Chicago Arabs protest Gaza war crimes Friday 3 PM in front of the Tribune building

For more information Contact;
Amanin Ghouleh 708.601.3713

Protest To Stop The Mascare in Gaza

Arab American along with other ethnic, religious and human rights organizations have stepped forward to protest the inhumane killing of Palestinians in Gaza and Israeli war crimes and violation of international rules.

Israel continues to escalate the attacks on Palestinians in Gaza; leaving Gaza civilians bleeding to death, while clinics, mosques, schools and hundreds of home were destroyed. Since Saturday 12/27/08, over 350 Palestinians are dead and more than 1600 injured.

With the siege continuing, there is no where to go and nothing is safe. Skies raining with Israeli missiles created horrific scenes of bodies, many of whom are women, children & elderly. Scenes such as five sisters dead while sleeping and four children with their mother dead while having breakfast, all the result of Israeli missiles strikes.

A peaceful demonstration and rally will take place on:

Date: Friday, January 2, 2009
Time: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Place: Meet at Tribune Plaza 435 N. Michigan Ave, then March to Israeli Consulate

Sponsored by (list in formation): American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)-Chicago Chapter, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), ANSWER Chicago, Arab American Action Network (AAAN), Comite Anti-Militarizacion (CAMY), Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism (CCAWR), Fight Back! Newspaper, International Solidarity Movement (ISM)-Chicago, Islamic Community Center of Illinois (ICCI), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)-Chicago, Mosque Foundation, Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation, National Boricua Human Rights Network, Palestinian American Community Center, Palestine Solidarity Group (PSG)-Chicago, United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN)-Chicago

Nationwide protests organizaed against Israeli war crimes in gaza Strip: Protest Calendar

Stop the Massacre of Palestinians!

Emergency Rally in Chicago
Tomorrow: Sunday, December 28 - 12 Noon to 2 pm
Water Tower Park - 830 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago
For more info call 773-463-0311

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Tuesday, December 30: National Day of Action
Emergency Demonstrations on Tuesday, December 30 and other days (listed below)

The ANSWER Coalition, Muslim American Society Freedom, Free Palestine Alliance, National Council of Arab Americans, and Al-Awda, International Palestine Right to Return Coalition are calling for Tuesday, December 30 to be a National Day of Action to show solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza and to demand an immediate end to the murderous attacks carried out by the Israeli military against the people of Gaza.

In Washington, D.C., there will be a demonstration at the State Department at 4:30 pm. Demonstrations will also be held in cities around the country. See below for an initial list. If there is a demonstration in your city, email the details to info@answercoalition.org so it can be posted on the ANSWER Coalition website and listed in any future emails.

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Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza have been massacred and wounded today as Israel has launched a massive bombing campaign against the people of Gaza. The bombing rampage took place as thousands of Palestinian children were in the streets on their way home from school. Palestinian parents were running frantically in the streets looking for their children as U.S.-provided F-16s and Apache helicopters rained down more than 100 bombs and missiles on Gaza.

The20U.S.-backed Israeli Occupation Force destroyed every security station in Gaza. AFP reported: "There was no space left in the morgue and bodies were piled up in the emergency room and in the corridors, as many of the wounded screamed in pain."

Because of the U.S.-backed Israeli blockade and strangulation of the people of Gaza for the past 18 months there is little or no medicine to treat the wounded, electricity for hospitals, or food or clean water for much of the population.

An Israeli military spokesperson said, "The operation is ‘only just beginning’." The Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement: "The action will continue and will widen as much as is demanded according to the evaluation of the situation by the high command of the army."

Take Action:
- Demonstrations Across the Country
- Send a letter to the State Department and Congress

Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, December 30
4:30 pm
State Department: 22nd St & C St NW
Contact: 202-544-3389, dc@answercoalition.org

San Francisco
Tuesday, December 30
5:00 pm
Israeli Consulate:456 Montgomery St.
Contact: 415-821-6545, answer@answersf.org

Los Angeles
Tuesday, December 30
4:30 pm
Israeli Consulate: 6380 Wilshire Blvd.
Contact: 213-251-1025, answerla@answerla.org
* * * * *
In Anaheim, CA (Orange County):
Sunday, December 28
2:00 pm
512 S. Brookhurst St. (between Orange Ave. & Broadway)
Initiated by a coalition with a large number of groups

New York City
Tuesday, December 30
5:00 pm
Israeli Consulate: 800 2nd Ave (b/w 42nd and 43rd Sts)
Contact: 212-694-8720, nyc@answercoalition.org
* * * * *
Sunday, December 28
2:00-4:00 pm
Gather at Rockefeller Center
March to the Israeli Consulate: 800 2nd Ave (b/w 42nd and 43rd Sts)
Initiated by Al-Awda New York

Fort Lauderdale, FL
Tuesday, December 30
5:00 pm
Federal Building: 299 E. Broward Blvd.
Contact: 954-707-0155, FtLauderdale@answerfl.org

Chicago
Emergency Rally in Chicago
Sunday, December 28 - 12 Noon to 2 pm
Water Tower Park - 830 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago
For more info call 773-463-0311

Other actions to be announced
Contact: 773-463-0311, answer@chicagoanswer.net

Boston
Details to be announced
Contact: 857-334-5084, boston@answercoalition.org

Seattle
Saturday, January 3
12:00 noon - 2:00 pm
Westlake Park: 4th and Pine
Initiated by Voices of Palestine
Contact: general@voicesofpalestine.org

Toronto
Sunday, December 28
2:00 pm
Israeli Embassy Consulate: 180 Bloor St. West
Initiated by a number of local organizations

If there is a demonstration in your city, email the details to info@answercoalition.org so it can be posted on the ANSWER Coalition website and listed in any future emails.

