AUB - Local News - march 2009

march 2009

AUB in the News - Local version

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March 2009

An-Nahar and As-Safir of March 2 reported the death of Fawzi Maalouf, member of the AUB student scholarship fund committee and former vice president and later president of the AUB Alumni Association.
Al-Mustaqbal of March 2 reported that the new woman champion in the latest Lebanese University Chess tournament is an AUB student named Maya Jalloul.
Al-Akhbar of March 2 published an article alerting mothers not to mix baby formula with sugar. The paper quoted AUB professor of nutrition at the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences as saying "mothers in Lebanon have a tendency to blend baby formula with sugar which will destroy the baby's taste buds."
Al-Akhbar of March 2 reported on the special employment day held at AUB on February 26-27 in which local and regional companies gave recruitment presentations and interviewed students. The paper analyzed the effects of the recent international financial crisis on the job market.
An-Nahar, Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Liwa', As-Safir, Al-Bayraq , L'Orient Le Jour, The Daily Star, Al-Anwar, and Ash-Sharq of March 4 reported on the press conference held at Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel on March 3 during which the Brave Heart Fund at the Children's Heart Center of AUBMC launched its fourth awareness campaign on children's heart disease. The papers said that the fund has treated about 530 babies with congenital heart defect, since its inception, in compliance with its mission statement that says, "no child should die from heart disease because of lack of funds." The papers also said that the Lebanese minister of health Mohammed Jawad Khalifeh attended the press conference and spoke of the collaboration of the ministry with the Brave Heart foundation; while the founder of the fund Joumana Ghandour Atallah spoke of its mission.
An-Nahar of March 4 published an in memoriam piece commemorating Lebanese artist and author May Ghoussoub, two years after her passing away. The paper said that Ghoussoub graduated from AUB.
Al-Liwa' of March 4 and Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat (KSA) of March 5 carried the announcement by AUB that its Director of the Information and Public Relations Ibrahim Khoury will retire as of October 1, 2009. The papers said that Khoury has served the University in this post for 16 years during which he worked on promoting the image and mission of AUB to the local, regional, and international press. The papers also said that prior to assuming directorship of the office in 1991, Khoury had worked in journalism for 22 years.
An-Nahar, Al-Bayraq, and Al-Anwar of March 6 reported that AUB student Zahra Salhiyyah won first place in the 50 meter freestyle swimming race of the Lebanese university swimming tournament for women; while AUB student Dana Suleiman won first place in the 50 meter chest strokes swimming race.
Al-Mustaqbal, As-Safir, Ad-Diyar, Al-Bayraq, Al-Akhbar, L'Orient-Le Jour, and Al-Anwar of March 6 reported on the lecture and discussion on driving in Lebanon led by Lebanese Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ziad Baroud who was invited by AUB's Civics and Democracy Club to explain the benefits of the recent reforms in driving and road laws in Lebanon. The papers said that the lecture was held in coordination with the Lebanese Youth Association for Social Awareness (YASA) organization.
Al-Mustaqbal of March 6 reported on the inauguration of a forum in AUB promoting dialogue and tolerance. The paper said that the forum entitled "Open Sesame Barcamp in Lebanon" and was held in collaboration with Naharnet and RootSpace.
Al-Akhbar of March 6 carried the announcement by the Lebanese University Sports League that AUB ranked first in the recent swimming tournament.
The Daily Star of March 6 published an article featuring a new social project entitled Feminist Collective started by a graduate AUB students majoring in Philosophy. The paper said that the mission of the project is to address issues of racism, classism, and sexism in the Lebanese society.
www.tayyar.org of March 6 published a political editorial assessing political affiliations of candidates running for MP positions for North Lebanon in the forthcoming June 2009 elections. The paper said that Samir Geagea, one of the candidates is a graduate of AUB and has lived in Tripoli for a while--the fact which exposed him to the Muslim community and culture.
Al-Mustaqbal of March 7 carried a statement by AUBMC in which it denounces all "false" claims of medical malpractice alluded to its doctors and staff during a discussion in a talk show entitled "Al-Fasad" or corruption that aired on New TV on February 27.
As-Safir, The Daily Star, and Al-Anwar of March 7, the Kuwait News Agency (Kuwait) of March 8, and Al-Moheet (Egypt) and Al-Rai (Jordan) of March 9 reported that 23 students from Gulf Cooperation Council countries graduated from a special 16-week advanced financial management program held at AUB. The papers said that the program was designed and delivered by the Olayan School of Business at AUB, under the umbrella of the Regional External Programs at the University and with the full support of the Gulf Investment Corporation.
