Tamuz 1, 6746 Volume II Issue 21 July 1, 1996
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A Weekly
Online Publication of the ZENDA Assyrian Newsagency
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THE L I G H
T H O U S E
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THE PRODIGAL SON
INSIDE TENNIS: What about the French Open?
Do you think you're
capable of winning on clay?
ANDRE AGASSI: Yes, I'm capable of winning
on clay. I have to prove
that on the court, so I'm going to grasp this clay
season with the right mentality, which is to win the
French. I think I can. In three out of five sets,
I can break guys down. I can put together two great
weeks.
INSIDE TENNIS: What would it mean to you to win
your second Wimbledon
and break Sampras' streak of three in a row?
ANDRE AGASSI: That would be exciting!
I mean, I kind of would hate
to see [Sampras' streak] come to an end. Not really.
We'll see. I would look forward to winning any
championship of that level again.
INSIDE TENNIS: Switch gears a little bit.
You come from a wonderful,
culturally rich heritage. What does it mean to be
Armenian?
ANDRE AGASSI: My father basically raised
us American and as I got
older, I found myself very interested in my heritage
and background. One day I would like to head over to
that part of the world and really get a chance to see
where it is that I came from. Every day on the tour
makes it difficult to take that kind of time but I'm
very curious about my roots.
INSIDE TENNIS: Is there a quality in Armenian culture
that you can
see in yourself?
ANDRE AGASSI: It's tough to say, because
my understanding of Armenians
is based on my father and just a few people that are
in my life. It's tough for me to pinpoint one thing.
The preceding interview with Andre Agassi appears in the
June 1996
issue of Inside Tennis magazine. Andre's
father, Emmanuel, was
born in the Assyrian village of Saralan in Urmie, Iran.
Emmanuel won
several boxing championship in Iran under the directions
of former
Assyrian boxing champions George Issabeg and Andre Gvolowich.
Emmanuel
is often invited to the Assyrian olympic games and conventions
in
California as a guest of the local organizations.
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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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TURKISH SOLDIER CROSS BORDER
IN PURSUIT OF KURDISH REBELS
(ZNRU: Turkey) Turkish troops backed by air power killed
dozens of
Kurdish guerrillas Thursday in a large cross-border raid
against a
rebel base in the mountains of northern Bet-Nahrain.
``It is the
biggest cross-border operation in the past four months
or so,'' a
military official in the eastern Turkish town of Tunceli
told Reuters.
The regional governor's office in the nearby city of
Diyarbakir said
in a statement that troops began to pull back toward
Turkey after
killing 44 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels. There
was no
independent confirmation of the casualty toll.
Twelve battalions of
commandos, police special forces and around 250 members
of a pro-
government Kurdish militia poured five miles across the
border in a
five-pronged attack from the province of Hakkari early
in the morning.
A Turkish battalion consists of between 500 and 600 men.
The officials
said U.S.-made Cobra helicopters and air force planes
pounded suspected
guerrilla positions. The operation was aimed at
around 500 rebels at a
base known as Mezi just inside Iraq.
IRAQI BABEL NEWSPAPER DEMANDS BETTER RELATIONS
WITH TURKISH PM
(ZNRU: Baghdad) Iraq's most influential newspaper on Sunday
urged the
new Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan to improve
Ankara's
relations with Baghdad. Babel Newspaper, owned
by President Saddam
Hussein's eldest son Uday, said improving relations with
Baghdad would
secure economic benefits for Turkey. Turkish President
Suleyman Demirel
on Friday approved Welfare Party leader Erbakan as the
country's first
Islamist premier, heading a coalition with conservative
Tansu Ciller.
Babel listed Turkey's complex relations with Iraq, the
Turkish military
training agreement with Israel, the dispute over sharing
the water of
the Tigris and the Euphrates and Turkey's stance on Gulf
War sanctions
on Iraq among the problems Erbakan had inherited from
previous Turkish
governments. Turkey was a key ally of the American-led
military coalition
that ejected Iraqi troops from Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf
War. Baghdad
criticizes Ankara for supporting a U.S.-led allied air
force based in
northern Bet-Nahrain to protect rebel PKK Kurds from
possible attacks
by Iraqi armed forces. Iraq hopes that Turkey will support
it in its
efforts to lift U.N. trade sanctions imposed after its
1990 invasion of
Kuwait.
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S U R F S
U P !
