December 2005 | issue 35

CONTENTS

NDU Spirit A periodical aboutcampus life at Notre DameUniversity - Louaïze.

| Editor-iin-CChiefGeorges Mghames

| English Editor

Kenneth Mortimer

| TranslationValérie Aoun

| ReportingGhada Mouawad

| Arabic TypingLydia Zgheïb

| PhotographersAbdo Bejjani- Rodney Eid

| Layout & designTechnopub

| PrintMeouchy & Zakaria

Once again, and afterroughly a year, NDU Spiritfinds itself before thechallenge renewal. So hereit is, adorned in colors andaesthetically enhanced, as ameans and as motivation toprobe further in itsstructural, contextual andthematic persona, whichaims at going in par withNDU’s mission ofdevelopment and change.

The Editor

A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT

4 Mexican Embassy,Cervantes Instituteand NDU

10 UNESCO-NDU Teaching Workshop11 WEERC Conferences

19 A Visit to Roumieh – SBS Department19 Visit to the University of Utah20 Advertising Club and AAA21 North Campus News23 NDU and Astronomy – Dr. Roger Hajjar

54 The Paradiseof Kartaba – Dr.Tanos G. Hage

OPINION AND CULTURE

59 Genetically Modified Food– Wassim E. Beaineh61 Home is not enough! – K.J. Mortimer64 Père Léonard Melki, martyr libanais67 Carl Gustav Jung – Saleem Baradhy71 United Colors – Serena Irani72 PLEA Conference – Saro Kenedirjian73 The Big Bang Theory– Samer Charabati78 Nobel Prize for Pinter79 Something for your grey matter

Tel: (09) 218950 - Ext.: 2477 | Fax: (09) 224803Email: nduspirit@ndu.edu.lbwww.ndu.edu.lb/newsandevents/nduspirit

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

3 About Father Walid4 Appointments and Reappointments

5 Admissions inAction – Dr. ElhamHasham

17 DiabetesAwareness NutritionConference

40 Faculty of Political Science, Diplomacyand Public Administration49 Political Visitors49 NDU Iftar49 Ciné Club50 From the Sports Office52 Christmas53 Social

ACADEMIC AND STUDENT ACTIVITIES

15 LERC Activities

9 NDU and Madonna Libraries– Leslie Alter Hage

28 PLEA ArchitecturalConference – Habib Melki

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| A Word from the President

A Word from the PresidentRev. Fr. Walid Moussa

n that day, onlya few knewabout him, theone who was to

be born. On that day, only afew knew about his realidentity. They knew! Butwere they able tounderstand!? The questionwas “How could thishappen?" The answer tothis question was “Nothingis impossible." On that day,the impossible becamepossible, the supernaturalbecame natural, the divinebecame human, the mindwas challenged, and reasonwas incapable. On that day,only faith had the rightapproach to know andunderstand the mystery.

| MERRYCHRISTMASAND HAPPYNEW YEAR2006

On that day, all understandings changedand they were open to truth beyond humanlevel. The change brought new ones andenriched the old. On that day, our limitedcapacity became open to the Infinite… Faithand acceptance led to the “glory of God inthe highest" and to “peace to His people onearth". On that day, steadfast faithdiscussed, wondered and doubted. Allparadigms of faith were not anymoreinflexible!

It was a new era, it was the beginning of anew time, but rather it was the fullness oftime, the time of openness to faith, andwillingness to change of all paradigms. Thischange cannot but be rewarded. Believe,accept, and go on… It is the time of “I amthe maid of the Lord; let it be the way itshould be…" It is the time of the “nothing isimpossible".

I have all faith in NDU's potentials, I believein the impossible, knowing that it will bepossible. I have needed all faith and courageto accept what is the will from above. I haveall faith that removes fear, I am not afraid!That is the truth I want others to share withme; understand the mystery of being at NDUand share its richness. The richness ofrenewal! Let us put our daily life at thedisposal of the new, the new era, the era of

change, the change ofparadigms. That is ourchallenge! That is ouropenness to the future!

If Mary had not believed… IfJoseph had not believed… Ifthey had not believed, whatwould have happened?

That day has always beenrepeating itself… but thecircumstances have alwaysbeen different… That dayhas arrived at NDU, and itis here! It is calling on yourfaith and courage.

O

Rev. Fr. Walid Moussa 2005-2006

He has had the followingpast appointments:

| Director of the EnglishSection, N.D.-LouaizeCollege, 2002-2005.

| Director of Administration,Notre Dame University,Lebanon, 1999-2002.

| Part-time AssistantProfessor of CulturalStudies, Notre DameUniversity, 1996-2005.

| Financial Assistant,Seminary of the MaroniteOrder of the Blessed VirginMary, Sehayle, Lebanon,1996-1997.

| Chaplain, Veteran AffairsHospital, University ofMichigan and St. JosephHospitals, 1993-1995.

| Religious Master, Seminaryof the Maronite Order ofthe Blessed Virgin Mary,Rome, 1991-1992.

| Pastor, Diocese ofMontecassino, Italy, 1990-1993.

It is with great pleasure that NDU Spirit announces the nomination of FatherWalid Moussa as President of Notre Dame University, Louaize. Below we presentsome information about his life and achievements.

Father Moussa was born in Wadi Bnehlay, Shouf, Lebanon, on October 3rd, 1966,and has both Lebanese and Italian citizenship. He entered the Maronite Order ofthe Blessed Virgin Mary (OMM) in 1984 and was ordained priest in 1990. He isfluent in Arabic, Italian, English and French and has done studies in Syriac, Greekand Latin.

Father Moussa obtained BAs in Philosophy and Sacred Theology at the St. JohnLateran University, Rome, in 1987 and 1990 respectively, followed by an MA inEcumenical Theology in 1993 at the Aquinas in Rome and an MSA in BusinessAdministration at Madonna University, Michigan, USA, in 1995. These studieswere crowned by an STD in Ecumenical Theology at the St. Thomas AquinasUniversity in Rome, followed by a Post-Doctoral in School Administration at St.Joseph's, Beirut. He also has certificates in Quality Management.

Father Moussa's field research has covered multicultural questions, including theexploration of strategies for an intercultural institution at N.D.-Louaize-College,and the school integration of students in difficulties. His degree dissertations havedealt with the role of the Maronite Church for Christian unity and the Lutheranunderstanding of the Lord's Supper. He became a Salzburg Seminary Fellow in2000 and has been a member of the Delta Mu Delta National Honor Society inBusiness Administration (USA) since 1994. In 1999 Father Moussa received theAward of Honor (Trim and Fitness Sport for All [TAFISA]) at the 16th InternationalCongress in Cyprus.

About Father Walid

page 3 | issue 35

2006

A very warm welcome to our new President

| Academic Affairs

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| Fr. Boutros TarabayPresidential Counselor

| Fr. Samir GhsoubDirector of Finance

| Fr. Roger ChikriDirector of Administration

| Fr. Jean Abou ChrouchSpecial PresidentialRepresentative at NDU-NLC

| Fr. Boutros Bou NassifSpecial PresidentialRepresentative at NDU-SC

| Fr. Bechara KhouryAssociate Director of SAO

| Fr. Khalil RahmeDirector, School of Music andUniversity Choir

| Fr. Fadi Bou ChebelUniversity Chaplain General

| Fr. George DarwicheAssociate Director ofAdministration for Construction

| Fr. Elie SfeirAssociate Director ofAdministration for GeneralServices

| Fr. Adib GhossainAssociate Director ofAdministration for Maintenance

| Fr. Abdo AntounManuscript Editor, Office of SRD

| Fr. Abdo SleimanAssistant Director for UniversityServices, NDU-SC

| Fr. Salim El-RajjiUniversity Chaplain, NDU-Main

| Fr. Marwan El-KhouryUniversity Chaplain, NDU-Main

| Fr. Mounir FakhryUniversity Chaplain, NDU-NLC

| Fr. Nabil RaffoulUniversity Chaplain, NDU-SC

On November 24th, 2005, anagreement of cooperation wassigned between NDU PresidentFather Walid Moussa, theAmbassador of Mexico H.E.Arturo Puente and the Directorof the Cervantes Institute inLebanon Señor José ManuelDelgado de Luce for aprogramme allowing thetraining of NDU students in theEmbassy during each semesterand their introduction todiplomatic work and its rules. Inaddition, they will receive a scholarshipto learn Spanish at the CervantesInstitute.

Present at the signing ceremony werethe NDU Vice President for Researchand Development Dr. Ameen Rihani,the Vice President for Academic AffairsDr. George Eid, the Director Generalfor Public Relations Mr. Suheil Matar,the Dean of the Faculty of BusinessAdministration Dr. Elie Yashoui, theFirst Secretary of the Embassy SeñorTonatiuh Romero and the Attaché forCulture and Commerce Señor JavierGongora.

Father Moussa expressed his thanksand appreciation to Ambassador Punte,and also to the Embassy for its supportin many fields, notably in the eventsorganised by the Lebanese EmigrationResearch Center. He said The Month ofBack to the Roots organised by theUniversity and the Maronite Leagueevery year was an indication of theefforts of the University to strengthenand affirm relations between Lebanonand Mexico, for which it received

Mexican students of Lebanese origincoming to the session to learn theArabic language.

In his turn, Ambassador Arturo Puenteinsisted on the strong relations bindingMexico and Lebanon, adding that thisnew agreement would help NDUstudents in diplomatic practice as wellas teaching them the Spanishlanguage. It would give them anopportunity to faces the challenges ofcompetition in the future andstrengthen the mission of Notre DameUniversity locally and worldwide. TheEmbassy was strongly attached to thisassociation and happy to cooperatewith the University for giving thestudents ever more potential.

The Director of the Cervantes InstituteSeñor de Luce spoke of the importanceof the Spanish language, which wasthe most widely spoken after English.

Finally, Father Moussa presented theAmbassador and de Luce with theencyclopedia The Virgin Mary inLebanon published by Notre DameUniversity.

NDU, Mexican Embassy andCervantes Institute

Appointments andReappointmentsThe following appointmentsand reappointments wereannounced on 27th

September, 2005:

H.E. Arturo Punte, signs the agreement

large. We start once again tovisit schools for orientation, toparticipate in school forumsand educational fairs, tomaintain our contacts witheducational institutions, inLebanon and abroad, and toenhance the image of NDU.Among these contacts andevents are the annual DubaiEducational Exhibition; theNational Apostolate ofMaronites (NAM) in USA; theCollege Board in USA; theEuropean Association ofInternational Education (EAIE)and the American Associationof Collegiate Registrars andAdmissions Officers (AACRAO).

Annually, NDU participates inthe Gulf Education andTraining Exhibition (GETEX): itis the largest Education andTraining Show in the ArabWorld. It is an event that issupported and sponsored byH.H. Sheikh Khalifa binZayed Al Nahyan, President ofthe United Arab Emirates;H.H. Sheikh Maktoum binRashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Ministerof the United Arab Emiratesand Ruler of Dubai; andH.H. Sheikh Nahayan binMabarak Al Nahayan,Minister of Education andChancellor of UAE.

The number of participatinginstitutions increased by 40%in 2005. There were over 350

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Admissions In Action 2005-2006

At the beginning of this academic year2005-2006, I would like to wishinstitutions around the worldprosperity and success in all theirendeavors. The Admissions Office hasstarted its annual ritual of orientationand recruitment both locally andinternationally. Our internationalstudent body is rich with diversity ofreligions, cultures and backgrounds andthis will most definitely add a distinctflavor to the overall student body ofNotre Dame University. The interactionamong students results in an exchangeof ideologies and perspectives for theenrichment and enhancement ofindividualism.

Without doubt, globalization is a majorfactor reshaping societies in all theirfacets; thus, contributions from distantlands are significant in our everydayactivities and determine a completelydifferent perspective for our localexistence.

“Internationalization is an institutionalprocess that in some way internalizesthe concept of openness to the worldin all the activities and organizationalaspects of the university and that maylaunch an internal transformation toprepare the university to act more

directly on the international or globalscene” (Jean-Pierre Lemasson). This isexactly what Notre Dame University isaiming for in an environment ofintense competition. NDU is preparingits beneficiaries to think in both aglobal and a differentiated context, totake a more cosmopolitan view and tobe more aware of cultural differencesto promote an open and understandingmind. Today, this is even more crucialas the complexities of the worldaround us seem to increaseexponentially.

The various units at NDU offer a realmof potential collaboration so that ourstudents are able to clearly chart theireducational paths. Our purpose is tocreate and disseminate knowledge ofuniversal validity by facing up to ourresponsibilities in a world in whichsymbolic frontiers are becoming moreimportant than physical ones.Consequently, NDU implements highlyoperational approaches to bridge thegap between discourse and day-to-daypractice by creating convergencebetween all university services and theinterests of our academic stakeholders.

The Admissions Office is totallycommitted to the promotion of NDU at

Admissions In Action!Dr. Elham Hasham,Director of Admissions

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universities, institutions andtraining organizations fromLebanon, Qatar, UAE, KSA,Kuwait, Bahrain, India,Canada, Australia, France, UK,Italy, Turkey, New Zealand,Germany, Greece, USA, Iran,Switzerland, Egypt, Malta,Morocco, Malaysia, SouthAfrica, Netherlands, Pakistan,Ireland, Slovakia, Oman,Jordan, Spain, Hungary, andSeychelles. Seminars andworkshops are also offeredduring the Fair. Attendeesinclude academicprofessionals, parents,students, school counselors,MBA seekers andadministrators.

GETEX is the Middle East’sleading student recruitmentexhibition and attracts morethan 20,000 visitors everyyear. Expatriates account formore than three-quarters ofthe 70 nationalities thatcomprise UAE’s 4 millionpopulation and this

tremendously affluent society recognizes the importance of quality education. Atthe turn of every academic year, over 15,000 students graduate from high schoolsin UAE. Priority areas of study include banking, business and management,communications, computer science, engineering, finance, hospitality, IT, media,medicine, sciences and tourism. In addition, the competitive environment in theMiddle East has created the need for working adults and executives to focus onprofessional education as a means to climbing the ladder of success. Thus,graduate courses are highly in demand.

NAFSA – The Association of International Educators – is the leading professionalassociation in the field of international education and exchange and the globalworkplace. NAFSA sets standards of good practice; provides training, professionaldevelopment and networking opportunities; and advocates for internationaleducation. NAFSA believes that international education advances learning andscholarship, builds respect among peoples, and enhances constructive leadershipin the global community. By nature, international education is fundamental tofostering peace, security and well-being. Notre Dame University is a member ofNAFSA and this year in Seattle, Washington, there were over 6,800 registrantsfrom the US and 90 other countries. The workshops, seminars and numerousspecial events and programs I attended have renewed my commitment tointernational education by increasing my awareness of how taking full advantageof networking and social opportunities can raise professional development andskill-building levels. Once again, the 2005 NAFSA Conference offered freshstrategies and solutions, an innovative way of thinking, a revitalized knowledgeand skills base and new contacts and colleagues from around the globe.

NDU was the only institution from the Middle East and this always opens thepath to more exposure. NDU’s presence and contributions were alwaysacknowledged and on several occasions the opportunity to give a presentationwas offered since the theme of this year’s conference was Opening Minds to the

| Academic Affairs

The Pittsburgh Friends ofNDU.

Dr. Hasham at the annualNAFSA Conference in Seattle.

The Boston Friends ofNDU.

competitive advantage forNDU.

In coordination with NDU’s VPfor Sponsored Research andDevelopment, Dr. AmeenRihani, Dr. Hasham visitedBoston and Pittsburgh for thepurpose of establishing theAmerican Friends of NDU. InBoston, Monsignor Lahoudhosted the meetings at therectory of Our Lady of theCedars of Lebanon. There weremany preparatory meetingsand contacts made. Acommittee has been launchedchaired by Dr. Lateef Chdeid.

At the meeting, there weremany who are active andprominent members of thecommunity and areenthusiastic about assistingNDU in its endeavors:Mrs. Rosanne Solomon,Mrs. Maguy Pollak, Dr. LateefChdeid, Father Joseph Lahoud,Dr. Marcelle Gerges, Mr. TonyHomsi, Mr. Kokabani,

Global Community. There were seminars on each of the five strands that createdand disseminated information to enable us to perform better:

| Education Abroad Knowledge Community

| International Education Leadership Knowledge Community

| International Student and Scholar Services Knowledge Community

| Recruitment, Admissions, and Preparation Knowledge Community

| Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Knowledge Community

There was the opportunity to meet the guest speakers and they also wereintroduced to NDU. Robert Kagan is the director of the U.S. Leadership Project atthe Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Richard Riley is formerGovernor of South Carolina and former Secretary of Education. David Broder is anational political correspondent reporting the political scene for the WashingtonPost. Shashi Tharoor is Under-Secretary-General for Communications and PublicInformation of the United Nations and has led the Department of PublicInformation since 2001.

Again it has been a valuable and enriching experience and has instilled moredeeply the profound belief in internationalization and the impact it has oneducation. The professionals and events have promoted ideals and a spirit thatserves as a foundation for fostering cross-cultural understanding through thepursuit of international education and exchange. The network of skills,information, friends and colleagues that were gained at NAFSA, Seattle, 2005affirms that international education is a profession that plays a key role inbuilding a more peaceful and productive global community and this is becoming a

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Admissions In Action 2005-2006

At Harvard University. Mr. Joseph Chartouni,who is a Fulbright atHarvard University.

Dr. Hasham withFather Jim Root and

Mrs. Michael inPittsburgh.

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Mr. Frank Assi andMr. Joseph Chartouni – anNDU graduate of Architecturewho is now a Fulbright scholarat Harvard University.Handouts that coveredeverything NDU has to offer,the by-laws of the AFNDU,objectives and mission, weredistributed to all, togetherwith NDU bags, T-shirts, caps,pen sets, pins and literature. Apresentation was given andthere were many questionsasked and answers given. Allwere thrilled and surprised tolearn more about NDU. Duringmy stay, other prominentpersons were recruited –Dr. Gisele Saliba, Mr. CharbelObeid, Mrs. Fania Al Naccourand Mr. Billy Audi.

The competitive advantagethat NDU has in terms ofbeing internationalized wasstressed; for example, byoffering a Summer ArabicProgram package and beingextremely aggressive inmarketing, promotion andexposure on the local, regionaland international scene, NDUis meeting the challenge.

Moreover, Harvard Universitywas visited and meetings withthe Provost and the Directorof International Programswere scheduled. NDU’sprograms, centers, activities,affiliations, etc. werepresented. NDU’s competitiveadvantage was stressed. TheArabic Program, the Microsoftcertification and the NGOswere stressed too and these

raised great interest. A meeting atlength was held with Mr. JosephChartouni, NDU’s Fulbright scholar.Mr. Chartouni was assured that NDU isproud of him and he was encouragedto contact the University for anything.Ways in which he can promote NDU atHarvard were discussed. Josephstressed the importance of promotingthe Fulbright at NDU.

The last destination was Pittsburgh.Dr. Tom Michael and his wife Martha,who are both great advocates of NDU,greeted us there. At Sunday liturgy,Rev. Father Jim Root acknowledgedNDU’s presence and spoke highly ofNDU and encouraged everyone tocontribute whatever they could to NDUand to urge young people to visit theinstitution. He offered the Mass onbehalf of the NDU family, faculty andstaff.

The Pittsburgh Chapter was officiallyestablished and Miss Theresa Michaelwas appointed as chairperson. Otherpersons were approached and showedinterest in becoming Friends of NDUand they are to be called in for thenext meeting. The current members areDr. Sam Hazo, Mrs. Mary Anne Hazo,Dr. Tom Michael, Mrs. MarthaMichael, Ms. Thereza Michael,Dr. Jennifer Unis Sullivan,

Mrs. Vernie Mowad, Mrs. TherezaFerris-Dukovich and Dr. AngelaZondos.

Contacts were also made inYoungstown and Cleveland, wherethere is a large Lebanese community,and arrangements were made for avisit in the near future.

The Miami Chapter is another futureproject and contacts were made therealso. Contact was also made withmedia persons of Lebanese origin andthese are willing to cooperate andassist Notre Dame University in itspromotion campaign.

NDU and in particular the AdmissionsOffice are totally committed to theenhancement of the University’s imageand specifically to academicexcellence. NDU has established itselfas a prominent academic institution ofhigher education in the region andcontinues to expand its web ofinternational contacts.

The secret is in our teamwork andesprit de corps. I would like to salutethe efforts of all concerned andparticularly the staff of the AdmissionsOffice; they all continue todemonstrate effectiveness andefficiency.

| Academic Affairs

| “ The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what theyget for it, but what they become by it” (John Ruskin).

| “ It is the mark of an educated mind to be able toentertain a thought without accepting it” (Aristotle).

NDU and Madonna LibrariesLeslie Alter Hage, Director of Libraries, NDU-Louaize

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The NDU Libraries are proud toannounce that they have initiated aLibrarian Exchange Program with theMadonna University Library (Michigan,USA). Miss Antoinette Kattoura, aparaprofessional cataloguing librarianwith the NDU Libraries, is the firstparticipant in what is hoped will be anongoing collaboration between theMadonna University Library and theNDU Libraries.

Building upon existing agreementsbetween Notre Dame University-Louaize and Madonna University, theobjective of the Librarian Exchangeprogram is to enhance the sharing ofinformation, knowledge and expertise,and develop better communication andunderstanding between Lebanese andAmerican librarians. Drawing from theexperiences of other librarian exchangeprograms as documented in theliterature, we decided that a short-term (six- to twelve-week) exchangewould provide the most benefit forboth the librarians selected and theinstitutions, while keeping the costs ina manageable range.

The NDU Libraries selected MissKattoura from a pool of applicants tospend two months, from early

September to the end of October 2005,working at the Madonna UniversityLibrary in Livonia, Michigan. She alsoparticipated in the annual conferenceof Michigan Library Association fromOctober 26-28, where she had theopportunity to meet and interact withprofessional librarians and other librarystaff from all types of librariesthroughout Michigan and thesurrounding area. Financial support forMiss Kattoura to participate in thisexchange was provided by the NDULibraries, while on-campus housingwas provided by Madonna University.

Miss Kattoura had the opportunity todevelop a better understanding of howAmerican academic libraries functionas well as to improve her spokenEnglish language and presentationskills through daily interaction withMadonna University's librarians, facultyand students. She was actively involvedin the daily work of the librarians andother library staff in all areas of theMadonna University Library, in order togain a broad understanding of thework flow and the variety of servicesoffered for the benefit of library users.In addition, Miss Kattoura was able toshare information about Lebaneselibraries in general and the NDU

NDU and Madonna Libraries

Libraries in particular, throughpresentations and personalinteractions.

In the future, the NDULibraries look forward toimproving the quality of theircollections and services bydeveloping additionalcollaborative agreements andexchange programs withAmerican institutions andhopefully hosting Americanlibrarians.

| Academic and Student Activities

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UNESCO-NDU Teaching Workshop

This came within the framework of UNESCO’s efforts forbuilding individual and organisational capacities and forbringing together education and technology. The aimwas to provide young faculty members from variousuniversities within the Arab region with the knowledgeneeded to create and teach high-quality, interactive,fully online or Web-enhanced courses.

The workshop opened at 9.30 a.m. on September 5th

with the presence of the Lebanese Minister of Educationand Higher Learning Dr. Khaled Kabbani. After anintroduction by Dr. Abdo El-Qahi of NDU, Dr. AmeenRihani, NDU Vice-President for Research andDevelopment, outlined the development in educationand technology that was so effective for enablingfaculty members to meet the needs of students.

NDU President Father Boutros Tarabay welcomed theMinister and participants and noted that the conferenceconnoted a gamut of initiatives focusing on theenhancement of teaching and education through theinfusion of Information Communication Technologies(ICTs) into the spectrum of education and trainingsectors. He pointed out that Notre Dame University,realising the importance of technology and itsapplications, had made substantial progress in upgradingits programmes and assuring high-quality education forits students. Although seemingly easy, shifting theUniversity from the traditional mode of delivery to a

vibrant and interactive pedagogical environment tostimulate learning and critical thinking had been a greatchallenge. To this end, Notre Dame University hadconducted attitudinal research on e-learning andexperimented with new styles of pedagogy. Also, theUniversity had established video-conferencing hubs forcross-cultural course teaching with US universities.

Dr, Ramzi Salameh, Director a.i. of the UNESCO BeirutRegional Office, explained that the conference came in theframework of UNESCO efforts through its USEE programmefor the Arab region. He was followed by Minister KhaledKabanni, who insisted on the importance of the workshopand pointed out that thought had no limitations whether ofkind, geography, politics, constitution or law.