Al-Akhbar of March 7 and Arab 48 (Palestine) of March 8 published an article featuring Christopher Hitchens, author, literary critic and journalist, who was lectured last month at AUB.
Al-Akhbar of March 7 published a profile and an interview with Samir Khoury, an active feminist of Palestinian descent, who studied at AUB.
Al-Mustaqbal of March 8 published a review of former Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Elie A. Salem's book My American Bride, which was published by Quartet Books in London, in 2007.
Al-Akhbar of March 9 published an article that argues against the recent claim that coconut oil is cholesterol free. The paper quoted FAFS professor of nutrition Farah Naja as saying "there are some who think that avocadoes, dates, and nuts are high in cholesterol, but these beliefs are not accurate."
L'Orient-Le Jour of March 9 announced that the Society of the Friends of the AUB Museum is hosting on March 11 an illustrated lecture entitled "Islamic Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum: from the founder, O. Jones (1852), to the patron, M.A. Jameel (2009)" by Dr. Tim Stanley, Senior Curator Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
The Daily Star of March 9 reported on the lecture and open discussion held on March 6 by Rex Brynen, Professor of Political Science at McGill University and Coordinator of the Palestinian Refugee Research Net. The paper said that the title of the talk was "Reflections on refugees in the peace process: options and obstacles," and that it was organized by AUB's Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs.
An-Nahar of March 11 reported that the AUB rugby team won against Jounieh team during the 11th round of the Bank of Beirut Rugby League Championship.
Al-Mustaqbal and The Daily Star of March 11 carried the announcement by the American University of Beirut Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Department of Arabic Language and Literature announcing the passing away of Muhammad Yusuf Najm, Professor Emeritus of Arabic at AUB. The papers said that Dr. Najm was a professor for over 50 years, teaching Arabic literature to students at AUB for over 25 years, as well to students at Harvard University in 1972 and at Kuwait University in 1969.
L'Orient-Le Jour of March 11 published a review of the recent art exhibition by Ghada Jamal now at Agial art gallery near AUB. The paper said that Jamal teaches art at AUB and University of Saint Joseph.
L'Orient-Le Jour of March 11 announced that Al Bustan Festival is organizing a concert-lecture entitled: "When music sings, the brain listens and the heart modulates," with Kamal Chemali MD and pianist Prisca Benoit on March 12 at West Hall.
www.cyberia.com and The Daily Star of March 12 published an article announcing that campaigners from a right-wing think tank in Britain will seek an arrest warrant for Hizbullah spokesman Ibrahim Moussawi if he is allowed into the country later this month. The papers said that Moussawi sought the help of academics to support his application for a visa and that AUB's Chair of Political Science, Professor Hilal Khashan, has written to the UK government to say that Moussawi should be allowed into the country.
Papers of March 11-12 reported on the lecture given by the director of AUB's Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs Rami Khoury at City University of New York entitled "From Daniel Bliss to Barack Obama: American Soft Power in the Middle East." The paper said that, in his talk, Khoury reviewed ten major challenges facing the people of the Middle East at the start of the Obama administration, and showed that "soft power" has been more successful as US foreign policy in the region. He used AUB's record of over the past 140 years to illustrate "soft power" policies.
An-Nahar of March 12 reported on the university orientation fair organized by Jam'iyyat Al-Mabarrat Al-Khayriyyah in which 20 universities in Lebanon including AUB participated.
An-Nahar, Al-Mustaqbal, and As-Safir of March 12 announced that Manal Abdel Samad received an MS with distinction in economics from AUB. The papers said that Abdel Samad is head of the service department for value added tax clients at the Lebanese ministry of finance.
An-Nahar, Al-Mustaqbal, As-Safir, Al-Balad, and Al-Anwar of March 12 reported that the Lebanese minister of health Muhammad Jawad Khalifeh participated in the inauguration of a medical equipment fair in Damascus organized by AUBMC and the Rafic Hariri University Hospital. The papers said that the fair was part of a conference held in Damascus on Arab health and hospitals.
Al-Mustaqbal and Al-Bayraq of March 12 reported that water resources expert at AUB Muntasir Fadel participated in a workshop on water resources in greater Beirut organized by the Foundation for Public Services, Transport, Energy and Water.
As-Safir and Al-Akhbar of March 12 reported on a student exhibit held at AUB in front of West Hall aiming at raising awareness of the need for monitoring the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Lebanon in June 2009. The paper said that the exhibit was organized by the Human Rights and Peace Club at AUB.
The Daily Star of March 12 announced that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at AUB issued a new volume of its annual publication, Al-Abhath, a refereed journal which features articles and reviews in the fields of Arab and Middle Eastern studies. The paper said that the volume consists of 11 essays and two book reviews in English and four essays and one book review in Arabic on topics as diverse as religion, history, power, culture, poetry, economics, and environment.