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"I read the excerpt about the plight of the Assyrians
living on the
banks of the Khabour river, and could not help but be
dismayed by the
poor spelling, which was left unedited by Zenda.I think
typographical
errors such as these ought to be corrected by Zenda's
editors. Use of
a spelling chekcker, which is available with many word
processors,
would eliminate some of these mistakes, but not all;
hence the need
for Zenda to proof read the articles."
Joe Davida
San Diego, California
[ZENDA assures its readers that it will exercise greater
care in
minimizing the typographical errors found in our articles.
Incidently,
our spell checker shows that a misspelling occurs in
the above letter.
We took the liberty of pressing the "ignore" button and
keep our
ZENDA reader's letter as is. We only hope that
our readers will not
"ignore" the message behind our article- The Plight of
the Assyrians
in Khabour is not a misspelling of fate, rather a situation
in need of
immediate attention.]
********************
"Two Items I'd like your answer to:
1) I understand that you list your news sources in every
issue,
however, can you be more specific and detailed? For example
when you
indicate ZNRU or ZNUP can you at least provide the publication
name,
date and page number so that someone like myself who's
interested in
more details can get those details? There are occasions
when I make
references or need to direct others to the source of
information, this
would be of great help. Please, this is not an
indication in any way
that I have reasons to want to verify the information
you are
publishing. I just want to make sure that I am
clearly understood
and leave no room for assumptions.
2) Once you mentioned that you know of Assyrians in S.
America and a
specific country. I just met an Assyrian lady who
just arrived from
S. America. She has been there for 1 year, lives
with her so who's
been there for 15 years. I do not remember the
country name but I
believe it is the same country you had mentioned in your
talk some
time ago. I want to see if this lady can make contact
with other
Assyrians when she returns from her visit to San Jose."
Esha Tamras
San Jose, California
[ZENDA readers are encouraged to inquire about the proper
citation
of any article appearing in the NEWS DIGEST section.
Please
submit the date of the ZENDA publication and the title
of the article.
Also, upon the receipt of your visitor's personal data
ZENDA will
gladly send the information to our reader's email address
in Uruguay.]
************
"On behalf of Babylon Financial Network,INC, we would
like to thank
the Assyrians for their excellent support and response
to
"Card Babylon " Master & Visa Card, although the
low interest rate
offer has expired, but, still to those who are interested
in getting
the card with the regular interest rate can call 312-338-9100
(in
Illinois) and 1-800-NINEVEH (outside of Illinois)."
Atooraya ?
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S U R F E R S
C O R N E R
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A few new books worth your serious summer reading-time:
1) Comparative Edition of the Syriac Gospels, Aligning
the Sinaiticus,
Curetonianus, Peshitta and Harklean Versions
(1996)
-George Kiraz
-Volumes 1-4.
-ISBN 900410419
-E. J. Brill,
Leiden, New York, Koln
2) The Origins and Ancient History of Wine (1995)
-Patrick C.
McGovern, Stuart Fleming, and Solomon Katz (1995)
-409 pages
-Gordon and
Breach, POB 200029
Riverfront
Plaza Sta. Newark, NJ 07102-0301
-Tel: 201-643-7500
3) Religion and Politics in the Ancient Near East
-edited by
A. Berlin
-(ISBN 1-883053-24-2);
$25
-150 pages
4) Emar: The History, Religion, and Culture of a Syrian
Town in the
Late Bronze Age
-edited by
M. Chavalas
-(ISBN 1-883053-18-8);
$30
-109 Pages
5) Before the Moses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature
(2nd Edition)
-B. Foster
-(ISBN 1-883053-23-4)
-$67.50 ($39
for INDIVIDUALS who have purchased the 1st edition)
-970 pages
For inquiries contact CDL Press PO Box 34454 Bethesda
Md. 20827 or phone
301-762-2066 or E-Mail: MC141@UMAIL.UMD.EDU
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N E W S
D I G E S T
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IRAQI OIL TO FLOW
(Sabah News: Iraq) Following an agreement between the
UN and Iraq on
limited oil sales, the first oil to flow through the
Yumurtalik-Kirkuk
overland oil pipeline will begin to move at the end of
this month.
About one million barrels of Iraqi oil will be delivered
from Yumurtalik
to world markets. The UN fears that Iraq will actually
sell more oil
than the agreed amount and at a lower price. The
UN will appoint
experts and inspectors to the region to control the amount
of Iraqi oil
moving through the pipeline and to ensure that the oil
is sold at world
prices.
