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content
Top Targets
Soci-Selections
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1 2 3 4 Food For Thought
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1 2 3 4 5
Primary Topic Documentary Campus Activities Academics
Creative Juice
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Health and Nutrition Sports and Athletics Sexual Education Psychological Awareness Leb-IN-and-ON
Social Issue Career Orientation NGOs and Youth Featured Interview Lifestyle p.52
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Arts and Talents Creative Writing Book Review Technology Review
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Miscellaneous Nightlife Press Release Horoscope
editorial Dearest readers,
Dreams finally came true and “The Gate University Students Magazine” is now in our hands. For the first time, university students in Lebanon get to entertain themselves viewing and reading, in one magazine, subjects that affect every young university student’s life. Activities on campus, academics, social issues, career orientation, NGOs’ activism, health and nutrition, sexual education, psychological awareness, arts and talents, student projects, university sports, technology, nightlife, cultural reviews, book reviews, creative writing, creative illustrations and other documentaries, articles, interviews and statistics, all in one publication reaching you free-of-charge at your campus gates! The Gate University Students Magazine is not simply a publication, but also a mission to raise awareness, build knowledge, entertain and reach the minds and hearts of every member of every university community, for there is where all future societies are shaped. “By students and for students” is our motto and a long journey awaits us. The Gate University Students Magazine is now your outlet and your source for everything you need to know or follow or expose by yourself about on-campus and off-campus life! In the name of The Gate University Students Magazine’s staff, I wish you enjoy this first issue and expect us at your gates every month!
Bernard Hatem General Manager
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Top Targets p.8
PRIMARY TOPIC : Swine Flu
p.12 CAMPUS ACTIVITIES : Summer Campus Activities p.16 DOCUMENTARY : Back to University‌ a little older! p.20 ACADEMICS : -Virtual Classrooms? -Interview with Dr. Samer Habre
PRIMARY TOPIC
SWINE FLU H1N1 Awareness: The Indispensible Weapon!
The 2009 swine flu outbreak in human s is different from all previous ones in recorded history.
2009 The H1N1 strain found in the is called flu pandemic among humans s showed “swine flu”, because early test were s viru the in es gen many of the ally usu ses viru a enz influ to lar simi e. occurring in North American swin r clea e mad arch rese her However, furt new a to due is ak bre out that the reported strain of H1N1, not previously in pigs.
The 1918 flu pandemic in humans was associated with H1N1, and influenza present in pigs. This reflect s zoonosis at some point, either from pigs to humans or from humans to pigs. Although there has been no confirm ation in which way the virus was transferred, some evidence suggests that swine got the disease from humans . However, it was one of the deadlies t and most spread viruses, killing alm ost fifty million people worldwide.
One rum or that circu the publi lated amo c was tha ng t the H1N influenza 1 form of “A” might not be cir among hu culating ma leak, poss ns had it not bee n for a ibly some where in Union, aro the Sovie und 1977 t . Another more cap turing rum was that or eve H1N1 sho ryone infected w ith uld go to the hosp and get tr ital eated. It turned o less than ut that 10% of c ases nee hospitali d to be zed.
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Accordin g to Dr. Ja ck Chkeir in infectio (Doctor us malad 3 ie into s) “some ized w gor h cate en infecte Influenza can be people, d w it l h swine fl as wel feel anyth u Types: Type A infects humans , don’t in g at all. The humans; enough im y have a as animals; type B only infects m strong u n it y to fight ortance. with no m the virus and typeC has no medical imp edical as sistance.” es A similar type A influen Type B influenza changes its gen za which thus r; M yea ry o eve v lf em in itse s erg sert g ed reas three years ago was Bird to the loc and flu. al st on a reached H5N1 was a lethal virus wit new vaccines are introduced and infec age, swine flu has h a fata lity ted a bit s nge 5 cha 0 the r, 0 eve rat people in e of more than 60%; wh less than yearly basis. How ile in swine Lebanon so l, w ima min e are , most of re es flu, ergo a it und is s b a bit higher than season ro the viru a d which , w al flu ith only 1 e (0.1%). Nonetheless, H5 fatality ca it remains labeled under the sam N1 se. ’s me ans of When infe highest transmission was animal-hu category. The elderly have the cted with ma n and no t swine flu B should im human-human. That is wh , people risk of getting infected with type me y it did not Oseltamiv diately start takin nges its spread aro cha a enz Influ A e Typ a. enz g und Influ ir (Tamiflu like swine flu did. ) purchase e every d from all which can be genes and reasserts itself onc pharmacie The drug nges Pigs are peculiar as they s. is strong three years. However the cha can be e nough to s The . w ine flu be infected with influenza stra fight the virus undergoes are drastic fo re ins any c occur. Wa ase that infect three different ter should omplications Hemagglutanin and Neurominad spe cie s be const supplied ly; thus simultaneousl a in case o (HN) levels change dramatical y. These species are pigs, f vomiting ntly diarrhea a enz influ A type bir new ds a and and say and med humans. Thus, swine can we can ication sh act taken to rs. as a residence for differe ould be reduce b virus is emerging every three yea nt Influenza ody temp in c a se viruses to exchange and erature o f fe v e r. Complic reassert when a p ations oc genes. Yet the origin of the e rs o cur n in 2009 H1N1 fected w does not ith swine Influenza is still unknown take any flu . m edication virus cause , an s present ti pulmonary disease d the me, H1N1 s. At the shots are prepared being to be dis tributed and more in million in the mo s, nths to c ome. and as reac hed banon h u fl e swin in le 500 people infected
HIGHLIGHTED BOXES
needed teachers, and everyone else; n are: ratio side to be taken into con ghing or cou n whe e tissu a Always use r hands you sneezing, and always wash ate intim too get afterwards. Try not to rily essa nec t (no son with a sick per le swine flu). Do not use a washab n whe ion icat napkin. Always use med ds han r you h Was infected with flu. , stay regularly. And if you get infected ty or ersi univ to at home; no need to go e. plac the e inat work and contam by Dany Sedrak
Phase 6 classification :
Last phase labeled to a pandemic; this means that treatment and medication are now available and the disease has already passed the harder phases, however , it is a global pandemic. Pandemic :Are rare and are consider ed as global threats as opposed to local ones. They cannot be contained in certain regio ns and cross national boundaries. Epidemic: Happen frequently and can be widespread; however they are restr icted to a local area in a certain region.
Important dates and chronology
of virus development:
191 8 pandemic in humans: It was noticed that pigs got the flu the
mans did.
same time hu-
197 6 USA outbreak: H1N1 emerged followed by H2N3. The first swin
e flu shots
began this year.
198 8
zoonosis: The virus was transmitted from pigs to a man and his pregnant wife first. It was later acquired by some peo at ple who had contact with the coup le. The man was able to recover but his wife died . Everyone who was infected from humans and not pigs developed mild influenza like sickness with no fatalities.
199 8
US breakout
in swine: During that year, it was confirmed that Swine flu is a recombination of flu strains from hum ans and birds. Scientists also confirmed that pigs can serve as a home to the new virus whic h emerged due to the reassortments of genes from different strains.
200 9
Outbreak in humans: It is of unknown origin, a former Type A influenza mingled and reasserted its genes, with less than 0.1% fatality rate.
Death tolls in various countries and
num
bers of infections: More than 75 countries reported case s of H1N1 Swine Influenza infections , with less than 10% needing to be hospitalized, and less than 0.1% fatality rate. Hospitals receiving h1n1 cases in
lebano
n: All hospitals receive H1N1 patients, but tests can only be done in Hariri Hos pital, in order to keep track of all cases Lebanon. Treatment:
Tamiflu is enough for a start. In case of any complications after 5 days of starting the medication, the infected person must be hosp italized; where his temperature wou ld be controlled and water supplied to the body.
Opening on potential future similar
haz
ard: Scientists and doctors alike have no idea what type A Influenza is emerging in three years. It might be an H50N31 or an H16N20. Nothing in known so far.
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Precautions, for students,
PRIMARY TOPIC
Swine flu h1n1:
Type A Influenza; can be gotten by animals and humans. SYMPTOMS: Fever, cough sore throat, runny nose, and body aches, chills and fatigue. Some cases also include diarrhea and vomiting. (symptoms may be different from one individual to another). People with highest risks are young children, the elderly, those with immune disorders, heart problems , and pulmonary diseases. Infection takes place when one touches a surface with H1N 1 strains on it, from another’s cough or sneeze.
studen ts PRIMARY TOPIC
TShtaetisGticaste
with students 1
with teachers 1
All surveyed students have heard of the H1N1 disease, in a way or another.
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Most students believe that if any student were infected with H1N1, they definitely should not come to class! Many students declared as well that they would stop coming to university if any infection appeared on campus. Others however said they’d just keep away and take all the necessary precautions to remain safe. Some knew already they should avoid being in close touch with friends or touching possibly infected stuff. Some also had the idea to inform their administration and/or classmates immediately if they suspect any infection case. Others however advised to do that silently in order not to cause mass panic. Some finally said they’d “pray before sleeping so they don’t die”.
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Most surveyed students believed they could very probably catch the disease on campus, due to high interaction with a large number of students and especially due to the approach of the winter season. Some believed that if the right precautions were taken, especially in matter of class ventilation, H1N1 wouldn’t spread. Quite many students however believed there’s no way for it to spread on campus or were not sure whether it’s possible for it to spread or not.
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The majority of the surveyed students denied having received any instructions or brochures on how to behave if they encounter any H1N1 infection. Those who regularly check their email inboxes confirmed however they received such information either from their university administration or from friends and parents. Others said they saw awareness posters in their campuses.
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Most surveyed teachers believed it’s possible for H1N1 to spread on campus. Few didn’t believe so. Both however trusted very much the precautions and instructions made by administrations in that regard. Most surveyed teachers seemed quite much aware about swine flu and decided to stick to the advised precautions if any infection appears in class. Some however refused to declare how they would behave in case they discover an infection in their classes. Most teachers said they would keep on washing hands, avoiding close contacts, keep windows open in classes for better air circulation. Some teachers declared that if they got infected themselves, they would stop coming to class until they are treated and clear from any infection. Others focused on the importance of awareness among students and the importance as well of being clear and honest with them whenever anything gets discovered in order to avoid panic. Some answered they would send any infected student to the corresponding responsible on campus. And a few didn’t give it any importance and believed it’s just simple flu. Most teachers confirmed having received official instructions from their universities and faculty personnel. Quite many teachers said however they didn’t get any official instructions yet and demanded so or said they would ask for it immediately by Jessica Chemali, Farah Shaer, Angi Ghanem and Bachir Zouein
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Campus activities
Summer 2009
Campus activities ter activities
For the first time in Lebanon LAU holds Japanese Noh thea
beginning In the end of August and first time the for of September and pus had cam rut Bei U LA in Lebanon, no ll-k wn Noh been visited by the we ewaka, who Um master, Dr. Naohiko ian Restaurant” Ital e “Th ed had perform ater at LAU” as a part of the “Noh The form of a is r activities. Noh Theate ma that dra al sic mu se classical Japane ce the 14th has been performed sin ies at LAU century. The Noh activit Department U’s LA by were organized tion in of Arts and Communica bassy Em the h wit n tio ora collab Arab the and n of Japan in Lebano r. nte Ce ng Theater Traini
LAU theater festival un ite
s performers from Midd
le East and Europe
The 1 2 Theat th Interna tiona re Fe st l Beiru t cam ival, took University pus o over place 20 n o and p 0 perform July 23–3 n LAU’s 0 rofes siona ing arts stu , featured Kuwa ls d it the N , Lebanon from Germ ents , Mor ether any, o la Emira cco, nds, t te S by th s and Turk he United yria, e Dep Arab ey. It artme was o Comm n rg u and S nication o t of Arts a anized nd cienc f L A U’s Sc es, th featu ho e re stude d played weeklong ol of Arts for six nts an festiv a with five p d graduate nights. LAU l roduc s part also in tio icipa c and c luded wo ns, The e ted lown r k s v hops ing sk poetr abo ent ills y organ reading, a , reading ut circus s ized s on ca well as th kills, and mpus e con . certs
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Kaslik T 09 216 174 - Verdun T 01 807 132
Campus activities
LAU SPONS ORED YOUTH ACADE MY TO PRESE NT PERFO RMING ARTS SHOW ON CAMP US er in summ ual buzz Hall s u n u n in as a There w pus’s Irw irut cam s of people had e B U A L at ore er how. Ov um as sc Auditori ared for a gala s ross ac p been pre d students from August n te o n le re ta e 0 n 20 rmed th o rf e llence o p e c n t Lebano outh Ex c Y je e ro th p f rt o on. The n a b 14 as pa e e L n Voic s cademy America ars in e Stage A th y b e ye n run had bee n for the last thre held g in io t e b ia c was Asso ypt, and t time by the g E d n a Iraq e firs on for th ton with in Leban ndation in Hous ou merican Levant F U, the A n A L f o rt America o the supp School and the ity Commun f Beirut. yo it rs Unive
AM V IS IT O F T H E
BA S S A D O R O
’S R E P U B L IC F THE PEOPLE
Office, e Public Relations Organized by: Th uk Mosbeh Friends’ Hall – Zo 09 20 Monday 1 June DU was ne 1st, N e H.E. Liu u J y a d On Mon y the visit of th China, its b n honored ho gave a talk o tions. w ela , R g ic in t a im Zh Diplom d n a oui, who h y s Econom re Dean Elie Ya est, Mr. we ished gu u g n Present ti is ublic d the d eral of P presente r, Director Gen . it e Gha h ata Suheil M nd Dean Chahin ied by Mr. an s, a accomp Relation r. ncy was e r, and M ll o e is c v x d E A l His a c ti li lin, Po Tan Bang Attaché. n, ia ij Z Guo
O F C H IN A
NDU
WO RK SH OP ON RE NE WA BL E EN ER GY
The workshop was attended by Dr. Fadi Kmeir, the general director of the water and electricity resources, Mr. Suheil Matar, Advisor to the The solar energy market and President & Director General, Public photovoltaic electricity in the tion, Dr. Assaad European union and the countries Relations & Informa Research and for t Presiden bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Eid, Vice Development, and a number of specialists and experts, Lebanese Organized by : The Ministry of energy and foreigners, in addition to the and water, an d the water, en ergy and universities professors and students. environment research cent er at Notre Everyone that attended the workshop Dame Universit y (WEERC-NDU ). agreed on the fact that global NDU conferen ce Hall – Zouk Mosbeh warming, air pollution, change of Saturday 20 Ju ne 2009 climate, are all a cause of concern.
