While I was in Los Angeles, last September, attending the Assyrian American National Federation's annual convention, I made sure to attend as many seminars and lectures as possible. One was the lecture of Dr. Simo Parpola, Dr. John Russell, Dr. Stronach, and the others.

I heard about Juliet Arvakhi there, an Assyrian woman who is planning to travel to Helsinki, Finland, and prepare for her Doctorate degree in Assyriology through her work with Dr. Parpola. We had a lengthy conversation about all the obstacles a person can face in such endeavor mainly tuition and expenses specially being away from home. I was so mad to hear about her struggle with the Assyrian organizations while attempting to win scholarship and assistance from them, many of them did not even bother to respond to her application. That made me so small, an Assyrian is willing to dedicate her life to fight for Assyrians, yet we turn our backs to her. What would you have done?

Upon my return to the San Francisco Bay Area, I decided to contact few of these organizations with the help of few of their own members. It was amazing how people reacted, everybody was in favor of doing something, yet, the bureaucracy, pessimism, and other factors of those few, played a negative role to prevent a good thing from getting accomplished naturally and from the beginning as it seems now.

On a different note, few of us are working together to change the present system used by our organizations and how they assist students in their education. The system we want to implement is to select those students who will, with their education, make a direct impact on Assyrian matters, and provide for almost all of their tuition and related expenses. Giving away $200 to (A), $300 to (B), and $400 to (C) annually is getting lost without any serious benefit to the students and this nation. $300 per year to a student, specially in the USA, has no impact, to be honest with you, yet, $5,000 to one student or some $3,000 to couple of them, will make a lot of difference.

As far as the fund raising for Juliet Arvakhi, here is the breakdown of the contributors, keep in mind that the student Visa for Finland required among other things a deposit of $6000 per year in a bank in Finland.

Assyrian Foundation of America                  $    750 (to be sent in January 2000, they had contributed $400 earlier) Assyrian American National Federation        $ 1,000 (not received yet)
Assyrian United Organizations of California  $    500 (to be send by them to her directly)
Carlo Ganjeh                                              $   250
Fred Aprim                                                 $   200
Nineveh on Line                                         $     50
Sarkis Sargon Elia                                       $   150
Tony Khoshaba                                          $   100
Zinda magazine                                           $   250
-------------------
ANONYMOUS                                          $ 4,000

Total collected                                            $ 7,250
 

Thanks a million to those who took part in this drive,

Fred Aprim
California
 
 

Courtesy of Modeto Bee; written by Patrick Giblin, Staff Writer

But only one member of the informal delegation made it into the country. Turkish authorities detained the other two at the Turkey-Iraq border, because of where they were born.

"Odisho Odisho (past president of the club) got into Iraq with no problems because he was born there," said Ramin Odisho, president of the club. "Sam Andrews (club board member) and I were detained because our American passports show that we were born in Iran."

Turkish officials distrust Iranians because the government suspects Iran is supplying Kurdish insurgents with money and weapons in the Kurds' attempt to gain independence from Turkey.

At least some of the Kurdish fighting force is in Iraq and crosses the border at night to attack Turkish troops.

"Once the Turks saw that we were born in Iran, they had a problem with that," Ramin Odisho said. "They suspected that the money we were bringing was to help finance the Kurds."

Not so, said Odisho: Turlock's 1,500-member Assyrian-American Civic Club, the largest Assyrian organization in the United States and one of the largest in the world, raised the money for humanitarian aid to Assyrians in Iraq.

When Odisho Odisho got over the border, so did the money. Ramin Odisho and Andrews spent most of their time on the telephone talking to Assyrian leaders in Iraq and met with one in Turkey.

The Assyrian-American Civic Club is co-sponsoring a $40,000 dairy project in northern Iraq, where most Assyrians live. The dairy is intended to help the Assyrians be more self-sufficient.

The trio from the club left the United States on Sept. 22 to deliver about $10,000 for the dairy project, and $7,000 to help the Assyrian needy in Iraq.

"We also planned to meet with Assyrian leaders there to discuss problems they may be having and find ways to foster closer ties with them," Odisho said.

