Check Archive

July 2009

• Fresno Bee of July 1 reported that the American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program awarded the American University of Beirut Medical Center its prestigious Magnet designation on June 23. During the six-year Magnet application process, Assistant Hospital Director for Patient Care Services Gladys Mouro and her colleagues introduced comprehensive changes to improve nursing practice at the Medical Center that were confirmed by a team of three appraisers from the US-based ANCC in April 2009.

• The Irish Times of July 1 reported on the dangers facing cedar trees in Lebanon. Among them is the cedar sawfly. Unique to Lebanon, the sawfly eats the new leaves and during the spring and summer one does not see the normal green color of the cedar forest, but a red color, which due to the infestations cause the leaves to dry. The sawfly, while unlikely to be eradicated, is being kept in check by mass spraying of the forest in a joint effort between the American University of Beirut and the ministries of agriculture and environment.

• American Journal of Otolaryngology of July 2 published the abstract of a report by a research team from the American University of Beirut on giant midesophageal diverticulum.

• An-Nahar, As-Safir, Ad-Diyar, L'Orient Le Jour, Al-Liwa', Al-Bayraq, and Dar Al-Hayat (Britain) of July 3 carried the statement by Dean of Student Affairs at AUB Dr. Maroun Kisirwani regarding the four AUB students who were held up last Wednesday by a group of gunmen in the mountainous region of Aqoura while they were conducting their fieldwork for a geology course number 229 saying that the students are in good health and unharmed, and that the university is following up on the matter with the security forces to find the culprits, and will take future measures to prevent this incident from recurring.

• Radio Sawa (USA), Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat (KSA), and Ad-Dustur (Syria) of July 3 reported that fish living in the Mediterranean are endangered due to pollutants in the sea. The paper quoted AUB professor of Biology Imad Seoud as saying "many of the fishermen use illegal methods of fishing."

• Indymedia UK of July 3 published a petition signed by a number of individual from all over the world protesting the oppression of protestors in Iran who have called out against the results of their country's presidential election. Among the signatories was Khalil Hindi of the American University of Beirut.

• Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery of July 5 presented a study by a research team from the American Universit of Beirut and  George Washington University School of Medicine entitled, â??Management of congenital subglottic hemangioma: Trends and success over the past 17 years.â?

• PR-USA.net of July 5 reported that the Beirut Arab University has signed with UniversiTools university software that facilitates the scheduling of courses and exams. In this move, the Beirut Arab University joins the likes of the American University of Beirut that has also signed with UniversiTools.

• Editor and Publisher of July 6 reported that Terry Anderson, a former hostage who was kidnapped in Lebanon during the country's 1975-90 civil war, has returned to Beirut. As former Associated Press Beirut Bureau Chief, he is teaching American students at the American University of Beirut about covering the Middle East.

• American Journal of Otolaryngology of July 7 published the abstract of a report by a research team at the American University of Beirut Medical Center entitled, â??Leishmaniasis of the auricle mimicking carcinoma.â?

• Bloomberg of July 7 reported on the significance of the abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who has been held captive by the Palestinian militant group Hamas for two years. In case a deal were to be reached between Hamas and Israel over his release, Hamas, which is backed by Syria and Iran, will not accept anything less than the release of its top officials and lawmakers in Israeli custody, said Timur Goksel, a  former adviser to United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon who teaches at the American University in Beirut.

• Electronic Intifada (USA) of July 7 published a review of AUB professor of architecture and design Zeina Masri's recently published book Off the Wall: Political Posters of the Lebanese Civil War.

• The Central News Agency of July 6 and Ilaf (Britain) of July 8 reported on the concert given by Lebanese singer Majida Al-Roumi at AUB's Green Field on Sunday July 5.

• Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery of July 8 published the abstract of a report by a research team from the Internal Medicine Department at the American University of Beirut Medical Center entitled, Acute Pharyngitis: An Unusual Presentation of Acute Endemic Typhus.

• American Journal of Otolaryngology of July 8 published the findings of a report by the department of Otolaryngology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center and the Civilization Sequence Department at the American University of Beirut on format frequencies in Middle Eastern singers.

• The Christian Science Monitor of July 9 highlighted the significance of recent elections in the Middle East, such as those in Lebanon and Iran, and the Israeli elections in January. Rami G. Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, said, The election in Iran is the most important not because of the result, but because of the manipulation. Elections in the Middle East, other than in Israel, are not usually the mechanisms that make policy. They are interesting for reflecting the political culture in which they occur.

• American Journal for Public Health of July 9 published a report by Dr. Iman Nuwayhid, from the Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of Beirut, entitled, Occupational Health Research in Developing Countries: A Partner for Social Justice.

• American Journal of Otolaryngology of July 10 published the abstract of a research team from the American University of Beirut Medical Center entitled, Intraglandular toxoplasmosis of the parotid gland pre- or postoperative diagnosis.