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On August 13, Bassam Jalgha and Hassane Slaibi interpreted excerpts from “Jadal” by Marcel Khalifeh on oud and flute. Their vision of this musical piece that was originally composed for 2 ouds charmed the auditors that thursday night in Bathish Auditorium (West Hall), particularly that the inspired musicians departed from the original themes through several improvisations.
Campus activities
“JADAL” AT AU B
MI CH EL CH IH A ES SAY CO MP ET ITI ON AT AU B On June 11, 11000$ in cash prizes were awarded to 6 AUB students for best essays in the Michel Chiha essay competition. The competition, which star ted in the beginning of the spring semester, consisted in reflecting on Chi ha’s writings in light of Gaza’s massacres in January 2009. On June 11, the 6 fina lists were announced in a ceremony where they read excerpts from their ess ays to a large audience in College Hall.
HYDE PARK AUB
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e first time July 4, for th ay rd tu Sa n O ’ corner also the speakers since 1974, ld as part e park was he known as Hyd Worldwide e th union of Re s as Cl e th of e American ciation of th Alumni Asso f Beirut. University o as “AUB ar’s theme w Since this ye Present”, ics: Past and Student Polit lder alumni gave as o fresh as well activism and out student ab es ch ee sp eriences out their exp told stories ab thered people. One 0 ga in front of 30 ess of the that the succ e p f ho d ul o w e tradition o re-launch th ts en ud st r event would fo as a forum er rn co s ’ ar rs ye speake after 35 eir opinions to express th of hiatus!
by Farah Shaer, Bachir Zouein, Jessica Chemali
Documentary
BACK TO UNIVERSITYlder! a little o
Summer is coming to an end and it’s time to get serious again.
Going back to school is generally not the most fun experience students talk about. Most of us have a tendency to be lazy and prefer lying around all day. Well, honestly, there’s nothing wrong with that… That is, of course, if you want to spend your adult life without a proper education and working minimum wage (yet isn’t that the case with most university graduates? I know, it’s depressing.) Upon graduating from high school many students feel more knowledgeable and mature knowing that only a summer away they’ll be enrolled in universities where their young adult life is soon to begin. It is common knowledge that university life differs from school. When back in school one was constraint by classes, teachers, and the “bell”, university is a major shift. There are many challenges that meet new students and one of the earliest is registration. In my first semester, I looked around everywhere for my advisor. After giving up hope of finding him, I turned to a different professor. A semester later, I was told that my advisor had been out of the country for six months. Funny, isn’t it? Registration is easy enough when one gets the hang of it, but all students need a guide to help them at least get up on their own feet.
Anyone experienced in the world today knows that nothing is for free. Paying tuition fees is a process that takes place either yearly or by semester according to different universities. One student, who recently got accepted to AUB, states that he feels so free to be able to do all the paper work on his own. Back in school, his parents used to take care of the paper work and anything that includes finances, but now, he is running around campus trying to figure out how the system works and enjoying the fact that he himself is doing so. While most of us would agree that we have very little patience when it comes to these issues, he, on the other hand, believes he is gaining one more step towards independence. How many times has a school student been kicked out of class for not having their boovk? Answer: many times. University professors may not be as strict as school teachers when it comes to this issue. Although many professor do not accept having students in their class without their assigned books, others condone it. Yet, that does not imply that one can skip out on buying their books. After all, fun as university may be, you are here primarily to study (though many would disagree.)
Usually the first thing to note about a university is that it’s a bigger world with a larger variety of people. While back in school, everybody basically knew everybody, in university that is not the case. Since the campus is wide r it accommodates a bigger number of students who do not necessarily come from the same backgrounds. Socializing is usually a part of university life where new friendships are made. Since there’s a high possibility that one would have long breaks between one class and the next, many choose to call up a friend and hang out. A student has the opportunity to mingle with minds they’ve never met before and to discover people who range from being exactly like them, to complete opposites. Students may have many talents or passions towards certain subjects. Being able to play a musical instrument or having a knack for debate. Wanting to exercise your body or enjoy reading your eyes out. University clubs give students the chance to express and let out what they have. They are a way to explore one’s self and also meeting others with the same interests.
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Teachers, where all of them are allowed to make comments about all the students and basically run the school together, vs. professors who couldn’t care less what you’re wearing, what your hair looks like, weather you’re chewing, if you have a cell phone with you…
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School uniform vs. the libe rty to dress how you like (to a certain extent).
havior Being called to the principal’s office in case of misbe even don’t you vs. simply getting kicked out of class where will. free own your of out want to be anyway, or leaving
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5 8
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The school bell which every student is supposed to follow vs. more flexible timing and showing up to class at a flexible timing (mind you, not all professors condone that behavior).
be Forced to attend class and if caught out of class would to, want don’t you do, , attend to punished vs. “you want ic you’re the one wasting your money,” (said by a gener certain a g professor, however in the case of LAU missin number of class time might get you in trouble).
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Calling one’s parents in various cases like failing an exam or misbehavior vs. a university student who would be held responsible for their own actions.
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Not allowed to leave the pre mises vs. coming and going as you please.
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be all that Forced into taking classes and subjects one may not for. up signed you what ng studyi are you vs. in interested
Yet, the closer graduation day is, the more pressure is put on those who are soon to graduate. As said above, they will be entering the “real world,” where they will be met with new challenges and difficulties and students will try to equip themselves with knowledge, skills, experiences and the like. For a student to be ready for life after university, many would have been developing skills, weather inside or outside the university, that are related (or sometimes not) to what they are studying and what careers they are planning to pursue later in life. Some take on part time jobs, others turn to freelancing and some join classes, institutes, companies and clubs outside their university. With the help of these newly developed skills, students can write more impressive CVs and generally learn more about themselves, their potential and how the working world in their society functions.
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Many graduating students consider traveling and working abroad in order to make enough money to come back to Lebanon someday and establish their life here again, yet sadly, a lot of them never actually return. Other students think of getting married and starting families of their own. Some, also, choose to continue their education to either gain a masters or a Ph.D. degree. No matter, all of us will soon be faced with responsibilities that if not met would result in heavy consequences that do not include probation or the dean’s office.
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Some components of school as most of us know it:
Graduation day is the day most of us bring tears of joy to our parents’ eyes. They had been waiting for this day to come for a long time, and also, they’d like to believe that all the money spent on their children’s education would amount for something.
Documentary
All beautiful things (or not, depending on the student) must come to an end. In general, the case is that university students enjoy university life the most in the first two years. Whatever is left, they start hoping the day they graduate and enter the “real world” would come sooner.
held.
* The yearly mas celebrations. *Christ and workshops. * Conferences The International Students Dinners. *
Ramadan (Eid Il-Ftr) dinner.
and many more activities that the university keeps posted online or through flyers that are hung on boards, in hallways and offices.
Any student who never faced a registration problem upon entering university is a very lucky person. Problems range from conflicting course timings, lack of courses, not very helpful advisors, full classes, learning how to use the system, unavailable computers, lousy internet connection and many, many more…many. Rabeeh, a first year student, had to struggle with five courses in order to be able to fix his schedule. Due to many reasons, he can’t take summer courses and needs to graduate in three years, so he cannot waste any time. A few of the problems he dealt with signing up for classes were the lack of seats, where he had to go look for different classes, which caused him to have time conflicts. Since his advisor wasn’t much help, he himself didn’t know how to assist Rabeeh, the student is currently stuck waiting for the drop and add period in case some seats become vacant.
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Another student was trying to register for a class which was about half empty. As registration time approached, she clicked to sign in, yet was faced with
Cars
These stories are merely scratching the surface of all the other problems students face every semester. Try running around campus for an entire month and be passed along five different professors then end up taking a class that wasn’t even the class of your choice. Yes…poor me. Along with tuition fees, transportation, food, and all other necessary things for university and life in general, there are certain items one must have in order to have a comfortable university life.
LAPTOPS are invading most students’ daily lives and frequently student are seen carrying them on campus or cafes and the like. Nowadays, with the outbreak of electronics, learning methods, presentations, and assignments are getting more demanding. The student is expected to expand their learning outside university and laptops assist students in that area.
CELLULAR PHONES scarcely is a university student seen without a cell phone. Many people are heavily dependent on their phones and “feel lost without them.” Because of the multiple options (messaging, games, Bluetooth, videos, music…) people tend to forget that a phone was originally for people to talk to each other. Many students call their friends in between classes to meet up or hang out.
Books
Student council elections, like * (almo st) every year, elections are
Other annoying problems occur when you realize that the curriculum has changed and courses you had taken before no longer count towards your graduation, which forces you to write a countless number of petitions so that the classes you took don’t go to waste.
CARS though it isn’t unusual that some students don’t have cars, the majority do. When you live far away from your campus, you need comfortable means of transportation. Though some students turn to buses, taxis, their parents, dorms, and relatives for easier transportation, many agree that they’d have preferred having cars of their own.
BOOKS as said above, the main purpose of coming to university is to learn, so books are a major item in university life…yet many students choose to: either get the material online, or not get books at all.
Stationnary
their choice.
Laptops
recruitment days, where * Club students can sign up for clubs of
errors upon errors. That is due to the large number of students all registering at the same time. After only fifteen minutes, the class of her choice was full. She didn’t take the course till the semester after that.
Cellular phones
Documentary
Upon entering university, new students will have some expectations of the kind of on goings they’ll meet. Of the few events offered are:
STATIONNARY as said above, the main purpose of coming to university is to learn, so books are a major item in university life…yet many students choose to: either get the material online, or not get books at all.
An issue that students face is original books vs. photocopied books. Though knowing that it is unethical to photocopy books, few stick by that moral rule. When it comes to original books, they’re usually: expensive, will only be used for a semester or two, and a new edition comes out the year that succeeds. In that case students feel that it is impractical to buy the original. While photocopied books are usually: cheap, black and white, and without a front or back cover, students tend to turn to them. Though, as said above, it’s unethical to photocopy books, many professors overlook that fact because they share the students’ opinions. Yet others are strictly against that and refuse to allow students to come to class with photocopied books. Especially in the English department (believe me, I’m an English major student.) by Reem Abou Ismail
Documentary !
!
!
The Gate Statistics Most admissions offices in universities are not sure yet how many new students will be joining. Usually not all accepted students register for courses. however with distribution is almost equal, In most universities, gender students and number of female enrolled a remarkable increase in the ulties (for example: fac der distribution in some remarkable differences in gen 70% male in und aro vs. sciences faculties around 70% female in food engineering faculties).
Most admissions offices in universities are not sure yet how many new students will be joining. Usually not all accepted students register for courses. Most universities increased their tuition fees by around 2 to 5 %.
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by Jessica Chemali, Bachir Zouein
Academics
Virtual Classrooms? Most advanced cultures depend on the usage of electronics.
photo taken by Mazen Phones, laptops, televisions, mp3 players and many more are instantly becoming an essential part of our Lives eone How many times do you hear som ne”? pho my out say, “I’d be lost with these which only proves how dominant a upy devices are and how they occ hing Teac ine. rout large part of our daily too, , They . rent diffe no institutes are rely on technology to help advance eve their teaching methods. Some beli ely usiv excl not are gies that technolo electronic devices, but also involve architecture and ambience. Of the many electronic devices used ular in teaching, some of the more pop ble ena They rs. are overhead projecto l eria mat the are prep to r the presente a in it ent pres and nd reha befo e. classroom just the way it was don e PLAGIARISM is a major problem whil the and writing essays, term papers like. Teachers refer to “Turn-It-In”, which is an online application that automatically checks any submitted papers for plagiarism.
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Moodle and WebCT are also online applications that provide online l, courses that include course materia as well as nts nme assig g ittin subm her student-student and student-teac communication.
In a discussion with Lina Abu Rislan, an AUB architecture graduate, who currently works at an architectural firm, she shared information about the modern classrooms being constructed at AUB with the coordination of FPDU (The Facilities Planning and Development Unit at AUB). She says the first goal of this new technology is that anyone can use it. “You learn by interaction.” She says there are ba sically three comforts to this ne w technology: First, is the physical comfort, which is what, she says, archit ects worry about. For example, the de sire to change the configuration of the tables, it’s possible. Also, the atmosphere and the colors fall unde r that category. “The class is competi ng with your bedroom,” since no wadays one can obtain information anywhere (example, the internet.). Seco nd, is the social comfort, which contr ibutes to the class having its own “identity” (versus “generic”) working in groups, and, in Lina’s words “you fee l like something interesting is happen ing.” Third, is the technological comf ort. The idea of the modern classroom is not simply being high-tech but abou t making use of the technology available and being user friendly.
