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Outlook The American University of Beirut

FEA receives ABET accreditation

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Vol. XLIII, No. 6

Teach for Lebanon

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| Tuesday, Nov 2, 2010 | The Independent Student Publication Since 1949

Suliman S. Olayan School of Business Celebrates a Successful Ten Year Anniversary Joseph Saba Staff Writer

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n one of what can be easily classified as AUB’s marquee event, Olayan School of Business (OSB) celebrated its 10 year anniversary in an elegant style on Friday, October 29 at the Maamari Auditorium in OSB. Many high profile and distinguished guests attended the event, including Prime Minister Saadeddine Hariri, Trustee Hutham Olayan, AUB President Peter Dorman, Provost Ahmad Dallal and George Najjar, Professor and Dean of the OSB. After the national anthem, the ceremony began with a word of welcome from the Dean of the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business Dr. George Najjar. Najjar

said that OSB’s 10th anniversary is inspired by happy coincidences and that it showcases AUB’s achievements. According to Najjar, there have been 55 faculty members from 17 different nationalities since 2001. He stated that “the OSB has one option for standard which is world class” and that AUB hopes that OSB will be eventually the gold standard for the business schools in the Middle East. Najjar talked about how all the other faculties were there for the OSB and thanked President Dorman and Provost Dallal for their support. He ended his speech by noting that now that the “first ten years continued on page 4

Photo Courtesy of Ahmad El Itani (Office of Communications)

OSB Hosts Creative Commons Lecture Lara Traboulsi Business Manager

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INSIDE

n Monday, October 25, 2010 AUB was lucky enough to host Professor Lawrence Lessig, founder of Creative Commons and Director of Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics, and Mr. Joichi Ito, CEO of Creative Commons (CC). Invited by the Entrepreneurship Initiative at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business, Professor Lessig and Mr. Ito gave an enlightening seminar about the Creative Commons and

Editorial & Opinion Campus News Arts & Culture Out Loud

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intellectual property rights in Lebanon. Students and teachers alike flooded the Maamari Auditorium to get the chance to listen to the inspiring speakers.

The seminar revolved around the need for implementing CC tools, which consist of licenses that allow your work to be shared without being restricted by copyright laws. Where once copyright served a purpose in providing incentives for crecontinued on page 4

2 Arabic News 3-5 Entertainment 6-7 Out of the Box 8

9 10 11

Professor Lawrence Lessig From Harvard University

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Campus News JCI Fights Malaria

Out Loud Pictures and Quotes Inside

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Arabic News ‫األخطبوط العراف‬ ”‫“بول‬

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Outlook

editorial & opinion

Listening Out for a Better Future

A College Education?

What for?

Rami Diab Editor-in-Chief

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Nov 2 , 2010

s we wake to our academic curriculums, too many opportunities for criticism are suddenly unveiled. Looking to our new students this year, I see them torn between their academics and future aspirations. “Why should we master algebra if we are to use calculators in the future,” you’ll overhear them say, and “why on earth must we learn about the bowels of a tape worm if we are to pursue a career in medicine?”

Questions as these take me back to when I first joined AUB; a sophomore notorious for sacrificing the fruits of academia for wonder of its purpose and value.

But I’m done now. Done with asking questions, what for?

Instead of battling the tides, I’ve learned to move with them, to trust in their value.

Nowadays, I try and give my undivided attention to academia – no questions asked – only to find that the once nagging voice in the back of my head had suddenly tunnelled itself out. Locked in more than a year’s worth of selfstrife, I finally succumbed to the fact that it doesn’t pay much to complain over course material. If a change was to start within my educational curriculum I thought, then it would first have to start within me. Rather than others therefore, I would have to be the one filling the loopholes in my education. I learned that simply by taking an ear-

nest interest in my academics, no matter the circumstances, that I could catapult myself to greater heights – and indeed, I did.

Maybe what determines the calibre of our education is not so much the curriculums themselves, but the amount of time and energy our efforts culminate in humoring them. If we move long enough in this direction we should manage to escape our dark and desolate ignorance and actively rummage for answers where we once merely settled for questions – that was my fate anyhow.

So as a final message to all you new (and returning) AUBites out there, although it may not be apparent to you now, a college education does indeed fall into the grand scheme of things. If you’re still not convinced, I don’t blame you, but just take a moment to consider that I myself never thought I’d finally admit it. “Take the first step in faith, you don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step” (Martin Luther King).

Lynn Itani Staff Writer

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hen facing obstacles, I find that it is motivating to know about real-life inspirational stories of people who overcame difficulties. I could not help but see Wissam Constantin, currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Microbiology and Immunology at AUB, as a hero. Wissam, 24, lost his hearing at the age of ten months and is the eldest of two other brothers who have also lost their hearing at a young age due to unknown reasons. Last year, Wissam graduated from Notre Dame University (NDU) with a BS in Medical Laboratory Technology, and also, with distinction. He is the first deaf student to graduate from a university in Lebanon and

the Middle East. He is also the first to continue towards a Master’s degree.

Wissam has been honored by President Michel Sleiman, health minister Mohammad Khalifeh, as well as being the recipient of the Said Akl Creativity Award for his academic efforts.

Although his hearing is impaired, he can still communicate and understand others by “listening” through his eyes. He reads lips as long as the speaker is talking slowly and articulating clearly.

In case of a misunderstanding, one could simply repeat or write on a paper. In his school, which is especially for the hearing impaired, he learned sign language as well as how to write and read lips for both Arabic and English.

Wissam believes that knowing sign language should be appreciated; it is just like learning German or any other language, for it is the mother tongue of deaf people.

Wissam’s story also has a romantic aspect to it –Wissam’s current girlfriend Samar has always loved sign language, and works at his school. She actually taught his brother, and met him at a school reunion a couple of years ago.

Samar thinks that Wissam

loves life, always smiles, and has increased her social and cultural skills. To her, he is smart and strong, and she loves him for who he is. She does not believe that he is different from the rest of society.

In addition, Wissam is a professional basketball player with the Louaize team. When asked about activities that he can’t carry out because of his hearing, Wissam responded, “Don’t you think I am capable of a lot of things that others are not?”

He dreams of continuing an MD/PhD degree as well as building a family, and that God will open the doors for his future Himself. Wissam derives his strength from his faith in God, as well as his parents who have showed him affection, care and patience. He admires his uncle for providing him the precious weapons of knowledge and culture, and also his “moon” Samar for being supportive and understanding. Quoting Wissam, “Each one of us has his own disability. The most important thing to succeed in life and have a healthy one is to discover this disability. So discover and accept your incapacities, believe in what you can do… believe in yourself.”

Dr. Maryam Ghandour: Spammer or Opportunity Maker?

Emile Zankoul Staff Writer Each and every morning, the answer to every AUBite’s question “got mail?” is a big yes! In fact, one particularly thoughtful friend we all share makes sure that our inbox never contains less than a dozen emails. Can you guess who that caring individual is?

Yes, you guessed it, that individual is none other than Dr. Maryam Ghandour whose dedication to our student body ensures that none of us ever feel lonely or rejected.

