Tishrin II 18, 6746 Volume II Issue 39 November 18, 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.............. The Homeland Foundation
of Dr. Melek
Good Morning Bet-Nahrain.... AZIZ meets Turkish
PM before Kurdish talks
Surfs Up.................... "...more
articles and features..."
Surfers Corner.............. Assyrian Student Scholarships
Information
News Digest................. 6 Assyrians arrested
in Baghdad
Assyrian Academic Society's Election Results
Nabu Issabey's Concert in San Jose and LA
Calendar of Events.......... New Information about
Dec 7 Choral Concert
Entracte.................... Nov 29
Thanksgiving Party in San Jose, CA
Intelligentsia.............. Assyrian
History/Language Classes in the U.S.
Assyrian Surfing Posts...... Bet-Nahrain,
Inc
Pump up the Volume.......... To own,
earn and inherit
Back to the Future.......... Shulgi, the great
patron of learning
Rashid Ali Revolt and the Assyrian Levies
Literatus................... Sumerian
Father and Son Conversation
This Week in History........ Assyrian
Mission Press in Urmie
Bravo....................... Paul Newey
honored by Chicago Bar Association
The Directory............... Directory
of ZENDA News Sources
Bshena...................... Sacramento,
CSU Stanislaus, San Diego State U
Salute...................... Ashur, Esha, Nadia,
Eddy, and Arbella
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THE L I G H
T H O U S E
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THE HOMELAND FOUNDATION OF DR. MELEK
Dr. Melek Kavakcioglu was born in 1949 in Midyat, Turkey.
After the
completion of his elementary and intermediary education
he moved to
the city of Elazig, to continue his studies in high school.
It was
here, in Elazig, that the revolutionary and progressive
ideas first
started to grow within him. While Dr. Melek studied
medicine at the
university of Istanbul, his natural abilities as a leader
in the
struggle against the oppression and persecution against
his people
were becoming more evident. In addition to the
cultural and social
activities, that were necessary for the national activities
of our
people, he participated in political activities that
he thought were
the only way to our freedom and liberation. Dr.
Melek always dreamt
of a day when he would be able to return home and live
with his people
whom he wished to serve. Unfortunately his dreams were
not realized.
When Dr. Melek finished his studies circumstances drastically
changed.
A military coup forced him to emigrate to Sweden, where
he continued
with his struggle. Here he began to fight against
the social challenges
brought on by mass immigration of our people to Sweden.
Along with this
he went on fighting for the human rights of his people
in the homeland.
During his final years he was active in the homeland
committee, which he
helped to establish. Dr. Melek's longing for the homeland
was so strong
that it intensified his work in the social and political
field. He took
this longing with him to the grave. Dr. Melek passed
away quite
unexpectedly on the 13th of January 1996 as a result
of a cerebral
hemorrhage and left a great void behind him. Thousands
of people that
sympathized with his struggle were present at his funeral.
Friends,
family and relatives, came from all around the world
to bid a last
farewell to Dr. Melek. Here it was suggested that a foundation
in the
memory of Dr. Melek be established as a symbol of his
struggle. After
the initial preparations, the Funeral Committee, his
friends, relatives
and family summoned a meeting on the 25th of May 1996.
At this meeting
the Homeland Foundation of Dr. Melek was established.
The individuals
stated below were selected to the Foundation Council.
They will be seated
for two years. In the future the Foundation Council
will be selected
every two years at such a meeting. Individuals
who financially
contribute to the Foundation are invited to attend.
The purpose of the Foundation is to financially support
our people in
the homeland. This is based on Dr. Melek's ideas, his
longing and
lengthy struggle for our people. The success and strength
of this
Foundation is dependent on the financial contributions
of the
individuals who believe and sympathize with this struggle.
The Foundation Council consists of:
Gabriel Oussi
Chairman
Nebil Soysal
Secretary
Elisabeth Kavakcioglu Officer
Nail Aho
Officer
Besim Aho
Officer
Adnan Can
Deputy Officer
Zeki Bisso
Deputy Officer
Postal Giro Account: 66 80 08 - 6
The Homeland Foundation of Dr. Melek
Box 4138
151 04 Södertälje
SWEDEN
Your support of the Foundation will help keep Dr. Melek's
struggle
alive. Support your people in the homeland!
Hujada Magazine
Assyrian Federation of Sweden
[For more information please contact Hujada Magazine at
hujada@algonet.se]
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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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(ZNUP: ANKARA) The Assyrian Foreign Minister of Iraq,
Tariq Aziz,
arrived last week in Ankara for talks with Turkey's prime
minister
on the northern Bet-Nahrain conflict and the use a Turkish
pipeline to
the Mediterranean Sea if his country resumes exporting
oil. Aziz and
Necmetin Erbakan discussed the conflict between rival
Kurdish groups
and implementation of a U.N. Security Council resolution
that would
allow Iraq to sell $2 billion in oil to buy food and
medicine. At least
a half-million Iraqi children have died because of the
commodity
shortages, the United Nations has found, while the government
has refused to show compliance with Gulf War disarmament
terms.
