THE PALESTINIAN BARÇA ESCALATES ‘HOUSE OF CARDS:’ STRUGGLE VS. OUR TO THE TOP AS THE DIAMOND IN CONVENIENCE REAL FALLS THE DECK PAGE 10 - OPINIONS PAGE 11 - SPORTS PAGE 14 - SERIES REVIEW MARCH 10, 2015 Vol.XLVII, No. 16 Mouse skin pinned in Jafet, authorities informed Outrage and dissent erupt at Nestlé gender balance lecture Dana Kambris Staff Writer Shereen El Ladki News Editor On the eve of Nestlé’s presentation about women leadership and gender balance, scheduled to take place last Thursday in West Hall, an AUB student sent out a call for protest via social media. Neil Singh, a graduate public health student, took to the “AUB Feminist Forum” Facebook group The skin of a mouse was pinned to Jafet Library’s information board two weeks ago, with the letters “animal rights my ass” sprawled above it. Repulsed passersby sent pictures of it to their friends, some posted it on the popular Facebook group “AUB Guru,” and within hours it seemed almost everyone Continued on page 3 New African Club presents exciting prospects on campus was aware of it. After being informed about the pinned-up post on the wall, business student Mohamad Ballout took it down and disposed of it, but not before people had taken their fair share of photographs. “We told the staff in the library what we saw, but I don’t think they really understood us because it Continued on page 3 Secular Club puts spotlight on institutional corruption Malak El Sabeh Staff Writer Continued on page 5 Dana Abed Lifestyle Editor Michelle Yazbeck The African Club is the latest cultural club in AUB to make waves. A work in progress since last fall, the club is the first in the region to highlight the myriad of African cultures, with all its diversity, in both an educational and a social way. Vania Muriuki, president of the newly formed club, said that the club has three main goals. The first of which is to be the agent of change by altering the perspective the Lebanese community has on African people. Secondly, to help African Members of the AUB Secular Club roamed the campus last Tuesday, apparently selling fake license plates and college degrees. The latest endeavor in a series of successful events by the Secular Club, this amusing skit was part of a full-day event organized in collaboration with the NGO Sakker el Dekkene. The two joined forces at AUB last week in an effort to raise awareness about the rampant institutional corruption in Lebanon. Sakker el Dekkene Continued on page 4 2 NEWS MARCH 10, 2015 Netanyahu in Congress: the aftermath Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the US Congress in Washington last Tuesday. He beseeched the Americans not to go ahead with the “bad deal” that President Obama is working on, along with the UN Security council and Germany, in regards to Iran’s nuclear program. The mere occurrence of the speech was enough to stoke international controversy. President Obama was not given prior notice by the Speaker of the House, Republican John Boehner, who had invited Netanyahu in the first place. Obama refused to meet with Netanyahu during his visit to Washington, claiming that it would be an interference in the upcoming Israeli elections, as well as stating that Netanyahu presented no “viable alternatives” to the proposed deal with Iran. Netanyahu is re-running for office on March 17, and many have viewed his speech to be some sort of “electioneering” through his appeals to impose fresh sanctions on Iran. Over 50 Democrats boycotted the speech, after Obama had slated it as “nothing new.” The Israeli Prime Minister claimed that “this deal won’t change Iran for the better, it will only change Iran for the worse,” instead he foresaw the Middle East turning into a nuclear arms race. Netanyahu argued that Iran could produce nuclear weapons in a year or less, and eventually within weeks, if the deal goes through. Moreover, he warned Congress that Iranian ballistic missiles would eventually be able to deliver nuclear warheads to any part of the United States. “The Jerusalem Post” interviewed ex-Mossad chief Meir Dagan, who stated that Netanyahu’s statements were a “political speech that caused diplomatic and defense damage to Israel.” Dagan then stated that “it will take more time than that,” referring to Netanyahu’s estimate on Iran producing nuclear weapons in less than a year. The alternative to the current deal the P5+1 (USA, Russia, UK, France, China, and Germany) are chiseling out with Iran is not war, but a “much better deal” according to Netanyahu. However, he does not elaborate on what this better deal could be, but instead goes on to describe how Iran is “gobbling up countries” and has a “voracious appetite for aggression”. The Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968 was signed by the United States as well as Iran, but not by Israel. Netanyahu constantly reminded Congress on Tuesday of the regional and international threat that Iranian nuclear warheads could pose to Israel and the USA. However, Netanyahu omitted the fact that Israel does possess nuclear arms of its own, with estimates of potentially 100-200 warheads according to armscontrol.org; only 25 short of the UK. Towards the end of his speech, Netanyahu escalated his tone and stated that “even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand.” What effect Netanyahu’s speech will have on the ongoing negotiations is unclear, however its effect on the partisan divide within US politics is one of greater amplitude. “The painful truth is that after the applause, Netanyahu was left alone.” Stated opposition leader Isaac Herzog on Wednesday. He stipulated that “Israel was left isolated. And the negotiations with Iran will continue without any Israeli involvement.” He fears that the Israeli-American relations have been impaired as a result of Tuesday’s speech. What is certain however, is that the battle of words is not over. Obama and the Democrats will keep pushing for improved relations with Iran, in hopes of succeeding in doing so before Obama’s term ends in 2017. As the rift between the White House and Congress widens, it could turn out to be a bumpy two years for President Obama. “Make this the year YOU discover a new destination.” Banksy had previously described the West Bank as “the ultimate activity holiday destination for graffiti writers” back in 2005. One thing to keep in mind when interpreting his work is the importance of its location—it is part of the piece itself. In Gaza, he used destroyed homes and buildings as his canvas, leaving his paintings in blatant contrast to the debris surrounding them. He left behind four pieces, in which he depicts real life for ordinary Palestinians. The first is of a Greek goddess, channeling the form of a famous sculpture, on a concrete slab that survived the destruction of its building. The second depicts children swinging from a watchtower, a brutal reminder of the condition of Palestinian children. The third shows a white kitten with a pink bow, playing with what seems to be a ball of tangled wire, because according to Banksy’s website, “on the internet, people only look at pictures of kittens.” Banksy concludes his documentary with a message, in which he condemns the world’s idle stance and encourages people to take action: “If we wash our hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, we side with the powerful—we don’t remain neutral.” We hear about Gaza in the news, and we expect to see the graphic, brutal images that we have grown accustomed to. Enter Banksy, and Gaza becomes a canvas of lost dreams and washed-out potential. His work has a way of awakening humanity and putting pity to sleep. Banksy’s art has shaken the world, and he has the international community taking a long, hard look at Gaza once again. jpost.com Ali Nasrallah Staff Writer Banksy returns to Gaza Banksy first visited Palestine’s West Bank in 2005. He produced a series of iconic pieces, including one of his famous “rat-race rats,” captioned “We will return.” Banksy kept his word. Roughly a decade since his first visit, the world-famous invisible graffiti artists returned for his first project of 2015. His goal? To shed light on Israel’s 50-day military operation against Hamas in the summer of 2014. The attack killed over 2,000 Palestinians and injured an additional 3,000—most of them civilians according to the United Nations—leaving Gaza in ruins. Seventy-two Israelis also died in the operation, 67 of them being soldiers. Gaza is the world’s largest open-air prison. Banksy believes this description of Gaza is unfair to prisons saying: “They [prisons] don’t have their electricity and drinking water cut off randomly almost every day.” No one is allowed to enter, and no one is allowed to leave as Gaza is surrounded by the “Apartheid Wall.” The vast wall is four times as long and twice as high as the Berlin Wall, which collapsed in 1989. Banksy appears to have gotten to the West Bank via a network of illegal tunnels from Egypt. The artist’s publicist, Jo Brooks, refused to disclose when the visit took place. Some speculate it might have been around three months ago, when a Western graffiti artist with a translator was spotted by locals. Banksy’s identity remains unknown—he is is everywhere but nowhere at once. Regardless, Banksy’s undercover documentary was recently released on his website. Taking on the format of a travel advert, it bears the title btimes.co.uk Tamara Jurdi Staff Writer NEWS MARCH 10, 2015 3 Mouse skin pinned in Jafet, authorities informed Continued from page 1 was so strange,” said a bystander. “We asked them to take it down, and they didn’t take us seriously at first. We came back an hour later and it was still up on the wall, so a student finally came to take it down, and he threw it away in the garbage outside the library.” Fine Arts major Zina Ibrahim, whose snapchat picture of the mouse skin was originally posted on the “AUB Guru” forum, said, “it was disgusting that the people working in the library didn’t even take it down and left it for so long, [before Mohamad] decided he would take it down and throw it in the garbage outside.” The skin is suspected to have been taken off of a mouse by a student in the Cell Biology Lab. On the same day as the incident, lab students were dissecting euthanized mice. According to biology students, a brief introduction was given to the class before any dissection took place. These measures are put in place to inform everyone that the animals are properly euthanized beforehand and are considered hazardous material to be disposed of as such. “I knew it was probably a mouse from one of the dissection lab sessions,” said Kinda Darwish, a fourth year English Literature major. “But for someone to go through the trouble of sneaking it out of their lab and skin it, just so they can post it on a bulletin board for no logical reason is disgusting. I think it’s inexcusable and these students should be identified and forced to fail their lab for not abiding by the protocol.” As the post circulated on Facebook, several students felt the act was disgusting enough to warrant university disciplinary action. Many of them informed university administrators and within the next few days, Dean of Student Affairs Talal Nizameddin was aware of the situation, in addition to the concerned Biology professors and lab instructors. While many biology students say they know exactly who pinned the animal’s skin to the information board, it is believed that none of them have disclosed the student’s name to the university yet. “I am currently coordinating with FAS to finalize who will issue the disciplinary action,” Nizameddin told Outlook. “Here, there is both a general violation, which I am responsible for, but there is also a violation for lab ethics and protocol so it is also academic. I hope in the next week or so we will have this issue finalized and those involved will be dealt with accordingly.” Outrage and dissent erupt at Nestlé gender balance lecture Continued from page 1 encouraging students to join him and philosophy professor Arianne Shahvisi in confronting the company’s allegedly fake feminist claims. The issue quickly gained momentum, and students started stacking reasons to protest Nestlé’s presence on campus. “I just think it’s outrageous that AUB has asked Nestlé to speak at an event promoting women, while there is a very famous scandal whereby Nestlé has taken advantage of women in developing countries…but there are other issues as well,” Singh told Outlook. “Nestlé invests heavily in Israel and occupied Palestinian territories.” About 15 people participated in the “flash mob protest,” with members of the Palestinian Cultural Club, Red Oak Club, Women’s Rights Club, and African Culture Club present. Just as Nestlé speaker Yasmine Barbir took the stage in Auditorium A, the dispersed dissidents stood up and followed art history student Natasha Gasparian’s lead. “We are members of the AUB community,” she started solemnly. “We object to Nestlé’s presence here on campus. We object to corporate pseudo-feminism. We object to exploiting women in the global south for profit,” Gasparia continued with the others chanting after her. “We object to Zionism, and to your factories on stolen lands. we object to the support of child slavery.” Singh spoke next, accusing Nestlé of making women in the global south dependent on baby powder, leading to the “unnecessary death, malnutrition, and suffering of millions of children and families in low and middleincome families.” Professor Arianne Shahvisi then began chanting, with the protesters repeating after here—“Zionism, out out out! Corporatization, out out out! Misogyny, out out out! Capitalism, out out out!”