• Global Post of July 10 reported on the uncovering of spies in Lebanon working for Israel. The spies were able to infiltrate the militant group Hizbullah. Timur Goksel, the former spokesman of the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon and now professor at the American University of Beirut, said, These [Hizbullah] guys are invisible, and they still got them. I have to give credit to the Israelis that theyve been able to do this.

• Classified Post of July 11 reported on ambitions by Asian universities to gain accreditation by world's largest business school accreditation organization, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). John Fernandes, president and chief executive of the AACSB, said that the American University of Beirut pursued its accreditation. He noted, They put into place massive changes in their faculty, they rethought their mission, everything. The process helped them to get better.

• The Media Line and News Blaze of July 13 reported that Arab leaders are starting to join Internet social websites Twitter and Facebook. Observers said that these are attempts by the leaders to connect with their people. However, Nabil Dajani, chairman of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and a professor of communications at the American University of Beirut, said, I don't think it boosts their image. This is the fashion, it's about their ego. The Internet is not actually that widespread in the Middle East so the impact is not the same as in the West.

• The Agonist Thought, Global, Timely of July 13 reported on the presidential campaigns of Afghani presidential hopefuls Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani. The latter holds degrees from the American University of Beirut and from New York's Columbia University, where he earned a PhD in anthropology.

• The Palestine Chronicle of July 13 published an article by Nate George, a graduate student at the American University of Beirut, highlighting the bias in western media towards Israel in covering developments in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon.

• American Journal of Public Health of July 13 published a summary of a research by Drs. Marwan Khawaja, of the Center for Research on Population and Health at the American University of Beirut, and Rima R. Habib, of AUBs Department of Environmental Health. The research is entitled, Husbandsâ?? Involvement in Housework and Womens Psychosocial Health: Findings From a Population-Based Study in Lebanon.

• The Christian Science Monitor (USA) of July 14 featured the candidates running for the presidential elections in Afghanistan. The paper said that among the candidates is Asraf Ghani who received degrees from AUB.

• New Design World, eMediaWorld.com, and Sys.Con Canada of July 14 reported that PennySaverUSA.com announced the recent key leadership hires of two online retailing veterans, So Young Park and Doug Williams. Williams, who holds an MBA from the American University of Beirut, has been named VP of E-Commerce for PennySaverUSA.com. He was previously Director of E-Commerce for Lane Bryant Catalog, a division of Charming Shoppes, Inc., a leading merchant of plus-sized womens apparel.

• Science AAAC of July 17 published the findings of a report by John D. Davis and J. D. Keehn from the Department of Psychology at the American University of Beirut entitled, Magnitude of Reinforcement and Consummatory Behavior.

• Dar Al-Hayat (Britain) of July 17 published a profile of Shadia Rifai Habbal, a recipient of an MS in physics from AUB, who is the first Arab woman scientist to study the atmosphere surrounding the sun.

• Science AAAS of July 21 published the abstract of a report by a research team from the Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine at the American University of Beirut entitled, â??Rats Enriched with Odd-Carbon Fatty Acids: Maintenance of Liver Glycogen during Starvation.â?

• Voice of America of July 21 reported on how Vitamin D deficiency is harmful to oneâ??s health. The article noted that even in regions with high sun exposure, such as the Middle East, people are still prone to being Vitamin D deficient. Dr. Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan, of the American University of Beirut Medical Center, said, In Middle Eastern countries, people tend to follow a much more conservative clothing style. And the other thing is that with modernization, women who do not follow the conservative clothing style use sunblock. Sunblock with sun protection factor as low as six and eight can completely block the ability of the skin to make vitamin D.

• United Press International, AME Info, and RBC Dain Rauscher Inc. of July 28 and Emirates News Agency of July 27 reported that the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) has chosen Beirut as venue for its annual conference that will convene next November on the theme of impact of climate change on Arab countries. AFED's Secretary General Najib Saab said that a group of leading Arab scientists and researchers are working on a comprehensive report covering all aspects of climate change impacts in the Arab region. In addition, a pioneering study on the impact of climate change on human health is carried out by Dr. Iman Nuwayhid, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of Beirut.

• Al-Anwar, Al-Liwa', and Al-Mustaqbal of July 24 and Dar Al-Hayat (Britain) of July 28 reported that the Continuing Education Center at AUB graduated, in a ceremony on July 17, some 143 adult students and professionals, who were following programs in accounting, business, and marketing, as well as the newly-created human resources management program.

• The Armenian Reporter of July 31 published the obituary of Jivan Tabibian, Armenia's former Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) and other UN agencies in Vienna. Born in 1937 in Beirut, Tabibian graduated in 1959 from the American University of Beirut, where he majored in politics. He was also a graduate of Princeton University and the Sorbonne, where he studied political sociology.