Aziz was visiting Turkey before cease-fire talks between
the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party,
which seek
control of northern Bet-Nahrain.
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S U R F S
U P !
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"...I envision the growth of Zenda to a real newspaper
publication,
with more features and articles from all Assyrian communities
around
the world. Thank you for your excellent efforts."
Joe Davida
San Diego, California
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S U R F E R S
C O R N E R
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Where can I find out about any Assyrian scholarship's
for student's?
This is a question from an Assyrian student attending
San Diego State
University."
Gilbert Yousif
[Contact the following Assyrian organizations:
Assyrian American
National Federation
Education
Committee
P.O. Box 20278
San Jose,
California 95160
Assyrian Foundation
of America
P.O. Box 2620
Berkeley,
CA 94702
]
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N E W S
D I G E S T
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SIX ASSYRIANS
ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPT TO POISON SADDAM
(ZNDA: Toronto) The following is an official press release
of the
Assyrian National Congress, dated November 13, 1996:
To: Iraq Desk Officer, U.S. State
Department
U.S. Congressional
Leaders
United Nations'
Human Rights Commission
Amnesty International
& Human Rights Watch
Iraqi Opposition
Parties
All News Agencies
Re: The Arrest of Six Assyrians
Working at Sadam Hussein's
Presidential
Palace
The criminal regime of Saddam Hussein has struck again
against the
Assyrian Christian community in Iraq. Sources inside
Iraq reported
to the Assyrian National Congress that in early October
six Assyrians
working in the kitchen of the presidential palace in
Baghdad were
arrested and charged for taking part in a "conspiracy
to poison Saddam
Hussein." Relatives of the arrested Assyrians and
the Iraqi Human
Rights Organization in Syria have confirmed these reports.
It is common
knowledge that the Iraqi dictator employees a large number
of Assyrians
in his presidential palace because he considers them
"more faithful"
to his government.
The Assyrian National Congress, a worldwide Assyrian organization
dedicated to the well being of the Assyrian Christian
minority in the
Middle East, was unable to find the whereabouts of the
six Assyrians and
fears the worst. ANC sources in Iraq reported that
the Assyrian
community expects more arrests among the Assyrians of
Baghdad as a
result of the "collective punishment" policy followed
by the Iraqi
regime in the past. The names of the alleged Assyrian
"conspirators" are:
1. Mr. Gewargis Hormiz Oraha, 45 years, married with four
children, from
the Assyrian village of Mala Arab (Dohuk Governorate)
now living in the
New Baghdad district of Baghdad.
2. Mr. Yousip Adam Khamo, 26 years, married with
one child, from the
Assyrian village of Mala Arab (Dohuk Governorate).
3. Amira Kora Odisho, 35 years, living in the Karadah
district of
Baghdad.
4. Mr. Shimon Khoshaba Al-Hozi, 38 years, married with
seven children,
from the city of Zakho in the northern governorate of
Dohuk.
5. Mr. Petros Elia Toma, 36 years, married with
three children, from
the Assyrian village of Mala Arab (Dohuk Governorate)
now living in
Baghdad.
6. Mr. William Matti Barkho (Barfo).
We appeal to you to use your influence to find the whereabouts
of the
missing Assyrians and return them safely to their families.
Your
efforts will be appreciated. Thank you for your
help and
understanding.
Sincerely yours,
Sargon Dadesho, B.A., M.S., Ph.D.
President of the Assyrian National Congress
P.O. Box 3539 Modesto, California 95352 U.S.A.
ASSYRIAN ACADEMIC SOCIETY ELECTION RESULTS
(ZNDA: Chicago) Assyrian Academic Society Elections
were held
on Sunday, November 10, 1996. The newly elected officers
are as
follows:
EXECUTIVE BOARD OFFICERS
President:
Dr. Mark Mkrdichian
Vice President:
Christine Benjamin
Treasurer:
Roger Ichou
Secretary:
Nadia E. Joseph
COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON (S)
Publication, History,
Language and Culture: Peter Jasim
Membership and By-Laws: Martin Mirza
Public Relations:
Raman Michael
Ways And Means:
Firas Jatou
Education and Counseling:
Shlimon Marcus
Financial:
Roger Ichou
AAS BOARD OF ADVISORS:
Dr. John Michael
Yokhana Alkass
Daniel Benjamin
Yoab Benjamin
Benyamin Yalda
Basil Aboona
Mazin Enwiya
In addition to sponsoring cultural and educational lectures
and
seminars in Chicago, The Assyrian Academic Society publishes
the
scholarly Journal of the Assyrian Academic Society.
