October 2008

Mark Engler in his article “The World After Bush” asserts, “there is little question that the majority of people on the planet ­­– those who suffered under both the corporate globalization of the Clinton years and the imperial globalization of George W. Bush ­– deserve something better.

However, it is far from certain that social justice advocates, who want to encourage a more democratic approach to world affairs and global economic well-being, will be able to sway a new administration. On the other hand, the damage inflicted by eight years of neo-con rule and the challenges of an increasingly daunting geopolitical scene present a conundrum to the corporate globalizers: is it even possible to go back to the way things were?”
“Don’t think of this as some conspiratorial plot,” he says. No, I shall not think of it as a conspiratorial plot if he does not want me to; but I would like some reassurances, then, that those big conclaves at the Bohemian Grove and Blunderberg are simply social gatherings of old friends who, as gentlemen, do not discuss politics, business, religion or women over dinner.
I can assure you, the world after Bush will not look like the world before Bush! Some important things have been bent, many of them broken. It makes the damage done to Robert Frost’s birches look like a few bent twigs.

Focused and driven, yet without losing his sense of fun and adventure, Karim Shukr is definitely a Syrian worth watching out for. Currently the managing editor of Happynings, a social, lifestyle, and luxury magazine, he has the daunting yet rewarding task of coordinating every aspect of this newcomer on the Syrian publishing scene.

“Happynings is receiving wonderful feedback, and the dedicated team is doing a great job,” says Shukr. “Two things in particular really work for Happynings: It’s published by Haykal Media, and is a supplement to FW: Magazine. With such wonderful backers, it’s really helping improve our presence and visibility.
During his baccalaureate year, he attended the Syrian Modern School, under principal Rana Baitamouni, now principal of the Syrian National School (al-Wataniah), a great influence in his life; it was she who suggested that he should be focusing on an arts baccalaureate, rather than the science diploma he had intended to study for. “I’m really glad she did that,” said Shukr. “Ultimately, it was the right decision.”
Dedicated to all forms of media, it was during this last year of high school that Shukr came up with the idea for a school magazine. Receiving encouragement and help from Baitamouni, he went on to organize the media club that would run the magazine, and published the first edition of “Soriati”(My Syria) in 2004, the first and only high school magazine in Syria.

Reading the Homecomers column, perhaps the enormity of returning back to Syria is not impressed strongly enough. For most here, it would seem that you are returning to the familiar, to a family and society that understands you and wants to help you. Most often, however, you are actually returning to the unknown, to a place where you have few professional contacts, and where you must start everything anew. It is a brave step, and Mohammad Ajlani is a brave man for taking it.

A well-known, well-respected political analyst and lecturer in France with a high media presence, Ajlani has returned to Syria with the will and desire to make a difference, to help Syrian society with all the skills at his disposal. His family worried that the adaptation process would be too taxing, and that leaving their well-established lifestyle in Paris would be too difficult a change. “Syria today is welcoming those who are trying to wake up the country,” he says. “I really see that I can make a contribution to Syrian society. My ideas on the political situation, and my love of education and sharing my knowledge can really make an impact.”

Smiling can usually do wonders for people; they make excellent first impressions. Muthana Subh is good at doing just that; enchanting those who meet him with a warm smile and strong handshake—making them love him, without even knowing who he is. This young man, who is originally from Palestine, is one of the rising young directors in Syria. Rising from peek to peek, his works are being currently broadcasted on Arabic television to millions of viewers around the world, forcing everybody—young and old—to recognize him as one of the finest young directors in the Syrian art world.

Underneath layers of his strong personality, and the eternal sparkle in his eyes, lies agony, however, at a homeland occupied, which he has never seen “except on maps.” Mirroring the hopes and ambitions of the Palestinians, Subh is a revolution in his own right—not in politics, but in television drama. He started his career alone, working his way to the top with established directors like Hatem Ali in 2006, and today, only two years later, has left his fingerprints all over the art scene in Damascus.

She walked the red carpet, raising eyebrows from Tokyo to Los Angeles, and was nominated for an Oscar Academy Award for her role in the 1987 thriller “Fatal Attraction.” She shared the screen with some of the legends of the 20th century; Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, and Danny DeVito. Beautiful, impassioned and dedicated to a cause, Anne Archer is by far more substance than looks (although she excels in both). Oscar-nominee and Hollywood star Anne Archer speaks exclusively to Forward Magazine.

In July of 1944, a car carrying Asmahan, the renowned Syrian singer, and a female friend of hers crashed into the Nile after the driver lost control. Without doors in the back where the women were sitting, both got stuck and drowned. Though Asmahan’s life was short, however, her influence on Arabic music is still felt 54 years following her death. With the story of Asmahan, the reader glimpses not only aspects of the cultural and political history of Egypt and Syria between the First and Second World Wars, but one can touch upon the change in attitude in the Arab world toward women as public performers on stage.

Asmahan’s style of interpretation has enriched Arabic song by opening up to the music of the Western World, but with keeping the coherence and difference between the two types of music. The mastery she displayed when interpreting an Arabic song in the classical manner such as “leïta lilbarraqi aïnan”(If only the lightening had eyes) was equaled by “ya tûyûr”(Oh, birds)in a style influenced by Western technique. Her mastery is truly acknowledged by the fact she did not disturb in the least Arabic listeners.
Asmahan descended from a great clan in the mountains of Syria but broke free from her traditional family background. She left her husband, and became a public performer, a role frowned upon for women of the time. Television drama critics in Egypt hold an almost unanimous view that the Syrian series “Asmahan” by the Tunisian director Shawqi al-Majiri is a technical marvel, and attracted high numbers of Arab television viewers. The series was shown on more than 10 Arab channels during the 30 days of the holy month of Ramadan.

How food scientists at AUB are making our food tastier, safer, and more nutritious (even halloumi).

Susanne Lane

Lama Lteif is working with Professor Ammar Olabi to try to figure out what it is that makes halloumi cheese taste so good. Imad Toufeili, professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, is baking bread with graduate student Nour al- Ouyoun Najm in the new Pilot Plant as part of a wider effort to “formulate staple foods to alleviate mineral deficiencies and improve the health of populations.” Pamela Abi Khalil and her adviser, Professor Zeina Kassaify, are focusing on issues related to consumer protection and compliance with international food safety standards. These men and women are just some of the food scientists at AUB concerned with preserving, processing, packaging, and distributing foods that are nutritious, wholesome, affordable, safe, and—delicious.

Ala Takidine

Lose weight while you sleep! Lose 15 kg in 20 days! Eat the foods you love and still lose weight! You will never feel hungry!  Do these claims sound familiar?

Although most fad diets can provide weight loss in the short term, few people can lose weight and keep it off permanently. There are many types of fad diets. Some limit certain macronutrients, such as fat or carbohydrates; others limit types of food such as starchy carbohydrates. Some promote specific foods such as grapefruit, while others attempt to regulate your intake according to a strict formula, such as 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, 30% fat.

An event vital to the Arab presence on the net has just transpired. In a true stroke of innovation, Habib Haddad and his dedicated team at Language Analytics LLC, have brought us Yamli, a web tool that transliterates Arabic words typed on an English keyboard into Arabic script.

The potential effects this has on international communication, Arabic blogging and content development is immense. Already, users have flocked to the site to assert their Arabic identity on the net. Interestingly, a majority of Yamli users are in Arabic countries, accounting for nearly 75% of all use. Habib Haddad spoke to FW: about what inspired the creation of this invaluable tool and the importance of using Arabic on the net.