Tishrin II 4, 6746 Volume II Issue 37 November 4, 1996
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A Weekly
Online Publication of the ZENDA Assyrian Newsagency
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T H I S W E E K I N Z E N D A
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The Lighthouse.............. Semiramis Ziyeh
Good Morning Bet-Nahrain.... Kurdish Peace Talks;
Assyrians Not Present
Surfs Up.................... "...I
NEED WARRIORS NOT PRAYERS..."
Surfers Corner.............. National
Convention in Detroit
News Digest................. Dying Children of
Iraq
Calendar of Events.......... The Nineveh Choral
Concert
Entracte.................... No New
Entries
Intelligentsia.............. Assyrian
History/Language Classes in the U.S.
Assyrian Surfing Posts...... Assyrian
Kibitzer
Pump up the Volume.......... Letter,
Vowel, & Syllable
Back to the Future.......... Sennacherib's Canal
System
Assyrian Artifacts in Israel
Literatus................... Voices
of Young Assyrian Refugees
This Week in History........ Assassination
of an Assyrian Patriarch
Bravo....................... Nineveh
Online
The Directory............... Directory
of ZENDA News Sources
Bshena...................... UCB, Foothill-De
Anza, Germany
Salute...................... Romina
& Albert
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THE L I G H
T H O U S E
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SAMIRAMIS ZIYEH: SOME INSCRUTABLE CHARACTERISTIC OF AN ASSYRIAN
Semiramis Ziyeh has a small body with a presence and big
brown eyes
reflecting the intelligence of their owner. Her
eyes reveal her
experience and gentle character.
Samiramis has an Assyira ancestry. She was born
in Tehran the capital
of Iran, where her grand-parents migrated to in 1932,
from Iraq. Her
first art studies started at any early age, taking private
lessons with
Maria Shayans the well known artist. She attended
Tehran Univesity for
a year, prior to going to the United States of America.
There she
continued her Fine Arts studies focusing on painting
and photography.
After a few years of practicing her art form, she continued
her
studies in design, which led to a career in Industrial
Design.
New York, where Samiramis lived for twenty four years,
was a great
teacher. "New York city is a very very energetic
place" she tells us,
"it has a lot to offer, there is constantly something
happening there.
People are rushing about doing things and coming up with
all kinds of
solutions to problems. They have to be fast, efficient
and creative.
It looks crazy from the outside, when you look in, but
once you are
inside, you follow the rhythm. It's like being
in the ocean, if you
let go the strong waves will carry you. It is very
powerful and you
learn to swim with it."
Samiramis' artistic life developed in New York.
She has had two solo
exhibitions there, and her work has won various awards.
Her designs
are in the best seller lists of museums, such as The
American Crafts
Museum and The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Her work is a
manifestation of the terrain that lies between cultures,
infused with
insight and longing. When asked, what is the essence
of an artist, she
replied, "it's a broad term, but I guess the essence
of an artist is
the will or the vision to create."
Ms. Ziyeh has certainly developed many skills and talents
enabling
her to succeed with many of her goals. "I think
that I have achieved
most things that I have started in my life. When
I decided to make
jewelry I didn't take a course in jewelry making.
I just started to
make them, and they were beautiful. People loved
them. When I was
planning to come to Australia, I had envisioned working
with the
communities. And here I am, working as a community
arts Officer. I
believe that if you envision something, and believe in
it strongly,
it will happen. The universe provides."
As the arts officer for the Fairfield Community Arts Network
(FCAN),
Samiramis is currently involved in different projects
for that
community. Among these is a multi media arts project
with young
Assytrian and Kurdish refugees from Iraq, called 'Border
Crossings'
which will culminate with a performance at the Belvoir
Street Theatre
during the Carnival and two performances at the Fairfield
School of
Arts, in September 1996.
Samiramis moved to Australia two years ago. Before
deciding to settle
here, she had visited her family in Australia on two
occasions. when I
asked her where was she from, her reply was, "From the
universe, for I
have lived in different countries." Australia is
where she likes to be.