Recently,
AAS celebrated the Tenth Anniversary of its journal at
Chateau
Rand in Des Plaines, Illinois. For subscription
information contact:
JAAS P.O. Box 4102 Des Plaines, Illinois
60016-4102
MASTRO NEBU ISSABEY'S CHOIR WILL PERFORM IN SAN
JOSE & LOS ANGELES
(ZNDA: San Jose) After several months of tireless
preparation, The
Nineveh Choir under the direction of Mastro Nebu Issabey,
is once
again eager to perform its long-awaited Piano and Vocal
Combo concert
in San Jose, California. The group will then travel
to Los Angeles
for an equally glorious performance on December 7.
Nineveh Choir
performs songs in Assyrian and Latin from classical to
folkloric.
The Choir performs one or two concerts each year in California.
The
November performance in San Jose will include such Assyrian
classics
as Paulus Khofri's "Kokhva" (Star) and the absorbing
devotional music
of Samuel Khangaldy's "Peera d'Alaha" (The Lamb of God).
The program
will also include Nebu Issabey's majestic "Shlama aal
Nineveh"
(Hail to Nineveh) from Act III of Semiramis Opera and
"Sobaya" (Youth).
The audience in San Jose on November 23 can also expect
an encore
performance of "Roomraama" (Assyrian National Anthem),
"Zowaa", and
"Ata" (The Flag). For schedule information refer to the
CALENDAR OF
EVENTS section in this issue.
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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 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
Dec 7
The Nineveh Choral Concert
Conducted by Nebu Issabey
Assyrian American Association of Southern California
Assyrian Hall
5901 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
North Hollywood, California
8:00 p.m.
For ticket information:
Walter Ebrahimzadeh (909) 625-2533
Catherine Babayan (714) 750-7751
Elenor Orshan
(805) 292-2982
Kardella Lazar (818)
344-9748
AAA of Southern CA (818) 506-7577
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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Nov 29
Thanksgiving Party
Jora's Restaurant
1250 Aviation Ave. Ste. 235
San Jose Jet Center
Off of Coleman Ave.
9:00 p.m.
Entertainment: Nights of Babylon Music Productions
Admission: $10.00, $8.00 before 10 p.m.
21 & older only
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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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Bet-Nahrain, Inc.
http://www.betnahrain.com
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P U M P UP THE V O L U
M E
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ENGLISH
ASSYRIAN
To Earn
qne/ta
[F]
To own
ma/roo/ta
[F]
To inherit
qne/ta d.yaar/too/taa [F]
Note: pronounce "q" as in "qaa/tdoo" (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. (2093) The Sumerian king Shulgi is noted as a patron
of learning.
The great scribal schools of both Nippur and Ur trace
their foundation
to Shulgi who claimed to have mastered the scribal curriculum.
<< The Ancient Near East, Hallo & Simpson >>
A.D. (1941) The Rashid Ali Revolt breaks out in Iraq;
Assyrian Levies
stand firm alongside British and Indian troops in the
fightings at
Habbaniya and Falujah. It was then decided to expand
this force to
11,000 men to include 300 Assyrian parachutists.
<< Nineveh Magazine, Vol 17, #3>>
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L I T E
R A T U
S
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A CONVERSATION BETWEEN A SUMERIAN FATHER & SON
ca. 2200 B.C.
Son: You told me to go to school, recite my assignment,
open my
schoolbag, write my tablet, while my "big brother" is
to write my
new tablet. After finishing my assignment, I am
to proceed to my
work an dto come to yo afer I have reported to my monitor.
That's
what you told me.
Father: You who wonder about in the public square,
would you
achieve success? Then seek out the first generations.
Go to school,
it will be of benefit to you. My son, seek out
the first generations,
inquire of them.
<<History Begins at Sumer, Kramer>>
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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 21, 1840: The American Mission Press of
Urmie, Iran publishes
"Our Lord's Prayer" in Classic Assyrian.
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B R A
V O
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PAUL NEWEY HONORED BY CHICAGO BAR ASSOCIATION
Mr. Paul Newey was honored at a luncheon held on November
6 at the
Corboy Hall in Chicago. The luncheon, organized
by the Chicago Bar
Association, was held in honor of fifty-year affiliation
of 100 of
its members. Mr. Paul Newey is a World War II veteran
and his photo
along with other members of his family appear in the
AMVETS booklet
published by Mr. John Hossana.
The Chicago Bar Association published a booklet highlighting
its
honored members. Mr. Newey's "Career
Highlights" are
embodied in the following Foreword of a book being written
by
Edward Baumann and Jo O'Brien entitled "The Newey Connection":
"Curious Chicagoans checking out a newly opened delicatessen
in
the hectic days following World War II and found
themselves being
hustled by swarthy, mustached shopkeeper in a soiled
apron. He
shuffled his 21 pounds around the store on a 5-foot 11
inch frame,
laying bananas, me and other food stuffs out on the counter
for
guests to peruse.
