HIGHLIGHTS WINS UOB RALLY PAPER 2012

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1 UOB Student Newspaper Issue 17 - May 2012 For your contributions and comments us at highlights@balamand.edu.lb HIGHLIGHTS WINS UOB RALLY PAPER 2012 Organized by SSS CLUB Photos by Photography Club On April 24th, Team 23, the Highlights Newspaper Team, won the UOB Rally Paper organized by the SSS Club with a prize worth $2000. The second prize, worth $500, went to Team 140, the Red Cross Youth Club. The UOB Rally Paper was divided into four stages, each lasting two hours. There were checkpoints, cultural and logical questions, and extra challenges. The winner was determined by the number of points earned from solving questions and completing tasks and checkpoints. Team 23 earned points leaving a 705-point difference with Team 140. The other nineteen teams that participated also had their share of awards and gifts. The Rally Paper left all team members breathless and exhausted, but at the same time, it gave them such a rush that other UOB students and faculty members experienced as well. On behalf of all teams, we would like to thank organizers, participants, and sponsors for such a successful event. And for those of you who would like to compete, learn, have fun and win, there is always next year!

2 Balamandiyat Issue 17 - May Say Yes to the Mess? Christiane Fairhart I am a young college student who lives in a dorm full of other young college students and we are all very busy people. This is not a formula for tidiness and organization. However, being part of an educational institution comes with some expectations. We are expected to show up to our classes on time and to stay awake for most of the lectures. We are also expected to perform well on exams and to follow the regulations imposed upon us. This is the natural order of things and there is nothing strange about it. What is strange, however, is when the people in charge of an institution are messier than we are. I am not talking about the cleanliness or the aesthetics of our beautiful and immaculate campus, but about the organization of its administrative dealings, or lack thereof. Enrolling in college and subsequently attending college requires some semblance of orderliness and regulation in order to properly assess important documents and complete necessary proceedings. There must be punctuality and structure in administrative systems, rather than barely controlled chaos. Many students have experienced the consequences of this messy lack of coordination. Granted, not all of the departments of management are unorganized, since most are exceedingly orderly and meticulous. Some, however, take ages to process a single document or give you the wrong document altogether. In one student s experience, he was required to bring a copy of his diploma towards the end of the first semester during his finals, which should have been compiled in his student file to begin with. Another incident has happened with many students, specifically in ALBA, where they have been made to repeat certain courses which they have already passed with grades that are well above average, and what makes matters worse is that these students did not receive a definite reason for their repetitions. I myself have had a few administrative mix-ups, ranging from missing grades to ID number errors. Somebody somewhere actually thought that I hadn t done my final exam in a major course, which I of course did, but I was stuck with an incomplete grade for weeks leading up to the registration period. Disorganization can lead to some serious complications and when it comes to our academic careers, it is quite scary for us students to be faced with a missing grade or a fatal error in our file. Any small hitch can have disastrous ramifications and cause grave problems in the future. If the administration practices a little more patience and acuity, we could improve these issues and make everyone s job a little easier. Bader Club Meet the Clubs Prepared by Joseph Sleiman Aim: To promote the idea of Entrepreneurship among all students, to introduce a new way of thinking that leads to more productivity and job opportunities and to help a student study his/her surrounding environment benefiting from its resources to the maximum. Meeting schedule: Once every two weeks at the career services office, in addition to any on the spot meetings as well. President: Mohamad Bilal El Najjar Advisor: Mrs. Omaya Kuran Slogan: Be your own boss Contact information: Bader Club and the Career Services Office