—only to be interrupted by Dr. Maryam Ghandour, who escorted her outside the room. “It makes me very proud to see so many of my own students so courageously standing up to the university and defying its decision to offer a platform to Nestlé,” Shahvisi told Outlook. “These actions are vital to ensuring that the corporatization of AUB is resisted, and that the university remains a place of intellectual debate in the service of a grave moral responsibility as befits its reputation in the region.” While the demonstrators followed Dr. Ghandour to the Student Affairs Office, the lecture resumed. Nestlé Lebanon’s General Business Manager Yasmine Barbir went on about the importance of gender balance, and how Nestlé sought to achieve this in its workplace. The protest did not seem to faze the predominantly female audience, however, as students were lined up at the end of the lecture, inquiring about internships and job opportunities. One student who left the lecture early said that the protest made her feel “uneasy,” since usually her “opinions would be very much aligned with the protesters, and being there [not as a protester] felt like a betrayal to the cause.” She added that the lecture was a “waste of time, but the protest was not really related to the subject of the lecture.” Speaker Yasmine Barbir, an AUB alumna, was visibly displeased with the interruption. “We are a very transparent and ethical company,” she explained. “How they behaved was not appropriate, it was disrespectful both to us and other attendees, but we are ready to hear their thoughts.” She also said she believes the protesters have a lot of misconceptions. “They are in an age where there is an agitation of feelings, and a want to anchor their voice in the world,” she continued. “But if they do their proper research without being biased to the media, which is always known to attack and label companies as being capitalists and invading the world...they have to diversify their sources, read everything and know the truth, because not a single thing they said was correct, and we are ready to clarify each point they made.” “Every student has the full right to give their opinion,” added Dr. Ghandour, director of career and placement services. “But they cannot by any [means] interrupt an activity, they can express their disapproval in different ways….they could have staged a sit-in, for example,” she continued. “I understand their point of view, but my duty is to bring the best, prominent companies to AUB to recruit.” In light of the corporation’s lecture last week, Singh recently drafted and released an open letter, calling for the university to end its ties with Nestlé and any of its subsidiaries. Beginning with social media platforms, he hopes to continue to gain the support of more students and possibly even student clubs or societies, in order to put increasing pressure on the administration. In his letter, Singh analyzes in-depth the various injustices reportedly committed by Nestle, writing: “We should be ashamed that we at AUB have welcomed Nestlé with open arms, not just today but for years now: Why did AUB allow Nestlé to open a ‘Toll House’ coffee shop on our campus? Why is AUB buying water from Sohat and Pure Life, two of Nestlé’s subsidiaries? “And why is AUB so lacking in self-respect that we are asking Nestlé to preach to us about how to conduct business ethically and in a way that empowers women?” the letter continues. “We don’t need any sermons from the devil. That is why we, as anti-imperialists, object to Nestlé being invited to speak in AUB.” He goes on to explain that “when you work for Nestlé, you are working toward child malnutrition in the global south. And when you give Nestlé the chance to speak at your country’s most prominent university, you are giving a pro-Zionist organisation a chance to use a microphone.” In the wake of the protest, one of the demonstrators said that an agreement was reached with Dean of Student Affairs Talal Nizameddin. This agreement ensures that AUB will start pursuing certain types of corporations, specifically local ones, and less international companies. “We’re hoping, as a group, to achieve bigger things,” he added, “such as addressing the issue of the Nestlé Toll House on lower campus.” 4 NEWS MARCH 10, 2015 Secular Club and Sakker El Dekkene put spotlight on institutional corruption Continued from page 1 describes itself as an organization “that aims to collect data about the various forms of corruption spread across public administration in Lebanon.” Their work is not only directed at the public, but also at corporate executives. “This data is then mirrored back to the administration and the public in order to raise awareness and engage both parties in a transparent and constructive relationship.” Their contribution to the Secular Club’s event consisted of two parts. Throughout the day, Sakker El Dekene volunteers and Secular Club members approached West Hall passersby, claiming to sell government documents, such as driver’s licenses that don’t require official examinations. The stunt quickly grabbed people’s attention, shedding light on the dismal state of affairs in Lebanon. The second part of the event was a lecture by the cofounder and current president of Sakker El Dekkene, Rabih el Shaer, who explained to a crowd of approximately 60 attendees the story of the NGO’s inception, as well as the methods adopted to achieve its goals. “It all started with a survey to collect data about the Interior Security Forces (ISF),” El Shaer said. “We were surprised to find out that 87% of the Lebanese people don’t trust the ISF, although the ISF are supposed to protect us and protect our rights. If the ISF are not trustworthy, we can not have a proper government.” In light of these findings, Shaer and a number of other people such as Abdo Medlej and Carol Alsharabati, decided to launch Sakker El Dekkene, in the hopes that a nongovernmental organization can change the status quo, all the while steering clear from political affiliations. “All governmental institutions are corrupted by political parties,” El Shaer explained. “We decided to give the people a chance to report on corruption firsthand.” In order to promote their campaign, the NGO established a small shop, similar to a ‘dekkene,’ in Gemmayze, which appears to sell all kinds of forfeited documents. Members of the NGO have also regularly taken to the streets of Lebanon with trolleys selling similar pretend items. Not to mention the Sakker el Dekkene car, which moves from one institution to another, collecting data through surveys and other methods, as well as helping promote the campaign. The NGO also launched a website (Sakkera.com) and a mobile application (Sakkera), through which citizens can report any corruption they witness in public institutions. With over 51 million social media “impressions” (likes, comments, shares, hashtags, retweets), Sakker El Dekkene’s campaign has gone viral. “We are growing faster and people have started coming up to us and helping us with our mission,” El Shaer said. “We want to build a strong base in order to create pressure for change. We are working on education and on cultural values […] it is going to be a long term investment.” El Shaer proceeded to invite all AUB students to actively participate in its campaign, whether online or on the ground, so as to make the experience as engaging as possible, and positively impact Lebanese communities. “Everyone has been a victim of corruption at some point: poisoned food, car accident, medical error. “We are both responsible for and victims of corruption, which is why we must report it.” Annual City Debates conference tackles gentrification of Beirut AUB Office of Communications Beirut in times of peace has been more disfigured than in times of war, according to local activists who protest urban development trends in the city, said participants at an AUB conference on urban planning, policy, and design. The theme of City Debates 2015—now in its 14th edition— revolved around gentrification as an aspect of urban change, attracting local and international scholars who convened in AUB for a three-day conference that kicked off last Wednesday. With the aim of highlighting the processes of urban and social change associated with gentrification and focusing on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cities, the conference was organized by the AUB Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Graduate Programs in Urban Planning, Policy and Design, in collaboration with the AUB Neighborhood Initiative. “In recent years, global capital flows, coupled with new building regulations that promote higher built-up densities, have tremendously valorized certain parts of Beirut turning them into massive destruction and reconstruction sites,” said Mona Khechen, senior lecturer at the AUB Department of Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management and co-organizer of the event. “In Ras Beirut’s case there is the presence of intricate social and spatial mobilities that are not captured by western-centric gentrification paradigms.” Gentrification is a widespread, controversial topic in urban planning that leads to the displacement of the existing demographic of a region and refers to the shifts in an urban community lifestyle and the increasing occupation of wealthier residents, or businesses, amid increasing property values. “These mobilities, in the case of Ras Beirut, and their ensuing socio-spatial divisions and inequalities, largely stem from a country context fraught with social insecurities and highly susceptible to political manipulations and rivalries,” said Khechen. Marieke Krunen, a PhD student at the Department of Conflict and Development studies at Ghent University, Belgium, sketched the process driving gentrification in Beirut by illustrating it with two case studies: the Mar Mikhael quarter where existing shops have been replaced by pubs, restaurants and designer boutiques with older buildings giving way to new real estate projects; and Zokak El Blat where new buildings are replacing older ones but cultural and commercial changes have not materialized. “These case studies point towards specific aspects of gentrification processes in Beirut, such as the lenient legal framework afforded to developers wishing to evict residents and demolish their buildings,” said Krunen. “Other aspects include the Lebanese diaspora that is an investor in and buyer of real estate, a major rent gap caused by rent controls, the high exploitation ratios and the role of conflict in processes of displacement and speculation.” “These specifically Lebanese aspects are not always covered by gentrification theory produced in the West,” she added. According to Krunen, the case of Beirut also shows just how much gentrification processes can diverge within a single city, with different networks of capital formation and visions of the urban future reflecting Lebanon’s history of confessional conflict. “Notwithstanding Lebanese specificities, the case studies demonstrate that the driving forces and results of gentrification in Beirut are the same as elsewhere,” she said. “The logic of the market is to provide housing for the privileged, and lower-and-middleincome groups are displaced and excluded from the city.” Hisham Ashkar, architect, urban planner, cartographer and investigative researcher, currently a PhD candidate in urbanism at HafenCity Universitat-Hamburg, Germany, talked about the laws and regulations that sustain and support gentrification, such as the Law of Construction, Law on Antiquities and the Law on rent. Ashkar argued that the 1992 rent law imposed rent controls that pushed building owners to sell their properties in search of more lucrative investments. This in turn contributed to gentrification. More recently, the 2004 construction law allowed developers to exploit a plot by an extra 30 percent, and to raise the height of buildings by an additional 25 percent, creating a huge gap between old buildings and new ones in a single day. “Usually the developers in Lebanon expect a 400 percent profit margin and many abstain from realizing a project if that figure is not attained,” he said. The result is high-end buildings that are not accessible to the middle class population, leading to further gentrification. NEWS MARCH 10, 2015 5 New African Club presents exciting prospects people in Lebanon, especially migrant workers. And finally, to ultimately help African people in their respective countries. This is to be accomplished through the many activities that the club has in mind, including campaigns, debates and lectures by prominent professors. Movie screenings, dinners, concerts and dance lessons are also few of the various fun activities that