Send a letter to the State Department and Congress: Join with people around the country and around the world who are demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel. This is an urgent situation and we must all act now. You can send a letter with our easy click and send system demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel. Without U.S. aid, the Israeli military attacks, siege and blockade of Gaza could not be continued. Click this link now to send a letter to the State Department and elected officials in Congress.

You can help to support this important organizing effort by making a financial contribution today. Click here to donate online, where you can also find information on how to contribute by check.

Free Palestine Alliance Statement: To read a statement from the Free Palestine Alliance, click here.


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A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
http://www.answercoalition.org/
info@internationalanswer.org
National Office in Washington DC: 202-544-3389
New Yor k City: 212-694-8720
Los Angeles: 213-251-1025
San Francisco: 415-821-6545
Chicago: 773-463-0311

Arab American Institute Statement of Israel's Gaza assault

AAI Statement on Gaza Crisis

Israel's massive bombardment of Gaza must end immediately.

The Bush Administration must demand that the bombing stop, that Gaza's borders be reopened under UN supervision, and that negotiations resume toward reinstating an effective cross-border ceasefire.

Again, as in the past, Israel's overwhelming and disproportionate violence in retaliation puts innocent civilians in the firing line, thereby inflaming Palestinian and regional passions. Indeed, this is the third such devastating assault launched by Israel with the Bush Administration's acquiescence (remember the re-conquest of the West Bank in 2003, and the wars on Gaza and Lebanon in 2006). And to what end? All these attacks on Gaza bring massive civilian deaths, destruction of property, and deepening bitterness toward Israel and the United States. The conditions in Gaza are already deplorable; what hope can Gaza cling to in its darkest hour of need? A nation without hope has nothing to lose, and already, factions are calling for a renewed intifada against Israel.

One cannot view this tragic episode outside the context of Israel's long and cruel history in Gaza which has been criminal, by any measure of international law and conventions.

Should the White House once again fail to act to restrain Israel and to provide real leadership in the search for peace, this tragedy will continue to grow: Palestinian suffering and bitterness will deepen, Israelis will remain insecure, and extremism will be further fueled by anti-American anger.

The bottom line, here, is that, while the stupidity of Hamas' reckless behavior cannot be excused because of the continued danger such ill-considered actions pose to the security and well-being of its own constituents, there can be no justification for Israel's massive and brutal assault.
end

Palestinian Christians under Israeli Occupation commemorate Christmas in Shepherd's Field near Bethlehem

Press Release: Wednesday and Thursday Events in the Lands of the Shepherds

Contacts
Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh: Tel 0598939532
George Rishmawi Tel 0599833888

The Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People, and the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) and Siraj Center for Holy Land Studies are honored to invite you to join the Shepherds' Nights, a two-day festival and series of activities which will be held in Beit Sahour, the Shepherds Field.

Wednesday Dec 24, Artistic and cultural evening at the YMCA football field (famous artists, children activities and more). A Christmas service at 5 PM, and program starts at 6 PM for Children, and at 7 PM for adults.

Christmas Thursday Dec 25, Candle Procession titled “Light a Candle for the Land of the Shepherds” starting from the Greek Orthodox Shepherds' Field at 4 PM and ends at Ush Ghrab (Note: Transportation from Ush Ghrab after the march will be available). Bethlehem area is now surrounded on three sides by Israeli settlements and by the segregation wall. The only remaining side to the East at Ush Ghrab has been targeted by settlers who “visit” it every two weeks to insist on building yet another colonial settlement on Palestinian land contrary to International law.

This will be the 41st year that citizens of area of Bethlehem (including Beit Sahour) celebrate these holidays under Israeli occupation. We are reminded that when Jesus was born, this land of the shepherds was also occupied by a foreign army. That came to an end and this occupation will come to an end. Join us as we pray and work for peace and celebrate the birth of the prince of peace.

Mornings with Ray Hanania Radio, guest lineup for this week Dec. 22-26, 2008

RADIO INTERVIEWS:
Mon, Dec. 22:
8:05 Joe Boyle on Sports. The Editor of the Southwest News-Herald Newspaper discusses the week's sports news.
8:15 Neheda Jablonski, challenges facing families with disabled children in the Southwest Suburbs
8:35 Elaine Soloway, former media aid to former Mayor Jane M. Byrne remember the past administration

Tues, Dec. 23:
8:05 Rev. David Baillie of the First Church of the Nazarene discusses the meaning of Christmas, and the popular athletic and sports programs his church offers to young people throughout the Southwest and West suburbs

Wed, Dec. 24:
8:05 Are you a last minute shopper? Share your secrets, trials and tribulations of this Holiday season. All call-in show today from listeners.

