Z E N D A  M A G A Z I N E
[renamed Zinda Magazine in 1999]

Volume II                       Issue 7                      March 18, 1996

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A Weekly Online Newsletter Serving the Assyrian Communities Around the World

                            HAPPY NEW ASSYRIAN YEAR 6746 (4750 B.C. + 1996 A.D.)
 

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                 THE   L   I   G   H   T   H   O   U   S   E
=====================================================
 

                 THE ETERNAL MOTHER
 

The mist of the early dusk sets in, and the sound of
a wolf howling in the distance frightens the children
as they huddle closer to their mothers.  It is cold
in these mountains, and especially miserable for the
people here, with no shelter and no place to go. I
see the infants' anguish, as the coldness of the
mountains numbs their limbs.  I hear the adults'
silent pleas for help, which they are too frightened
to express, in fear of demoralizing the children
even more.  I shiver, not from the cold, but from the
realization that a long time ago I once owned this
terrain, I was the civilization; I was the law.  Now,
the rears come, as they have so often, bringing with
them the memories.
 

I have been sick for such a long time.  My bones are
weak, and my strength is gone.  I have been diseased
from hunger, from oppression, from prejudice, from
fear, and from persecution; yet the wound that affected
me the most is that of silence.  I had to remain
silent in fear that they would harm my children if I
expressed my opinion.  This silence has gnawed at my
soul, and finally I have to break it, for it is too
often mistaken for indifference.  Many have tried to
predict my downfall.  Some think that I am already
dead, yet I am still here, waiting, yearning for the
day I will have strength again.  Some even say that
this will be the last sharp wound that will pierce
my heart and uplift my roots, to destroy me once and
for all...
 

You are my children, and you are deserting me, leaving
me behind.  I cannot blame you, for I see you suffering,
I see the lost look you have in your eyes. like a child
who wants to go home, but is lost and does not know the
way.  All I ask of you is to remember me, what we were
all about.  Remember the glory, but do not forget the
battles.  Remember the happiness, but do not forget
the sorrow.  Remember our history, but do not ever
forget that the present is the key to tomorrow.
 

My only hope is that one day we will see each other
again.  Someday, I will embrace you once again, and
you will know that I had never really deserted you.
I will welcome you back into the glorious mountains
with open arms.  One day you will see the face of
your mother, and you will realize that she really is
all powerful, and all knowing.  Someday may tears of
joy will wash away all the pain that we have had to
endure over the years.  Many have forgotten my name,
Perhaps I should remind you of who I am.  They once
called me ATOUR...now, I have no name.
 

Vian Younan
Modesto, California
Qala:  Voice of the Assyrian-American
 

[Ms Younan is completing her undergraduate studies
in biology and is pursuing a career in medicine.]
 
 

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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
=====================================================
 

      TURKISH TROOPS AMASS AT THE BORDER, AGAIN
 

(RU: Zakhu)  Several thousand Turkish soldiers and more
than 50 tanks and armored personnel carriers have been
gathering at the Turkish/Iraqi border in northern
Bet-Nahrain.  It was unclear if they are preparing for
a fresh assault, one year after their last invasion.
Iraqi officials and Western aid workers said the Turkish
troops near Iraq were greater in number than during usual
spring operations, but could not see the point of a new
incursion. ``They came in last year with a lot of sound
and fury but didn't accomplish much,'' said a U.S. aid
worker in the Iraqi town of Zakho. ``There is no reason
to believe they would be more successful this time around.''
A Western allied air force shields the Iraqi Assyrians &
Kurds from  Saddam Hussain's armies but is powerless to
protect them from a spillover of the fighting in Turkey.
 
      IRAQ REPAIRS OIL PIPELINE IN NORTHERN BN

(RU: Iraq) A technical Iraqi team was allowed to repair
a war-damaged pipeline ahead of any decision at United
Nations talks with Baghdad to reopen it after five
years, Iraqi Kurdish officials said.  Sixteen km
(10 miles) of the line runs through northern Bet-Nahrain.
It was damaged during a Kurdish uprising in 1991.  The
U.N. Security Council has offered to allow Iraq to sell
$2 billion worth of oil over six months in order to raise
money for humanitarian supplies to its civilian population,
suffering severe hardships since sanctions were imposed
after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990.

