهل هذا ينبغي أن يكون موجودا عند شاعر أصبح لديه ثالثة‬ ‫كتب متتالية؟‬ ‫أمتنى التوفيق لعلي على الكتاب اجلديد‪ ...‬على أمل أن يصيب‬ ‫مجتمعاتنا األمل‪ ،‬وأن ينمو إحساس الثقافة عند اجلميع‪...‬‬ ‫عندها فقط نستطيع أن ننهض باألدب والشعر والفن‪ ...‬مبروك‬ ‫علي‪....‬‬

‫ن�رشة الأخطار اليومية‬ ‫منى �أيوب ‪ -‬م�ساهمة �صحفية‬

‫صاحبنا لهذا األسبوع مبتلى بعلة نادرة ‪ ...‬هو يخشى»‬ ‫األخطار» بدرجة مرضية‪ ...‬و محور حياته و هم يومه هو‬ ‫اإلحتياط منها‪...‬‬ ‫قالوا أن بلده يقع على فالق أرضي خطير ‪ ،‬و أنه يرجح حصول‬ ‫زلزال في املستقبل القريب‪...‬فيحتاط له بشتى الوسائل حتى‬ ‫لو كلفه األمر تغيير مسكنه إلى آخر آمن‪ ...‬فمن يدري؟ لعل‬ ‫األرض تقرر أن تنسف بني آدم اليوم أو غدا‪ ،‬فلم ال يعتد‬ ‫ألهوالها؟‬ ‫قالوا أن تناول الكثير من الفاكهة يؤذي القلب ‪ ،‬ولكن أكلها‬ ‫بكميات معتدلة ضرورة‪ ...‬فهل تصدق بأن صاحبنا حرم‬

‫الفاكهة على نفسه إلى يوم الدين؟ ملعون كل ما ميكن أن‬ ‫ينقص من عمره شيئا‪...‬‬ ‫قالوا أن جو املدينة بدخانها و سمومها و تلوثها يسبب األمراض‬ ‫‪ ،‬و لكن العيش فيها ضرورة ملن أراد أن يتعلم أو يعمل ‪ ...‬من‬ ‫يأبه للعلم و العمل وعداد العمر في خطر؟‪ ...‬فلتذهب املدينة و‬ ‫العيشة فيها إلى اجلحيم‪ ...‬و ألعش بهدوء في حضن الضيعة‬ ‫‪Y‬لى آخر العمر‪...‬‬ ‫قالوا أن فيروسا خطيرا ينتشر في الهواء يجتاح العالم‪...‬‬ ‫قالوا أن مواسم اجلفاف ستمتد إلى بقع جديدة من األرض‪...‬‬ ‫قالوا أن العالم على هاوية حرب عاملية تدمر األخضر و اليابس‪...‬‬

‫‪3193 .ext 000 350 01 :tel 208 Bliss Street, West Hall‬‬

‫رحم اهلل صاحبنا‪ ...‬كم عاش شقيا‪...‬تقول بعض الشائعات أن‬ ‫أحد جيرانه في الضيعة قد أخبر املسؤولني عن رائحة كريهة آتية‬ ‫من بيته ‪ ،‬فإذا به وجد جثة متعفنة على كنبته أمام التلفاز‪»...‬‬ ‫مساء اخلير مشاهدينا األعزاء‪ ...‬نتقدم لكم نشرة األخطار لهذا‬ ‫اليوم»‪...‬‬ ‫صاحبنا مبتلى بعلة نادرة اسمها « نقص األمل»‪ ...‬لوال طول‬ ‫األمل والرجاء ملا عمرت هذه األرض‪ ...‬لوال قدرتنا العجيبة على‬ ‫االنشغال عن كل ما يحيط بنا من أخطار ملا تعلمنا و ال عملنا‬ ‫و ال أجنزنا‪...‬‬