The morning’s working session, led by Iris Stovall,covered an introduction to “Moodle”, an overview ofonline instruction, its appropriateness, and anintroduction aimed at instructors. The first afternoonconsisted of a critique on online course by participantsand the second a discussion on Moodle siteadministration led by Kevin Johnson.

On Tuesday, Iris Stovall and participants concentrated onmodels of online instruction, quality and online courses,and Moodle course project work. On Wednesday the twoguest experts and participants turned their attention tothe challenges and benefits of technology, the roles ofthe instructor, critique of an online course, and Moodlesite administration. On Thursday the sessions coveredfree and open-source software, free software andlearning objects, encouraging communications, andMoodle course project work. On Friday the subject wasassessing student learning, followed by demonstration ofa hands-on project and evaluation of a primer workshop.

UNESCO Workshop

From Monday to Friday, 5th to 9th September, 2005, at the NDU Main Campus, theUNESCO Offices in Beirut and Cairo organised an interactive workshop on anIntroduction to Online Teaching and Learning. Collaborating in the workshopwere the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the OPEC Fund, theAGFUND and Notre Dame University.

Lebanese territory, demandingconsiderable outlay fortreatment.

In the face of this complexsituation, the Department ofHydraulic and ElectricResources of the Ministry ofEnergy and Water had set outa ten-year strategy plan(2001-2010) with thefollowing aims:

| On the one hand to ensureadditional water resourcesby storing surface water indams as well as byrecharging aquifers,

| On the other hand to treatwaste water and re-use it byglobal integrated watermanagement.

After words of welcome addressed to the participants by Mr. Suheil Matar, NDUDirector of Public Relations, Professor Dr. Jon Trondalen, Chairman of COMPASS,Geneva, and of CESAR, Oslo, declared that there was a constant and increasingdemand for water in the region because of the rapid growth of population andthe steady social and economic development, all of which was incompatible withthe existing natural water resources. Dr. Trondalen stressed that disputes in theregion over water were hindering effective use of this resource, as well as fuellingpolitical fires that had already been lit. He further insisted that conciliation andcooperation between countries were prerequisites for sustainable development inthe area.

After an address by Dr. Mohammad Abdulrazzak, UNESCO Director in Cairo,Dr. Fady Comair, Director General of the Ministry of Water and Energy Resourcesand Director of WEERC, spoke of the Lebanese experience in managing conflictsover water resources. He explained that the negotiations between Lebanon andSyria over sharing the waters of the Orontes and Nahr el-Kabir had been basedmainly on two international conventions, the RIO Convention of 1996 and the UNConvention of 1997 on the non-navigational use of international water courses.

Unfortunately, said Dr. Comair, the Hasbani-Wazzani water management andusage was applied only by Lebanon on the basis of the RIO and UN conventions; itwas to be hoped that one day Israel would share the vision of cooperation,equitability and reasonable use of trans-boundary waters, particularly in the caseof the river Jordan. He pointed out that Lebanon attached great importance tocooperation over the question of water and to finding a permanent solution, forwhich there must be a forecast concerning supply and demand. Developmentrelied on this equilibrium, particularly for the dry season extending from May toNovember.

Dr. Comair said that there was a lack of homogeneity in the distribution ofresources and that there was also large-scale karsification covering 60% of

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Water, Energy and Environment Research Center WEERC

In Friends’ Hall, NDU main campus, from July 13th to 15th there was a conferenceheld jointly by UNESCO, the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources and the NDUWater, Energy and Environment Research Center (WEERC), in the framework of theUNESCO project From Potential Conflict to Co-operation Potential (PCCP). ThisConference, entitled Conflict Resolution on Water Resources: Training Tailoredto the Arab Region, was in fact a meeting of experts held with the aim ofreviewing the PCCP course on conflict prevention and cooperation concerninginternational water resources, in particular amending and tailoring the existingcourse in a way adapted to the situation in the Arab region.

Water Conflict Conference

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| Academic and Student Activities

Health Issues Workshop

On Monday, October 3rd, 2005, a nutrition workshop was held in Friends’ Hall, MainCampus, under the patronage of His Excellency Health Minister Dr. MohammadKhalifeh. Its title was Health Issues: Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease and FoodSafety, and was the result of coordination between FAO, WHO, UNIDO, the Ministryof Public Health, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, theLebanese Society of Endocrinology and Diabetes, and Hayek Hospital. The event wasorganised by the Water, Energy and Environment Research Center (WEERC) of NDU.

As food safety is nowadays a strategicpriority worldwide due to economicglobalisation, freedom of exchange andthe expanding use of technology withincrease of food production, foodsafety issues were also addressed inthis workshop. It is estimated thatfood-borne disease causes 76 millioncases of illness, 325,000hospitalisations and 5,000 deaths eachyear in the United States alone. It wasreported that worldwide in the year2000 2.1 million people died fromdiarrhœal diseases, largely due tocontaminated food and drinking-water.In this sense, water quality plays a keyrole in keeping people healthy and

public health education reduces risk ofheart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Participants were welcomed by NDUPublic Relations Director Mr. SuheilMatar and addressed by the NDUPresident Father Walid Moussa.Speeches followed by Dr. JawadMahjour, WHO representative inLebanon, Dr. Cheik Sakho, ResidentRepresentative of UNIDO in Lebanon,Syria and Jordan, H.E. Dr. AbdessalamOuld Ahmed, FAO Representative inLebanon, H.E. Mr. Yaacoub Sarraf,Minister of the Environment, andH.E. Dr. Mohammad Khalifeh,Minister of Public Health.

The main honoured guestspeaker was Dr. Esther Myersfrom the American DiabetesAssociation (ADA), talking onInternational DiabetesOutcome Study through aDietetics Practice-basedResearch Network. Dr. Myersreferred to the collection ofdata on outcomes frompatients with Type 2 diabetesas part of the joint researchproject between NDU and theADA. The ADA selected Dr.Najat Yahia of NDU to betheir national researchcoordinator in Lebanon incollaboration withdistinguished Lebanesedieticians, in particularMiss Maya Khoury, MissTania Salloum and Miss RitaYounes at Saint George’sHospital University MedicalCenter, Miss Nada El-Saad atRizk Clinic-Hospital and MissRanda Chlala at Notre Damede Secours University Hospital.The importance of such aproject lies in the increase inthe incidence of Type 2diabetes in Lebanon.

Session 1 concerned nutrition-relateddisease, in particular obesity, diabetesand heart disease. It was presided byDr. Sami Raychouni representingDr. Mario Aoun, respectively Vice-President and President of the Order ofMedical Doctors, with Dr. GeorgesHayek, PDG of Hayek Hospital, asReporter. Dr. Georges Saade, Directorof the WHO Program of Non-Communicable Diseases in Lebanon,spoke on Non-Communicable Diseases,Dr. Najat Yahia, Assistant ProfessorNDU and WEERC/NDU Researcher,spoke on Obesity Assessment andManagement, Dr. Esther Myers,Director of Research, ADA, spoke onthe Dietary Management of DiabetesPatients (ADA Protocol), andDr. Michael Naser, Professor ofCardiology, American University

Medical Center, spoke on Heart DiseasePrevalence and Management.

After mid-morning coffee break,Session 2 dealt with nutritional issuesin food safety. It was presided byH.E. Dr. Adel Cortas, former Ministerof Agriculture and FAO consultant,with Dr. Fadi Comair, Director ofWEERC/NDU, as Reporter. The subjectof Food Safety was dealt with byMrs. Nohal Al-Homsi, WHO LebanonCoordinator of Environmental HealthProjects and Food Safety, Risk Analysisin Food Safety in Lebanon byDr. Hussein Dib, Professor of Scienceat the Lebanese University, Food SafetyNational Project Manager, UNIDO, theContribution of the Ministry of theEnvironment to Food Safety byDr. Nada Sabra, Project Manager of

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Water, Energy and Environment Research Center WEERC

the UNIDO Methyl BromideAlternative Project, Ministry ofthe Environment, and NewFood Law and InternationalStandards (HACCP, GMP) byMr. Farid Karam, Head ofSanitary Engineering Service,Ministry of Public Health.

Questions and discussionfollowed and the workshopwas closed byrecommendations from thefirst session presented by Dr.Najat Yahia and ones from thesecond session presented byDr. Fadi Comair. Participantswere then invited to lunch inthe NDU Restaurant.

Coming for the first time toWest Asia, the Mediterraneanand Lebanon, the Water Weekwas held in Beirut from 14th

to 17th November, 2005, underthe initiative of the Ministryof Water and Energy in thepersons of MinisterMohammad Fneich andDirector General of Hydraulicand Electric Resources Dr.Fadi Comair, also Director ofWEERC at NDU. Organisationsinvolved were the UN through

ESCWA, the European Unionthrough MED EUWI/GWP, theEuropean Union Commissionthrough its Beirut delegationand the above-mentionedLebanese ministry. Thirtycountries from West Asia, theMediterranean and Europewere represented by twohundred delegates, includingmany senior internationalfigures, of whom 110 wereforeign nationals.

Beirut Water Week

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The aims were to inform aboutsustainable development andwater reservation policies, tohold dialogue on managementby public water authorities, tocompare solutions adopted byvarious countries, to educatethe young and raise theawareness of teachers, and toissue recommendationsappropriate to the WaterDecade, so named by UNSecretary General Kofi Annan.

On November 14th, theWater Week culminated withthe inauguration of theWater, Energy andEnvironment ResearchCenter, the headquarters ofwhich are at Notre DameUniversity-Louaize, by thePresident of Lebanon GeneralEmil Lahoud.

This was followed by anexchange of ideas betweenthe President and EuropeanParliamentarians fromCOMPSUD. The latter alsovisited H.E. MohammadFneich, Deputy Speaker ofParliament H.E. Farid Makari,H.E. Prime Minister FouadSiniora and H.E. MohammedKabbani, Head of theParliamentary Commission forWater, Energy and PublicWorks.

On November 17 there werepresentations and debates atCREEN (Water andEnvironment Regional Center,USJ-ESIB) on the themeGround Water in Lebanon –Towards an Information

System for Sustainable Managementof Resources.

MEDIES (Mediterranean EducationInitiative for Environment andSustainability) is a component of theEuropean Water Initiative. It aims atraising awareness particularly amongthe young. Five workshops for training,involving forty teachers, wereorganised at WEERC, NDU, onThursday, November 17th.

The official opening of the WEERC tookplace under the auspices of PresidentLahoud at WEERC-NDU at 4 p.m. onNovember 14th at the start of theWater Week. After a welcome by NDUPresident Father Walid Moussa, therewere speeches by Dr. Fadi Comair,H.E. Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, FAOrepresentative in Lebanon, and theminister H.E. Mohammed Fneich. TheWEERC 2005 Annual Award ofExcellency was presented to ProfessorMichael Scoullos, Chairman GlobalWater Partnership. Members of theEuropean Parliament then metPresident of Lebanon Emil Lahoud.

This was followed by the launching ofMEDIES in Lebanon, when there werespeeches by Minister of Education H.E.Khaled Kabbani, UNESCO BeirutRegional Office Director Ramzi Salame,and Council of Europe ParliamentaryAssembly Vice President Ms. ElsaPapadimitriou, to mention only a few.

At the workshop at WEERC, NDU, onWednesday 16th November,Ambassador Patrick Renauld, head ofthe Delegation in Lebanon of theEuropean Commission, said in shortand very pointed sentences that thewater situation was critical as regardsthe future. The countries south of the

Mediterranean would be in a verygrave state affecting the sanitary,economic and consequently politicalfields. He added that in itsparticipation in the necessary effortEurope was giving Lebanon 5 millioneuros in 2006.

Mr. Nicholas Mentzaris, representingthe Greek Government, pointed outthat Greece had been acting as thelead country in the MediterraneanComponent of the EU Water Initiativesince 2002. The day’s workshop was aunique opportunity to identify thestate-of-play in Lebanon and themeeting could also be considered asthe Inaugural Meeting of the so-called“Country Dialogues” Process forMediterranean countries in general andfor Lebanon in particular.

In his Opening Ceremony speech,Minister Mohammad Fneich,represented by Dr. Fadi Comair, tookthe opportunity to highlight theimportance of the European UnionWater Initiative MediterraneanComponent. He declared that Lebanonhad been following this closely for thesake of implementing Integrated WaterResources Management through theprocess implemented by the GreekGovernment and Professor MichaelScoullos.

Ms. Sylvie Detoc, DG Environment forthe European Commission, spoke inparticular of the importance of waterfor drinking purposes and for the fightagainst poverty and the improvementof health, not forgetting agriculture.

Further sessions followed, all indicativeof the role now being played by theWater, Energy and EnvironmentResearch Center of NDU.

| Academic and Student Activities

The forum was a response to the phenomenonof increased migration, one demandingcorrelation between migration and security.International migration has been slated to topthe agenda of international organisations andof most countries around the world. In itsofficial invitation, the ISM positioned thecontext of its forum, stating that “internationalmigrations play an ever greater role in the lifeof contemporary societies. Migratory flowsresulting from political, economic and socialpressures are a serious challenge for thecountries of origin as well as for the receivingcountries. They present dangers but also offeropportunities.”

The forum called upon places in theMediterranean Basin such as the Great Regionof Casablanca and the cities of Athens,Valencia, Barcelona and Milan among others toshare their experiences with the conferees andto present their views and their action inresponse to the imperative issues of integration,security and quality of life.

Several international organisations, governmentagencies and administrations, and universities

In response to an invitationfrom the Istituto StudiMediterranei (ISM) of theUniversità della SvizzeraItaliana to a conference held30th September- 1st October,2005, Ms Guita Hourani,Associate Director of theLebanese Emigration ResearchCenter of NDU, gave apresentation about the currentLebanese emigration andabout the volume andimportance for the Lebaneseeconomy of the remittancessent home by Lebaneseemigrants. The forum was heldin Lugano in cooperation withthe host city and the city ofMilan.

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Lebanese Emigration Research Center Activities LERC

Emigration and Remittances:The Situation in Lebanon

Guita Hourani at Lugano, fifth from the left,front row.

were represented byprominent officials. Theseincluded the Syndicate of theCity of Lugano, the Syndicateof the City of Milan, theInstitutional Department ofthe Ticino canton, the Forumpour l’Intégration desMigrantes et des Migrants, theDirectorate of Developmentand Cooperation (DSC), andthe Haut Conseil àl’Intégration of the Frenchgovernment. Otherparticipants included a formerunder-secretary of the StateDepartment of the UnitedStates of America, theMediterranean Representativeof the InternationalOrganisation of Migration(IOM) and the universities ofGenoa, Istanbul, Bulgaria,Siena, Milan, Sofia and SanDiego, California.

The forum was a usefulplatform for comparingexperiences, strategies andactions concerning migration,integration, security andquality of life between citiesfrom the countries ofemigration and those of thecountries of immigration.

Director Dr. AthanasiosMoulakis and all the staff ofthe ISM assured anenvironment of dialogue,

LERC

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openness and amiability, all ofwhich made this event asuccess.

Ms. Hourani’s presentationillustrated the volume, profile,characteristics, geographicaldistribution and level ofeducation of the Lebaneseemigrants. She also showedthe volume of remittancesreceived in Lebanon throughformal channels and theirimportance to the economy ofLebanon and to householdresources and expenditure.Ms. Hourani discussed thesocio-political impact ofemigration on Lebanon as wellas the effect of remittanceson the lives of their recipientsand on the country as awhole.

Her audience were astonishedto learn that around ninehundred thousand Lebaneseleft the country between 1975and 2002 and that of these45% left after the cessation ofarmed conflict, between 1991and 2002. They were evenmore surprised to learn thatLebanon receives an averageof $1.6 billion in remittanceson a yearly basis.

Ms. Hourani made severalcontacts with differentinstitutions and individuals forfuture collaboration on thesubject of migration in theMediterranean region.

| Academic and Student Activities

Lebanese Migrants In Brazil:Exhibition and an Annotated Bibliography

Lebanese Emigration Research Center (LERC)Notre Dame University Press-Lebanon, December 20th, 2005

Members of the audiencebuying the book. Pharaon touring the exhibition

LERC

In celebration of Migrant’s Day(December 18), the LebaneseEmigration Research Center at NotreDame University, Lebanon, inauguratedan Exhibition on Lebanese Migrants inBrazil under the auspices of PrimeMinister Fuad Siniora, represented byMinister of State Michel Pharaon. Thiswas in conjunction with the signing byRoberto Khatlab of his book LebaneseMigrants in Brazil: An AnnotatedBibliography, published by NDU Pressand LERC. The opening broughttogether a number of prominentBrazilian and Lebanese figures and theauthorities of NDU.

The exhibition includes photos ofLebanese migrants in Brazil from thecollection of Mr. Roberto Khatlab, withcopies of letters from the LebaneseNational Archives exchanged betweenmigrants and President Shamoun of

Lebanon, mostly from after his visit toBrazil. It also displays some of theearliest Lebanese newspapers publishedin Brazil and possessions of Lebanesemigrants in Brazil.

Following welcoming speeches and anaddress by the Minister, NDU surprisedthe author with an AcknowledgmentAward presented to him by NDU’sPresident Fr. Walid Moussa andMinister Pharaon “for his devotion tothe study of Lebanese migration inBrazil and Lebanon”. The author alsoreceived a letter from His ExcellencyLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President ofBrazil, wishing him success for theexhibition and the book.

Then after the cutting of the ribbon,Minister Pharaon toured the exhibitionand Mr. Khatlab signed his book.

Rev. Fr. Walid Moussa, and H.E.Minister Pharaon presenting theaward to Mr. Roberto Khatlab.

The welcoming address ofDr. Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous.

Dr. Najat Yahia welcomed theguest speakers and explainedthe main goal of this day,which was to raise awarenessabout the seriousness ofdiabetes, since an individualcan have diabetes withouteven knowing it, and to offeran opportunity for people toassess their risk. Educationalawareness for diabetes is thebest prevention.

Session 1 concerned diabetesclassification,pathophysiology, diagnosisand treatment. Dr. Sami Azardefined the term diabetes ascovering a group of metabolicdiseases characterized byhyperglycemia resulting fromdefects in insulin secretion,insulin action, or both.Chronic hyperglycemia isassociated with long-termdamage, dysfunction, and

The honored guest speakers wereDr. Sami Azar, Professor of Medicine,American University of Beirut MedicalCenter, President of The LebaneseSociety of Endocrinology, Diabetes andLipids, Dr. Georges Saade, Director ofthe WHO Program for Non-Communicable Diseases in Lebanon,Ministry of Health, Dr. George Badr,Professor of Endocrinology, HayekHospital, Mrs. Nada El-Saad, Head ofDietary Department, Rizk Clinic-Hospital, and Miss Randa Chlala, Headof the Dietary Department, Notre Damede Secours University Hospital.

Participants were welcomed by NDUPresident Reverend Father WalidMoussa. He pointed out that beinghealthy is the most solid starting pointfor fighting disease and awareness ofillness is imperative to achieve health.Good health is an advantage thatpeople should enjoy and it is a gift tobe taken care of, to be protected anddefended. Therefore, health demandstime and attention devoted to it. In

this sense, people who have no timefor their health today may have nohealth for their future time. FatherMoussa laid stress on healthprotection, as it is much easier to keephealthy than to restore health afterillness. Prevention of disease is muchmore effective than intervention. Heended his speech with a blessing andbest wishes for a successful day andleft the audience with the words ofHippocrates, the Father of Medicine,“Let your food be your medicine.”

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Nutrition Conference 29-11-2005

Diabetes Awareness Day

On Tuesday, November 29, 2005, a nutrition conference was held in Friends’ Hall, MainCampus, Notre Dame University. The opening of the event was under the patronage ofRev. Father Walid Moussa, President of NDU. The title of the Nutrition conference wasDiabetes Awareness, and was the result of coordination between the World HealthOrganization (WHO), the Ministry of Public Health, the Lebanese Society ofEndocrinology and Diabetes, and Hayek Hospital. The event was organized by Nutritionstudents at NDU under the supervision of Dr. Najat Yahia.

Dr. George Badr, Fr. Walid Moussaand Dr. Najat Yahia

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failure of various organs (eyes,kidneys, nerves, heart andblood vessels). He explainedthat diabetes could be dividedinto several distinct subtypeson the basis of genetics,symptoms, and the underlyingdisease pathology. Categoriesof diabetes and impairedglucose tolerance include type1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes,gestational diabetes,prediabetes and other lesscommon types. Type 1 affects5 % to 10% of people withdiabetes. Onset is generallybefore 30 years of age andindividuals with type 1 have agenetic predisposition. Type 2diabetes affects 90 to 95% ofcases of diabetes. Risk factorsfor type 2 diabetes are age(> 45 years), geneticpredisposition (family historyor ethnic background), highcalorie intake, obesity, andsedentary lifestyle. Dr. Azarpointed out that diabetes is arapidly increasing publichealth concern worldwide andfuture prevalence rates areexpected to increasedramatically. In 2003, it wasestimated that approximately

190 million people, or 6.3% of thepopulation, have diabetes and that theprevalence of diabetes will increase by72% (324 million) by year 2025.Dr. Georges Badr talked aboutgestational diabetes. Gestationaldiabetes is defined as glucoseintolerance that is first diagnosedduring pregnancy and it is diagnosedusing a 3-hour, 100 g oral glucosetolerance test (OGTT). High-riskindividuals should be tested as early aspossible and treated to preventcomplications.

Dr. Georges Saade spoke on primaryand secondary prevention of diabetesand stressed the importance of lifestylechanges. He pointed out that diabetesis one of the most costly andburdensome chronic diseases of ourtime and is a condition that isincreasing in epidemic proportionsthroughout the world. Dr. Saadeshowed that there is now substantialevidence that type 2 diabetes can beprevented or delayed. His public healthmessage to health care professionalswas to encourage individual behaviorlifestyle changes for ensuring a healthylife.

Session 2 dealt with nutritional issuesin diabetes management. Dr. NajatYahia spoke on medical nutritiontherapy (MNT) of diabetic patients,showing that MNT is the clinicalapplication of the Nutrition CareProcess, which always involves a

comprehensive assessment,individualized care, monitoring andevaluation of the individual treatmentgoal. Diabetes management should bebased on a comprehensive nutritionassessment, which includes theindividual’s self-care treatment planand lifestyle modification. She alsopointed to the Diabetic NutrientRecommendations as presented by theAmerican Dietetic Association.

Mrs. Nada El-Saad talked on diabeticmeal planning. She pointed out thatpsychosocial and behavioral factorsgreatly affect the achievement ofdiabetes self-management treatmentgoals and the dietetic professionalsshould assess the individual’swillingness and readiness to change.She stressed that behavioral changetherapy, motivational interviewing andteaching materials appropriate to theindividual’s learning capacity togetherform a successful counseling and careplan.

Miss Randa Chlala spoke on healthyrecipes and recipe modification.

The conference was closed by freeblood glucose testing by the ABBOTrepresentative.

Participants were invited to open thefood fair prepared by NDU Nutritionstudents and other sponsors, wherehealthy food suitable for diabeticpatients was served.

| Academic and Student Activities

Visit to the University of Utah

Mr. George Hajjar, Senior Lecturer in the NDU Faculty of Humanities aspreviously stated, was invited to present a paper at the conference on Middle Eastand Central Asia Politics, Economics and Society held by the University of Utah,USA, from 8th to 10th September, 2005.

The conference featured over one hundred Middle East scholars from around theworld. Mr. Hajjar’s presentation was delivered on September 10th and wasentitled An Analysis of Christian-Muslim Relations in Contemporary Lebanon.Moderator John Francis of the University of Utah half-jokingly proclaimed, “Thisis the most important panel of the Conference.” The Discussant, Frederick Quinn,an official of the US State Department, commented that Mr. Hajjar’s presentationwas “the stuff that a good book is made of.” Afterwards, Mr. Hajjar was asked forpermission for his talk to appear in a new publication to be called Democracy atLarge.

After receiving clearance from theappropriate NDU authorities, SeniorLecturer George Hajjar took hisPsychology of Deviance class to visitthe correctional facility at Roumieh.Prior to the actual visit, CorrectionalAttorney Elia Hajj briefed the classabout the details of what they weregoing to see and do. One of thestudents, Ms. Pia Zeinoun, gavevaluable assistance to Mr. Hajjar inarranging the scheduled visit toRoumieh.

This took place during the month ofMay of the Spring semester of theacademic year 2004-2005. Thestudents took with them somesupplies that were to be donated toinmates in need.