Jannoun
Some of these cla ssrooms have the “CONSOLE” which can be used both by teachers and students. It is constituted of: an audiovisual syste m, interactive board, wireless, and atmospheric cont rol (sensors,) no t to mention speakers embedded in the ceiling. Simply, on e can plug in their laptop and everyth ing is projected. When the touch screen is being us ed, the notes are au tomatically saved to be either posted on line or printed (in case of lectures and th e like.)
However, the do wnfall of this idea is that many teache rs were not traine d to use this techno logy, and some ev en refused to use it. In their opinion it is too informal and too technological. In one classroom, all the tables are ro und with no specific desk for the teac her which bridges th e gap between student and teac her making any hierarchy fairly inv isible. Yet it is agre ed that the students like it in general.
G TIME: 1 SAVIN Having to write material on the board
is very time-consuming. If the teacher simply uses the projector for all the class to see providing them with the information s/he had prepared before, it will save a lot of the class’s time.
G MATERIAL: 2 inMIStheSINcas e that a teacher accide nta
lly skips a point or, maybe a student is late to class or absent, hav ing the material online ensures that it is consistent and that all the students hav e access to it.
3 PLAGIARISM: How unpractical would it be if a teacher had to check every written essay or term paper (sometimes up to 25 pages) manually for students (sometimes up to 40 students)? “TurnIt-In” provides almost instant plagiarism check for the papers presented. VISUAL PRESENTATIONS: 4 INTERACTIVE Sometimes, for presentation, teachers ask their students to provide the class with a power point presentation as well. The use of electronics helps convey that student’s message. Instead of only the use of words, the student would be able to display pictures and videos. INFORMATION: 5 MORE A teacher or student can expand their topics by the use of online databases and increase their knowledge at the same time allowing them to elaborate and find credible resources.
6 HANDWRITING: The use of these items gives a clearer view for vision. It’s for the simple reason that some teachers’ handwriting is many times unreadable. As said before, not all teachers and students approve of the use of this technology and they too have reasons for that: NTION: 1 ATTE When watching a movie in class, many
students tend to doze off and lose their concentration either because the topic is not personally interesting or because they take advantage of the teacher’s unawareness. That device will not ask a student to pay attention and focus on the lesson.
SKIPPING CLASSES: 2 Havi ng the material and assignments
online gives the student an excuse to skip class. In that case s/he will miss the chance to ask questions or benefit from other students’ questions as well as miss out on any additional material discussed in class.
3 COMMUNICATION: Some people believe that technology is advancing at a rapid pace where human communication is becoming less frequent. University is not just about acquiring information but also about self development and creating a social network by bonding with people. Depending too much on the machine will make this human to human interaction almost invisible. by Reem Abou Ismail
Technology is fast, important and depended on. Teachers are there not purely for academic purposes. To produce an almost perfect teaching method, having both the teacher and the technology present can insure providing that.
“ The mediocr e teacher tell s The good teach er explains But the great teacher inspir es. ” William Art hur Ward
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Teachers and students can have very different views about the practicality and assistance of these devices. From one standpoint, the teacher and student can be pro technology and fully approve of the usage of the items listed above for many reasons:
Academics
y On the oth er ha nd, hu ma ns ha ve ne ver com ple tel agreed or disagreed on any certain issue.
Academics
In an interview with Dr. Samer Habre the Chairperson of the Computer Science and Mathematics at LAU’s Beirut campus, here’s what he had to say: When asked how technology is help ing improve reaching course objective s, Dr. Habre’s first response was “VISUALIZATION OF CONCEPTS.” Bein g a math professor, he gave the exam ple of graphs, points, and curves and how some computer programs help stud ents see exactly what they are being taug ht.
wings On paper, pictures and dra te so ura acc tely are never comple ms do gra pro er put com e what som make and ture pic the t fec per p is hel ct exa ir the in are it so that all points ves cur the and ph, gra place on the . Concept neatly connect those points t, yet trac abs y definitions can be ver in the ist ass can y log hno computer tec leading ts cep con se the of n atio visualiz tanding of to a more complete unders oting him, Qu . ght tau ng the material bei puter, com the of ect asp ical “the dynam an lf itse by not just a still picture,” is e course advantage for reaching som objectives. Professor Habre shares his in the experiences while he was hnology tec the all t tha said USA. He sroom clas the needed is provided in student ry eve ses clas e and that in som ver, reo Mo er. put com n ow has their can ers information on the comput dents be shared between the stu students the en we bet or themselves r has and their teacher. The teache the in ers put access to all the com be can s nt me ign ass classroom and er in his/ put com r’s che tea the on seen ed about her own office. So when ask
what is yet on the way in that field, he expressed his desire in having that technology here in Lebanon. He also told of LAU Byblos being up to date in the medical school where virtual labs are included for example. However, there are many constraints facing the development of these technologies, the leading one being teachers themselves. Some teachers are not willing to adopt new methodologies in teaching for various reasons. The level of preparation of incoming students who come from various backgrounds, some schools being technologically advanced and others traditional, also creates an obstacle since LAU is a university with a diverse student body. Not everyone is prepared to use technology. Naturally there are financial constraints that stand in the way of acquiring new devices for teaching. And finally, space; LAU, Beirut, simply, is not big enough to dedicate classrooms that can accommodate the various technological devices being introduced to the market.
Professo rH new tec abre ensures th hniques at these are par accredi t of the tation req that LA U aspire uirements and s to hav comput e er-equi pped cla up to date ssrooms.
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Soci-Selections p.24 SOCIAL ISSUE : Dorms’ Life: Living on the Large p.28 CAREER ORIENTATION : Interview with Dr. Maryam Ghandour, Head of AUB’s Career and Placement Services office p.30 NGOS AND YOUTH : interview with Kunhadi’s Lena Gebran: “Student communities lack the culture of activism”
p.34 LIFESTYLE How to look STYLISH on campus this fall?
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p.32 FEATURED INTERVIEW : Abdo Feghali
Social Issue
Dorms’ Life Living on the Large students h school ig h t s o e m that m w life, th the drea start a ne is nds is a to o le t a b u c y s o il b are a al fam e large u y s th e u n th e o n th e fe Living li cially wh free from social norms. ave, espe dependent and h the close to to d n te to live by henever they get from d Being in . te c fe e li p y x it w e e lds: univers nt. One is et themselves fre ities it ho e il m ib e s v n ie o h p s s cademic hard ac choose to tyle with all the re managing one’s a y n a m r, s e in Howev It is a life cceeding lifestyle. me to su ti n certain o s a college e rch for a cours a e e s th e g th in rt driving to attend dents sta ome and tu . s h fe y g li it l in rs y ia e c ta rs ratio to univ and so a dorm o there is no fixed run, new in e y tl th n n e o end drive to ge, Once ing indep acing this challen e may choose to others, v li : fe li f way o r day. F le. Som certain very othe st desirab us dorm and for college e ich option is mo p am wh r an on-c g. whether y look fo a sin m u o rs h e us oth off-camp college, n o s e li e re the choic
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When asked about what they like about a dorm’s life, some answered that dorm’s life does not only provide the fun but also an environment suitable for studying. It also saves energy and time as per going every day from home to college. So, it compensates the reality of getting sucked up in jam (for it is a bitter reality in Lebanon) and getting late to class. It is true that a dorm’s life offers independence and freedom to certain but on-campus dorms seem to some like “a boarding school”. With all the rules and regulations hovering about an on-campus dorm, most students who experienced it have changed their location during their second years of college. Sophie explains: “College experience is not purely about learning academic things. A student should have fun experiences as well which are easier to develop in the offcampus atmosphere”. On the other hand, many are not interested in such a lifestyle. To them, although a dorm might be an intriguing idea, however keeping close to the family is relieving. Family confers financial support and emotional encouragement. Furthermore, living with parents is cheaper and more convenient as per daily chores. For example, most students living in dorms dislike laundry, preparing food sometimes, but most of all the cleaning up of the room from time to time. These tasks are not as heavy on ‘stayhome’ students as they are on dormers. On the social scale, a dorm’s life is a target which most students are willing to consider even though they may not have the means to achieve it, whereas on the economic scale, dorms provide an extra income to universities and job opportunities to the offcampus dorm managers. Reality is that oncampus dorms cost more than off-campus ones. Per semester, on-campus dorms cost somewhere from $1000 to around $5000. These prices do not include food and laundry. They vary according to the
description of the room. In other words, the price varies as per square meter of space (number of bathrooms, balconies, living and dining rooms, private kitchenette...), per occupancy (1 or 2 residents), and per individual space (single or shared bedroom). On-campus dorms present more rules and regulations to follow. There are curfews, policies regarding friends who aren’t allowed on premises except for the common lounge area which is shared space between the girls’ and the boys’ dorms. Moreover, a lot of gossip sometimes goes around dorms, whether the girls’ or the boys’. But finally, there’s a certain “something” when choosing to live in an on-campus dorm. Not only does it provide more security to its residents and in return get the parents to feel safer sending their children to live on their own, but also, it offers many advantages such as being close to the university’s library, laboratories, and also acquiring a secure online connection, despite some restrictions on chat rooms and other rated sites. Overall, on-campus dorms provide quick access regarding the academic life. After all, isn’t this one of the reasons to choose living on-campus? In contrast, an off-campus dorm is a different option. Most of those who choose the off-campus housing have already experienced the above-mentioned lifestyle. A major percentage of students change from on-campus to off-campus housing, and that for many reasons. Of these, the prominent motive goes for the rules and regulations regarding the college dorms, especially when it comes to curfews. Although parents can sign a waiver allowing their children to skip curfews, but in the end, it is the university policy that sometimes wins over all. Moreover, off-campus dorms do not restrict their residents but to keep a safe environment and abide by the social standard rules. Friends are allowed anytime, there is no real curfew, and the online connection has no restrictions on chat rooms or other sites such as Facebook or media streaming sites. In spite of this, off-campus dorms do not provide counsellors or supervisors to be contacted in case of illness, stress, or bad times. These residents must fully depend on themselves. Friends can be of great help in times of need, but sometimes, some days just require a professional help around to set things back on track.
ll but a Yes, the dorm’s life is a thri ut having fun abo is It . too ty, responsibili is about being it also and amusement but ever, no How . ible cred and rthy trustwo leading ice, cho ’s one matter where lies the sign such an independent life is successful for growth for managing a be wise and adulthood.Let you choice rt hea your be honest!
“ mSoigme of the things you
ht forget to get but you’ll definit ely need be fore settling in yo ur supposed ly “furnished” dorm
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
”
Clothes’ hangers Umbrella or rain coat All hygiene materials and equipment Decoratives Razors First aid kits Towels / Washcloth Long Sheets Blankets Pillows Stationary Lamps Heaters and fans Laundry Bags Soap and cleaning utilities Iron Your laptop Scientific calculator DVD player Kitchen tools ETC...
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The dorm’s life represents the fun and the thrill of life. Waking up in the morning with a roommate is different somehow than waking up with a sister or a brother in the same room. This presents a unique chance to learn to live in a group, accept others and meet new people. The experience of living in a dorm (whether on or off- campus) is a genuine event in the personal growth of a person. The idea of hanging around friends all day is impressive, and more impressive is the idea of being able to handle one’s matters without the reliance on parents.
Social Issue
The advantages and disadvantages of both these choices are many.
by Jowell Bouzeid
THE GATE Statistics
Social Issue
CAROLINE H.: “I think nothing is better than home. You eat home-made food, wh en you use the toilet you ’re sure it’s clean and you don’t spend you r time locking up your things inside closets so people don’t eat your food or dress your clothes.” DANA F.: “I would pre fer to stay at home bec ause everything is given to me, although the dorms are an easier facility to stay in university to work and do your homework as a design student.” SOURAYA T.: “In genera l, it was a challenge and I’ve never expected that I’ll get use d to it. It has a lot of po sitive effects on building your person ality, yet it’s not that eas y on person’s psychology. Anyway, if they ask me to repeat the experience, I’d go for it for a while. No thing can be compared to one’s home.” FARAH B.: “At the beg inning one finds it more of an adventurous new life, but later on it turns out to be a much more responsible life. Though it’s a bit tou gh especially on those used to be fed by their moms but yet it’s a very good and import ant experience.” HAIFA F: “I prefer to live in dorms to have my ow n freedom. I don’t have the rules tha t I would still be having if I was still living with my parents. Living in dorms gave me the ability to meet my male friends and study together. However, my parents wouldn’t accept this if I lived wit h them in the weekdays . Still more, I would prefer to have my own apartment too , in order to be able to paint the walls with my favorite colors , let my pets live with me, and get the suit able furniture for me.” IMANE K.: “Well, yes and no. Living in a dorm has many privileges such as independence and amusement, which living with other girls provide. However , there are some disadv antages. Having no family around adds the burden of taking full responsibility of one’s own self. Things like food, money which are taken for granted when living wit h a family become an additional concern that must be taken into consideration when livin g alone, yet the most important thing wh ich living in a dorm can not provide is emotional security. The girls who usually share the house come from different social bac kgrounds and may not understand the struggles that I underg o.” NOUR H.: “Yes becaus e living in the dorms tau ght me how to hold responsibility and management of the hou se, the money, the security... It lets stu dents act as an indepe ndent adult and as a result you will be an adult for sure.”
