Number: AR1
Performing Arts and Islamic Institutions in the Arab World
Description:
What is the impact of Islamic Institutions on the performing arts
such as dance and music in the Arab World?
Narrative:
Articles concerning sports or spatial arts, performance arts outside
of the Arab World, religious behavior not related to the performing arts,
or debts and banking loans, are not relevant to this topic.
Number: AR2
Arab consumption of Arab and western Cinema
Description:
What is the impact of Western cinema festivals (Cannes, Hollywood, others)
on the Arab production and consumption of Arab films?
Narrative:
Items about prizes won by Western artists in Western festivals held in the
West, or death announcements or other news about individual Arab artists
are not relevant to this topic.
News about Arab participation in international cinema festivals, about Arab
participation in international cinema in the Arab world, about the interest
that the Arab public has toward Arab cinema and the kinds of films popular
with youth in the Arab world are very relevant to the topic, as are
statistics about the kinds of films imported from Western countries.
Number: AR3
Arts in the Arab World after the Gulf War.
Description:
How did the Gulf War affect Arab arts in general?
Narrative:
Documents concerning political relations between the Middle East and
Western nations that participated in the Gulf War, and about cultural
exchanges between Arab nations and also between Arab and European nations,
are relevant to this topic, as are items discussing Arab artistic products
realized both within and outside of the Middle East and laws and rules
concerning the arts or artistic activities in the Arab world.
Number: AR4
Naive painting and Westerners in the Arab world
Description:
Why do Western art dealers, from both Europe and the Americas, encourage
"naive painting" in some Arab countries?
Narrative:
Naive arts are the arts that illiterate artists realize without any
artistic or technical training concerning paintings or sculpture. This
topic does not include articles about naive artists in the West.
Stories about Arab Artists could expand understanding of the
status of naive arts in the Arab world and are therefore relevant to this
topic.
Number: AR5
Traditional craftsmen facing technology
Description:
How are traditional craftsmen facing both the technological challenges and
the lack of real economic policies in the Arab world?
Narrative:
This topic includes articles concerning the problems that traditional
craftsmen are facing in the Arab World because of technological
developments in their fields.
Number: AR6
Major Arab cities and new ways of advertising
Description:
What measures are being taken by municipalities to regulate new urban
advertising technologies (e.g. lasers, billboards, circulating vehicles,
etc.)?
Narrative:
Legislative and municipal elections are not relevant to this topic
International relations and exchanges between Arab and Western
municipalities are the main part of this topic. It would be fruitful to
add articles about what municipalities have accomplished in this regard.
Number: AR7
Criticism and political poetry in the Arab World
Description:
How have Arab critics expressed their attitude towards the new political
poetry, whether for or against the political regime in their countries?
Narrative:
Stories about festivals of poetry in the Arab World may be related to this
topic. Any article concerning politics or arts that does not mention
literary criticism is not relevant to this topic.
Number: AR8
Arab children and Arts in primary and high schools
Description:
What arts are taught to Arab children in primary and high schools, and what
pedagogical measures have been taken for this goal?
Narrative:
Articles relevant to this topic would include those concerning artistic
education in the Arab World, governmental decisions in educational affairs,
and international exchanges between Arab and Western countries to develop
art instruction in elementary and high schools in the Arab world.
Number: AR9
War victims, plastic surgery and Islam
Description:
How do health institutions reach a compromise between the need of both male and
female war victims for plastic surgery and Islamic commands and
interdictions in the countries of the Arab world?
Narrative:
Articles concerning military policy or the ecological effects of war are
not relevant to this topic, nor are articles regarding recent developments
in plastic surgery.
Number: AR10
Polio eradication in the Middle East
Description:
What progress has been made toward polio eradication in the Middle East?
Narrative:
Articles which discuss global polio eradication, or polio eradication in
other regions of the world, without mentioning the Middle East
specifically, are not relevant. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia are
included here as parts of the Middle East.
Number: AR11
Measles immunization campaigns in the Middle East.
Description:
Have measles immunization campaigns been conducted in Middle Eastern
countries?