The three arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sept. 24 and traveled to Soulpi in southeastern Turkey, 150 kilometers from the Iraqi border. It was there that Ramin Odisho and Andrews would spend the next eight days.

Last year, Ramin Odisho tried a similar trip and was detained for the same reason. But during the past year, he spoke with Turkish officials and thought he had worked out all the problems.

"We learned that about a month before we arrived, the PKK (the Kurdish insurgency group) had attacked the village and killed 120 soldiers," he said. "Someone higher up in the Turkish government called and said we weren't to be allowed in because of that."

A report by Deborah Camiel for Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright © 1999

(ZNRU:  Bethlehem) Some 200 Greek Orthodox Arabs demonstrated Sunday outside Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, accusing their leadership of "Judaising'' the Holy Land by selling church-owned lands to Israelis.  "The Greek patriarchate is selling land, they are not looking out anymore for the feelings, the aspirations, the demands of the Arab laity and Orthodox community in Palestine,'' said Marwan Toubassi, chairman of the Arab Orthodox Committee in Palestine, an advocacy group which organized the protest.  Like other major churches, the Greek Orthodox Church amassed numerous properties in the Holy Land since it began acquiring land in Palestine in the 19th century.

Its holdings make it a major player in the region's political conflict over disputed territory, especially in the Jerusalem area.  Many of the church's members have long been outraged by what they say has been the regular transfer of land into Israeli hands.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and regards all of the city as its "eternal and indivisible'' capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

"There is a very serious issue regarding the demographic balance between Muslims and Christians, and it is very serious because the land is the core of the struggle between the Arabs and the Israelis,'' said Toubassi.  "They are leasing these lands inside the Old City in Jerusalem and in lands surrounding Jerusalem which will serve the Israeli policy in Judaising Jerusalem,'' he said. "None of our churches in Palestine was even renovated by the patriarchate, and none was built...so we can't see any dollar spent for the benefit of the Arab Orthodox community in Palestine,'' Toubassi charged.  He said the Arab Orthodox Committee was contemplating barring ethnic Greek clergymen from Arab churches until the dispute was resolved.

The advocacy group will step up its activities to alert Christian pilgrims, planning to attend millennium celebrations, about the predicament of the Greek Orthodox church in Israel and the occupied territories, Toubassi said.

"In order for the Assyrian Art to jump into the international community, it will require from our Assyrian Artists to adopt such mentality. This road is not paved yet, and then it is required to think about it to set certain plans and designs for the paving. The best thinker and designer will be the Assyrian Artist and with the help of Assyrian community. We know that such field belongs to the Artist and he/she is the only person who comes up with a proposal to be laid out for discussion.

I can see, for example, that Linda George does possess certain capabilities to conquer and leave the Assyrian borders. She can do it for the Assyrian nation; she will be considered Assyrian solder to fight for Assyrian people. She can perform in English, Arabic and may be German Languages to promote the Assyrian cause.

Walter Aziz, the modern Assyrian performer has the capabilities to get Through the Assyrian solid wall and reach other parts of the world performing their language about the Assyrian question.

Sargon Gabriel, can approach the Arabic-speaking people and communicate with them about Assyrian struggle, he is more that capable to do it.

Janan Sawa, got the capabilities to knock the doors of the fine Kurdish People and let them understand Assyrian needs. And the list goes on and On.

It has been noticed that the famous Artist Yani interacted with the eastern art and showed high interest in modernizing it. Such Artist is by now an international recognized high level Artist. This is a "tip" of trying to pave the road to Yani. I believe that Linda George is very Good candidate for such tool and approach.

Any how every thing starts with series of discussions, it might look impossible to hit the target for some, how ever impossible could happen once it has been given a chance of the thinking process. It will require a report by the experts in Art, and here the songs are targeted, and go into positive discussions associated with intelligence."

Kaiser Shahbaz
California

I like to take this opportunity to appreciate your efforts and the fact that you helped and showed your concerns to an Iranian person while we are alone in a foreign country.  Please let me know if you ever need help."

