Go Syria This Summer to Attend US-Course in US-English by World US and US-Supported ““Waterpipe””™ Experts and Earn US $ 500 !

The members of the US-SCTS (joint US-Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies) “are pleased to announce their first International Summer Program for Tobacco Control Research” in Aleppo (Syria) from the 13th to the 17th of July 2008 (announcement: HERE). This is an invitation open to moneyless tobacco researchers from the poor countries of the region.

First off, let’s recall the mission and role of this joint US-Syrian organisation. Its official public image (logotype above) is clear enough, isn't it ? If not, more details can be found HERE and elsewhere on this site. In brief, the US-SCTS was assigned the task of taking up the challenge the USA is facing with ““waterpipe””™ smoking: a real virus in Bush' family land…

Apart from “leading research” by those principal investigators who succeeded in inventing hookah (Shisha, Narghile) «Passive Smoking» , narghile automatic smoking , the official Indian origin of the narghile, and could not distinguish between a tobacco burning process and a heating one ( 7 FATAL Errors in WHO report ), here is below an overview of “current trends” in international research directly inspired by the world ““waterpipe””™ experts'.

QUOTEWORTHY (we just limit ourselves to quoting. We are of course not responsible for these scientific "findings". We apologize if some of the readers may find them offensive) :

“Waterpipe tobacco should be monitored in the Arabic speaking population and other potential at-risk populations to help identify emerging trends”
SOURCE: Carroll T, Poder N, Perusco A. Is concern about waterpipe tobacco smoking warranted? Aust N Z J Public Health. 2008 Apr;32(2):181-2. From Australia (“Health Promotion Service, Population Health, Sydney South West Area Health Service, New South Wales”).

"Being male, older, unmarried, and non-Middle Eastern White predicted current cigarette smoking; being Arab or Chaldean and having less formal education predicted current water pipe use."
SOURCE: Jamil H, Templin T, Fakhouri M, Rice VH, Khouri R, Fakhouri H, Al-Omran H, Al-Fauori I, Baker O. Comparison of Personal Characteristics, Tobacco Use, and Health States in Chaldean, Arab American, and non-Middle Eastern White Adults. J Immigr Minor Health. 2008 Mar 3.

“Arab ethnicity and cigarette smoking were the strongest predictors of argileh use; however, a substantial percentage of non-Arabs and nonsmokers also had tried argileh”.
SOURCE: Grekin ER, Ayna D. Argileh use among college students in the United States: an emerging trend. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2008 May;69(3):472

The US-Syrian organizers of the event will offer a “fellowship” of US $ 500 for each accepted English-speaking participant from the Arab world. The course will be delivered in plain US-English. Arabic is unfortunately not available anymore in modern Syria probably because of the remodelling of the region (see present US President’s vision for a “Great Middle East”).

Of course, all the 5 days will be dedicated to ““waterpipe””™ smoking since it is the very US-SCTS’ “raison d’être” (keep in mind the logo above). However, further to growing critiques, an “effort” was made to play down such an open stance since Arab populations are said to be “susceptible” (according to Neo-conservative newspeak). The 3 first days are therefore announced under general tobacco research themes. Anyway, the 4th day will be officiously dedicated to...:

“SPECIAL FORMS OF TOBACCO USE: WATERPIPE”

Alan SHIHADEH (from US-American University of Beirut, like Monique CHAAYA, the 1st Day)(caution: AUB is not the Arab University of Beirut) will show participants how to modelize ““waterpipe””™ smoking thanks to a “realistic” machine based on a not less realistic smoking “topography” (171 puffs of 0.53 litre, 2.6 s duration and spaced 17 seconds. Critique: HERE).

Do you know what the most brilliant and independent tobacco researchers of the world think of these kind of smoking machines ? A huge obstacle for the understanding of what a tobacco user really inhales….

Fouad HAMMAL and Satish KEDIA (University of Memphis, USA) will inform the public on the existence of “qualitative methods” for ““waterpipe””™. Have a foretaste of their qualitative quality...:

Biomedical Fitna in the Eyes of Little Red Riding Hood. Neo-Orientalism, Symbolic Violence and Intolerance in Research on Narghile (Hookah, Shisha)

The last day: is a “SPECIAL WORKSHOP (WRITING YOUR RESEARCH AND APPLYING FOR FUNDING)”.

Dr Wasim MAZIAK will teach the trainees the secrets of “how to publish your research”. Certainly he will introduce them to the loving family of “Tobacco Control” and “Nicotine and Tobacco Research”. These excellent, objective and independent reference journals are appreciated all over the world for their strict and in-depth peer-review process and, above all because they have never published a single error

SEE : The “Nicotine and Tobacco Research” Journal Endorses a Scientific Error as Big and Carcinogenic as a Yemeni Narghile Bowl !

For the “Tobacco Control” journal, it would need a whole conference to clarify things. Let’s just mention a “Shocking Unsubstantiated Neo-Orientalist Statement on Lung Function Discrimination (Middle East vs. European Hookah Smokers)” published in one of its recent articles (Critique: "Seven Thousand Billions of Ultra Fine Smoke Particles in a Single Hookah (Narghile, Shisha) Session and Yet its Users are Still Alive…" (Dec. 1, 2007)

Perhaps the Head of the US-SCTS will show the attendants how to prepare a WHO report (7 FATAL Errors in WHO report ) and how to recycle it should it pose some ethic or existentialist problem: Cochrane 2007 Review Masquerade on ““Waterpipe”™ Smoking Cessation” (Wasim Maziak, Thomas Eissenberg, Kenneth Ward) Is Summertime Blues !

Dr Kenneth WARD, from the University of Memphis (USA, where Dr MAZIAK has got a job, probably in reward of his hard work for the US cause against the ““waterpipe””™ invasion), will teach the audience the basics of “Applying for funding” (note: the joint US-SCTS has been funded through this channel since 2002 ).

Finally, Dr Thomas EISSENBERG, from VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University, USA), will teach “Grant writing”: a more time-consuming activity than sound research itself…

In theory, the participants should be, by the end of the week, “equipped” with the basic “knowledge” so they can convince their own Ministries of Health and Governments to issue laws against hookah and shisha smoking (particularly “passive”). They will be able to declare to the public that their ordinances are supported by “strong medical evidence”(and even “gold standard”)...

That’s all Folks ! See you there ! Perhaps this will be a happy opportunity to say "Hi !" to our Troops in their way to the supposed nuke plants in the North of Syria or, maybe farther, to Iran…

CALL: Syrians and Lebanese, Arab and non-Arab Researchers, Smokers and Non-Smokers of the World, Unite against Foreign Interventions, Fear-Mongering and Prohibitionist Doctrines in the name of Public Health!

MOTTO: No More Case for War (*) Built on Fake Reports and Studies !

(*) against so-called “Weapons of Mass Destruction” or “Mass Entertainment”…

Image: The official public logo of the US-SCTS (joint US-Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies)

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