Thurs, Dec. 25:
CHRISTMAS DAY ... ENJOY CHRISTMAS MUSIC HOSTED BY KEVIN MOORE ALL DAY

Fri, Dec. 26:
8 Guest host Chuck Salvatore of the Southwest News-Herald Newspaper substitutes for Ray Hanania from 8 until 9 am.

end

Focal Point -- Public TV goes online at WNET.ORG

WIDE ANGLE, PUBLIC TELEVISION’S EMMY AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY SERIES FROM WNET.ORG, PRESENTS

FOCAL POINT, A NEW ONLINE-EXCLUSIVE SERIES OF DOCUMENTARY SHORTS COVERING INTERNATIONAL STORIES FROM A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE


On Wednesday, December 17, public media provider WNET.ORG launches a new online exclusive series of documentary shorts as part of the PBS award-winning world affairs series, Wide Angle http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/video/web-exclusives/introduction-from-jihad-to-rehab/3834/. In its first weeks, FOCAL POINT will bring viewers to polling stations in Pakistan, breadlines in Zimbabwe, and demonstrations in Greece, where the children of immigrants are fighting for the right to citizenship.

Like Wide Angle, FOCAL POINT offers a deeper understanding of forces shaping the world today through online-exclusive documentary shorts, an increasingly popular medium. This exciting new series will showcase the work of emerging and established independent filmmakers from around the world. Each episode is accompanied by multimedia components including audio interviews, filmmaker notes, and user-generated content.

The first episode of FOCAL POINT, From Jihad to Rehab, takes us inside a rehabilitation center in Saudi Arabia, where art therapy and religious re-education are being used to reform militant jihadists.
FOCAL POINT is produced by Wide Angle Senior Producer Nina Chaudry and Web Producer Lauren Feeney. From Jihad to Rehab is directed by Canadian journalist Nancy Durham.
For more information: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/uncategorized/about-focal-point/3807/

Press inquiries:
Nina Chaudry
212.560.8077
chaudryn@thirteen.org

Lauren Feeney
212.560.2853
FeeneyL@thirteen.org

Protest President Bush by mailing your shoes to the White House

I just came back from the post office and mailed an old pair of shoes to President Bush at the White House in protest of his policies.

Arab journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, the Kanye West of the Arab World, has started a trend that I think is great. Let's face it, he didn't go there and blow himself up. That's progress in a region where violencebecomes the protest form of choice.

But al-Zaidi, who was brutalized by guards (one reportedly yelling not to kick him in the face"), is a hero. Instead of violence, he used a cultural form of protest that is popular in the Arab World, and that one many American came to know when American soldiers during the invasion of Iraq, pulled down the statue of Saddam Hussein in front of one of the dictator's palaces in Baghdad, (trying to make it look like the "people" did it) and then those civilians who were brought there by the military started to express their disdain for Saddam Hussein in the way they knew best, by throwing their shoes at the statue.

How ironic that more than five years later, Iraqis are now throwing their shoes at President Bush?

And I want to help, as a fellow Arab American journalist who believes that violence is NEVER the right choice, NEVER a good choice, and NEVER a strategy for success, the symbolic throwing of my shoes at Bush (courtesy of the US Postal Service) is the most powerful expression of free speech today against the Iraq war possible.

I hope you will join me and others.

Here is the information on the White House, where to mail your packages:

The White House
President Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington DC., 20500

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Amnesty International urges release of dissidents in Tunisia

Amnesty International Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, Dec. 12, 2008

Trial of Tunisian Trade Union Leaders a Travesty of Justice, Charges Amnesty International


Contact: AIUSA media office, 202-544-0200 x302, lspann@aiusa.org

(Washington) -- Amnesty International is calling on the Tunisian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those arrested and tried for exercising peacefully their right to freedom of expression and assembly. Others should be retried in fair proceedings in line with Tunisia’s international obligations.

The human rights organization issued its appeal after yesterday’s prison sentences handed down to 38 trade union leaders and protesters in unfair trial proceedings for their involvement in demonstrations in the Gafsa area.

“The verdict and sentences have been a subversion of justice and they should not be allowed to stand,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Middle East and North Africa deputy program director at Amnesty International.

A Gafsa Court handed down prison terms of up to 10 years against 33 trade union activists and protesters who were accused of leading the unrest against unemployment and high living costs in the first half of this year in the phosphate-rich Gafsa region in southeast Tunisia. Four were tried in absentia.

Charges included “forming a criminal group with the aim of destroying public and private property” and “armed rebellion and assault on officials during the exercise of their duties.” They were among the hundreds arrested after a wave of protests against unemployment and high living costs that wracked the phosphate-rich Gafsa region in south-east Tunisia in the first half of this year.

“The Tunisian authorities must immediately stop criminalizing social protest. Instead of trying peaceful protesters and trade unionists, the authorities should investigate the allegations of torture previously raised by the defendants,” added Sahraoui.

Amnesty International is concerned that serious violations of fair trial standards have been committed, including that the defense lawyers were not able to present the case of their clients; the defendants were not interrogated in court and the demands of the lawyers that their clients be medically examined for trace of possible torture and to call and cross-examine witnesses were rejected by the court.

Yesterday’s verdict came amid reports of a heavy security presence. Security forces were deployed along the roads leading to the court as well as in main access roads to the city of Gafsa. The roads leading to the court were said to have been barred by the security forces who prevented a number of human rights activists from reaching the court.

“The trial raises yet again questions as to the independence of the judiciary in Tunisia and shows the Tunisian authorities’ determination to quell any independent voices inside the country,” said Sahraoui.

The leader of trade union and spokesperson for the Movement of Social Protest in Gafsa, Adnan Hajji was sentenced, along with six others, to 10 years’ imprisonment in the trial. The rest received prison sentences ranging from two to six years, including at least eight suspended sentences. Journalist Fahem Boukadous and France-based human rights activist Mouheiddine Cherbib, received, respectively, six and two years in absentia.