mohamad.elnajjar@std.balamand.edu.lb Ladies Club Aim: To preserve the essence of the unique Lebanese folklore in face of modernism, in both cultural dance and traditional clothing and to encourage other students do the same. Upcoming Events: - Philemon Wehbe ceremonial recognition - UOB Outdoor performance - Graduation performance - Possible international folklore dance competition in Turkey Folk Dance Club President: Rita Nehme Advisor: Ms. Veronica el Kartabany Contact Information: Ext Upcoming Events: - Outdoors participation - Labor Day event Aim: To spread awareness on problems concerning women in society, to pay homage to mothers, women laborers, and women that are suffering on a daily basis, and to fundraise for women and children in need. President: Shady Abi Nader Advisor and Coach: Mr. Adonis Al Khatib

3 2 Highlights Balamandiyat UOB RALLY PAPER 2012 I Believe I can Fly! Rula Dahdal On March 27th, a RedBull Paper Wings competition was organized in our University by RedBull. The main purpose of the competition was to build a paper plane simply from an A4-size paper. The plane should be able to complete three different tasks: longest airtime, longest distance and aerobatics. The contest took place in Hariri Gymnasium at 12:30 P.M. where more than 100 participants competed with their designs hoping to win the first place. One of those participants was Gaby Ghanem, a Senior Mechanical Engineering student, who wanted to compete in this entertaining activity. Of course, Gaby knew it wasn t a walk in the park due to the worldwide record holders. The longest distance category, Stephan Krieger (USA, 2003) is the world record holder with a distance of m and the longest airtime was achieved by Takuo Toda (Japan, 2009) with 27.9 seconds of flight. In addition to that, a jury specialized in Aerodynamics and flight determined the winner by examining creativity in the plane construction and its flight performance. With Gaby Ghanem s high spirit, he started planning, designing and trying out different structures for the plane in order to achieve optimum performance in the longest distance category. Using his engineering background and a little assistance from his mother and university professor Dr. Michel Daaboul, Gaby managed to create the perfect model after several trials. Luckily for us Balamandians, Gaby was crowned captain in Balamand and went to unleash his skills in the Beirut Wings competition in Rafic Harriri International Airport against BAU, USJ, AUB, NDU and LAU students. Hard work and determination joined forces to allow Gaby s excellence to lift him up into first place in the Longest Distance category achieving 36.2 m, along with two other contestants that have mastered the Longest Airtime category with 9.90 seconds and the Aerobatics category with 28 points. It started out as pleasure, but now it s a mission. These three young men have followed what Albert Einstein once said, You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. Gaby and his colleagues proudly represented Lebanon in the RedBull Paper Wings World Championship, in the World Finals at Hangar-7 in Salzburg, Austria on the 4th/5th May Gaby was working on designing a paper plane that will penetrate the layers of air by flying up to 50 m. Gaby Ghanem represented every single one of us. However, the only difference was that Gaby was bold and courageous enough to grasp an opportunity and to take a risk. He never thought he would reach this level of seriousness, but fortunately, he did! Therefore, we should take him as an example and open our eyes for any opportunity approaching us because we never know how many doors will open for us. Acknowledgments are addressed to the Mechanical Engineering department, specifically Dr. Jihad Rishmany, Dr. Issam Tawk, and Dr. Oussama Jadayel. References:

4 Well-Being Issue 17 - May Greenocratic Calls for a Garbage-Free Day: Let s Do it Lebanon! Samer Kammoun Pollution is the contamination of an ecosystem by introducing harmful substances into it. Evidently, pollution comes in many different types including noise, water, air, thermal, light, and soil pollution. Water and air pollution are known to be the most dangerous ones due to their direct effects on living organisms. Many local and international organizations have emerged in an attempt to reduce pollution, but their efforts were to no avail. One of the most promising new organizations is Greenocratic. It was founded in December 2011 with the purpose of enlightening the Lebanese citizens about environmental issues and making them