Whether it is 8:00 am or 4:00 pm, she will strike, and our inboxes will be filled. Situated at the Office of Student Af-

fairs, Ghandour heads AUB’s Career and Placement Services sector. Every email she sends may be a new job opening, recruitment opportunity, or simply an invitation to a company presentation. Well that sounds incredibly amazing at first possibly helping us feel secure about our futures and making us doubt the circulating fear of a lack of jobs for early graduates. However, when a Civil Engineering Junior receives opportunities such as the following…

“Needed Full Time Graduate Consultant. Apply Now OSED-47” “Needed: Maintenance Manager/ 10 years Work Experience/ Apply Now OSED 42” “Needed BUSINESS ANA-

LYST. Apply NOW, OSED46” …the efficiency and value of these opportunities suddenly come into question with many of us, regarding them as spam and deleting them all instantaneously complaining of an inbox saturated with Ghandour’s emails.

It is not that we students do not appreciate the doors open to us, on the contrary, it’s just that we value those related to us directly more so than others. As they say, it is not the quantity that matters, but rather the quality.

Therefore, if instead of receiving a big number of random emails, we received only one weekly email labelled in relation to our fields and status-

es, I imagine it would be much more welcomed since it allows the students to focus on the few available opportunities they have. This way they are able to take their time and judge each of them instead of selecting them all and hitting “delete.”

In ending, Dr. Ghandour, we are thankful for your kind efforts in securing our futures, but maybe it would be far easier and much more supportive to us if we received less emails and ones that we could benefit from. In doing so, our use of Imail will be facilitated, several complaints would diminish and appreciation for your efforts would most definitely increase.

Outlook

Nov 2, 2010

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Campus News

FEA Programs Receive ABET Accreditation Edrees Elrachidi Staff Writer

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lthough a bit overdue, since the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (FEA) had four of its undergraduate engineering programs officially accredited by the EAC of ABET (Engineering Accrediting Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) in July of 2010, Outlook decided to interview Karim Kabalan, Chairperson and Professor of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department, and Zaher Dawy, Associate Professor in the ECE department. In this interview, Kabalan and Dawy, both major role players and critical members of the departmental committee that helped with the accreditation process for their department, shed light on the procedures of EAC-ABET accreditation and its benefits towards the respective programs and graduating students.

According to Kabalan, ABET accreditation recognizes technical programs like engineering and computing based on “quality, exposure, curriculum, student resources, and [availability of] facilities.”

The ABET accreditation process made its debut at AUB more than ten years ago, but was put on hold since then.

It was not until some major lobbying efforts took place on AUB’s part, that in July of 2010 several engineering

undergraduate programs officially received accreditation effective as of October 1, 2008 and they are Civil Engineering (CE), Computer and Communications Engineering (CCE), Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), and Mechanical Engineering (ME).

In the United States, ABET accreditation is the recognized accreditor of such technical programs. Dawy says that there are three components to ABET accreditation: “the availability of facilities and resources, an education component” that includes an established “curriculum design,” and finally, a systematic “continuous improvement process” that provides the framework to assure programs will continue to improve. Areas for improvement must be identified; plans must be developed, implemented and then evaluated against the objectives desired.

Kabalan describes the accreditation process as being methodological and simple. “[The ECE department along with the other departments individually] applied for accreditation and there were certain procedures to go through.” These procedures, he explains, included setting objectives and outcomes at the “program level and the course level.” Moreover, “the outcomes and ob-

jectives must be met through multiple measures and are directly and indirectly assessed for completion.” Any course required by a program being accredited had to go through this process. Everything about the course was documented, including any modifications implemented, as well as why the modifications were done. All of this was just part of one component (the educational component) of the accreditation process. Kabalan says that “Middle State Accreditation requires a certain percentage of courses taken to be labeled as ‘General Education’ (GE),” which is, to an extent, why this list was formed and is continuously being modified by a committee. In order to approve of AUB’s facilities for accreditation, ABET reviewers visited not only all the labs and operators of those labs, but also visited the career office, libraries, as well as all faculty members, the Dean, Provost, and the President.

When asked about how close the BE program in Chemical Engineering is from becoming ABET accredited, Kabalan said that a program can apply for accreditation the year it will graduate its first class. The first students will graduate with BS degrees in Chemical Engineering and Construction Engineering in June of Academic

Photo by Edrees Elrachidi

Year (AY) 2011-12; the BE in Chemical Engineering may graduate students in June of AY 2012-13. He stated that “the process is underway,” that everything is being documented, and that the departments will apply as soon as possible.

Kabalan emphasized that this accreditation was a massive achievement. AUB is the first and currently the only institution in Lebanon to have programs that are accredited

by ABET. What is even more unique is that the Computer and Communications Engineering (CCE) program is the first program of its kind to be accredited by ABET. This accreditation has many benefits in store for both AUB and the students graduating from these programs. For AUB, ABET accreditation means that the programs must have a “never-ending” improvement plan. These improvements, goals and achievements must be met in order to keep the accreditation; this will guarantee the high qual-

ity of engineering education that has come to be expected at AUB. Kabalan explained the difficulty that students can encounter when applying to graduate institutions or positions in leading firms in the US and Canada. One of the first questions often asked in such applications is, “Is your institution ABET accredited?” The answer to that question can finally be “yes.” Critics of the accreditation might say that many students graduating with a BE tend to apply to firms in the Gulf, where, regionally, AUB is already a recognized institution and does not require ABET accreditation.

Kabalan disagrees with such criticisms, as it provides the students with further validation of the standards of the accredited AUB engineering programs. In fact, Kabalan added that many students have told him they felt a discrepancy (to their advantage) between their knowledge and the knowledge of their coworkers.

JCI Collects Funds to Save Children Suffering From Malaria Khodor Abou Daya Staff Writer

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he fight against malaria is certainly not a recent one. On July 26, 2010 Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro of the United Nations told the African Leaders Malaria Alliance that “malaria is an ancient enemy, and the fight against it will be long, but we are on road to success.”

In fact, one of the United Na-

tions Millennium Development Goals is to reverse the incidence of malaria by 2015.

But why leave it all up to the UN? Junior Chamber International (JCI) has taken initiative and stood side by side with the UN to end malaria.

“Nothing but Nets” is the slogan of the campaign running worldwide. Fortunately, it has reached the stands set in front of West Hall during the previous week through the efforts of AUB’s own JCI.

Donating $10 will provide a family in Africa protection from the mosquitoes that spread malaria. The monetary amount covers the cost of a net that could isolate an African home from those pesky insects.

For a humanitarian activist, $10 is a small price to pay on the road to end malaria. Also, as one JCI member working at the stand puts it, “Just being part of the campaign and collecting funds gives a tre-

mendous feeling.”

To understand what this member is expressing, one would have to view the facts about malaria, and they are: -Approximately 40% of the world’s population—mostly those living in the world’s poorest countries—are at risk of contracting malaria.

-Many children who survive an episode of severe malaria may suffer from learning impairments or brain damage.

-Pregnant women and their

unborn children are also particularly vulnerable to malaria, which is a major cause of perinatal mortality, low birth weight and maternal anemia.

