Check Archive

February 2009

• Newspost Online of February 1 and BombayNews.Net and Sulekha.com of January 31 reported on the possibility of developing railway infrastructure in Orissa, a region in India. Railway infrastructure development is one of the keys to success and can bring economic prosperity to such a backward region, said Digambara Patra, an assistant professor at the department of chemistry in the American University of Beirut.

• The Huffington Post of February 2 published an article by Magda Abu-Fadil, director of the Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut, about efforts in Iraq to provide more protection for journalists in the war-torn country.

• Middle East Times of February 2 published an article by Caroline Anning, a graduate student at the Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies at the American University of Beirut, about the possibility that former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his Likud party, may win upcoming elections in Israel. She noted that his victory may jeopardize chances for resuming peace talks with the Palestinians.

• University of Delaware of February 3 reported on the theme of the Global Agenda 2009 at the University of Delaware. Entitled, Tinderbox: Understanding the Middle East, the program will feature various speakers. Among them is Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, who will present a lecture entitled, Understanding the Conflict on March 11.

• Cafebabel.com of February 3 reported on the role of the Czech presidency of the European Union in the Middle East, especially in light of Israel's recent offensive against the Gaza Strip. Talal Nizameddin, a political analyst at the American University of Beirut, said that despite denials by the Israeli leaders, domestic political considerations were the main reason for the attacks against Gaza.

• The Editors Weblog of February 3 reported that the Kuwaiti newspaper Assawt, which opened in October 2008, was forced to shut down due to the world economic crisis. Dr. Nabil Dajani, professor of Communications at the American University of Beirut, said that Arab newspapers might shift towards the Web in the future but that the lack of computers and internet access poses an especially high barrier to making online news delivery a viable option for the general public.

• OurMidland.com of February 6 reported that Dr. Naman Salibi has joined the practice of Saginaw Valley Neurosurgery at St. Mary's of Michigan. Prior to coming to Saginaw, he was assistant clinical professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Salibi received his medical degree from the American University of Beirut and has held many professional positions related to the practice of neurosurgery. He is certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

• Voice of America of February 9 reported on the Israeli elections and Lebanese opinions on what impact the outcome will have on the region. Karim Makdisi, an assistant professor of international relations at the American University of Beirut, said, For over the past 20 years there has been a lot of violence in this region. It doesn't seem to matter if it's Likud, Kadima or Labor. They have all declared war, they all had their foreign adventures in Lebanon and other parts. So it doesn't seem to me much of a difference.

• Chicago Tribune of February 10 reported on American University of Beirut President Peter Dorman settling in his new position as head of the university. His decision to leave his previous post as the head of the University of Chicago's Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations department left many of his colleagues baffled as to why he would leave for Lebanon and all the instability it represents. He said, AUB was the one institution I would happily have left Chicago for AUB represents the best of what America has to offer this region.

• Dar Al-Hayat (Britain) of February 11 published an Op Ed piece commenting on the literary work of the late AUB professor Constantine Zureik entitled The Manifesto of Arab Nationalism.

• Eagle World and Voice of America of February 13 reported on the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri that helped pave the way for a Syrian troop withdrawal in Lebanon in April 2005. Karim Makdisi, a professor of international relations at the American University of Beirut, said that the withdrawal and the new formal diplomatic ties between Beirut and Damascus mark a new era between the two countries. Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at AUB disagreed, saying that Syria still meddles in Lebanese affairs.

• News Blaze of February 13 reported on the U.S. premier of Baghdadi Bath by Jawad al-Assadi, Iraq's best-known playwright. The play, translated by Nada Saab and Robert Myers, appeared in Performing Arts Journal in 2008. Myers has written about theater for The New York Times, PAJ and other publications and is an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at the American University of Beirut. He is the author of Atwater: Fixin' to Die and The Lynching of Leo Frank and other plays.

• Dar Al-Hayat (Britain) of February 17 reported on the Waad master plan and architectural projects guiding the post-2006 war reconstruction of Beirut's southern suburbs (Dahyeh). The paper said that Waad is an initiative partly run by AUB's Department of Architecture and Design.

• Say Anything Blog and MetaFilter of February 19 and Menassat News of February 18 reported that controversial American writer, professor, and cultural critic, Christopher Hitchens was beaten in Beirut by members of the National Syrian Socialist Party as he attempted to deface one of the party's posters. Hitchens was in Beirut to give a lecture at the American University of Beirut.