take nature into consideration before making any decision. The University of Balamand welcomed members from the organization in the Jacobo Auditorium on the 6th of March 2012, where they were given the chance to present their ideas and future projects. One of the most important projects they re conducting is the Blue Whale Project, which was created by Mr. Antoine Al Hajj. It is a simple catamaran variation design, with a net cage fitted in the front between the 2 main hulls for effective and concentrated clean up and screening of floating pollutants. But our catamaran s most notable variation is the existence of a middle hull containing fuel tanks and the mechanics controlling the boat size. By separating its 2 hulls through a specific mechanic system located in the middle hull, Blue Whale will be able to open its mouth to double, triple or even more its original size, emphasized Mr. Al Hajj[1]. Greenocratic is hoping that this project will achieve great results in cleaning the Lebanese shorelines from the disturbing view people see when they pass by it. Another important project they are planning to implement will be held on September 8th, 2012, with the title of Let s Do it Lebanon. No forms, venues or money are needed. Every person in Lebanon will be able to participate by cleaning the garbage near his house. The project s concept was inspired by Let s Do intranet.letsdoitromania.ro it Estonia. Greenocratic learned about this concept at a conference in Spain, and got the right to adopt the idea for a project in Lebanon. Can you imagine every Lebanese person joining the campaign and cleaning tons of litter? I hope everyone would participate so we could have a somewhat greener Lebanon. For more information, visit the official website of the campaign: Reference: Eating Right for a Healthy Weight Lara Yahya Are you ready to make some changes in your lifestyle and move towards a healthier weight? The following are some basic tips to get you started: - Start with a plan for lifelong health. You should forget about the short-term weight loss and keep in mind that the faster the weight is lost, the shorter it lasts. Therefore, focus on the big picture which is the overall good health. - Set healthy, realistic goals. You should make changes by following a step-by-step plan. Start with small changes, one at a time. - Get a personalized eating plan. You may want to set as your reference. It will give you the daily amount needed from each food group. - Eat at least three meals a day and plan your meals ahead of time. Whether you are eating at home, packing your lunch, or eating out, an overall eating plan for the day will help keep you on track. - Balance your plate with a variety of foods. Half the portion eaten should be filled with fruits and vegetables, about one fourth with lean meat, poultry or fish, and one fourth with grains. To round out your meal, add fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt or cheese. Start your meal with low calorie foods such as fruits, vegetables and salads. These foods contain nutrients that are essential for the body. - Focus on your food. It is better to pick one place to sit down and eat. Eating while doing other things may lead to eating larger quantities. Also, switching from a large plate to a smaller one may help you feel satisfied with reduced portions. - Know when you ve had enough to eat. You should quit before you feel full. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get the message that your body is receiving food. When your brain gets this message, you stop feeling hungry. To all the fast-eaters,slow down and give your brain a chance to get the word. - Get plenty of fibers from fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. Fibers help you feel full for a longer period of time and reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. - Watch portion sizes to manage your calorie intake. This is the key to an effective weight management plan. - Snack smart. You should include snacks as part of your daily calorie allowance and limit portions to one serving. Plan for nutritious snacks to prevent betweenmeal hunger. Keep portable, healthy snacks in your desk, backpack or car. - Find a balance between food and physical activity. Regular physical activity is important for your overall health and fitness. It helps you control body weight, promotes a feeling of well-being, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. References: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ADA Complete Food & Nutrition Guide.

