Kanoon II 14, 6746 Volume II Issue 47 January 14, 1997
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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 Thorn Killer
Good Morning Bet-Nahrain............ Kurdish Talks in
Ankara
Surfs Up............................ "Wow, how Romantic!"
Surfers Corner...................... Just A Reminder
News Digest......................... Vatican Meets Velayati
Assyrian Chaldean Patriarch's Visits
Elections of the AAA of San Jose
Publisher of ZENDA Quits Federation
News Bits........................... Clinton: "Saddam
Still a Threat."
War Crime Tribunals For Saddam?
Kurdish Talks in Ankara
Petty Theft in Canada
Rev. Semez' New Address
Calendar of Events.................. Jan 15: Gertrude
Bell
Jan 18: NEC Meeting
Entracte............................ No New Entries
Intelligentsia...................... Classes, Lectures
& Meetings
Assyrian Surfing Posts.............. AAA of San Jose
Pump up the Volume.................. One & Unique
Back to the Future.................. Nabonidus in Lebanon
House of Wisdom
Literatus........................... Brown Sister
This Week in History................ William Ibrahimi
Bravo............................... David Yonan
The Directory....................... News Sources
Bshena.............................. Europe and the U.S.
Salute.............................. Albert, Ninos, Firas,
and Ashur
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THE L I G H
T H O U S E
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WHEN MADAME DE STAEL WAS TOLD BY NAPOLEON THAT IT WAS
NOT FITTING FOR A
WOMAN TO TAKE AN INTEREST IN POLITICS, SHE IMMEDIATELY
RETORTED, "IN A
COUNTRY WHERE WOMEN HAVE BEEN DECAPITATED, IT IS ONLY
NATURAL FOR OTHER
WOMEN TO ASK "WHY?"
WE DEDICATE THIS WEEK'S ISSUE TO A VERY IMPORTANT SOCIAL
STRUGGLE TAKING
PLACE IN EVERY ASSYRIAN HOUSEHOLD, ORGANIZATION, CHURCH,
AND COMMUNITY:
EQUAL LEADERSHIP AND SOCIAL STATUS FOR THE ASSYRIAN WOMAN
AS THAT WHICH IS TRADITIONALLY SECURED BY AND FOR ASSYRIAN MEN, REGARDLESS
OF ETHNICITY AND RELIGION.
THE THORN KILLER
1919
A Literal Translation of a old Assyrian Tale
A man wanted to exhibit his strength and manliness to
his wife, that she
might fear him. Each day when the sun set he put
on his clothes and
strapped on his dagger and went to the field; everywhere
he found thorns he
cut them down with his dagger. Then he came home:
"Wife, do you know what
happened? Tonight I have killed many men.
Look, I have told you, but you
are to tell no one! Thus every day he went to the
field and came home and
boasted before his wife: "I have killed several men."
One day it came into
his wife's head, she pondered in her mind: "If indeed
every day my husband
kills several men, all men must disappear from this world;
what to do?"
After her husband, as was his custom, had gone to the
field, she also put
on men's clothes and followed behind her husband, though
with great care
that he did not see her. Then her husband reached
a place where there were
many thorns, took his dagger, and began to cut down the
thorns. So the
woman recognized the wits and power of her husband.
She too took the
dagger and fell upon her husband. He began to flee
with great fear before
this strong man. Then the woman came, before he
arrived home, took off her
clothes. Then came her husband filled with fear
and trembling: "Wife, do
you know what happened?" "No, man." "Ah, don't make a
sound, God delivered
me this night." "How, tell me once, I'll see!"
"You know, tonight a battle
took place, I took my dagger and struck some ringleaders.
Suddenly I saw,
but what!" A strong youth, sword in his hand, fell
upon me. I'm telling
you pure and simple, but you are to tell on one at all:
I could not resist
him and began to flee. This brute pursued me all
the way here."
The woman began to laugh at him. "Ah, so and so are you!