- Malaria causes more than 300 million acute illnesses and at least one million deaths annually.

- On average, malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds.

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campus news

Nov 2, 2010

OSB Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary continued from page 1

are now behind, expect more to come.”

A 10 minute documentary proceeded Dean Najjar’s speech which focused primarily on OSB’s evolution from 2000 until now, where Provost Ahmad Dallal proceeded afterward to give a speech.

He was delighted to take part in such an important celebration and said that the “OSB has taken giant strides” in the past 10 years. He noted that several research centers have been developed in the school and congratulated Najjar for what he has done for the OSB. President Peter Dorman gave his word next, discussing the centrality of liberal arts at AUB. He noted that only 48 of the 120 credits required in completing the undergraduate business degree are strictly core courses and said that OSB enjoyed “resounding success in those 10 years and the goal is not for the next 10 years, but new growth hopefully for the next century.”

Trustee Hutham Olayan, daughter of Suliman Olayan, talked about the OSB and her father, whom she considers him to be “an eminent role model for the younger generation,” despite the fact that he never attended college.

She said that the Olayan’s partnership with AUB is solid and also noted that “the Middle East has to run, and has to run fast” in order to stay in the competition, and will be able to do so hopefully through OSB. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saadeddine Hariri decided to give a word and unlike the others, addressed the crowd in Arabic. Hariri reminded the audience that his father, late PM Rafik Hariri, announced on the August 21, 2000 the establishment of the OSB from the Green Oval amidst a tense political situation like nowadays. Hariri’s speech focused on the country’s current situation and

reassured everyone that there would be no conflict in Lebanon. Hariri exited OSB right after giving the speech, causing a stir in the audience where people assumed the ceremony was over, despite the brochure indicating that a panel of discussion was left to end the ceremony.

The panel of discussions took place with the moderator being Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business President John Fernandez. Six panellists participated, including Johnny Johnson, a Professor in the McDonough School of Business of Georgetown University (GU) with his colleague, Ali Fekrat, Professor Emeritus in GU and an AUB alumnus, Sir Geoffrey Own, former Editor-in-Chief of the Financial Times and professor in the London School of Economics, Yash Gupta, Dean of the Carey Business School at the John Hopkins University, Soumitra Dutta, INSEAD former dean, and Dr. Parkaj Paul, Editor of the Hundstan Times. The panel primarily focused on business schools, discussing the challenges it faces, how

Photo Courtesy of Ahmad El Itani (Office of Communications)

business schools prepare the future leader’s skill set, and how to narrow the gap between business schools.

After the discussions was over, Gupta said that “when the term ‘world class’ is mentioned, that means every person should try to reach a class of his own, like Gandhi did.”

Fekrat compared the OSB to a plant, saying that “when you first grow a plant, you easily notice how good it’s doing. After that, it takes a lot more to grow and growth won’t be as obvious as it was earlier.”

Dorman said that the great challenge is in maintaining

the status quo AUB achieved and believes the OSB will help AUB succeed in so. The event ended with a well organized dinner, matching the success of the Olayan School of Business in the past decade and looking for the best.

Creative Commons Encourages Sharing Creativity continued from page 1

ativity and protecting that creativity, it now acts as a hindrance. Professor Lessig talked about the various different ecologies that coexist and complement each other, highlighting the commercial and noncommercial ecologies. Instead of only having professional work published the floor is now open and featuring various amateur publications. With the expanding social interactive media such as Facebook, YouTube, and Flikr the amateur community is growing exponentially, and the laws have to be adjusted to accommodate

them, particularly since “the amateur ecology is a sharing ecology.”

“By keeping copyright laws as rigid as they are today, we are forcing our children to be pirates,” said Lessig.

CC allows “authors, scientists, educators, and artists” to mark their material with the freedom they see fit, permitting people to share and remix their work by changing “all rights reserved” to “some rights reserved.” Eminent organizations such as Al Jazeera, Wikipedia, and even the White House were one of the pioneers in realiz-

ing the importance of CC licenses and embracing them.

Joichi Ito who was named as one of the “100 leaders of tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum and was honored as one of the 25 most influential people on the Web

by Business Week, reached out to the young business students and entrepreneurs and told them not to fear failure.

He reassured them that the cost of failure has gone down drastically so there is room for the courage to be creative.

Mr. Ito went on to say that no one can anticipate all the different uses of the Internet

nowadays, and the creative social networks that keep emerging are proof. Embracing CC would only increase this creativity as it facilitates crossover. He highlighted the fact that CC has become the agile development that is needed to adjust to the rapid changes. The insightful CEO ended his speech by saying “the really cool things haven’t happened yet,” pointing out that the true potential of the Internet is far from realized yet. So don’t be afraid to be creative and share your creativity with the world.

Outlook

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Nov 2, 2010

campus news Teach for Lebanon Provides Educational Change in the Country

Yumna Ghandour Staff Writer

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n Thursday, October 28, 2010, Bathish Auditorium seats were filled with students and faculty curiously welcoming a fresh NGO by the name of Teach for Lebanon. Its goal is to eliminate educational inequality by recruiting graduating students to teach at underprivileged schools around the country.

Ali Dimashkieh, the CEO, first presented Teach for Lebanon’s objectives. The program started two years ago and already 22 teachers are participating in eight different schools. University graduates are trained for six weeks in the summer and then given the chance to teach. The graduates teach for two years with a passion towards improving poor learning circumstances and creating a tangible sense of future educational possibilities.

“After some time, one of my

most troubled students told me that he wanted to be an architect. That was his new aspiration, I just couldn’t believe it,” states Farah Bayoumi, one of teachers in the program, during her speech.

Farah has been teaching for one year, and one can tell of the significant ways she has aided a community from the proud tone she uses when talking of her students. The teachers participate for many reasons. For Farah it started in believing that it was truly time for change.

Teach for Lebanon is inspired from a program called Teach for America, which was cofounded by Wendy Kopp over twenty years ago. It now has 4,500 teachers and 20,000 alumni and has 16 countries with NGO‘s modeled after it.

“A year after my graduation from Princeton, I was standing in an auditorium in front of what were the first 500 future teachers of Teach for

America,” Kopp states.

Her initial proposal for the program was done when she was yet the age of our seniors here at AUB. During her last year in university, she proposed Teach for America, asking, “Why don’t graduates commit to two years of teaching in underprivileged schools instead of being interns for two years at banks?”

That, too, is a very strong and capable question. Graduates here in AUB can now take part in this international effort to provide aspirations for young students who would otherwise fall behind in the educational competitiveness needed today. It is an effort to try and defy a determined future depending on class status.“Twenty years ago, no one would’ve believed it if we were to say that today, we no longer have this notion of where you’re born having to determine your educational

Cartoon by Deedee El Jilani

competitiveness,” says Wendy Kopp. “If it is possible to solve the problem, then we simply must solve it knowing the consequences these kids face if we don’t.”

After sharing many stories of success from Teach for America, one begins to have hope

here in Lebanon too. Despite the other social structures that would have to change as well, Kopp acknowledges, these success stories prove that progressive change is possible.