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

# # #


For more information, please visit: www.amnestyusa.org.

American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Chicago establishes Discrimination Watch List

IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

ADC CHICAGO ELECTS ATTORNEY FADI ZANAYED AS PRESIDENT
NEW LEADERSHIP QUICKLY ORGANIZES DISCRIMINATION WATCH LIST

(Chicago, IL Thurs. Dec. 11, 2008) -- The Chicago Chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) elected Fadi Zanayed, a Chicago area attorney since 1985, as its President. The elections were held December 7, 2008, at the Aqsa School in Bridgeview , Illinois . Immediately after taking office, Mr. Zanayed, along with the Board of Directors, quickly formed a Discriminatory Watch List Committee with a Rapid Response Team ready to take on discriminatory actions against the Arab-American community.

Shafic M. Budron , a national ADC Board Member, took on the responsibility of Vice-President. Budron, also a former President of the local organization, adds continuity to the newly elected Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

Ms. Fatima Akrabawi was re-elected as Secretary of ADC. Mahmoud Badawi was elected as Treasurer. All Executive Committee members (President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer) are elected for a one year term.

Mr. Zanayed is not new to ADC. He was President of the organization during the first Gulf War, from 1988-1990. Citing the need to renew the efforts of the organization in fighting the recent wave of discriminatory acts against the American-Arab community, Mr. Zanayed said, “Our community thought that the discriminatory acts against us had dissipated in the late 1990’s, only to be revived by biased acts like the recent on-air statement by an ESPN sportscaster who slandered Palestinians in an unrelated conversation about recruiting college football players for the NFL. Those parents, the sportscaster stated, were like Palestinian parents who pushed their kids to be suicide bombers. We will not stand for these slanderous comments and we will not stand to be disrespected like in the incident involving the woman who falsified a report that she was raped by an “Arab-looking” man. Our community will not allow individuals, organizations, media outlets or anyone else to malign the reputation of productive and hardworking American men, woman and children of the Arab & Muslim heritage. We will confront discrimination against our community head on."

Individuals and organizations that are found by the ADC Board of Directors to have committed an act of discrimination against the Arab-American community will be put on a Discriminatory Watch List.

To implement this task, award winning Arab American columnist and radio talk show host Ray Hanania, former National President of the Palestinian American Congress, was named Coordinator of the ADC-Chicago “Rapid Response Team” which has been organized to respond to acts of discrimination directed at the Arab-American community at large, and individuals because they are Arab-American in particular.

Board of Directors are elected on staggered terms to serve for 3 years. Elected on December 7, 2008 were the following individuals: Vivian Khalaf , Ray Hanania, Fadi Zanayed, Mark Yowakim, Ibtisam Tartir and Audrey Nadia Galal.

Members of the Board of Directors whose terms are still active are Afaf Issa, Hatem Galal , Faysal Mohamed , Hareth Raddawi , Amjad Hamdan , Suleiman Mohamad and Abdelwahab Tartir.

The Chicago ADC Board approved a resolution congratulating outgoing President Ibtisam Tartir for her work during the past year. The Board further welcomed her continued efforts of service to the ADC Board and the community at large.

Commenting on the make-up of the Board, Mr. Zanayed said, “We have a diverse group of individuals that I am proud to work with. We have professionals from all fields. We have doctors, lawyers, professors, engineers, writers, newspaper editors, students and entrepreneurs. With the commitment that has been pledged by all the Board members, ADC Chicago will multiply its efforts in the service of the people.”

In its first public policy act, the ADC Chicago Board of Directors also called upon President Barrack Obama to make a just and lasting peace between Israel and Palestine a priority of his administration.

Fadi Zanayed, Attorney, 708-257-7755 - Fax 708-221-6668
8855 S. Roberts Road, Hickory Hills, IL 60457

ADC to release national report on hate crimes

ADC PRESS CONFERENCE ON DEC. 4 TO RELEASE REPORT ON HATE CRIMES

Lieutenant Colonel Koury, US Army National Guard, To Describe Ongoing Discrimination, Hostile and Abusive Work Environment For First Time

Washington, DC December 1, 2008 www.adc.org The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) will hold a press conference to release its “Report on Hate Crimes and Discrimination Against Arab Americans” on Thursday, December 4, 2008 at its Washington, DC headquarters and you are invited to join us. This event is free and open to the public, please RSVP to laila@adc.org .

The report spans four years and examines: hate crimes and discrimination; civil liberties concerns; discrimination and bias in primary and secondary educational institutions; discrimination and political harassment campaigns in higher education; defamation in the media; communication and cooperation between community organizations and government agencies; and recommendations for the future. This report was made possible by The Ford Foundation and The Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Included at the press conference will be the story of Lieutenant Colonel
(LTC) Lance Koury, a long-time member of the Alabama National Guard who for years has been subjected to a hostile and abusive work environment.
LTC Koury will be telling his story and taking questions in public for the first-time during the press conference.