5 4 Highlights Imagine. Collaborate. Create. Would You Like to Teach for Lebanon? Salyne Samarany I had the chance to be part of a program that changed my life. Teach For Lebanon s program was a real turning point in my life. It helped me learn that education will always be the most important factor in creating a solid foundation for our country s prosperity. Teach for Lebanon started as an initiative by Mr. Ali Dimashkieh, with a purpose of eliminating educational injustice in Lebanon caused by many factors such as the lack of qualifications of teachers, the difficulty for underprivileged schools to retain qualified teachers and the lack of awareness on the importance of education as a gateway for opportunities. These causes are generating an increase in the dropout rate that can go up to 50% in some rural areas in Lebanon. In August 2007, Teach for Lebanon was born. A bit over a year later, it sent its newly-trained cohort of fellows off to teach in remote rural schools for a period of two years. I was a part of that cohort. As fellows, we were on a journey to fulfill a mission: to eliminate educational inequality in Lebanon, while fostering youth leadership and civic engagement. We also had a goal in mind: To provide disadvantaged children with a high quality education by supplying them with well-trained and committed teaching fellows dedicated to empowering children and improving their lives. What Is Teach for Lebanon s Theory of Change? Teach for Lebanon enables fellows to become Educational Leaders or Change Agents. It does this in a number of ways: - Teach for Lebanon (TFL) recruits highly qualified, ambitious, motivated fresh graduates to work as fellows in disadvantaged, remote rural schools throughout Lebanon. - TFL provides a six-week summer workshop that includes extensive classroom experience as training, and then offers continuous support throughout the two years of their teaching experience. It also offers them support from the global network, Teach For All, through international workshops to share experiences. - In everything it does, TFL emphasizes the fact that the fellows are not only classroom teachers dedicated to improving student performance, but also change agents whose efforts reach many aspects of the communities they work in, including widening both the students and the parents expectations, visions and life opportunities. Role of Teach For Lebanon Fellows Every TFL fellow uses the leadership skills in a handson, results-driven environment in which they have learned to fulfill two main responsibilities. These are: - First and foremost, they support the work of remote, disadvantaged rural schools by serving as full-time classroom teachers for two years. - Second, fellows enrich the lives of their students, leading them toward academic and personal growth and achievement. Teach for Lebanon left an impact on the lives of 2800 students by working in 9 different schools in marginalized areas in Lebanon. Success stories about the positive influence of the fellows in affecting the children s lives are many and are well acknowledged by the schools principals and by the parents of the students. In its 4th year of operation, TFL is currently recruiting its 3rd cohort. Applications are open till May 10th and can be found online on I feel proud that I have served in this program and I encourage every senior student at the University Of Balamand to apply. Entrepreneurship: Being Your Own Boss Bilal Najjar By definition, entrepreneurship is the practice of starting a new business or reviving an existing one, in order to capitalize on new opportunities. An entrepreneur is an individual who owns a firm, business, or venture and is responsible for its development. He/she is a person with a vision of a project and with means to make it happen. Therefore, anyone can be