PROMINENT ASSYRIAN BUSINESS EXECUTIVE WILL SPEAK
AT AUA FOUNDATION
(ZNDA: Chicago) The Assyrian Universal Alliance Foundation
in
Chicago will hold its 12th Annual Scholarship Awards
Dinner on July 21.
This year's guest speaker, Walter Y. Elisha, a resident
of Charlotte,
South Carolina, received his M.B.A. from Harvard University
and is
currently the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Springs
Industries, Inc.,
one of the largest textile manufacturers in the USA.
He is also a
Director of AT&T, Cummins Engine Co. and an Associate
of Harvard
Business School and the president of the American Textile
Institute.
Mr. Elisha's parents were natives of Golpashan, Urmie
and northern
Bet-Nahrain. Formerly the CEO of Jewel Tea
Company in Chicago, Walter
generously contributes to the academic advancement of
the Assyrian
students in the United States. Mr. Elisha is also
listed as one of
the highest paid Fortune 500 corporate executives and
remains a member
of President Clinton's Advisory Board of Business Executives
in the U.S.
If any questions e-mail me at [GYQS35A@prodigy.com]
SUMERIAN BOARD GAME APPEARS AS A SHAREWARE
(ZNSC) Out of the shimmering horizon of FAE (Fuel
Air Explosives)
walks a man, on his way from Eridu to Ur of 4200 years
ago, right
over the top of your position on a lonely vigil on the
night of
Desert Storm's deep thrust into Iraqi territory.
But who is of
the past and who of the future? As you debate and
he describes
his life in Sumer, you play a game that this master craftsman
of
Ur has made to sell in the ancient markets. The Royal
Game of Ur
v1.0 is a Windows shareware version of the ancient Sumerian
game -
the oldest board game known, 5 examples of which were
found in the
royal graves at Ur by Woolley. It has great graphics,
game sounds,
original MIDI music, and is a lot of good fun to play.
Royal Game of Ur: A Computer Game for Windows
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/PSNeeley
Newsbytes...
(ZNNY: New York) "As Iraq continues to be hit by
stringent economic
sanctions, art experts and archeologists say precious
artifacts from
some of the world's oldest civilizations are pouring
into the
international market to raise cash," writes The
New York Times.
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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
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ZNNQ (Nabu Quarterly)
ZNNY (New York Times)
ZNRU (Reuters): ClariNet Communications Corp.
ZNSC (soc.culture.assyrian) newsgroup
ZNTN (Turkish News Agency)
ZNUP (United Press International)
ZNDA (Zenda: zenda@ix.netcom.com)
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C A L E N D
A R OF E
V E N T S
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July 1-5 RENCONTRE
ASSYRIOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONALE
Prague, Czech Republic
July 3-7 10th
Annual Assyrian Youth Convention
of the Assyrian Church of the East
Sponsored by the Mar Gewargis Youth organization
Chicago, Illinois
July 4-7 Assyrian
Olympics of California
San Diego, California
July 14
Ordination Ceremony of Rev. Shmuil Khangaldi
Bet-Eil Assyrian Ministry
held at
St. Timothy Lutheran Church
5100 Camden Avenue
San Jose, California
5:00 pm
Thru Aug 15 "Beirut: Uncovering
the Past"
Profiles recent UNESCO archeology efforts
The British Museum
London, England
August 12-14 SyrCOM-96: Second International
Forum
on Syrian Computing
Symposium Syriacum
Uppsala University
Dept of Asian and African Studies
Box 513
S-751 20 Uppsala
Sweden
Fax: +46 18 181094
Witold.Witakowski@afro.uu.se
Aug 29-Sept 2 AANF National Convention
Red Lion Inn Hotel
Modesto, U.S.A.