the club will soon hold. The club is also planning on collaborating with other clubs such as the Book Club, and on organizing trips to African countries. The club isn’t strictly dedicated to the African community in AUB. On the contrary, it is open to everyone as it is an introduction to different African countries and their cultures. Michelle Yazbeck, the vice president, said that no matter how well-informed one might be, African cultures are very diverse, and one can never learn enough about the beauty and depth of each culture. The club presents itself as the key to what Africa is truly about. However, it isn’t all fun and games. The club aims to target the widespread intrinsic racism and stereotypes in Lebanon. Although racism is less prevalent in the AUB community, some African people have had their fair share of silly questions and comments on campus. Hader Mousa, a cabinet member, claims that it’s part of the ignorance that this society suffers from. Not so surprisingly, they all agree that it’s nothing compared to the Michelle Yazbeck Continued from page 1 unfair treatment off-campus. Only recently, Hader, a Sudanese student, was called “a’bde sawda” (black slave) when she was buying a movie ticket. The president also mentioned that she’s had countless horrible experiences, especially in taxi rides where she is almost always placed under the category of prostitute and was once asked to go home with the driver to marry him and cook for him. “AUB has been and is a safe place for me. I have great friends here. When I walk outside campus for a while and come back, I breathe out,” says Vania. “But even in this safe place, I experienced stereotypes from students, faculty, and staff, and I’ve had several hurtful situations. Over the past two years, I’ve learned to accept myself and have tried to understand where the stereotypes come from. This club is an attempt to reveal the truth about Africa and hopefully make a positive change in AUB, Lebanon and the region.” The club has just gotten their foot in the door and their activities will be up and running as soon as registration ends. It has received great support from students and faculty members, who helped establish the club. As the president said, the club has big dreams, and it seems that they’re not farfetched and will be achieved soon. The African Club provides an opportunity to explore magnificent cultures in the company of good people. Registration through AUBsis is still available till the end of this week, and the CRN is 50173. Roni Rafeh Staff Writer Last Friday was a day of mourning for science fiction fans, as it saw the passing of legendary actor Leonard Nimoy. The name may not ring a bell at first, but a quick glance at his picture or some of his most famous quotes will clearly bring to mind exactly who he was. Of course, most people will recognize him by his most famous character, the iconic Spock. Nimoy’s defining role was on the classic sci-fi show ‘Star Trek,’ where he played the Vulcan known as Spock. This, however, was not his only role as he appeared in other productions, including the Star Trek movies, some of which he even directed. His talents comprised of far more than solely acting and directing; he was also very fond of photography and was also a dab hand at writing poetry. Nimoy wrote many poetry pieces, even publishing one only five days before his death. He tweeted a beautiful message on the day of his passing that went as follows: “Life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.” Not being satisfied with just writing poetry Nimoy also published two autobiographies, the titles of which showed his sense of humor. His first book was released in 1975 and was called “I Am Not Spock” while his second book was released in 1995 and was titled “I Am Spock.” Nimoy’s death affected innumerable people, since his role as Spock defined not only one, but several generations. As such, memorials took place around the world, most of which were Star Trek themed, amongst people of different age groups and different ethnicities. Even Presi- dent Barack Obama released a statement about the death of Nimoy in which he was quoted as saying: “Long before being nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy.” He went on to also say: “I loved Spock.” The cyber world mourned greatly, as approximately one thousand players of the online game “Star Trek Online” gathered together in the game on Planet Vulcan (Nimoy’s home planet on the show) to pay their final respects. This may not seem like a big number, but anyone who has played an online game knows how difficult it is to organize just a few dozen people let alone a thousand! This tribute emphasizes how well loved he truly was. Many AUB students had things to say about the death of the Vulcan. Elias Aboudi spoke of the fond memories he had of Nimoy: “I was very sad to hear of his death, I was not a fan of Star Trek at first, it was my dad who loved the show. I started watching it with him when I was still a child and quickly started loving the show where Spock immediately became my favorite character. I still cherish those moments in front of the television with my dad.” Leonard Nimoy was extremely well known, even to those who aren’t fans of Star Trek. Ebrahim Karam, cabinet member of the Cine Club, had this to say: “I never watched the series but there was this Vulcan hand gesture that kept showing in a lot of my childhood series like ‘Fillmore’ [and] ‘Boy Meets World.’ As a kid, I actually started to practice the hand gesture. Now I can do it with both hands.” In “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan” with his last dying breath he tells Captain Kirk: “I have been and always shall be, your friend. Live long and prosper.” By leaving us at the age of 83, we can safely say he lived long and prospered; rest in peace, our dear friend. deviantart.net Leonard Nimoy reaches his final frontier 6 EDITORIAL MARCH 10, 2015 Staff List A FEMININE TOUCH Talia Abbas Editor-in-Chief A tradition set in motion by the United Nations on March 1975 ,8, this past Sunday celebrated the annual International Women’s Day. The first International Women’s Day actually took place in Europe in 1911, and what was expected to be a one-off initiative expanded to over a century’s worth of celebrating the history of powerful women making a difference. Following a tweet by The Economist, women make up the majority of university students around in the world. In line with this statement, the AUB Women’s Rights Club collaborated with nearly a dozen other NGOs and AUB clubs such as Net Impact, AUB Secular Club, AntiRacism Movement, Red Oak Club, etc. to celebrate International Women’s Day tomorrow in front of West Hall. There are plenty of empowering women who have left their mark in society. To name a few Outlook celebrated: Marie Curie (1906-1895), the Polish/French Nobel Prizewinning physicist, Frida Kahlo (1954-1907), the Mexican (sur) realist and modernist painter, Maya Angelou (2014-1928), the African American author and civil rights activist, DjamilaBouhired (1935), the Algerian nationalist who opposed French colonial rule and played her part in fighting for national independence, and Simone de Beauvoir (1986-1908), the fierce French feminist. Lebanon too has nurtured some of the world’s most influential women, such as Joumana Haddad, an outspoken poet, journalist and women’s rights activist. Even Hind Hobeika, a recent AUB graduate and creator of Instabeat, has been celebrated as an influential women. As we commemorate history’s most distinguished women, feminism is inextricably linked. In all fairness, the term “feminism” carries with it more negative than positive connotations, despite the constructive changes it has brought about for women in society. G.D. Anderson once said: “Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” If that’s the case, then what is strength? Strength is the unapologetic fierceness that these women embody. Strength isstepping up to the plate when others shy away. Strength is the ability to communicate and inspire. The moral of the story is that we all possess the strength to leave a positive, lasting impact. That impact can be big or small, but what matters is that we can do whatever we set our minds to. And I don’t know about you, but that is something worth celebrating. Disclaimer Contact us: @OutlookAUB @OutlookAUB [email protected] This comics section is the result of a workshop offered by comics artist Barrack Rima at the department of Architecture and Design, with the support of the Mu’taz and Rada Sawwaf Arabic Comics initiative. Sara Kishly Diana Itawi Karol El Masri Aya Krisht Elia Tawil Riham El Ghoseini @outlookaub 01 350 000 (Ext: 3193) A. U. SHI Comics © Participants: Staff Writers Ali Kobeissi Chairperson Ali Nasrallah Talal Nizameddin Camille Mroue Editor-in-Chief Carole Hassan Talia Abbas Chermine Sleiman Haidar Managing Editor Christy Choueiri Ellen Francis Cynthia Saghir Arabic Editor Dana Kambris Nizar Aouad Fatima Kazma Proofreader Firas Haidar Sarah Khalil Imad El Hassan News Editor Jane Nasr Shereen El Ladki Jason Lemon Business Editor Karmah Chehaitly Mohamad Saleh Khaled Al Kurdi Opinions Editor Lama Miri Azza El Masri Lara Mekkawi Arts and Culture Editor Laura Al Bast Vicken Margossian Laudy Issa Community Editor Leen Bou Nasser Eddine Linda Bou Ali Meer Rashid Lifestyle Editor Malak El Sabeh Dana Abed Mohamad Al Chamaa Layout Editor Nerses Arslanian Maha Haider Noor Barrage Copy Editor Rayan Al Arab Loulwa Sweid Razan Mneimneh Web Editor Rifaat Fakih Joy Waked Roni Rafeh Social Media Manager Serine Haidar Ahmad Hania Osta Tala Ladki Business Manager Tamara Jurdi Bassel Abdallah Yara Beaini Photography Editor Yusra Bitar Philippa Dahrouj Ziad Lawen @Outlook AUB outlookaub.com Outlook is a weekly publication of the American University of Beirut (AUB) and represents the voice of the student body. It is an independent, non-affiliated publication that favors no ethnic, religious or political group. All columns, articles and reports are the property of Outlook and do not necessarily represent the views of Outlook or the AUB community. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way, shape or form without the written consent of Outlook and/or higher authorities. Outlook reserves the right to edit all material. BUSINESS 7 MARCH 10, 2015 What I learned as an Intern at Wolff Olins Asaad Jaber Contributing Writer task at hand. It’s important to know where to draw the line at what’s “enough” and find satisfaction in that. Think some of the world’s most recognizable brands. Rethink them. Begin again. That is what Wolff Olins, the great brand consultancy that you, like many others, have probably never heard of, does for companies like Microsoft, GE, and USA Today. When surrounded by great minds and immersed in some of their best work, it’s easy to learn valuable things that apply to life at broad. These are five life lessons I’ve learned interning at Wolff Olins. Keep it simple Simple is straightforward. It’s easy to read. It’s easy to grasp. That doesn’t mean that simplicity lacks depth or complexity. It just means that you’re presenting the complexity of the subject with coherence and flow. Diving into detail inspires you to greater realizations, but make sure to surface before sharing what you know with others. You’re hard to hear when you’re still underwater. Promise what you know you can and not what you wish you could It’s tempting to take on more than you actually have room for on your plate. Don’t. By my first week at the office, I’d already promised everyone that I was going to make stuffed vine leaves for our next lunch. My excessive kindness alerted a head strategist to the new people-pleaser in the room. She examined me with an admiring glance reserved with pity, aware of the outcome of my promise. “You don’t have to stuff vine leaves if you don’t want to,” she said. I really didn’t. I don’t know why I rushed to offer. But what I had to do was work on a bunch of assignments. I often budged into other interns’ business just to prove I could do it all. Sometimes, I’d even lie about completing work on an assignment to move on to something new. But my desire to impress kept me from focusing on what I was asked to do, and a burning sensation that my own responsibilities weren’t enough left me falling short. Most of the time, “over-delivering” isn’t about taking on more action. It’s about dedicating attention and care to the Choose something you like and think you’re good at, and give it your all In an intimate conversation with the three strategy interns from my university, a visiting senior executive was gracious enough to share her journey up the ranks in the company and to ask about our own backgrounds as well. My turn came up, and I told her how I switched majors three times in my first week of college, then once again after “deciding” on one of them. Her response was entirely candid and enlightening. “Does that make you wellrounded or confused?” she asked. Although her question flustered me at the time, it forced me to reevaluate the way I understood my own choices. I always felt that a skill set in a broad range of fields would set me apart from others. But