an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship, contrary to what most people think, is not something you can learn only at school or university. Of course, it might be an advantage if you were a business student with some knowledge in marketing and management, but all in all, entrepreneurship is a way of thinking and a way of life. From my personal experience, there are three types of people: hard-working people who actually get a fat paycheck, hard-working people who wish to get a fat paycheck, and those who just do not care about anything at all a.k.a. lazy people. The striving hardworkers, who prefer to make things happen their way, are the entrepreneurs. Now that we fully understand what entrepreneurship is, let us dig deeper into how you can find the entrepreneur within yourself. If you place yourself with those hard workers who prefer to make things happen their way, then you have reached phase one of being your own boss: the Identification. The second phase begins by isolating your strong points from your weak points. In other words, you must find the things you love the most, which you can master, because great ideas come from two sources: passion and need. Therefore, once you have isolated your strong points, you will have fulfilled phase two: the Isolation. Now, you may face a dilemma! The idea that you think is brilliant might be horrible to others. This is where you enter phase three which is to study your idea in an objective way. Being subjective might blindfold you and cost you time and money, so phase three is about studying the idea from different angles. This may be achieved by answering the following questions: Is my idea feasible? Is it new? What makes it unique? Are there any competitors? What is the saturation of the market? For whom am I reaching out? What are my strong and weak points? Once you have done that, you have completed phase three: the Studying. Now, after all that being done, it s only logical to put everything together and bring your project to life. This is the last phase: the Implementation. In future articles, we will dig deeper in every phase of how to be your own boss and we will even share secret tips on how to manage your own project in order to be a successful entrepreneur. References:

6 Free 2 Be Issue 17 - May Sea Born Raghda Sweid As I stand there in the winds, my hands said their vows to the son of the seas but all I could hear were the slopes calling upon me I followed the little voices back to the time I was human. I entered the other realm with no fright for I was the Shield. A piece of parchment laying there behind the dust awaited me that night Those words scribbled with hast, quaked my temple, that sight loomed in my mind It Blew mustang winds in to my frail face That Sentence The sentence that never left my core My Blood, I have left these shores On your own you are In the corner I collapsed How shall you sail without the Reel? For I was the ship and thee sailed me across the sirens lurking in the sea Winds blew my rail Crashed my barrels but my Captain said his prayers to the heavens above and Home we sought Home how I envy you You held our secrets and I couldn t reach out for a single word For each scattered Letter Burnt and thus the wounds I withdrew to my womb for there I shall wither in silence No more voyages for me Just an old stack of bones and memories I shall remain My Sailor carried his cross and head back to the slopes About me you ask? Well I wandered these shores with two dark eyes of glass and a shell that hid my face I became a demon with broken wings A look with no Dear Coffee, Christiane Fairhart They say it s the little things in life that count. I can personally attest that, because of you, this is undeniably true. We met when I was young, reckless, and immature. You were going through your Turkish phase and I was