I - from my fear
my heart has burst, and you, instead of sympathizing,
rather laugh at this
tale?" The woman answered: "Man, take heart, fear
not! This youth who
fell upon you was none stronger than me." "Unfortunate,
aren't you crazy?"
She answered: "I'm not crazy, but you, your mind is weak.
I was this youth
who pursued you here." From this day on the thornkiller
could no longer
frighten his wife.
<<Introduction to the Semitic Language, Bergstrasser>>
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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 TALKS IN ANKARA
(ZNUP: Ankara) Turkish officials say Assistant U.S.
Secretary of State
Robert Pelletreau has arrived in Ankara for the third
round of
reconciliation talks between rival Iraqi Kurd rebels.
The official says
Pelletreau and Turkish Foreign Undersecretary Onus Often
planned to
moderate the talks, which were to begin Tuesday in Turkey's
capital. A
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman says the talks would
center on the
"demarcation of the cease-fire line" between the two
groups. The spokesman
says the meeting would also be attended by representatives
of the Turk oman
minority in northern Iraq and British
and Turkish diplomats. No mention of an Assyrian representation
from either
the Assyrian Democratic Movement or the Bet-Nahrain Democratic
Party- Iraq
was made in the report.
Aides to Jalap Taxability, leader of Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan, and
Masseur Barbaric, chief of the Kurdistan Democratic Party,
say neither
would personally attend the talks. But Taxability was
expected to arrive
Tuesday in Ankara for individual talks with Pelletized
and Turkish and
British officials. Sam i Abjuration, a member of
the KEPT politburo, would
represent his group. In October, the two groups agreed
on the U.S.-broke
red truce. In November, a comprehensive peace accord
provided for a joint
political leadership aiming for a federal structure that
would pose no
threat to
Iraq's territorial rule.
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S U R F S
U P !
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"When I saw the article below in today's issue:
[Recently a ZENDA reader, planning a short trip to South
America, requested
the whereabouts of any Assyrian living in Argentina.
Two weeks later an
Assyrian ZENDA reader from Uruguay contacted our office
and provided us
with the name and telephone number of an Assyrian residing
in Buenos Aires.
We are eager to learn about our reader's findings in
Argentina which will
surely appear in the future issues.]
I had asked that same thing about 1 /2 - years ago and
never received a
reply from anyone. I assumed that there were probably
no Assyrians in South
America that were subscribed to Zenda at the time, or
we didn't really have
much information about them. I occasionally travel
to Argentina myself and
would also like an E-Mail address, of someone down there,
or in Uruguay,
that wouldn't mind releasing it for the purpose of correspondence
and
sharing cultural information. Would also be very interested
in hearing
about the Assyrian community down there. The last time
I traveled to Buenos
Aires, I was impressed by the fact that the average person
knew quite a bit
about Assyrians and their culture. I was born and raised
in Chicago where
there are quite a few Assyrians, but the folks in South
America were more
knowledgeable about us than the average American is.
Perhaps there are many
more Assyrians down there than we know about... Something
to research. If I
can find out anything else on my next trip I'll pass
it along. Keep up the
good work."
Jim Espial
Houston, Texas
[We urge our readers in South America to respond to Mr.
Espial request as
was kindly rendered before.]
**************
"Please let your readers know there is an Assyrian woman
living in Central
Florida. I am Grace Yohannan Cotton, daughter of John
and Ruby Flunked
Yohannan of NJ, the niece of Nahrain and James Yohannan
of Turlock, CA, and
the granddaughter of the late Hanna h and Abalone Yohannan
of NJ. Ben
Benjamin's account of his travails in the diaspora deeply
touched me, as
they paralleled the massacre of my great-grand parents
who were Presbyterian
ministers in the Lake Urmie area. I am proud to be of
Assyrian heritage and
applaud Zenda for its online efforts to unite us electronically
even if we
are physically scattered. If any of your readers know
of any other fellow
Assyrians in Central Florida, please have them contact
me at
HCotto1056@able.com. Peace."
Grace Yohannan Cotton
Florida
**************
"Thank you for sending me an issue of Zenda. I would
like to become a
subscriber to your wonderful publication."