Marjan K.
Canada

Let's get "personal" with Zinda

Looking for lost Assyrian friends?  Lovers? or just someone to talk to?  Zinda has an e-solution.  In November, our popular MESSAGE IN THE BOTTLE section will return with a new image and attitude.  Think of it as your Zinda "personals" section.  No need to identify yourself and of course your identity to our staff will be kept fully confidential.  Here's how:
--------------
"Looking for a childhood friend from Tur-Abdin by the name of  XYZ.  Can anyone help?  Ashur P."

"Young Assyrian Tammuz looking for an ISHTAR to dive into the Netherworld.  Write to tammuz@nowhere.com."

"Hey blue eyes!  Saw you at the Halloween party in Chicago, got your phone number and lost it the next day.  Please call me-  the girl wearing Monica Lewinsky mask."
--------------
Yeh, that's the idea.  What are you waiting for?  Get a free, anonymous email account from Yahoo or Hotmail and start typing your messages to z_personals@zindamagazine.com .

 

BC (2000)

Barley was the grain primarily preferred for human use in Babylonia and northern Syria (Ebla).  Bread, groats, four, and beer were produced from barley.  In Assyria barley was also used as primary source of baking, and not wheat.

The Ancient Orient, von Soden

Youel A. Baaba Library publishes a complete set of Gilgamesh Magazine published between 1952 and 1961 in a one-volume, 1014-page book entitled "Gilgamesh, An Assyrian Literary Magazine."

October 20, 1833:   The first American Missionary in Iran, Dr. Justin Perkins, arrives in Urmia, Iran.

Rescue excavators working in advance of construction of the Tishrin Dam in the Euphrates Valley have discovered more than 20 painted silhouettes of women dating to 8,500 years ago at Tell Halula in northern Syria. The paintings are the oldest human representations yet found in the Middle East. A team from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona under the direction of Miquel Molist, excavating the floor of a dwelling, found both profile and frontal images emphasizing female fertility and ritual dance. Molist is unsure why the artists decided to paint on the floor rather than the walls. The paintings have been transported to the archaeological museum of Aleppo, where they will be restored and soon put on display.

The team has been able to trace the progressive domestication of goat, sheep, cattle, and pigs, as well as different kinds of cereals, and has also found a 300-foot-long wall, some of the earliest monumental architecture in the Middle East. Another surprising discovery at the site was a group of nine burials clustered under the floor of one dwelling, evidence, Molist says, that the living shared their houses with the dead. The team will undertake two more excavation seasons at Tell Halula before floodwaters drown the site.

Spencer P.M. Harrington
Archaeological Institute of America
May 27, 1998

The sports news media in Sweden cannot get enough of them.  “Peter Antoine” and “Anders Almgren” have become common Assyrian household names and are on the lips of every Assyrian child from Stockholm to London.  For the past few months the Assyrian Soccer Club in Soderrtalje has captured the attention of thousands of Assyrian soccer fans around the world and the game on Sunday was the culmination of this year-long jubilation.  The Assyrian soccer team of Assyriska FF stupefied GIF Sundsvall in a game attended by 7620 adoring fans in Södertälje.  The final score of 1:1 dismayed the other competing teams within Sweden’s First Division (Northern), where the Assyrian team players have claimed as their homebase.  Now Assyriska needs to offset the team Umeå in order to advance to the “allsvenskan” .  Both the media and the fans expect nothing less.

Desmatchen i norrettan. 1- 1 i Södertälje. Norrlänningarna får försöka på nytt - liksom Assyriska.

Veteranen Leif "Foppa" Forsberg, 36, hade chansen att sparka upp Gif Sundsvall i fotbollsallsvenskan.

En minut från slutet ställdes "Foppa" fri med Anders Almgren i Assyriskas mål vid ställningen 1-1 (0-0) i norrettans seriefinal inför hela 7.620 åskådare (publikrekord) på Bårsta IP i Södertälje. Men Almgren tajmade utrusningen perfekt och räddade.