going through my chocoholic phase. It was an awkward time for the both of us. I have to admit, sadly, that I didn t really like you all that much when we first met. I thought you were a tad too bitter for my taste, but oh, boy, was I wrong about you. Once we had the chance to get to know each other that one afternoon, we became inseparable. Despite our differences, we overcame bad first impressions and explosive diarrhea to become the best of friends. And, as Will Ferrell once said, Once it touched my lips, it was so good. There was no turning back. You ve become an integral part of my everyday life. Even when Tea and I started hanging out, you were totally cool about it, which I appreciated. gleam Words with no blaze Sturdy as I remember myself I yearned to hit the salty waters of the deep But I fell down and sand grains filled my eyes as the first drop of water dissolved my shanks A crab I was holding on to the fairytale I cried to the moon and begged Celine for redemption But the moon mocked me, imprisoning my ray of light way beyond my reach And thus one night words of terror I heard The winds blowing from the slopes I questioned you you dreadful messengers! The words birthed the message that broke my shell and had me screeching for the olive trees Pebbles blocked my way holding me back from the steep sight I squealed to reach I climbed the slopes with the crack of every broken limb But thee must reach My sailor was a shadow and thee must reach! I crashed the cottage door and stumbled across the floor breaking my teeth I m almost here I uttered I pulled my body on the wooden floor and called upon him He lied there giving me soft plain looks of deafness I grabbed on to the foot of the squeaky corroded bed and touched his finger tip A warm breeze rushed through me as I was serenity I was calmness I opened my lids to view my sailor flutter out of sight And I was snatched and thrown back on to the rocks devoured by the sea I can t even begin to imagine what my life would be like without you now. You ve become a dear, old friend who is always there for me during those dark, uncreative and unenergetic days and nights. You ve brought my friends and me together on countless occasions, given me the motivation to keep writing on those nights when the inspiration just couldn t find me, and awoken me on those mornings when I just wanted to sink into my bed or kick a bag of kittens. You re the perfect icebreaker, the perfect conversation starter, and the perfect afternoon companion. And well, without you, how else would I throw away $8.00 each day? So thank you, Coffee. Here s to many, many more beautiful cups together! Your committed sipper, Chrissy. I sobered The slopes casted me out my Love I whispered with tears And there I was back at the shores Looking across the twilight sun I summoned the sea I shall sail again! But wet as my face was from the journey I buried my corpse in the hot sand I exiled myself Sea Born I was Sea born shall always be I held the grains of glittering sand in my palm For dirt it can never be I closed those tiresome lids for the last time My lips parted in to the final scream I m almost here My Passion I m almost here! ال تقتليني كفاء مساعد ال تقتليني... دعيني أنظر إىل طيف روحك يف جسدي دعيني أعلق نفيس عىل خشبة تأخذين للقيامة ال تقتليني... انهيض من موتك وعانقيني أنظري إىل كلاميت تحيك لك ثوبا من أحزاين وتتجسد يف كلامتك املنترشة يف األرجاء إ حميل نعيش عىل كتفيك...أنت التي مز قت أحالمي وضعي صوريت فوق جسدك وحر ريني فصورتك وضعتها يف قلبي... أصبحت لها عبدا فقتلت الصورة عبدها... قتلتني... حطمت من ي فؤادي وبقيت مرتبعة هناك..عىل عرش أنقايض