most of the times, branching out into various areas left me lagging in exhaustion. Frances Frei, best-selling author and professor at Harvard Business School, says that an “emotional barrier” keeps businesses from excelling in a certain field. This reasoning applies to corporations as much as it does to people. As long as you feel guilty about giving up an alternative, you can’t give anything the focus needed for success. Surrendering to a single path takes courage in a world where trade-offs are indispensable to success. “Align your personality with your purpose” In a talk at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Oprah Winfrey offered her two-cents on successful living: “Align your personality with your purpose, and no one can touch you.” The Wolff Olins approach places the purpose of a brand at the heart of its entire expression from image to impact. Brands that act from a clear purpose are the ones that deliver the strongest impact in real time. In the same way, we can let our own actions be driven by a clear inner purpose: one that isn’t bound by obligation to a “predetermined” path, but available as steady ground for any action you wish to pursue. The importance of intent Karl Heiselman, the former CEO of Wolff Olins and Senior Marketing Director at Apple Inc., wrote about the best advice he received as part of LinkedIn’s “Best Advice” series. His story was about a visiting professor at his college who asked the students in class to take a little time off and write what a day in their lives would look like ten years into the future. Karl talked about how this experience helped him redefine his path and evolve in his career. At the core of its business, a brand consultancy is all about intent. Strategists articulate the purpose and vision of a brand that become guideposts for the “user experience” it delivers. If you can start with something as simple as an intention, it will inform your actions and set your life on a path that is consistently satisfying at more points along the way. Beirut Beer takes a jab at Almaza In July 2014, Kassatly Chtaura launched a new beer into the Lebanese market: Beirut Beer. Kassatly started producing drinks and jams in 1919 and is now well-known for its non-alcoholic drinks, vodka mixes, and Chateau Ka wines. The president of Kassatly had the idea of opening a beer factory in 2005, and a few years later, they worked with one of the biggest beer producers in Germany to produce what is now called Beirut Beer. Soon after the production of this beer, their ads started propagating on Lebanese TV stations, billboards, social media, and radios. The company first released its ad “to the restaurant” that is set on a beach filled with attractive women. A regular joe walks by unnoticed, but after drinking some Beirut Beer, he is able to answer a girl on how to get to a certain restaurant in Spanish which impresses her and attracts the attention of other girls sitting on the bar next to him. The ad emphasizes the whole idea of being confident and showcasing your true capabilities. At the end, the guy is seen talking in chinese to a girl on the phone. The ad agency “Operation Unicorn,” a new and upcoming agency in Lebanon, is behind this humorous ad. They have worked with Kassatly before on different ads for products such as BUZZ and Chateau Ka. The agency released another ad for Beirut Beer revolving around another average joe at a concert. After drinking the beer, he is invited to rock out on stage vimeocdn.com Tala Ladki Staff Writer with the band, which enables him to showcase his music capabilities. Clearly, the beer is targeting the average lebanese guy and the whole essence of the brand revolves around confidence and uniqueness. Although, all of these ads seem interesting, fun and entertaining at first, they become boring when repeated as much as they are on Lebanese TVs. The idea behind them seem a little bit overdone. However, Beirut Beer recently released a new ad called “Shou Kel Youm Moujadarra?” (Are we having Moujadarra every day?) The ad starts off with a young boy who loves eating Moujaddara because it’s the food his mother knows how to cook really well. We see him grow up, and still eat Moujaddara, until one day, he is invited over to a friend’s house. There, he tries something new and suddenly, it’s as if he was reborn. He’s then seen sipping Beirut Beer with his friends. The whole point of this ad is to encourage people to “try something new” i.e. to try Beirut Beer, because it’s relatively new as opposed to its main competitor ‘Almaza’ which has been around since the 1960’s. This ad is clever because it utilizes comparative advertising without being too blunt or tacky. We really enjoyed this indirect message: Mujaddara (Almaza) is good but aren’t we tired of eating it every day? Maybe we should try something new (Beirut Beer). The ad, unlike the two previous, feels truly unique. Altogether, all the launch of the new product seems promising and we are very eager to see how Beirut Beer is going to perform in the market. 8 BUSINESS MARCH 10, 2015 AIESEC ‘Youth to Business Forum’ restores hope in Lebanese entrepreneurship LAU’s lower campus was bustling with students Saturday as AIESEC hosted an entrepreneurship and innovation convention, called “Lebanon Youth to Business Forum,” or Y2B. The forum, according to the club’s president Mark Aghajanian, sought to convince the Lebanese youth not to leave their country, since “nothing is truly lost, there is always something to fight for [...] great things can be achieved through dedication and hard work.” About 150 students, some of them budding entrepreneurs, from 14 different universities attended the all-day event, each with very different aspirations and expectations. “I’m here more for the networking aspect for it, since I’m opening a coding school called Le Wagon,” said NDU student Malek Houri. On the other hand, AUB business student Lynn Itani wished to explore the entrepreneurship sphere, as she is very indecisive about her future. After an opening speech by LAU’s Dean of the School of Business, the first keynote speaker, Yasser Akkaoui, took the stage. Akkaoui, a prominent entrepreneur in the Middle East and a reference for corporate governance in the region, encouraged the young audience to “embrace change and innovation” in their future endeavors, especially since the business world is currently witnessing deep transformations. He also reassured students that “failure is not the end of the world” because if “at the end of the day you find that you made 51 decisions and 49 bad ones, you will be fine.” The most inspirational speaker, however, was Samer Karam, a person who contributed greatly to the creation Outlook/ Dana Kambris Dana Kambris Staff Writer of an “ecosystem for start-ups” in Lebanon in the past five years. Karam, who helped create a multitude of Lebanese start-ups and programs to help start-ups, wants the Lebanese youth to “look at entrepreneurship as an opportunity to create your own path in Lebanon.” He said that it will not be easy as “you will lose a lot of hair and a lot of sleep,” but as long as “you go with your gut feeling and keep moving forward,” great things can be done. A panel discussion followed, where representatives from accomplished Lebanese start-ups such as Anghami, Zoomal, Etobb, and other institutions such as Berytech and Uber, tried to shed light on the difference between the corporate world and the entrepreneurial one, arguing in favor of the start-up world in Lebanon. “This is exactly where you should be,” said Tamara Zakharia, AUB alumnus and Head of Strategic Partnerships at Zoomal. The panel speakers agreed that there is much room for growth in Lebanon’s information and communications (ICT) market, and young entrepreneurs can benefit from the many start-up support programs of- fered by the Central Bank, start-up accelerator Seeqnce and Berytech to grasp this opportunity. Ideas, they said, are not worth much without having the right team to execute them, claiming that Lebanon is a pool of diversely experienced people. “Pressure leads to innovation,” added Zakharia, explaining how the pressure the Lebanese population is constantly subject to can be used to their advantage. The forum ended with a series of workshops offered by Microsoft, Anghami, Zoomal, Bader, and Middle East Venture Partners, where students learned about the basics of technological innovation, entrepreneurship strategies, crowdfunding, and financing through venture capitals. “The panel discussion was much more interesting than the Anghami workshop we just attended,” said LAU students Isaac Bahsoun and Tala Zein. “It was really motivational whereas the workshop was more informative.” When asked whether the forum encouraged them to create their own start-up, they replied, “It is an option now.” OPINIONS MARCH 10, 2015 Murr Television, or MTV Lebanon, is sometimes seen as a stage for freedom of expression and professional programs. It also views itself as to have “led the way in terms of its adoption of self-regulation and a clear code of ethics,” according to its website. But this self-regulation and ethics come with the cost of depicting the criminal Zionist occupiers as alleged victims, and demeaning the countless martyrs that fought their oppression. MTV constantly violates Lebanese law in its acknowledgement of the Zionist occupation as being a sovereign state, as well as directly contacting Zionist officials. Whether MTV’s actions are intentional sensitization of the Lebanese viewer to Israeli occupation of Palestine, or merely endless “typos” in its news broadcasts is something of a no-brainer, MTV do not need to further proof-read their broadcasts. MTV’s actions are infringements of two Lebanese laws: the 1943 Lebanese Criminal code, which forbids any form of interaction with enemy states, and the 1955 Lebanese Boycott Law, which specifically states that interaction with Israel is illegal. Not only that, but Lebanon is also one of the 32 countries in the world which do not formally recognize Israel as a nationstate. One of MTV’s most insolent infractions of Lebanese law was their attempt to interview Ofir Gendelman, the official spokesperson of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu back in 2012. Numerous Lebanese news agencies and popular blogs have condemned MTV for its actions; al-Akhbar newspaper conducted an interview with Hasan Jouni, a professor of law at the Lebanese University, who stated that “If MTV’s own employee conducted the interview with the Israeli [spokesperson], then the station can be prosecuted.” However, the law has yet to be applied on MTV. The event which exposed MTV’s stance was its reported distortion of the 2014 Israeli terrorization of Gaza and labelling it as “The war on Israel.” Perhaps we failed to see how the thousands of dislodged Palestinian women and children were an existential threat to the Israeli occupation. The repulsion that once accompanied any mention of Israel is no more; it’s as though being anti-Zionist has become an opinion in Lebanon rather than a national stance as television channels like MTV seemingly act as their national spokespeople. The channel has yet to broadcast news in Hebrew, however. More than 20,000 destroyed homes, 2,200 lost civilian lives, and over half a million displaced innocents were so apparently insignificant to MTV. The matter is not merely one of legal persecution, nor a political stance, but a vital case of humanity and moral values, both of which MTV fails to demonstrate in this case and many others. Israel has committed atrocities against Lebanon and the Arabs and still does to this day. Any form of acknowledgement would be an insult and a betrayal to the countless martyrs who sacrificed their lives to liberate Lebanese and Arab land from the Zionist occupation. The Lebanese judiciary needs to put an end to MTV’s habit. Since loopholes apparently exist in the Boycott Law, the law must be rewritten. The political cover that MTV enjoys may protect it from the law for now, but the public should not tolerate it much longer. secular club Ali Nasrallah Staff Writer In the aftermath of ‘The Dress’ cosmopolitan.com Is MTV above Lebanese law? 9 Tala Ladki Staff Writer There’s nothing more surprising than waking up, checking your social media, and finding that the Internet went crazy overnight. That was the case when Lebanon awoke on the morning of Friday, February 27, with the hashtag #TheDress running rampant on all social media platforms accompanied by pictures of a seemingly innocuous black and blue dress. I usually find useless hashtags amusing, and while I enjoyed seeing what my friends thought about the dress for the first few hours of the day, it soon became a drag. At first, I was confused. Was there some kind of inside joke between the Lebanese that I had missed while asleep? (Don’t the Lebanese sleep, anyway?) Then, upon scrolling some more down my Instagram feed, I saw that American comedian Ellen DeGeneres had also posted the picture of the dress. At this point, my curiosity turned into intrigue. What is this dress? I went on Facebook, and saw more posts. I also found an article about it written in Forbes, and then I got the