Bust-up in Jafet

Biology department publicizes registration complaintsAli Kassem News Executive

Mohamad Sibai Staff Writer, and Outlook Board

www.aub.edu.lb/outlook readoutlook@gmail.comBliss Street, West Hall 208 tel: 01 350 000 ext. 3193

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

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

Vol. XlI, No. 5 Outlook

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The IndependenT STudenT publIcaTIon SInce 1949TueSday, november 1, 2011vol. XlIv , no. 4Tuesday, april 3, 2012Vol. XliV, No. 18

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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.

photo from the Biology Department

Big 4 and After is back!

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.

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

Karen Sertin Staff Writer & Photographer

Business Student Society’s business plan competition

Campus News Page 2

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.

Tuesday, april 3, 2012

photos by Karen Sertin

off-Campus Page 3

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

Answers for the heart 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.

Tuesday, april 3, 2012

Raghid Naimi Staff Writer

Business Student Society’s virtual stock exchange launches smoothly

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.”

Biology department publicizes registration complaintsCampus News Page 4

Hashem Osseiran Staff Writer

continuedAli Kassem News Executive

Fire at the Speakers CornerMohammad Sibai Staff Writer

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,

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

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

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

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.

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.

Tuesday, april 3, 2012

Doctor-patient communication 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.

Rayane Zahreddine Staff Writer & Photographer

Campus News Page 5

Dania Machlab Staff Writer

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,

Green buildings discussed at AUBaffordability, 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.”

Tuesday, april 3, 2012

photo by RayaneZahreddine

arTs & CulTure Page 6

Hail! Brings out the Lebanese metal crowdJoe 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

Tuesday, april 3, 2012

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.

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

Blind date

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 non-political, 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 non-profitable 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

spoTlighT Page 7Tuesday, april 3, 2012

Rachelle El Helou Photographer

Photos from Mohammad Alameh

Blind date

Syrian protest AUB

Page 8ouTloud Tuesday, april 3, 2012

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?

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

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.

7. Lebanon’s a Muslim country, right?

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

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!

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.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/03/look-ma-no-hands-googles-self-driving-car/

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.”

http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/at-the-generous-store-chocolates-cost-good-deeds-instead-of-money.html

Page 9arTs & CulTure Tuesday, april 3, 2012

A little from everywhereZeina Mhaidly Staff Writer

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. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/29/us-china-urine-eggs-idUSBRE82S0EE20120329

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://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/21/10780622-girls-best-friend-is-dog-who-carries-her-oxygen

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

At Anthon Burg, Chocolate Costs Good Deeds Instead of Money!

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

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

English Students Pay University Loans by Renting Out Their Faces

“Barbie goes bald”

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. http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/30/10938746-barbie-goes-bald-thanks-to-facebook-campaign

“Google’s Self-driving car”

March 30th, 2012March 29, 2012 March 21, 2012

March 30th, 2012

March 30, 2012

March 29, 2012

Natural versus processed food

Page 10arTs & CulTure Tuesday, april 3, 2012

“Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother 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 saltsFoods made with refined white flour, such as white breads and pastas

Packaged snacks (like potato chips)Processed meats Packaged baked cakes and cookiesSugary 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.

Loulwa Kalache 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

Movie Review: Mirror Mirrorwatching 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.

Edward Abou Jaoude Staff Writer

photo from disneydreaming.com

Artist Review: Trevor Hall

Page 11arTs & CulTure Tuesday, april 3, 2012

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.

Nerses Arslanian Contributing Writer

Heather Jaber News Executive

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 pop-rock 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

Album Review: The King of Limbstheme 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, shudder-worthy. “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.

photo from facebook.com

It’s not stalking, it’s research

Page 12ViewpoiNT Tuesday, april 3, 2012

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

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.

Assaad Khoury Staff Writer

My evil bird

“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.

Lojine Kamel Editor-in-chief

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.

Page 13ouTlook Team Tuesday, april 3, 2012

صفحة 14 الثالثاء, 3 نيسان , 2012

الذكاء العاطفي بني الوهم واحلقيقةاأ�رسة اأوتلوك

يافث مكتبة حواسيب احد على جّذبني املاضي األسبوع أستاذة سألت العاطفي«. »الذكاء عن درس »جافيت« املواقع على بحثاُ وأجريت املوضوع عن السوسيولوجيا االكادميية مما زاد من اهتمامي . ما هو الذكاء العاطفي؟ كيف أن تبّي البحث بعد نغّذيه؟ وكيف ؟ الذكاء هذا معّدل نحدد احد أكثر الكتب العاملية مبيعاً عن املوضوع هو كتاب »الذكاء الذكاء أبعاد الذي يحدد دانييل جوليمان، العاطفي« للدكتور أو الذاتي الوعي الذاتي، التحفيز مهارات : بالّتالي العاطفي 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. اذاً الذكاء العاطفي أو الذكاء االنفعالي هو القدرة على الذاتية، وحسن استعمالها. ففيما نحن نعمل العواطف فرز ( علينا أن نعمل على امتيازنا أيضاً في IQ( على حاصل الذكاء