7 رأي 6 Highlights املضحك املبيك وائل أنوس كثري ا ما نسمع يف التلفاز أو نقرأ يف الجرائد عبارة»تطبيع العالقات«. هذا التعبري يستعمل للداللة عىل تطبيع العالقة مع العدو الصهيوين الغاصب ألرضنا يف فلسطني. ولكن ما هو التطبيع التطبيع باملعنى السيايس هو إعادة العالقة بني كيانني أو دولتني إىل حالتها الطبيعية بعد حل خالف معني أو مشكلة كانت قامئة. ويتخ ذ التطبيع نواحي عدة فنجد التطبيع السيايس واالقتصادي والرتبوي والثقايف. لكن دعونا ال نختبئ وراء إصبعنا فلنواجه الحقائق. عىل الرغم من كل الخطابات الطن انة والرن انة املند دة بالعدو الصهيوين وانتهاكاته والتشديد عىل أهمية استعادة الحقوق العربية فإن وراء كل عبارات:»لن نرىض«و«لن نطب ع«تطبيع. فالتطبيع العريب-الصهيوين جار عىل قدم وساق وعىل كل األصعدة. فسياسي ا نجد التمثيل الدبلومايس املتبادل بني مرص والعدو الصهيوين املتمثل بالسفراء منذ توقيع اتفاقية كامب ديفيد يف أم ا اقتصادي ا فحد ث وال حرج إذ أكدت دراسة اقتصادية أجريت مؤخ ر ا أن 7 إىل % 8 من حركة التجارة العربية هي مع العدو بشكل مبارش أو غري مبارش مبارشة من خالل التبادل التجاري للعدو مع كل من مرص واألردن وغري مبارشة عرب قيام بعض الدول العربية بعمليات تجارية مع العدو وذلك مبساعدة وسيط يكون يف أغلب األحيان قربص أو هولندا. وثقافيا يغزو صحفي و العدو الغاصب ووسائل إعالمه مجتمعاتنا بشكل يومي بحج ةt التطور ومواكبة العرص. فإطاللة املسؤولني الصهاينة عىل الفضائيات العربية أصبحت أمرا مفروغا منه ال بل عاديا. واملقولة املتداولة اليوم هي أن الفن والثقافة ليس لهام عالقة باألمور السياسية وال رضر يف لقاء الحضارات واملقصود هنا الحضارتني العربية والصهيونية. إىل من يردد هذه العبارة أو املقولة )ومصدقا وعايشا ومقتنع في ا يعني( ال أستطيع إال أن أقول له إ ن ه واحد من إثنني: إ ما معتوه وإم ا جاهل )يعني غشيم(. بالله عليكم! أي عاقل ميكن له أن يتجاهل همجية الحضارة الصهيونية عىل مدى سنني وسنني! تريدون من ا أن نالقي حضارة ال يشء يف صفحتها إال الدماء وأي دماء دماء األطفال أطفالنا يف فلسطني واألرايض العربية والله لقد بلغ من ا الهوان والذل أن أصبح العقل العريب يتقب ل فكرة وجود ما يسمى بإرسائيل. هل نسينا مجازر هذا العدو أو أجربنا عىل نسيانها هل املطلوب الوصول إىل دمج هذا الكيان الغاصب بكل ميادينه االقتصادي ة والسياسي ة والثقافي ة يف نسيج مجتمعنا العريب إن هذا الواقع األليم عىل الرغم من صعوبته يتطلب منا جميعا قبل كل يشء وقفة ضمري وإعادة قراءة ألحداث املنطقة وإال فعلينا العوض ومن ا العوض.علينا بالتصد ي لكل محاوالت التطبيع يف العامل العريب. دعونا الننخدع بالجمل والتعابري الرب اقة ونعيد ونكر ر أن ال تنازل عن حقوقنا العربية ويف مقد متها األرض. ويربز سؤال اليوم هل للثورات العربية تأثري إيجايب عىل التصد ي للتطبيع هل ستكون هذه الثورات فأل خري يف إعادة القرار العريب إىل حر يته واستقامته بانتظار اإلجابة عىل هذه األسئلة فلنتذك ر أن كل واحد منا يتحمل مسؤولية ما يف التصدي ملرشوع التطبيع الصهيوين يف املنطقة. ولنتذك ر أن رصاع األم ة العربية مع العدو الصهيوين هو رصاع وجود وليس رصاع حدود. الشعب يريد إسقاط النظام الطائفي: أين اختفوا ليال دويهي عىل مدى أسابيع عديدة كانت تستوقفني تظاهرة شبابي ة تدعو اىل إسقاط النظام الطائفي. فرحت أطرح عىل نفيس العديد من التساؤالت آملة بغد أفضل بغد يدعو اىل دولة علامنية و يكرس جميع الحواجز الطائفية. غد يرتقي فيه املواطن اىل التعريف عن نفسه ليس باسم الطائفة أو العشرية التي يتبعها بل باسم البلد الذي ينتمي اليه. لن أكذب عليكم اشتقت إىل سامع كلمة»أنا لبناين«. لقد اشتقت اىل معاملة رشييك يف الوطن كأخ وليس كقنبلة موقوتة ومعر ضة لالنفجار بأي لحظة. نعم كل هذه املشاعر أحسست بها وأنا أراقب التظاهرات الشبابية التي تريد أن تخلع عنها بدلة قدمية موروثة مع ثقوبها وتتخل ص من التوريث السيايس الطائفي وترتقي إىل«املرييتوكراسية«. ل م نرضخ للواقع ملاذا نرتدي العتيق ونخاف الجديد أين تكمن مشكلتنا األساسية األوىل تكمن حتام يف رجال السياسة الذين يستندون إىل الفكر الطائفي والقاعدة الطائفية فهؤالء ال يستطيعون أن يحافظوا عىل مقاعدهم إذا ما خرجوا من القوقعة الطائفي ة. وترتبط بهذه املجموعة السياسية مجموعات اقتصادية تستفيد من ضعف الدولة الناتج عن النظام الطائفي وغياب الرقابة لتفرض منط ا معين ا من االقتصاد الر ي عي. أم ا املشكلة الثانية فتتمث ل بعدم قدرة الشعب اللبناين عىل تخط ي الواقع الطائفي والعمل باتجاه االنصهار الوطني. وذلك يجعل من النظام الطائفي حامي ا للمجموعات الطائفية لجهة منع إمكانية هيمنة طائفة عىل األخرى وبالتايل توز ع املناصب السياسية طائفي ا ليطمنئ املواطن الطائفي عىل موقعه من تركيبة السلطة«)كام يوص ف األستاذ املحارض يف قسم العلوم السياسي ة د. نو اف كبارة(. ولكن عىل الرغم من هذا نريد وبإرصار أن نعيش يف بلد ال يسيطر فيه الدين عىل الدولة يف بلد يعطي فرص ا متكافئة للجميع. قد يسأل بعضكم عن إمكانية تحقيق»إسقاط النظام الطائفي«لهذه الطموحات.»