Matthew Ward a
Hartford, Wisconsin
**************
"Wow, How romantic! Did an Assyrian write the article
entitled 'a letter
for the heart'? What a fresh breath of air!
I'm afraid ZENDA at times
seems too stuffy with its historical and political messages.
Let's ease up
a little... Was the article written for an imaginary
person? You don't
have to reply though. Thanks for your great work
bringing us together."
A. Shimming
California
[Wilfred Alkhas, author of "A Letter From the Heart" &
the publisher of
ZENDA is an Assyrian
from San Jose, California. ]
**************
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S U R F E R S
C O R N E R
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JUST A REMINDER...
ZENDA is published every Monday and freely distributed
through the internet.
For more information please send an email to zenda@ix.netcom.com
or write:
P.O. Box 20278
San Jose, California 95160
U.S.A.
Your comments and suggestions are never edited and are
published as they
are received in our in-box.
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N E WE S
D I G E S T
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VATICAN AND VEGETATING DISCUSS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN IRAN
(ZNUP: Vatican) A meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister
Ali Ak bar
Velayati
and Vatican Secretary of State Angelo Sodano took place
last week. Vatican
spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the two men discussed
issues of religious freedom in Iran. Italy has
said it will continue to
conduct what it calls ``critical dialogue'' with Tehran
-- one of Italy's
larger trading partners -- because of its strategic role
in Middle East
affairs. During the two-day visit, Velayati met with
Italy's Prime Minister
Romano Prodi and Foreign Lamberto Dini. Since the
1979 Islamic Revolution
in Iran the population of Assyrians has moved from over
250,000 to less
than 20,000.
AAA of SAN JOSE ELECTION RESULTS
(ZNDA: San Jose) On Friday January 10, the Assyrian
American Association
of San Jose held its bi-annual general elections of the
Executive Board.
For the fourth time in 15 years, Mr. Sargon Yaldaei was
elected as the
1997-99 president of the Association, claiming 55% of
all votes cast. The
remaining votes were cast for Mr. Ben Samuel who had
actively campaigned
since last November. Mr. Yaldaei's choice for vice-president
was Mrs.
Jacqueline Bajan who chaired the 1996 Assyrian State
Convention of
California in San Jose. All other elected officers
of the Association have
also served in one or more previous Executive Committees:
Sargon Yaldaei
President
Jacqueline Bajan
Vice President
Treasurer
Carmen Philipovich
Secretary
Dorina Golpashin
Officer
Jenny Joseph
Officer
Arthur Paul
In his acceptance speech Mr. Yaldai noted that he will
work toward building
a more vibrant community, pay off the mortgage loan of
the Association's
property on 20000 Almaden Road in San Jose, and organize
the first World
Assyrian Youth Congress.
PUBLISHER OF ZENDA BREAKS RANKS WITH THE FEDERATION
(ZNDA: San Jose) Last week, Mr. Wilfred Alkhas,
publisher of ZENDA,
announced that he will not accept Mr. Sargon Lewie's
appointment as the
Chairman of the Education Committee of the Assyrian American
National
Federation. The announcement came a two weeks before
the next meeting of
the National Executive Committee in New Britain, Connecticut,
where the new
officers of the Federation will be sworn in. In
the past, Mr. Lewie,
president of the AANF, has suggested that the information
provided by ZENDA
remains "inaccurate, unreliable, and filled with anti-ZOWAA
sentiments."
Mr. Alkhas has expressed concern over Mr. Lewie's commitment
to funding of
the Education Committee in 1997. The Assyrian students
who were selected to
obtain scholarship in August of last year are yet to
receive their awards.
Mr. Alkhas has also discontinued teaching Assyrian and
language classes and
producing the ZENDA TV Show at the Assyrian American
Association of San
Jose, an affiliate of the Assyrian American National
Federation.
PATRIARCH OF THE ASSYRIAN CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH VISITS
DETROIT & SAN JOSE
(ZNDA: San Jose) On January 5 a lunch banquet was
given to honor and
welcome His Holiness Mar Rophael I Bidawid, Patriarch
of the Assyrian
Chaldean Catholic Church and His Excellency Bishop Ibrahim
Ibrahim, to St.