Her life style here has changed "I always worked for
myself, with
flexible hours, now have a restricted schedule, but I
am finding my
rhythm here!"
Finally we talked about today's youth. "Young people
should follow
their dreams and not to give up, if they try once and
aren't successful,
they should try again. They must believe in their
dreams. They need
to follow their intuition because it tells us what we
need to do.
Sometimes we get distracted by other elements, and we
need to return to
our intuition."
Samiramis talks with a passion In conversation her
focus is on the
subject. I think she has crossed many oceans, and
the waves were not
gentle. Her gentle eyes reflect her awakened spirit.
Whe I meet her
again I would like to ask her about those oceans.
Yumi Kuchar
Creative Writing and Journalism Course
Ambitious Friends Journal, Spring 1996
Liverpool, Australia
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G O O D M
O R N I N G B E
T - N A H R A I N
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KURDISH PEACE TALKS BEGIN IN ANKARA, TURKEY
(ZNUP: Ankara) U.S. envoy Robert Pelletreau began meetings
Wednesday
with Iraqi Kurdish representatives aimed at bolstering
a cease-fire
between rival factions struggling for control of northern
Bet-Nahrain.
Turkish and British officials also attended the meeting,
along with
representatives of northern Bet-Nahrain's minority Turkoman
community;
there are no indications at presstime whether an Assyrian
representation
participated at these meetings. The leaders of the Kurdistan
Democratic
Party, or KDP, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan,
or PUK, did not
personally attend the Pelletreau talks, which were expected
to continue
at least through Thursday. PUK leader Jalal Talabani
and Massoud Barzani
of the KDP agreed last week to the cease-fire after separate
meetings with
Pelletreau in the Turkish capital. They also agreed to
accept no further
aid from Iran or Iraq.
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S U R F S
U P !
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"Prime Minister of Lebanon,Rafik al-Hariri is not a Maronite.
He is a
Moslem. Please check your sources when you make such
statements.
Thanks."
Samir Batio
"I was reading the News issue and found a serious error
in regards to
Lebanon... It stated that Rafik Hariri is a Maronite
Assyrian when he
is actually a Sunni who recently tried to shut down La
Voix de l'amour
but the Patriarch put pressure on him so he couldn't
do it... Thank you."
Basil Keila
Montreal, Cananda
[Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, born in Sidon, Lebanon in
1944, is a Sunni
Moslem. We stand corrected. For more
information link up to:
http://www.embofleb.org/hariri.htm]
***************
"Every Monday morning when I come to work, the first thing
I do is to
turn on my computer and check my email for Zenda.
I want to point out
that how important this news agency is to me and many
others who rely
on this magazine to stay informed of the issues related
to our nation.
I know running this agency takes a lot of time and effort
for the
Staff of Zenda. I just want to say thank you for
the wonderful job you
are all doing and God bless you. tx."
Lena Mushell
San Jose, California
***************
First, don't put your words in my mouth that I can't tolerate
any
woman for speaking her mind. Maybe I did not agree with
her, but never
insulted her because she was a woman and specially an
Assyrian
woman,you simply misunderstood my message, however if
anyone insults
or attacks my heritage then I will attack back, like
I did with
Mr.Tower (I wonder where is he hiding?).
You wanted to know what I would do to your 2000 years
old churches if
I was the man in power. You have suggested that I was
going to burn
your churches, that is not bad Idea, but why burn
the whole churches
where I can replace the crosses with an Assyrian flags
and still use
the buildings for better things to teach, I NEED WARRIORS
NOT PRAYERS.
Simply look at the Palestinians if they would've followed
what your
Savior Jesus said( Love your enemies, do good to those
who mistreat
you ) do you think that they would've ended with a piece
of
land,flag,recognition among the rest of the world? I
DON'T THINK SO,
But by hating their enemies and mistreating them they
did reach to
some kind of recognition. Nobody knows who are Assyrians
and everybody
know who are kurdish. Have you asked yourself why? because
Our
Assyrian community is full with people like you who will
give there
other side of face if they get slapped on one, or go
into hiding like
what Mr.Tower is doing.
p.s Please remove my name from your prayer list.