The students had an opportunity tovisit nearly all the premises of theprison and so obtain a practical andrealistic understanding of prison lifesuch as it is in Lebanon. Thestudents were pleasantly surprisedat the very good behaviour of theinmates during their tour of thefacility. They were able to observesome of the inadequacies of prison

life there due, according to AttorneyHajj, to poor funding. They werealso interested to learn that someinmates do in fact enjoy access torecreational activities, a smalllibrary, a carpentry shop, work in thekitchen, and so on.

The students came away from theirvisit with the satisfaction that theyhad had a real-life experience, bothsobering and yet humanising.Seeing the real face of thecorrectional facility revealed to theclass both important aspects ofdeviance and the realities ofcorrectional life.

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SBS Visit to Roumieh

From Social and Behavioral SciencesA Visit to Roumieh

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NDU students Melhem Rechdan and Elie Zgheib were appointed asPresident and Vice President respectively of the AAA Student League,and students from LAU, the Lebanese University, AUST and HolySpirit-Kaslik were approved as executive committee members with theconsent of the AAA. Advertising Club President Mr. Elie Zgheib maybe contacted at 03-710563.

Mr. Darouni announced that the Advertising Agencies Association hadaccepted the NDU Advertising Club for developing the AAA StudentLeague and for students being able to send their CVs to the Website,on the strength of which all advertising agencies will help them infinding employment, obtaining internships or participating inworkshops. Mr. Dany Karam presented the template of the Websiteand showed students how to interact with it.

Mr. Kamal Darouni spoke about the “fall” of Lebanon and the rise ofDubai, pointing however to the leading role of Lebanese advertising orassociated companies. An AAA survey conducted on behalf of theBritish Council showed that 71% of the income of film productionhouses came from export, while 72% of the income of advertisingagencies came from the domestic market.

Mr. Omar Nasreddine dealt with brand equity and advertising cultureseen from the creative perspective. He showed some commercials anddescribed the situation of each in terms of image, acceptance, loyalty,positioning and continuity.

| Academic and Student Activities

Advertising Club and AAA

On Friday December 2nd, 2005, the NDU Advertising Club and theAdvertising Agencies Association (AAA), the latter represented by itsGeneral Secretary Mr. Kamal Darouni (also NDU Assistant Professor),held a seminar entitled Meet the Guru in Advertising. The eventmarked the launching of the AAA Students League at NDU before itsextension to all other universities in Lebanon. It was attended bystudents in Advertising, Faculty members, Father Boulos Wehbe(SAO), and Mr. Dany Karam and Mr. Omar Nasreddine, members ofthe AAA Executive Committee. It should be noted here that NDU is auniversity accredited by the IAA.

03-710563

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As part of its culturalframework series, for a

remarkable evening on Friday,June 3rd, 2005,

NDU-NLC hosted HenryZgheib, a refined literary

journalist, a first-class culturalcritic, and most prominently

a brilliant writer and poet.

Henry Zgheib, A Poet with Sagacity

On his arrival at NDU-North Lebanon campus, Mr. Zgheib roamed thepremises, paying particular attention to the architecture of the mainbuilding and its harmonious interior design; he expressed awarenessof the yet modest scale but grandiose taste that emphasized anoverwhelming atmosphere.

Henry Zgheib brought joy to his listeners by declaiming magnificentpoetry read with extreme care so as not to minimize its value to themind or its essence. The poet emphasized the impact of poetry inancient and contemporary societies; he even mentioned greatpresidents inviting famous poets appointed to impact their peoplesfor authentic glory. He told stories from the heart and made sure hisaudience listened and grasped well. Henry Zgheib’s audienceinteracted enthusiastically, a fact which made this thoroughlyenjoyable evening even more memorable.

It was an evening of sensations that were intermingled with logicand grammatical illustrations, which when properly used not onlybeautify but also relay the most thrilling sensational imagery inpoetry. The audience agreed that Henry Zgheib is beyond all possibledoubt not only a poet but also a cultural reference.

The success of this event at NDU-NLC made certain that other suchencounters will follow, as the university strives for the advancementnot only of professional formation, but also of the students’ generalcultural development, providing them with broader intellectual assets.

| Mr. Edgar Merheb-Harband Mrs. Suzanne Dandan,Public Relations Dept., NDU/NLC.

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| Grafik Trafik was the firstexhibition of its kind in NLC.

| We hope to continue with suchactivities in the near future in order tomake known our identity and tocreate an opportunity for our studentsto communicate ideas!

| Academic and Student Activities

Grafik Trafik: End of Year Exhibitionfor Graphic Design Senior students, NLC

Grafik Trafik was the title of the Senior Year exhibition, Graphic DesignDepartment, FAAD. The event was held on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 at 6 p.m. atLAS SALINAS resort, Anfeh. Mr. Edgar Harb, Public Relations at NLC, welcomed allwho were invited and attending, and was followed by Ms Diane Mikhael,coordinator of Graphic Design major at NLC, who delivered a short speech; finally,graduate student Cynthia Sammour launched the theme of the exhibition.

The aim of the exhibition in the first place was to promote the graduate students’work among professionals in the field of Graphic Design. Furthermore, it wasplanned to have the exhibition outside the campus to enhance the presence ofNotre Dame University and the Design department, FAAD, specifically in the Northmarket.

The students’ projects shown tackled different themes dealt with during the lastthree years of the major, such as awareness campaigns, corporate identities,animations and motion graphics for TV channels, local and internationalcompetitions, etc..

During the event, students had an opportunity to explain their work and tointeract with the audience, who came from different sectors, such as education,government, the professions and the media, not forgetting parents and friends.

Among the audience who attended the opening of the exhibition were thePresident of El Mina municipality Mr. Abdel Kader Alameddine, members ofparliament and government such as Minister Mohamad El Safadi, representativesfrom agencies and well-known newspapers, etc..

Faculty members and students from FAAD main campus were present to sharewith colleagues and students this special event.

| Diane Mikhael,FAAD coordinator, NLC.

known today as the ArabUnion for Astronomy andSpace Sciences (AUASS) withits headquarters in Amman,Jordan. I also met an earlyproponent of astronomy inSyria, a now retired engineer,an outspoken and daringpersonality, Mr. Fayez Foq-El-Adha (IOÉ©dG ¥ƒa õjÉa). Thatwas the start of myparticipation in AUASS.Through these workshops, Ialso met one very influentialperson, whose contribution toLebanese astronomy isinvaluable. He was a Frenchastronomer from ObservatoireMidi-Pyrennées, FrançoisQuerci, who was born andraised in Tunis. He kept deepinside a fondness for the ArabWorld. This led him in theearly nineties to propose aproject that came to beknown as NORT (Network of

My first duties were to teach physicscourses for non-physics majors. I wasessentially a teacher of service courses,to put it simply. In February 98, Ibecame a full-timer at NDU but was,during that semester, overloaded withwork, being a newcomer with muchdemand from two campuses. The Shoufwas not even beginning to be dreamtof yet!

Nature has it that a great opportunity– a God-sent gift? – happened in1999: the famous, or should I saydreaded, eclipse of August 11. TheNDU Astronomy Club had been createdin November 98 and this was its firstgreat activity! The Club participated inFounder’s Day for that year,1999. Webuilt a home-made planetarium, a 3mhemispherical metallic structure thatwe completely covered, from the inside,with white polystyrene panels! A 13.5-hours job for four persons, destroyed atnight with cigarette holes from anunknown wise guy!

Here comes August ’99 and a trip toSyria, to the extreme north-eastern tipof its map, to Ain Diwar. LBCI hadkindly agreed to carry our telescopeswith them. And there we watched oneand half minutes of totality…never tobe forgotten. The Club grew strongerfrom that experience.

During that same period, I discovered aUN and ESA (European Space Agency)sponsored professional activity whoseaim was – and still is – to offer aforum for Third World astronomers tointeract with astronomers fromindustrialized countries to shareresearch experience. This activity cameto be known as the UN/ESA Workshopin Basic Space Sciences to be held inNovember in the United Arab Emirates.Through these forums, I had theopportunity to meet astronomyactivists and professionals from aroundthe Arab World and discovered thatsome were working hard to expand apan-Arab astronomy organization

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Astronomy NDU

Dr. Roger HajjarNDU and Astronomy

….Lebanese astronomy, that is!

And a story of origins too or a rebirth to say the least.

It started in 1997 when I was first invited byDr. Georges Eid, now VP for Academic Affairs,to join the faculty as a part-timer first andfinally as a full timer. I was a fresh graduatethen. I actually took a week off during the Fallsemester of that year to travel to Canada for mythesis defense. F

M

W

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Oriental Robotic Telescope).This project planned to installa series of automatictelescopes around the Tropicof Cancer whose sole purposewas the study of variablephenomena in stars. It was tocover a wide longitude rangeon or near that tropic. It wasthe start of his crusade (hum!Not a good term when talkingabout the Arab World) toconvince people in our regionof the world to be inspired byold Arab astronomy and towork for its revival! Was itpeople or governments? Anunnecessary debate today!

François Querci is a dearfriend and an invaluablesupport in the quest of theTask Force for Astronomy &Astrophysics to start programsof development of astronomyin Lebanon. The Task Force forAstronomy & Astrophysics wascreated in June 2004 by a

decision of the Lebanese NationalCouncil for Scientific Research(LNCSR), which invited a number ofuniversity professors who are eitherastronomers or interested indevelopment of astronomy in Lebanon.NDU is represented by two facultymembers, Dr. Bassem Sabra andmyself. François’ role started, for me atleast, in 2000. In fact, he had visitedLebanon a long time before that,around 1992. A visit that led to ascholarship for a Lebanese Universitystudent from the North to complete aPh.D. in astronomy. Jamal Bittar isnow an LU and USJ professor and anactive member of the Task Force. I metFrançois through the UN/ESA workshopheld in Al AlBayt University in Mafraq,Jordan. We met again in May 2000,when he visited Lebanon on aninvitation by the LNCSR. A series ofmeetings was held there in thepresence of Lebanese astronomers,some Deans of Science Faculties andother scientists with possible interestin the development of Space Scienceschez nous. This produced a first basic

document identifying a plan to developastronomy through the preparation ofthe creation of a National Observatoryequipped with a 1-m telescope. Thereport, drafted, corrected and finalizedon an NDU computer, was submitted toDr. Mouin Hamze, Secretary General ofthe LNCSR in January 2001. ResidentLebanese astronomers/astrophysicistswere only three at the time. I was theonly observer, that is to say the onlyastronomer who went to observatoriesand used instruments to collect data.The other two, Drs. Mounib El-Eid andJihad Touma, are theoreticians whorely on observational data. Jamal Bittarwas still completing his studies inToulouse, France, under the care ofFrançois Querci. He came back in 2001after successfully defending his thesis.

At NDU, the astronomy club was busyorganizing outings to lunar and solareclipses and Mars opposition and tripsto other places. Our next trip willhopefully be to Jordan this summer; anoccasion to meet the extremely activeJordanian Astronomical Society and

| Academic and Student Activities

The NDU 14-inch telescopepreparing to observe atOuyoun el-Simane.

Explanations at 2000meters at Ouyoun

el-Simane.W

What were the pros doingduring that time? Two yearsafter the report, upon a thirdvisit by François Querci, wedecided to formally startworking on the plan outlinedin that founding document. Aproposal was submitted to theLNCSR for what we call a site-testing project, a researchproject to quantify the qualityof sites on Lebanesemountains and so to identifythe possible location of afuture observatory. The budgetfor such a project, completewith snowsuits, a 4x4 to carryobservers to remote locations,and small housing units isbeyond the capabilities of theLNCSR alone. It was thendecided, in agreement withthe Council, to work towardsthe creation of a consortiumof institutions – universities,councils – whose purposewould be to oversee thefunding and implementationof the project. A first step wascompleted with the creationof the Task Force forAstronomy and Astrophysics,now the official advisory bodyat the LNCSR for everythingastronomical!

In the meantime, another webof interactions was slowlybeing created. Ranya Bechara,now an NDU graduate inbiology, ended up in my classof physics for Life Sciences. Ithappens that her father is aprofessor, and a very dynamicresearcher, at the LebaneseUniversity. One day, as I wassitting in my office, the phone

discover new horizons. We organized aseries of evening talks weaffectionately called AstroPizza sincewe always ended them with a Pizzafiesta! We also organized ObservingNight, when new members wereintroduced by old members to thenight sky. The workhorses of theseevents were an old-faithful 4.5-inchNewtonian I purchased and broughtback in 1999 from Canada, in time forthe eclipse, a 10-inch Newtonian builtby Dr. Ramez Maalouf and modified bymy club members, and a 70-mmrefractor from Dr. Michel Kreidy. I alsobought a solar filter still being used byAstronomy students for their sunspotsprojects. Astronomy students? Well,yes, NDU is now the only Universityoffering two astronomy courses. One ofthem, AST 201, is a general courseoffered to all students of theUniversity. The other, AST 210, is anintroduction to astrophysics for physicsstudents. It can be taken as a freeelective by other students providedthey have a solid background insciences, mostly physics and maths…sorry for the rest! But you can stillenjoy astronomy in AST 201! Thatreminds me of another first: NDU is theonly university in Lebanon having a

mandatory astrophysics course in itsundergraduate physics program!

However, our NDU club is not a first, itis a second! Clubs started with twoseasoned amateurs in Lebanon,Mr. Adnan Tayyara and Ihsan Hafez,who established a club at the BeirutArab University and convinced theiradministration to build a smallobservatory within the walls of theirnew campus in Debbiyeh, Shouf. Today,this is the only functional observatoryin Lebanon, but the next is fastapproaching. Most recently, astronomyclubs are beginning to burgeon almosteverywhere, thanks to the Lebaneseastronomers, to the NDU club membersand the fascination exerted byastronomy. Let me list the ones I know:the Faculté des Sciences of USJ hasnow its club (1 year old). The Facultédes Sciences II of UL is starting one,AUT students formed a small club afew months ago, and some students atthe University of Balamand areorganizing themselves to start theirown activities. I should not forget theonly school club I know, at St. Joseph’sSchool. This is an old club founded bystudents who ended up at NDU, Ranyaand Hanane Bechara.

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Astronomy NDU

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The group of the Summer School at Piste Wardeh.

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rang. The person on the otherend of the line introducedhimself as Dr. JosephBechara. This was the start ofan extremely fruitfulrelationship. Thanks to him, Ihave been supervising forthree years now seniorprojects of graduatingstudents from the LebaneseUniversity. This bringsmanpower to ideas thatrequire time and effort. I havediscovered in Dr. Bechara anextremely motivating and, bythe same token, motivatedindividual, eager to seescience burgeoning inLebanon. He is a person whosedream is to create aninteractive web of physicistscollaborating and stimulatingeach other for the sake of thescientific development of thenation! This meant a lot tome. I came back from Canadawith a dream, that of seeingone day a white domestanding on one of the peaksof the Lebanese mountains. Ican proudly say that, thanksto Dr. Bechara, we now have aunique inter-universitycollaboration on substantialissues. Dr. Bechara is amember of the Task Force!This is obvious, isn’t it? NDUastronomers are nowsupervising two seniorprojects with Dr. Bechara. Oneof them concerns the hot gaspervading the huge spacesbetween galaxies, the so-called WHIM. The other onestudies light pollution inLebanon, Syria and Jordan. Wemight also be supervising two

DEA students (equivalent to M.Sc.) fortheir thesis work…in astronomy! Andthat is not all. Dr. Mahmoud Korek,Director of the Physics Department atBAU, has kindly placed theirobservatory at our disposal to try tostart, in collaboration with him andothers, some undergraduate researchprojects. The Task Force obviouslyincludes Dr. Korek.

In January 2004, an invitation wasextended to the LNCSR for a Syrian-Lebanese-Jordanian joint meeting todiscuss the possibility of establishing aregional observatory. I was electedsecretary of the committee.Subsequent meetings were held inDamascus, Beirut and Amman. Theearly work done by Lebaneseastronomers served as the basis for thisjoint work group. It is refreshing tonote that, despite all our nationalproblems, we are still leaders in ourregion. We are the driving force behindthe rise of astronomy in our part of theworld and we intend to remain thatway!

Early last Fall, thanks to Fr. RogerChickri, NDU decided to purchase atelescope. Based on ourrecommendation (Bassem’s and mine),NDU purchased a 14-inch telescope. Italso purchased a CCD camera alongwith appropriate scientific filters toallow for research projects. If youhappen to pass by the physics lab, youwill find in a small suitcase on one ofits benches the only science filters ofthe Arab Middle-East! Theseinstruments are the ones recommendedby the Task Force for the site-testingcampaigns. USJ also purchased asimilar apparatus. The telescope wasreceived on June 30, and the CCD andaccessories on August 2, one monthbefore the start of the Summer Schoolof Astronomy. Last fall too, Dr. BassemSabra joined NDU as a full-time facultymember in the Department of Sciences.We are now a mini-astronomy group,the only astronomy group in Lebanon!

Early September is the time of the yearwhen NDU rests between the end ofone academic year and the start of

| Academic and Student Activities

Closing ceremony of the Summer School. R

astrophysics. The Schoolproduced a solid team, eagerto tackle the challenge of sitetesting. We are now at acrossroad. We have theinstruments, the team ofstudents, and the experts.

Almost eight years ago, I cameback with a dream…A whitedome on a Lebanesemountain. It is now soothingto see many, many otherssharing the same dream andworking towards itsrealization. We have come along way since 1997. A longroad still lies ahead but it is amore promising trip thatawaits us now.

another one, between Summer andFall. Not this time! The Faculty ofNatural and Applied Sciences and theComputer Center were busy from the5th to the 15th of September. Twenty-seven Lebanese students of physics andengineering from NDU, LU, AUB andUSJ along with 10 students from Syriaand Jordan met at NDU for anintensive Summer School onAstronomy, a school whose idea startedwith the decision to purchase thetelescopes. On the 12th of March, whenthe Task Force formally decided to startorganizing it, we were still waiting forthe instruments on which we weregoing to train the students. WhenBassem and I initiated contacts withDr. Jean Fares, Dean of the Faculty, wewere, in a way, taking a gamble sincethe telescopes had still not beenshipped from the US! We won theJackpot!

NDU was an excellent setting for theschool. It possessed all the necessaryingredients: a dorm to host students, acomputer center equipped with all thehardware and software needed and,obviously, lecture halls, photocopyingservices, lounges, etc., but, first andforemost, administrators who believedin our project and provided all thesupport needed. Dr. Jean Fares and allthe staff of the Faculty gave us accessto all the classrooms and facilities ofthe Faculty. Vicky, Danielle and Sana’amade our work run smoothly.Mr. Fawzi Baroud and the staff of theComputer Center helped with all ourrequests even when this requiredopening the center till 8:00 p.m.although the regular opening hoursend at 3:00 p.m.! Warm thanks aredue to Fr. Roger Chikri, who stitched allthe parts together to make sure thatNDU offered the best hospitality to its

guests, to the point that he answeredour calls on Sundays to help open adoor!

Organized by the Task Force with theFinancial Support of the LCNSR, NDU,the French Embassy in Lebanon andBanque Audi, the Summer School, thefirst in the Arab Middle East, formed all37 participants to the observationaltechniques of astronomy, using therecently acquired NDU equipment. Teninstructors from France, Lebanon andJordan provided the expert lectures andsupport. Drs. Marc Sarazin, FredericPaletou, Torsten Boehm and, ofcourse, François Querci, were the fourmusketeers of the school.Drs. Mashhoor Wardat and HannaSabat accompanied the Jordaniandelegation and contributed theirexpertise. Bassem, Jamal Bittar,Mounib El-Eid and I made the localingredients of that team.

Ten days were spent bustling around,making sure that all enjoyed their timeand came out with a solid baggage in

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Astronomy NDU

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Lebanese and Jordanians having lunch at the Summer School.

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PLEA 2005 NDU - Lebanon

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| Academic and Student Activities

Hosted byNotre Dame University NDU,Co organized bythe Faculty of Architecture, Art & Design, FAAD in conjunction withPLEA International

Under the patronage of His Excellency Yaacoub Sarraf - Minister of Environment,represented by Mr. Girgis Berbari, the Faculty of Architecture, Art and Design(FAAD), at Notre Dame University (NDU), Zouk Mosbeh - Lebanon, in collaborationwith PLEA International (www.plea-arch.org), hosted the International ConferencePLEA 2005 (Passive and Low Energy Architecture), from the 13th -17th of November2005. The Conference attracted a diverse assembly of professionals, academiciansand students from all over the world. Attending the opening ceremony were HisExcellency the Minister of the Displaced Mr. Nehne Tohme, Deputy Mr. NabilBostani, President of NDU Rev. Fr. Walid Moussa, former President of NDU,Rev. Fr. Boutros Tarabay, members of the Board of Trustees, Fr. Roger Chikri –Director of Administration, Fr. Samir Ghsoub – Director of Finance, Dr. George Eid– VP Academic Affairs, Dr. Ameen Rihani – VP Sponsored Research & Development,Mr. Suheil Matar – Director General - Public Relations, Deans, Directors, Invitedguests, Faculty members, staff and students.

Themes| 01. Low Energy Architecture| 02. Sustainable Urban

Design and Planning| 03. Comfort in Outdoor

Urban Spaces| 04. Innovative Low Energy

Technologies| 05. Materials and building

techniques| 06. Recycled Architecture:

Re-use, Upgrading andRehabilitation of Buildings

| 07. Computer SimulationTools

| 08. Vernacular Architecture:Sustainability Lessons from thePast

| 09. Case Studies| 10. Education and

Technology Transfer| 11. Decision Making and

Strategies for Action| 12. Reflections on

Sustainability

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Following the Lebanese National Anthem Dr. Assaad Eid - Dean ofFAAD - opened the conference by stressing the importance of PLEA 2005as being an international outreach from NDU exploring a sustainablefuture with the exchange of expertise with forty foreign countries on thesubject of Passive Low Energy Architecture. He added that Lebanon is atthe crossroads in its history and faces future challenges in findingalternative means of sustaining its environment and social needs. Hecommended the past and present NDU administrations and all whosupported this event. Mr. Habib Melki – Chairman PLEA 2005 - followedby focusing on the current global concern for the preservation of theenvironment. He continued by emphasizing that NDU would be anappropriate platform in Lebanon as well as in the Middle East for thepursuit of research into environment-oriented and energy-consciousdesign in Architecture and Town Planning. Fertile ground exists for theelaboration of such research and for the follow-up and development ofadequate policies and strategies for application and implementation. Rev.Fr. Walid Moussa elaborated on the importance of the architect’s role inshaping our future environment and the challenges of applying newtechnologies in developing societies in the 21st Century. President ofPLEA, Dr. Koen Steemers, followed and presented an overview of PLEAInternational. He quoted Prof. Steve Szokolay as saying about PLEA:

| “It has no formal structure.It lives by the dedication of individuals.Its main activity is the organisation of annualconferences… bringing together of knowledge,thoughts and findings.”

And finally Mr. Girgis Berbari pointed to the problem of energyconsumption in its impact on energy resources as well as the existingconflicts on the global scale. He concluded by saying that Lebanon alsohas its share of responsibilities towards the creation of an energy-efficient and sustainable future. In his conclusion he cited the variousprojects currently being developed in Lebanon.

The event took place at Le Royal Hotel – Debbayeh, where a series ofthree parallel sessions covered a wide range of subjects under the theme:“Environmental Sustainability: The Challenge of Awareness in DevelopingSocieties”.

PLEA NDU - LEBANON 13-17/11/2005

Dr. Assaad Eid, Dean FAADMr. Habib Melki, Chairman

PLEA 2005

Rev. Fr. WalidMoussa, NDU President

Dr. Koen Steemers,PLEA President

Planning for this event started in Toulouse, France while Aram Yeretzian andHabib Melki were attending PLEA 2002 and materialized in March 2004 with theofficial announcement that NDU would host the 22nd PLEA Conference in 2005after being selected from among other major universities in Lebanon. Itsrealization was possible only with the continuous help and support of former andpresent NDU administration, faculty, staff and students of the FAAD and theguidance of the Directors of PLEA International.

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International AdvisoryCommittee

| Koen Steemers, President ofPLEA.

| John Ballinger, SolarEfficient Architecture. Australia.

| John Martin Evans,Universidad de Buenos Aires.Argentina.

| Brian Ford, University ofNottingham, UK

| André De Herde, UniversitéCatholique de Louvain. Louvainla Neuve. Belgium.

| Thomas Herzog, TechnischeUniversität of München.Germany.

| Yuichiro Kodama, Vice-President of PLEA, Kobe DesignUniversity.Fernando O.R. Pereira,Universidade Federal de SantaCatarina. Brazil.

| Donald Watson, RensselaerPolytechnic University. USA.Simos Yannas, ArchitecturalAssociation. UK.