التغيري ال ميكن أن يحصل دون إسقاط النظام الطائفي ويف حال استمر هذا النظام يف لبنان سيول د نزاعات مستمرة قد تصل يف بعض األحيان إىل حروب طائفية«)يوضح األستاذ املساعد يف قسم العلوم السياسية د. سامي عفيش.( أين اختفوا أمل يعلموا بأن هم كانوا بصيص أمل بغد أفضل هل اختفوا نتيجة إحباط شبايب هل اكتشفوا أن لبنان بلد ال يصح فيه تغيري البز ة الطائفية أو أن هم جعلوا من مشاعرهم وقود هذه الحركة يجيب د. كبارة عن سبب اختفاء هذه الحركة»ال أرى أن ها ذهبت برسعة. أعتقد أن ها خطوة إىل الوراء تتحض معها خطوات إىل األمام.«عىل ما يبدو عالج هذا املرض املزمن واملتغلغل يف نفوسنا وعقولنا سيكون صعب ا وطويال ألن أساسه متجذ ر يف تاريخ»جامعاتنا«. إال أن د.عفيش يؤكد عىل وجود قوى علامنية يف لبنان منذ إعالن دولة لبنان الكبري إذ يقول:«إن الحزب ني األو ل ني يف لبنان الحزب الشيوعي والحزب القومي السوري االجتامعي حزبان علامنيان. وبناء عىل هذه الحقيقة التاريخية نستطيع القول إن هنالك اتجاهني: علامين عند البعض وطائفي عند البعض االخر.«ويضيف د. عفيش أن دعام رسمي ا أصبح للطائفية يف ظل امليثاق الوطني الذي كر س نظام ا طائفي ا شامال. ومع ذلك استمر نضال القوى العلامنية التي قويت وانترشت أم ا األحزاب الطائفية فبدأت تنترش تدريجي ا بعد عام كام يؤك د أن الحرب اللبنانية ) ( انتجت هيمنة رئيسية لألحزاب الطائفية ما تزال إىل اليوم. وينتج عن النظام الطائفي غياب إمكاني ة وضع أي حد أو سقف للرصاع الطائفي. كام أن الطائفية برأيه نشأت وتغذت عند بدء ربط التمثيل السيايس بالطائفة.«يف ظل هذه التعقيدات هل هنالك بصيص أمل يف تحرير هذا الجيل من الرشنقة الطائفية يرى د.كبارة أن هذا ممكن من خالل فصل اإلنسان عن الرتبية الدينية. ويرى د. عفيش أن الرصاع الطائفي ليس رصاع ا ديني ا يف لبنان. فالطائفية برأيه هي شأن سيايس يتمظهر بأشكال طائفية وبالتايل ال نستطيع القول إن الرصاع الطائفي هو رصاع باألساس بني األديان واملذاهب.«هذا الواقع ويبقى األمل...

8 Sci - Tech Issue 17 - May Citrus Salad with Lemongrass Syrup Ingredients: Up to 8 servings 1/2 pink or red grapefruit per person, segmented, juice reserved 1/2 oroblanco per person, segmented, juice reserved 1/2 navel orange per person, segmented, juice reserved 1/2 cup honey 2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, cut into 2-inch pieces and bruised 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped Zest of 1 lime Mint leaves for garnish Method: - Combine the citrus segments in a bowl. Cover and chill with honey, lemongrass, and vanilla pod and seeds. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and simmer until honey is dissolved. Remove from heat and let stand 30 minutes. Strain. In a small saucepan, mix 1/2 cup reserved citrus juice (top off with water if necessary) - Divide citrus segments among serving dishes. Drizzle with syrup and garnish with lime zest and mint. Eat Your Music Stephanie Ghajar We have all heard about playing an instrument and listening to its music, but never have we thought of a possibility of eating our own musical instrument. Now, everything is quite possible with Technicolor Jelly created by students Raphaël Pluvinage and Marianne Cauvard from the French National Design Institute (ENSCI) in Paris. In its current form, this is a game more than a musical instrument. You mix, mold, and color musical jelly. In other words, you would be cooking your musical instrument. Then, you can eat it if you want. Too bad it is currently a prototype, so it isn t available for sale at this time. Reference: Sudoku Team Amal Dib Asma Kammoun Bassel Mhaidly Christiane Fairhart Dany Safi Elham Kharpoutli Faris Sukhon Jessica Hanna Joseph Sleiman Kafaa Msaed Layale Douaihy Mr. Taki Louka Nour Akkoumeh Raghda Sweid Rula Dahdal Samer Kammoun Stephenie Ghajar Stephanie Issa Tarek Abboud Wael Annous Yara Younes Zaki Dib Words of thanks to Dr. Hasan Abiad (for the Arabic editing), the Division of English Language and Literature (for the English editing)