And if you ever changed
your mind, you will have a space reserved for you in
my WARRIORS list.
We need someone like our warrior SHAMERAM. I wonder if
she was alive
what would she think about your message?.
Sargon Kanja
**************
"In regard to Mr. Kanja's harsh and twisted comments I
would like first
to commend Zenda on it's policy for not publishing personal
attacks. I
also would like to express my deep regrets to Miss Doris
Babbasi for the
way she was viewed in Mr. Kanja's hateful and twisted
mind. Miss Doris
Babbasi, in my opinion is a Lady. She has God's wisdom,
strength and
courage to be able to come out and tell our Assyrian
people her
Christyian convictions.
As for me I would like to express my apologies to Mr.
Ashur Simon for
calling him a Waco. However, I still maintain that his
theory of
substitution and elimination is ludicrous.
As for Mr. Kanja I would like to say: if you want to attack
my person
and receive my response, please communicate with me directly.
My e-mail
address is: etower@worldchat.com"
Esho Tower
Burlington, Canada
[In an effort to bring our readers' attention to the current
subjects
under cosideration ZENDA reserves the right to
stop publishing
commentaries pertaining to Ms. Babassi's article
(see September 23).
We thank our readers for a very lively discussion
and encourage similar
reaction to our future articles.]
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S U R F E R S
C O R N E R
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How About Vacationing in Detroit During the Month of
August?
The Assyrian National Convention of the Assyrian American
National
Federation to be held in Detroit, Michigan from August
26 thru Sept
27, 1997 at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn Hotel:
For Reservations: (313) 982-6880
The Hyatt Regency Dearborn will only accept guaranteed
reservations.
You may guarantee your reservation with an accepted credit
card
number, expiration date, and signature or by an advanced
deposit for
one night's lodging. Make your check payable to
the
Hyatt Regency Dearborn
18600 Michigan Avenue
Fairlane Town Center
Dearborn, Michigan 48126-9987
Accomodations:
Single (one person)
$95.00 per day
Double (two persons, two beds) $95.00 per day
Double (two persons, king bed) $95.00 per day
Triple (three persons)
$95.00 per day
Quad (four persons)
$95.00 per day
To guarantee convention rates. reservations must be received
by the Hyatt
Regency Dearborn by August 7, 1997.
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N E W S
D I G E S T
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4,500 IRAQI CHILDREN DYING MONTHLY
(ZNRU: Baghdad) United Nations aid agencies last week
expressed
alarm at the lack of food, medicine and clean water in
Iraq,
estimating that 4,500 children were dying monthly
in part
because of stringent trade sanctions. Of the $39.9
million requested
in a September appeal only 4 percent or $1.6 million
was received,
from the Netherlands and from France. Carol Bellamy,
the director of
UNICEF, the U.N. Children's Fund, told a news conference
that 4,500
children under five years of age were dying each month
from hunger and
disease. UNICEF officials later said that this figure
was given by
the Iraqi government but nevertheless was an indication
of the
crisis. Other humanitarian groups said 4,500 appeared
valid.
A U.N. relief agency says that $19 million for 2.1 million
``highly
vulnerable'' people, including 900,000 war widows, 180,000
malnourished children under five and 200,000 pregnant
or nursing
mothers are needed. UNICEF needs $10 million for essential
medicine
and nutritional supplements for children. In Washington,
however,
State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns reacted cooly
to the
reports. He said the administration has long felt the
Iraqi people
had suffered because of President Saddam Hussein's rule.
"If Hussein
was really interested in helping his people, rather than
parading
malnourished children and sick women in front of Western
reporters
to bolster claims the international community is somehow
responsible
for their condition," Burns said, "he should stop building
palaces,
restocking the military and feathering the nests of his
family."