Social Media Takes AUB by Storm Timmy Malkoun Associate Editor

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ocial media in Lebanon has witnessed a marked growth recently. Most notably, the popularity of blogs has increased exponentially as has people’s foray into the world of Twitter; in order to see social media in action, one need not look any further than the AUB Campus.

Most notably, a recent addition to the multitude of clubs in AUB is AUB’s Online Collaborative (AUBOC).

The mission of the club is “[t]o support and encourage AUB bloggers and users of social media (such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, etc.) [and] [t]o promote the usage of such tools amongst other AUB students given their current popularity and

importance.”According to Mohammad Hijazi, the club’s president and founder, “The ultimate goal of the club is to make students aware of the importance of social media and to encourage as much of them as possible to start blogs to express their opinions and views about what in-

taken over many fields including journalism, politics, education, marketing, etcetera.” He adds, “The idea warranted a club because I wanted to unite the users of social media (especially bloggers and Tweeps) under one organization in order to promote them and make them

lecture on improving student life in AUB through technology and social media, workshops about blogging and the effective use of Twitter and Linked-In, as well as other events, including tweet-ups (which are essentially meet ups involving people from Twitter), and the Blogging

terests them.”Hijazi states, “I have realized the vast importance and popularity that social media is getting recently, especially that it has

more popular in the Lebanese and Arab blogosphere and Twitter scene.”The club is currently planning a multitude of events including a

Lebanon Convention which will take place on December 3, 2010. Furthermore, testament to the growing importance of social media on cam-

“I have realized the vast importance and popularity that social media is getting recently, especially that it has taken over many fields including journalism, politics, education, marketing, etcetera.”

pus is Leila Khauli Hanna, Instructor of Marketing at OSB, who has begun to use Twitter as a mode of communication for her Communications class (Marketing 225). Hanna states “Twitter is amazing because it gives us access to immediate news and allows us to share articles and feedback.” Furthermore, when asked if Twitter was being used to replace Moodle, Hanna stated, “Moodle is amazing, and [using twitter] complements it.”Hanna continues to state, “Even people who are not taking the course post feedback,” commenting on the dynamic nature of the social media interface.

She adds, “In a course where social media has become the thing to use, using Twitter made sense,” as social media is indeed a hot topic in our world today.

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Outlook

arts & culture

Nov 2 , 2010

Uncovering Early Breast Cancer: “Where do you like it?”

Caterina Belardi Contributing Writer

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ome like it “on the couch” or “on the floor,” a few “on the kitchen table,” while others just “like it anywhere.” Any further thoughts? As much as tricky minds could mislead us, the entire female population hasn’t gone completely mad, yet! The“it” in question refers to purses, but of course there is more to the “it!” October marked the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and just like the previous “what’s your bra color?” successful global drive, Facebook lends a hand once again to the campaign in its own unique style.

Every year the global community generates engaging initiatives in order to bring out awareness to the cause, and Lebanon is no exception.

With catchy advertisements and information campaigns across the country, this initiative is sponsored first-hand by the pharmaceutical company, Roche, in partnership with the Ministry of Health.

“The awareness we sponsor through these initiatives has gotten more aggressive over the years, as women are more open to talk about the pathology and share their experi-

ences,” says Leila Koleilat, Communication manager at Roche. The aim of the event is to encourage women to regularly undergo “the three steps to finding breast cancer early, which are breast selfawareness, clinical exam and mammograms. As part of the initiative, we offer free mammograms in public hospitals, and at 40,000 L.L. in participating private hospitals and medical centers until the end of the year, and a hot line service which answers basic questions and refers to specialists,” explains Koleilat.

Furthermore, Koleilat illustrates how “this is the first year the Ministry of Health assigns an official committee to the cause, gathering a series of specialists; oncologists, gynecologists, oncosurgeons, radiologists and nurses, headed by Dr. Walid Ammar, in cooperation with representatives from Roche, several NGOs and support groups such as FaireFace and the May Jallad Foundation.” A further objective this year was to “raise the quality of treatments; workshops have been created in preparation for the event, focus-

ing on technical training and also on patient care, how to help the patients, women and men, dealing with the process and fear factor as well as their follow-ups,” says Koleilat. Still, as much as this is “the first campaign to gain credibility as the media now comes to us, more is to be done. More cooperation and money are needed for the Lebanese patients. Lebanese companies and malls should invest in such causes for us to widen our outreach, especially to the rural areas, mostly in the Bekaa, where digital and print media or awareness campaigns aren’t widely spread,” says Koleilat.

As for Facebook’s drive, Koleilat states, “I found this initiative quite provocative and not really relevant to the cause. Although last January’s ‘what’s your bra color?‘ tease was quite the target-hitter!” As for next year, she adds, “Why not turn Facebook pink the whole month of October?”

Why not? Any suggestions, AUBites? Also…where do you like it?

UNESCO Fund-raises for Pakistan’s Flood Disaster Lara Traboulsi Business Manager

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n July 22, 2010, Pakistan witnessed a horrific flood that affected over 20 million people. As the raging water of Baluchistan overflowed, it wrecked havoc and destruction in its wake, killing over 1,400 individuals, and leaving millions injured and displaced. Even though the flood was classified as one of the worst natural disasters—and the worst Pakistan has ever witnessed in 80 years—donations and aids were slow in coming in.

Ms. Raana Rahim, ambassador of Pakistan in Lebanon,

decided to organize a fundraiser to collect much needed donations. On October 24, 2010 the UNESCO palace hosted a festival of cultures under the headline “We Are All Part of the Same Humanity.” After coming up with the idea Rahim turned to the Diplomatic Spouse Association of Lebanon (DSAL) who put the remarkable event together under the direction of Marivic Davies. Davies acted as the chairperson of the committee. As you entered the venue, Lebanon was left behind as a myriad of cultures erupted around you.

Visitors were greeted at the door by an Indonesian traditional band that lent the fair an aura of mysticism. Between 26 and 30 embassies including those of Indonesia, Thailand, Spain, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, India, Venezuela, Japan, and Iraq participated in the festival, each adding their own unique touch. Every embassy had a colorful stand inviting visitors to taste their exotic food and sample their culture.

The cultural experience presented became all the more enjoyable when the Ambas-

sador of the Philippines took the stand and graced everyone with his karaoke talents.

To further increase profit, an auction was held that sold off donated items that ranged from artwork to carpets.

The UNESCO Club at AUB collaborated with Ms. Davies as they organized a volunteer team to lend a helping hand. Adrian Rieck, who had previously lived in Pakistan, was actively involved as team leader. Rieck expressed his disappointment in the lack of sufficient aid shown to the Pakistani victims.

“It’s a shame how the ma-

jority of people don’t get involved unless the disaster directly affects them or is close to them,” he stated. He went on to say that numbers such as 5 million homeless people should illicit more than the simple word “haram” from the community.

Davies’s words echoed Rieck’s, and as she put it simply, “When there’s a will there’s a way.” Davies proudly swept the room with her eyes before saying, “If people get together, they can do something. They can create such a thing and offer help where help is needed.”