The Daily Star of March 12 published a political piece which argues that improvement in Saudi Syrian relations will benefit Lebanon. The paper quoted AUB professor and chair of the department of political studies and public administration Hilal Khashan as saying that Barack Obama wants to "undo the Bush legacy."
An-Nahar of March 12 announced that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at AUB issued a new volume of its annual publication, Al-Abhath, a refereed journal which publishes articles and reviews in the fields of Arab and Middle Eastern studies. The paper said that the volume consists of 11 essays in English, two book reviews in English and one in Arabic, and four essays in Arabic on topics as diverse as religion, history, power, culture, poetry, economics, and environment.
Al-Mustaqbal of March 13 and As-Safir of March 16 announced that the AUB Anis Makdisi Program in Literature, in collaboration with the Samir Qasseer Institute, is holding a panel discussion on March 18 on "Censorship on Caricature in the Arab World." The papers said that the panelists will include Saqr Abu Fakhr, Institute of Palestine Studies, Beirut; Saad Hajo, Caricaturist at As-Safir daily; Yusuf Abdulbaki, Caricaturist from Syria; Elias El-Khoury, Novelist and editor of An-Nahar's cultural supplement; Pierre Sadeq, Caricaturist, An-Nahar daily; Abdalrahman Yasir, Caricaturist from Bahrain, and Amr Salim, Caricaturist from Egypt.
An-Nahar, Al-Mustaqbal, Ad-Diyar, Al-Bayraq, Al-Balad, L'Orient-Le Jour, The Daily Star, Al-Anwar, and Ash-Sharq of March 14 reported that MP Saad Hariri received a group of AUB alumni at his residence in Qoreitem, Beirut.
Al-Bayraq, The Daily Star, and Al-Anwar of March 14 reported that the newly-activated Technology Transfer Unit at AUB's Office of Grants and Contracts recently held a workshop on intellectual property rights to help protect inventions and designs created at AUB. The papers said that the goal of the new unit, established at the end of 2006, is to promote research and innovation at AUB by protecting intellectual property rights and marketing new inventions and research so they can bring in much-needed funds for developing more research and innovation at the University.
Al-Akhbar of March 14 reported on a water color painting exhibition at AUB's West Hall by Ahmad Noureddine. It said the exhibition is organized by the Secular Club.
Al-Mustaqbal of March 15 reported on the Cultural Movement Festival of Antelias in which the Lebanese poet Shawqi Abu Chakra cited AUB as a key factor to the spread of culture and education in Lebanon.
Al-Akhbar of March 16 announced that the AUB Palestinian Cultural Club is holding its annual film festival on March 16-19 during which it will screen movies featuring the humanitarian and political crises in occupied Palestine.
Al-Akhbar of March 16 carried an interview with former Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Hoss who is an AUB alumnus.
As-Safir of March 17 reported on the panel discussion held at AUB on "Censorship on Caricature in the Arab World." The paper said that the panel discussion was organized by the AUB Anis Makdisi Program in Literature, in collaboration with the Samir Kassir Foundation. The papers said that the panelists will include Saqr Abu Fakhr: Institute of Palestine Studies, Beirut; Saad Hajo: Caricaturist at As-Safir daily; Yusuf Abdulbaki: Caricaturist from Syria; Elias El-Khoury: Novelist and editor of An-Nahar's cultural supplement; Pierre Sadeq: Caricaturist, An-Nahar daily; Abdalrahman Yasir: Caricaturist from Bahrain, and Amr Salim: Caricaturist from Egypt.
As-Safir of March 17, and An-Nahar, As-Safir, and Al-Bayraq of March 18 reported on the opening of the caricature exhibition held at AUB's West Hall. The paper said that the exhibit is organized by SKIES foundation, which defends the freedom of speech in the Arab world, and Samir Kassir Foundation, and that it will continue until March 22.
Al-Mustaqbal of March 18 published an article featuring the environmental crisis threatening forests in Lebanon. The paper mentioned Ricardos Habre, late AUB professor of biology, as an example of an environmental activist who was successful in turning Ehden forest into a preserve.
Al-Mustaqbal of March 18 announced the results of the 12th round of the Bank of Beirut Rugby League Championship during which AUB's team ranked 4th.
An-Nahar, As-Safir, Al-Bayraq, Al-Anwar, and The Saudi Press Agency (KSA) of March 26 reported that director of AUB's Institute of Financial Economics Professor Samir Makdisi participated in the last day of a three-day conference by the Arab Institute for Planning. The conference was entitled "The Private Sector in Development: Assessment and Outlook,"and was held at Radisson Hotel, Beirut.