As a university student, do you prefer to stay in a dorm instead of home? Why yes? Or why not?
NOUR T.: “Well, both pla ces have their advantage s and disadvantages! The ma in reason for choosing to live in a dorm is to be near the university and save time getting there everyday, then comes the side wh ere you get to depend on yourself and carry the responsibility of everything. Still no one can deny that it is hard sometimes to be away from your fam ily and friends. It’s a great experience act ually that teaches you the value of your family and home especi ally if you already have your complete freedom there. Regard less of everything I still prefer a dorm instead of home especi ally when it comes to studying because in a dorm you live with stu dents that would help and provide you with a better atmospher e for studying.”
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RACHA H.: “Yes. Sure I believe one should be living separately from his parents, since this will gradually get him /her used to the responsible life the y will live later. Also this will allow them not to have any gap fro m directly transforming from living and depending on their par ents than living away of home and starting to learn lots of stuff in life which most probably will take some thinking and you know nothing abo ut it due to your complete dependenc e on your parents.”
by Farah Shaer
Expanding Opportunity through Education and Training
Special Events in October
October 27
October 2 Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts)
US University Fair
Meet Northeastern University representative and learn more about their scholarships and programs Location: AMIDEAST Office, downtown Beirut, Time: 4:00 pm
25 Universities Attending! Meet in person with representatives of 25 American universities to learn about all of their degree programs and scholarship opportunities Location: Movenpick Hotel Time: 6-9 pm
October 26 Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, Florida) Meet Florida Institute of Technology representative and learn more about their degrees and programs Location: AMIDEAST Office, downtown Beirut, Time: 4:00 pm
Study in the USA Free Workshops Studying in the USA: Undergraduate Study October 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29
Test Prep Courses SAT courses: October 1 - October 30
TOEFL courses:
Studying in the USA: Graduate Study October 5, 12, and 19
October 1 - October 30
GRE and GMAT courses:
Undergraduate Financial Aid Application:
October 7 - November 16
October 21
Essay Writing for University Applications: October 7
Location: Time:
AMIDEAST office, downtown Beirut 4:00 pm
English Language Courses – All Levels! Classes are held two times a week Beginning October 7 and ending November 23
About AMIDEAST: Established in 1951, AMIDEAST is a private American nonprofit organization engaged in international education, training and development assistance. With over 20 field and country offices in the Middle East and North Africa and more than 600 dedicated professional staff on the ground, AMIDEAST provides programs and services to improve educational opportunities and quality, strengthen local institutions, and develop language and professional skills for success in the global economy.
For more information about our workshops, events and services, please contact us: Phone: 01 989901
Email: lebanon@amideast.org
Web: www.amideast.org/lebanon
Career Orientation
Dr. Maryam Ghandour Head of AUB’s Career and Placement Services office speaks to The Gate
“
um a minim g n i d i v We’re pro ear! obs per y of 800 j
”
Q: What’s the career and placement services office for? What does it do exactly?
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A: When the CPS was first founded, in 1991, it was intended to provide academic and personal counseling. As of January 2003, its services were officially extended to include placement services. We offer a wide range of services which we can organize under two broad categories. A- CAREER COUNCELING - We help students choose a major that suits their personalities - We help students who are not satisfied with their major to switch majors - We do a lot of workshops aimed at developing the soft skills of our students - We give tutorials and workshops on how to write resumes, motivation letters… - We help them learn how to market their skills B- PLACEMENT - We invite a lot of recruiters to give presentations all year long. - We organize job fairs - We try to provide Scholarships opportunities - We help students get summer or parttime jobs - We help them get full-time jobs
A: We’re providing a minimum of 800 jobs (part-time and ful l-time)/year
Q: Do you encounte r any nonconventional require ments from companies such as re strictions on religion or political views?
Q: We notice that most students end up surprised with their jobs because they didn’t know what opportunities their major opens. So how much do you focus on career orientation to help students select the major that they want to work in? A: I will answer you very frankly about this. If our students attended all the recruitment presentations that we organize on campus they would become very familiar with the job market and the skills needed. We send hundreds of thousands of emails informing them about presentations offered by a wide range of companies. We start sending an invitation/week one month before the presentation to every student. And I personally ask the companies to give samples to the students so that they know what the job is about, what skills are needed, what is the process of getting hired, if they will go through personality tests and so on. If the students do attend these presentations they will perfectly be aware of the opportunities their major opens.
Q: What percentage of students is the CPS capable of finding jobs for?
A:Never have I heard the word religion in my office! As for po litics it is totally irrelevant here. I believe that the students work very ha rd during their college years and the y should be hired based on merit criter ia. Sometimes, however, there are res trictions on gender because of legal matters. This happens especially with companies based in the gulf; they some times require female applicants an d other times ask only for male applica nts.
Q: Rumors say there are “lucky” students who get sp ecial job offers not published to all students. Is that true? A: Look by yourself. Between meetings and preparations, I pe rsonally don’t have time to work on the computer. The students do all the processing, from searching for job vacancies to forwarding the inform ation to the AUB students. You can ask them about these rumors and the y wouldn’t hide anything to you. You can easily check by yourself just by co ming to the CPS office anytime. The stu dents are the ones responsible of forwarding job vacancies. I trust the m and I am always nearby supervising the work.
Career Orientation Q: Do most students easily interact with the CPS office or do you feel they still don’t believe much in such advanced services and thus do not get themselves listed for job offers? A: I always get very good feedback about our services. The satisfaction rate is very high according to the OIRA (Office of Institutional Research and Assessment). I am sure that they believe in our services because the students who interact with us are actually being recruited!
A: Most jobs are located in the Gulf. But we also have connections with companies in Europe and many places around the world. We do get jobs offers in Lebanon, but to a lesser extent and they are less paid.
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Q: Are the job offers you get mostly located in Lebanon or abroad? How well paid is each?
Q: What if a company treated badly the students that were hired from AUB? What facilities do you have to deal with such cases?
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A: This rarely happens and is usually related to a delay in payment. In such cases I call the company and the problem is fixed very rapidly. by Jessica Chemaly
NGOs and Youth
Kunhadi’s Lena Gebran “Student communities lack the culture of activism” Most university students are probably well aware of the famous Lebanese NGO Kunhadi, which is dedicated to spreading awareness concerning road safety. Kunhadi was established after a young man, Hady Gebrane, passed away in car accident. His friends proposed the formation of an NGO so that other drivers could avoid facing what he faced. His parents agreed to the idea and now Kunhadi is one of most active NGOs working on road safety issues. Kunhadi’s campaign this year concentrated on two main problems: “speeding” and “drinking and driving.” The Gate Magazine interviewed Mrs. Lena Gebrane, Hady’s mother, in order to learn more about Kunhadi’s role in spreading awareness at universities and the role students may play in helping the NGO achieve its mission.
Q: How does Kunhadi spread awareness at universities? A: In some cases the Offices of Student Affairs coordinate events and lectures with Kunhadi and in other cases Kunhadi is asked by university clubs to organize lectures, stands, awareness campaigns and other events. For example, at AUB, Kunhadi participated in “Volunteer Day” organized by the Office of Student Affairs and in a conference organized by the Red Cross Club. How Kunhadi spreads awareness depends on the situation and the university.
Q: Do you face any constraints during your on-campus activities? A: We now find constraints from the administrations of universities. It is easy to organize stands for an event or an activity. However, our main problem at university campuses is that we don’t have many people interested in listening to lectures or attending conferences. At the Lebanese University we contacted the Minister of Interior to be able to organize events there. They agreed, but we did not succeed in doing so.
Q: How important are university students in the structure of your NGO? A: Our organization works hard to have a youthful spirit; this spirit is important for us since the youth have strong self-initiative and motivation. During Volunteer Day we succeeded in attracting a lot interested youth to our organization; we felt that we had succeeded in gaining the spirit which is necessary for us.
Q: How do university students benefit from being active in your organization? A: First of all, what we are doing is for their safety and to save more lives. At the end of the day, any accomplishments we are having is in their interest. In addition, when students work for any project, they will feel concerned about the result of their effort and work. Thus, this will make the principles and awareness of road safety more firm in their minds and hence in the mentality of student communities.
Q: What if thei r activism confl icts with their stud ies? A: Of course, studying is on e of the constraints stud ents have. Man y students who are volunteerin g with us would like to spend more tim e on their activism, but th ey can’t beca use they have to make time for their studies. However, this is not the mai n problem we are facing at universities; the main problem is th e lack of the cu lture of activism in ou r student com munities.
Q: Do you ha ve any future plans involvin g universities and university stud ents?
A: For the next year we are pl anning many awaren ess campaigns , stands, fliers, and lect ures at Lebane se universities. W e were recent ly asked by the administ ration of Notre Dame University (NDU ) to be availabl e at the beginning of th e academic ye ar. We will use all avai lable means to reach the Lebanese yout h.
30 by Ali Nouredine
Featured Interview
Abdo Feghali Modestly and with no restrictions, Abdo Feghali welcomes The Gate in a humble office right next to a breathtaking Mitsubishi rally car. At first we thought it wouldn’t be easy to reach one of the Middle East’s most famous rally drivers to conduct this interview, but to our surprise, it all just took a facebook message, a phone call and we’re all set! Born and raised in a family of famous top racers, Abdo Feghali’s quest to become a racing star was not a hard dream but simply a very challenging one. In a world where money and sponsors seem to overcome skills and passion as keys to succeed and reach, Abdo Feghali brilliantly paved his way to the stars and gave The Gate this interview.
1977 Born on 22 Oct, 1998 Started rallying in s started 70 Rallies & Race s finished 58 Rallies & Race 28Wins overall 56 podiums 41 group wins
2000 Lebanese Group “N” Champion. 2002 & 2003 Second in the Lebanese Rally Championship
2004 Lebanese Rally Champion 2005 Lebanese Rally Champion 2006 Lebanese Rally Champion 2006 Lebanese Hill Climb Champion 2007 Middle East Hill Climb Champion 2007 Lebanese Hill Climb Champion 2008 Middle East Hill Climb Champion 2008 Lebanese Hill Climb Champion 2008 1st Lebanese Speed Test
Champion
3 races of Champions participation (KSA and Italy)
9 World Rally Championship Participations
ea u can becom o y 0 0 ,0 0 0 0 With $1, pion ! Rally Cham
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Abdo Feghali’s first achievements go back to 1998 when, at the age of 21, he first started to participate in official rallies and made good positions on a Renault Clio Williams car, and then, in partnership with Lebanese rally star Jean-Pierre Nasrallah, founded the Rally and Safety School.
The Recipe?
To progress and become a star, Abdo Feghali reveals his recipe: Start training at early age in Karting, Hill Climb and Speed Test fields. Then attempt for a rally championship, try to make some noticeable results and that would attract sponsors to you to cover your participation and improvement costs. And then it would be up to you to develop your skills, excel and make it to the top positions.
Sponsors!
Here comes the pain. Feghali himself gave up on “knocking doors” to get sponsors for his rally participation. “They are the ones who should come to me and not the other way around, especially that media coverage gives them tremendous exposure”. According to Feghali as well, some sponsors adopt certain drivers rather than others simply for sectarian reasons. Feghali adds that a sponsoring company would sponsor a driver from the Gulf rather than a Lebanese one, simply because it would give them more marketing exposure, even if the
Customs on imported Rally cars should be cancelled , like it the case in Jordan.
Any organization?
“ATCL is the only organizing body in Lebanon in the field of speed sports. For 13 years I tried to establish an organization for rally drivers in Lebanon but failed 3 times, the last one being in 2009”. “We have a lot of demands, among which the cancellation of customs on imported rally cars, like it is the case in Jordan”. “But ATCL is doing a good job and I thank them for it”.
Can we compete?
“Lebanese drivers are very close to the world-class rally levels. We have high capacities although governments give us minimal attention and we perform individually rather than through a professional union. The level of speed racing in Lebanon is excellent and that is why famous world rally champions came to Lebanon already.”
Politics…
“The reason why we fail to host major world rally events, especially such as formula one races, is that we are classified as an unstable state in the region”.
$ 1,000,000 !!
I’m optimistic about the future lly in Lebanon
Featured Interview
How did it all start?
essentially on ge tting a competin g car and building a strong successfu l team to operate and win. Baghera to ok that path back in 19 92.” My family, my pr iority! Abdo Feghali go t married alread y. His family is now his top priority. He believes he real ized a great de al of his dreams and it’s fairly enough.
Christopheor fArab
do Feghali “If my son has th e passion for sp eed and rallies and wishes to join th is field, I would definite ly encourage hi m. But if he doesn’t, I wouldn’t push for it or impose it on hi m. Safety…Safety… Safety! “Safety and secu rity are very impo rtant for rallies. In Le banon, we need to work on our ra lly stages and gi ve high attention to security and safety measures on ro ads. Otherwise , it would be hard for professiona l drivers to come to Leba non and partici pate.” Youth and Spe
e
d? “Despite all diffi culties, I’m very optimistic abou t the future of this hobby in Lebano n and I encour age everyone who feels he or she has the passion for it to go through the right procedures”. Speed… not o
n
the street! “I’m not proud of anyone drivi ng fast on public road s and I personal ly lose all respect for such people!”
“To guarantee a championship, you need at least a one million dollar budget! Those would be spent
Final Message.
“
Thanks for The Gate magazine. I hope my message reaches well. And for those who love speed, go for a speed test. It’s cheap and there’s your only right start!