Nov 2, 2010

Outlook

arts & culture

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The Balfour Agreement’s 93rd Anniversary Samer Bu Jawdeh Staff Writer

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es, we’ve all heard about it, but it doesn’t hurt to resurrect it to mind. It started even before World War I. It all started when Napoleon, who in order to empower his campaign and satisfy his blind notion towards imperialism promised the Jews a nation of their own in return for their help. With time, Napoleon’s dreams evaporated, although the same can’t be said as for motives for selling Palestine. Why Palestine? Not because Jews had any “inherited right” but because many political and international circumstances were favoured Palestine at the time.

In fact, Uganda, Argentine, and Egypt - from where the Jews escaped their captivity - were all considered options for possible Jewish states.

Along came Arthur James Balfour however, British Foreign Secretary, with a through letter written on the November the 2nd of 1917 (precisely 93 years ago) addressed to Lord Rothschild, leader of the British Jewish community granting Jews a right to their own nation in Palestine.

“His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other

country.”

Soon enough, Britain figured out that the only way to achieve this conspiracy (and relieve itself from Jewish Ghettos and racism) was to first isolate Palestine internationally and locally. Second, it would have to buy its land and build “friendly” settlements while at the same time, state that the Jewish arrival to Palestine is a humanitarian aid. Third of all, Britain would have to train its military in nearby colonies such as India, to intervene when needed. Troops seized Gaza (‫ )غزة‬on 16 November and Al-Quds (‫)القدس‬ on 9 December of the same year.

Concerning international law, first, the “agreement” cannot be imposed on the Palestinians who resisted it.

Second, Balfour is void of legal entity since the parties involved were not countries but people, and third, it is clearly stated in international law that any agreement infringing on the basic rights of humans and exhibiting injustice is directly annulled.

In fact, in 1919 King-Crane, an official U.S. investigation, acknowledged that “... the erection of such a Jewish state cannot be accomplished without the gravest trespass upon the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.” However, in his memorandum written on the 19th of September 1919, Balfour clearly states: “In Palestine we do not propose even to go through the form of consulting the wishes of the present inhabitants of the country...

The Four Powers are committed to Zionism... Zionism be it right or wrong is more important than the wishes of 700,000 Arabs.”

Though many attempts were made to revoke this rare moment in history, it was an age neither built on human justice nor on basic human rights...

Jews from all over the world were being flown to Palestine. The only thing that lessened the Jews migration to Palestine was the armed resistance against them. Fear of death made the infiltrating Jews think twice before invading Palestine where the love of life pushed the Palestinians towards martyrdom for their bleeding nation.

Friday Halloween Parties Giovanni Reaidi Staff Writer

Donner Sang Compter Party for a “Bloody Cause” On Friday, October 29, Donner Sang Compter celebrated Halloween in Chocolate Club. The party was a fundraiser for the DSC organization, which relies on such events and donations, in addition of course to donors and volunteers to continue with its tremendous mission.

The music was an immaculate mix of electronic music and its urban counterpart.

The incredible lineup of DJs and the theme-based costumes created a wonderful atmosphere, with every table choosing a certain type of costume (doctors’ table, 300 table, etc.). One attendee had a particularly interesting costume. It was Michel Kasroun, who within a mere 65 days leading up to the party,

lost some 20 kilograms and toned his body to look like the Spartan King Leonidas.

It worked out marvelously!

The clubbers all got to meet, greet, and congratulate the perseverant and determined Michel Karsouny, who has chronicled his progress on his blog ( http://www.dineinhell2010.blogspot.com/).

With thousands of donors signed up and lives already saved, the Lebanese NGO that has pioneered blood donations and awareness in the last few years has grown to cover most Lebanese territories. Dozens of AUBites joined the hundreds of other clubbers in partying for a noble, “bloody” cause, demonstrating that the AUB community isn’t just a party animal, but a responsible one as well.

Slaughterhouse Massacre at St. George Yacht Club The people behind Rap Up and Chocolate Club joined forces on Saturday October 29th to produce another trademark event, this time in a unique location with a Halloween-theme.

The interior space behind St. Georges was decorated with bloody sheets, skeletons and zombie heads, with the clubbers completing the spooky and somewhat funny scene.

Remarkable costumes spotted included Marge Simpson (complete with the big, blue hair) and Avatar’s blue Navi people. The venue itself was a welcome change from the regular, uptight club atmosphere, with a plain concrete hall, scantily decorated and furnished, gave the impression that the place was

Photo courtesy of Beirut NightLife

indeed a random slaughterhouse hosting a wicked party.

AUB’s favorite DJ Base simultaneously laid down his crisp, urban music with MCing. The crowd responded well to the familiar voice and tunes, as DJ Base spun everyone’s favorite classics blended with today’s hits. No party is complete without electron-

ics though and despite the rain outside, SkyBar’s Jojo made sure the summer anthems we all partied to were played.

All in all, it was another memorable event for the Rap Up crew and AUB’s DJ Base, helping to cement the Halloween tradition in Beirut’s nightlife.

Outlook

8

Outloud

Nov 2, 2010

“Out Loud” is brought to you by Outlook Staff Writers Emile Zankoul and Edrees Elrachidi, giving you the opportunity to convey your opinions on AUB-related issues. Want to be heard? Find either Edrees or Emile on campus, give them your thoughts, and your picture and feedback just might be incorporated into Outlook’s next issue.

Left to right: Emile Zankoul & Edrees Elrashidi

What is your favorite place to hang out in AUB?

“Smoking areas, but only when there are no flies. I think there should be more smoking areas, some under the trees with a nice view, for example one near west. There should also be more smoking areas in the lower campus. As for my favorite smoking area, it would be the one in front of the Penrose dorms.”

(Left to right: Elie Assaad & Rana Kassem)

“The Green Oval. It’s so peaceful, there are lots of colors like blue, green etc. I like to sit in the middle of it. What I also like about it are the buildings around it, they’re old and have beautiful tiles. I like it there whether it’s sunny or not.

The best part about it is the mixture of the two colors: blue (the sky) and green (the grass)” (Mira Mneinmeh).

“It all depends on the weather. When it’s sunny I don’t like Fisk, because the sun is intense. For that weather, I’d rather sit on benches under trees, the ones next to Bechtel’s stairs are ideal. When it’s not sunny, Fisk would be my favorite place where I hang out with the Fiskies who always have something interesting to say” (Toufic Sarriedine). “Fisk because all English majors hang here, so each time I pass by it, I see someone I know so I sit with them. Besides, the building is really nice” (Omar El Koton).

(Left to right: Toufic & Omar)

“Ada Dodge Cafeteria. The Business School was located in the upper campus so it was the perfect place to find your friends, good food, and shelter from the rain” (Joane Tabet).

“West Hall. It’s a convenient meeting place because everyone tends to pass by that area” (Mohammad Chebaro).

“OSB cafeteria because there’s a relaxing atmosphere and a beautiful seaview” (Left to right: Hani Taha & Kheireddine El Bawab).