. )EI( الذكاء االنفعالي

أفكارنا تصويب عن منفصل العواطف تصويب : هل سؤالي العقالنية؟

الدكتور إعداد من وهي العاطفي الذكاء اختبارات أحد هذا حسان املالح وهو استشاري الطب النفسي في دمشق و أستاذ

AEU محاضر في اجلامعة العربية األوربية

اختبار الذكاء االنفعالي :لإلجابة وورقة قلم إحضار إلى حتتاج اخملتصر االختبار هذا في 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.1- عندما أشعر باالنزعاج ، ال أعرف من أزعجني أو ما هو الشيء

الذي أزعجني .أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباًكثيرة أشياء هناك ولكن .. مشكالت لديه شخص كل -2

خاطئة عندي ..ولذا ال أستطيع أن أحب نفسي .أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً ، سيئ شخص أنني أشعر يجعلونني األشخاص بعض -3

مهما فعلت .أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً 4- عندما أخطئ أقول عن نفسي عبارات حتطم من نفسي مثل : إنني شخص فاشل ، غبي ، ال أستطيع أن أعمل عمالً ناجحاً .

أ- معظم الوقت

ب- غالب األوقاتج- أحياناً

د- نادراًه- أبداً تقريباً

5- أشعر باحلرج واالرتباك عندما يتوقع مني أن أظهر عواطفي .أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً 6- تأتيني حاالت مزاجية أشعر فيها أنني قوي وقادر وكفء .

أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً 7- عندما أشرف على إجناز أمر ما أو هدف معي ، تأتيني عقبات

متنعني من الوصول إلى أهدافي .أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً 8- الأستطيع التوقف عن التفكير في مشكالتي .

أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً 9- من األفضل أن أبقى بارداً وحيادياً إلى أن أعرف الشخص اآلخر

بشكل جيد .أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً 10- لدي صعوبة في قول أشياء مثل » أنا أحبك » حتى عندما

أشعر بذلك بشكل حقيقي .أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً 11- إنني أشعر بالضجر ) امللل ، السأم (

أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً 12- إنني أقلق على أمور اليفكر فيها اآلخرون عادة

أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناً

د- نادراًه- أبداً تقريباً

13- أحتاج إلى الدفع من شخص ما كي أتابع مسيريأ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً 14- حياتي مليئة بالطرق املغلقة

أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً 15- لست راضياً عن عملي إال إذا امتدحه شخص ما

أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً 16- يقول لي اآلخرون أنني أبالغ في ردودي على مشكالت صغيرة

أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً 17- لست سعيداً ألسباب ال أفهمها

أ- معظم الوقتب- غالب األوقات

ج- أحياناًد- نادراً

ه- أبداً تقريباً عشر السبعة األسئلة على اخلمس اإلجابات من إجابة كل

السابقة لها الدرجات التالية :أ = 1 ب = 3ج = 5د = 7

هاء = 9إذا مثالً .. سؤال كل عن عليها حصلت التي الدرجات أكتب أنك يعني فهذا ج = أحياناً هي 1 السؤال عن إجابتك كانت الدرجات . إجمع سؤال لكل .. وهكذا 5 درجات على حصلت

فتحصل على درجة ذكائك االنفعالي .ذكاء انفعالي منخفض جداً = من50 إلى 70 درجة

ذكاء انفعالي منخفض = من 70 إلى 85 درجةذكاء انفعالي متوسط = من 85 إلى 115 درجة

ذكاء انفعالي عاٍل = من 115 إلى 130 درجةذكاء انفعالي عبقري = من 130 إلى 150 درجة

جائزة "البوكر"2012وئام دالل - كاتب �صحفي

لم يكن ذلك الصباح الذي خرج به »حنا يعقوب« بائع البيض في الكاثوليك الياس مار كنيسة جار و املسيحي املسلوق- األشرفية- صباحا عاديا كغيره من الصباحات التي اعتاد أن يبدأ بها يومه من جامع السراي مرورا بجامع الدباغة و اخلان البحري أربعي و أربعة مبصير قدره يربط سوف الصباح فهذا اجلديد. درزيا من املقرر نفيهم الى قلعة بلغراد عقابا على جرائمهم في أحداث 1860 الطائفية بي املسيحيي و الدروز في جبل لبنان. فهو سيصبح ، مبقابل جرتي من الذهب إلسماعيل باشا، األخ اخلامس لألخوة »عز الدين« بدل سليمان. فيبدأ درب معاناة على دائمة مواجهة الرواية أبطال فيها عاش عاما اثنا عشر مدى مع املوت. و استطاع الكاتب خالل هذه الفترة بتجسيد أصغر الثياب الى الطقس و أشكال الشخصيات و تفصيل فيها من املناظر الطبيعية وصوال الى األحاسيس املتنقلة بي البرد و األلم