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E N T E R T A I N M E N T
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July 14
Nusard-il Picnic
San Jose, California
July 20
Garden Party at the BETA
AAA of San Jose
20000 Almaden Road
San Jose, California
Entertainment: Assyrian Stand-up Comedy
July 21
12th Annual Scholarship Awards Dinner
Assyrian Universal Alliance Foundation
Edens Banquet Hall
6313 North Pulaski
Chicago, Illinois
(312) 274-9262, FAX (312) 274-5866
Questions? Write to GYQS35A@prodigy.com
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R E G U L A R C L A S S E S & M E E T I N G S
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Mondays
Assyrian History Class
"Assyrian History: 19th Century thru Present "
Instructor: Wilfred Alkhas
BETA on 20000 Almaden Rd, San Jose, Calif
Class begins on June 3
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
Ages 4 thru 14
Assyrian Language, History, & Arts
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
BETA on 20000 Almaden Rd, San Joe, California
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A S S Y R I A N R A D I O & T V S H O
W S
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Monday-Friday AssyriaVision (MODESTO/TURLOCK)
4 PM - 12 AM [pst]
KBSV@nineveh.com (209) 538-4130
Friday
Assyrian Weekly Magazine (SAN JOSE) 8 PM - 9 PM
[pst]
Saturday AssyriaVision
(MODESTO/TURLOCK) 10 AM - 6 PM
[pst]
Sunday
AssyriaVision (MODESTO/TURLOCK) 3 AM
- 12 AM [pst]
Assyrians Around the World (SAN JOSE) 8 PM - 9 PM [pst]
Atour TV (SAN JOSE)
9 PM - 10 PM [pst}
[pst] Pacific Standard Time - California
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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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N e w S i t e (s)
Epic of Gilgamesh
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/Gilgamesh.html
Cuneiform Writing
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/Cuneiform.html
Mesopotamian Timeline
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MesoTimeline.html
Code of Hammurabi
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/
world_civ_reader_1/hammurabi.html
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P U M P UP THE V O L U
M E
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ENGLISH
ASSYRIAN
Coup de etat qyam-khela
[M]
Revolution poo-laa-aa
[M]
Insurrection qyama
[M]
Note: pronounce "q" as in qatoo (cat)
_____________________________________________________________________
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. (9000) The Cayonu settlement appears near today's
Diyarbakir in
northern Bet-Nahrain. The animal bones found here
indicate a shift
from the use of wild animals to the use of domesticated
ones.
<< Nissan, The Early History of the Ancient Near
East>>
A.D. (1976) Zecharia Sitchin's THE TWELFTH PLANET appears
in the book
stores around the world. The product of 30 years
of research, this
Book One in a series of the Earth Chronicle Books, concluded
that
today's humans are descendants of the Nefilim, a superior
race
from Marduk, the 12th planet, who settled in Bet-Nahrain
(Mesopotamia).
<< Sitchin, The 12th Planet >>
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L I T E
R A T U
S
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******** Inanna Spoke ********
ca. 3000 BC
"The shepherd! I will not marry the shepherd!
His clothes are coarse; his wool is rough.
I will marry the farmer.
The farmer grows flax for my clothes.
The farmer grows barley for my table."
<<Wolkstein & Kramer, Inanna >>
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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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July 4, 1980: dies Rabbie Koorush Benyamin in Tehran,
Iran. Rabbie
Koorush spent much of his life teaching Assyrian language
and history
to thousands of students, and published several books
on the Assyrian
language and grammar. In recognition of his remarkable
achievements
July 4 is celebrated as the "Day of the Assyrian Teacher"
around the
world.
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B R A
V O
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On Saturday June 22, 1996, the Illinois State Bar Association
(ISBA)
honored nine lawyers at the Abbey at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin,
who were
eligible to receive the title Senior Counselor at ceremonies
held
at the ISBA Annual Dinner. Among them was Paul
Newey of Chicago, a
ZENDA reader, who has been a lawyer since 1940, but did
not come to
Illinois to practice until 1946. Paul is the son
of the late Reverend
Paul S. Newey of Chicago who came to the U.S. in 1906
from Urmie and
the late Mary Yonan who also came to Chicago the same
year from
Tkhooma, Bet-Nahrain. Paul notes, "you can take
the man out of Assyria,
but you can't take the Assyrian out of the man."
He is now writing a
book on a Chicago mafia character whom he knew in his
many years as a
law-enforcement official and prosecutor. His past
includes positions
with the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Treasury Department,
U.S. Army
Intelligence, the CIA, and the State's Attorney's Office
in the largest
County in the U.S (Cook County Illinois). Paul has always
boasted and
been proud of his ancient Assyrian heritage.
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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
Amdahl Corp
UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS
California State Univ., Stanislaus
PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
San Jose, California
Chicago, Illinois
Turlock, California
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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
Paul Newey
Chicago, Illinois
George Mikael
Turlock, California
Jeanclaude Toma Milpitas,
California
Steve Neeley
?
Richard Hooker Washington
State University
_____________________________________________________________________
ZENDA prints 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 the activities of your local and
national
Assyrian communities, personal accomplishments, and meeting/school
events to ZENDA no later than Sunday, 12:00 PM, Pacific
Standard Time.
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Our Next Issue will appear on Monday, July 8,
1996.
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