Last Tuesday, Three international oil experts left Baghdad
for
northern Bet-Nahrain to inspect the country's oil facilities
for
possible implementation of a delayed oil-for-food deal
with the
United Nations. On Wednesday, The United States
decided to donate
$7.3 million to the United Nations for humanitarian relief
in Iraq,
but the aid was earmarked for Kurds residing in northern
Bet-Nahrain.
Leaders of the two rival Kurdish political parties will
meet again on
November 15 in a bid to settle administration and revenue
sharing
in northern Bet-Nahrain.
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C A L E
N D A R OF
E V E N T S
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Thru April 6 The Ain Ghazal Exhibit
Smithsonian Institute
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Washington D.C.
Nov 13
Babylon & Syria in the time of XENOPHON
Lecturer: M. Stolper
Oriental Institute
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Nov 23
The Nineveh Choral Concert
Piano Recital by two Assyrian Concert Pianists
Nineveh Issabey (Simons) & Nineveh Bet-Shleimoun
Conducted by Nebu Issabey
San Jose State University Music Hall
San Jose, California
8:00 PM
Tickets: $20.00
Contact: Robert Badalian (408) 268-8545
Joseph Betjoseph (209) 668-6805
Jan 15
Ashur & Marduk: The State Gods of Assyria & Babylonia
Lecturer: G. Frame
Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
University of Toronto
St. George campus
Toronto, Canada
8:00 p.m
Mar 12
Guardians of the Gate: The Assyrian Winged Colossi
Lecturer: A. Harrak
Near and Middle Eastern Civilization
University of Toronto
St. George campus
Toronto, Canada
8:00 p.m
April 9
Recent Excavations at Gordion, Turkey:
An Achaemenid Persian Imperial Town in Central
Anatolia
Lecturer: T.C. Young, Jr.
Royal Ontario Museum
Toronto, Canada
8:00 p.m
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E N T R A C T E
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No Entries for the Week of
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I N T E L L I G E N T S I A
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Mondays
Assyrian History Class
Fall 1996 Session
"Assyrian Biographies"
Instructor: Wilfred Alkhas
BETA: Assyrian American Association of San Jose
20000 Almaden Road
San Jose, California
7:30-9:00 pm
Info: Wilfred_Alkhas@3mail.3com.com
Fridays
Assyrian Educational & Cultural Club at
Modesto Junior College
1:00 pm
Founders Hall 108
Modesto, U.S.A.
Saturdays Nisibis
School
10:30-1:30
The Church of the East
Toronto, Canada
Nisibin School
10:00-12:00 pm
BETA: Assyrian American Association of San Jose
San Jose, California
SUNDAYS
Assyrian Boy Scouts
Assyrian American Association of Southern California
Assyrian Club
5901 Cahuenga Blvd
North Hollywood, California
9:30am to 12:30pm
Contact Sargon Gewargis @ fishtale@juno.com
(818) 891-3705 after 7:30 pm
Assyrian Student Union
California State University, Northridge
Assyrian American Association of Southern California
Assyrian Club
5901 Cahuenga Blvd
North Hollywood, California
6:00pm
Contact Sargon Gewargis @ fishtale@juno.com
(818) 891-3705 after 7:30 pm
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A S S Y R I
A N S U R F I
N G P O S T S
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Assyrian Kibitzer
http://www.nineveh.com/kibitzer.htm
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P U M P UP THE V O L U
M E
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ENGLISH
ASSYRIAN
Letter (consonent)
a/too/ta [M]
Vowel
zow/aa
[F]
Syllable
hag/ya/na [M]
_____________________________________________________________________
F = Feminine M = Masculine
P = Plural
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B A C K TO THE
F U T U R E
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B.C. (690) King Sennacherib begins construction of his
80 kilometer
long canal system, the oldest waterway in the world.
The remains of
this canal still exist and can be visited to the north
of Mosul, Iraq.