• Article Dashboard of February 19 reported on pedunculated fibroids, non-cancerous uterine growths attached to the uterine wall by a peduncle, or a stalk-like growth. The article added that the American University of Beirut Medical Center has reported two women that had prolapsed pedunculated submucosal fibroids.

• DCMilitary.com of February 19 announced that on March 19, American University of Beirut professor emeritus, Majid Fakhry will be holding a lecture, entitled, The Dialogue of Civilizations Islam: Christianity and the West, at the University of Mary Washington (UMW).

• AlestleLive.com of February 19 published an article by history professor at the American University of Beirut, Steve Tamari about his arrival to Lebanon to teach at the university and the misconceptions American society has of Lebanon.

• 14 March, Dar Al-Hayat (Britain), and Al-Rai (Kuwait) of February 20, and www.cyberia.com and Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat (KSA) of February 21 reported that AUB inaugurated on February 19 the Rafic Hariri School of Nursing in a ceremony in Issam Fares Hall. The papers said that AUB President Peter Dorman, AUBMC Dean Nadim Cortas, Director of the School of Nursing Huda Huijer, and AUB Board member, MP Saad Hariri gave inaugural speeches during the ceremony which was followed by a visit to the cedar tree planted on AUB campus in memory of Rafic Hariri. The papers also said that the AUB School of Nursing was named after late PM Rafic Hariri following a $10-million pledge by MP Saad Hariri to name and endow the school.

• Dar Al-Hayat (Britain) of February 24 reported that AUB medical researcher Rami Mahfouz participated in a conference on genetic computer engineering organized by the faculty of health sciences of the American University of Science and Technology.

• Al-Mustaqbal and Dar Al-Hayat (Britain) of February 25 published the obituary of Lebanese journalist Kassem Jaafar who had received a degree in Middle Eastern history and Islamic studies from AUB.

• MoroccoBoard.com of February 25 reported that the University of the Middle East Project (UME), a non-profit organization that promotes educational leadership programs throughout the Middle East and North Africa based in Somerville, Massachusetts, has received a collaborative art initiative grant for a week-long program in Morocco from March 29 to April 6. Previously, the Lebanon exchange at UME had taken part in a 10-day visit to Lebanon where a civic engagement workshop was held at the American University of Beirut.

• ExploreBaltimoreCounty.com of February 25 reported that St. Agnes Hospital hired Dr. John Yacoub to serve as director of gynecologic minimally invasive surgery. He earned his medical degree from the American University of Beirut and his residency training in high-risk obstetrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

• Mainstreet.com of February 25 highlighted the American University of Beirut in its Higher Ed. Hidden Gems series. It said that A.U.B. is becoming a more popular consideration for prospective American college students, thanks to its relative affordability, academic prestige and vast global network of influential alumni, including U.N. ambassadors, political leaders, architects and engineers.

• Ilaf (Britain) of February 25 published an interview with Antoine Daou, a Lebanese professor in astronomy in Berkley University and research associate with NASA. The paper said that Daou has a BE in mechanical engineering from AUB.

• Leader of February 26 reported that the Raymond Ackerman Academy has launched a new entrepreneurship academy in Soweto in South Africa. The new academy is supported by the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative that had previously supported activities in the Middle East including a partnership between Stanford and the American University in Beirut to develop business case studies.

• Yahoo! Malaysia News of February 27 and Ksl.com, Salon.com, Star Tribune, and PR-Inside.com of February 26 reported that a federal court has dismissed a lawsuit against Libya brought by the estate of American librarian Peter Kilburn, who was kidnapped, held hostage and killed in retaliation for a U.S. raid on the country in 1986. Kilburn was a librarian at the American University of Beirut at the time of his kidnapping in December 1984.
• Tehran Times of March 1 and CNN International of February 27 reported on the establishment of the international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, said that the development â??is an extraordinary symbol of the whole world coming in here, to the Arab world, and saying this has to stop, we're going to find who did it and hold them accountable.â?
• Ilaf (Britain) of February 27 published an interview with Antoine Daou, a Lebanese professor in astronomy in Berkley University and research associate with NASA. The paper said that Daou has a BE in mechanical engineering from AUB.