Technical Committee | Jean Bouillot, Paris, France| Paula Cadima, Portugal| Raphael Compagnon, Ecole d’ingénieurs

et d’architectes de Fribourg, France| Martin Evans, Facultad de

Arquitettura, University of Buenos Aires,Argentina

| Brian Ford, University of Nottingham,UK

| Nesreen Ghaddar, AmericanUniversity of Beirut, LebanonAndre de Herde, University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

| Daria El Khoury, Lebanon| Matilda El Khoury, Lebanon| Habib Melki, Notre Dame University,

Faculty of Architecture, Art and Design,Lebanon

| Fernando O.R. Pereira, UniversidadeFederal de Santa Catarina, Brazil

| Dana Raydan, RMJM London Ltd,Cambridge, UK

| Hans Rosenlund, University of Lund,Sweden

| Robert Saliba, Notre Dame University,Faculty of Architecture, Art and Design,Lebanon

| Matheos Santamouris, University ofAthens, Greece

| Miguel Sattler, Departamento deEngenharia Civil/UFRGS, Brazil

| Koen Steemers, University ofCambridge, UK

| Ahmad Taki, Incorporating LeicesterSchool of Architecture, UK

| Jaafar Toukan, Jaafar Toukan &Partners, Jordan

| Simon Yannas, ArchitecturalAssociation, UK

| Aram Yeretzian, Prime Design,Lebanon

Organizing Committee| Habib Melki Chairman, PLEA 2005,

NDU, Architecture, FAAD| Dana Raydan, PLEA Board

Representative in Lebanon| Jean-Pierre El Asmar, NDU,

Architecture, FAAD| Andre Bechara, NDU, Design, FAAD| Chadi Bteich, NDU, FAAD| Linda Selwood Choueiri, NDU, Design,

FAAD| Graziella Daghfal, NDU, Design, FAAD| Nicolas Gabriel, NDU, Architecture,

FAAD| Robert Haddad, NDU, Design, FAAD| Jocelyne Issa, NDU, Public Relations

Coordinator| John Kortbawi, NDU, Design, FAAD| Nadim Matta, NDU, Design, FAAD| Diane Mikhael, NDU, Design, FAAD| Jessica Saba, Secretariat, PLEA 2005| Robert Saliba, NDU, Architecture,

FAAD| Aram Yeretzian, Prime Design - Order

of Engineers & Architects| Danielle Zaccour, NDU, Fine Arts,

FAAD

| Academic and Student Activities

Mr. Girgis Berbari -representing the Minister

of Environment,Mr Yaacoub Sarraf

PLEA DirectorProf. Andre deHerde

As for the organization, it wassaid by one of the organizersof PLEA 2006: “It is going tobe impossible to compete withPLEA 2005 Lebanon.”

Graziella Daghfal, OrganizingCommittee PLEA 2005, Lebanon

PLEA was a wonderfulexperience.To bring people from all overthe world together to thislittle problem-filled countrywas a great encouragement tous.To me the quality of thepeople was an inspiration;people who can look abovetheir everyday problems andwork towards easing some ofthe serious problems we facein a creative manner.I am sure this conference willchange the way I teach in thefuture for the better.

Linda Selwood ChoueiriPLEA 2005 organizing committeemember

Comments by the Organizing Committee membersAttending conferences abroad somehow made it clear to us that it is going to behard work. At times, the work seemed too much to handle, keeping in mind thatall the members in the organizing committee had their academic responsibilitiesto maintain but we managed to not only pull it through but proved to have donealmost a perfect job in setting, scheduling, organizing all the conference, startingfrom the reception shifts at the airport until the last day where we made surethat everybody did their check-out and were ready to return home.The day-tour was a great idea because most of them did not have the slightestidea about what, who and where Lebanon is. The workshop did give the attendeesa different vision of Lebanon and I am sure being exposed to such a variety inculture, contrast in architecture and wonderful landscape diversity, that wemanaged to summarise for them in the brief time they spent here, made themdecide to visit Lebanon soon and that is what I have personally heard from manyof them.

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PLEA NDU - LEBANON 13-17/11/2005

TechnicalCommittee Prof.Hans Rosenlund

PLEA 2005 Organizing Committee

PLEA Directors and Associates (fromleft): Mario Cuccinella, Willi Weber,Miguel Sattler, Paula Cadima, FernandoPereira, Koen Steemers, Simos Yannas,Alexandros Tombazis, Ken-ichi Kimura

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Joseph Campbell said once: “In mythology, an invisibleplane supports the visibleplane.” This is how the overallPLEA committee memberswere acting and working tomake the event a real success.The flow of the work, theorganization and the audienceresponse were a perfectinteraction to witness aunique event with a uniqueteam. Well done!

Diane Mikhael,Instructor/ Design DepartmentFAAD/ NDUPLEA 2005 organizing committeemember

PLEA 2005, Lebanon was oneof the few moments whereLebanon (in this case FAAD -NDU) joined the academicglobal community withoutonly being a spectator. Notonly was FAAD able toorganize and host but also toparticipate and produce. It is somehow a source ofpride to each one of us.

Nicolas Gabriel, NDU,Architecture, FAADPLEA 2005 organizing committeemember

PLEA 2005 has been a very enrichingexperience, since this internationalevent offered the opportunity ofcorresponding, establishing contactsand meeting people from all over theworld.

Appreciation, felicitations, complimentsand gratitude of the participantsduring the conference were a completesatisfaction after such hard work!

Jessica Saba, Secretariat, PLEA 2005PLEA 2005 organizing committee member

I believe that PLEA 2005 has dualimportance and value. The firstimportance is plotting FAAD NDU onthe international level of the academicmap. The second importance isreflected on me as an organizingcommittee member; it enriches myexperience and skills to better handletasks for lectures and conferencesorganization.

Chadi Bteich, NDU, FAADPLEA 2005 organizing committee member

Challenge of awareness in DevelopingCountries is the topic of the PLEA 2005international conference. The paper Ipresented considered the issue ofChanging Attitudes in Lebanon towardsSustainable Practice. The strategies Iintroduced to achieve this purpose didnot consider the spirit of teamwork asan important issue. However this issuewas experimented by the organizingcommittee, leading to the success ofthe conference.

Jean-Pierre El Asmar, PLEA 2005organizing committee member

Being part of the PLEA 2005 organizingcommittee has been a very rewardingexperience. The team effort providedmainly by the design dept, to make asuccess of this conference has provedto be efficient. The internationalaudience presence and their feedbackare the best testimony of the successof PLEA 2005. The overall feedback israther positive.

Nadim Matta, NDU, Design, FAADPLEA 2005 organizing committee member

| Academic and Student Activities

November 14 – Day 2: | Opening Ceremony

Plenary session: keynoteand invited speakers

Commitment and joint effort madePLEA International Conference a realsuccess. Now I can proudly say:‘Experience is the only Teacher.’

John Kortbawi, NDU, Design, FAADPLEA 2005 organizing committee member

PLEA 2005 has represented a goldenopportunity to place NDU and Lebanonon the international cultural arena.Events such as PLEA 2005 should beencouraged at NDU as they representideal catalysts in the process ofevolution and growth towardsachieving the ultimate goal for anyhigher education establishment inbecoming a universal environment forglobal cultural and academic exchange.

Danielle Zaccour, NDU, Fine Arts, FAADPLEA 2005 organizing committee member

“Awareness” in this conference had atwo-fold objective: first on thenational and regional scale targetingarchitects, urban planners, civil andmechanical engineers, healthspecialists, economists, legislators andother governmental agencies, in aneffort to elaborate strategies andpolicies leading to relevant objectivesand desired goals. And second, on theinternational scale so participants maygrasp the true image of Lebanon in allits potentials by presenting aninformative and diverse program:

November 13 - Day 1:| Tour – Baalbeck,

Beiteddine and Deir El-Qamar

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PLEA NDU - LEBANON 13-17/11/2005

Keynote Speaker: Thoughts and DeedsAlexandros N. Tombazis

Invited Speakers:Coastal, Mid-Mountain,Mountain & Plateau:Micro-climates &Architectures in LebanonJean Bouillot

Charles Hostler StudentCenter, American University ofBeirut: an EnvironmentFriendly Project (a Case Study)Elie Ibrahim, Barbanel Libans.a.l.

November 15 – Day 3:| Plenary session: keynote and invited speakers

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NDU visit

Keynote Speaker:Urban Spectacles: Socio-Cultural Sustainability &Commodification in Arab Cities

Yasser Elsheshtawy

| Academic and Student Activities

Invited Speakers:Form and Microclimate: SpatialConfinement and Heat in the Urban Patio

Paula Cadima

Energy Conservation and Efficiency inLebanon

Anwar Ali, Lebanese Center for EnergyConservation Project (LCECP)

SOLIDERE Presentation and visit toDowntown Beirut Presentation by Angus Gavin, Solidere onBeirut Central DistrictSite visit to Solidere offices and to BeirutCentral District

Formal Banquet Dinner

PLEA 2005 Best PaperAwards:

Maria Cristina MunariProbstPaper # P266-t04Title “Integration and formaldevelopment of solar thermalcollectors”

Heide ShusterPaper # P103-t04Title “Temotion - aninterdisciplinary developmentof a decentralized andmodular façade system”

PLEA 2005 Best StudentPoster Award:

Antonio Reyes Melognioand Sonia AfonsoPaper # P276-t01Title “Vaga-Lume Small Farm– Rancho Queimado – SantaCatarina – Brazil: a frame ofreference for perma-cultureand eco-villages”

November 16 – Day 4:| Plenary session: keynote and invited speakers

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PLEA NDU - LEBANON 13-17/11/2005

Keynote Speaker:The Optimality of the Built Environment

Rifat Chadirji

Keynote Speaker:Interview by Nicola LeonardiDirector of «The Plan»Mario Cucinella

Invited Speaker:Education for SustainableArchitectureSimos Yannas

Closing Ceremony

PLEA 2005 Achievement AwardAchievement Award: Mr. Jacques Liger-BelairHe has French and Lebanese nationality.In 1961, he returned from New Delhi to Lebanonwhere he settled.Co-founder and principal of the successfularchitecture practice Atelier des ArchitectesAssociés (1980). He is a local architect, urbanplanner, expert in Lebanese architecture-heritageand artist.He researched, designed and published a veryrich repertory of schemes and projects with theconstant concern of preserving our heritage,protecting the environment, adapting the climateand making use of natural resources, insuringindoor comfort.

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PLEA 2005 Best PosterAward:

Lokman Hakim Ismail andMagda SibleyPaper # P073-t08Title “An Evaluation ofBioclimatic Skyscrapers inMalaysia to Show Their Effecton User Satisfaction andEnergy Utilization in a TropicalClimate”

PLEA 2006Announcement

Student competition prize awardTwo MENTIONS were issued to the following students for their efforts andcontribution as well as a cash prize of $950 each:

Ms. Giulia Vanni - University of Florence, ItalyMr. Hisham Dalleh- Notre Dame University, Lebanon

| Academic and Student Activities

PLEA 2006Organizer Prof.Willi Weber

PLEA2006

Geneva,Switzerland

6-8September

2006

Closing Session Attendee’s

PLEA 2005 Authors from NDU:Dr. Michel Hayek

Title “The Sustainability of Lebanese Stone-BuiltOld Houses as Revealed by Modern AdvancedNumerical Methods”Paper # P126-t07

Ms. Danielle ZaccourTitle “Lebanese Vernacular House Models, ASource of Inspiration for Sustainable Passiveand Low-energy Architecture”Paper # P326-t08

Mr. Jean-Pierre El AsmarTitle “Sustainability: changing attitudes inLebanon”Paper # P071-t12

Linda Selwood ChoueiriTitle “Teaching with Awareness”Paper # P317-t10

Aram YeretzianTitle “An assessment method for residentialbuildings in Beirut”Paper # P340-t11

Contributions:Heidi Dumreicher/Magda Sibley:

“The hammam as a social and architectural value”;

Richard S. Levine: “Sustainability oriented urban design”;

Jean Bouillot: “The hammam building:microclimates through a climate”

Workshop Session – NDU, NLC Barsa the hammam concept, structure, materials, functions, thermo-dynamic,sociology, urban integration;state, use, re-use, future in the human and city context”;pannel discussion.

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PLEA NDU - LEBANON 13-17/11/2005

November 17 – Day 5:| The HAMMAM Workshop - Tripoli, Lebanon

NDU, NLC Barsa

Tripoli Tour

The hosting of PLEA at NDU –Lebanon should not stop herebut serve as an incentive forfurther development of theacademic as well as thepractical implementation ofPassive Low EnergyArchitecture. A combination ofenvironmental awareness andresource availability are theonly means to produce amodern and energy-efficientecosystem.

Finally, it is our hope thatNDU will be instrumental ingenerating a sharperawareness of the importanceof this topic. If all this isachieved, NDU could aspire tonew horizons as a leader indeveloping concepts andmethods for sustainablearchitecture. Architecturegraduates from this universitywould be exposed to the mostrecent trends in design similarto programs they couldacquire in leading universitiesworldwide. It could become aregional center that offersconsultation and providesworkshops in energy-efficientarchitecture. It could becomea resource center whichorganizes internationalconferences and seminars todisseminate information. Itwould also attractinternational scholarsinterested in furtherinvestigation of this subject.Hopefully NDU will maintain adetermination to pursue thismission.

| Habib Melki, ChairmanPLEA 2005

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Special thanks to our sponsors(listed below), the studentushers and the technical teamwho supported us throughoutthe conference:

| EXOTICA| BARBANEL DAMMOUS| AL BIA WAL TANMIA| BYBLOS Bank| AUDI Bank| LEBANESE CANADIAN | DAILY PRESS| MEOUCHI| AL MASHREK| AL MABANI| HABIB SALAMEH| ALFRED MATTA| JAMES & JAMES LTD

ProceedingsA compilation of all researched papers that were submitted in the PLEA 2005conference is published in two volumes entitled:

Environmental Sustainability:The Challenge of Awareness in Developing SocietiesEditors: Dana Raydan & Habib MelkiPublished by NDU Press, 2005

The two volumes can be acquired from the Faculty of Architecture, Art & Design(FAAD) – NDU or by contacting the following address: plea2005@ndu.edu.lb

| Academic and Student Activities

plea2005@ndu.edu.lb

by persistence and patiencesomething worthwhile will berealized.”

My dear researchers, you allhave the talents, theinspiration and the ability, andI am fully confident in yourpersistence and patience!That’s the reason why you arehere today.

Finally, do not forget that webecome what we build! “Weshape our buildings;thereafter, they shape us.”With this statement ofWinston Churchill, allow meto thank you for being heretoday.

ear Participants,

The well-known Americanarchitect, Frank Lloyd

Wright, once said: “I believe in God,only I spell it nature.”

These words of Wright make me thinkof three basic truths:

1. I understand from Wright’sstatement how important is therelationship between the architect andnature. It is likened to the relationshipof the human being with his God. It isa relationship of love, respect,inspiration, protection, adoration, etc..

2. The mission of the architect, the wayI see it, is close to the divine. If manand woman are procreators, in this waythey share with the God-Creator in thecreation of humankind, and thearchitect shares with the God-Creatorin the making of the universe. To him,this planet has been entrusted for himto develop and protect it.

3. The responsibility we bear towardsthe environment in which we live isindeed great. This environment hasbeen handed over to us, and we inturn, in the 21st century, are going topass it to the generations succeedingus. The question that poses itself hereis, “How are we disposing of theenvironment?”

The words of Frank Lloyd Wrightremind me of a statement I retainedfrom the American horticulturist LutherBurbank that “Nature’s laws affirminstead of prohibit. If you violate herlaws you are your own prosecutingattorney, judge, jury, and hangman.”Indeed, “Nature, to be commanded,must be obeyed”; that is what theEnglish philosopher Francis Bacon oncebelieved.

My dear friends, environmentalsustainability is the topic of ourconference this year, and it focuses onthe challenge of awareness indeveloping societies. The real challengecould be how to apply the ideas andtechnologies of leading societies in thisfield in the developing societies, takinginto consideration the specificity of thelatter.

Therefore, the challenge should notstop at the awareness process; rather itshould reach further. It should dealwith the application of all results andproceedings. And here I would refer tothe words of Eric Hoffer, who wrote:“They who lack talent expect things tohappen without effort. They ascribefailure to a lack of inspiration orability, or to misfortune, rather than toinsufficient application. At the core ofevery true talent there is an awarenessof the difficulties inherent in anyachievement and the confidence that

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PLEA NDU - LEBANON 13-17/11/2005

Speech of NDU PresidentFather Walid Moussaat the PLEA Conference

D

FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, PUBLICADMINISTRATION AND DIPLOMACY

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he Faculty of PoliticalScience, PublicAdministration, andDiplomacy programs are

designed to provide students with in-depth knowledge of internationalaffairs, diplomatic exchange, publicservice, the different legal systems,and how nation-states, people, andorganizations interact in the light ofglobalization. The program started in1992 in the old campus location withinthe Faculty of Business Administration,was transferred to the Faculty ofHumanities and then becameautonomous with the creation of anindependent faculty. The Faculty ofPolitical Science, Public Administrationand Diplomacy (PSPAD) has threedepartments: the Department ofPolitical Science; the Department ofPublic Administration, and theDepartment of International Affairsand Diplomacy.

The Faculty is served by nine full-timefaculty members and some part-timers.All full-time faculty members hold PhDdegrees in the field of their specialtiesfrom France, the United States andAustria.

Faculty members are involved on aregular basis in professional activitiesincluding the presentation of papers inboth local and internationalconferences as well as participation in

political national debates aboutpolitical, legal, and publicadministration issues on radio and TVstations and in magazines and news-papers. Faculty members have a strongpublication record with academic andeducational institutions, both in andoutside Lebanon, specially in theUnited States and France in the mostprominent journals and publishingcompanies. Faculty members’ researchhas focused on academic books aboutLebanon, the Middle East, modernpublic administration, politics andinternational relations, ethnic conflicts,terrorism, and the European Union.

The graduate program of the facultyhas the following M.A. Degrees: M.A.in Political Science, M.A. in PoliticalScience- Comparative LawConcentration-, M.A. in PublicAdministration, M.A. in InternationalAffairs and Diplomacy - InternationalLaw Concentration.

Graduates of the program – more than300 – are employed in the LebaneseForeign Service, various internationalorganizations, and different Lebanesepublic administrations. Other graduateshave traveled abroad to pursueadvanced degrees in internationalaffairs, public administration, andinternational law.

| Dr. Georges LABAKIAssociate Professor, NDU

| Academic and Student Activities

PREPARING THE NATION’SFUTURE LEADERS

t| When the political

columnists say‘Every thinking man’,

they mean themselves,and when candidates

appeal to‘Every intelligent voter’

they mean everybodywho is going to vote

for them.

Franklin P. Adams,Nods and Becks, 1944.

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Events FPSPAD

FairTrade project (April Trade Justice activities)

Lebanon Fair Trade daysof action and mediaweek 11-16 April

http://www.april2005.org/media/index.html

Lebanon: Fair Trade days of action andmedia week Days of Action - All Week

Introduction to the concept of importing fair trade products to the Middle East(e.g. tea, chocolate) and the export of Middle Eastern fair trade products directlyto Latin America and West Africa.

| April 12 - Fair trade South-South info stand at Souk el-Tayeb, Beirut| April 13 - Food sovereignty day of action at Martyrs’ Square, Beirut| April 14 - Presentation and discussion about organic and fair trade products at

American University of Beirut| April 15 - Traditional food festival and food sovereignty day at NDU| April 16 - Fair trade South-South info stand at Souk al Tayeb, Beirut

Middle Eastern MediaDiversity Week11-16 April

Highlighting the threat oflosing the “cultural exception”clause in the WTO treatyduring the Doha Roundnegotiations, and the impactthis will have on regionalcinema, TV and music. Moreinformation on this event

| OrganiserFair Trade Liban and AttacLiban

| ContactEugene Sensenig-Dabbous

Brief Description of Fair Trade project:One of the main activities of MADS Club during the academic year 2004/2005was to work for the Fair Trade project initiated by FairTrade Liban.

This project consisted of four main activities: Souk el-Tayeb, Global Week ofAction, local certification of Fair Trade, and Fair Trade campaigning at NDU.

Souk el-Tayeb: Souk el-Tayeb is a farmers’ market and a meeting place forfarmers, producers, and consumers. It tries to give the consumer a new name,co-producer. In a way consumers are the most decisive link in the chain as theyhold the buying power. Souk el-Tayeb is not just a place to buy and sell; it isfirst an informational and educational place for sharing the importance ofawareness and responsibility. MADS participated several time in the Souk bysetting up informational stands with brochures and posters and explainingabout the concept of Fair Trade to the people.

Global Week of Action:In 10-16 April 2005, there was a global movement supported by internationalNGO’s like Oxfam and Christian Aid for Trade Justice. FairTrade Liban(i.e. the members of MADS and Dr. Sensenig-Dabbous) were the nationalcontacts of the event (www.april2005.org). In order to plan the activities for

page 42 | issue 35

the week, MADS organized agathering at LAU Beirut wheredifferent NGO and agriculturalbusiness companies attendedthe meeting. The activities inwhich MADS participatedduring the week were thefollowing:

| Tuesday 12th: MADS set up Fair TradeSouth-South info stand andimprovisations at the Souk el-Tayebfarmers’ market in Hamra, Beirut. Wehanded out brochures to the people andexplained about the Fair Trade concept.

| Wednesday 13th: MADS participatedat the Lebanese Unity Day in Martyrs’Square. We also set up an informationalstand and explained about Fair Trade tothe people.

| Thursday 14th: MADS participated inthe domestic certification of organic andFair Trade products presentation, paneldiscussion and strategy session at AUB.Besides MADS, this event was sponsoredby LibanCert (the organic certifications inLebanon), Faculty of EnvironmentalSciences Programme of AUB, Heinrich

Boell Foundation, and Souk el-Tayeb.

Local Certification of Fair Trade: MADSis now working with a French studentmajoring in Development Studies(France) who is currently an intern atRené Muawad Foundation. She ishelping us to lay a foundation of FairTrade values to endorse a localcertification procedure of Fair Tradeproducts produced and sold inLebanon.

Fair Trade Campaigning at NDU:MADS set up a stand at NDU campuson June 6th to explain to the studentsabout the Fair Trade concept. In thisawareness campaign, students fromthe Dr. Sensenig-Dabbous POS 101class also participated by helping usout on research and on the stand.

| Academic and Student Activities

Model UN (March 2006)

Brief Description of the Model UnitedNations (MUN) project:In preparation for the Second LebaneseInternational MUN in the spring of2006, MADS organized a delegation toan MUN in Turkey.

More than 100 students from all overthe world were selected from differentuniversities to participate in SabanciUniversity International Model UnitedNations (SMUN) that took place on the19th, 20th and 21st of November inTurkey. Four Lebanese students,referred to as “honorable delegates,”participated in this MUN and assumedthe role of nation’s representative.Three of them were NDU studentsselected by the FPSAD with the greatassistance and cooperation of ourMADS advisor, Dr. Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous. The students were Hasan

Youness (Palestenian delegate), SallyMousa (delegate of Rwanda) and MonyTrad (delegate of Lebanon). Theorganization was professional and theefforts to make this experiencesuccessful were extraordinary. Thethree main issues that were discussedand found resolutions for were capitalpunishment, civil war intervention, andthe membership of Turkey in theEuropean Union. The students wereforced to react verbally tocircumstances as they arose and toreinterpret their position in the light ofnew facts, which meant that theyrarely had a chance to give aprewritten speech. The NDU studentswere very prepared and spontaneous,and were the best representatives oftheir country and university, as theyhave been told by the organizationteam. Finally, all the participants were

MUN EasternMediterraneanApril 2006

| Where Studentsbecome InternationalLeaders for Two WholeDays

offered certificates for participating inthis international MUN.

Following this MUN, MADS hasdelegated MUN participants from NDUto UN simulations in Belgrade inYugoslavia, Sydney in Australia andOdessa in Ukraine. For the fall of2005/2006, MADS will be setting up aworking group for an Eastern MedMUN at NDU.

What objectives will MUN EasternMediterranean attempt to fulfill?MUN Eastern Med will first andforemost initiate participants to thebasics of the United Nations system,while allowing them to familiarizethemselves with the foreign policypositions of their assigned countries.