Narrative:
Articles which discuss measles and measles immunization in general, without
mentioning the Middle East specifically, are not relevant. Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Somalia are included here as parts of the Middle East.
Number: AR12
Bilharzia/Schistosomaisis prevention in Egypt.
Description:
Find documents that discuss Bilharzia/Schistosomaisis prevention programs
in Egypt
Narrative:
Articles about testing a vaccine for bilharzia in Egypt are relevant, but
articles about the vaccine in general are not. Articles about scientific
meetings about bilharzia held in Egypt are also relevant.
Number: AR13
Theater in Egypt
Description:
Find documents that discuss the theater in Egypt
Narrative:
Any articles discussing the Egyptian theater scene, past or present,
are relevant.
Number: AR14
Israeli tourism in Jordan
Description:
Find documents that discuss Israeli tourism in Jordan after the peace treaty.
Narrative:
Articles which discuss joint efforts by Jordan and Israel to encourage
tourism are relevant.
Number: AR15
Satellite TV in rural areas
Description:
What is the availability of satellite TV in rural areas in Arab countries?
Narrative:
Articles which discuss the launching of new satellite TV channels in Arab
countries are not relevant unless they also discuss the availability of
these channels in the rural areas.
Number: AR16
Environmental protection laws in Egypt
Description:
Are environmental protection laws being enforced in Egypt?
Narrative:
Any articles discussing enforcement of laws protecting Egypt's environment
and natural resources are relevant.
Number: AR17
Israel's nuclear capability
Description:
What has the press reported about Israel's nuclear capability?
Narrative:
Any articles dealing with Israel's nuclear capability, military or
civilian, are relevant.
Number: AR18
Egyptian-Libyan relations during the 1990s
Description:
Find documents that characterize Egyptian-Libyan relations during the 1990s.
Narrative:
Articles containing nothing but simple statements of facts about the two
countries, such as sports scores, are not relevant.
Number: AR19
Alexandrian libraries
Description:
Are there any new libraries being built in Alexandria?
Narrative:
Articles about the history of the old and the new libraries in Alexandria
are relevant to this topic. Articles about the location and climate of
Alexandria are irrelevant to this topic.
Number: AR20
Tourism in Cairo
Description:
What measures are being taken to develop tourism in Cairo?
Narrative:
Articles about government steps to abolish terrorism that threatens tourism
and tourist services are relevant to this topic. Articles about municipal
issues such as traffic jams in Cairo are irrelevant to this topic.
Number: AR21
Significant archaeological finds in the Dead Sea area
Description:
Have there been any significant archaeological finds in the Dead Sea area
recently?
Narrative:
Articles about any recent archeological discoveries in the Dead Sea area
are relevant to this topic. Articles about the nature of the Dead Sea are
irrelevant.
Number: AR22
Local newspapers and the new press law in Jordan
Description:
Has the Jordanian government closed down any local newspapers due
to the new press law?
Narrative:
Any articles about the press law in Jordan and its effect on the local
newspapers and the reaction of the public and journalists toward the new
press law are relevant. The articles that deal with the personal suffering
of the journalists are irrelevant.
Number: AR23
Information technology and the Arab World
Description:
How has the IT age affected the Arab World?
Narrative:
Any articles about the effect of information technology on the Arab World,
changes which have occurred and the reaction of the public toward these
changes are relevant. Articles about the economic common market between the
Arab countries are irrelevant.
Number: AR24
Water resource problems in the Nile Valley
Description:
What are the main problems regarding water resources in the Nile valley
countries?
Narrative:
Discussion of dam-building and ongoing meetings and attempts to reach
understanding between the countries of the Nile Valley are relevant topics.
Documents about commercial exchange between the Nile Valley countries are
irrelevant.
Number: AR25
European and American roles in Middle East peace process
Description:
What are the roles of the European countries and America in the peace
process in the Middle East?
Narrative:
Relevant articles are about the involvement of Europe and the US in
directing the peace process and stopping violence in the Middle
East. Articles are about European and US involvement in the internal
affairs of Middle Eastern countries are irrelevant.