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                                          S U R F S  U P !
=====================================================
"In reply to Marian Younan's column (Take the Lead)
in your last issue of Zenda, I couldn't agree more.
However, one of the largest setbacks our nation faces
is the fact that in almost every Assyrian Organization
there are many who want to be "Leaders" and very few
who are content as followers. As an American Born
Assyrian, I have been actively involved in Assyrian
Organizations, both locally and nationally for almost
18 years now. It is with great sorrow that I must say
for every two steps forward we've taken, there has been
one step backwards with it. This is not due to any lack
of governmental issues, but to the lack of unity and
the willingness to take direction under one leadership.
I have witnessed many elections and where there were 2
or more candidates for presidency of a certain organization,
It never failed that the losing candidate or candidates
formed together with their own supporters and did nothing
short of destroying and working against the presiding
authority. How will our nation survive under these
circumstances? Will we ever learn to put our personal
differences and animosity aside to work together giving
and receiving constructive criticism for the welfare of our
nation.  We must realize that when one is a chosen leader,
the rest of us should not attempt to give him or her
instructions but just report for duty, because the great
thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in
what direction we are moving.We must have leaders that are
not only successful but also faithful to our cause. As
Marian made mention, the best leaders are those who are
made, not born. And in closing I recall a quote I once
came across by Tallyrand "I am more afraid of an army of
100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100 lions led by
a sheep. So True.  P.S. After reading this, my husband
asked me to add his own quote "Freedom comes with
discipline."And he truly believes it..."
 

Janey Golani
Dearborn Heights, Michigan
 

               ----------------------------
"First of all, let me thank you for your unbelievable
dedication and commitment for creating such a wonderful
and informative Newsletter.  Unfortunately, some of our
Assyrian brothers/sisters (may be less than 1%) do not
appreciate Zenda's service for the Assyrian community.
Instead of helping and encouraging, they try to look for
a spelling error or as Mr. David Baba did on your Monday
3/18/96 issue, for an inaccurate historical reference.
Well, you certainly did a good job in responding to that
part.  Mr. Baba mentioned something about a "hidden agenda"
which may cause some kind of confusion among some readers.
As a Zenda reader, I understand that Zenda has no hidden
agenda.  If there is an agenda, the rational Zenda readers
realize that it is for the benefit of everything that is
Assyrian; whether it is political or religious.  Keep up
the good work and may God bless you all for this excellent
job."
 

Tomy Doomany
Electrical Eng Dept.
Univ. of The Pacific
Stockton, California
 
              ----------------------------
"As I finished reading your article about "Leaders are
born or made" copied from Qala magazine and transmitted
by Ms. Marion Younan, I was very disturbed by her of not
mentioning the name of the person who wrote that, which
it happens to be myself(Samson Badal)and I wrote that
article many years ago.  As a matter of policy I would
like to suggest an idea to you so you don't have to get
involved in legal matters, please ask your readers or
contributors ,first to acquire the permission of that
magazine and also as a respect to the original writer
it is only fair to give credit where it is belong. Please
don't take this as a ridicule but just a positive comment.
Your cooperation and understanding in this matter is
appreciated."
 

Samson Badal
J.D. Candidate
 

[Last week's feature article was researched by our staff
and used without the prior knowledge of Ms. Younan, as
has often been done in the past.  Ms. Younan's name
appears as the author of this article.  We suggest that
the Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock be contacted
for further information regarding your claim:
 

Qala:  Voice of the Assyrian American.  Vol 1, No.2 P.7.
 

Ms. Younan's articles appearing in many issues of Qala
have continued to inspire the Assyrian youth. This week's
feature article is by Ms. Vian Younan, Marian's
sister, which appeared in the same issue of Qala.]

              ----------------------------

"I really want to ask all the Assyrian clubs and
organizations all over the world who has the financial
ability to set up a PC in there locations connected to
the internet ( even to the UNIX Free Nets which are
available in the most big cities across the world ).
This will let a lot of Assyrian to get on line and be
able to contribute to the world of Cyber-Assyrian."

Samir Younan
Toronto, Canada

              --------------------------

"Thank you for including the Kha b'Nissan's party
announcement in ZENDA's newest issue.  However the
starting time of the event was reported by you as
10PM which it should have been 10AM.  The confusion
could have been provoked by an oversight on our part;
since the starting times for picnic, tournaments and
dance party were bunched together and sent to you as
10AM...It would be appreciated, if you make the
following changes in the time of the events in your
next issue of ZENDA:
Picnic, Tournaments and Drama   10:00AM to 6:00PM
Dance   8:PM to dawn.  God bless."
 

Mardook Betoushana
New Britain, Connecticut,  U.S.A.

              --------------------------

"This message is to all Zenda readers and their
families:  As you know the U.S. Immigration &
Naturalization Service requires all resident aliens
possessing old versions of form I-551 to renew their
green cards.  Please instruct your families to consult
their nearest district office for more information."

Alexsandra Youkhanneh
U.S. Immig. & Natlztn
Deportation Officer
Los Angeles, California
 

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                                S U R F E R S   C O R N E R
=====================================================
GAP:  What's the significance of the year B.C. 4750
      in the calculation of the Assyrian Year 6746?
 

Deadline to submit your answer or just a "wild guess" is March 31.
 