I stället för att bli firad hjälte på söndagen får "Foppa" i stället sitta på läktaren kommande lördag då Gif Sundsvall tar emot Brommapojkarna hemma. "Foppa" drog nämligen på sig sitt femte gula kort strax före målmissen och är avstängd när den allsvenska platsen ska säkras mot BP. Ett hårt slag för norrettans skyttekung, 18 fullträffar den här säsongen. - Det känns tungt. Det hade varit betydligt trevligare om jag satt dit bollen bakom Anders Almgren. Men han kom ut väldigt snabbt och jag hann inte lyfta bollen över honom, menade en nedslagen "Foppa" Forsberg efter seriefinalen mot Assyriska.

Men trots avstängningen på "Foppa" är det ändå fördel Sundsvall inför serieavslutningen på lördag. Det krävs visserligen seger mot BP om Assyriska vinner den svåra bortamatchen mot Umeå. Men "Giffarna" möter ett nedslaget BP som åkte ur serien efter söndagens 1-4 hemma mot Brage. - Vi har avgörandet i egna händer. Det känns förstås bra att kunna avgöra på egen kraft, säger tränaren Anders Grönhagen efter mötet med Assyriska.

Vad innebär "Foppas" avstängning? - Senast han var avstängd slog vi Umeå hemma med 3-2. Då gjorde Mattias Thorsell två mål. Det är troligt att Mattias eller Dennis stlundh ersätter "Foppa" på topp mot Brommapojkarna.

Annars var Sundsvall illa ute under den första halvleken. Assyriska hade ett klart spelövertag och kom förvånansvärt lätt fram på kanterna. Hemmalagets dominans märktes inte minst på mittfältet där Anders Grönhagen tvingades plocka ned forwarden Andreas Yngvesson för att säkra bakåt. - Vi hade klara problem i den första halvleken. Assyriska spelade då en bra fotboll samtidigt som vi blev för stillastående där de centrala mittfältarna Dennis Östlundh och Daniel Näsholm kom snett i positionerna. Därför drog jag ned Yngvesson för att hålla 0-0 fram till pausvilan.

Magnus Henrysson ersatte Östlundh direkt i den andra halvleken. Samtidigt gav Anders Grönhagen direktiv till sina ytterbackar att spela närmare hemmalagets kantspelare. Det gav önskat resultat. Sundsvall kom in i matchen och såg ut som segrare när Andreas Yngvesson fri med Anders Almgren rullade in 1-0 efter slarv i hemmaförsvaret. - Vi fick matchen dit vi ville i den andra halvleken. Sett över hela matchen var oavgjort ett godkänt resultat. Vi hade trots allt de vassaste målchanserna, säger Anders Grönhagen.

Hemmapubliken tände till när duktige Bashkim Shaqiri en kvart från slutet slog in kvitteringen till 1- 1 sedan Fredrik Sundfors i Sundsvallsmålet släppt en retur på Johan Flobeckers distansskott. Men närmare än en nick över av inhopparen Jonas Jonsson kom inte Assyriska.

Laget kunde i stället ha punkterat matchen i den första halvleken. Men spelövertaget gav endast två rejäla målchanser - Jonas Nygrens friläge, räddning Sundfors, samt en dålig nick från Shaqiri på Jonas Nygrens inlägg. - Vi var inte tillräckligt aggressiva inne i Sundsvalls straffområde. Men jag är ändå nöjd. Vi bjöd publiken på en bra match och visade att vi är ett lika skickligt fotbollslag som Sundsvall. Dessutom skötte publiken sig exemplariskt. Nu vinner BP i Sundsvall samtidigt som vi vinner borta mot Umeå. Men vad f-n ska jag säga? frågar sig Assyriskas tränare Peter Antoine med ett leende.

Målskytten Bashkim Shaqiri, backen Ghassan Heamed samt Jonas Nygren (första halvleken) var topparna i hemmalaget.

Motsvarigheterna i Sundsvall stavades Andreas Yngvesson, Daniel Näsholm och Magnus Svensson.

Och tipset är att Sundsvall tar steget upp i allsvenskan för första gången sedan 1991.

Assyriska kvalspelar. Det blir garanterat en fotbollsfest till på Bårsta IP. Det är klubben värd.

Source:  Dagens Nyheter (click here):  October 17

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