WHAT: Press Conference to Discuss Report Findings
WHEN: Thursday, December 4 at 10 am
WHO: ADC and LTC Lance Koury, US Army National Guard
WHERE: ADC, 1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW Washington, DC 20007
HOW: Send RSVP to laila@adc.org

Christian leaders urge Obama to make Israeli-Palestinian peace a priority

Broad Coalition of Christian Leaders Call on Obama
To Make Israeli-Palestinian Peace an Immediate Priority
________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Warren Clark/Carolyn Danckaert
Churches for Middle East Peace*
202-543-1222/301-335-6219

(Washington, DC, December 2, 2008) A broad spectrum of American Christian leaders - from Catholic and Orthodox traditions to mainline Protestant, Evangelical and historic African American churches and institutions - have appealed to President-elect Barack Obama to make Israeli- Palestinian peace an immediate priority during his first year in office.

In a December 1 letter sent to President-elect Obama as well as key members of his transition team and newly unveiled national security team, the leaders urged the incoming Obama Administration to "provide sustained, high-level diplomatic leadership toward the clear goal of a final status agreement" that will establish a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.

The letter notes that a durable peace agreement will help "strengthen U.S. security and improve stability and relationships through the Middle East." Without active U.S. engagement, the leaders warned that "political inertia and perpetuation of the unbearable status quo will make achievement of a two-state solution increasingly difficult." The leaders are also concerned about the "negative impact a further delay will have on the Christian community in the Holy Land, whose numbers continue to decline."

Sending the letter during Advent, a season of hope and expectation in the Christian calendar, the leaders expressed their belief that "Jerusalem - home to two peoples and three religions - has the potential to become a powerful symbol of hope and coexistence for people across the region and the world."

The leaders called on all Christians to support "vigorous U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure Middle East peace." The letter is being followed by a broad grassroots campaign aimed at mobilizing American Christian church members nationwide. The final letter signed by both Christian leaders and congregants will be delivered to President Obama during the time of inauguration.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said today, "This letter speaks to the need for the incoming Obama administration to help bring about a peace agreement quickly between Israelis and Palestinians. The opportunity for achieving a two- state solution is narrowing and must be seized now. Further delays will make reaching an agreement much harder and undermine long-term security for both Israelis and Palestinians."

Bishop Howard Hubbard, Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said, "This conflict continues to undermine the social, economic and spiritual fabric of the lives of all persons in the region, including Christians who have lived in the Holy Land since the earliest days of our faith. With majorities of both Israelis and Palestinians supporting a durable peace, it is incumbent on their political leaders and our own to do everything possible to help bring about a just peace."

Dr. Joel C. Hunter, Senior Pastor of Northland Church said, "Our faith calls on us to work and pray for peace. It's not about taking one side over the other, it's about seeking justice for both parties. The President- elect can be assured that there are many American Christians who stand ready to support his efforts when it comes to seeking a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace."
The full text of the letter and list of signers is available at: http://www.cmep.org/ecumenical-letter.pdf

###

* Churches for Middle East Peace is a coalition of 22 national church bodies, all of which are represented on the ecumenical letter, and is the point of contact for any press inquiries.

email: info@cmep.org
phone: 202-543-1222
web: http://www.cmep.org

Deir Yassin Remembered Library expands

For More Information Contact For Immediate Release
Daniel McGowan
315 891-3418 mcgowan@hws.edu www.deiryassin.org


Deir Yassin Remembered Archives
Receives Library of Issam Nashashibi

Margaret Nashashibi, widow of Issam Nashashibi, has donated his extensive library on Palestine to the Deir Yassin Remembered Archives. This wonderful collection (24 boxes) of rare books and periodicals will be available to the public when the archives are reinstituted at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.

The DYR Archives were established several years ago with a pledge of $50,000 ... but were suspended when that pledge failed to be honored.

The DYR collection includes original voice recordings by Colin Edwards of people involved in the Naqba in 1948, correspondence with Yassir Arafat, an original letter by Albert Einstein calling the perpetrators of the Deir Yassin massacre “criminal” and “terrorists,” and many other articles by both Palestinians and Jews.

People who would like to raise money to again endow these archives for permanent display and conservatorship are invited to contact Daniel McGowan at mcgowan@hws.edu.

Those who would like to sponsor a DYR Scholarship in memory of Issam Nashashibi or anyone else are invited to contact steveb@suddenlink.net.

Arab Comedy Festival to be held in Amman, Jordan

First Stand Up Comedy Festival in History of Middle East to be Held in Amman, Jordan December 2-5, 2008


City of Amman to Host First Stand-Up Comedy Festival Featuring Over 15 Comedians from the US, Canada, Australia and the Arab World with headliner Russell Peters.


New York, NY, November 13, 2008 --(PR.com)-- The City of Amman announced today the addition of the Amman Stand-Up Comedy Festival to its culture and events agenda. The Amman Stand-Up Comedy Festival is scheduled to be held between 2 and 5 December, 2008, at Al Hussein Cultural Center. A non-profit program developed by the Greater Amman Municipality, the four-day themed festival will feature a line-up comprised of Jordanian, Arab, and Foreign talents and headliner performers including Russell Peters. Set to position Amman as a platform for the stand-up form of comedy in the Middle East, the festival is developed in close collaboration with the critically acclaimed New York Arab-American Comedy Festival, piloting an activity with aims to grow in stature year after year.

With over 15 acclaimed performers from 6 countries, including Arab-American, Executive Producer, and Stand-Up Comedian Mr. Dean Obeidallah, the festival is predicted to attract comedy fans from across the region. The festival is intended to showcase comedic talent from around the world as well as foster understanding between the different cultures through comedy.

“When is the last time we saw Arabs laughing on American television? Hopefully, this Festival will show Americans that people in the Arab world actually have a sense of humor and can laugh at comedians as well as at themselves,” states Dean Obeidallah who has performed comedy throughout the Middle East.