picture. On the day of her daughter’s wedding, a mother sent the image to her daughter asking her how she looks in the dress. The daughter and the husband disagreed about the color of the dress, and sent it to friends to settle the argument but the friends couldn’t agree either. And so, a new internet phenomenon was born. This matter caught the attention of many professors at different universities who immediately started analyzing why different people perceive the colors differently. Why is it, though, that this became such a big deal? It’s only a dress after all. With social media being so open and accessible, the picture went viral in no time and the controversy that started among friends and family soon spread around the world. This pandemic of being/producing/sharing “The Next Big Thing” is contagious, and people are acting in stupid ways for their 15 minutes of fame. Acts like these have more momentum than a cruel reality, that sees a world where there the exploitation, kidnapping, hurting and killing of different groups of people remain hidden, and do not solicit the necessary condemnation it de- mands. It is unacceptable when there are children every day dying of numerous causes—from destitution, neglect, or conflict—and yet the world remains largely silent. “The Dress” is only one of millions of examples that become serious subjects of debate on social media. Concurrently with ‘The Dress,’ Twitter was flooded with tweets about two llamas that escaped somewhere in Arizona. The hashtag for this very insightful and controversial issue was #llamadrama. Before that, it was #AlexfromTarget. It’s not only Twitter: blogs and news outlets join in on the debates as well. Although these trends are at times exactly the sort of respite that we need as a country plagued by an unstable region, the truth still remains that people would rather look at a video of a baby and a cat playing or debating over whether a dress is black and blue or white and gold. Maybe it’s a good thing, a way to blow off steam and have a good laugh, but let’s give the more important issues, the issues that affect us and our society, more significance. Wake up to the reality we’re in, or else reality will creep up on us when we least expect it. 10 OPINIONS MARCH 10, 2015 The future of Lebanon is not in Lebanon Deporting locals from their homeland is illegal. Exiling locals with no criminal record is also illegal. Unfortunately, we live in a country where almost nothing is illegal. While Lebanon neither deports nor exiles locals explicitly, it does indirectly kick a lot of Lebanese out of the country. Fresh university graduates, on average, have a starting salary of roughly $1000 a month here—a lackluster number considering how expensive the tuition at private educational institutions is. And that’s for the graduates who actually find jobs. Many end up unemployed on their parents’ couch for many months, for lack of opportunity and the abundance of unemployment. So students, naturally, decide or are forced to leave and seek careers abroad. This depletes Lebanon of its scarcest and most valuable resource: educated human capital. The future generation, in which Lebanon has hope and faith in, can do nothing in the country because the country offers nothing in terms of opportunities and quality of life. In a survey of AUB students, the results were both expected and shocking. Less than 22 percent of students (expected to graduate in the next three years) are looking to stay in the country. 42 percent are leaving to do their masters abroad, while 36 percent are off to start their careers somewhere else. That translates to over three quarters of arabianbusiness.com Tamara Jurdi Staff Writer AUB graduates likely to leave—devastating numbers for the economy. The survey also tested their optimism about a possible professional future here—64 percent had a generally pessimistic view. Those who do stay, however, are starting their own businesses and ventures—some out of entrepreneurial passion, but most out of sheer necessity. Lebanon isn’t an easy country to start a business in, though. According to Trader Economics, the ‘ease of doing business’ index ranks Lebanon at 111. The index ranges from 1 to 181, with a measure of 1 considered to have the most business-friendly regulations. Shameful. Lebanon imports around three times more than it ex- ports, in terms of products and services. In terms of brains and talent, the Lebanese export a lot more. The Lebanese diaspora is estimated at 12 to 14 million, more than three times the local population. The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies forecast that, if the economy was to retain its graduates, it must generate 23,000 new jobs per year. It has been generating 3,000. Lebanon is a country in dire need of reform and change. The prospect of that happening isn not promising—with students taking a degree in one hand and a plane ticket in the other. Where the future of Lebanon lies is still unknown, but it’s certainly not in Lebanon. The fate of the Palestinian struggle vs. our convenience Joumana Talhouk Contributing Writer During Israeli Apartheid Week, which began on February 23 in the UK and will continue into late March in other cities around the world, there have been a myriad of international events and campaigns to shed light on the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Across the US, lectures, debates, and film screenings are being held until March 12 on different university campuses and in cultural hubs. In Europe, some organizers have even struggled against attempts to suppress the movement. Meanwhile, what have we done here? A screening of Occupation 101 by the Secular Club, and a protest against the Nestle presentation by a group of students. Where are we in the struggle for liberation and how have we served the Palestinian cause? We are nowhere, and we have not. Arab nations in general, historically and currently, have been either absent or incompetent—or both—in the fight against Zionism and for Palestine. Today, given the situation in the region following the Arab Spring, I would say that there is no hope in armed resistance against the occupying forces. So what can we do? As most Arab countries (if not all) are only shells of states, participating in the struggle can only happen at the level of the individual and/or community. Non-violent struggle has been more effective than armed resistance in turning global opinion against the state of Israel, and although it seems like a very long-term solution, it has so far proven to be realistically the best—if not the only—hope in eliciting change in Palestine. As reported by Richard Falks, professor of International Law at Princeton, Israel receives as much foreign economic assistance as all the countries combined in the world. This reality prospectively makes BDS a very powerful movement. In 2005, Palestinian civil society launched the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls for campaigns against Israel for as long as it breaks international law and deprives Palestinians of their rights. The movement endorses various forms of boycott, calls on funders to withdraw their investments from corporations supporting Israel financially or otherwise, and tries to influence governments to pass sanctions against Israel thereby ending their own complicity in its crimes. As individuals, we can each support BDS by participating in consumer boycotts. Granted that it’s impossible to boycott everything produced by Israel or companies assisting it, consumer boycotts are usually targeted and not comprehensive. BDS launches campaigns in different parts of the world strategically, and for boycotting to be effective, people should be up-to-date on BDS’s current bearing and act accordingly. Some of the companies most well known for being guilty of participation in Israeli apartheid are Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Nestle, Victoria’s Secret, Caterpillar, and Hyundai, among others. It’s nearly impossible to boycott Nestle or Intel as they have almost monopolized their respective sectors. What we can do, however, is avoid buying an HP if possible, wear a bra that’s not Victoria’s Secret (or not wear one at all), buy a Honda instead of a Hyundai; just be aware of what we are buying and the company’s orientation. Do boycotts work? Yes. Collective boycott succeeds. Simple laws of economics: less demand, less profit. According to the official BDS website, boycotts after the Gaza massacre resulted in a drop in demand for one fifth of Israeli exporters in 2009. With the growth of the BDS movement, particularly after last summer’s attack on Gaza, the ratio has probably increased. Another dimension to boycotts is their imperative role in raising awareness and fighting the normalization of Israeli apartheid. Ultimately, where something can be done, something should be done. Participating in boycotts and supporting BDS campaigns is a small but significant contribution to the movement, and it’s the least anyone can do. The flash mob at the Nestle presentation seems to be growing into a real movement demanding that AUB boycotts and divests from the company—a strong starting point for AUB students to get involved. Ignorance and apathy fuel injustice. If we really care, we start by educating ourselves, fighting our own ignorance and hypocrisy; learning about the struggle and its current forms, how BDS achieved success in the past and how much that can affect realities on the ground. Even if they only extend to our immediate surroundings, we can change principles from mere labels to tangible actions. Individual action can turn into collective action, and realizing that can take us a long way in the fight for freedom. QUESTION THE BOX How often do you do things without knowing you’re doing them? How often do you things without knowing why? COMMUNITY MARCH 10, 2015 11 Vicken Margossian Arts and Culture Editor As a writer for Outlook and an English Literature major, one of my wildest fantasies would be to publish a book, possibly more, one day. So, when I met the wonderful Arminée Choukassizian, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between myself and the published author, and how much that warmed my heart. An Iraqi-born Lebanese Armenian, Arminée H. Choukassizian’s name was all over the pages of our humble college newspaper back in the 1964-65 academic year. She acted as a features’ editor, publishing several noteworthy pieces that went as far as being featured in other outlets, including her new book “Memories and Cities.” A holder of master’s degree in Philosophy in Anglo-Irish Literature from Queen Mary College, University of London, Choukassizian was also the first Lebanese woman to graduate from AUB with an MA in English Literature. “It was very important for me. This was a time when women weren’t appreciated as much internationally—they still aren’t. It meant everything to me to be able to achieve that,” she commented. An accomplished musician, Choukassizian is an avid and expert piano player who has been taught by internationally-recognized pianists including Gerlint Bottcher. She participated in multiple concerts at AUB, including the largely successful “Chopin and Liszt” piano concert organized by the AUB Music Club this past December, and the centennial of Salvador Arnita on 4 March 2015 when she played a prelude by Arnita. Having previously published several essays and articles, her venture into the world of publishing a book proved fruitful with the release of her poetry book “Memories and Cities” on 30 January 2015. With a striking green cover—her favorite colour—the bilingual poetry book is divided into four parts: a section of English poems, a section of French poems, a section is titled after different instruments that Choukassizian refers to as “the strings of the heart,” and a section of pictures and photographs from different places she has visited. When asked, she described her book as a timeline of her life. “I’m quite unorganized,” she said. “So, this book is like an intimate invitation to the reader into my life—what I could recollect of it. It traces my life from my childhood to the time I was in college to my life now and, of course, my love for music.” The poems cover a variety of topics such as the ups and downs of life, dreams, and adolescence. In “Tell Me,” for instance, Choukassizian invites the reader to let loose and embrace the limitlessness of fantasy and dreaming big. In “The Guitar,” she explores the melodic beauty of the instrument and the impact it leaves on the listener. Feeling; that’s another important subject matter for Choukassizian. The author believes that words on a page are a manifestation of that which impacts us personally, and therein lies the inspiration for her poetry book. The intricacies of the ruins of Petra, the mesmerising city of Berlin, the London Ritz, and so on, these are just examples of the different muses the AUB alumna was affected by and documented. Choukassizian recalls her days as a little girl when she would look up the synonyms of different words she came across while reading. “My parents felt like I wasn’t spending enough time with peers my own age, so I’d wait for them to