<<Nineveh Magazine, Vol 8, #2&3>>
A.D. (1985) The Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalme becomes
the permanent
home of the Elie Borowski collection of anienct Near
Eastern artifacts.
The collection includes small items wuch as seals, and
monumental
Assyrian reliefs.
<< The Jerusalem Post International, June 8, 1985>>
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L I T E
R A T U
S
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Voices of the Young Assyrian Refugees From Iraq
Your story
your village
the Gulf war
take me back
back in time.
My childhood
my grandparents
their story
their homeland
their betrayal
the Great war.
I say
History repeats itself.
Your stories
our stories
come together
on this land.
Hope.
Three generations
from now
history repeats not itself.
Semiramis/August 1996
==============================
It is getting darked and darker
and I am still walking on a soft ground.
I can't feel myself.
I don't know where I am going.
I can't see what's going on around me.
Only the memories of my past life.
The life where everything was peaceful and beautiful.
The time when smile was drawn on my face
my childhood
when everything looked magical.
I see myself running
with friends
lying on the soft grass
looking to the blue sky that never ends.
surrounded with tall trees.
I hope that my life can turn to how it used to be,
Maureen/July 1996
=========================
I like water,
A rock is holding the water.
Grass starts to grow around the rock.
Water comes down.
Faster and faster.
It goes over the tree.
I am five.
I am leaving Iraq.
I step over the tree.
I cross the river.
The water is dirty.
I am scared.
Clouds gather.
Trees everywhere.
It is a bush.
Ninos/June 1996
<< Border Crossings, Images, Words. A multimedia
project for young
Assyrian and Kurdish refugees from Iraq. Fairfield
Community Arts
Network, Fairfield NSW- Australia (May-Sept 1996)>>
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T H I S
W E E K I N
H I S T O R Y
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November 6, 1975: Mar Ishaya Shimoon XXIII, Patriarch
of the Assyrian
Church of the East is assassinated in California.
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B R A
V O
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Congratulations to Albert Gabrial of Nineveh Online and
his crew
for the belated recognition of its aesthetically pleasing
and
informative website. Below is an article which
appeared in the
November issue of THE NET MAGAZINE:
"Nineveh Online is a site devoted to promoting Assyrian
culture. Prior
to visiting this excellent resource, my knowledge of
Assyria was vague
at best. I now have a few more associations to work with.
One of the
world's ancient civilizations, Assyria is today a loosely
scattered
entity of some three million people living mainly in
Iraq and elsewhere,
as refugees. Akin to the Kurds insofar as they both lack
a sovereign
homeland, Assyrians are generally Christian and speak
their own language,
often called Syriac. You can learn much more at this
site, a kind of
homeland in cyberspace. There is a BBS, as well as pages
devoted to kids,
women, the Assyrian language, food, amnesty issues, and
more.
Content: Excellent
Aesthetic: Good
TechnoSmart: Excellent
Author: Patrick Joseph
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the D I R E C T O R
Y
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ZNAD (Assyrian Democratic Organization)
ZNBN (Bet-Nahrian Inc/ KBSV-TV "AssyriaVision")
ZNDA (Zenda: zenda@ix.netcom.com)
ZNNQ (Nabu Quarterly)
ZNNV (Nineveh Magazine)
ZNRU (Reuters)
ZNSJ (San Jose Mercury News)
ZNTM (Time Magazine)
ZNUP (United Press International)
ZNUS (US News & World Report)
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W E
L C O M E
T O Z E N D
A
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Zenda welcomes our new on-line subscribers from:
CORPORATE ACCOUNTS
UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS
Foothill-De Anza Colleges, California
University of California, Berkeley
PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
Berlin, Germany
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S A L U T E
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Zenda wishes to thank the following individuals &
organizations
whose contributions appear in this issue:
Albert Gabrial Hollister,
California
Romina Ziyeh
San Jose, California
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Our Next Issue will appear on Monday, November 11, 1996.
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