‫‪9‬‬

‫‪Outlook‬‬

‫‪No v 2, 2010‬‬

‫‪arabic news & Opinion‬‬ ‫مارادونا يبدي سعادته مبوت األخطبوط “العراف” بول‬

‫مصطفى فضل اهلل‬ ‫كاتب صحفي‬

‫أعرب أسطورة كرة القدم‬ ‫األرجنتيني دييجو مارادونا‬ ‫عن سعادته مبوت األخطبوط‬ ‫“العراف” بول‪.‬‬ ‫وقال مارادونا منذ أيام “أشعر‬ ‫بالسعادة ألنك نفقت يا بول ‪،‬‬ ‫كنت السبب في خسارتنا في‬ ‫كأس العالم”‪.‬‬ ‫نال االخطبوط بول شهرة عاملية‬ ‫طاغية خالل كأس العالم‬ ‫‪ 2010‬بجنوب أفريقيا بسبب‬ ‫تنبؤاته التي جاءت صحيحة‬ ‫بنتائج جميع املباريات السبع‬ ‫التي خاضها املنتخب األملاني‬ ‫في البطولة‪ ،‬باإلضافة لتوقعه‬ ‫الصحيح ايضا بشأن نتيجة‬ ‫املباراة النهائية للمونديال بني‬ ‫منتخبي أسبانيا وهولندا‪.‬‬ ‫كان من بني املباريات التي‬ ‫توقع بول فيها فوز املنتخب‬ ‫األملاني لقاء الفريق مع نظيره‬

‫األرجنتيني‪ ،‬والذي حقق فيه‬ ‫املنتخب األملاني الفوز ‪/4‬صفر‬ ‫على نظيره األرجنتيني بقيادة‬ ‫مديره الفني دييجو مارادونا في‬ ‫دور الثمانية للبطولة‪.‬‬ ‫كانت عملية التنبؤ بنتائج‬ ‫املباريات جترى بإنزال صندوقني‬ ‫بالستيكيني يحتوى كل‬ ‫منهما على وجبة لألخطبوط‬ ‫باإلضافة لعلم إحدى املنتخبني‬ ‫املتنافسني وكان املنتخب‬ ‫صاحب الصندوق الذي يأكل منه‬ ‫بول أوال هو الفائز في املباراة‪.‬‬ ‫نفق بول في ساعة مبكرة‬ ‫صباح الثالثاء بتايخ ال‪26‬‬ ‫من تشرين الثاني في حوضه‬ ‫مبتحف األحياء البحرية مبدينة‬ ‫أوبرهاوزن األملانية‪ ،‬ونعاه اجملتمع‬ ‫الكروي كما سيقيم املتحف‬ ‫نصبا تذكاريا لتخليد ذكراه‬

‫الربطة تنعى رغيفها ‪ ..‬والرغيف‬ ‫يتكلم‬

‫‪Photo courtesy of Facebook‬‬

‫ودعا ً ملرض السكري‬

‫مصطفى فضل اهلل‬ ‫كاتب صحفي‬

‫قد رأيته في مكان ال أستطيع‬ ‫تسميته‪ ،‬ألنه املكان الوحيد‬ ‫ا ّلذي يحقّ للرغيف أن يتواجد‬ ‫فيه وحيداً‪ ،‬هو مكان ال تستطيع‬ ‫أيدي اخملابرات أن تصل إليه‪ ،‬رأيته‬ ‫وال دموع متأل عيني طحينه‪ .‬هو‬ ‫ال يبالي أن يعيش وحيداً‪ ،‬ولكنه‬ ‫يهمش على حساب‬ ‫يحزن أن‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫أحباب له ال ميلكون غيره ‪...‬‬ ‫فيخسرونه بجهلهم‬ ‫يقول لي أن جده روى له يوما ً أن‬ ‫عائلتهم كانت ‪ 12‬أخاً‪ ،‬واألن‬ ‫تف ّرقت أوصالها ‪ ..‬كانت الـ‬ ‫“ربطة” حتضنهم بعد الوالدة‬ ‫من الفرن‪ .‬منذ بضع ليال كنا‬ ‫تسعة‪ ،‬واليوم بات إخوتي ثمانية‬ ‫فقد طردني صاحب الفرن‪ ،‬ولم‬ ‫يسأل عنا أحبابنا‪ ،‬ومن يدري‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫لعل أحد إخوتي يلحق بي ف ُيغ ّير‬ ‫الترقيم إلى سبعة وال من‬ ‫يحزنون‪ ،‬لرمبا تنقرض فصيلتنا و‬ ‫نستبدل بالكعك أو البسكويت‬ ‫‪ ..‬وليندم الفقراء على‬ ‫سكوتهم وقبولهم بغيابي‪ ،‬غدا ً‬ ‫يذكرون أ ّيامي ويحني ظهورهم‬ ‫جوعهم‪ ،‬ولن يجدوا شعارات‬ ‫لتشبع أمعائهم‪ .‬فال الطوائف‬ ‫وال املذاهب ستسكت جوعهم‬ ‫‪ ..‬فليبحثوا عني حينها ‪..‬‬ ‫تركني ومضى يبحث عن عالم‬

‫أخر بعيدا ً عن طواحني الهواء‬ ‫وصراخ اجلياع الصامت‪.‬‬ ‫أما الربطة فنعت رغيفها‬ ‫بصمتها‪ ،‬وإمتنعت عن التصريح‬ ‫مطرقة بدموعها على رفوف‬ ‫الدكاكني‪ .‬مطر تشرين‬ ‫األفران و ّ‬ ‫يحمل برده ويفتح األبواب مو ّزعا ً‬ ‫أمطاره على ّ‬ ‫كل من فتَح بابَه‬ ‫تح بابُه‪.‬‬ ‫و ُف َ‬ ‫مضيت إلى أحد األفران القريبة‪،‬‬ ‫فاشتريت ربطة كاملة‪ ،‬لم تعد‬ ‫تثقل يدي‪ ،‬صارت خفيفة احلمل‪،‬‬ ‫والفضل طبعا ً‬ ‫للسياسي‪.‬‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫فتحتها فلم أجد صاحبنا‪،‬‬ ‫ووجدت إخوته السبعة ميارسون‬ ‫مهنتهم في الاّ مباالة‪ .‬سألتهم‬ ‫عن أخيهم فقالوا كما ذهب‬ ‫السابقون‪ ،‬ذهب‪ .‬وكما ذهب‬ ‫سنذهب‪ ،‬إذا بقي املستضعفون‬ ‫يشبعون بطونهم بشعارات‬ ‫سياس ّية بالية بلهاء‪ ،‬وطاملا أن‬ ‫امليسورين يعيشون بعيدا ً عن‬ ‫أناس بات اجلوع صاحبهم‪.‬‬ ‫يقول ال ّرغيف األخير في ال ّربطة‬ ‫ووجهه شاحب‪ ،‬صرنا أضعف‬ ‫من قبل ‪ ،‬وبات اجلياع يضعفون‬ ‫بضعفنا‪ ،‬هذا البلد يحتاج إلى‬ ‫ثورة إنسانية ال ثورة سياس ّية‪،‬‬ ‫ثم ذكرني بقول ألبي ذ ّر الغفاري‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫“عجبت ملن ال يجد قوت يومه‬