leave the house to sneak out the book they’d hidden from me and read it. My love for words is endless. It has always been so.” When asked what advice she could offer AUBites, she emphasized the need to learn new words every day. She voiced her opinion about how words are the windows to our souls and that it is only through them that people can truly express themselves. Her favourite authors include La Fontaine and Molière whose wit she admires. She also loves the works of Charles Dickens and D. H. Lawrence. A huge fan of Ameen Rihani, Choukassizian was honored to be featured in al-Kulliyah, the magazine of the AUB Alumni Association, where she first published an article comparing Rihani’s “The Book of Khalid” with Thomas Carlyle’s “Sartor Resartus” and then see the same article once again featured in the collection of essays published on the occasion of the centennial of the release of “The Book of Khalid.” She says she loves Outlook and tries to obtain every issue published and then regularly gives away copies of the newspaper to some of her friends. “It’s fulfilling to be able to return to Outlook after so many years.” At the beginning of this article, when I mentioned that meeting Choukassizian warmed my heart, it was mainly because she is one of us, and that, above all else, gives us Lorientlejour.com ‘Memories and Cities:’ an invitation into AUB alumna Arminée Choukassizian’s abundant life hope. With a successful career in music and writing in her repertoire, Choukassizian’s next career move is to translate her book of poems into other languages, especially Arabic, write more short stories and then publish a collection, and maybe return to her Armenian roots and explore that in her writing. Wherever she heads, it is clear that Choukassizian’s is a fire that won’t be put out any time soon. Gamification: a classroom innovation Noor Barrage Staff Writer Gamification is “the concept of applying game mechanics and game design techniques to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals,” according to badgeville.com; the sponsors of gamification. The concept of gamification is new in the educational context, and is likely to be unfamiliar among many current university students. An English Literature professor at AUB, Jasmina Najjar is an advocate of gamification in higher education, and is currently implementing gamification into her classes here at AUB (ENGL 215, ENGL 206 and ??). Najjar expressed her concern about a false image people might carry regarding gamification. She emphasized that gamification does not mean that we sit and play games in class, rather it takes “game mechanics and puts them into a non-game context.” Therefore, in order to be effective, gamification must be aligned with the course objectives, hence these games must reflect what is occurring in class. Najjar highlights the many benefits of using gamification in higher education: it motivates students to get involved in their own learning; increases interaction among peers through the use of game mechanics (such as friendly competitive incentive, point system, battles, etc); and provides an enjoyable learning atmosphere. Although gamification may come across as a new phenomenon, it has surprisingly been around since Ancient Greece, but has recently resurfaced as the newest trend, according to Najjar. Gamification existed before but no one was really tapping into its potential until very recently. Therefore, although it is not a new phenomenon, it is indeed new in education. It is easy to see how gamification can be applied to English Literature courses; for instance, students can be split into groups and asked different questions with regard to a text they are studying, and the group with the most insightful response “wins the battle!” Moreover, gamification can also be applied to courses that are less flexible, such as the sciences or mathematics. For according to Najjar, “there are definitely other ways to make subjects that are less flexible use gamification.” Gamification can be used in all courses, ranging from more flexible courses, such as those in English Literature, to less flexible ones, such as mathematics or sciences. However, it is up to the professor to implement gamification into the course. Najjar mentioned that, although gamification does indeed take time to prepare, it requires creativity on behalf of the professor, as well as additional time to create battles and other activities. It is most definitely worth utilizing in courses as it improves student interaction, creates a fun yet productive learning environment, and allows students to take their learning into their own hands and learn from one another. 12 SPORTS MARCH 10, 2015 Tempers flare between Lebanese basketball teams Sagesse and Riyadi Rifaat Fakih & Dana Abed Staff Writer & Lifestyle Editor Sportsmanship should not be rare, but it would appear to be for Lebanese basketball teams. The Riyadi Stadium went from basketball court to wrestling ring in no time when the night’s main event turned into a brawl between Riyadi player Ali Mahmoud and Sagesse player Terrell Stoglin, on Sunday March 1st. The fight reached a whole new level when the home fans invaded the court, fighting aside their favorite players. The two players shoved each other before exchanging a few brutal punches. Even though the fight broke out 40 seconds before the final whistle, Sagesse players refused to continue playing and forfeited the game, awarding Riyadi a 20-0 win. The battle was overheard by an education major at AUB who lives close to Manara, who prefers to remain anonymous. In an interview with Outlook, they said: “I heard screaming and shouting from the balcony of my house and I asked mom if there are people shooting or something.” Sagesse and Riyadi have been known to be hot-headed during their games, as this was not the first time tempers flared between the two during matches. This scandal brings back to memory last year’s Game 4 of the final series between both sides at Ghazir. A fight broke out between American players Dewarick Spencer and Loren Woods, causing a similar intervention from the crowd. Following the horrific scenes of the Beirut Basketball derby, Sagesse Secretary-General Joseph Abdel-Massih said, “Fights between players are common worldwide.” Sadly, this is true. The NBA witnessed a couple of dirty fights lately, but none of those caused the suspension of a game or the intervention of passionate fans. One of these fights involved the highly-rated Houston shooting guard, James Harden and the two-time Clevelandnative NBA champion, LeBron James. After fighting for the ball for a few seconds, Harden kicked James below the belt, which resulted in his suspension for the rest of the game and the following one. An even harsher clash exploded in the sultry Miami, where former Mouttahed player, Hassan Whiteside tackled Suns player Len and the two shared a beating that went back and forth. Both players were expelled from the game. The on-and-off debacle between the two Lebanese clans, has unfortunately (and perhaps unsurprisingly) political roots. Riyadi’s side is supported by Hariri, thus the Sunnis are directly affiliated with it. As for Sagesse’s supporters, they are the followers of the Lebanese forces, a party led by Samir Geagea. Other Lebanese teams are as well linked to politics, a fact that pushed FIBA, The International Basketball Federation (French: Fédération Internationale de Basketball) to suspend the Lebanese National Team from participating in any international tournament, as from July 2013. The suspension caused the Lebanese National Team to miss their chance in qualifying to the 2014 FIBA world basketball cup, since they were not allowed to play in the 2013 FIBA Asia cup. Another Lebanese failure to launch attributed directly to politics. To turn the frowns upside down, here’s a fun fact: The first time Basketball was played in Lebanon was in the mid-1920s at the American University of Beirut. Way to go AUB! CL Second leg of the round of 16: No signs of disappointment on the horizon Joseph Habib Contributing Writer The first leg of the Champion’s League round of 16 was entertaining, to say the least. As the second legs kicks off Tuesday, it is safe to assume that we will not encounter disappointments and the games will hide a surprise or two for loyal fans. Here are some predictions for the upcoming days: Schalke FC 04 plays at Real Madrid (0-2): Stick a skewer in this one, she’s all but over. The Royals, defending Champions of Europe, going home with two away goals is insurmountable. Real Madrid will not have mercy over Schalke during this game, changing the odds to their favor. Outlook’s prediction: Madrid advance doubling their current margin (1-5). FC Basel plays at FC Porto (1-1): Probably the least hyped match which makes it much more interesting. This one is a toss-up, but look for Porto to defend home turf. Outlook’s prediction: Porto advance with a 2-1 aggregate. Shakhtar Donetsk plays at Bayern Munich (0-0): The goalless, anti-climactic 1st leg was surely a fluke. Lookout for Bayern to overwhelm Shakhtar with a BlitzKrieg of goals at the Allianz Arena. Outlook’s prediction: Bay- ern advance with a 3-0 score. Paris SG plays at Chelsea (1-1): The Special One got his special result. Outshined and outclassed by the boys from the City of Lights, the Blues got away with murder. Chelsea’s coach Mourinho got the away goal draw he wanted so bad. Outlook’s prediction: Mourinho will play close to the vest with hard-nosed defense playing for a win on the counter attack. Worst case scenario, he would be perfectly happy with a goal-less draw. Chelsea advance on a 1-2 aggregate. Arsenal plays at Monaco (1-3): Let’s take a stroll down memory lane. In 2012, Arsenal’s 4–0 loss to AC Milan in the first leg was followed by 3 first-half-goals by Arsenal in the second leg. They cooled down to a scoreless 2nd half losing 4-3 on aggregate. What makes this time different? Arsenal are the away team in the second leg and they must make history to move on. No team has ever overcome a 2 goal deficit, as the away team, in the second leg. In 2013, Arsenal, down 3 – 1 to Bayern, traveled to Germany to even the aggregate at 3 – 3 only to fall out of the competition on away goals. However Monaco are not much of a home team. In fact, the stadium is so quiet, you can hear crowd conversations on what’s for dinner on the pitch. Outlook’s bold prediction: Arsenal advance possibly with the aid of extra-time. Bayer Leverkusen plays at Atlético Madrid (1-0): Last year’s runners up won’t go down without a fight. We can see Simeone’s men, the Atletico players, coming out of the gate firing while keeping a clean sheet at home, something they’ve been quite good at doing all year. Outlook’s prediction: Atlético advance 2-0. Juventus plays at Borussia Dortmund (2-1): This one won’t be easy for Juventus, especially without their talented player Pirlo. However Juve’s frugal defense will fend off the Dortmund attack with Reus in doubt and after losing Lewandowski to Bayern. Outlook’s prediction: Juventus advance on clean sheet. Manchester City plays at Barcelona (1-2): Aguero’s late goal and Messi’s final seconds penalty blunder may have set the stage for a nervy second leg at the Camp Nou. Although the Catalans are still in the driver’s seat, an early goal from the visitors could put a vastly different complexion on the tie. Look for Barcelona’s Champion’s League experience to thrust them into the Final 8. Outlook’s prediction: Barcelona advance on aggregate 3-2. LIFESTYLE MARCH 10, 2015 11 Seven ways to study more productively Khaled Al Kurdi Staff Writer Just a few weeks after the beginning of the semester, we find ourselves drowning with papers and exams due dates, which even the best schedule in the world can’t save us from. Here are seven ways to ensure better productivity while studying order to meet all the deadlines and get the results you aim for after the hard work. 1- Organization and clarity: Set specific and achievable goals for your day, every day. Specify the sequence of actions in which you are going to achieve these goals. Do not exceed the normal rate of achievable work within the numbered of hours in one day so that you can actually be able to finish your work easily and stress-free. 2- Think healthy: Keep water on-hand for continuous hydration. Less water means less energy and efficiency. Have some small snacks in your study area so that you can reward yourself by having one every time you finish a good chunk of readings or solving, also to get some energy from time to time. It might sound cliché but healthy food should be your friend during this period, junk and fast food, according to researchers, slows down your mental activity and thus your efficiency. Research also show that physical activity helps to increase your focus; you don’t have to go to the gym to be able to study, but avoid sitting at your desk for hours at a time. Take a five minute walk around campus or across the house every 30 minutes to enhance your blood circulation and recharge your energy. 