”
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Feghali’s recipe: Karting, Hill Climb, Rally! Speed Test and finally…
latter’s CV was better than the former’s. In that regard, Feghali thanks REDBULL, his main sponsor for the last 8 years, which is very unusual in Lebanon and the Middle East.
Lifestyle
HOW TO LOOK
STYLISH
ll?
on campus this fa
Salute this season with the
For Girls
latest FASHION TRENDS l 2009! and accessories for fal by Jasmin. B
*
Outfit jeans and
*
top, jacket…
Tight jeans or a flowery cotton dress when you go to university.
SHOES Wear heels, sneakers, boo ts and the * mo st popular in universities Birk en-
stock...any color which goe s well with your clothes. Don’t underv alue the power of transforming an out fit with a shoe change. Day is all abo ut comfort. Additionally, understand tha t shoes can either make or crack you r look.
ACCESSORIES with cute eye catchy jewelry, watches,
asses. Ask yourself, “What * belts, sungl thing I like that no one else
is some wears?“. One to three necklaces, a bracelet and earrings are more than enough to wear. Try to make them match the style of the outfit. Also, wear trendy sunglasses: Aviators, oversized or mirror shades including Ray-Ban, Police, etc…
Try new styles, don’t just have the same hair everyday. Let your hair look terrific on daily basis”, says hair parlor
HAIR
* PERFUME
*
Put on Perfume to smell nice all day on campus. Use the new fragrance ELLE SHOCKING by Yves Saint Laurent or Paco Rabanne Black XS (with the astounding pink and black bottle),etc..
Hair is the vital key for a good look, therefore, you should treat your hair always with moisturizers and conditioners, you should also cut your hair and ensure that it’s in a fine and healthy. Every type and color of hair needs different hairstyle. Thus, straighten up and make it curly whenever you go to university or if you don’t have time, just dry it and brush it very neatly. You might color your hair or highlight it for a diverse appearance.
NAIL POLISH
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*
BAGS Glam up your hands...put on French manicure, even red, pink, or transparent nail polish. Keep them always clean and neat..
*
bags in Don’t forget the large trendy etc … er, silv ite, colors like black, wh . also fit can ks where the boo
Lifestyle
For Boys
MAKE UP
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jackets Pair of dark jeans with light colored shirts and purple Try ! outfit your with ive and vice versa. Be creat for you time It’s ts. jacke black rs, blaze blue shirts, dark . to explore and build up your style sense
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ly students don’t put make up on
* Usual daily basis, they go to campus looking out. Wissam Sarji, a plain and washed beauty expert suggests the following tips in order to put on make up at home in a very natural and easy way: Wash your face every morning and moisturize it
* Apply a foundation that matches your * skin tone es cles under your ey Hide the dark cir * with a concealer the Put on a neutral colored blush on ion * cheek in an upward mot Use light brown or natural color eye * shadowapplication of mascara, and fresh * Aa swip e of lip gloss or lipstick can r face instantly revive you
Remember that you don’t have to up overdo your make you’ll be ready to look fabulous in a natural way! Usually you use light makeup by day when you are on n campus, however ,at night or whe a in ds frien with you are hanging out … eyes e thos dim café or a bar,
3
Wear moccasin, Birkenstock, Timberland and to complete the wardrobe, add some accessories like watches, caps, belts
Trim your mustache or facial hair, moisturize always take care of the acne.
4 5 6
and
Cut your hair every month, treat it with the hair products available in the market, style them . Use whenever you have them at the barbershop o. haird nice a for se Mous or Gel, Wax Try different shampoo products and choose best one that suits your hair
the
Brush your teeth everyday, and floss most essentially- to eliminate bad breath when you are with friends or while talking!
There is a popular saying, “If you don’t look good, you don’t feel good.” The opposite is true as well. Thus, beauty products and fashion trends and aren’t adequate. Charm can come from eye contact, a great smile wonderful conversation. This fall, feel and look wonderful whether you are on /off campus! wikihow.com
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Take time to look good in the morning, ladies! It will definitely pay off!
Food For Thought p.38 HEALTH AND NUTRITION : Manage your fluids. p.42 SPORTS AND ATHLETICS : sports facilities at the American University of Beirut p.44 SEXUAL EDUCATION : discussion by Samer Abi Chaker, MD, MPH p.48 PSYCHOLOGICAL AWARENESS: How to better understand your Psychology
Health and Nutrition
Manage your fluids. by Dominique Dano, nutritionist, info@dominiquedano.com, 03/661046
The power of Water. Water??? Unless your throat feels parched and
sweat drips from your brow, you probably give little thought to water. You’ve probably heard that water is vital to health and to life itself. While you may survive for six weeks without food, you cannot live longer than a week or so without water. In fact, losing more than 10% of your body weight from dehydration, or water loss, causes extreme weakness and potential heat stroke. Dehydration: Look for body signals!
38
Effects gressive n o r P r tio y wate ehydra of bod t of D % loss l body weigh by tota Thirst 1 o t 0 shed uth, flu Dry mo ue, tig skin, fa he c a 5 d o a t e h 2 y ed bod Increas ure, t a temper rate, pulse ing 6 breath rate eased ss, Incr Dizzine ess 8 weakn spasm, Muscle ongue, t swollen m iu r 10 li e d
11
lood Poor b n, failing tio Circula nction fu y e kidn
TIPS h? 1
8
ps of or more cu s about 10 se owel lo b lt , u n io ad ion, urinat at The average ir p rs e p hot, humid through hing. During water daily at re b may n ve e and ty, fluid loss movements hysical activi p e s th u , o ts u n n ie re st e nutr weather or times e some of th se lik o n U th r r. e fo h r ig e extra wat be much h re o st ’t sn y doe human bod ) the eed more. n u dicine (IOM yo n whe itute Of Me d over st In an e 9 1 th s e to ater for mal According w f o rs. This I) e lit (A take r 2.7 Adequate In s 19 and ove om different e al m fe r fo and es fr is 3.7 liters l water” com d lot but “tota everages, an a b r m e e th se o ay r, e m at w g n ki m drin sources, fro foods…. lid so in r wate
2
8 3
8 4
8 5
8 6
8
Juicy story
7
Take water breaks during the day instead of coffee breaks. If you’re a subconscious “sipper”, keep a bottle of water on your desk. When you buy from a vending machine or from the cafeteria, reach for bottled water. “Water down” your meals and snacks. Complement food with more water, milk or juice. Occasionally, start your meals with soup.
Health and Nutrition
ug o n e is h c u m Fluids, How
When you walk by a water fountain, Drink! Refresh yourself at snack time with juice, milk or sparkling water.
Drink sparkling water at social gatherings instead of alcohol.
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Before, during and after any physical activity, drink water, especially in hot weather. Consume to 2 cups of water (120 to 480 ml) every 15 to 20 minutes while you exercise. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty.
efits of fibers?? but what are the health ben Why are they so important?
Keep a bottle of water with you as you commute, while you work, as you run errands.
JUICE benefits Here’s a small list of their bene fits: Benefits of fibers May reduce appetite Lowers variance in blood sugar levels Reduces risk of heart disease Facilitates regularity Alleviates constipation May reduce the risk of colon an d rectal cancer
93
ters may lead you to Some juice-machine promo ts healthier. Of course, frui es mak ing believe that juic ring most of the vitamins, their juices are healthy, offe found in the whole fruits. s minerals, and phytonutrient e less fiber; it gets left However, juices typically hav behind in the pulp. the importance of Everyone keeps mentioning le fruits, whole grains, who ing eat consuming fibers, of
8
8
When you’re thirsty, a refreshing fruit y beverage often hits the spot. Which will you reach for: fruit juice or water? All replace lost fluid. When you’re choosing a “thirst quencher”, go easy on juices sinc e their calories can add up; drink more water. As an aside, the dietary guidelines advise that most fruit group amounts come from whole fruit rather than juice for more fibe r. Did you stop to think? That “slow sipping” a regular soft drink, sweetened ice tea, or juice drink bathes your teet h in cavity promoting sugars? And the effect continues for twenty or more minutes after your last sip! All juice products contain water and sugar. Fruit juice contains naturally occurring fructose , or fruit sugar, whereas juice drinks have added sugars such as high fructose corn syrup as well as som e fructose. Depending on the amount of suga rs added, there may be a difference in the amount of calo ries per label serving between juice drinks.
Health and Nutrition
With or without caffeine? Although many think coffee can help “sober up” someone who drinks too much alcohol, caffeine won’t counteract the effects of alcoholic drinks. Neither will a cold shower or a long walk J. Only time can make someone sober.Caffeine, a naturally occurring substance in plants, is found in leaves, seeds, and fruits of more than 60 plants, among them coffee and cocoa beans, tea leaves, and kola nuts. We consume these products as coffee, chocolate, tea, and cola drinks; but coffee remains the chief source of caffeine. That includes drinks made with coffee, such as latte, mocha and cappuccino. asing water usually Caffeine may have a mild diuretic effects (incre the amount on nds depe t effec tic diure The cancels any loss). dehydration cause t of caffeine present; caffeinated drinks won’ diarrhea, with le troub have you or electrolyte imbalance but if ed. advis be avoiding caffeine might
In varying degrees, excessive caffeine intake may cause “coffee jitters”, anxiety, or insomnia. Caffeine may also speed heart rate temporarily. These effects don’t last long since caffeine doesn’t accumulate in the body. Within 3 to 4 hours, most is excreted in healthy people; for smokers, it’s slightly faster.
“ finally, Can you become addicted to caffeine ” The answer is No, but caffeine drinks may
become a habit. If you drink them regularly, then suddenly stop, you may have short
term symptoms-drowsiness, headache, perhaps less concentration-that disa
ppears
in a day or two.
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Sports and Athletics
Sports facilities e American University of Beirut at th
Mr. Ghaleb Halimi: Our teams are among the top 4 in
Lebanon and we have a plan to organize a tournament between all American Universities in the region.
AUB was never just an academic place, but always a whole society by itself, with enough space for all kinds of hobbies, especially in the field of sports, which succeeded in becoming a source of talents that got the chance to be exposed and developed thanks to the available facilities and resources. This fact reflects the value and priority of sports in the minds of AUB’s administration throughout many generations, which made of it an essential part of students’ life, especially in forming their personality. And for this vision to be realized as per the wishes of the university Presidents and Deans of student affairs, it was necessary to create a capable and specialized executive branch. That reflected through the sports department that took care of extra-curricular sports activities to overcome the absence of sports in the curriculum. All AUB students profit from the sports services without any monthly or annual costs.
Mr. Ghaleb Halimi, head of the AUB sports and athletics department says: “We are seriously working to make good results on all levels and our teams are among the top 4 in Lebanon”. To realize that, AUB relies on the availability of facilities and training personnel that is capable of rising up the level of selected sports games as well as on its management of all those resources. Mr. Halimi describes the main sports facility at AUB: “it constitutes a complete building englobing all the latest specifications and a perfect execution of plans and studies that took a long time to be completed. It is not just a building but represents as well a distinguished team of trainers and managers and equipment to serve students and their full-time comfort, that’s besides the high performance of the maintenance and cleaning teams that always make sure of the logistic readiness of this facility”. Mr. Halimi adds that it took four years to
n works until finalize the constructio last year. The the opening took place nds for ou ygr pla facility includes soccer, e lik rts spo of many kinds tennis, squash, basketball, volleyball, uipment, eq ess in addition to fitn d with touch pe uip eq ols swimming po ovation in the pads (and that’s an inn middle east)… B welcome Sports facilities at AU every day, students for 16 hours 11:00 PM. And til un starting 6:00 AM quipped and they are enough well-e that they technologically advanced kinds of any tly do not need curren nt. me op vel de expansion or i declares Furthermore, Mr. Halim ual and ivid ind 27 that AUB has and female, le ma th bo , ms group tea Part of es. for various sports gam local in tes ipa rtic those teams pa er is oth the ile wh ps shi champion al loc er oth engaged along with 8 of tem sys r ula universities in a reg
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Sports and Athletics Internationally speaking, AUB’s varsity teams participate in several tournaments in Greece, Serbia, Italy and Spain, and it welcomes as well many guests from different countries. Last year for example, as Mr. Halimi says, we welcomed teams from Greece, Spain, Italy, Cairo, Jordan, Dubai and other places. And we are currently planning to organize a tournament among all the American Universities in the region (France, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon) during next April, as we are about to invite eight of fifteen universities that are members of the American Association for International College Universities”.
Regarding the kinds of encouragement offered to students excelling in sports, Mr. Halimi declares that AUB doesn’t offer scholarships to students excelling in sports but provides assistance through part-time jobs especially to students who have high grades or who have economic difficulties. Regarding the sports and athletics department budget, Mr. Halimi says that it varies annually according to needs and it is almost 1,2 million dollars. As for the varsity teams budget, it is independent from the facilities budget and varies between 300 and 400 thousand dollars including trainers’ contracts’ costs. The Gate expresses special gratitude to Mr. Ghaleb Halimi, head of sports and Athletics Department at AUB. Mr. Halimi also carries a Masters Degree in sports management and organization from the University of New York and is currently the head of the Lebanese universities sports association and member of the international association for sports science.
All AUB students profit from the sports services without any monthly or annual costs.
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championships that they organize together. That’s in addition to usual monthly tournaments organized by different institutions, which means that our players are always in touch with other universities and they profit from AUB’s membership in the Lebanese university sports association.