Mary's Church in San Jose, California. Previously
His Holiness had met
with Mar Dinkha Shimun, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church
of the East in an
historical meeting in Detroit, Michigan. The meeting
of the two Patriarchs
initiated a series of discussions on determining the
common ecclesiastical
doctrines of the two Assyrian and Chaldean churches whose
membership
exceeds one million believers in the Middle East.
WALLACH LECTURES ON "THE GUARDIAN OF ANTIQUITY"
(ZNDA: Chicago) On Wednesday, January 15, the Oriental
Institute Members
Lecture Series presents Janet Wallach's "Gertrude Bell:
Guardian of
Antiquity, Builder of Modern Iraq." The lecture will
held at 8:00 PM in
Breasted
Hall of the Oriental Institute in Chicago. Ms.
Wallach, a Woodrow Wilson
fellow who has recently published Desert Queen (a biography
of Gertrude
Bell), will also be signing copies of her book. Ms. Wallach's
book will be
for sale in the lobby of the Oriental Institute. A reception
will follow
the lecture. The Oriental Institute is located
at 1155 E 58th Street in
Chicago,
Illinois. For more information, please call (773) 702-1677
or email
oi-membership@uchicago.edu
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N E W S
B I T s
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(ZNUP)
Clinton said Wednesday that in addition to having jets
patrol the no-
fly zones over Iraq, the United States will continue
to maintain a force
in the Middle East large enough to deter Saddam.
-------------------------------
Iraqi dissidents and Ann Clywd, a British parliamentarian
are working to
set up a tribunal to conduct trials of Iraqi officials
accused of rights
abuses and war crimes against the Shiite and Kurdish
populations of Iraq.
-------------------------------
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has pledged to pardon
until the end of the
Muslim holy month all Iraqis who confess to spying for
foreign powers. The
pardon decree called on spies to "contact directly, or
write their
confessions and hand them over to the Iraqi military
intelligence, the
security general or any other Baath Party organization."
-------------------------------
A Syrian presidential spokesman said Tuesday President
Hafez Assad has
undergone ``successful '' surgery on his prostate gland.
The spokesman said
Assad, in his 60s, will return to work within less
than 10 days.
-------------------------------
(ZNDA)
Mr. Ashur Shamoun's store, Smoke Variety, in Oakville,
Canada, was the
subject of a mysterious theft. On Wednesday January
8, as Mr. Shamoun's
was attending to a customer, his briefcase, in which
were his personal
belongings was stolen. Mr. Shamoun expressed deep anger
and frustration as
he narrated his misfortune to our ZENDA news reporter.
"My telephone book
had all the names of my friends, and associates as well
their addresses and
telephone numbers world wide."
-------------------------------
Rev. Yousif Semez of The Assyrian Church of The East
in Ontario wishes to
relate the following telephone and address change:
2433 The Collegeway
Unit #23
Mississauga, ON
L5L-2E6
(905) 820-3338
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C
A L E N D A
R OF E V
E N T S
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Thru Jan 19
Bridging the Gap
Contemporary and Traditional Assyrian Art
Australian Assyrian Communities
National Gallery of Victoria
Melbourne, Australia
Curator: Semiramis Ziyeh
Thru Mar 10
Art & Empire: Treasures from Assyria in the British
Museum
National Gallery of Victoria
Melbourne, Australia
Admission: $10.00
Thru Apr 6 The Ain Ghazal
Exhibit
Smithsonian Institute
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Washington D.C.