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                                 N E W S    D I G E S T
=====================================================

         IRAQI CHIEF OF STAFF FLEES TO JORDAN

(WS:  Amman)  Jordan siad it has granted asylum to
former chief of staff of the Iraqi army, who was
removed from that position in 1990 as Baghdad was
making preparation for its invasion of Kuwait.  Iraqi
dissident groups said he escaped into Turkey through
the Kurdish autonomous area in northern Iraq.
 

       ANTI-SADDAM GROUP ASSEMBLES IN DAMASCUS
 

(UP: DAMASCUS) -- Delegates from Iraqi opposition
groups met last week in Damascus, Syria to prepare for
the April 2 summit of opposition leaders aimed at
overthrowing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.  The
Iranian-backed Supreme Council for the Islamic
Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI), the  Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK) led by Jalal Talbani and the Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP) headed by Massoud Barzani, were
among the participants. The meetings of the 11 Iraqi
opposition groups were to prepare for a summit of
opposition leaders scheduled to take place April 2 in
Damascus and which was meant to draw up strategies to
overthrow Hussein.  King Hussein of Jordan was widely
reported to favor a solution for the Iraqi predicament
based on a confederation of the Kurds in the north of
Iraq, the Shiites in the south and the Sunni in the middle
of the country. During numerous visits to London, the
Jordanian monarch has held meetings with the Iraqi National
Congress and its affiliates, particularly the Kurds.
It is still uncertain if representatives of the
Assyrian Democratic Movement (ZOWAA) will participate
in the Damascus talks.
 

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  D I R E C T O R Y  OF THE  N E W S  S O U R C E S
=====================================================
 

RU (Reuters):  ClariNet Communications Corp.
UP (United Press International)
WS (Wall Street Journal)
ZN (Zenda:  zenda@ix.netcom.com)
 

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       C A L E N D A R    OF     E V E N T S
=====================================================

March 26        Lecture:  "Does Iraq have a Future?"
                Speaker:  Kanaan Makiya
                           Author of "Republic of Fear:
                           the Inside Story of Saddam's Iraq",
                           "Cruelty and Silence"
                Time:  7:00-8:30 p.m.
                Lown Auditorium (Lown 2)
                Brandeis University
                Waltham, Massachussets, U.S.
 

March 27        Lecture:  The Struggle For Power in
                          Northern Iraq
                Speaker:  Wilfred Alkhas
                3:00-5:00 pm
                Modesto Junior College
                Forum Building 101
                Modesto, U.S.A.
 

March 28-31     Assyrian Universal Alliance
                20th World Congress
                Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.
 

April 12-14     The Assyrian Art Exhibition 1996
                Toronto, Canada
                (416) 972-0106  Voice
                (416) 650-1983  Fax
 

April 27        Two Plays by William Daniel
                "The Meeting" & "Tdalaboota"
                Santa Clara University
                Santa Clara, California
 

May 24-27       Assyrian State Convention of California
                Fairmont Hotel
                San Jose, U.S.A.
 
 

May 24-25       Memorial Weekend Games
                Chicago, U.S.A.
 

May 25-26       2nd Assyrian Community Networking Conference
                Fairmont Hotel
                San Jose, U.S.A.
 

June 1          Nineveh Choral Concert
                Conducted by Maestro Nebu Issabey
                Santa Teresa High School Auditorium
                San Jose, U.S.A.
                8:00 pm
 

June 9-11       The ARAM Conference
                Harvard University
                Cambridge, Massachusetts,  U.S.A
 

Thru Aug 15     "Beirut:  Uncovering the Past"
                Profiles recent UNESCO archeology efforts
                The British Museum
                London, England
 
 

Aug 29-Sept 2   AANF National Convention
                Red Lion Inn Hotel
                Modesto, U.S.A.
 
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                  ENTERTAINMENT
-----------------------------------------------------
March 30        Kha b'Neesan Celebrations
                92  Mclintock  Street
                New  Britain,  Connecticut, U.S.
                10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
                   Picnic, Tournaments and Drama
                8:00 PM until Dawn
                   Dance Party
                Admission:  Free
 

                Kha b'Neesan Party
                Assyrian American Association of San Jose
                Banker's Club
                8 South First St (& Santa Clara)
                San Jose, U.S.A.
                Entertainer:  Edmond
                Donation:  $20.00
 

April 12        St. Mary's Annual Church Party
                Assyrian Catholic Church
                Scottish Rite Center
                San Jose, California
                Entertainer:  Walter Aziz/Haroot Band
                              Nights of Babylon DJ
                Donation:  $30.00
 

April 14        Neesan Dinner Social
                at Jora's Restaurant
                1250 Aviation Ave, STE 235
                San Jose, California
                6:30 PM
                Donation:  $15.00
 
 
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               REGULAR MEETINGS
-----------------------------------------------------
Fridays       Assyrian Educational & Cultural Club at
              Modesto Junior College
              1:00 pm
              Founders Hall 108
              Modesto, U.S.A.
 