Sexual Education
Sex out Loud Samer Abi Chaker, MD, MPH
Dear Youth, As you may know by now a fruitful discussion on sexuality is still unorthodox and sometimes unacceptable. This is especially true given the norms of our society. After all, it has only been 70 years since the first written volumes on male and female sexuality were published. Since then, the western cultures have learned from their mistakes, and modified their approach to sexual education. However, in Lebanon we remain faithful to the tradition of trailing the world’s development. It was not until fairly recently that sexuality started surfacing as an important issue. And during this lapse of time, sex-related myths flourished. Boys were supposed to become infertile or even go brainless upon masturbating. Our perception of women missed the essence of her being. Women were then considered worthless if they had premarital sex, even if they were highly successful, educated, and well mannered. The concept of virginity was so important, that in some areas newlywed couples had to display a white sheet covered with blood on their first night to prove that the wife is pure! In the wake of this sexuality “enlightment”, the gay community started to come out of hiding. Sadly, along came the ridiculous comments on some talk-shows labeling Homosexuality as a disease. Some were arrogant enough to claim having a
“cure” for it… Sexuality is involved in almost every aspect of our social life. It steers many of our choices and is of central concern to many of us, yet we rarely discuss it. While doing some research I stumbled across an interesting statement defining sexuality. According to the two scientists Boccadoro and Carulli: “Human sexuality is not simply imposed by instinct or stereotypical conducts, as it happens in animals, but it is influenced both by superior mental activity and by social, cultural, educational and normative characteristics of those places where the subjects grow up and their personality develops...” I like this statement because it recognizes that we are capable of change. I do realize that getting rid of the sexual taboos is not easy, especially given the religious and social norms so strongly present today. This is why I call upon you to break the status quo.
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I spent several years giving peer education sessions, raising awareness on HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, puberty changes, menstrual cycles, and sometime the physiology of sex. But I never went outside the realm of scientific evidence, I only stated medical facts. Now as I look back I find that although the work done was important, its impact was minimal. Not because the subject was unappealing to my audience (on the
contrary!!), nor because the reach was limited, but because people would simply not address such subjects publicly, and therefore pass on the knowledge. How relieved would you be, if some young person would explain to you what you need to know about sex? Addressing questions on sexual performance, the matters of size, flirting, orgasms… The classical counterargument would say that if you had someone to explain it to you, then you’ll be inclined to engage in it. Are we actually capable of extinguishing a young person’s curiosity and hormonal surges by simply not talking about sex!?
Important issues you should not miss on condoms: 1- Always use latex condoms 2- Check expiry date
Sexual Education
Safe sex tips:
3- Use only water-based lubricants (i.e. never use petroleum based lubricants) 4- Check if condom has “E.T.” written on it (stands for Electronically Tested) 5- Condoms are to be used only once 6- Never use two condoms at the same time, they will tear each other
Let’s discuss that for a sec.
7- Never store condoms in your car/ wallet/pocket, heat and friction will ruin them.
Common Misconceptions/ Myths:
Now we’re left with the other minority. This minority is expected to engage in sex. And when they do, couples will be extremely reluctant to tell anyone about it (therefore responsible authorities can deny it is happening ). These young people will engage in sex and have no clue of the possible risks they are running into. As they are unaware of prevention methods, how will they prote ct themselves? How will they react when they notice an abno rmality on/in their genitals? What will happen to a teenage pregnancy? Who will they turn to? Most probably these couples will be terrified of disclosing their problem(s), now you can imagine the consequences...
Although many women bleed at first sexual intercourse, this does not necessarily apply to all women. And therefore finding blood on the sheet is not at all a reliable way to judge of virginity.
Sexual Health Information Resource: http://kinseyconfidential.org/ For inquiries/comments/suggestions: sexuality@thegate-me.com
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Let’s say that this argument stands correct, and we will not explain sex to our youth. Therefore the “majority” of our youths will not have sex before marriage. And when marriage comes, our local religious figure will educate us about it and we will be experts in everything we need to know! I quoted majority for two reasons. First, I strongly doubt there will be a majority, given the exposure we have to western culture today, it is practically impossible for a young person to at least consider the thought of engaging in sex prior to marriage. This is true of both sexes. The second reason is merely practical, for it is very rare to find a behavioral modifying method with more than 90% success rate.
Sexual Education
So now the question is: Are we willing to take that risk ?? To note! The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has commissioned, during the Bush mandate, more than a billion dollars on abstinence only programs to deal with sexually transmitted infections in the African continent. After eight consecutive years, all reports have stated over and over again that this approach has failed. Maybe that’s one more lesson to learn from Bush! be Forced to attend class and if caught out of class would to, want don’t you do, , attend to want punished vs. “you ic you’re the one wasting your money,” (said by a gener certain a g missin professor, however in the case of LAU number of class time might get you in trouble).
This is why I urge you to reconsider that silence you hold on raising issues of sexuality. But be aware sex is not to be taken lightly. It requires psychological and emotional maturity, as well as a strong sense of awareness and responsibility. As a conclusion, I only wish to provide you a platform through which you can obtain correct unbiased information on sexual health. For when the time comes you’ll have a place to turn to, a friend to talk to, and a resource to learn from.
itor, ask a question ucation page ed with the sexual ed e-me.com gat he @t lity To communicate ua sex send an email to propose an idea,
or
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Psychological awareness
How to better understand
your Psychology
Being a psychology major is not so easy in Lebanon. I cannot seem to put my finger on the reason behind people’s little faith in the field.
After announcing I study psychology, I hear the most intriguing comments, and quite frankly, some are amusing. I have heard statements from, “you mean, crazy people?” and “so…Freud huh?” to my ultimate favorite, “are you reading my mind?”
It only comes to show that a lot of the Lebanese people either misunderstand the field, or they have
it branded and stereotyped. As one delves deeper into the realm of psychology and any of its fields and subfields, one can see how intertwined it is with a wide range of other subjects. These include physiology, physics, computer science, sociology, philosophy and evolutionary biology to name a few. Psychology as a broad discipline can in fact be useful across several applications. An example of such is industrial/organizational psychology, the field that applies psychology to organizations and the workplace, or behavioral psychology concerned with the multi-level (or complex) relationship between behavior and environmental events. A subfield of the latter, the branch of applied behavior analysis (ABA), is very useful in autism intervention. Other examples of the
various applications of psychology (and its fusion with other domains) include behavioral neuroscience, focused on the physiology of behavior, or health psychology, interested in preventing behavior that poses a risk to one’s health and thus revolves around keeping people healthy rather than waiting to treat their illnesses. Social psychology, concerned with social behavior, or developmental psychology, concerned with scrutinizing changes in human behavior over time, are other examples of the fusion of domains and their settings. Also, from this redacted list of fields and subfields, one thing is certain: if a person declares he or she is studying psychology, this does not necessarily mean they are in the field of Clinical Psychology—the field of understanding, preventing, and relieving distress and maintaining wellbeing and growth. Students can be engrossed in and thus pursuing any of the fields listed above (or others) and merging them with an array of other subjects.
48
Also, one needs to always take into account the socio-cultural variations that come into play; Western societal dynamics are NOT the norm, and are not the standard by which psychology in our own community
should necessarily be measured by as far as this profession and its vario us settings are concerned —be it in the classroom, workplace, clinic, field etc. True appreciation of a career in Psychology usually develops in such a critical and adequately involved man ner. For the limited scope of this column however, a proper topical introduc tion into this wide domain will suffice.
ST RE SS IS EV ER YW HE RE e Life in Lebanon is quite intense. Clos with ded blen are ties al soci family and lass a happening night-scene, world-c ric histo rich s, restaurants, chilled café tic artis y edg , tage and cultural heri displays, latest trends and top-tier fashion, and so on and so forth. But you also have the tight schedule ng (especially true when accommodati c to the start of the fall semester), traffi go that rs drive jams (and the lousy with them), attitude problems that seem to blindside you when you least expect it, never-ending political (or disputes, perpetual unemployment and er), matt that for k, wor ing tisfy dissa of the of course the competitive nature rds to rega with it be Lebanese people— etc. k, wor uty, bea ey, mon , cars fashion,
Psychological awareness Yes, yes. I underst and that this is all very pleasant and idea l and unfortunate ly not very feasible (not with everyo ne, and not all the tim e). What is quite feasible, howeve r, would be one vigorous workou t. Studies show th at exercising significa ntly decreases anxiety, stress, an d a lot of the healt h (mental, emotiona l, and physical) strings that come attached to them . Play ball. Play tenn is. Run. Dance. Sw im. Take up kick-boxin g, even. Do anyth ing to help you “relea se that energy” in a healthy way.
I have one piece of advice: deal with it well. This is the reality. Cope. Quit y working on your visas or getting entr to rts effo in stamps on your passports find a better life, or “build your life” de elsewhere. Sources of stress inclu cataclysmic events, life events, and trol daily hassles, and you have no con ss stre with ing Cop e. thes over any of it’s on, k wor to d nee you all not is ’t how you cope; how you live. Don a with e eon som ome let yourself bec king smo life, ards tow ude attit negative after one packs a day, too tired to go
I quote “release of energy” becaus e your aim is not “th inking of your mu ch hated boss and im agining he or she is the boxing sandba g”. As many socia l psychological stu dies have shown, that will bring you no thing but increas ed chances of actuall y abusing your bo ss. Another reason inc ludes the many theories (neurops ychological and others) behind wh at mechanism is actually behind fe eling “better” an d “refreshed” after a workout. But, I digress.
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g in With all the ups and downs of livin tic. hec is it Lebanon, one has to admit sent -pre ever and Stress is inevitable this in our fast-paced world, as it is in gly deeply passionate, rich, perplexin even be may advantageous (and disadvantageous) country.
Psychological awareness
What you benefit from exercise goes beyond gaining fitness. You gain clarity of mind, a healthy pastime, discipline,
focus, and longer, healthier life When you are faced with a stressor, you should try:
A Calming yourself down. if/how you could have B Thinking avoided it. C Thinking of a solution. if it’s not even worth D Disengaging fighting for. exactly what made you E Understanding angry. F G H
Exercising Talking about it, in your journal, blog, with your friends, family, therapist… Laughing about it, and laughing at yourself—although this is the hardest to do and mostly applicable to day-to-day situations of trivial consequence.
I
Lightening up and letting go—also not very applicable to stressors such a loss of a loved one or war, but comes quite in handy when speaking about a fight with your friends or ruining your favorite shirt… The list goes on and on, and the situational variables are endless. So, I will refrain for now, and maybe wait until we have become better acquainted.
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To communica te with the ps ychology page propose an id editor, ask a qu ea, send an em estion or ail to psycholo gy@thegate-m e.com by Sawsan Razzouk, Psychology
Creative Juice p.54 ARTS AND TALENTS Talent groups in universities p.58 CREATIVE WRITING Beirut by Tina Fish p.60 BOOK REVIEW The Zahir by Paulo Coelho. p.62 TECHNOLOGY REVIEW LED? What’s LED?
Arts and Talents
TALENT GROUPS
es i t i s r e v i n u in
many people It is interesting to know how special with d owe in universities are end nted tale y Man es. typ ous vari abilities of bies hob ir the students attempt to practice e to sibl pos it see y the on campus whenever cial spe t wha form per to fer pre do so. Others to or ate talent they have to offer in priv audiences of their choosing. It’s particularly interesting to know that most students tend to develop a liking in the arts of music and sports. Only some of the students I interviewed reported that they don’t have any special talent or hobby they like to practice. tal le space for heavy me There seems to be litt d an lop ve de to nt fans and rock n’ roll stude ough their chosen thr ws vie ir the ss expre r them believe that ou of st type of music. Mo ts ec rej ly en op ty quite Middle Eastern Socie se g and performing the cin cti pra in y bb their ho kinds of music.
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student in Rafi metal, 24, an LAU masters talent his cts reje education, said society I’m k thin y “The ar. in playing bass guit vy metal crazy and bad since I play hea me!!!” hate music. But I love that they into get g thin any Yet lots wouldn’t let all say ers play ar guit Bass life. their way of ter mat no they would never stop playing y the ic mus the love the situation. They all tity iden the of ud pro are produce and their guitars create for them.
Q: Do you practice any kind of talent or special artistic hobby? Ramadan El Lawand, 20, Computer Science: I play drums in a local band called “The Black Pearl”. I also play with another local band called “Expected Incident”, we once performed in Hard Rock Café here in Lebanon. Mohamad Zeid Tannir, 18, Business Management: I play basket ball for a local team in a club called “Taadod”. We p professional tennis
student majoring in Political Mohamad Hodeib, 19, an LAU s bass guitar. He believes that Science, is a vocalist and play into 2 groups of people. “The our Lebanese society is divided of teenagers and whoever is part that I sing for mainly consists Those are the people who feel considered the less fortunate. ugh ept change even if it was thro my music and are willing to acc and cize criti I part is that which experimental music. The other is of the material I produce bas the on from receive criticism ic perfectly fit to me. I call my mus which seems odd to them but it call to else e I don’t know what Lebanese urban music becaus yet.” it like g thin since there isn’t any
Arts and Talents
The Gate Statistics
Rafi metal, 24, Masters in Education: I play bass guitar Khaled Massakhi, 20, Business I’m a black belt in Karate. I also play the violin and electric guitar. Maya Nockari, 20, Radio/TV/Film: I write scripts for films and plays. I also play bass guitar. Mohamad Hodeib, 19, Political Science: I’m a vocalist; I play percussions, bass guitar and the tabla. I write my own lyrics for my own type of music. I call my music Lebanese urban music because I don’t know what else to call it since it doesn’t exist yet. Mohammad El Medawar, 19: I play the derbake (percussions), and the keyboard. Ghina El Kassem, 19, Computer Science: I love dancing
The majority of the interviewed said they wouldn’t quit their hobbies or talents when they finish university. Many of them even believed they would turn it into a profession later. Some of them feel that society either refuses what they practice or neglects them or even in some cases supports them, depending on the kind of talent performed. Most of the interviewed, except very few, didn’t feel that university is giving any special attention to help them develop their talents, except through clubs and few campus events and activities.