‫كيف ال يخرج على النّاس‬ ‫شاهرا ً سيفه” ‪ ..‬وطلب مني‬ ‫أن أدعهم للنوم وغفا ‪..‬‬ ‫سألت صديقة تعرف أهل اجلوع‪،‬‬ ‫فحملتني سالما ً للرغيف‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫لضائع‪ ،‬وأشواقا ً من بطون‬ ‫خاوية‪ .‬قالت لي مستهزئة‬ ‫‪ :‬قل له أننا لن نستبدله‬ ‫بالبسكويت!‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫وأفكر‬ ‫جلست أراقب املطر‬ ‫دجي ليل عاصف‪ ،‬كيف‬ ‫في‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫يكون ليل فقرائنا؟ هل يؤملهم‬ ‫جوعهم؟ هل تخطينا فعال املوت‬ ‫جوعا ً منذ احلرب العاملية الثانية‬ ‫؟ هكذا يقول كتاب التاريخ ! ‪ ..‬سارة أحمد الديراني‬ ‫غرقت في أفكاري وأيقظني رعد كاتبة صحفية‬ ‫تشريني قاصف من وسطها‪،‬‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫فنظرت إلى نفسي وإذ بي ّ‬ ‫أفكر يعتبر مرض السكري واحدا ً من‬ ‫باجلياع‪ ،‬وأرتشف شايا ً وألتهم أكثر األمراض انتشاراًفي العالم‬ ‫صدمت نفسي‪ . ،‬فإن عدد املصابني به قد جتاوز‬ ‫البسكويت! ُ‬ ‫لكن خجلي مات‪ .‬فلم مينعني ‪ 26%‬من سكان العالم ‪ .‬وإن‬ ‫ذلك أن أكمل ما بدأته‪ ،‬قبل أن هذا اإلنتشار الواسع للمرض قد‬ ‫دفع بالعلماء للبحث عن عالج‬ ‫أترك اجلياع جلوعهم وأنام ‪...‬‬ ‫ضمير أعرج‪ ،‬يتعاطف مع اجلياع نهائي له‪.‬‬ ‫وينسى‪ ،‬وينام على تنومية اجلياع وقد توصل العلماء إلى إكتشاف‬ ‫للشاعر العراقي اجلواهري “نامي أمر هام‪ ،‬أال وهو أن كل مخلوق‬ ‫جياع الشعب نامي حرستك على وجه األرض (أكان إنسانأ ً أو‬ ‫ألهة ّ‬ ‫حيوانا ً) ال بد أن يكون في دمه‬ ‫الطعام!”‬ ‫نسبة من السكر‪ ،‬سواءا ً أكانت‬ ‫هذه النسبة‪ ،‬نسبة طبيعية أم‬

‫مرضية‪ ،‬إال حيوان واحد فقط‬ ‫ال يوجد في جسمه أي أثر ملادة‬ ‫اجللوكوز ‪ .‬وهذا احليوان هو الورل‬ ‫(‪ ، )gila lizard‬وهذا احليوان‬ ‫هو من فصيلة الزواحف السامة‬ ‫التي تأكل اللحوم واحلشرات ‪.‬‬ ‫وبعد تشريح الورل‪ ،‬إكتشف‬ ‫العلماء أن لعابه يحتوي على‬ ‫مادة كيميائية تزيل أي أثر‬ ‫للسكر في جسمه‪ .‬وبعد‬ ‫حتليالت كيميائية عديدة‪،‬‬ ‫استطاعوا استخراج تلك مادة‬ ‫وحولوها إلى حبوب وحقن‪،‬‬ ‫تباع اليوم في الصيدليات حتت‬ ‫إسم ( جانوفيا – ‪januvia‬‬ ‫)‪ .‬وهذا الدواء يعطى للمريض‬ ‫ليساعده على تنظيم مستوى‬ ‫السكر في جسمه ‪ .‬وإذا إستمر‬ ‫املريض على هذه احلبوب ملدة‬ ‫سنة تقريباً‪ ،‬فإنه سيالحظ‬ ‫أن معدالت السكر لديه عادت‬ ‫طبيعية‪ ،‬وأنه لم يعد يعاني‬ ‫من مرض السكري متاما ً‪ .‬وذلك‬ ‫ألن الدواء ال ينظم السكر‬ ‫وحسب‪ ،‬كباقي العالجات‪ ،‬بل‬ ‫إنه يعالج البنكرياس ويجدد‬ ‫خالياه املصابة ‪ ،‬التي سببت هذا‬ ‫اإلختالل في مستوى األنسولني‬ ‫في جسم املريض‪.‬‬

10

Outlook

entertainment

Album Review

T

he one thing that British pop-band Hurts has in common with the rest of the artists is its affinity for the unconventional, depending on how you would look at it, that is. In a time where commercial music has been reduced to the same beats repeating over and over again, lyrics are thrown together haphazardly, and crazy outfits are as much as part of the whole look, this band comes along like a breath of fresh air. They use technology to their advantage, write lyrics that resonate with the emotions, and are never caught performing without suits.

A first listen to their debut album comes off across as a product of the 80s, not present day, something that works much to their favor.

It is interesting to note that both members are in their early to mid-twenties. These unique sounds are due to the masterful arrangements of multi-instrumentalist Adam Anderson. His compositions are complemented by the voice of Theo Hutchcraft, who comes across as charismatic even if you have not seen one of Hurts’ video clips.

The album’s name and main message contrast with the band’s name, but this too is yet another forte for the duo.

They are able to cover a wide scope of emotions without coming off as pretentious or as trying too hard to prove themselves from their first foray into the industry.

Not all the tracks are memorable, but the ones that do stand out are guaranteed to get stuck in the listener’s head.

The first recommended track is “Wonderful Life,” their second single and claim to fame is a song that artfully combines despair and love at first sight into a four minute song. The simplistic chorus is repeated several times to a background of echoes and that eerie saxophone. It may sound chilling at first but with such a theme, this is appropriate.

An emotional song, “Stay” will be the third single to be released. Although it is about a relationship gone awry, a subject that continues to fascinate musicians, Hurts explore this almost as though they were writing a poem.

Thanks to imagery in the lyrics, the listener can almost envision the scene unfolding in front of his eyes. This song truly helps in exhibiting Hutchcraft’s vocal range, which is as remarkable live as it is on the recording.

“Devotion” features Kylie Minogue on guest vocals and

Book Review Readers of Rabih Alameddine’s “Koolaids: The Art of War” can be easily classified into two categories: avid praisers or revolted condemners. First published in 1998, “Koolaids” is considered to be the first Lebanese post-war narrative to have launched a series of writings on the Civil War which had rocked the nation for more than two decades.

Drawing a parallel between the nation and the human body, the book comments on how each can be respectively damaged by war and

Happiness - Hurts

Tala Kardas

Photo courtesy Facebook

she is the perfect choice. In fact, Minogue is such a fan of the duo that she has covered “Wonderful Life” in one of her televised performances.