3- Work in blocks: There are approaches to dividing the time and taking breaks. This method we present is called the block method where you work in one hour intervals; that is 50 minutes of work followed by a 10 minute break. If this strategy is distracting when working on a long paper, or solving a set of exercises, you can work for 90 minutes and take a 15 minute break, as the MIT website suggests. 4- Stay clear social media: To ensure focus, you can’t be on Facebook, Twitter, or any of the social media platforms you use. Having your cell phone on silent and away from you can better keep you focused on your studies and not get distracted with messages and instant notifications. 5- Do not overnight: Even if you have a tremendous amount of exams, papers and projects in the span of a few days, include sleeping hours in your schedule. If you don’t sleep through the critical hours of each day your productivity will decline. If you can’t risk sleeping for eight hours straight because of time shortage, plan your sleeping in intervals of four hours. This way you have enough energy to sustain your daily activities. 6- More summaries and less paragraphs: Some courses have a lot of readings and concepts for you to process, and it gets boring for you to read them over and over again. One way of overcoming this and using less time in revision is to create interactive formula/revision sheets that are linked together. They should be concise so that you are able to go over the material in details by only reading the sheets. This way your brain will be able to remember the summary through the connections and colors you created and help you retrieve the information while solving the exam. 7- Say “no” more often: As social butterflies, we always seem to find time to hang out with friends or go on trips with university clubs. You need to set your priorities. We all need a day to have a break from studying, but doing this during exams period is not an optimal option because it will waste your time. Barça escalates to the top as Real falls Rifaat Fakih Staff Writer FC Barcelona carry on with their positive spiral as they reach the top of the Spanish league, taking advantage of Real Madrid’s downfall. Real Madrid are in trouble. After drawing 1-1 with Villareal last week, they travelled to Bilbao only to fall in front of Athletic Club. It is indeed a dream week for Athletic, after beating Espanyol on Wednesday and advancing to the Copa del Rey finals, they bring down and break Los Blancos, the European champions. Athletic distinguished player Aduriz was the maestro guiding his side to glory. His goal at the 26th minute of the match gave the team a deserved lead, while his young teammate, Inaki Williams, delivered a scintillating performance on both attacking and defensive ends. Despite Madrid coming back stronger in the second half and spending most of it in Athletic’s zone, the team failed to score. When the referee blew the full time whistle, the home crowd roared with joy, celebrating Athletic Club’s victory over one of the football elites. Things are different when it comes to Barcelona, however. The team played against Rayo Vallecano, the spanish team based in Madrid. The home crowd was cheerful, as they chanted their hearts out hoping their team will take advantage of the decline of Real Madrid’s score. The match against Rayo Vallecano was a must-win for Barça. A victory meant climbing up to the top of La Liga. Barcelona’s game against Vallecano was an easy one. It came off as a normal practice of the Catalans. Suarez proudly started the counting of the goals early for the home team, scoring from a precise outside of the foot shot. Pique followed right after the second half ’s kickoff, converting a Jordi Alba header that hit the post and bounced back to him. It was 0-2 after only 49 minutes. Barça were closing in on another victory. Lionel Messi tore the opponents apart after scoring an -11minute hat-trick. This was the 32nd treble of the Argentina talisman. Messi now has 30 goals to his name this season – the same number as Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. The final whistle settled the score at 1-6 in Barcelona’s favor. It’s a joyful time for Barcelona. After moving into the final of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday and having the advantage over Manchester City in the Champions League, Luis Enrique’s men find themselves at the top of the table, looking down at their archrivals Real Madrid. They are ahead of Real Madrid by just one point, but sometimes, one point is what makes the difference between a champion and a runner-up. 14 ARTS & CULTURE MARCH 10, 2015 SERIES REVIEW Firas Haidar Staff Writer Like a hurricane that’s just about to hit land, Frank Underwood ended the second season of “House of Cards” with two thundering knocks on one certain desk. After leaving its audience in a state of awe and excitement for the better part of the year, Netflix’s hit series returns to the table with a hand that could win them yet another turn. A few months after the events of season two, where he took down President Walker, got rid of Raymond Tusk and became president, Frank (Kevin Spacey, who recently picked up a Golden Globe for this role) finds himself struggling in his new post. His actions as acting President of the United States have earned him little love from the American people and even less from Congress. And because of the latter’s unhappiness with Frank, his plan to win the hearts of the American people, aka AmWorks, do not unfold the way he’d hoped. On the other hand, Claire (Robin Wright), now the First Lady, has her eyes fixed on the UN Ambassador position but struggles to get there due to her lack of experience. Unlike great television shows that gradually fell from grace as the seasons went by (“Dexter,” anyone?), “House of Cards” does not make the mistake of repeating what people loved in its previous seasons. Now that Frank is president, the whole approach of the series is different, as it should be. The snake of a character’s rise to power has reached the peak, and now, instead of cheating his way to get there, he must cheat his way to remain. That said, for the first time in “House of Cards,” the audience get to witness Frank genuinely receiving punches instead of throwing them. In addition, a new, somewhat gentler side of the character is revealed as works his way throughout the episodes. Another thing about season three is its surprisingly sub- tle nature. Frank may have promised us a hurricane in the last few seconds of season two, but that he does not deliver. Some people may not appreciate the lack of spectacular events happening in the season, but frankly, that’s exactly what the show needed the most. The silent approach it adopts allows the audience to get to know the aforementioned new side of Frank, the relationship he shares with the newcomers, and the one he shares with Claire. In fact, two brilliant additions to the series in the form of a Russian president and a critically-acclaimed novelist prove Netflix has even more cards to play. Viktor Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen), the show’s allegory of Vladimir Putin, is a character the fans will fall for, and face the same love/hate relationship they share with Frank. The latter not only finds himself face to face with his Russian counterpart, but with his equal. The interactions and the relationship the two characters share will unfold to be as ruthless and charming as their nature. In that, Petrov is one of the show’s newest and most powerful assets. The second character, novelist Thomas Yates (Paul Sparks), is a little more peculiar than Petrov. Supposedly, Yates was only hired by Frank to write a book about AmWorks, but the character turns out to be the show’s open invitation into Frank and Claire’s past and current relationship. And what a relationship that is. Though Netflix may still have a few hands to play, its strongest is already on the table. Due to the subtle nature of season three and the arrival of Thomas, the audience gets a deeper insight into the relationship the two, equally interesting characters share. Faced with the attacks thrown towards them and Claire’s candidacy for UN Ambassador, the relationship between the two is both shaken and stronger than ever, and the different states it goes through are simply fantastic to watch. “House of Cards’” third season hits its audience as a imdb.com ‘House of Cards’ season three: the diamond in the deck pleasant surprise. It’s almost nothing like the two that precede it and offers new characters that might just become fan-favorites. If the first season was the hearts and the second was the clubs, then the third is the diamond, and I for one, can’t wait for the spades. BAND REVIEW Hollow Wood’s music makes our hearts flutter Most “Grey’s Anatomy” enthusiasts,would agree that one of the highlights of the series is its soundtrack. Quite recently, the folky tune of the band Hollow Wood made its way into the show’s new soundtrack, creating some buzz about the new act. After listening to the band’s discography, one can honestly say that the person in charge of compiling the soundtrack for the show’s new season made a good choice picking the songs “Seasons” and “Forget Me Forgotten” as part of the line-up. They do an excellent job at complementing the often-emotional series. Upon his high school graduation last year, Adam Jones collaborated with a handful of volunteers on his song “Little Birds” for a Youtube video, whose teen indie vibe gained recognition from a number of record labels. Thus Hollow Wood came to be. Hollow Wood, comprising frontman Jones, singer and guitarist Hayden Jensen, drummer Bryan Konkol, and bassist Jeff Bull Jr., made their debut in 2014 with the release of their first EP “Seasons,” followed shortly after by their EP “Wallflowers.” It quickly became clear that the songs contained within their discography perfectly complement the earthy vibe Hollow Wood seem to be going for with both their name and the titles of their EPs. The band’s songs usually start off with a soft melody, facebook.com/hollowwoodmusic Christy Choueiri Staff Writer instruments playing in such a mellifluous manner, that you find yourself slowly being taken by the Hollow Wood experience. It feels as though the listener is there in the studio with the band members performing right next to him/her. As the songs progress, the lead vocals gradually make their way into the music, and the raspy quality of the lead singer’s vocal allows for an even more organic musical feel. By the time the other vocalists join in, the wide variation of vocals allows for a unison to play out, spreading a certain type of warmth that is inescapably thrilling. The pace picks up bit-by-bit, and eventually, the music feels absolutely raw and vulnerable; especially when lyrics such as “we are not the children of all of your failures” begin to seep into the music. Despite the recognition Hollow Wood has been getting, some people find that the band isn’t really their cup of tea. The music is mostly of the folk genre and is therefore not likely to appeal to everyone as an audience. Also, the band sounds a bit like Mumford & Sons at times, so certain music buffs find that Hollow Wood’s music is nothing more than a remake of the “original” band’s music. Regardless of clashes in opinion, it is fair to say that Hollow Wood have successfully blended themselves into the music world; and while they might have elements of sound that are “nothing new,” it is ultimately their lyrics that set them apart from others. This is a band to watch out for. ARTS & CULTURE MARCH 10, 2015 15 GAME REVIEW Laudy Issa Staff Writer The only way to survive in Harran, a quarantined city infected by a virus that turns those who comes across it into zombie-like creatures, is through killing the hordes of infected humans or outrunning them. Neither of those sounds easy, but Techland’s “Dying Light” is not your classic zombie game, and Kyle Crane is not your average protagonist; he’s an undercover operative sent into the city to track down a rogue agent and retrieve government intel. Also, he just so happens to be a parkour ninja. This first-person actionsurvival game is definitely a breath of fresh air for anyone looking for a bit of fun. Perhaps my favorite element of this unique game is the intriguing day/night cycle, and how everything differs depending on the time. Gamers have to make use of every bit of daytime they can get as they leap across rooftops and bal- ance along edges in search for supplies and tools to craft weapons with. “Dying Light” gives players a sense of ultimate control, and lets them get around the open world metropolis quickly and quietly. You can’t just hold down the controller and assume Crane will make the jump though; a sense of spatial awareness is definitely needed, as one wrong move will get the player killed. When the sun goes down and darkness covers Haran, the creatures that lurk in the shadows are suddenly stronger and more violent, and tensions rise as players try to evade them and get to a zombie-free safe house, though staying out at night is equally an opportunity to gain massive experience points and a danger unlike any other. From dramatic slowmotion kills that call for a self-high-five to vaulting across their shoulders, Crane