Mohamad Diab, 21, Electrical Engineering: I like soccer, rughby, handball and all kinds of other sports. But I stopped practicing everything six months ago because I have to study and work at the same time. Joseph Maroun, 19, Civil Engineering: No, I’m not into art, I prefer sports. I normally like daring sports like sky diving. Moustapha Itani, 21, Biology: Photography. I like to take pictures of wild flowers and insects. Jaafar Darwish, 22, Graphic Design: Body building and drawing
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studies for getting in the way Very few students blame their y hobbies. However the majorit of practicing their talents and ing help ty responsible for not hold society and their universi gination and innovation in the ima of pe them widen their sco field of music and sports.
Arts and Talents
Omar Alaywan, playing the electric guitar.
Maya Nockari working on a script for a film.
Mohamad Diab playing soccer.
Ramadan El Lawand 09. performing in the LAU Spring fiesta
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by Lema Chehimi
Arts and Talents Ghina El Kassem (middle) performing a hip hop dance with her hip hop club friends at the LAU International Day on 16-6-09
ut the games they Sport fans are all passionate abo play, however some believe they will keep playing their s simply favorite game in the distant future while other hesitate to decide whether they will continue playing or
holds in not. Some say they don’t know what the future occupation store for them and that they’re sure that their
will be taking up most of their time. Khaled Massalkhi practicing Karate on the beach.
Wahib Maknieh playing professional tennis.
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Paul Khoury’s drawing.
58 Creative Writing
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Tina Fish Creative Writing
Book Review
BOOK REVIEW
ELHO
O THE ZAHIR - PAULO C
THE NOVE L AUTH OR’S BRIE F: Paulo Coelho is an international bestselling author born in Brazil. Most known for ‘The alchemist’. The latter alone sold more than fifty six million books worldwide and was translated into sixty languages. His books give people the chance to enhance their lives through believing they can control and shape their own destiny.
C R IT IQ U E This novel is not Paulo Coelho’s best work. However his stories tend to revolve around correlated themes that a person should adopt through his life. Such as: We have to recognize and follow the signs placed in front of us by the Universe, everything that happens has a meaning and a purpose, go beyond what we believe are your limits, welcome change, remember who we are meant to be not who we settle for.. Etc The obsession of the character at the beginning, where he brags about his success, can be a bit annoying to the reader. The character of the narrator in ‘The Zahir’ was found to be very similar to the author (a bestselling author with a book that sold more than sixty million and translated to nearly every language) by Rasha Hamze
This novel is a nove l of obsession. The narrator is the husb and of Esther, a renowned war co rrespondent, for te n years. All of a sudd en one day, she leaves him withou t any explanation. He starts to wond er if she were kidnapped, died or even left him for another man. Th is novel revolves around him trying to know why she left, where she we nt and what went wrong. Through th is journey, the process of finding her, he ends up discovering himse lf. The ‘Zahir’ mean s in Arabic the pres ent, the visible an d hard not to be no ticed. This here resembles the wo man, and the longin g to her (Esther)
Setting: Paris, Madrid and Kazakhstan. Theme: Love, belonging, jealousy, anxiety, alienation, need, separation, heartbreak. Pros: Thought provoking, hard to read his books without getting touched deeply, doesn’t feel translated from Portuguese. Cons: Readers seem to get the picture towards the end of the story, and in some places they get disoriented. There isn’t any exact moment of transformation for the narrator. Recommended for: Couples that have lost love.
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Other Books, By Paulo Coelho, Recommended: Warrior of the Light, Eleven Minutes, Alchemist, and Veronica Decides to Die.
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Technology Review
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
LED- WHAT’S LED
When Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, his invention was named one of the top 20 most important inventions in the 20th century. Today this invention is on its path towards becoming obsolete. In the 1920s, a Russian radio technician by the name of Losev noticed that receiver diodes emitted light as current passed through them. However, not until early 1960 were LEDs utilized as practical electric components.
Evol utio n LEDs or Light Emitting Diodes are electronic light sources. Unlike incandescent lamps they do not rely on thermal heat to generate light. The phenomenon by which LEDs give light is called electroluminescence. It was discovered by H.J Round of Marconi Labs. Later, Oleg Vladimirovich Losev independently invented the LED yet no serious utilization of LEDs was made until the early sixties.
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In 1962, Nick Holonyak Jr. managed to develop the first ever visible spectrum (red) LED as he was working at General Electric Company. Later on, one of his graduate students invented the yellow LED and improved the brightness of red LEDs by a factor of ten. Then, in 1976, T.P. Pearsall created the first high-brightness; high efficiency LEDs for optical fiber telecommunications by inventing new semiconductor materials specifically adapted to optical fiber transmission wavelengths. Furthermore, LED research never seized and in 2006 Mr. Shuji Nakamura was awarded the Millennium Technology Prize for his white light LED that can replace incandescent light bulbs at approximately 90% better efficiency but at higher prices.
Ap pl ic at io ns : There are numerous applica tions for LEDs varying from display devices to sensors. The most prominent use of LEDs is lighting. There are num erous examples such as traffic ligh ts, car lights, domestic lighting and display panels. Low energy consumption, low maintenance and small size of LEDs have made them very popular in Signs and Indicators Industry. In any travelling station today, whether it be a train station, an airport or a bus station, LEDs are used on display scre ens that indicate directions, destina tion and warnings. s, LEDs are used in brake * lights,derandn car this new Audi uses LEDs for In mo
daytime running lights. The significant improvement in the time tak en to light up (perhaps 0.5s faster than an incandescent bulb) improv es safety by giving drivers more time to react. It has been reported that at normal highway speeds this is equ al to one car length increased reactio n time for the car behind. Moreover, white LED headlamps are beginning to make an appearance.
Most recent inventions inc lude LED * prin ters. Instead of using laser to dry
off ink, these printers utilize UV LEDs to heat the ink and dry it over paper. Yet these printers have resoluti on problems because the size of UV LED s cannot become as infinitesimal as tha t of laser rays.
Domestic lighting today is mad e much more efficient and sustainabl e by used LED technology. The num erous advantages of LEDs over inca ndescent light bulbs will be discussed in the following section.
Regarding non-visual uses, LEDs are used in cultivation. Certain plants grow much faster when irradiated with specific lights. Hence LEDs are tuned to produce that specific light and placed nearby these plants. Many more application include light modulation for fiber optical communication, remote controls, lighting for sensor systems ‌etc
Technology Review
Adva ntag es and Disa dvan tage s: The two most important criteria to consider with LEDs are cost and efficiency.
On the other hand, everything has a cost and LEDs have certain disadvantages: High Initial Cost: the price per lumen * for an LED is significantly larger than
that for other lighting systems. However if certain factors are added into the equation such as lifetime, maintenance and energy expenditure, this price becomes significantly lower than any other lighting technology.
Lifetime: it is estimated that fluorescent t tubes have an average lifetime of abou reas whe s hour 10 to 15 thousand 2 incandescent light bulbs light for 1 to to ated thousand hours. LEDs are estim s have between 35000 and 40000 hour e. lifetim ge of avera
External Circuitry: LEDs require a voltage * higher than a certain voltage threshold
*
Shock resistance: LEDs, being solid state components, are difficult to damage with external shock, unlike fluorescent and incandescent bulbs which are fragile.
Temperature dependence: LED * performance is drastically affected
*
Cycling: LEDs are ideal for use in applications that are subject to frequent on-off cycling. If one turns on and off an incandescent lamp it would burn out after a certain number of cycles. Moreover, Halogen lamps are improper for frequent on-off cycling because of the lighting delay.
*
Additional advantages are slow failure; cool lighting because LEDs do not irradiate heat, and their flexible size.
in order to light, however they need that their current does not exceed a certain rated current. Therefore, current regulated power supplies are needed.
by the ambient temperature of the operating region. If a LED is operating under high temperature conditions, overdriving it might lead to its failure. Hence, proper heat-sinking is required for assuring a long lifetime of operation. In short, it is about time that incandescent and florescent light bulbs are replaced with the more efficient and environment friendly LEDs. A world-wide project is being conducted in order to convert the whole world’s energy grids into greener ones by the year 2030. A huge part of this effort entails converting lighting systems into more efficient ones which are basically LEDs.
by Ali Abou Daya
Finally, it is utterly important that every individual realizes his/her role in preserving the environment and energy resources. This role was the main motive for developing LEDs and hopefully it will be the main motive for instigating “green thinking”.
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*
Efficiency: LEDs produce more light per watt than incandescent lamps. For comparison, a conventional 60–100 W incandescent light bulb produces around 15 lm/W, and standard fluorescent lights produce up to 100 lm/W. However, Nichia LED produces 150 lm/W.
Leb-IN-and-ON p.66 MISCELLANEOUS A hot summer of festivals in Lebanon p.68 NIGHTLIFE Rooftop club Lovers p.72 PRESS RELEASE Pringles Event p.74 GAMES p.76 BANDE DESSINEE Human Flu P.78
HOROSCOPE October horoscopes
Miscellaneous
A hot summer of festivals in Lebanon Every year, Lebanon hosts several cultural festivals of diverse programs and themes, which have earned a worldwide reputation. Among these festivals, Baalbeck, Beiteddine, and Byblos are the most attractive and famous.
Under the columns of Jupiter’s temple or in the heart of the temple of Bacchus, the Baalbeck International Festival offered a spectacular program this summer. It started on Saturday July 4 2009 with the modern Ballet of “Bejart Ballet Lausanne” and ended on Thursday August 13 2009 with the popular opera “La Traviata”. The program also included the “Caracalla Dance Theater”, in addition to several Jazz and rock concerts. The Beiteddine Festival is held in a 200-year-old palace in Beiteddine, a little town in the mountainous region of the Shouf. This year, the program presented numerous international and regional artists such as Charles Aznavour, Madeleine Peyroux, Marcel Khalife, and Kadim Al Sahir. The events started on July 2 and ended on August 15. The Byblos International Festival offered this summer a very diverse program that included international artists, performers, and musicians. It started on June 20 and ended on August 12.
In addition, th e program incl uded the re-performance of the play “Sai f 840” as a tribute to M ansour El Rahb ani. That was a brie f glimpse over the major festivals that to ok place. Man y many other festivities took place as well almost in ever y corner of Le banon, making of Leba non and its ca pital Beirut one of the top touristic and ni ghtlife destinations in the world for the year 2009. Many students however expr essed their desire to be ab le to attend su ch cultural events but co mplained abou t the absence of an y special offers for youth, like it is the ca se in many co untries, especially univ ersity students who do not possess hi gh income reso urces and are therefore incapable of at tending…
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Miscellaneous
The Gate Statistics by Bashir Zouein
Q: Did you attend any of the summer festivals in Lebanon this summer? If yes, which ones? If not, why not?
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, and Sasha and Digweed” Jad Z.: “Yes, James Zabiella Lynn F.: “No, no time!” work!” Salim B.: “No, had so much !” son rea l rea no , “No S.: s Elia chance to go.” a e hav n’t Mario B.: “No, did t El Din, and Batroun.” Carla A. C.: “Yes, Fakra, Bei anon.” Jad M.: “No, I wasn’t in Leb lack of time.” and rk Yara C.: “No, due wo Kean concert.” and ou Gar s, Nicolas H.: “Ye lla” 840 and Baalbeck for Caraca Jean N.: “Yes, Byblos for Saif
by Nidal Abilmona
Nightlife
BeirutNightlife
Rooftop club
LOVERS
Beirut’s dazzling lanes highlights sleek bars, superstar lounges, and rock-strewn pubs. Loads of choices are provided in this diverse city; a nice night out-plan includes trendy hotel rooftops and chic cocktail lounges . The night starts in one of the many bars scattered around Gemayze, a fine region to grab ‘pre-party’ drinks in a cherished and distinct vibe, then at a club in the Downtown or Monnot areas where the well-dressed club goers enjoy and dance to the melodies of pro DJs.
Typically, Lebanese party till dawn and have their stop for breakfast after clubbing. The next morning, they continue their day at the finest beach resorts, some of them relax and get tanned, while others have drinks on the beach bar and listen to the tunes played by local DJs. This vibrant city sparked for its legendary party vibe, on-stop and wild nightlife. Internationals DJs admire playing for Lebanese jet setters.
CNN reported that Beirut is the #1 city in the world of partying and. nightlife from luxury hotels & res orts to partying in the day & at night
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Nightlife
Nightlife
Beirut
Rooftops
e restless city, Greater Beirut, th r its summer is well-known fo such as the Sky rooftop terraces Beiruf, Bubbles, bar, White, Noir, These world-class dance spots create unconventional night setting to indulge the jetsetters. Party spirit, full of life atmosphere and energy make these destinations remarkable. Lebanese are known to reserve or book tables at the these prestigious clubs for the whole summer season to accommodate visiting friends. However, after midnight these clubs usually get crowded especially during the weekend where connections or reservations are needed several months before in order to get in. Beirut is definitely one of the best sites to be, one of the finest places to club, drink and have the greatest time. The music, party and events sector in Lebanon is rising. Beirut city might become someday a very famous party destination as Miami and Ibiza.