The 'grocer' was Paul Newey, a young lawyer playing private
eye,
who went into the food business to get the goods on a
group of
dairies in an anti-trust suit. By the time he closed
shop several
weeks later he had enough tape-recorded evidence
under his arm to
persuade opposition lawyers to bestow a $1.25 million
settlement
upon his client. A nice piece of change in the 1940s.
Paul Davis Newey - lawyer, lawman, psychologist, hypnotist,
linguist and music lover - never did cotton kindly
to bad guys.
His earliest ambition was to become an FBI agent, but
his
Assyrian appearance hardly fit into J. Edgar Hoover's
All-American
Boy mold. So young Newey went elsewhere.
Life for this future under-cover agent began among the
Scandinavians in Minneapolis in 1914. He came to
Chicago with his
parents at the age of two. His maternal grandparents,
the S.M.
Yonans, were early Chicago set tlers and, like many of
their ethnic
group, became rug merchants. For the Newey
side of the family,
things would be different.
Newey's immigrant father, the Rev. Paul S. Newey,
became a
Congregational minister on Chicago's North Side.
One of his uncles
was a Roman Catholic priest, and another was a Presbyterian
minister.
As child Paul learned to speak Aramaic, the language
of Christ.
Reaching manhood in the tempestuous '30s, he was inspired
by a
movie about the fledgling federal Bureau of Investigation,
and
aspired to become a G-Man himself. To qualify,
one had to be an
attorney or an accountant, so Newey opted for law school
after earning
a college degree in psychology.
Upon graduation from John Marshall Law School in 1940
he breezed
through both written and oral FBI exams. The last
hurdle would be
a personal interview, but when he showed up for it bursting
with
self confidence he was advised he had failed the tests.
It was years
later before he learned the reason why.
'I did not fit J. Edgar Hoover's profile for special agents
at that
time,' he recalled. 'They all looked very similar
in stature and
ethnicity. In those days the FBI did not engage
in undercover work,
and I guess I looked more like a gangster than Jack Armstrong.'
Undaunted, Newey set aside his FBI ambitions and joined
the U.S.
Secret Service in Washington, D.C., as a uniformed police
officer at
$1,200 a year. Two years later he transferred to
the Federal Narcotics
Bureau where he worked undercover as 'Chicago Blackie.
Newey returned to Chicago and opened his own law practice
in 1948.
That's when he covertly set up the Deli business to nail
the dairy
cheats. But the lure of the hunt was too
much, and by 1951 he was
back in Washington as a cloak-and-dagger man for
the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The desire to work in his home town brought him back to
Chicago in
1957, not as a lawyer, but as chief investigator for
State's Attorney
Ben Adamowski. As such Newey commanded a force
of 75 Chicago
police officers and eight civilian investigators
assigned to the
prosecutor's office.
He was the mastermind who broke the back of a corrupt
police bur-
glary ring, the general who directed a sweeping investigation
of a
Traffic Court scandal, and the cop who put the lid on
corruption in the
Cook County Assessor's office. On one occasion,
Newey solved a
kidnap-rape case through hypnosis, but an over-cautions
judge tossed
the evidence out of court.
In recognition of his work as a lawman, the Special Agents
Association, a distinguished organization of law enforcement
officers,
granted Newey life membership. His peers also awarded
him the
National Police Officers Association Medal of Merit,
and in 1960
elected him to the National Police Officers Hall
of Fame.
Still practicing law today in his 80s, Newey specializes
in pro
bono work for churches and charitable organizations that
help
immigrants becomes U.S. citizens.
But that investigative bug has never let go of him, and
he has
spent several years trying to dig out the true story
behind the
controversial Richard Cain.
This book is the end result of Paul Newey's bulldog tenacity,
covert meetings and hush-hush conversations with
undercover
sources in out-of- the-way places, late-night phone calls
to the
authors, and a battered old suitcase bulging with top-secret
files."
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the D I R E C T O R
Y
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ZNAD (Assyrian Democratic Organization)
ZNAP (Associated Press International)
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
=====================================================================
Zenda welcomes our new on-line subscribers from:
UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS
California State University, Stanislaus
San Diego State University, California
PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
Sacramento, California
=====================================================================
S A L U T E
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Zenda wishes to thank the following individuals &
organizations
whose contributions appear in this issue:
Ashur Simon Malek Ontario, Canada
Esha Tamraz
San Jose, California
Nadia Joseph
Chicago, Illinois
Eddy Willimas
Chicago, Illinois
Arbella Issabey San Jose, California
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Our Next Issue will appear on Monday, November 25, 1996.
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