In addition to enhancing their researchcapacities, MUN also aims atincreasing the negotiation and publicspeaking skills of the participants.

MUN also provides a forum for theexchange of opinions on foreign policyissues, and on internationally debatedconcerns.

MUN is rewarding, as a prize isdiscerned to the best team. Here’ssomething which is worth beinghighlighted on a participants’ resumé!

MUN presents the participants with aninteractive, out-of-the-classroom

integration into world affairs.

Besides the academic learningadvantage brought by a MUN,participants will share a uniqueinternational experience where theywill learn cultural integration andmake lots of friends.

Selected topic for the MUN event:The General Conference of the UNESCOmeeting in Paris in October 2005,adopted a convention which reinforcesthe UNESCO Universal Declaration onCultural Diversity, adopted in 2001,that cultural diversity must beconsidered as a “common heritage ofhumanity”.

Based on the outcome of thatconference, MUN EasternMediterranean shall have culturaldiversity in the Mediterranean as thecentral topic of its proceedings.Government measures to encourageand preserve cultural diversity in theEastern Mediterranean will be the mainfocus of the event’s debates.

Debates will be held as part of asimulated General Assembly session.There will be one committee only andthe number of countries will beassigned to the delegates once allapplications have been received andthe final number of participantsconfirmed.

page 43 | issue 35

Events FPSPAD

| Friday, March 31st

An opening ceremony will beheld in a place which will laterbe designated by the organizingcommittee. This ceremony willbe a get-together for all theparticipants. It will be attendedby representatives of the PSPADteaching community, and by aUnited Nations speaker (also tobe later announced) who willtalk about the importance of therole of the UN in celebratingdiversity.

Suggested speakers: | Mr. Christian De Clerq,

Chief, Program Planning andTechnical Cooperation Division(UNESCWA)

| Ms. Kendra Knoebl, ProgramOfficer, UN-OIOS.

| Saturday, April 1st

09:00-09:30Breakfast, NDU premises.09:45-12:301st General Assembly Session-country speeches - 2minutes/Country-NDUAuditorium.

12:30-13:00 Coffee Break13:00-14:30

2nd General Assembly session-Participants debate countrypositions-NDU Auditorium

14:30-15:30 Lunch Break15:45-17:00

3rd General Assembly session-Participants cast their vote-NDUAuditorium.

17:00-19:00Participants return to theirhomes or places ofaccommodation

19:15———Social event (to be announcedlater)

Preliminary Program of the eventThe event will extend over a period oftwo days; Friday 31st March — SaturdayApril 1st – Sunday April 2nd.

page 44 | issue 35

| Sunday, April 2nd

09:00-09:30Breakfast, NDU premises.

09:45-11:004th General Assembly session-Participants comment and makeclause adjustments-NDUAuditorium.

11:00-16:00Participants start writing theresolutionLunch BreakParticipants continue writingthe resolution

16:00-16:30Resolution is announced to thejury.

16:30-17:00Jury meets and deliberates

17:00-17:30UN Guest Speaker awardstrophy of best delegate basedon jury deliberation.

17:30-19:00Participants return to theirhomes or places ofaccommodation

19:15——-Social Event and farewell party.

The goal of this project was to teach NDU students from all faculties about theAmerican political system. The Model US Election Debates will be repeated in therun-up to the mid-term congressional elections in November of 2006.

| Academic and Student Activities

Model US Presidential elections (June 2004)

| Wednesday 02 June 04 15:00 – 17:00

NDU: Democrats vs. RepublicansRepublican team captain:

Pascale DahroujDemocrat team captain:

Hasan Youness

| Participants:Two student debate teams of four

eachDemocrat and Republican research

teamsThree independent refereesTwo academic team advisors

(Dr. Akl Kairouz and Dr. EugeneSensenig-Dabbous)

| Round One: Introduction (15 minutes each for a total of 30 minutes)One/A general statement by respective team captains (5 minutes each)One/B detailed policy statement by all four team members: foreign policy,

economy, infrastructure/internal security, social and cultural issues (10 minuteseach)

| Round Two: Cross examining (15 minutes each for a total of 30 minutes)Break: Consultation with entire team and preparation of final statements(10 minutes)

| Round Three: final statement (10 minutes each for a total of 20 minutes)Referees’ deliberations (10 minutes)Referees’ presentation (10 minutes)

LADE initiative

In order to increase interest in theLebanese electoral process, the FPSPADand the MADS Club invited theLebanese Association for DemocraticElections (LADE) to speak at NDU duringthe Introduction to Political Sciencecourses (POS 101 &POS 201) as of thespring of 2001. A variety of NDUstudents have signed up to work asLADE election monitors over the years,especially during this year’s first

democratic Lebanese parliamentaryelections.

MADS is setting up a LADE group atNDU in the fall in order to work withthe FPSPAD on its spring 2006conference: Electoral Systems inCountries with Significant Linguistic orReligious Diversity; and with theLebanese Emigration Research Center(LERC) on its project: Absentee Voting.

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In cooperation with Malek’sBookstore, Dr. Eugene Sensenig andDr. Johan Gerde negotiated withthe Modern Language Association(MLA) in order to have the sale ofthe licensed Indian edition of the“MLA Handbook for Writers ofResearch Papers, Sixth Edition”introduced to the MENA region. Asof the fall of 2004 the MLAstudent handbook, licensed edition,is available in Lebanon for LL15,000 instead of the imported USedition, which is also sold byMalek’s, for $26.

MLA Handbook for Writers ofResearch Papers (6th edition) Author(s): Joseph Gibaldi Pages: xvii + 361 Published: 2003 ISBN: 0-87352-986-3 (paperback) ISBN: 0-87352-987-1 (large printpaperback) “This standard reference tooladdresses the rapidly evolvingneeds of today’s students.”

American Reference Books Annual“The style bible for most .”

Undergraduate majors in the FPSPAD have worked with the MetanexusLocal Societies Group Lebanon, and the Communio Group Lebanon(NB: the Communio movement was founded by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,now Pope, on the role of religion and faith in the social sciences.

They participated in a monitored discussion on the History andHumanities Network (N-NET) Listserve: H-Catholic (H-Net Discussion Liston International Catholic History [H-CATHOLIC@H-NET.MSU.EDU]) in thisissue, the results of which were summarised in the NDU Spirit.

page 45 | issue 35

Events FPSPAD

Religion and the Social Sciences(Metanexus & Communio)

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FairTrade textbooks – MLA Student Handbookwith Malek’s

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LebanonNotre Dame UniversityZouk MikaelNDU, Lebanon Communio Study Circle

http://www.metanexus.net/local%5Fsocieties/societies_detail.asp?SocietyID=77

| The death ofdemocracy is not likelyto be an assassination oran ambush.It will be a slowextinction from apathy,indifference andundernourishment.

Robert MaynardHutchins,Great Books, 1954.

Six students (Gerard Saatdjian, NatalieKoborsy, Aida Daher, Cynthia Karam,Mahmoud Youness, and Olivia Pennikian)and Dr. Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous (whowas also one of the speakers of theconference) participated in theconference in Ankara organized andhosted by AEGEE-Ankara.http://www.aegee-ankara.org/eyecontact/

Islam and Europe: Eye Contact was aninternational conference held betweenthe 1st and 6th of October 2004 at theMiddle East Technical University where75 university students from all aroundEurope and the Middle East were invited.The conference was organized by theEuropean student union AEGEE and wascomposed of panels and workshops withthe contribution of well-knownacademics and journalists investigatingthe prevailing tension between theIslamic and European countries,examining its consequences for Europe,

and offering their own resolutions abouthow to furnish dialogue between theIslam and Europe.

On the last day of the event, theparticipants conferred about thesustainability of youth action towardsintercultural dialogues and plans forfuture activities. The Lebanesedelegation (i.e. us) proposed to organizea conference about “Being a Christian ina Muslim World / Being a Muslim in aChristian World”.

The EuroIslam group set up an OralHistory Project on “Being Muslim/BeingChristian” in preparation for theconference, which is postponed to 2006.

NDU students were invited to thefollow-up AEGEE internationalconference in Bucharest in fall of 2005.Five NDU students, one AUB student andone Lebanese NGO representative tookpart in this year’s conference.

page 46 | issue 35

On June 1st, 2005, 150 NDUstudents said YES to theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) bysigning a petition requiring theParliament and the President to signand ratify the Rome Statute of theInternational Criminal Court.

Because most perpetrators havecommitted crimes in the knowledgethat it was unlikely they would bebrought to justice, the ICC, which isnot subject to domestic balance ofpower, which has jurisdictionreaching individuals, and whichdefies the barriers of immunity, is

intended to act as a deterrent topeople planning to commitatrocities; to encourage nationalprosecutors to carry out their duties,and to compensate victims and theirfamilies.

Crimes falling within the jurisdictionof the ICC are war crimes, genocide,and crimes against humanity. Morethan 90 states have so far ratifiedthe Rome Statute by which the ICCwas established. Lebanon still hasn’tratified it, which led the MADS’members to support AmnestyInternational in its endeavour to

pressure the Lebanese parliament toratify this statute.

After having received a two daystraining by Amnesty International,MADS’ students have convincedtheir colleagues that Lebanon istoday at a crossroads, that politicalagendas are being (at least shouldbe) formulated, and that we mustpress those electoral candidates, inour statute of constituents, toadvance the project of ratificationto the parliament.

| Academic and Student Activities

ICC initiative

EuroIslam, Ankara and Bucharest

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http://www.aegee.org/euroislam/fileadmin/final_conf/

Students for theFaculty, as well asother Uni faculties willbe staging this play inthe fall of 2006 withfinancial support ofthe Metanexus LocalGroup Lebanon.

The productionhighlights thescience/ethicsinterface and will beproduced in a way toreflect Lebanese socialand political reality.

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Events FPSPAD

Ciné Clubpolitical films

Between 2002 and 2004students in the Facultyorganised a club for politicalfilms, which were shown atNDU on a weekly basis. As ofthe academic year 2005-2006the Ciné Club has beenreinitiated by the HumanitiesFaculty.

Friedrich Duerrenmatt “ThePhysicists” with FAAD

Peace Studies Conference

Sources of Conflict and Prospects forPeace in the Mediterranean Basin, March17-21, 2004, MessinaSubjects covered included The Mediterranean, Seaof Peace; The Mediterranean, Cradle andCrossroads of Culture; Internationalism Terrorism;The UN Crisis, Politics and Economics after theIraqi War; The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict; TheEuropean Approach to the Enlargement ofDemocracy in the Balkans; The European Unionand Rising Nationalism in the Balkans; The SerbTransition to Democracy; The Euro-MediterraneanPartnership; and Christian-Muslim Relations. Thevarious sessions were accompanied by studentworkshops.

Sources of Conflict and Prospects for Peace inthe Mediterranean BasinUniversity of Messina / Central Connecticut StateUniversityThe Faculty organised a Uni-wide competition, based onthe quality of submitted students’ papers, which enabledstudents from five faculties to participate in the Messinaconference free of charge in the spring of 2004. Threestudent papers were selected for publication and will becontained in a volume which will be on the market by theend of this calendar year.

Peace Studies Conference in Honour of Giorgio LaPira – 1904/2004

Migration History Workshop Festival

The Faculty works together with LERC in developing migrationhistory festivals. Students as well as two professors from thefaculty were actively involved in developing migration studiescapacity at NDU.

page 48 | issue 35

In cooperation with the Office of Research and Development, under Dr. Ameen A.Rihani, Vice-President, Sponsored Research and Development, a career and studyfair for the German-speaking countries is being prepared for the 15th of March2006. Dr. Akl Kairouz and Dr. Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous initiated this project,together with Dr. Norman Nikro from the Humanities Faculty.

In cooperation with LebaneseCenter for Research andStudies (LCRS) under thedirection of Dr. Abdo Kahi,Coordinator, as well as anumber of national andinternational NGOs and IGOs(e.g. the UNDP, ESCWA andILO), a training programme forundergraduate seniors, MAstudents and recent graduatesis being developed in order tobetter equip our students forpositions in the professionaljob market, especially in thefield of social science researchand development.

| Academic and Student Activities

Deutsche Bildungstage: Graduate Opportunities in Germany,Switzerland, Austria and South Tirol/Alto Adige (Italy)

Democrats Abroad and Republicans Abroad

As reported in the NDU Spirit, Dr. Akl Kairouz (Republicans Abroad - Lebanon)and Dr. Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous (Democrats Abroad - Lebanon) assist NDUstudents, faculty and staff who are US citizens and wish to participate in theAmerican elections. Both work together closely with the US embassy in Lebanonand their respective international party organisations.

Writers’ Pool

http://www.democratsabroad.org/

http://www.republicansabroad.org/Giving money andpower to government islike giving whisky andcar keys to teenageboys.

P.J. O’Rourke,Parliament of Whores,1991.

n October 24th,2005, Notre DameUniversity offeredits yearly Iftar to

honour its Muslim students,with the presence of FatherWalid Moussa, President ofNDU, Mr. Suheil Matar, NDUDirector General of PublicRelations, Father BoulosWehbe, Director of StudentAffairs, Father Beshara el-Khoury, Assistant Director,and a gathering of staff andstudents.

Presiding the event, FatherWalid Moussa delivered aspeech about the meaning ofthe Blessed Month ofRamadan, a month expressingfaith and piety, and about thevalues it represented. He saidthat this period was a call forone and all to take thepatriotic stand that was aguarantee for Lebanon and itsunity. These could be assuredonly by the spirit of sacrificeimplied by this holy fast, onewhich was a call to God thatHe might give us the grace ofliving together under one flag,the flag of Lebanon, flag offreedom and sovereignty.

n October 31st, 2005, theNDU Discovery Club hostedMinister of IndustryH.E. Pierre Gemayel, while

on November 2nd Deputy GeorgeAdwan was the guest of the NDUDebate Club.

On November 2nd, Mr. Gibran Bassil,official of the Free Patriotic Movement,gave a lecture organised by the NDUSocial Club. All three speakers focusedon the results of the UN investigationinto the assassination of formerpremier Rafiq El-Hariri. They alsodiscussed pressing issues in Lebanon,principally the Presidency, reform ingeneral and electoral political alliances.

They generally agreed that all politicalgroups should contribute together tofinding future strategies.

page 49 | issue 35

Visitors 2005-2006

Political visitors

NDU IftarO

O

n October 18th, 2005,the NDU Ciné Clublaunched its series ofshowings of Oscar-

winning films, accompanied bydiscussion of their artistic merits ledby film critic Emil Chahine, lecturer inthe NDU Faculty of Humanities. Thiscomes in the framework of theendeavours of the Department ofMass Communication in promotingcultural and intellectual activities,with the cooperation of the NDUPublic Relations Office. The filmshown at this first projection was TheGraduate, starring Dustin Hoffman.Annie Hall and A Streetcar NamedDesire were due to be shown on

October 25th and November 15th

respectively, to be followed byMustapha Al-Akkad’s Omar Al-Mokhtar on Thursday, November 24th,One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest onTuesday, November 29th, andTourbillon (Arabic) on Tuesday,December 13th .

At the launching of the series, NDUDirector of Public Relations Mr.Suheil Matar insisted that theUniversity was very keenly interestedin such activities, which it consideredto be a vital element of academicformation, for they led to greatercultural and intellectual awarenessand literary and artistic good taste.

Ciné Club Radio/TV Studio

O

H.E. PierreGemayel.

Mr. GibranBassil.

DeputyGeroge Adwan

page 50 | issue 35

On Friday, 14th October, 2005,the NDU Sports Office woundup its campaign for sportingactivities launched at thecommencement of the newacademic year during whichstudents registered accordingto their preferences and totheir free time. On thisoccasion, students presented avariety of athletic and musicalperformances to a large crowdof members of theadministrative and teachingstaffs.

Further, the University honouredcertain outstanding athletes inrecognition of their efforts anddevotion in the sporting field.Representing NDU President FatherWalid Moussa, Father Beshara El-Khoury presented a commemorativeshield to the student John Abd El-Nour, member of the Lebanese nationalbasketball team, together with an NDUscholarship for one academic year.

Father El-Khoury then delivered aspeech in which he stressed the NDUPresident’s attachment to the

importance of sport, to be expressed inthe completion of the University’ssporting facilities and in his absolutesupport for raising the level of sportingachievement in Lebanese universities.He also thanked the Sports Office,represented by its Director Mr. GeorgeNader, for its efforts and activitiesthroughout the current year.

Also, Father Boulos Wehbe, Director ofthe Student Affairs Office, presented acommemorative shield to the studentMs. Lina Rahme, who gained a bronzemedal with the Lebanese Cycling Teamin the Arab Championship and iscurrently ranking first in the localLebanese Championship.

| Academic and Student Activities

From the Sports OfficeNDU Honours OutstandingAthletes

NDU Autumn TournamentThe following are the results of the NDU Fall Sports Tournament,which ended on 28th October, 2005, marking the new scholasticyear. A number of universities participated in the games of tabletennis and chess.

John Abd El-Noursurrounded by (left to right)

Mr. George Nader,Fr. Beshara El-Khoury,

Mr. Elie Boutros andFr. Boulos Wehbe.

Lina Rahme with (left to right) Mr. GeorgeNader, Fr. Beshara El-Khoury, Mr. Elie Boutrosand Fr. Boulos Wehbe.

Awards were distributed byFather Beshara El-Khoury,Associate Director of StudentAffairs, representing NDUPresident Father WalidMoussa, who welcomed thevarious representatives ofLebanese universities andinsisted on the excellentorganisation of theTournament and finecompetitive sporting spirit,before handing out the cupsand medals to the winners.

The Tournament wassupervised by NDU Director ofSports Mr. George Nader,assisted by Mr. Elie Boutros.The Table Tennis tournamentwas supervised by theinternational refereeMr. Michel Rizcallah and theChess by the internationalreferees and officials HassanEl-Jindy and Fady Eid.

Table Tennis:Forty men and sixteen ladies took part.

Men:| 1st Rashid Elboubou Institute of Business Administration and Computer Science| 2nd Alfred Najm Institute of Business Administration and Computer Science

Ladies:| 1st Christiane Jalkh Lebanese-American University, Beirut| 2nd Patricia El-Hajj American Institute of Science and Technology

Chess finals:Sixteen university teams took part.

| 1st Lebanese-American University, Beirut 14 points| 2nd Institute of Business Administration and Computer Science 13 points| 3rd The War Academy 12.5 points| 4th Notre Dame University-Louaize 12 points

Individual resultsFirst rank Serge Hovanian 4.5 pts.LAU, BeirutSecond rank Jacques el-Shamy 4.5 pts.The War AcademyThird rank Elie Aboujaoudeh 4 pts. NDUFourth rank William Matar 4 pts. NDU

Krikor Oukananian 4 pts. Haigazian

page 51 | issue 35

Sports Office

Fr. Beshara El-Khoury andMr. Michel Rizkallah (Table TennisInstructor NDU) giving the TableTennis winner’s cup (men’s).

Awardingthe TableTenniswinner’s cup(ladies).

page 52 | issue 35

Studentgathering.

This was the text that inspired the Christmasactivities of the NDU clubs.

| Student and Academic Activities

NDUChristmas

Off-campus, during the month of December and intoJanuary they undertook welfare projects related to thefeast. Each club chose one of the followingassociations to receive its support: Al Youbouh, AntaAkhi and Message de paix for the handicapped, theRoumieh prison for young offenders, an SOS village forthe adoption of an orphan, the Bird’s Nest and Rabitatal-Mahaba orphanages, Mar Zakaria for social cases,and Al-Makfoufoun al-Loubnanioun for the blind, aswell as certain families in need and elderly people.With three of these associations the activity was donein collaboration with the NDU Pastoral Work. TheLebanese Blind participated in the Christmas Fiesta bythe sale of some of their handiwork.

Club members, accompanied by the SAO ActivitiesOfficer, had already visited some of the above and it isintended to continue the contacts after the Christmasvacation.

On Campus, the Christmas Fiesta was held on December20th and 21st. Despite the tragic events that haverecently bought sorrow to Lebanon, there was an activeand eager participation in this event, various itemsbeing sold on the club stalls and an outline being givenof the individual clubs welfare projects. December 21st

was a very cheerful day on-stage, with SAO greetings,releases of balloons and music from the club bands allcontributing to the festive fun. At the end of Januarytoken certificates, gold, silver and bronze, will be givento the three clubs whose activities stood out the most.

There was a contest for all the clubs to produce the“best computerised animated Christmas card”, the latterbeing distributed in the name of the SAO and thewinning club. The winner was the Social Club.

| I proclaim to you Good Newsof great joy – for today a Saviour

has been born for you.– Luke 2: 10, 11

CivilizedDriving Club

Advertising Club.

page 53 | issue 35

The NDU division of computing services is proud to announce the birth of ELIEKHALIL, son of Nazih Khalil, System Analyst & Programmer in the Division ofComputing Services - Main Campus. Born on Sunday, July 31st, 2005-12:30 a.m..

Congratulations to the parents of the newborn baby.Armen A. Balian, HeadAcademic Computer Center,Blackboard Administrator

The NDU division of computingservices is proud to announce thebirth of CHRISTINA EID, daughterof Ziad Eid, Head of AcademicComputer Center - ShoufCampus. Born on Saturday, July30th, 2005.

Congratulations to theparents of the newbornbaby. Armen A. Balian, HeadAcademic Computer Center,Blackboard Administrator

Social

Elie Khalil

Christina Eid

NDU Spirit has great pleasure in announcing the marriage ofMs. Lydia Zgheib of the NDU Publications Department toMr. Jean Chidiac. The wedding took place at the FranciscanLatin church of St. Anthony of Padua at Daraoun, nearHarissa, on Saturday, November 19th, 2005. Our very bestwishes!

Marriage

Discovering the “Paradise ofKartaba”

Dr. Tanos G. Hage, Chairperson, Sciences Department, NDU

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Recently the students enrolledin Ecology (BIO 314 / ENS 203)and I had the opportunity todiscover a natural “paradise” inLebanon. Ecology is a branchof biology that studies therelationships betweenorganisms and theenvironment, and what betterplace to observe and studythese relationships than therich and beautiful landscapesof Lebanon? Therefore, Idecided to take my students ona field trip to provide themwith a lively and hands-onexperience related to thetopics discussed in class.

| Planning the tripThe first question was where to takemy students; it was really difficult tomake a choice in view of all themagnificent natural areas in Lebanon.Therefore, I decided that the best wayto deal with the problem was to askthe students to select from a variety oflocations spanning the whole ofLebanon, each representing a differentecosystem.1

One very enthusiastic student said in apitched voice: “Sir, you have notincluded Janet Kartaba in your list.” Totell the truth, although I have visitedand hiked in many places in Lebanon, Ihad not been to this place and

furthermore the name really intriguedme since Janet Kartaba literally meansthe Paradise of Kartaba in Arabic. Thefollowing lecture, my student broughtme digital pictures of Janet Kartaba,the kind of pictures shown on LBC atthe end of the evening news.

I instantly decided that this would be agood place to visit. First, I had notbeen there before. Second, it wouldsatisfy the passion of the student toshare this place with the rest of theclass. Once the decision was made tovisit the “Paradise of Kartaba”, I madethe necessary arrangements with theadministration to provide us with ameans of transportation.

| Opinion and Culture

Dr. Hage with his students.A boulder creating a specialmicroclimate needed for thesurvival of many organisms.

embark on our journey alongthe river, I asked the studentsto be vigilant and goodobservers of nature. Iespecially wanted them topoint out every plant andanimal on our way and to tryto discover the connectionsbetween the living organisms;after all, this is the majoremphasis of the discipline ofecology.

One of the first things we sawupon leaving the bus was acollection of impressiveboulders. One of them wasespecially large, with a veryflat surface on one side,looking as if it were cut tocreate a wall, although it wasin fact a natural formation.Boulders create a specialmicroclimate required for thesurvival of some plants andanimals.

Then a few students spottedsome caves and expressed adesire to go down and explorethese areas. One particularlyinteresting plant wediscovered covering largeareas near these caves wasthe vine Smilax aspera, withits clusters of red fruit, inaddition to many types ofgrasses and wild pinkcarnations (Dianthus sp.). Onour way out, I stopped toshow the students the seedsinside a pod. The moment Iopened the pod, however, grey

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Paradise of Kartaba Ecology

A shrub growing in the middleof a rock.