“The Amman Stand-Up Comedy Festival will enhance Amman's cultural movement, and will create a wider appreciation for comedy in Jordan and the region. We, at the Greater Amman Municipality, anticipate that this festival will increase tourist traffic to the City during the month of December, while also placing Jordan and its talent pool on the international map of comedy. We are always keen on urging our community members to express themselves and interact through the many forms of performing arts, and stand-up comedy is the rawest and most interactive form of comedy,” explained Mayor of Amman, Mr. Omar Maani.

Further commenting on the upcoming event, Mr. Obeidallah said, “I hope that this Festival will encourage young talents to be active in the Jordanian performing arts arena. I also see this event creating a wider appreciation for comedy in Jordan and should be recognized as a marked calendar occurrence staged in Amman, as the region is full of raw talent that we are hoping to bring to the forefront.”

Mr. Obeidallah also explained that comedy has a powerful voice, and that it is a lighthearted method for bringing social issues to the attention of a wide, and appreciative audience,”we can only look forward to positive outcomes from this festival, placing our positive experience from the New York Arab American Comedy Festival at the disposal of Jordanian talents and the City of Amman,” he added.

The Festival presents four nights of shows in English and Arabic. Comedians scheduled to appear include closing night headliner the internationally known Russell Peters as well as Maz Jobrani, Ahmed Ahmed, Aron Kader, and Maysoon Zayid.

Ticket price: 20 JODs – Tickets can be reserved by calling: +962 6 473 9956.

The Amman Stand-Up Comedy Festival is sponsored by:
Platinum Sponsor: Showtime Arabia
Gold Sponsors: Wi-tribe & Royal Jordanian
Silver Sponsors: Nuqul Group, Nuqul Automotive, Limitless, & Grand Hyatt Amman
Bronze Sponsors: AdvizeGrey, Events AVP, Al-Qasr Metropole Hotel
Media Sponsors: Hawa Amman 105.9, FrontRow Publishing (Living Well & Jordan Business, & Anty), Play 99.6 FM, Sunny 105.1 FM, & OmniaMedia.

Schedule of Festival Events:
Tuesday, December 2nd: “Arabian Nights” - featuring some of the top comics of Arab heritage from the US and Arab world performing in English including:
-Mike Batayeh: Jordanian-American comedian who has appeared in TV and film including on "Everybody Loves Raymond"
-Meena Dimian: appeared in the NY Arab-American Comedy Festival
-Aron Kader: Comedy Central's "Axis of Evil" Special (www.aronkader.com)
-Ronnie Khalil: Comedy Central's "The Watch List," NBC's Conan O'Brien Show. (www.ronniekhalil.com)
-Nemr Abou Nassar: Lebanon's top stand up comedian and has made numerous appearances on TV and radio in the Middle East.
-Amer Zaher: ABC's "Politically Incorrect," and NY Arab-American Comedy Festival
-Maysoon Zayid: Comedy Central's "The Watch List," BBC, and Al Jazeera. (www.maysoon.com)
Hosted by Dean Obeidallah: Comedy Central's "Axis of Evil" special, BBC, ABC's "The View." (www.deanofcomedy.com)

Wednesday, December 3rd “All Arabic Comedy” - A show performed exclusively in Arabic with: Egypt’s George Azmy (Showtime Arabia's "Friday Night Live"), Amer Zaher, Maysoon Zayid
Hosted by Meena Dimian

Thursday, December 4th “International Show” - featuring some of the top comics from the US, Australia and Canada:
-Ahmed Ahmed: Egyptian-American comedian from "Axis of Evil," NBC's "The Tonight Show" and numerous movies including "Ironman." (www.ahmed-ahmed.com)
-Ted Alexandro: one of America's top comedians who has had two half-hour specials on Comedy Central and has appeared on NBC's Conan O'Brien show, "The World Stands Up" and CBS' David Letterman Show. (www.tedalexandro.com)
-Ali Hassan: This Canadian comic of Pakistani heritage is making a name for himself as one of Canada's top up and coming comedians.
-Maz Jobrani: Iranian-American comedian from Comedy Central's "Axis of Evil," NBC's "The Tonight Show," and numerous movies.
-James Smith: Australia's hilarious comedian who has appeared on all the major Australian TV comedy shows as well as on Comedy Central and HBO's "Flight of the Concords" in the US. (www.jamessmith.com.au)
Hosted by Aron Kader from "The Axis of Evil"
Friday, December 5th : “Closing Night Headliner Show” starring international comic superstar Russell Peters
-Russell Peters: has recently appeared in his own one hour special on Showtime (US), as well as headlined sold out shows around the world! (www.russellpeters.com)
With Ahmed Ahmed, Maz Jobrani, Aron Kader
Hosted by Dean Obeidallah

###

Foods of Chicago Features Arab and Ethnic foods including recipes and authors from Chicago

Gloria Baraks
Vice President/Marketing
G. Bradley Publishing, Inc.
112 W. Jefferson/Suite 122
St. Louis, MO 63122
Fax 314-966-5110
Web - gbradleypublishing.com

THE FOODS OF CHICAGO: A Delicious History

Chicago was built by immigrants, and in creating this urban behemoth these newcomers they got their hands dirty. First, they toiled to clear and rebuild the city from the charred remains of the Great Fire. They labored in the awesome and fearsome vast Union Stockyards and faced the fiery furnaces of the mighty steel mills. Many took pride in their workmanship raising and supporting the impressive Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893.