AAA of Southern CA (818) 506-7577
Jan 15
The Oriental Institute Members Lecture Series presents
Janet
Wallach's: "Gertrude Bell:
Guardian of Antiquity,
Builder of Modern
Iraq"
Breasted Hall
Oriental Institute
1155 E 58th Street
Chicago
8:00 PM
(773) 702-1677 or email oi-membership@uchicago.edu
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
Jan 18
National Exectutive Committee Meeting of the
Assyrian American National Federation
New Britain, Connecticut
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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I N T E L L I G E N T S I A
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Thursdays
Nineveh Choir under the direction of Maestro Nebu Issabey
BETA: 20000 Almaden Road
San Jose, California
8:00 pm
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
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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The Assyrian American Association of San Jose, California
http://www.nineveh.com/aaasj.htm
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P U M P UP THE V O L U
M E
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English Modern Assyrian
One
kha [M] kha yalda:
one boy
khda [F] khda yalta:
one girl
Unique
ee/khee/da/ya [M]
ee/khee/de/ta [F]
___________________________________________________________________________
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. (553) Nabonidus, king of Babylon, arrives
in Lebanon and after seven
months succeeds in suppressing a revolt against his rule.
<< The Reignof Nabonidus, Beaulieu>>
A.D. (815) Bet-Khekhma (House of Wisdom) is constructed
by the the caliph
al-Mamun to which a library and an observatory were connected.
Here
Assyrian scholars translated almost the whole of Greek
scientific and
philosophical literature from Green and Syriac into Arabic.
Of such notable
translators were Hunain ibn Ishaq and Ibn Muqaffa.
<< Science & Civilization in Islam, Nasr >>
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L I T E
R A T U
S
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Brown Sister
Grooving to
individual beats, stepping off platforms
falling falling
into different spaces
touching souls
with her smile wide, eyes gleaming
telling stories
of mountains,
telling truths
sprung from the Tigris and the Euphrates
truths found
between Baghdad and California
between all-forsaken
and the sake of one...
Standing beneath
the weight Ashurs arms
feet planted
on a rock shaped by her own hands..
Breathing
fire into words that flame and warm others
Pausing for
reflection in 1996 dysfunctional America
coming to
terms with the past
accepting
the inevitable future
Brown Sister,
Assyrian Woman, articulate, defined, lost,
forgotton,
crying, screaming, looking at walls and barriers
and smiling
from the inside, between all of these walls...
Loving the
small proud nation of people with memories,
people who
tie each other to the meaning of higher meaning
people who
cannot forget the Tigris and the Euphrates,
the water
coursing over the moist soils like ancient blook
rushing through
human veins...
Remember all
of this, Brown Sister. Know that you are precious
and beautiful
and respected. Love yourself and your people.
Reflect upon
the simple truths mighty Assyria has imprinted
on you tongue
and your heart. To forget is to die.
To live is
to remember.
Marian Younan
Davis, California
[Ms. Davis, a student at the University of California
at Davis, is also the
executive secretary of the Assyrian American National
Federation.]
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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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January 13, 1978: dies, William Ibrahimi, the first
Assyrian
representative to the Iranian Parliament or Majlis.
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B R A
V O
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Last Saturday evening, David Yonan, 21, became the first
Assyrian violinist,
or musician for that matter, to render a solo performance
at the Berlin
Philharmonic Orchestra. David is the son of Dr.
Gabriel and Mr. Shlimon
Yonan of Berlin, Germany.
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the D I R E C T O R
Y
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ZNAD (Assyrian Democratic Organization)
ZNAM (Archeology Magazine)
ZNAP (Associated Press International)
ZNBN (Bet-Nahrain Inc/ KBSV-TV "AssyriaVision")
ZNDA (Zenda: zenda@ix.netcom.com)
ZNMN (San Jose Mercury News)
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:
CORPORATE ACCOUNTS
UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS
PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
[added in the last 3 weeks]
Europe: Sweden
Barcelona, Spain
London, England
Australia
Canada
U.S.:
Wisconsin
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
New York
Connecticut
Maryland
California
Indiana
Michigan
Virginia
Hawaii
Oregan
Illinois
Florida
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S A L
U T E
===========================================================================
Zenda wishes to thank the following individuals &
organizations whose
contributions appear in this issue:
Albert Gabrial Hollister, California
Ninos Bebla
San Jose, California
Firas Jatou
Chicago, Illinois
Ashur Simon Malek Ontario, Canada