The paradise at its best.

| The Route to the Paradise ofKartabaOn Saturday, October 29, 2005, we metat the entrance of the University toboard the bus which would take us tothe valley of Nahr Ibrahim, where JanetKartaba is located. From the Universitywe took the Beirut-Tripoli highwaynorth towards Nahr Ibrahim, crossingover the river, before making a rightfor El-Machnaqa. The road goes uphillfirst and then drops down along thecrest of the ridge looking over the NahrIbrahim valley. Here we reached thevillage of Fatre, and from there wekept going up along the ridge of thenorth bank of Nahr Ibrahim until wereached El-Machnaqa. A major junctionexists at El-Machnaqa, left takes younorth to Laqlouq, straight takes you toKartaba and right takes you down thehill to Frat and then to the paradise ofKartaba, the paradise valley which runsalong the banks of Nahr Ibrahim.

It is no wonder why this location iscalled a paradise; the vista isabsolutely fabulous along the bottomof the valley, with the running waterand the variety of trees growing alongthe banks of the river. The importanceof rivers to human history and ecology

is inestimable. It comes as no greatsurprise then that one of the timelessPhoenician myths is the legend ofAdonis which is associated with NahrIbrahim. Every spring the rains erodered soil from the valley to color theriver. The legend has it that this is theblood of the slain Phoenician godAdonis and that it also colors the redanemonies that flower in the spring ontop of the hills overlooking the river.This is a symbol of fertility and renewalof life.

| Exploration of the ParadiseValley of KartabaAs we were going down towards theparadise valley from El-Machnaqa, thelandscape was very green, with Aleppopine (Pinus halepensis) being thedominant tree interspersed with oaks(Quercus spp.), pistachio (Pistachiapalestina) and carob trees (Ceratoniasiliqua). I was particularly taken with amagnificent example of the shrubArbutus andrachne, with its beautifulsmall red berries, which was growing inthe middle of a rock.

When the bus stopped at the bottomof the valley and we prepared to

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dust billowed out and we sawhundreds of worms swarminginside the pod. This is anexcellent example of herbivorywhere plants are theproducers and worms are theconsumers of the food.

Then we crossed a stonebridge to head upstream northalong the other side of theriver and saw a jeep carryingcut wood. It made me very sadto see this, given the massivedeforestation which iscurrently taking place inLebanon, and which in turn iscontributing to the beginningsof desertification. As wecontinued on our way, weobserved that willow (Salixspp.) and plane trees (Platanusorientalis) are thepredominant trees in the floodplain of the river. Interspersedwith these trees are the judastree (Acer siliquastrum), thestyrax tree (Styrax officinalis)and even a few maple trees(Acer syriacum).

This whole area along theriver is a riparian zone. Ariparian zone is a transitionbetween the upland terrestrialenvironment and the aquaticenvironment of the river.Because they inhabit thistransition zone, riparianorganisms are adapted toperiodic flooding. In fact,many riparian species not onlytolerate flooding but require itto remain healthy andcomplete their life cycles.

Some of the organisms most dependenton the natural cycle of flooding anddrying in riparian zones are the treesthat form the dominant structure ofriparian ecosystems. In fact, the treespreviously mentioned are seen onlyaround the contour of the river anddisappear as we go away from theriver. From above it appears as ifsomebody deliberately planted thetrees along the bed of the river.

This is what gives the paradise valley ofNahr Ibrahim its special beauty,particularly in the fall with thechanging colors of leaves. Thisecosystem supports a very largeproportion of biodiversity, particularlyamong birds, reptiles, amphibians andinvertebrates, such as butterflies andground beetles.

As we were walking we observed manyrocks covered with mosses and lichens.Lichens are of particular significance tothe students of ecology. Lichens consistof an association between a fungus

and an alga. The relationship betweenthe fungus and the alga in lichens is apeculiar one. The algae photosynthesizeand provide the source of food for thefungus; on the other hand the algaobtains water and minerals from thefungus. This relationship is mutualistic,in that it benefits both organisms.Neither the fungus nor the alga canexist alone on barren rock, howevertogether they flourish. The lichens arepioneers in plant succession, especiallyon bare rocks where other organismscan not survive. The lichens help in thedisintegration of rocks, which assists insoil formation, the first step needed toestablish higher plants. Lichens also actas great bioindicators for atmosphericpollution because they bioaccumulatelarge amounts of air pollutants in theirbodies, especially sulfur from sulfurdioxide gas, which is primarily createdby burning coal and other fossil fuels.

As we progressed upstream along theriver, we noticed the growth of wildfigs (Ficus carica) and edible wild

| Opinion and Culture

A natural landscape.

A huge oriental planetree (Platanus orientalis).

and inside of which was ahive of yellow-jackets.

Associated with the plants wesaw were different kinds ofinvertebrates, includinginsects, and reptiles,amphibians and birds. We didnot see any mammals in thearea, probably because ofover-hunting. What wasinteresting about the animalswe did see was that theyblended well with theirenvironment, making itdifficult to locate them; thiswas especially true of theinsects. The only way we couldsee some of them was whenthey moved. One veryobservant student saw a tinybrown frog, not exceeding2 cm in length on the ground.I tried to take a picture of it inits habitat, but could not doso because there was nocontrast. So I put it on myhand and another studenttook a picture.

We walked upstream foraround two hours before

blackberries (Rubus sp.). Also we sawlarge aggregations of Pteridium ferns.One interesting thing about thePteridiums is that their spores are bornon the underside of the leaves. Thespores are different from seeds in thefact that they are asexual reproductivestructures whereas seeds are sexualreproductive structures. We alsonoticed the presence of the spiny shrubPoterium spinosum, which is anindication of low soil fertility.

In some parts of the river the waterruns in cascades, forming white foamas it moves over rocks; this process isvery important for aquatic life becauseit aerates or puts oxygen into thewater, which is required for aquaticforms of life. In many areas along theriver there are wetland habitats, whichinclude plants such as ferns, Typhaspp., horsetails (Equisetum sp.), andwild mint (Mentha sp.).

Along the way, we were impressed byan old, tall (around 6 m.) oak tree(Quercus calliprinus), with a singlestock, near a small old church. In fact,this tree covered the church. It is

interesting to note that most of the Q.calliprinos in the area are shrub-likeand do not exceed 2-3 meters, whichdoes not represent the natural growthpatterns of this tree. The shrub-likeappearance is the result of the vigoroussprouting that happens after excessivecutting, burning and overgrazing bylivestock. The reason why we have sucha tall tree near the church is probablybecause it has been protected. Even so,near the church along a pathway therewas wild Juniperus oxycedrus, whosegrowth had been stunted byovergrazing.

Near where we stopped for lunch,some students and I ventured intomore wild and difficult areas to walk.Our reward was the opportunity toobserve some really beautiful flowers,including lilies, daisies and a rare formof Cyclamen that I was not able toidentify because it was not at theflowering stage. Hopefully in the springI will be able to go back to verifywhether this is the endemic2 and rarespecies of Cyclamen libanoticum. Alsowe saw a huge Platanus orientalis treewith a diameter of more than 1.5 m

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Paradise of Kartaba Ecology

A tiny frog onthe palm ofDr. Hage.

Fall color of pistachio(Pistachia palestina).

A shrub growing in the middle of a rock.

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turning around to return tothe bus. The moreadventurous, however, cancontinue hiking upstream toAfqa, the source of the river.But then, according to Frankand Laure Skeels, in their bookHighways and Byways ofLebanon, the road becomesmore wild and impressive.

| Threats to theRiparian Ecosystem of theParadise Valley of KartabaThe human interference in thenatural balance of thiscomplex ecosystem wasclearly evident in many areas.For example, we saw many cuttrees, especially Platanusorientalis. In addition, wenoticed an algal bloom in theriver near an orchard ofpersimmons (Diospyros kaki). Itis probable that the algalbloom is due to the leachingof nutrients resulting from theover-use of fertilizers in theorchards. We also observedthat the further upstream wetraveled, there was a markeddecrease in algal bloom,indicating less dumping ofnutrients into the river. Also,in many locations we observedthe carvings by visitors, mainlyon old trees. This practiceprevents the transport oforganic compounds, primarilysugars, to sink areas such asthe roots. In fact, if the stemis ringed the whole tree maydie.

In several locations we saw largeamounts of garbage left by visitors,including broken glass. This may startfires, especially during the summerwhen the vegetation dries up. In factwe saw several burned areas along ourpath. We noticed one location where agroup of Judas tree seedlings weregrowing amidst the ash left afterburning of the area. Judas treesbrighten our valleys with clusters ofbeautiful bright pink flowers in thespring. The Judas is considered to bethe tree that Judas hanged himself on.

In some locations we noticed newroads being carved over the hills abovethe river, a practice which isaggravating the problem of soilerosion. In addition, we heard severalreverberating explosions in the valley,probably because of quarrying. Finally,we noticed the droppings of goats inmany locations, an indication ofgrazing in this area. Grazing by goats isone of the greatest threats to plantbiodiversity in Lebanon, because theyare voracious animals and can reachplaces which other grazing animals cannot.

This was a very relaxing andeducational trip, of a kind where onemeets the living organisms that weshare with our mother earth. BiologistEdward O. Wilson, American Academyof Sciences member, believes that mostpeople seem to have an inherentaffinity for the natural world (Biophilia)and feel obligated to protect theearth’s biodiversity. This is probablydue to billions of years of interactionsamong organisms, including humans.Every time I wander in nature, awayfrom urban areas, I feel this love ofnature and I remember mygrandmother – a naturalist andherbalist – and the trips we hadtogether exploring every flower andplant in our beautiful mountains. Ihope that I can instill in my students asense of responsibility and stewardshiptowards our endangered environment,the same way my grandmother did forme. I got my reward when one studenttold me at the end of the trip, “Thankyou sir for a wonderful day, this was atrip to remember!”

| Opinion and Culture

1 Ecosystem: a biologicalcommunity plus all the abiotic(non-living) factors influencingthat community.

2 Endemic: a term applied topopulations or species that arefound in a particular locality, forinstance an island, and nowhereelse.Fall at its best in the paradise.

In 2000, scientists discovered thewhole genoma of the human being,and it was with some surprise that Ilearnt that doctors could use geneticengineering, which is a laboratorytechnique used by biologists, to changethe DNA of living organisms and toallow parents to select thecharacteristics they desired in anunborn child. But the history of geneticengineering started in 1987, whenmany Genetically Modified Foods(GMF) were introduced into themarkets of the United States andEurope. “Genetic Engineering of food isa modern molecular-biology techniqueidentified, cloned and inserted into aplant. Genes can be transferred andmultiplied by conventional techniques.”(Rowland, 2002, p. 26) As the scienceof GMF continues to grow and flourish,society is faced with many issues. Is ittrue that GMF is safe? I believe thatgenetically modified foods are nothealthy and may have harmful effectson their users and the environment.

The safety evaluation of GM cropspresents considerable problemsconcerning people’s safety. GMF maybe toxic because of the high rate orlevel and specificity of expression ofthe introduced genetic material. “Wemust consider the possibility ofunexpected changes in plants,” saysDoug Gurian-Sherman, Science Directorof the Biotechnology Project of theCenter for Science in the Public

Interest (CSPI). Also, the insertion ofgenes into a plant chromosome couldtrigger the expression of a neighboringgene that was previously present butnot expressed. (Rowland, 2002, p. 28)The full ramifications of modifiedgenes “escaping” and mixing withunmodified ones are unknown. Cross-breeding by farmers and evolution byNature have always involved genetransfer between similar species, notcompletely different species such as afish and a potato. This point makes usmore attentive to allergenic diseases,which can be harmful to our health.“Modifying the genes could introduce anew allergenic substance into the foodsupply,” says Perry Adkisson, Ph.D.,University of Maryland. So if anyonetakes these risks into consideration, hecan see that thousands of people maybe affected. (Howard, 2003, p. 3) Anew study shows that seventy toseventy-five per cent of geneticallyengineered foods contain harmfulbiotech ingredients. Thirty-five per centof people who eat GMF in the UnitedStates are subject to allergies comingfrom the reactivity of the introducedprotein with immunoglobin E. Forexample, peanuts and Brazil nuts aresources of allergenic nutrients andcause asthma and a predisposition tofood allergy. (Walters, 1999, p. 90)According to the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture (USDA),forty percent of the nation’s corn is aGMF; when a single gene is altered, it

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Genetic engineering 2005-2006

Is Genetically Modified FoodSafe?

Wassim E. Beaineh

will create a new bacteria-gene called “Bt” that causescorn to produce a toxin. Thistoxin may lead to eczema andimmuno-allergy. (Howard,2003, p. 5) I think people mustbe more careful in eatingthese kinds of foods becausethe long-term effects are stillunknown and in the future wemay discover wider effectssuch as cancer and manyothers.

Another reason why I considergenetically engineered foodsdangerous is that there hasbeen no adequate testing toensure that extracted genesthat perform a useful functionas part of a plant are going tohave the same effects if theyare inserted with totallyunrelated genes. We cannotknow at this time whether ornot GMF are safe, due to thelack of safety testing. “Thetesting that has been done isoften to ensure that the cropgrows. There has been lessemphasis on testing theeffects or testing the widerecology and the associatedimpacts,” says Jeremy Ritkin,the American critic who hasserved as consultant to EUleaders on biotech issues.(Greider, 2003, p. 5) We can

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find some projects to test thesafety of GM crops such asSAFOTEST and ENTRANSFOOD;unfortunately, they are still intheir infancy. These projectspresent problems both inconduct and in interpretationof experimental studiesbecause toxicity tests used inthe evaluation of simplechemicals may not beappropriate for whole foods.(Fox, 2001, p. 32) A goodquestion can be asked, namelywhere is the hard science thatproves whether or not there isany risk? This is the hardestquestion, one to which we donot find a suitable answer.

While GMF have many badeffects, it must be concededthat from a business point ofview they are more favorable,and a great deal of money andprofit is involved in this. Theindustry of geneticallymodified food has led to anagricultural revolution and ahuge increase in yields.According to the United Statesgovernment, eight GM cropshave been calculated at morethan 21 million kg in the year

2001 alone. GM also increased yieldsby about one billion kg, saved morethan one billion dollars in productioncosts and reduced the use of tillage inagriculture. (Roush, 2004, p. 9) Africa islikely to be the greatest beneficiaryfrom GM crops in the future. Althoughthere are problems with fooddistribution in Africa, the costs ofimproving the transportation system inAfrica are enormous. Further, it is a keyto the economic welfare of individualAfrican farmers being self-sufficient. Inthe long term, GM crops still have apotential for addressing major issuessuch as nitrogen fixation, which canhelp counter soil acidity, worsened bythe addition of the fertilizers thatagriculture needs in order to maintainits productivity. (p. 11)

One of the most important reasonswhy I do not support GMF is the risk oflosing Nature’s biodiversity. With therapid increase in productivity andprofits, the diversity of the crops usedis being reduced. And if the diversity isreduced, the benefits of diversity suchas resistance to disease, greater abilityto deal with environment andincreased yields will also be lowered.At this point, the non-resistance todisease obliges greater use ofpesticides, whereas our goal is precisely

to decrease their use. Companies thatmanufacture pesticides are also thevery ones that also make such GM foodproducts as Round-up Ready GMSoybeans and Monsanto. (Kolodinsky,2000, p. 72) The decrease ofbiodiversity in crops will lead to“genetic pollution” in the future andthus more genes will be hidden andwill not express so well as before.Genetic pollution will hasten thechange in the genetic stability of themodified organism and in all thenutritional information. (p. 75)

Finally, it is obvious that geneticallyaltered foods are not safe. It is theresponsibility of consumers to protectthemselves and to take moreprecautions, reading the labels and listsof ingredients such as corn oil, cornstarch, corn syrup, soy protein, andlecithin and canola oil. (Fox, 2001,p. 32) Moreover, consumers can eatfresh fruits and vegetables which arenot GM and try to buy organicproducts. As consumers we really needlaws and rules for higher standards inorder that new technologies andcommercial products such as GMF areproved safe before they can bemarketed. We have to look to ourfuture, not only to our present timewhen everything goes fast and easy.

| Opinion and Culture

References| Fox, B. (2002). GM Safety. Infotrac Library. Retrieved. December 9, 2004. From http://www.infotrac.net/| Greider, W. (2003, November. A high level food fight. Academic Research Library Database. Retrieved December 18, 2004 from

http://www.proquest.umi.com/| Howard, B. (2003, October) How safe is the food you eat? Academic Research Library Database. Retrieved December 18, 2004 From

http://www.proquest.umi.com/| Kolodinsky, S. (2002) GEF Safe? Infotrac Library. Retrieved December 20, 2004 from http://www.infotrac.net/ | Roush, R. (2004) Good, Safe, Banned. Institute of Public Affairs. Retrieved December 17, 2004 from http://www.proquest.umi.com/| Rowland, I.R. (2002). Genetically modified foods, science, consumers and the media. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Retrieved

December 18, 2004 from http:///www.ingenta.com/FoodSafety.| Walters, R. (1999, March 18) Is Food Safe? The Washington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2004 from

http:///www.ingenta.com/FoodSafety/Gm

and respect for othermotorists through rush-hourtraffic! Once upon a timechildren were taught politetable manners and enjoymentof food through moderation,but now television teachesthem greed, a good trainingfor obesity. When one seeschildren arguing with helplessmothers about their food onTV one only wishes theirmothers would give them agood spanking. The music clipsshow young blacks and whitesof a criminal underworldagainst a slum backgroundwith songs of violence, revolt,debauched sex and evenSatanism. With such role-models presented to them,one can hardly complain ifblacks in the West turn tocrime and disorder, or aretreated with suspicion andcontempt. Once upon a timein order to dance one learntstrict rules of courtesy andetiquette. “Education” isreduced to learning how touse a computer and schoolsare no longer expected toteach discipline and goodconduct.

Further, in these times ofrapid change anddevelopment, when a paternalfrown no longer bringscowering obedience, whenrare are the children who

While taking a short holiday on theheights of Kesrouan, at that momentwrapped in the glory of the rays of thesetting sun, I was discussing the needfor religious formation of our youthwith a certain zealous young priest. Isuggested that the years spent in auniversity were decisive, while myclerical friend insisted on the over-riding importance of home.

Frankly, he did not convince me. It wasnot that I actually disagreed with himabout the importance of the home.There was an English cardinal by thename of Vaughan in the nineteenthcentury whose mother had spent anhour every evening praying that all herchildren should become priests or nuns;four sons became priests, the twoothers entered a seminary but returnedto lay life and all three daughtersbecame nuns. In fact most saints andmost good priests, monks and nunshave come from good Christian homes.But there is no rule.

Simple reliance on home influenceseems to come from a narrow sectarianview of religion. One’s religion is toooften seen as a tribe whose numbershave to be maintained by inheritanceand whose blood-line must be keptpure, untainted by that of outsiders.1

But there is always a leakage, a steadydraining away of lost sheep, which hasto be made up from the numbers pointof view. And the fact is that not all so-called Christian families are good.Many are mediocre and some arerotten to the core. Western materialismis no longer merely Western. It hasinvaded the whole world and is alreadywell entrenched in Lebanon, wheremore than anything else it threatens allthe precious social values.

Unfortunately, the chief influence inmost homes nowadays is television.Advertisements for cars show thembeing driven at impossible speeds onempty roads that certainly do not existin Lebanon; the advertisements do notshow the cars being driven with care

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Keep the faith K. J. Mortimer

To keep the faith –Home is not enough! K.J. Mortimer

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spend their whole lives inmountain village communities,very few parents have thelevel of religious knowledgeneeded to prepare theirchildren to go out in theworld. Even in the great citiesof our age, otherwiseeducated Christians pass theirlives with an infant-schoollevel of religious instruction. Itis not enough to have amother who is a veritablegrenouille de bénitier (holywater frog) as the French sayand who fills every shelf in herhouse with horrible sicklypious pictures (art de St.-Sulpice).2 Many are lost to thefaith because they cannotreconcile their natural drivewith the impression receivedfrom their parents that sex isby nature evil and thatmarriage is a sort of tolerationof sin. One mother I knew wasshocked that her daughtershould want to marry in themonth of May, sacred to OurLady. Unfortunately, very fewpeople read the OldTestament, the Gospels or theepistles of St. Paul to learnhow marriage is holy and itspleasure willed by God.

Many parents make religion asolemn, serious matter, atedious bore, a matter of“don’t do this and don’t dothat”, so it is scarcelysurprising that their childrenshould throw off all restraintonce they are free of parentalauthority. This reactionagainst the Calvinist streak in

Protestantism may explain the collapseof religious practice in Northern Europea century ago. Church attendance,often twice on Sundays, was obligatoryand sermons often two hours long,generally about the eternal punishmentthat awaited most of the congregationafter their death. On Sundays, all thechildren’s toys were locked up in thecupboard and all play and laughterforbidden, while the silence of thetomb descended on the house.

My London parish priest was broughtup in a Catholic family full of the joyof the Resurrection and the Gospelmessage – in 1949, when over ninety,his father attended the golden jubilee(50 years) of the ordination of his twosons. However, the children had oneaunt of strict Reformed tradition. Oncewhen Christmas fell on a Sunday, theadults and children were rompingabout but noticed their aunt sitting instony silence. “Why don’t you comeand play and have fun with us?” theyasked. The crushing answer came insepulchral tones, “Those that laugh onearth will howl in Hell!” Even inLebanon many older people mayremember religious fear being used byteachers of a less educated generationto impose discipline in school.

But there is another aspect to thewhole question. Christianity, Islam andBuddhism are missionary religions,each intended for all mankind.3 Ofcourse, there are the“Fundamentalists”, whether inWashington or Waziristan, who seereligion in terms of war of theircommunity against the infidel. AFundamentalist is a person who ignoresthe fundamentals of his religion andreplaces them with some personal

obsession. Salman Rushdi has pointedout (BBC, September, 2005) thatnowadays more and more people seemto define themselves by what theyhate. As far as Christianity isconcerned, it is invidious to pick outtexts here and there; simply the wholeGospel is missionary, burning with lovefor all humanity. It is impossible toread the New Testament with an openmind and come to any otherconclusion. “Going, therefore, teach allnations...” (Matthew XXVIII, 19)

We do in fact see that there are manywho have strong religious convictions,yet were not raised in a religious home.I know a Muslim who is a model ofIslamic piety as well as generosity andprofessional integrity although hisfather was a prominent member of abasically atheist political party.Dr. Sherwood Taylor was an eminentOxford University scientist and well-known atheist intellectual who becamea zealous Catholic propagandist as aresult of studying the Galileo case.Many defenders of Christian belief,such as G.K. Chesterton and Sir ArnoldLunn, have been converts who wishedby their writings and speeches to passon their new-found treasure to others.

In my own case, I was brought up bygrandparents in a home where mymother, a convert to Catholicism, couldhave little influence. My grandfatherwas a typical example of late Victorianreligion, what might be called Low-Church Anglican, imbued with a deepsuspicion of Popery but at least withthe virtue of tolerance for what hedisapproved. He had a huge “FamilyBible”, which he opened only to amuseme with the engraved illustrations. Hewas of extreme moral rectitude, having

| Opinion and Culture

| 1 In fact this tribal view ofreligion is the enemy of religion,as can be seen in the Balkans andNorthern Ireland.

| 2 Eastern iconography is farmore instructive. Many peopleconfuse the ImmaculateConception with the Virgin Birth.The icon of Youakim, Anne andtheir daughter Mary showsYouakim placing his hand on theshoulder of his wife, a subtle wayof indicating that the conceptionof Mary, unlike that of her Son,was carnal. But many western“pious” pictures are enough toturn anyone off religion.

| 3 This of course is not thecase of Judaism, a fact whichtends to vitiate dialogue,particularly with those who areZionists, for lack of commonground to start with.

resigned in World War I from a militarydefence force because other membershad sung a dirty song. Yet he neveractually went to church, prayed ormentioned religion. My religious faithis something I owe entirely to aprovidential visit to the local parishchurch, where again apparentcoincidences led me to meet the priest,whom I addressed as Sir instead ofFather, thus awakening his concern.This holy man became the decisiveinfluence in my life.

In Britain and America during and afterWorld War II, many who had beenbrought up in religious ignorance andindifference found their faith as aresult of military service in the armedforces, where they were impressed bythe example and arguments ofprayerful friends. At the British AirForce base at Habbaniya in Iraq, withthe support of an excellent chaplain, anumber of airmen who attended dailyevening Mass led friends to the Churchand these on their return to Britainthemselves became plunged in religiousactivity. Incidentally, at this timeseminaries and monasteries werecrowded out with ex-soldiers who hadseen the hapless state of unbelieversand wished to be missionary by prayeralone or by prayer and action.