develops skills that allow him to handle the infected with ease, all the while gaining experience alphacoders.com ‘Dying Light’ puts refreshing twist on zombie gaming points. “Dying Light” plays nicely, and racing across the city is smooth and fluid, especially later on in the game when players become familiar with the controls, despite being a bit counter intuitively mapped. Combat, with options like grappling, ramming, and even kicking your opponent, has to be played smart, as jumping face-first into a mass of zombies is a sure way of getting yourself killed. When facing multiple enemies, it is best to retreat, even after unlocking all the equipment and upgrading all weapons with elements like fire or electricity. Basically, you have to fight wisely or die. The game has to be entertaining, especially with how large and immersive the open world is. I found myself enjoying the strange side objectives more than the actual storyline because all mission structures are repetitive. Though fun, they remain unimpressive, especially with the lack of surprise twists and turns in the storyline. Everything is pretty straightforward, leaving the characters of “Dying Light” underdeveloped and its villains cliché. Crane ends up an errand boy for survivors and factions in the city, whether he’s after food supply air drops or fighting his way through the hordes of zombies to find Antizen, which is the medication that holds back the inevitable transformation once bitten. He even jokes about it to himself in the story, highlighting the game’s biggest flaw: how monotonous and beneath him these missions are. Particularly noteworthy is the level of detail in the environment. Players might spend half their time looking at the beauty of Harran from every angle and vantage point. While singleplayer is a blast, “Dying Light” is even more enjoyable with friends helping you carve through the infected or when a random player invades your world through the “Be the Zombie” mode as a super-powered monster. I took up Techland’s “Dying Light” to see if a zombie game could ever match the masterpiece that is “The Last of Us.” And while it does not trump it, the sheer amount of freedom that it offers is gratifying. “Dying Light” is a very different shade of fun than your classic zombie game, mixing parkour with zombie destruction fantastically and succeeding at providing a memorable gaming experience. COMIC BOOK REVIEW ‘The True Lives of The Fabulous Killjoys’ leaves reader craving more Fatima Kazma Staff Writer The brain child of Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance, “The Umbrella Academy”) and Shaun Simon (“Neverboy”), “The True Lives of The Fabulous Killjoys” (2014) is a colorful and engaging read. This comic could be considered a continuation of the story begun in My Chemical Romance’s 2010 concept album “Danger Days: The True Lives of The Fabulous Killjoys.” The comic’s storyline takes off after the defeat of the original four Killjoys. The protagonist of the story is an unnamed teenage girl, the same legendary girl that rode with the original Killjoys—Party Poison, Fun Ghoul, Jet Star, and The Kobra Kid—and talkingcomicbooks.com who they gave their lives to protect. BlI/nd is an organization that has taken over the city (reminiscent of “1984’s” Thought Police) and monitors people for abnormal or deviant behavior; anything that deviates from a better and cleaner society. There is no room for emotion in the sterile world of Battery City, only conformity and order, where the rule of BLI/nd is absolute and the outsiders and mis- fits are reprogrammed, as if differnce were a flaw to be extinguished. As a counter culture to the white cleanliness of Battery City, the grimey and colorful Killjoys have an ideology. They are the spirit of individuality in the oppressive totalitarian society that attempts to do what is best without considering what “the best” would cost everyone. Becky Cloonan (Dem- eter) brings out the individuality and color of the comic, with her detailed and stunning drawings of fire-lit landscapes and abandoned ghost towns, juxtaposing the blinding white Battery City. Stellar graphics, however, do not make up for the shortness of the comic book. Some parts of the narrative seem rushed and other major plot points go unexplained or pass by as understated side events. The tragic side story of Red and Blue as well as Korse are crucial to the plot and yet are crammed into a few panels. The idea is innovative, but the material is too dense and the universe created is too interesting to be contained in a single sixissue volume. The comic poses an important commentary on the importance of art and creativity. For a society to flourish, it needs freedom to cre- ate, to move forward, and to innovate. Without that motivation, people become mindless automatons, replaceable and unremarkable. The Killjoys each have unique colors, and each of them was missed and held precious to their brethren. The original four fought for people’s rights to be themselves, to be free, to not have to live in constant fear of being replaced and neutralized because they were deemed inefficient. The main message is that it’s imperative for people to be allowed the freedom of choice, as well as the freedom of individuality. That being different isn’t wrong; the ability to say with conviction: “[t]here nothing wrong with me. There is something wrong with you.” 16 ARTS & CULTURE MARCH 10, 2015 COMIC BOOK REVIEW The supernatural makes its way to Gotham in ‘Gotham by Midnight’ With everything we’ve seen in the Batman comics and films, from crime to murder to corruption, even a centuries-old conspiracy, it is hard to imagine anything darker happening in the gloomy city of Gotham. But apparently, it can. With the most obvious answer no one considered before, DC Comics and writer Ray Fawkes bring us the all-new “Gotham by Midnight.” As if everything else wasn’t enough, there’s supernatural activity happening in the iconic city, and this series is our exclusive ticket to the show. Ray Fawkes is no stranger to Gotham, and he’s even less of a stranger to the supernatural element present in the DC Universe. From his experience writing “Batman Eternal,” “Constantine” and “Justice League Dark,” he combines all three concepts in the form of a special task force working for Gotham PD, led by none other than Jim Corrigan, aka The Spectre. This unit, consisting of Corrigan, a cop, a nun, and a scientist, specializes in magic and occult and is set out to do what the normal police, and Batman himself, can’t. Though it’s still too early to consider the other members of the unit, Corrigan himself is a very interesting character with a lot potential to work with. He’s a detective, he’s an occult expert, and most importantly, he embodies the vengeful spirit that furthers God’s judgment. He alone can be the center of many story arcs, and with Corrigan’s connection to Constantine, Batman and others, Fawkes has a large arsenal of content to exploit. dcentertainment.com Firas Haidar Staff Writer And that, he does. “Gotham by Midnight” is only four issues in, but Fawkes wastes no time diving right into the action. This arc, about spirits trying to plague Gotham, is not only promising, but also very interesting and unpredictable. Just like the characters, the readers will desperately try to make sense of what’s happening and unbound the mysteries that lurk in the nooks and crannies of the notorious city. What gives “Gotham by Midnight” its allure is not just the story and the characters, but it is also the “supernatural in Gotham” theme that works in its favour. That is primarily due to Fawkes’ previous experience with the city, and his deep understanding of the social philosophy it represents. That said, some people were critical of this new aspect of Gotham because the city has been a home for crime for decades, and to add supernatural elements to it takes away from its legacy. Horror is the second piece of the puzzle. Cheap jump scares being out of question when it comes to comics, the concepts and premise Fawkes sets are genuinely horrific, and the characters’ reactions make things even more interesting. Fawkes’ work would not have been complete without Ben Templesmith’s magic. The art is dark, unusual, and downright terrific. The panels are carefully drawn, colored and lettered to the point where they get better every time you look at them. In fact, Templesmith plays an equally important role in setting the horror as Fawkes does, and their collaboration is a gift that, so far, keeps on giving. We have to wait a month for a new “Gotham by Midnight” issue, but that means Fawkes and Templesmith have the time they need to continue the outstanding work they are currently doing. “Gotham by Midnight” is a work of art that has only just begun to take shape. ALBUM REVIEW Ziad Lawen Staff Writer It’s not misspelt, nor is it the gun that came out of Brooklyn, New York in the early 1990s (despite their continuous reference to guns but we’ll get back to that). The 90s saw the rise of gangster rap. Since then, the idea of being “gangster” has been watered down by 21st century rappers, where self-proclaimed gangsters seem to symbolise a lifestyle that does not really match their private lives (think Rick Ross, the Game, etc.). Smif-n-Wessun belongs to the era when Tupac, Biggie, Big L, Eazy-E and other genuine gangster rappers dominated the music scene both locally and internationally. The latter four have all passed away by means of gangster violence. These were times when revolutionizing artists (Tupac and Biggie) had lifestyles that were far more gangster than their mainstream successes would ever convey. The 1990s possessed a black-versus-white segregation in the United States similar to today’s tragedies (think Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown; think 1992’s LA Riots). With the cultural context given, we delve into Smif-nWessun’s uniqueness—by which “Dah Shinin’” (1995) will be our album for means of gauge. Mix the up-funk and Jazz-instrument-mastery of the likes of Louis Armstrong and James Brown with the violence, anger, and glorified thuggery of N.W.A with quasi-Jamaican accents and you’ll have some hypothetical form of Smif-n-Wessun. A group of two New York rappers, Tek and Steele seem to have a strong grasp of musical sound which can be best heard in their album, “Dah’ Shinin›.” For those unfamiliar or disinterested in rap lyrics, Smif-n-Wessun offers a sound that can be appreciated by any open-minded musician. The strength of their album, however, lies within their language and themes. The significance of their lyrics can only genuinely be appreciated in contrast to modern-day gangster rappers in terms of sincerity. Smif-n-Wessun gives insight to a calamitous, jungle-like Brooklyn where violence is a productive means rather than a last resort. This is evident in the opening line of track 12, “Home-Sweet-Home,” that says: “This is the story of a place we call home, where the kids pack heat when it’s time to roam [...] we can’t afford to take shorts or be playing sports, Empires need to be built, Mack 10’s bought.” This stark darkness can be heard again in the chorus of track 8, “Stand Strong:” “[i]t gets mad deep in the streets when you gotta watch your back from beasts, enemies, and even your peeps [...] If you’re for real than you know the deal, I do or die, never ran, never will.” Of course, in ways only Smif-n-Wessun can, these ominous lyrics are played on one of the funkier beats that will induce a headnod in any listener. Tracks 8 and 12 give us the Smif-n-Wessun insight on making money in Brooklyn, but track 7, a personal favourite, seems to sincerely glorify murder, violence and homophobic sentiments: “Bucktown home of the original gun clappers!…Got your nooses ready hanging over the trees…Kill you batty boy and hold your lover for hostage.” I present these lyrics not to agree with their jeers, but rather to display their rare lyrical outlook on what seems to be the unstable, gangster culture of 1990s Brooklyn. Smif-n-Wessun glorify all those things that our hyper-politically-correct global society would never stasheverything.com Smiff-n-Wessun exudes raw 90s Brooklyn culture have accepted at the time: anti-governance, cannabis, homophobia, violence, drug-dealing, street wars, theft, crime, and others that can be found in “Dah Shinin’.” Of course, all these themes are presented on tune with Jazzy rhythms, bass beats, and head-nodding choruses that will trick the listener into singing-along with these quasi-Jamaican gangsters. One article will never do justice to such a group. The album features other hits such as “Timz N Hood Chek,” “Wrekonize,” “Sound Bwoy Bureil,” and “Hallucinations.” This funky gangster rap duo really contributed to New York’s 1990’s rap scene and hopefully you’ll wrekonize Smif-n-Wessun is, in fact, spelt correctly. 17 18 ” ” “ ” ” “ “ “ ” “ 19 20 21 ” 22 23 24 25 101 26 AUB Faculty United 27 @OutlookAUB @OutlookAUB -Website: outlookaub.com -Email: [email protected] -Newsroom: AUB West Hall, Second Floor Room 208. @Outlook AUB -Phone: 01 350 000 (Ext: 3193) @outlookaub – 18 20 22 101 25 21 26 23
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