-----------------------------------------------------
                    CLASSES
-----------------------------------------------------
Thursdays     Nineveh Choir:  Maestro Nebu Issabey
              BETA:  AAA of San Jose, U.S.A.
              7:30-9:00 pm
 

=====================================================
   A S S Y R I A N   S U R F I N G   P O S T S
=====================================================
                    New Site(s)
No new sites
 
=====================================================
          P U M P  U P  T H E  V O L U M E
=====================================================
        ENGLISH                ASSYRIAN
 
        Complaint            Shke-ta, Qvalta   [F]
        Suggestion           Makhshakhta       [F]
        Comment              Noohara           [M]
 
        Ana eet-lee khda shketa....I have a complaint
                    khda makhshakhta...have a suggestion
                    kha noohara...I have a comment
 

Note:  Several readers have inquired about the following
Assyrian words:
 

                Bit-Arke........Library
                Bit-Kreehe......Hospital
                Bit-Atqeh.......Museum
 

In Modern Assyrian, prefix "m" replaces "bit, English
'of' " used in Classical Assyrian.  Each pair of words
can be used interchangeably to refer to the same location.
_____________________________________________________
F = Feminine     M = Masculine      P = Plural

=====================================================
        B A C K    T O  T H E    F U T U R E
=====================================================

B.C. (Sept/Oct 539)  King Cyrus of Persia attacks the
city of Sippar, forcing King Nebunidos to flee to
Babylon.  Two days later Babylon is captured by the
Persian king.  So ended the Assyro-Babylonian rule
in the Middle East.
 

<<The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol 111>>
 

A.D. (1948-50) Malik Lawku, Malik Daniel, and Yousif
Malik are selected to go to Brazil to negotiate the
settlement of the Assyrians in that country's two
states of Goyaz and Minas Geraes.  Because of lack
of funds all negotiations failed; however, many
families did emigrate to Cuba and South America.  It
is estimated that today nearly 80,000 Assyrians live
in South and Central America.
 

<<re negotiation team: see Nineveh Magazine, Vol 14,#4>>
 

======================================================
              L  I  T  E  R  A  T  U  S
======================================================
 

          *** THE WORM & THE TOOTHACHE ***
 
            From the Amorite Text in Mari (ca. BC 1500)
 

After Anu had created heaven,
Heaven had created earth,
the earth had created the rivers,
The rivers had created the canals,
The canals had created the marsh,
And the marsh had created the worm-
The worm went weeping before Shamash,
His tears flowing before Ea,
 

"What will you give me for my food?
What will you give for my sucking?"
"I shall give you the ripe fig,
And the apricot?"
"Of what use are they to me, the ripe fig,
And the apricot?
Lift me up among the teeth,
And among the gums cause me to dwell.
The blood of the tooth I will suck,
And of the gum I will gnaw its roots."
 

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                      T H I S    W E E K   I N    H I S T O R Y
======================================================
March 28, 1899:  born, Yousep Malik in Baghdad.
 

March 30, 1966:  George April Hewin (spelling?), an
Assyrian musician, is awarded a medal of honor from
the government of Finland.
 

March 29, 1971:  passes away, Mar Toma Bidavid: a
Spiritual leader and scholar, fluent in English, French,
Latin, Italian, Arabic, and Hebrew.
 

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                  B   R   A   V   O
======================================================
ZENDA is currently being distributed online to nearly
300 readers in 10 countries around the world:
 

                Australia
                Austria
                Canada
                England
                Germany
                Italy
                New Zealand
                Norway
                Sweden
                United States
 

Thank you to all our faithful readers who have made
ZENDA, the fastest growing journal dedicated to the
promotion of Assyrian politics, culture, and religion.
=====================================================
         W E L C O M E   T O   Z E N D A
=====================================================
Zenda welcomes our new on-line subscribers from:
 

CORPORATE ACCOUNTS
                Sun Microsystems
 
UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS
                Cal State, Northridge
 

PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
                Toronto, Canada
                Winnipeg, Canada
                Rome, Italy
                Abbot, Illinois
 

 
=====================================================
          A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
=====================================================
Zenda wishes to thank the following individuals &
organizations whose contributions appear in this issue:
 

Firas Jatou             Chicago, Illinois
Albert Gabrial          Hollister, California
Vian Younan             Modesto, California
 

____________________________________________________
 

ZENDA will continue to print your comments and
suggestions free of editing, as they appear in our
mailbox.  All letters will be printed in our SURFS UP!
section unless directed otherwise.
 

We urge you to submit your community events, personal
accomplishments, and meeting/school times to Zenda
no later than Sunday at 12:00 PM, Pacific Standard Time.
 

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Our Next Issue will appear on Monday, April 1, 1996.
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