These immigrants came to a Lake Michigan shoreline paved not with gold, but with opportunity. They raised families, taught their children and built divinely inspired houses of worship. They opened the door for people of every nation and culture to come and share the intense drama of life in a growing city.

But even as they aspired to become fully American, these immigrants did not leave everything of their old worlds behind them. They brought memories, photographs, languages and faiths. They also brought Grandmas recipes, the cherished taste of home reminding them of the love and warmth of their roots. Indeed, they were defined by what they put on the table.

This publication is a companion piece to the television program The Foods of Chicago: A Delicious History, produced by WTTW11 Chicagos public television station. WTTW producer/writer Dan Protess and host Geoffrey Baer see the program and book as a celebration of Chicagos diversity. Dan summed it up perfectly when he said, I really cant think of a better window into Chicagos distinct communities than food.

The Foods of Chicago: A Delicious History is a wonderful blend. a book like no other. Much like a recipe that offers delightful combinations to entice the senses, this book is a delectable mixture of culinary delights and reflections on the rich cultural history of Chicagos diverse communities. You and your family will enjoy and cherish this book for years to come.

Carole Samaha at Caesars Windsor Canada Dec. 13

Caesars Windsor welcomes Carole Samaha, December 13

Media Contact:
Holly Ward, Director of Communications and Community Affairs
Direct: 519.985.2869 or 1.800.991.7777 ext. 22869 ward@caesarswindsor.com

For immediate release: October 29, 2008

Windsor, Ont. – Caesars Windsor is proud to present Carole Samaha, celebrated star of the Middle East, performing her award-winning Arabic music on Saturday December 13 at 9 pm. Tickets go on sale at noon on Wednesday, November 5, for $25 and $35 Canadian. With the current U.S. exchange rate, your entertainment dollar goes further at Caesars Windsor.

Also appearing in the Colosseum line-up of world-renowned entertainers, acclaimed Grammy Award nominee Jewel, will be performing on January 23, 2009. Jewel has topped the alternative rock charts with hits such as “Foolish Games”, “You Were Meant for Me” and “Who Will Save Your Soul.” Her twelve-time platinum album, “Pieces of You” has been chronicled as one of the best selling debut albums of all time. Returning to her country roots, Jewel is celebrating her seventh career album entitled “Perfectly Clear.”

Jewel will perform at 9 pm on Friday, January 23. Tickets go on sale at noon on Wednesday, November 5, for $35 and $45 Canadian. With the current U.S. exchange rate, your entertainment dollar goes further at Caesars Windsor.

Tickets can be purchased through www.caesarswindsor.com or at the Box Office located in the main casino building on the second floor, open daily from noon to 8 pm. On concert days, the Box Office is open noon until midnight, call 1-800-991-8888. Guests must be 19 years of age or older to attend concerts.

Other headliners already on sale include: Regis Philbin (October 31/November 1), Hall & Oates (November 7/8), Paul Anka (November 13), Nashville Star Tour (November 14), Johnny Mathis (November 21/22), Blue Man Group (November 29/30) Spirit of Christmas (December 2-7), Dionne Warwick (January 9/10), Jeff Foxworthy (2 shows on January 24).

Caesars Windsor is the first and only Caesars property in Canada. The 5,000 seat Colosseum is the largest entertainment venue at any Harrah’s Entertainment resort.
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No passport currently required to cross Detroit/Windsor land border.

Afghan Chronicles Chicago Premiere Thursday, December 4

Afghan Chronicles Chicago Premiere Thursday, December 4, 6-8pm
International House at the University of Chicago
1414 E. 59th Street
In partnership with the Canadian Consulate of Chicago and the International House at the University of Chicago

Free Admission
Reservations required. Click here to RSVP.
Call 312 222 7871 for more information

Join the Freedom Museum, Canadian Consulate of Chicago and the University of Chicago's Global Voices series for a screening of the riveting film Afghan Chronicles. This documentary explores the expanding role of media in Afghanistan and its contributions to the country’s efforts to rebuild after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. Filmmaker Dominic Morissette will be on hand for a short discussion after the film.

MidEast TV relaunches online www.MEYTV.com

We have been working extremely hard on improving Mideast Youth and its services. After launching the beta version of MEY TV, our video-sharing community, more than a year ago, we have come a long way! So we invite you to check our newly developed video platform here:Mideast Youth TV

The Internet has transformed the video medium into an increasingly powerful and interactive form of communication, and allowed for the circumvention of censors. Recognizing this power, Mideast Youth TV was created in order to provide a forum for worthy videos to be shown and distributed.

Through this space, we would like to recognize and support important documentaries, video op-eds, independent regional filmmaking, music, and more, while welcoming controversy.
Although the Internet abounds with video sharing sites, censorship of controversial content has become apparent in them, and we felt it was crucial to finally have a place we call our own, where we can showcase our videos and those of others without having to protest their wrongful removal.

In order to start publishing videos, you don't necessarily have to register! Our website supports Open ID. That means that if you have an AIM account, a WordPress.com account, or Yahoo, Blogger, Livejournal, or more, you can simply sign in with one of those accounts and start posting videos/comments. Once you log in you would notice many great features on the site and we hope that you will take good advantage of them.