The end-track “The Water” is memorable not because of its lyrics, composition, or vocals,

but because if you endure a few minutes of blankness, you can listen to the hidden track “Verona.”

“Happiness” is a very interesting album for a band that has already proven to be very exciting and modern in their

“Koolaids: The Art of War,” or the Inescapable Duality

AIDS in a series of narrative, epistolary, and news fragments. The fragmented sections which range from the profound to the pathetically absurd are narrated by four main characters: Mohammad, the main protagonist, his friends Kurt and Samir, and Samir’s mother. The three male characters in the book are gay and HIV positive.

A famous Lebanese-American painter, Mohammad has been condemned by the disease. As his life draws to an end, he reveals to his readers

Nov 2 , 2010

his ingenious and confused memories of the war, Lebanon, his family and friendships, as well as his views on life, death and sex.

“Death comes in many shapes and sizes, but it always comes,” reads the first sentence of the book. Some pages later, Mohammad elaborates on this opening sentence: “When I first started seeing my friends die, I wanted to write a book where all the characters died at the beginning. . . . I never went beyond the incipit, which I thought was a damn good one. Death

comes in many shapes and sizes, but it always comes. I thought it was great. I wanted to make sure death and sex were associated. Look at the words. . . .” Iconoclast and angry, Mohammad, who can be deemed Almeddine’s mouthpiece, does not hesitate to break taboos or voice his rage against religion and society. What Mohammad seems to hate most, however, is the hypocrisy so rooted in individuals and behavior that it often goes unnoticed.

Linguistically fascinating and shocking, “Koolaids”

approach. This may all sound like a lot for two guys who have said that all they want to do is make good pop music, but from what is heard on this album, Hurts are bound to succeed.

Maya Sfeir breaks every boundary. As such, the book either captivates or repels readers.

Nonetheless, behind this inescapable duality, Alameddine’s book has a third dimension. It is honest. There is a subtle but solid truth behind that unfathomable anger, and a desperate need for sympathy below the nihilism.

Whether we hate it or love it, “Koolaids” eventually succeeds in moving us, and by doing so proclaims Alameddine’s ultimate victory: he has taught us to be human.

Nov 2, 2010

11

Outlook

out of the box

The Outlook team

Chairperson

Talal Nizameddin

Faculty Advisor

Cleo Cacoulidis

Responsible Director

Antonios Francis

Editor-in-Chief

Rami Diab

Associate Editor

Timmy Malkoun

Editor at Large

Yahia Hamade

Arabic Editor

Mariam El Ali

Photography Editor

Salim Batlouni

Layout Director

John Hajjar

Member at Large

Giovanny Reaidi

News Executives

Heather Jaber Lojine Kamel Mostafa Fadlallah

Web Master

Mohamad Al Medawar

Business Managers

Sally Khalifeh Lara Traboulsi

Staff Writers

Fouad Badaoui Elie El Khoury Edrees Elrachidi Yasmin Fansa Maryam Hoballah Lynn Itani Tala Kardas Wajiha Jurdhi-Kheir Sherif Maktabi Rita Obeid Yasmine Saab Joseph Saba Amer Sare Emile Fares Zankoul

Contributing Writers

Nader Al Ahmadieh Samer Bu Jawdeh Ilija Trojanovic’

Photographers

Mohamad Alameh Tariq Buhilaigah Dima Hajj

Contributing Photographers

Lotfi Al Salah Nadi Nassar Wael Salem Antoine Salloum

Cartoonist

Deedee El Jilani

Errata

Dear readers, Outlook wishes to correct two mistakes made in its last issue. First off, it was the Business Student Society and not the Biology Student Society that hosted AUB’s first Soap Football Event for this year and thus the report’s heading should read “Business Student Society Turns Football Field to Soap.” Second off, it was Sarah Al Dirani and not Khodor Abou Daya who authored the Op-Ed piece titled: “‫ ”ودعا ً ملرض السكري‬reprinted in this issue on page 9.

Psyched Out

Rita Obeid

Body Dysmorphic Disorder Kleptomania is defined as the consistent tendency to steal items not needed for personal use or monetary value. The objects stolen are usually of little value and the individual could have afforded to pay for them, thus often giving them away or discarding them, because the interest is in the act of stealing itself.

An important aspect of kleptomania is the experiencing of tension before the theft and pleasure or relief after committing the theft. Sometimes, the person may keep the items stolen or just return them. Usually the stealing is not planned or done with any collaboration from others. People with kleptomania have an “irresistible” inclination to steal, where episodes of stealing seem to occur unexpectedly.

An important distinction is that between kleptomania and shoplifting. Shoplifters usually plan on stealing items because they do not have the money to buy them. Some signs of kleptomania include: - Failure to resist stealing impulses unrelated to personal use or financial need -Feelings of great tension before the theft - Thefts are not committed in response to delusions, hallucinations or as expressions of revenge or anger - Feeling pleasure at the time of the theft - Thefts cannot be explained as due to any other disorder There is no specific age of onset for kleptomania, it can begin in childhood, adolescence or adulthood. However, kleptomania is a rare disorder but more common in females than in males. It is often that people with kleptomania have another psychological disorder such as mood or depressive disorder.

Most common types of therapy for kleptomania include behavior modification therapy and family therapy, which usually aim at dealing with underlying psychological difficulties that may be contributing to this disorder. SSRI medication is sometimes provided to raise serotonin (a neurotransmitter) levels in the brain.

Food for Thought

Rami Diab

Diets Don’t Work What if I told you that you could eat just about anything you wanted and still maintain a slim stature, wouldn’t you have your doubts about that? I know I would so I’ll hit you with some facts but first, here’s a short shocker for your general knowledge. Did you know that in the year of 1892, America was documented to have spent some 15 billion dollars on dieting? You think that’s ludicrous, listen to this: the current cost of obesity is estimated to be as high as 100 billion dollars in medical bills and several hundred thousand premature deaths per year (that’s more than six times the aforementioned figure!) Any wonder why obesity has since then been steadily on the rise? Simply put, diets don’t work and here’s the main reason why: - What you lose in three months, you gain back in under three weeks as your indulgent instinct kicks in again.

Dieting involves throwing our bodies into physiological turmoil accompanied by physical and emotional distress, is it truly worth all the hassle in the face of a better alternative? Why shut the stable after the horse has fled? Rather than permitting ourselves to reach a threshold weight, why not invest our time in prevention rather than cure?Believe me, it’s far less stressful and far more efficient. Here are a few tips to help us maintain an ideal weight: - Exercise regularly to keep your balance in check – this goes without saying.

- Never overeat as overeating is a sure way to develop an uncontrollable impulse for food thereby diminishing your chances at staying slim – eat to live, don’t live to eat.

- Eat that which you desire, just not always when you desire it; improperly combining food can be a bad exercise and different food groups are best consumed independently of one another. Such practice maximizes nutrient uptake and boosts metabolism allowing you the liberty of eating more and fattening up less.

- Consume a great amount of high water content foods that are sure to help detoxify your system and restore it average weight conditions.

There you have it, a helathy and lean physique with absolutely no deprivation whatsoever.