No less than twelve quite irreligiousbusinessmen were led to God by astock-broker I knew, a controversialistof burning missionary spirit, I believehimself a convert. While othersthought of missionary work assomething done in Africa or Asia, hewas obsessed by the need forreconverting Britain to Christianity.

In order to keep one’s faith in a worldwhich is for all practical purposes

atheist, one needs to know the reasonsfor one’s faith so as to be able topreserve and foster it. Most peopleimagine that faith is something blindand that the reasons for it must not bequestioned. I was very pleased whenHis Eminence Justin Cardinal Regalisaid to an NDU audience that everyChristian should consider himself amissionary with the duty of influencingthose around him. But to do this onemust be properly prepared. In mostcases a young man or woman is cast inhis final intellectual mould during thelate ‘teens or around the age oftwenty. Therefore in the terminalclasses Christian schools should give acourse of Apologetics, that is to saythe philosophical, scientific andhistorical reasons for belief in God, HisRevelation, His moral law and HisChurch. In this way the young personwill be able to resist the temptations ofthe world and the doubt that creepsinto the soul when surrounded bymaterialism and mockery of God, whensuffering from discouragement anddepression, especially when studying inother countries.

He will soon have the urge to enlightenothers; for this he will need to deepenhis understanding of his faith byreading and by discussion and to lead alife of prayer, for no work for God canbe done without His help, that is to saywithout the action of the Holy Spirit.Love and care for those who know notGod will deepen his own spiritual life.

What is more, he will direct his naturaldesires to founding a deeply Christianfamily with a partner chosen forChristian virtues. Love for God meanslove for souls both within the homeand in the outside world.

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Keep the faith K. J. Mortimer

To

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Père Léonard MelkiUn nouveau Cèdre du Liban:

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Début du procès de canonisation du Père Léonard Melki, Capucin Libanais et Martyr duGénocide des Chrétiens d’Orient pendant la première guerre mondiale.

Le 6 novembre 2005 a constitué unedate singulière dans les annales del’histoire de la ville de Baabdate. Eneffet, le matin du 6 novembre après lamesse dominicale de 9 h.30 en l’égliseSaint Antoine, le Père Florio Tessari,Postulateur de l’Ordre Capucin annonçadevant une centaine de fidèlesl’ouverture officielle du procèsdiocésain pour la béatification du PèreLéonard Melki. Dans une allocutionprononcée après la cérémoniereligieuse, le Père Tessari, d’origineitalienne, a déclaré dans un françaishésitant : “Nous sommes là pour ouvrirle procès canonique diocésain pour lemartyr Père Léonard. C’est un procèshistorique. Nous devons recueillir tousles documents qui parlent de lui”.

La foule, constituée d’une centaine defidèles, était très touchée parl’allocution du Père Florio. Certains desfidèles étaient des proches-parents duPère Léonard.

Le Père Florio était muni d’un NihilObstat de la Congrégation pour laCause des Saints. Il l’a remis àMonseigneur Dahdah, VicaireApostolique des Latins du Liban, afinqu’on examine le cas du Père LéonardMelki. Cet examen sera basé sur cequ’on convient d’appeler “la positio” ,ce qui veut dire en d’autre termes lacause. Il s’agit d’un document de 700pages préparé par le Père SélimRizkallah. Ce document essentielregroupe la biographie du PèreLéonard, sa correspondance, et la

documentation qui raconte son martyreen Turquie au cours de la premièreguerre mondiale.

Ce tribunal devra examiner la positio etétablir un rapport. Ce dernier seraenvoyé au Saint Siège à Rome où unautre tribunal statuera définitivementsur l’affaire. Cette decision finale nedevrait pas tarder, car une partie dudossier (la positio) est similaire à cellequi a servi à la canonisation deMonseigneur Maloyan, qui était dans lemême convoi que le Père Léonard. Ceconvoi de la mort regroupait 417personnes qui ont tous été martyrisées.La canonisation du Père Léonard nesaurait donc tarder.

Le Père Léonard, de son vrai nomYoussef Habib MELKI, est né àBaabdate au Metn le 4 octobre 1881.Dans ce village dont l’histoire moderneest pétrie de la présence des PèresCapucins le futur Père Léonard décidede rejoindre l’Ordre des Capucins. Lejeune Youssef est alors envoyé au PetitSéminaire de San Stéfano - ce quiconstitua probablement undépaysement pour ce jeune Cèdre duLiban qui quitta Baabdate en août1897 – où en plus du français, du latin,de l’italien, les étudiants devaient semettre au turc et à l’arménien, idéalmissionnaire oblige. Le 13 juillet, 1898,Youssef pris l’habit religieux et pournom Léonard en souvenir du SaintLéonard de Port Maurice, célèbreprédicateur du XVIII siècle. Après lenoviciat, Léonard, alias Youssef, fut

| Opinion and Culture

mouchards rapportèrent auxTurcs l’existence del’association du Précieux Sang,suffisant pour l’accuser devouloir verser le sang desmusulmans!

Le mercredi 9 juin, les soldatssortirent le Père Léonard de sacellule et se mire à le battre.Ils lui arrachèrent la barbe, luienlevèrent les ongles desdoigts et des orteils et lesuspendirent la tête en basenviron deux heures, au coursdesquelles ils se relayaientpour le battre avec des vergeset des batons. Ils lui disaient:“Appelle la France pour qu’ellese hâte et vienne te tenircompagnie. Convoque tes amispour qu’ils viennent te sauver.”Mais le doux Père garda lesilence, se confiant entre lesmains de son Seigneur. A la fin,ils le basculèrent dansl’escalier, où il s’évanouit. Dieuseul sait ce qu’il endura desouffrances et de tortures detoute sortes”. (1)

Un autre témoin, leP. Hyacinthe Simon, nousparle des souffrances du PèreLéonard: “Citerai-je le PèreLéonard de Baabdath,missionnaire capucin, libanaisde nationalité, qui dut boiretout un calice d’ignominie? Etpourquoi? Parce qu’il était le

envoyé au séminaire de Boudja près deSmyrne en Turquie. Il gravit rapidementles échelons du sacerdoce: il reçut latonsure le 10 février 1910, le diaconatle 24 juillet 1904, puis le sacerdoce endécembre 1904. Et c’est élevé à ladignité sacerdotale que le moineLéonard revint parmi les siens àBaabdate après avoir conquis la toisondorée. Beaucoup plus restait à venir: latoison éternelle sera bientot au rendez-vous.

Sa première assignation fut à laMission de Mardine, ville de Turquie oùpour une fois les chrétiens étaient plusnombreux que les musulmans et où secôtoyaient catholiques, arméniens etchaldéens. Au cours de cette premièremission, le Père Léonard s’occupe parmid’autre du Tiers Ordre très nombreuxdans cette ville: plus de 400. Ses autresactivités comprennent l’enseignementet le travail pastoral. Dans cetenvironnement édifiant et bon enfant,commençait à se profiler l’ombred’évènements qui allaient ensanglanterla Turquie et tout l’Orient. En effet, unComité appelé “Jeune Turc” prend lepouvoir. Idéologiquement sectaire, lesJeunes Turcs prétendent régénerer laTurquie à n’importe quel prix, même auprix du massacre de communautésentières. Sous couvert d’appel à l’unionet aux progrès, les Jeunes Turcsrétablissent la Constitution de 1876qui déclarait l’égalité entre toutes lesreligions de l’Empire …qui du reste nefut jamais respecté. Avec lerétablissement de la Constitution, écrit

un missionnaire Capucin, l’esprit delibertinage et d’indifférence religieuses’introduisit dans toutes les Eglisesd’Orient.

Atteint d’un mal de tête “acharné quine lui donne jamais de trêve” le PèreLéonard est transféré à Mamouretel-azziz mais rien n’y fit; sa santécontinuait de se détériorer. Léonardrevint passer quelques temps dans sonvillage qu’il devait quitter pourtoujours en 1911. Le Père Léonardrentra en Mésopotamie pour s’occuperde la mission de la ville d’Orfa. Al’ombre se proliférait la grande guerrequi devait éclater en août 1914. Lespremières vexations contre leschrétiens ne tardèrent pas àcommencer: arrestations,interrogatoires, enlèvements,assassinats… Le complot ourdi par lesJeunes Turcs visaient à massacrer leschrétiens d’Orient injustementsoupconnés de faire le jeu despuissances européennes. La methodedes massacres consistaient à arrêter enmasse les hommes, en premier lesnotables, à les diriger vers desdestinations inconnues, puis à lesdisperser en petits groupes avant de lesmassacrer. Le Père Léonard futtransféré à Mardine. C’est dans l’églisedes Capucins que le Père Léonard futarrêté à l’aube du 15 juin 1915. Lessoldats y découvrirent un cahiercomprenant les membres de lafraternité de Saint François: c’étaitsuffisant pour prétendre que c’étaitune association française. D’autres

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Père Léonard Melki 6-11-2005

Le Père Leonard Melki(nom de baptême: Youssef)Capucin Libanais.

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directeur de la Confrérie duPrécieux Sang. La significationde ce mot “Précieux Sang”,Mamdouh bey la restregnit ausang des musulmans, dont ledit missionnaire convoitait etprêchait et favorisait la plusabondante effusion. D’autantplus que l’on avait trouvé laliste des membres de la diteconfrérie affichée à la porte del’ église capucine. C’était doncbien une association plus queséditieuse et nuisible. Ellecherchait plus que les troublesde l’Empire, elle réclamait sonsang. Et voici notre P. Léonardaccablé d’injures et decrachats et de coups. Mais iltint ferme. Mamdouh beymassacrait le P. Léonard, leP. Léonard bénissait Mamdouhbey.”

D’autres chrétiens subissaientdes massacres, à la têtedesquels figuraient l’évêquearménien Mayolan, qui devaitconnaître le martyre à coté duPère Léonard. Après leur refusune fois de plus d’abjurer lareligion chrétienne, le sort des417 chrétiens était arrêté. Al’aube du 11 jeudi, le convoidevait quitter la ville deMartine vers son ultimedestination: la mort. Le mêmetémoin oculaire, P. HyacintheSimon, rapporte: “ Le cortège

funèbre s’avance lentement et ensilence à travers les rues de laville…Plusieurs portaient les chainesaux bras, quelques uns même avaient lecou assujeti par des anneaux de fer.Tous étaient encadrés de cent soldatsdans la milice…On vit aussi leP. Léonard, capucin, brutalementfrappé, lors de son passage devant soncouvent…C’est lui qui eut l’honneurd’ouvrir le cortège, ayant à ses cotésdeux tertiaires fransiscains. On vit enfinMgr Maloyan, nu-tête et pieds nus, lesfers au cou, fermant la procession,entouré de deux policiers…” (3)

“Après leur refus une fois de plusd’apostasier, le massacre pouvaitcommencer. Les malheureux furentdivisés en petits groupes. Certainsfurent emmennés près de la citadellenommée Zarzawane. D’autres furentconduits au lieu dit “Grottes deCheikhane”. Ils furent exterminésjusqu’au dernier. Leur mort fitl’admiration des kurdes eux-mêmes.“Jamais, dit l’un d’eux, nous n’avons vupareille fermeté religieuse. Si pour desmotifs analogues, les chrétiens sejetaient sur nous, nous nous ferionstous chrétiens à leur demande.”

Maloyan et Léonard - de même quetous les martyrs des massacres deTurquie de cette époque - sontconsidérés à juste des martyrs.D’ailleurs Monseigneur Maloyan vientd’être béatifié par le Pape Jean-Paul II.(Les Arméniens avaient préféré

présenter le procès de béatification deMgr Maloyan sans aucun de sescollègues.) Et comme le cas du PèreLéonard est strictement semblable àcelui du P. Léonard on peut espérer parla Grace de l’Esprit parvenir au mêmerésultat dans un laps de temps trèscourt.

Chaque candidat à la béatification doitparmi d’autres conditions apporter unmessage à son époque. En d’autrestermes, il doit répondre à une attentespirituelle profonde de la société. Onpeut affirmer à juste titre que le PèreLéonard est le martyr de la paix. Eneffet, son martyre est synonyme depaix, car à l’inverse des “martyrs”qui sefont exploser pour assassiner le plusgrand nombre possible de personnes lePère Léonard a versé son sang jusqu’àla dernière goutte au nom de la paix etde la justice.

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(1) P.Rizkallah Salim, Un martyr du GenocideArménien, Léonard Melki, Capucin Libanais,Baabdate, C.P.Selim Rizkallah, 2001, p. 95.(2) Ibid. p. 97.(3) Ibid. p.118.(4) Ibid. p.119.

| Dr. Georges LABAKI

De gauche à droite: Dr. Georges Labakipetit neuveu du P. Léonard, le Père Florio, lePère Macimò, Léonard Labaki arrière-petit-neveu du Père Léonard, et Richard Melkidevant la maison paternelle du Père LéonardMelki à Baabdate.

Le Père Florioentouré du PèreMacimò et dde

quelquesmembres du

“comité desoutien” à la

béatification duPère Léoanrd.

Carl Gustav JungThe Spiritual Problem of Modern Man

“somewhat” on Jung’s behalf)liberated from them – again inconcordance with Nietzsche’s“free spirit”; even more, itseems to border with his“ubermensch” or over-manthoroughly conceptualized inThus Spoke Zarathustra.

Jung further elaborates on thenature of modern man,underlining solitarity as anintegral component: for manto be modern he must a prioribe solitarily introspective at adistance from dilution withthe all-too-human herd, anexistence as an unconsciousdenominator whosepsychological indicator isJung’s own coined notion ofthe “collective unconscious”and whose textual descriptionhe borrowed fromanthropologist Luden Levy-Bruhl – “participationmystique”. Truly, what betterterm can properly label this“maternal womb ofunconsciousness in which themass of men dwells.” (Jung,1950) Modern man is meantto tear himself loose from thechained boundaries of this

“The spiritual problem of modern manis one of those questions which are somuch a part of the age we live in thatwe cannot see them in the properperspective.” (Jung, 1950) Oh, but hecould! Carl Gustav Jung did see theissue at stake from the properperspective. Perhaps his humility forwhich he is globally acclaimed is whatincited him to inaugurate his essaywith such skepticism, and is whatconstantly causes him to end an essaywith even more speculation than canbe found in the early passages of thetext. Nonetheless, this master physicianof the soul in his insights, andprofound sage in his conclusions, neverceases to advance a fresh insight intothe nature of the psyche, just as he didthrough his literary work. Howcomforting it is to read such anintroduction to a provoking question,an introduction so moderately cautiousthat its intrinsic aim is not toshowcase the vain achievements of astudy, but rather to set its limitationsin all modesty and wisdom in its grandsense, prudently declaring that “toomany of us already have fallen victimto our own grandiloquence.” (Jung,1950).

Whilst reading the first few lines of thetext at hand, one would have the

impression that it is Nietzsche who isbehind the quill and not Jung; whatJung is progressively defining as “themodern man” is quite similar to whatNietzsche describes as the “free spirit”in Beyond Good And Evil … Then again,Nietzschean influences in thisGermano-Swiss liberator are clearlynoticeable throughout his bibliography.“He alone is modern who is consciousof the present.” (Jung, 1950) Themeans to reach this superlative state,according to Jung, is through “the mostintensive and extensive consciousness,with a minimum of unconsciousness.”(Jung, 1950) Traits of Jung’sdislocation from Freud can be noticedby the trained eye in this statement,with Jung shedding more emphasis onthe conscious experience rather thanon the unconscious itself. Not thatJung is an opponent of the latternotion; on the contrary he is one of itsfiercest advocates, notably in the issueof dreams, and more notably in theirmythological content and archetypalimages. But while Freud unveils thecausality of psychological phenomena,Jung attempts to interpret theirfinality, which is exactly the case here:modern man is not one whose actionsare to a large extent governed by hisunconscious processes, but one who issomewhat (and I stress the term

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Carl Gustav Jung Saleem Baradhy

Saleem BaradhyStudent of Psychology Programme

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participation mystique that,though unconscious in termsof psychic placement, isconscious in its expression, ascan be seen in any communitystrata, to borrow Jung’sexample. Jung keeps pushingthe envelope in sculpting theprofile of modern man who isexpected to not only live inthe present, but also “estrangehimself from the mass of menwho live entirely within thebonds of tradition, leavingbehind him all that has beendiscarded and outgrown”(Jung, 1950), once moredisplaying purely Nietzscheanpreaching that can be foundin one particular part of ThusSpoke Zarathustra entitled “OfThe Old And The New LawTables”.

Just as Jung prudentlycommenced his article with anhonest appraisal of thepotential limitations such aninquiry may trigger, hecontined in the same spirit bywarning against the inevitablerise of copycats – “worthlesspeople, uprooted wraiths,blood-sucking ghosts whogive themselves a deceptiveair of modernity and whoseemptiness casts discredit uponmodern man in his enviableloneliness.” (Jung, 1950) Hecarefully employed the term“pseudo-moderns” so as tohighlight their insinceritymanifested by bypassing thevarious stages of developmentand the tasks of life theyrepresent. Again and again, a

similarity may be drawn with Nietzschewhen, in the same aforementionedbook, he speaks of worms and parasiteslurking around the super-man; thehigher the latter exalts, the higher theformer’s expressed envy and attempts(failed at most times) to over-shadowhis modernity. What sets the modernman apart from these little existencesis, for Jung, a voluntary declaration ofbankruptcy, but not a material one ofcourse, rather one whose latentmeaning suggests “outgrowing thestages of consciousness belonging tothe past, and amply fulfilling the dutiesappointed for him by his world.” (Jung,1950) in order to achieve fullconsciousness of the present. Whatsets him further apart is his proficiency(“achieving as much as other people,and even a little more.” (Jung, 1950))which is repugnant to the pseudo-moderns, for it reminds themunpleasantly of their trickery. But thisis the price that humanity is compelledto pay for generating modern men –“every good quality has its bad side,and nothing good can come into theworld without at once producing acorresponding evil” (Jung, 1950) – howHegelian of you, Carl! And on a sidenote, this is precisely what sets Junghimself apart from fellow theorists; asHermann Hesse puts it, “he does notstop at the mechanism of the psycheor treat it as natural science but asphilosophy, but he is rescued from thetendency to academicism by hisexperience as a doctor.” (Jung, 1974)

Thus, modern man becomes a rarity, apriceless jewel buried beneath deeplayers of soil and stone. But this jewel,despite its indispensable solidarity thatwe previously discussed, was notcreated ex nihilo, just like all things in

this worldly existence; once more, Jungsucceeds in adopting the mostconvening of terms to transmit theidea that modern man is “theculmination of the whole history ofmankind, the fulfillment and end-product of countless generations, butalso the disappointment of the hopesand expectations of the ages.” (Jung,1950) A turning-point, that perhapswent by unnoticed by most readers ofthis masterpiece, is unleashed next.Jung, again re-affirming his far-reaching vision, and again resurrectingNietzsche, speaks out and says: “He isindeed the product of an age-olddevelopment, but he is at the sametime the worst conceivabledisappointment of the hopes ofmankind.” (Jung, 1950) Modern manhas just been demoted from “over-man” to “noon-tide”, which Nietzschealso speaks of. The primary elationcaused by the captivating descriptionof the modern man given by Jungsuffered a cataclysmic fall when hisimperfection was then portrayed. Jungeloquently sampled his contemporaryachievements, or rather those of allmankind, particularly the issue of war,given the temporal context of thescript, proving to us that we areperhaps in an “age of enlightenment”and not in an “enlightened age” asscholars of Kant would like to name it(Kant, 1784). This left Jung skeptical,for all great minds are skeptical. Butthere is no danger in a great mindbeing skeptical; where indeed therewas danger was when modern manwas finally enlightened upon hiscurrent status, leading him to suffer an“almost fatal shock, psychologicallyspeaking, and as a result (he) has falleninto profound uncertainty.” (Jung,1950) I, too, have just fallen into a

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which can no longer beinvested in obsolete religiousforms,” he stated in 1950. Isthe prophecy of Nietzschefulfilled? Furthermore, thesemovements give themselves ascientific veneer, as Jungcontinues to notice, signifyingthat they are in pursuit not offaith, but of knowledge. This isat the very core of theessential nature of modernman’s system of thought: toexperience the psyche foritself, by oneself. And this isprecisely why “there are toomany persons to whomFreudian psychology is dearerthan the Gospels” (Jung,1950), which is nothing buthistory repeating itself, for atthe time of the Gospels therewere many persons to whomChristian faith was dearerthan the ancient scripturesbestowed upon their ancestralprophets by the Almighty. ButJung, in his mystical aura, re-iterates once more: “and yetthey are all our brothers, andin each of us there is at leastone voice which secondsthem, for in the end there isone psyche which embraces usall.” (Jung, 1950) Thecollective unconsciousemerging once more!

Towards the end of the text,Jung finally states thespiritual problem of modernman that is manifesting itselfwith the West setting the Eastin turmoil with its sciencewhile the East, with itssuperior psychic proficiency, is

profound uncertainty of my own:where does this leave Jung himself? Ishe a modern man with exclusively adiagnosis and a prognosis of his clan’scondition? Or is he just anothermodern man traumatized by thisshocking discovery, furthermore by hisshocking self-discovery? Was Jung ableto derive this uncertainty throughintrospection or “extrospection”? I wasnot able to answer this question ofmine, and I will adopt the same standhe himself adopted for his own inquiryby stating that “I am in no waycompetent to pass such a judgement.”(Jung, 1950)

Regardless, Jung carries on illustratingthe limitations imposed upon tacklingsuch a controversial question as that ofthe spiritual problem of modern man,chiefly subjective bias and its deceptiveconsequences. But he justifies hisfindings through his practice treating“many hundreds of educated persons,both sick and healthy, coming fromevery quarter of the civilized whiteworld; and upon this experience I basemy statements.” (Jung, 1950)Furthermore, he justifies the verypostulate upon which his findings arebased, namely that of psychology as awhole, where he claims that once manoutgrows his religion, then the psychebecomes a factor which cannot bedealt with by the customary measures,and hence is founded today’spsychology on experience rather thanon faith or philosophy. The psyche thatwas part of a metaphysical system hasbecome acknowledged by the modernman, and that in itself is whatdistinguishes modern times (not thoseof Charlie Chaplin of course!) fromothers. The rational world ordercollapses in front of such a might as

the human unconscious (not to speakof the collective unconscious whoserepercussions delve as deep as theroots of the history of the cosmositself), and such a perfect mode of lifeas fantasized during medieval timeshas been torn to shreds by the exaltedtranscendence of psychology into ascience in its own right. Hence,“modern man has lost all themetaphysical certainties of hismedieval brother, and set up in theirplace the ideals of material security,general welfare, and humanitarianism(Jung, 1950)”, not without a certainamount of threat of course. The threatprimarily lies in the monstrouspotential of evil that lurks in theabysses of the unconscious, one thatwe are perhaps disillusioned at timesof having the upper hand over, andconsequently over the evil of the wholeworld. But do we really? Noteverything psychic for which we havegathered profound knowledge is underour control. But equally, that does notsignify that increasing insight into ourhopeless unconsciousness aids theprocess of combating this evil at itshuman origins, just as Jung himselfimplies, “in the same way that scienceenables us to deal effectively withinjuries inflicted from without.” (Jung,1950) Another threat, which to some isperhaps considered a successfulachievement, is the rapid andworldwide growth of psychologicalinterest that is rendering modern manmuch more drawn to alternatives ofreligion. Jung points out a goodnumber of such manifestations, notonly in psychology but almost equallyin spiritualism, astrology, theosophy,even parapsychology. “The passionateinterest in these movementsundoubtedly arises from psychic energy

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Carl Gustav Jung Saleem Baradhy

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throwing the West’s spiritual worldinto confusion. But Jung dives evendeeper and singles out that while theWest is explicitly acting, the East isimplicitly reacting, not by substantivelygoing to the West to do its thing asthe latter is operating, but by fasteningits hold from within the modern man!Jung reinforces his claim withhistorical examples of the RomanEmpire’s conquest of Asia and itssubsequent becoming Asiatic, aninfection being perpetuated even untilnow. This is what finally leads Jung todeclare “it seems to me that we areonly at the threshold of a new spiritual

epoch” (Jung, 1950), a declaration thatwas the prelude to the final questionthat this man of thought asks: “Is whatI have said of modern man really true,or is it perhaps an illusion?” (Jung,1950) Jung concludes on the sameNietzschean spirit he elaborated: atransparent description, not fearful ofharsh pessimistic truths, guided byskepticism and driven by self-skepticism, and resulting in sheeroptimism within the framework ofreasonable moderation. I feelcompelled to quote a whole paragraphat this point to support myinterpretation:

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References| Jung, C. G., (1950). Modern Man In Search Of A Soul, from the chapter The Spiritual Problem Of

Modern Man. New York, Harvest Book.| Jung, C.G. (1974). Dreams. London, Routledge Classics| Kant, I., (1784). What Is Enlightenment? Konigsberg, Prussia.| Nietzsche, F., (1973). Beyond Good And Evil. England, Penguin Classics.| Nietzsche, F., (1973). Thus Spoke Zarathustra. England, Penguin Classics.

| The so-calledscience of poll-takingis not a science at all

but a merenecromancy. Peopleare unpredictable by

nature, and althoughyou can take a

nation’s pulse, youcan’t be sure that thenation hasn’t just run

up a flight of stairs.F.B. White, The New

Yorker, 1948.