SKY BAR Voted around the globe to be the #1 bar by worlsdsbestbar s. com, has marvelous panoramic view across the Mediterranean with a young and senior mass. Clubbers go for a drink after work, they have fun, scream, and dance to the summer hits and see the suns et over the sea. Being independent from Skybar Miam i, this chic scene is off-the-rack. As the night develops, the electro beats and the dance tracks become noisier. Let’s say, the experience rese mbles the movie scenes of “Sex and the City“. The place consists of a slick rectangular bar envelope d by two VIP sections. Sky Bar devotes the hottest nights to its crowd with the top hits of summer like
“Stereo Love”, “I Gotta Feelin”, and “Sexy Chick”.
Sky Bar, once proclaimed the best bar in the world according to Worldsbestbars.com, takes partying to a whole new level. The night pumps with the international stars and DJs, clubbers enjoy & celebrate summer “Skybar Style”. Resident DJ Jojo spins electro house and dance music until the late hours.
This phenomenal spot opens from
June through October.
WHITE
ar building, is located at the top of Al-Nah WHITE an innovative venue dance scene. The ht dinners and endless late-nig renowned by its high-end the uplifting décor and rior oth all-white-colored inte smo h wit ace terr s riou luxu s for the under 40 and of Beirut’s best destination makes this open-air club one luding seafood, sushi, ses fusion dining cuisine inc fabulous. The lounge posses unique cocktails and ks ition to that, fresh drin add in es, dish in ma and salads people drink and enjoy club goers. After midnight, are prepared for the posh artists. local DJs and International the house music played by
White opens from May through Oct
ober.
LE NOIR
B lu e Hawaiian
* rum blue Curacao *pineapple * cream of juice * with a pinecoapcoplnue tslidecorated cherry.
SKY BAR
ce and a
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DRINK OF THE MONTH
LE NOIR has illumined Beirut with a new motion clubbing concept, and its amazing panoramic view ove r Gemmayze and port area. It is located on the rooftop of Pigier Buildin g in Gemmayze. Casual sma rt-dressed clubbers describe Noir as the hot roo ftop spot in town for all sea sons. Music played at noir is chill-out and fun ky house which gets Lebane se party people dance all night long.
BEIRUF BEIRUF another new rooftop club was set off in the port area. It offers a taste of truly clubbing experience in a vibrant ambience with electro- house music in order to uplift the body and soul to the extent. by Jasmin. B
Press Release
Press Release Beirut, September 6th 2009: This Pringles summer in Lebanon has turned into a summer of everlasting fun for five lucky winners. Winners in the recent Pringles promotion were announced at the Oceana Beach resort in the presence of National Lottery of Lebanon, Pringles partners, distributor, media and friends!
About Pring les: Part of the Procter and Gamble Company (NYSE: PG), Pringles is the number one sharing brand in the crisps and snack category. The Pringles recipe was born in the year 1956 and since then has become a household name across more than a hundred countries.
During the month of August, Pringles held loads of entertaining events and enticing the Lebanese people in its “You’ve been Pringled!” craze! Hundreds instant gifts were distributed throughout the month and all participants got the chance to enter the big draw.
And the Lucky winne rs are: Mrs. Rima Noureldine Winner of Barcelona Trip 1: Mrs. Vicky Hadjekian Winner of Barcelona Trip 2: Carlos Moussa Winner of Nokia Phone: Mr. Nicolas Saba Winner of Nintendo WII: Mr. ort week - end voucher: Winner of Pangea Beach res Mr. Dany Bouchakra
* * * * *
Speaking of this promotion, Mr. Emeric Capdevielle, Pringles Brand Manager said, ‘Congratulation to all winners! We feel great that Pringles was able to engage with its fans this summer offering a little extra fun in the sun. Following this latest success, we can definitely look forward to seeing many more engaging activities in future.”
Abo ut The Pro cte r & Gam ble Com
pan y:
Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pringles(R), Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Gain(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), and Braun(R). The P&G community consists of 138,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
For mor e info rma tion on pro mot
ion plea se con tac t:
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Marie Jose Abed Email – mariejose.abed@cohnwolfelebanon.com Tel – +961 4 873 602
Games Games
sudoku
Crossing the Lake Puzzle
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There are four people in an adventure race that need to get across a lake. They have a small canoe. The rules say that only the slowest person in the canoe can paddle, only one or two can be in the canoe at a time, and they must all cross in the canoe. From practice, they know that:
Ann can paddle across in 1 minute. Bill can paddle across in 2 minutes. Sue can paddle across in 5 minutes. Mike can paddle across in 10 minutes. How do they get everyone across the river in the fastest time without breaking the rules?
Bande dessinĂŠ
Bande dessinĂŠ
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Bande dessinĂŠ
Horoscope
Horoscopes Aries It’s a good month to party Aries! The Gate sees a highly sociable month for you. You are obviously much more animated and self-expressive this month, and you leave your worries behind, especially those related to work. Regardless of the attitude though your work improves! An opportunity for friendship from a surprising source is likely on the 3-4 when a Full Moon in your sign stirs up emotional excitement; so don’t judge a book by its cover. Relationships can be formed or strengthened on the 12-13 and 28-31, but be aware that there is a building tension between your attention to career and a close partnership.
Taurus Taurus, you got to focus on those files. Work matters are in strong focus for you in October and you’re also more concerned about your health so why not hit the gym? There is a building tension, however, surrounding your attention to the more routine matters in your life and your need to move beyond the ordinary and mundane, how about a dash of spontaneity then? Troublesome romantic matters are cleared up, and a new sense of purpose, or at least a new plan or resolution, is in place by the 12-13. Renewed energy for home improvement is enjoyed from mid-month, and you enter a more sociable phase from the 23rd.
Gemini
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Tired of hibernating? While last month kept you in a bit of a social cocoon Gemini this month expect to be a social butterfly! A very lighthearted and playful period in your life begins this month, particularly from the 10th forward. In October you’re determined to have some fun. Nevertheless, you’re entering a period in which casual love affairs are more demanding of your time and energy (ah!), and the question of whether to become more serious or to let go is building, man up Gemini (or woman up) and deal with it. Home life seems to be improving, ironically as you focus on it less. The last week of the month is busy and perhaps demanding when it comes to work and communications.
Cancer Dear dear Cancer, The Gate foresees a very profitable month for you as the first two weeks of October is the perfect time to push personal projects ahead, after which you begin to wind down and efforts to make yourself feel comfortable and secure are emphasized. The 3-4 brings an opportunity for higher learning or travel, whether physically or mentally, as well as huge cash-in from an important business project. This month is very active on the home front. Tension is building between domestic matters and one-to-one relationships, and finding a balance is something you’ll be striving for. Impulse buys are something to watch for.
Leo Ah Leo, get ready for the jungle chaos. October sounds like a crazy month ahead as you (finally) start realizing that you need to pay attention to building your skills set in order to improve your work output or value, but finding the time to do so is an issue. Your commitments to work and your need to run errands, learn, and network are both pressing, and finding a balance is necessary, especially with that constant social need of yours! The 9-12 is a strong period for romantic relationships and/or creative projects. Watch for stress affecting your relations with others on the 28-31.
Virgo Virgo, you are now entering a new phase in your life, and the exit signs aren’t working. Changes in your life have been intense recently, and this month new priorities are emerging as you restructure. One of these priorities is attention to finances, which are mostly strong. However, there is a building awareness that you need to pay more attention to budgeting and paring down frivolous or otherwise unnecessary expenses in order to save more and consequently feel more secure and in control of your money (Let go of the Ed Hardy hat). As Saturn moves out of your sign at the end of October, you begin to feel re-energized and considerably more light-hearted.
October is a strong month for you, dear Libra, in which your own personal needs, desires, and projects assume more importance. As you take a stronger, more assertive, and more independent stance, awareness of challenges from, and responsibilities to, a partner and family increase. In the next few years, you’ll be especially aware of family dynamics--past and present--and how they are affecting your self-image today. Breaking free from past conditioning is the theme, and realizing that is the dream. The 3-4 brings possible relationship tests, but also rewards, and strengthening of ties on the 13-14. Towards the end of October, focus shifts to security, finances, and comfort matters…new sofa?
Scorpio For the most part, October is a time of repose, of tying up loose ends, and perhaps letting go, so Scorpio, let go. However, career matters are dynamic, busy, and strong from mid-month. You are feeling considerably more ambitious when it comes to professional matters. Sensitive issues or secrets are coming to light this month, and should be handled with care. The last week of the month brings a strengthening of personal spirit as well as increased focus, energy, and confidence. New responsibilities and commitments are presenting themselves, and The Gate assures you, the confidence is there so bring it on!
Sagittarius October is a powerful month for you, dear Sagittarius, as your ruler, Jupiter, begins to move direct on the 13th, and taskmaster Saturn is moving out of its challenging position to your Sun…what? To explain: the past months have been anything but light, but you are bound to feel more confidence, energy, and passion now. By midmonth, your confidence in pushing matters forward and asking for what you want from life increases by leaps and bounds. Romantic connections and friendships tend to be supportive. Close personal relationships are friendlier as well, particularly on the 20-23, so take them out to lunch, we’re sure they deserve it.
Horoscope
Capricorn Responsibilities and accountability are big themes in your life in October, Capricorn so buck up for a very busy professional month, with public exposure, and career matters. What you do and say has significant impact this month. Tensions are building involving your own ability to take the lead and to manage others. It’s a time of proving your worth, and you’re likely to shine under this pressure. Domestic matters need special attention on the 3-4, and you may just realize that the sweeter things in your life (ahem ahem) have been right under your nose all along…
Aquarius The Gate assures you a great October Aquarius, as the main themes are happiness and energy! The 3-4 is good for promotions or pay increases. Mid-month is a strong time for pushing forward with personal plans, particularly for presenting your ideas and matters related to learning or teaching. In the last week of the month, you’ll be paying considerable more attention to classes, career, and close personal relationships. Saturn moves into a pleasing trine to your Sun at this time as well, and you’ll find it begins a new trend in which meeting your responsibilities not only comes naturally, it also feels good!
Pisces Pisces just put that wallet away! This month, money matters, particularly regarding money owed or shared, are big themes for you. Support from others, from friends, and business loans are in focus and still possibly a source of stress this month. Partnership matters improve, and you might even feel as if a weight has lifted from you in this area of life (finally!). However, relationships are not without intensity now. The need for new depths of intimacy becomes increasingly clear this month. Career matters begin to move forward after a period of seeming standstill or stagnation.
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Libra
Horoscope
Special October SCORPIO (23 Oct. – 22 Nov.) LIBRA (22 Sept. – 23 Oct.) Symbol: the Scales Ruling Planet: Venus Ruling House: Seventh House Element: Air Quality: Cardinal Body Parts: kidneys Keyword: PARTNERSHIP Date with destiny: Gemini, Aquarius Run for the hills: Cancer, Capricorn Where you glow: mediating What makes you tick: charm Fitness forecast: rowing Play date: flying first class to Paris Perfect jobs: beautician, personal shopper Best accessory: a bottle of water A sure thing: flirting Destination: Fiji Pleasure: cooperation, fair play, conversation Pain: disharmony, solitude, decision-making What’s my line? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Brilliant ideas come easily into Libra’s awareness throughout 2009. As you trust your higher self and allow thoughts to flow freely, you are able to embrace new opportunities and make positive changes in your life. You come to a higher level of understanding and appreciation as you let go of old ideas. You’re no longer separated from what you want as you to detach from limiting thoughts, bringing you a new spiritual perspective of feeling fully supported and loved.
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As you stay centered within your core, your highest ideals manifest, and you have the ability to help others realize their interconnectedness, and bring balance into their lives. Your efforts bring you into a more stable way of working than ever before, an important development, what with all the changes occurring this year. You are a natural conduit, and you are able to receive messages that will help you grow in every area of your life. You have a strong inner sense of direction for where life is going, so trust and allow your struggles to be released.
Symbol: the Scorpion Ruling Planet: Mars/Pluto Ruling House: Eighth House Element: Water Quality: Fixed Body Parts: sex organs Keyword: SEX Date with destiny: Cancer, Pisces Run for the hills: Leo, Aquarius Where you glow: investigating What makes you tick: chess Fitness forecast: sex Play date: chatting on the Internet Perfect jobs: private investigator, surgeon Best accessory: magnifying glass A sure thing: magnetism Destination: The Netherlands Pleasure: mystery, calling the shots, passion Pain: exposure, simplicity, interruption What’s my line? Yeah, Baby! Get out there and communicate your passionate awareness to the world this year, Scorpio! As you articulate your beliefs, you will move your life -- and the planet -- toward a more spiritual and thoughtful reality. Positively express yourself and your vision, and you will be a source of great inspiration. Scorpio loves challenges, especially when it involves transformational energy. As you purify your instincts and overcome any fears of letting your creative passion flow, a newfound enthusiasm and strength will arise within you, and affect everyone around you. You see yourself in a completely different light this year as you discover new ways of bringing harmony into your life and communicating on a deeper level. Accept who you are at the core, and you will experience a wholeness you never thought possible. Trusting yourself is the key to spiritual growth.
www.astrology.com