و احلزن و السعادة و احلب و احلني و اإلميان و الكره. فازت »دروز بلغراد- حكاية حنا يعقوب« بجائزة »البوكر« . العاملية للرواية العربية بنسختها اخلامسة للكاتب ربيع جابر»قدرته و بتألق عمله للكاتب عربيا اعترافا اجلائزة هذه تعتبر على تصوير هشاشة الوضع اإلنساني من خالل إعادة خلق فترة التحكيم. بيان جلنة احلساسية« حسب عالية بلغة تاريخية و هي روايته الثامنة عشر في مسيرته التي بدأت منذ عشرين لهذه ترشح قد كان و اجلامعة، هذه مقاعد على من عاما اجلائزة من قبل عن روايته »اميركا« التي ال تقل تألقا عن »دروز التاريخي ليرسم ربيع جابر استعان باحلدث بلغراد«. فالروائي

صفحة 15 الثالثاء, 3 نيسان , 2012

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 ، لها تعرضت التي اإلنسانية الظروف غير و العطش و اجلوع و العمل و الصبر و اآلخر مساعدة في أخالقها بفضل ذلك و الصمود هو حنا قدر و النساء. احترام و األكل آداب و الدؤوب حتى له مساندتهم و املزعومي األربعة اخوانه بفضل أيضا في قسمهم الذي الطائفي الفرق من بالرغم جميعا، موتهم 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«.

اعت�صام مفاجىء

تو�صيح

هيا االأتا�صي - كاتبة �صحفية

اأ�رسة اأوتلوك

من الطاّلب خروج حلظة ظهرا. دقائق عشر إالّ الواحدة كانت يجري. ما ليرى الكّل التفت صفرة. صوت ُسمع صفوفهم. اّتخذوا جدّية، ووجوٍه موّحد، بلباٍس وصبايا، شباب مجموعة من ومنهم ركبتيه على ركع من فمنهم غريبة. وضعّيات يحملون كانوا جامدا. وقف من ومنهم االرض على استلقى السوري. الّشعب مع تضامن شعارات عليها ُكتب الفتات من هناك بأّن الّتذكير هو والوحيد االساسي هدفهم كان بعد بضع ويُقتلون هم على يعانون الذين ويُقتل. هؤالء يعاني الاّلفتات أحد على ُكتب ما أجمل من لبنان. من كيلومتراٍت مقولة للكاتب إلياس خوري: »الّشام ليست بعيدة عن بيروت،

ولكن بيروت تبتعد عن نفسها.«.لم يفهم باندهاش. ال أحد كان يدري ما يحصل وقف اجلميع بقراءة وبدؤوا اقتربوا البداية، لكنهم حي الرسالة في الطاّلب فالكثير قرأ، مبا دُهش منهم العديد املعنى. فهموا الاّلفتات

ورد في العدد السابق مقالة بعنوان املقاومة ببساطة للدكتور الكاتب لذا اقتضى الدين وقد ظهر جزء من إسم محمد نصر

التوضيح. وتقبلوا فائق اإلحترام.

من الطالب هنا بعيدون كّل البعد عّما يحصل في شقيقتهم سوريا. كانت الّرسالة عبارة عن لفت ّنظر الى أّن هناك الكثير يعيشون بأّنهم الّطالب يُحّس أن يجب واألسى. املُعاناة من التي هم فيها. فهم الّنعمة يعرفوا قيمة أن في نعيم. يجب و الّطبيعية احلياة ملمارسة ويذهبون يوم كّل يستيقظون الّروتينية. الّسوريون ال يقدرون على فعل هذا، فهم ُمجبرون على االختباء في بيوتهم لالحتماء من الّرصاص والقنص. هذا الّشعب هو ضحّية. ال اتطّرأ إلى موضوع الّسياسة ولن أتطّرأ إليه. ولكن أّن هناك شعٌب يعاني. الّناس إليه هو انتباه ما أحاول أن ألفت كّل يوم هناك من يفقد أخا أو أبا أو أّما أو ولدا. كّل يوٍم هناك من يحترق منزله. كّل يوٍم هناك من يُشّرد من بيته أو مدينته. في إّنها معروف. غير أو بعيد مكاٍن في ليست األحداث هذه