“The body lays claim to equal recognition; it exerts the same fascination as thepsyche. If we are still caught in the old idea of an antithesis between mindand matter, this state of affairs must seem like an unbearable contradiction.But if we can reconcile ourselves to the mysterious truth that the spirit is thelife of the body seen from within, and the body the outward manifestation ofthe life of the spirit – the two being really one – then we can understand whythe striving to transcend the present level of consciousness throughacceptance of the unconscious must give the body its due, and whyrecognition of the body cannot tolerate a philosophy that denies it in thename of the spirit. These claims of physical and psychic life, incomparablystronger than they were in the past, may seem a sign of decadence, but theymay also signify a rejuvenation, for as Holderlin says: where danger is, arisessalvation also.” (Jung, 1950)

And finally, a grand conclusion worthy of the grandintroduction’s humility in skepticism: “This is a questiononly history can answer.” (Jung, 1950) Perhaps the onething that Jung overlooked here was how history didindeed answer this question… through him!

United Colors! Serena Irani, PHL311

I believe that the excellentidea of unification is beingdistorted by such a revoltingrepresentation. I wouldpersonally suggest differentchoices of subject, especiallyin view of the fact thatchildren may be exposed tosuch publicity. Directly orindirectly, it may affect theirideas of right and wrong.What I see as moreappropriate for conveying themessage of love andconnection would be forexample a young black boykissing a young white girl onthe cheek, if one wants toinclude male and female,white and black, and a kiss.

In short, I would rather seethe belief in harmonyexpressed in a manner thatwould not trouble theconscience of anyone.

My attention has been drawn to acertain advertisement put out byUnited Colors of Benetton in 1991,which shows a priest gently kissing anun on her upper lip. As we canplainly see, the priest is all in blackwhile the nun is all in white. Theobvious meaning is that black andwhite races can be united throughinteraction, communication and otherways, simply through Benetton, despitetheir differences in dress.

Now in my opinion, uniting people is agood idea very well affirmed by theBenetton brand. But what strikes meis that this particular image is verycontradictory. Bringing black andwhite together is a fine message topresent to the public, particularly topossible clients, but how can this moralprinciple be clearly understood throughan immoral expression? Is a priestkissing a nun something ethical? Iwould reply to this question with asimple NO!

Please do not misunderstand me. Akiss in itself expresses many qualitiessuch as love, passion, care, admirationor approval and a soft kiss as such istypically “beautiful”. But in this casethe kissing couple is composed of acelibate priest and of a member of areligious congregation. Celibacy andthe religious life also symbolize thequalities we have indicated, butsuppose a way of life which is boundby solemn vows including that ofchastity, that is to say remaining avirgin for religious reasons. This isunderstood in the life of a religiouscommunity.

Therefore what I dislike about thisadvertisement is the conversion of akiss on the lips from a good thing to abad one, from virtue to sin, in brieffrom the ethical to the unethical. It isno less repulsive and immoral than anadvertisement showing two people ofthe same sex embracing each other.

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“beautiful” white and black, and a kiss

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“Only as high asI reach can I grow,only as far as I seekI can go,only as deep asI look can I see,only as much asI dream can I be”

(Karen Raun)

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| Opinion and Culture

| Saro KenedirjianArchitecture Student

FAAD-Department of Architecture, NDU

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The Big Bang Theory1915-1965

With the development of modern physics, scientists have spent time and effort tryingto find a foolproof theory of the origin of the universe. One theory, the Big Bang, hasalways been at the center of all discussions, and it is the currently acceptedexplanation of the beginning of the universe.

The big bang theory asserts that the universe originated a finite time ago (around 12to 15 billion years ago) by expanding from an infinitely compressed state. Accordingto this model, space, time and matter originated together, and the universe has beenexpanding ever since (Murdin, 2001).

This paper sheds light on key stages in the history of the Big Bang theory. In fact, thechronological elaboration of this theory is just as fascinating as the theory itself. Thatis what we shall try to demonstrate.

page 73 | issue 35

Big Bang Theory 1915-1965

Samer CharabatiComp. & Com. Eng.

| Early Theories of theUniverse: Einstein (1915) andDe Sitter (1917)In 1915, Albert Einstein announceda new theory of gravitation, knownas the General Theory of Relativity.According to Einstein, gravity is nolonger to be described by agravitational “field” but rather it is adistortion of space and time itself, acurve in space – massive objectssuch as planets curve space thesame way someone standing on atrampoline warps the surface of thetramp. Anyone who gets up on thetrampoline will slip toward thedepression the other person hasmade. A planet does the same thing:it creates a warp in space, andanything nearby slides toward it(Fox, 2002).

Einstein proceeded to apply his newrule of gravity to the entire cosmos.He created a universe that had no

center, was finite but unbounded,and was stable. But soon hediscovered a dramatic problem: hisequations described a universe thatwas expanding. Einstein (like manyother scientists) was so sure thatthe universe had to be static that heintroduced a cosmological constantinto his equations, a sort of“antigravity” force (Hawking, 1988).

Based on Einstein’s equations, Dutchastronomer Willem de Sitterpublished in 1917 a model with aslight variation: he used a constantdensity of the universe, but set itsvalue equal to zero: a universe withno matter in it! Although we arefairly convinced that the universedoes have matter in it, his model ofthe universe had some interestingfeatures. De Sitter’s universe didexpand over time, but at a constantrate (Fox, 2002).

| First Big Bang Models:Friedmann (1922) and Lemaître(1927)Both Friedmann and Lemaître hadindependently formulatedcosmological models on the basis ofgeneral relativity.

Russian mathematician andmeteorologist Aleksander Friedmannrefused to alter Einstein’s equationssimply to stop expansion.Friedmann used two assumptionsknown as the CopernicanCosmological Principle, which statesthat, on large scale, the universe isisotropic: it looks identical in alldirections, and the universe ishomogenous; it looks identicalin all locations, if observed fromanywhere else.

From these two ideas alone,Friedmann showed that we shouldnot expect the universe to be static

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(Hawking, 1988). Instead, heproduced a model thatexpanded over time at differentrates, with no cosmologicalconstant and a non-zerodensity. This universe began asa baby “universelet” at somespecific point in the past andthen evolved into the universewe see today (Fox, 2002).

While Friedmann’s models werethe first to truly predict abeginning to time, it was theBelgian priest Georges Lemaîtrewho first received attention forhis Big Bang model.

Lemaître observed that if theexpansion is followed backwardin time, we are led to an initialmoment of creation involvingconditions of extremely highdensity. He proposed that theuniverse began in theradioactive disintegration of a“primeval atom”, a largeexplosion that pushed thesubsequent expansion of theuniverse. His model included acosmological constant butdifferent than Einstein’s value(Fox, 2002).

Anecdote

When Friedmann published adescription of his model inZeitschrift für Physik in 1922,Einstein quickly responded tothe journal, saying thatFriedmann’s solution waswrong: “[it] does not satisfythe field equations.” Butwithin a few months, Einsteinhad to retract: “I consider that

Mr. Friedmann’s results are correctand shed new light.” Nevertheless,Einstein still didn’t like the concept:he stuck to his cosmologicalconstant! (Fox, 2002).Again when Lemaître presented hisprimeval atom concept publicly in1927, Einstein claimed that hisphysics were “abominable”, althoughhe was forced to agree that the math“seemed to work” (Fox, 2002).

| Discovering the Universe:Slipher, Humason and Hubble(1912-1928)The derivation of cosmological theoriesbased on general relativity wasaccompanied by a discovery of thecosmological structure. (However, thetwo developments were largelyindependent; the increased financialsupport for astronomy in the UnitedStates and the advances in telescopicinstrumentation improved the nebularresearch. General relativity, by contrast,developed within a central Europeanscientific culture with a strongemphasis on abstract mathematics andpure theory (Baigrie, 2002)).

From 1912, due to advances intelescoping instrumentation, Americanastronomer Vesto Slipher, was able todetect large systematic nebular redshifts (resulting from radial velocitiesof motion away from the Earth,according to the famous DopplerEffect.) In other words, starlightappears redder than it actually isbecause the nebula is moving awayfrom us.

In 1928, American astronomer EdwinHubble (who had previously proved theexistence of other galaxies than theMilky Way), embarked on a systematiccataloguing of galaxies with the helpof Milton Humason. Hubble andHumason determined that the fewgalaxies moving toward us are nearby.However, when they observed moredistant galaxies, it was quite a surpriseto find that they all appeared red-shifted; all were moving away from us!(Hawking, 1988).

| 1929: The Universe isExpandingHubble pursued his observations andmeasurements, and in 1929 heannounced an amazing result: the sizeof a galaxy’s red shift is not random,but is directly proportional to thegalaxy’s distance from us: the fartheraway a galaxy is, the faster it ismoving away. And he could predict thepattern: twice as far, twice as fast;three times as far, three times as fast.The theory is now called Hubble’s Law,and it’s crucial because these datawere the first experimental evidencethat the universe was expanding. Ifthe universe were basically static, wewould not expect any kind of pattern.Galaxies would zoom in differentdirections, governed only by the effectsof gravity (Fox, 2002).

| Opinion and Culture

Anecdote

Gamow had a quiet sense ofhumor. He put Bethe’s nameon the paper even thoughBethe had nothing to dowith it. He wanted to makethe list of authors “Alpher,Bethe, Gamow” like the firstthree letters of the Greekalphabet, alpha, beta,gamma, particularlyappropriate for a paper onthe beginning of theuniverse! He even tried topersuade Herman to changehis name to “Delter”!(Hawking, 1988; Fox, 2002).But their work failed toattract much interest. No oneat the time viewed theirprediction as an experimentalscience subject to testing, andtheir research was forgotten…(Fox, 2002; Baigrie, 2002)

| 1957: The abundanceof helium In parallel with Gamow’sresearch, a group of Englishscientists were developing acompeting model called theSteady-State theory.Concerning this theory, weshall only tackle what wasrelevant to our big bang.

Ironically, one of the mainsupports for the Big Bangtheory would be the workpublished in 1957, by FredHoyle along with Will Fowlerand Geoffrey and MargaretBurbridge, all supporters ofthe steady-state theory. They

Anecdote

After the discovery of the expandinguniverse, Einstein himself rejected thecosmological constant, saying that itsintroduction was the “biggest blunderof [his] life”. He also admitted laterthat Lemaître’s lecture on the subjectwas one of the best he had everheard (Fox, 2002).Lemaître often enjoys the title of“Father of Modern Cosmology”(Baigrie, 2002), which seems a bitunfair to Friedmann. Friedmann diedyoung, in 1925, and so never saw histheories accepted. His work remainedlargely unknown in the West untilsimilar models were discovered in1935 by American physicist HowardRobertson and the Britishmathematician Arthur Walker, inresponse to Hubble’s discovery of theexpansion of the universe (Hawking,1988).But that still left questionsunanswered. The simple fact that theuniverse was expanding, according tothe theory of relativity, did not provethat it had all begun at a single point,or that it was not infinitely old.

| The Hot Big Bang Model:Gamow, Alpher and Herman(1948)The notion of a disintegrating primevalatom was an interesting idea, but itwas difficult to develop it into aconsistent quantitative modeldescribing conditions in the very earlyuniverse. Russian-born physicist GeorgeGamow was the first to tackle thissubject.

Gamow thought that if the universereally did start from one single denseobject in space, then whatever atomsexist today had to have been created inthat first explosion, or else theyevolved from something so created(Fox, 2002). In order to build on histheory, he was initially concerned withthe problem of stellar nucleogenesis,that is, the process by which heavierelements are synthesized from lighterelements in the star’s hot and densecore. In 1938, Hans Bethe explicitlyidentified the chain of reactions bywhich hydrogen is converted to heliumin the heart of a star (Baigrie, 2002).The idea of a hot furnace similar to thecore of a star so appealed to Gamowthat he wanted to generalize it. Hejoined forces with Ralph Alpher andRobert Herman and came out with thefollowing: the early universe wasdominated by radiation; matter waspresent at this time in the form of asoup consisting of protons, neutronsand electrons. As the universeexpanded helium nuclei were producedfrom the protons and neutrons andfurther element formation followed. Ata certain time, the universe hadexpanded and cooled to such a degreethat the matter density exceeded theradiation density. At this time, theuniverse as we know it was born(Baigrie, 2002). Gamow’s team went sofar as to predict that radiation (in theform of photons) from the very hotearly stages of the universe should stillbe around today, but with itstemperature reduced to about 5 Kelvin(Hawking, 1988; Baigrie, 2002). (Thecorrect value is 2.7 Kelvin (Sandin,1994))

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Big Bang Theory 1915-1965

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compared the amount ofhelium in the universe todaywith the amount that couldbe created according to eitherof the two theories. Theproblem involving particleformation in stars had beenraised again. The fourscientists showed that all theheavy elements are producedby nuclear reactions in stellarinteriors, so the big bang isnot needed for thatproduction. But the realproblem was in the creatinonof light elements like helium,deuterium and lithium. Thereis so much helium in theuniverse that it could nothave been made just by thestars. It had to come from alarger and hotter furnace. Soit was created at an earliertime, in an extremely hot babyuniverse; a plus for the BigBang theory. But helium itselfis not as important asdeuterium. Today deuterium iscreated in the hearts of stars,but is instantly destroyed, sonone escapes. No otherprocess has been discoveredthat makes long-liveddeuterium; hence it is believedthat every atom of deuteriumtoday was created in the firstminute after the big bang(Fox, 2002). The abundance ofhelium and the creation ofdeuterium constitute thesecond pillar for the Big Bangtheory.

Anecdote

Another ironic event gave birth tothe name of the Big Bang theory.Hoyle, the major advocate of steady-state theory, first pronounced thename “Big Bang” in 1949 during aBBC radio lecture. He meant itmockingly to criticize his scientificopponents! Since then, the name hasstuck and apparently no otherscientist has found a moreappropriate name. A contest was evenorganized in the 1990s by the Sky &Telescope magazine to find a bettername, but the competition did notproduce any! (Fox, 2002)(This info reminds me of an analogousevent in the domain of art. Theimpressionist movement gained its nameas a result of irony too. Monet hadcreated a painting and called it“Impression: Sunrise”. The painting andthe whole exhibition did not appeal to artcritic Louis Leroy, who mockingly used theterm “impressionist” to refer to the newgroup of painters, meaning that theywere not real painters, but were justfooling people by giving them the“impression” of painting. Today animpressionist painting would costbetween 1 million and 50 million dollars!)

| 1965: The Microwave CosmicBackground RadiationOne last pillar was necessary to endthe debate and clinch victory for theBig Bang theory. It was the detectionof the microwave backgroundradiation.

Two freshly graduated PhDs, ArnoPenzias and Robert Wilson, working atBell Laboratories, upgraded anoutdated antenna to conductexperiments in radio astronomy.

In June 1964, the two scientistspointed their antenna at the sky tomeasure any radiation coming in at a7.35 centimeter wavelength. This wassimply a test to see if the antenna wascalibrated. They expected to hearnothing, since the Milky Way emitsnothing in this spectrum. It was quite ashock for them when the antennapicked up a clear signal at 3 Kelvin inthe microwave band. First, Penzias andWilson went over all their adjustmentson the antenna. They did not find anyproblem. Then they started pointing thetelescope in different directions, atvarious nearby cities. It did not affectthe constant 3-Kelvin noise at all. Thisradiation was evenly distributed anddid not seem to be coming from anyspecific star or galaxy. For ten months,they kept searching for alternativeexplanations. Their best and biggesthope was to get rid of a pair of pigeonsnesting inside the cone of the antenna,and clean all the residue they leftbehind! (In a paper they wrote, thescientists euphemistically referred tothe birds’ droppings as a “whitedielectric material”.) After completelyridding themselves of the pigeonproblem and cleaning the antennafrom top to bottom, the two mendiscovered that absolutely nothing hadchanged. The noise remained (Fox,2002).

At the same time that Penzias andWilson were working on this problem,a group of astronomers at nearbyPrinceton University were investigatingmodels of the early universe under thedirection of Robert Dicke. Withoutknowing about Gamow’s work, Dickehad rediscovered the idea that theuniverse had started in an initialfireball. His model was slightlydifferent from Gamow’s but it

| Opinion and Culture

predicted a background radiation. Andthe tools now existed to find it. In fact,Dicke and his students Dave Wilkinsonand Peter Roll had built from scratchan antenna for that purpose (Fox,2002).

The group of Princeton were just aboutto start their experiments when theywere scooped by Bell Labs’ team. Soon,a meeting was arranged between thetwo teams. Dicke realized that the 3-Kelvin noise was consistent with theradiation that would have beenemitted following the big bang(Baigrie, 2002). Both teams wrotepapers for Astrophysical Journal Letters,Penzias and Wilson describing theirresults, and the Princeton groupoffering the interpretation that thiswas the result of a great, primordialfireball (Fox, 2002).

The discovery of microwavebackground radiation was a turningpoint in the elaboration of the bigbang theory, and in the history ofcosmology too, comparable to Hubble’s1929 discovery of the red shift relation.It provided concrete physical evidencefor the Big Bang theory. There was noimmediate explanation for its existencein other cosmological models, and mostof the scientific community weretending toward the big bang. After1965, high-energy physicists becameinterested in cosmology and graduatecourses in it became a regular part ofastronomy programs at universities(Baigrie, 2002). Our Big Bang theoryhad finally entered the realm of “real”science.

Anecdote

In 1978, Penzias and Wilson receivedthe Nobel Prize for “their discovery ofcosmic microwave backgroundradiation”. Or one should rather say:“for their accidental discovery”!Ironically, Penzias and Wilson neverintended to search for thebackground radiation. They came upwith the best proof for the Big Bangtheory at a time Wilson tendedtoward the steady-state theory, ifpressed to choose a model, andPenzias did not think much ofcosmology! Wilson said that he didnot realize the importance of theirdiscovery until he read about it in theNew York Times (Fox, 2002). One isallowed to wonder which group reallydeserves the Nobel Prize: the BellLabs team who accidentally found theradiation, the Princeton group thatwas looking for it, or Gamow’s teamwho predicted it 15 years before.

| After the Big BangThe big bang theory was then refinedby the inflationary theory, according towhich there was a stage ofexponentially rapid expansion of theearly universe (Murdin, 2001). Theexistence of this stage resolves manyproblems of the Big Bang theory butraises other issues. In conclusion, theBig Bang theory is solid, but it is stillalive, it is still changing. So whilecosmologists admit that they did notsolve everything, most would say thateven if a new theory comes along, itwill include many of the Big Bang andinflation concepts currently accepted(Fox, 2002). In the same way thatEinstein’s relativity did not “correct”Newton’s gravity, but completed it,new theories will not deny the previousones, but simply improve on them.

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Big Bang Theory 1915-1965

References| Fox, Karen C. (2002). The Big

Bang Theory. New York: John Wiley &Sons.

| Murdin, Paul (2001). Big BangTheory. In Encyclopedia of Astronomyand Astrophysics (Vol. I, pp. 173-174). Bristol: Institute of PhysicsPublishing.

| Murdin, Paul (2001). Inflation. InEncyclopedia of Astronomy andAstrophysics (Vol. II, pp. 1194-1199).Bristol: Institute of PhysicsPublishing.

| Baigrie, Brian S. (2002).Astronomy and cosmology. In Historyof Modern Science and Mathematics(Vol. II, pp. 60-69). New York: CharlesScribner’s Sons.

| Sandin, T. R. (1994). Essentials ofModern Physics. Addison-WesleyPublishing Company.

| Hawking, Stephen W. (1988). Abrief history of time. New York:Bantam Books.

Harold PinterNobel Prize 2005

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The award came as a present for his75th birthday, which Pinter hadcelebrated the previous Saturday inDublin, surrounded by a crowd offamous actors. Dramatist, actor andproducer, he has also been a poet andwriter for the cinema. However,untiring critic of US President GeorgeBush and British Prime Minister TonyBlair, he suspended his writing for thetheatre last February in order to devotehimself to politics. In the year 2003 hepublished a collection of poemsentitled War to denounce the war inIraq waged by American and Britishforces, which he considered to besimply an invasion. On February 15th,2003, he addressed a crowd in HydePark in London composed of one-and-a-half million people demonstratingagainst their government’s action.

Harold Pinter, the son of a Jewishtailor, was born on October 10th, 1930,in Hackney, a working-class district inthe then depressed East End of London.

Here his memory was scarred by theterrifying experience of bombardmentby the Nazi rocket bombs, known asV2s. He studied drama at RADA, theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art, andafter a period of acting made himself areputation with his play The Guardianin 1960. During the 1970s his themesbecame more political, dealing largelywith the question of oppression.Taking a stand on human rights, heopenly criticised the bombardment ofKosovo (in ex-Yugoslavia) and theinvasion of Afghanistan.

After twenty years of marriage withactress Vivian Marchant, in 1977 Pinterdivorced her and in 1980 married LadyAntonia Fraser, a historian. Thoughsuffering from cancer of the throat, forwhich he underwent chimeotherapy, in2002 he was still on the stage as anactor in the National Theatre inLondon.

The award to him of the Nobel Prizefor Literature has been warmlyapplauded by British Culture SecretaryTessa Jowell, director Sir Peter Hall,fellow writer Sir Tom Stoppard, actorand director Sir Alan Aychbourn andplaywright David Hare.

| Opinion and Culture

| -Ed.

n Thursday, October 13th,the Swedish Academy announcedthat the Nobel Prize for Literature for the year 2005 had beenawarded to British dramatist Harold Pinter. Justifying theaward, the Academy said that this prolific author and

political activist “in his dramas reveals the abyss underlying gossip andforces a way into an enclosed field of oppression ... He is generallyconsidered the most eminent representative of the English dramatictheatre in the second half of the 20th century.” Now the wordPinteresque has come to describe a particular kind of atmosphere to befound in plays for the theatre. The Academy citation further said:“Pinter restored theatre to its basic elements, an enclosedspace and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at themercy of each other and pretence crumbles.”

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| Answers in the next issue.

Across:1. people from South ArabianPeninsula 7. graduate degree9. egg-shaped 11. somethingto be learnt 14. OldTestament prophet 16. thesmall screen 17. self 18.large North American deer21. starts a series 22. exists24. set on fire 26. unpleasantloud noise 28. officialregistrar 30. popularprophetic name 31. forintroducing liquid into thebowel 32. text written byhand or typed 33. life story35. small insect 37. inborn38. odour 40. popular now,“cool” 41. knowledge(Scottish and poetic) 42.equine pace 43. porcinedomicile

Down:Christmastime 2. support forsails or flag 3. new word 4.towards 5. ancestress of man6. mentally healthy 8.cinders 10. company symbol12. half- 13. inert gas, formof lighting 15. abbreviation19. triangular relation 20.famous British school 23.noise eliminator 25.timelessness 27. nickel 29.in the morning 34. exit forair 35. demand 36. X inRoman numerals 37. woes39-three-

page 79 | issue 35

Something for your grey matter Crossword

Something for your grey matter

Crossword

How is your English? Fill in with the correct postpositions, in some cases two,as indicated:

| I put ... ... my uncle’s for the night. (=Slept and ate at)| We put our carpets ... in the summer. (=Put in storage)| The Army was used to put ... the disorders. (=Suppress)| I’m putting ... going to the dentist’s till tomorrow. (=Postponing)| I’m putting ... for a job at the Ministry of Labour. (=Applying)| I can’t put ... ... that horrible noise; it’s driving me round the bend. (=tolerate)| I felt very put ... ; they were very rude to me. (=vexed)| You must put your statement ... in writing.| To put it ... one word – NO!| He put me ... by his bad manners. (=offended, discouraged)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17

18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29

30 31

32 33 34

35 36 37

38 39 40

41 42

43