An-Nahar, As-Safir, and Al-Bayraq of March 26 published an article featuring the public health project run by a group of researchers at AUB and assessing the health hazards of smoking nargileh and tobacco. The papers said that the group's recent findings yielded that more than 5 million people die each year worldwide of tobacco-related sicknesses.
Al-Mustaqbal of March 26 announced that the American College of Surgeons in Lebanon held its annual meeting at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Beirut during which AUB ENT professor and doctor Muhammad Bitar was appointed as one of its new members.
Al-Mustaqbal of March 26 published an op ed by Omar Harqous in which he tries to define the audience and followers of March 14 movement. He said the beginnings started with the assembly of people on February 14 [2005] in front of the American University of Beirut Medical Center following Rafic Hariri's assassination.
Al-Mustaqbal of March 26 published an opinion piece in which the author describes the city of Beirut in the early 20th century. Among the scenes which the author describes is bliss street and the tram rail parallel to the American University of Beirut.
As-Safir of March 26 reported that the Lebanese minister of finance Muhammad Shateh recommended to the Lebanese cabinet three candidates to serve as Lebanese National Bank representatives at the parliament. The paper said that Saad Andari, who is an AUB graduate, is among the candidates.
Al-Bayraq and Al-Anwar of March 26 reported that the Lebanese ambassador to Washington DC, Antoine Shdeed, held a ceremony to honor American-Lebanese US Transportation Secretary Ray Lahoud and decorated him with a medal on behalf of Lebanese president HE Michel Suleiman. The papers said that Peter Dorman, the president of the American University of Beirut attended the ceremony.
Al-Akhbar of March 26 published an article on barbers' perspectives on Lebanese politics including one barber, Philippe Safar, whose shop is located on Bliss Street across from AUB. The paper quoted the barber as saying that many professors working at AUB regularly visited his shop.
Al-Akhbar of March 26 carried the announcement by AUB's Office of Information and Public Relations which hosted a student photo exhibition entitled "Line of Sight" which opened on March 23, The paper sad that it was organized in collaboration with the AUB Department of Photography and the Department of Architecture and Design. The paper said that the exhibit would continue until March 29.
The Daily Star of March 26 published a political piece discussing differing views on the imminent appointment of a new ambassador to Damascus. The paper quoted AUB chair of the department of political studies and public administration Hilal Khashan as saying "I don't believe that by simply naming an ambassador to Beirut things will improve."
An-Nahar and L'Orient- Le Jour of March 27 reported on the panel discussion held at AUB on March 26 debating "The Cedar Island." The papers said that on January 23, 2009, the developer Noor International Holding applied for a legal license at the office of the investment development authority of Lebanon (IDAL) to build luxurious residential, commercial, and tourist projects, named "The Cedar Island". This is described as an artificial 3.3 square km island planned in front of the Lebanese coast. The papers said that a group of professors at AUB think that this project is an environmental and urban disaster.
An-Nahar, Al-Liwa', and As-Safir of March 27 reported on the Arabic poetry recital university competition organized by the Beirut Arab University around the theme of "The Instinctive Life and the Modern Age." The paper said that students from AUB participated in the competition and that AUB student Sari Chreih ranked second and won a cash prize of $2000.
An-Nahar, Al-Mustaqbal, As-Safir, Ad-Diyar, Al-Bayraq, Al-Balad, Al-Akhbar, L'Orient-Le Jour, and Al-Anwar of March 27 announced that in preparation for the Francophone Sports Championships which will take place in Lebanon on September 27- October 6, 2009, the National Council for Francophone Games and AUB organized a track and field competition at AUB.
Al-Akhbar of March 27 and March 28 reported that AUB's Office of Information and Public Relations has organized the student photo exhibition "Line of Sight" in collaboration with the AUB Department of Photography and the Department of Architecture and Design. The papers said that the exhibition opened on March 23 and continues through March 29.
The Daily Star of March 27 reported that the Lebanese minister of finance Muhammad Shatah recommended to the Lebanese cabinet three candidates to serve as Lebanese Central Bank vice governors. The paper said that Saad Andari, who is an AUB graduate, is among the candidates.
The Daily Star of March 27 and L'Orient-Le Jour of March 31 reported on the public health project run by a group of researchers at AUB assessing the health risks and hazards of smoking narguileh and tobacco. The paper said that the group's recent findings yielded that more than 5 million people die worldwide of tobacco related diseases.
www.cyberia.com of March 28 published a political piece discussing differing views on the imminent appointment of a new Syrian ambassador to Damascus. The paper quoted AUB chair of the department of political studies and public administration Dr. Hilal Khashan as saying "I don't believe that by simply naming an ambassador to Beirut things will improve."