سوريا، الشقيقة الكبرى للبنان...كان الّطالب املشاركي في غاية احلضارة واالحترام. فهم وقفوا

حزيني صامينت تاركي احلكم لزمالئهم عّلهم يفهموا الرسالة. ألصقوا الشرائط على افواههم كرمز لسلمّيتهم و تعبيرا عن حّقهم في حّرية التعبير. فالطريقة التي اختاروها هي من أسمى وأرقى الوسائل للّتعبير عن الرأي. وقفوا محترمي صامتي غير عليه حتّض ما واستيائهم. هذا آرائهم عن ليعّبروا مستفّزين مقّدس حٌق اجلامعة في الّتعبير فحرّية األميركية. اجلامعة رأيه بالوسائل الّسلمّية واحلضارّية. ويحّق للجميع أن يعّبر عن واآلراء وهذا ما واألديان والطوائف املذاهب جامعتنا مليئة بكل يجعلها متنّوعة وغنية. هذه هي جامعتنا اّلتي نفخر بانتمائنا

إليها... هذه هي اجلامعة األميركية في بيروت.فيسعفه شهيد، فيداويه شهيد، يسعفه شهيد هي سوريا

شهيد، فيصّلي عليه شهيد، فيدفنه شهيد.

ن�رسة االأخطار اليومية

"اأ�صابني االأمل"

يقول محمود درويش عن الشعر:»قصائدنا

بال لوٍن ، بال طعٍم ، بال صوٍتاذا لم حتمل املصباحمن بيٍت الى بيٍت..

فهل كان علي حامال لهذه األمانة الشعرية؟ أم سيحّمله الشعر أمنياٍت عديدة؟ وأين كان »املصباح«، على حّد قول الدرويش، في شعره؟ أسئلة لم أطرحها على نفسي، و لكن على عدد من آذار. والعشرين من شهر السابع الثالثاء في يوم احلضور عصر إلى أنحاز فال حيادّية أكون لكي ، عليهم طرحتها أسئلة زميلي في الشعر، أو أكتب وجهة نظٍر واحدة من احملّبي للشعر

من جهة، وللقّراء 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 الساعة اخلامسة عصراً، حيث رّحب كاتبه علي بدران باحلضور بحّق مختصرة كلمات ليقول الدين نصر الشاعر بدعوة وقام الدين نصر أعطاها التي الثالث النصائح ومن والشعر. علي، كانت فكرة »عقلن قلبك وجنن عقلك«. أعجبتني هذه الفكرة حقاَ، فهي ترمز إلى ما ينبغي أن يكون عليه الشاعر بالذات... فيحاء على مفتوحة الشاعر ماهية أّن أي بالذات، وأعني اآلراء، والسعي للسمّو بحقيقية الشعر لكّل اجملاالت احلياتية. سأصل الذي املكان عن أبحث الشعر، عن أبحث عندما وإنني : إن«الشعر متّرد على الدين إليه من بعده... فكما أشار نصر

كل ما هو كائن للوصول إلى ما يجب أن يكون«.بعد ذلك، ألقى بدران كلمة مختصرة عن احلياة وفروعها. فحكى بفلسطي وشعب فلسطي، وعن جنوب لبنان، ورجال الدين وعن

الزهراء ماجد - كاتبة �صحفية

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

الثالثاء, 3 نيسان , 2012

جزء 44، عدد 18

جناحه نفسه، وعن وأخاه أخته وعن ووالدته والده وعن األنثى، من القصائد ببعض ليبدأ بابًا الكلمة هذه وكانت وفشله... ديوانه. ولكن..... إذا كانت احلياة تتفّرع بكل االجتاهات، فلم كان شاعر، رجل كّل ليس واحلبيبة؟ احلب بنطاق منحصرا شعره ولن يحّب كل منا كل يوم. في احلياة أسى وفرح أيًضاومن يقول غير ذلك فهو خادع لنفسه... أو على األقل مكذب إلحساسه السواد لكي متحيها أشّعة املانع من ذكر بضع من وذاته... ما نغمات احلب كلمتي مركبتي على ومتى كان والفرح؟ البياض

نزار...؟ أنا شخصيا، أهّنئ علي على ما وصل إليه وهو في ُغّرة العشرين من عمره، وأشجعه على االستمرارية كذلك، لكنني أتساءل عن كما الذاتية العميقة القصائد من لبضع احلفل فقدان سبب لتأثرت كثيرا.. لو سمعتها، ، أعلم وأنا ، والتي الذاتية، غير النزارية. الغراميات تربة من مستقاة كلها كانت عبثا ولكن مصدر من شاعر لكل بد ال أنه إذ األخير، هذا أنتقد لست إلهامّي. لذلك كنت أنتظر أن أسمع شيئا عن علي ، عن أخيه ، عن حياته، وأن ال أسمع ما اعتدنا عليه من غراميات أي شاعر للسيدات العابرات في حياة اّي كان. يقول أنطون سعادة:« الذين 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 ينتبها أن والقارئ للمستمع ينبغي ولكن أجيب، لن أنا علي؟ مجتمع من أظلَم أجد لست الدقيقة.. التفاصيل هذه لكل يلّوث معاني األدب عندما يقبل بشعر سطحي يظل خارج نطاق االنسانية، املشاعر كل يحّصل أن يجب الذي الشعري السمو

وأن ينير آفاق القراء.

يجب أن يحّصل كل املشاعر االنسانية, وأن يؤّثر.الشياطي« وبالتحديد تراقص ال »املالئكة أعجبتني قصيدة كثر قد وأنا الياسمي، تنبت ال القاحلة »األرض قال: عندما أعجبتني ولكنها مألوفة، تكون قد صدري«. على الشوك باالضافة إلى بضع جمل من كل قصيدة... على سبيل املثال: أعرف أني بيننا، الوحيد »الفرق جنوبية«، إمرأة الباب »خلف أنك لست لي، بينما اجملنون ال يعرف األمل«، »لكي أحبك أكثر، املطر« ، حتت ينتظرها من » هناك أحّبك«، لست أحبك.. ال اجلملتي ولعّل أبدا«... يرحل ال الذي هو األفضل »احلبيب والتي نفسي« »إلى األخيرة القصيدة من هما األخيرتي فضلتها على غيرها من القصائد، ، وقد وافقني الكثيرون رأيي شعرية كونها من أكثر نثرية، كونها من الرغم على هذا..

الشكل واملضمون وااليقاع.انتهى احلفل الشعري سريعا، وقام بدران بتوقيع كتابه وقد عاد بعض من ريع الكتاب جلمعية سرطان األطفال، مما جعل عمله انسانيا، بنظري على األقل. . وما قد سمعته من رْجع الصدى اّن القاء علي لم يكن إلقاء شعريا كما يجب إضافة إلى مشكالت التشكيل وتشّبثه بالورقة أثناء قيامه بعملية االلقاء . لن أزيد ، ولكّن الفيديو الذي نزل على صفحات الفايسبوك عن الكتاب، الّسليم.. غير والنطق القواعد حيث من باألخطاء مليئا كان أن يكون موجودا عند شاعر أصبح لديه ثالثة ينبغي فهل هذا

كتب متتالية؟أن يصيب أمل الكتاب اجلديد... على التوفيق لعلي على أمتنى اجلميع... عند الثقافة إحساس ينمو وأن األمل، مجتمعاتنا عندها فقط نستطيع أن ننهض باألدب والشعر والفن... مبروك

علي....

منى اأيوب - م�صاهمة �صحفية

يخشى« هو ... نادرة بعلة مبتلى األسبوع لهذا صاحبنا هو يومه هم و حياته محور و مرضية... بدرجة األخطار«

اإلحتياط منها... ، و أنه يرجح حصول قالوا أن بلده يقع على فالق أرضي خطير زلزال في املستقبل القريب...فيحتاط له بشتى الوسائل حتى يدري؟ لعل آخر آمن... فمن إلى األمر تغيير مسكنه لو كلفه يعتد ال فلم غدا، أو اليوم آدم بني تنسف أن تقرر األرض

ألهوالها؟أكلها ولكن ، القلب يؤذي الفاكهة من الكثير تناول أن قالوا حرم صاحبنا بأن تصدق فهل ضرورة... معتدلة بكميات

أن ميكن ما كل ملعون الدين؟ يوم إلى نفسه على الفاكهة ينقص من عمره شيئا...

قالوا أن جو املدينة بدخانها و سمومها و تلوثها يسبب األمراض ... من يعمل أو يتعلم أن أراد ملن العيش فيها ضرورة و لكن ،يأبه للعلم و العمل وعداد العمر في خطر؟... فلتذهب املدينة و العيشة فيها إلى اجلحيم... و ألعش بهدوء في حضن الضيعة

العمر... آخر Yلى 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...

رحم اهلل صاحبنا... كم عاش شقيا...تقول بعض الشائعات أن أحد جيرانه في الضيعة قد أخبر املسؤولي 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...