An-Nahar of March 28 carried the message by the 'Urfan Monothesitic Foundation addressed to health officials and practitioners in Lebanon complaining about the rejection of a young village girl suffering from a medical emergency from several hospitals in the country. The paper included a quotation by the Lebanese Minister of Health Muhammad Jawad Khalifeh as saying that "upon receiving a call from the administration of AUBMC concerning the condition of the child and the urgency of admitting her to the hospital, I gave them a clearance to admit her and administer the appropriate care and treatment she needed."
Al-Liwa' of March 28 reported that the Brave Heart Fund at the American University of Beirut Medical Center held a fundraising gala dinner at the Phoenicia Hotel, Beirut. The paper said that the dinner was held under the patronage of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Al-Akhbar of March 28 reported on the lecture given by Professor Abdelfattah Kilito, of Muhammad V University, Rabat, entitled "Al-Muallif fi al-turath al-thaqafi" (The Author in Cultural Heritage).
The Daily Star of March 28 and www.cyberia.com of March 29 published a political editorial debating Israel's future policies towards Lebanon at the dawn of its new government. The papers quoted AUB chair of the department of political studies and public administration Hilal Khashan as saying "I don't think the formation of the Israeli government will have any bearing on Lebanon in the foreseeable future."
Electronic Intifada (USA) and Al-Akhbar of March 30 carried the announcement by academics in Lebanon calling, on the occasion of World Earth Day and in protest against the Israeli onslaught on the people of Gaza, for the academic boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel. The paper said that the academics in Lebanon who have signed this petition consist of faculty, lecturers and graduate students from the University of Balamand, AUB, LAU, NDU, Lebanese University, Beirut Arab University, USEK, Lebanese International University and Global University.
The Daily Star of March 30 reported on the panel discussion of the third edition of TALK20, Beirut organized by the Department of Architecture and Design at AUB. The paper said that TALK20 is not a panel but a gathering, an informal exchange of ideas within and outside of the design community and consists of a series of short presentations, 20 slides per 20 seconds each, selected and narrated by a hybrid panel of students, educators and professionals.
The Daily Star of March 30 reported that six AUB students attended World Model UN summit in The Hague, Netherlands. The paper also said that they discussed with The Daily Star their future plans after they receive their Bachelor's Degrees.
An-Nahar of March 31 announced that three university programs in Australia will honor in April 2009 AUB Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Director of AUB's Center for Behavioral Research Samir Khalaf on the 50th anniversary of his career as sociologist and for his internationally recognized scholarly output. The paper said that the programs are the Sociology Department of the University of Sydney, the Center for Excellence in Islamic Studies, and the Future Generation Program at Melbourne University.
An-Nahar and As-Safir of March 31 reported that AUB participated in the university fair held by the University of Balamand under the auspices of Lebanese minister of education HE Bahia Hariri at Le Meridien Commodore Hotel, Beirut.
An-Nahar of March 31 announced that the Anis Makdisi Program in Literature at the American University of Beirut is organizing a lecture by AUB Professor of Arabic Mahmoud Chreih entitled "The Jasmine Tree of Jeanne D'arc." The paper said that the lecture will be in Arabic and will be given on April 1.
Al-Mustaqbal of March 31 reported that a group of AUB students participated in the workshop on Development of Leadership Skills among Young Students organized by the Lebanese Center for Civic Development.
Al-Mustaqbal, As-Safir, Al-Bayraq, and Al-Akhbar of March 31 reported that the Rugby team of the University of Saint Joseph won against the Rugby team of AUB during the fifteenth round of the Bank of Beirut Rugby League Championship. The papers also said that AUB's team will compete against that of Jounieh during the sixteenth round of the championship at Bhamdoun stadium.
L'Orient Le Jour of March 31 reported on the fundraising gala dinner held at The Ritz, Carlton Hotel in Doha, Qatar and organized by the Children's Cancer Center in Lebanon. The paper said that the proceeds of the dinner reached $900,000.
The Daily Star of March 31 carried the announcement by AUB's Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs that its Research and Policy Forum on Climate Change and Environment in the Arab World program and AUB's Political Studies and Public Administration Department are presenting a lecture entitled: "Combining Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies: The Key to Sustainability" by professor Peter Hennicke, who served as the President of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy in Germany from 2000 to 2008.
The Daily Star of March 31 reported on the study conducted by AUB professor of anthropology Kirsten Scheid on the "rites of passage found among Lebanon's better-off pre-pubescents."