We hope that you like what we did with the site and that our hard work has paid off. Don't forget to spread the word about it!
--
You are receiving this newsletter because you are either a registered author or you subscribed to receive them. If you wish to unsubscribe, you may do so here.
-- Esra'a Al ShafeiMideastYouth.com, Director

Jordan filmmaker in Chicago Nov. 18

MEDIA CONTACT:
Natalie Campbell Lisa Xia
Phone: 312.744.2172 Phone: 312.744.9181
E-mail: Natalie.campbell@cityofchicago.org E-mail: lisa.xia@cityofchicago.org

First-ever Jordanian Independent Film, Captain Abu Raed, Debuts in Chicago Nov. 18
Guest Appearance by Film’s Writer, Director and Producer

(November 11, 2008) – The Chicago debut of Captain Abu Raed, the first-ever independent film to come out of Jordan, will be hosted by the Amman Committee of Chicago Sister Cities International during Arab American Heritage Month on Nov. 18, 2008. Already a winner of numerous awards at Sundance and other festivals, the film will be screened at Columbia College Chicago with a guest appearance and question and answer session by its renowned writer, director and producer, Amin Matalqa.

Winner of the 2008 Sundance Best Audience Award, the 2008 Helsinki International Film Fest Best Audience Award, the 2008 Seattle International Film Fest Best Director Award, and Jordan's entry for 2009 Oscar's Best Foreign Film Category, Captain Abu Raed is about an elderly airport janitor mistaken for a pilot by the children in his neighborhood. Seeing the grim realities that surround them all inspires him to play to the children's assumptions and try to make a difference in their lives.

The Amman Committee has facilitated the inaugural screening of this ground-breaking Jordanian film as part of its mission to support projects relating to urban affairs, education, culture, economic development, social services and fundraising. In addition, since the Sister Cities signing in June 2004, the Committee has dedicated itself to fostering meaningful social service and humanitarian exchanges, raising more than $100,000 in 2008 with the assistance of HRH Princess Ghida Talal and HRH Princess Dina Mired of Jordan for the King Hussein Cancer Center in Amman.
The screening is free, and RSVPs are required. For additional information and to RSVP, contact Adrienne Tongate at Adrienne.Tongate@cityofchicago.org. More information about the film can be found at www.captainaburaed.com.

Event Details:
November 18
Columbia College Chicago1104 S. Wabash, 8th Floor, Film Row Cinema. Reception at 7 pm and movie screening at 8 pm.

###

About CSCIP
The Chicago Sister Cities International Program, under the auspices of the City of Chicago, provides leadership to develop, manage, and coordinate comprehensive programs and projects with Chicago’s sister cities. It aims to increase international trade, promote economic development and support exchanges in the fields of culture, education, medicine, social services, environment, and technology with its sister cities for the benefit of the City of Chicago, its residents and businesses. For more information about the Chicago Sister Cities International Program, please call (312) 744-2172 or visit www.chicagosistercities.com.

Chicago’s Sister Cities include: Accra, Ghana (1989); Amman, Jordan (2004); Athens Greece (1997); Belgrade, Serbia (2005); Birmingham, England (1993); Busan, Republic of Korea (2007); Casablanca, Morocco (1982); Delhi, India (2001); Durban, South Africa (1997); Galway, Ireland (1997); Gothenburg, Sweden (1987); Hamburg, Germany (1994); Kyiv, Ukraine (1991); Lahore, Pakistan (2007); Lucerne, Switzerland (1998); Mexico City, Mexico (1991); Milan, Italy (1973); Moscow, Russia (1997); Osaka, Japan (1973); Paris, France (1996); Petach Tikva, Israel (1994); Prague, Czech Republic (1990); Shanghai, China (1985); Shenyang, China (1985); Toronto, Canada (1991); Vilnius, Lithuania (1993); and Warsaw, Poland (1960).



Lisa Xia
Chicago Sister Cities International
78 E. Washington St., 4th Floor
Chicago, IL, 60602

Suspect sought in slaying of Rana Ismail in bridgeview Illinois

You can get information on the suspect wanted by the Bridgeview police in the murder of the young woman at 87th and Harlem Saturday by visiting:

Arab America's Most Wanted

or

Arab American Media Services

Information on the funeral services for the victim:

Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihy Rajeoun

with deep sorrow, I inform you that the beloved daughter of Hajj AbuTariq Ismail, sister of AAAEA member Engr. Tariq Ismail, and niece of Dr. Mahmoud Ismail of the Aqsa School Board & Univ of Chicago, has tragically passed away yesterday in Bridgeview.

May Allah bless her soul and may Allah grant her family patience.

Condolences (Beit A'zaa) will be as follow:

Tonight, Sunday Nov. 2
At the Community Center (Youth Center) 2nd Floor, 7260 W 93rd St., Bridgeview, IL, from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

Tomorrow, Monday Nov. 3
Hann Funeral Home, 8230 S. Harlem Ave, Bridgeview, IL, morning before Thuhr prayer

Janazah prayer after Thuhr prayer at the Mosque Foundation, 7360 W 93rd St., Bridgeview, IL, then will proceed to burial at LaGrange

At the Aqsa School, lower level, 7361 W. 92nd St., Bridgeview, IL, Monday evening.

Tariq may be reached at tismail2000@yahoo.com

AAMW: Suspect wanted in Sat. Nov. 1, 2008 Bridgeview Slaying

BRIDGEVIEW POLICE DEPARTMENT
PRESS RELEASE

The Bridgeview Police Department and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are investigating a homicide, which occurred on November 01, 2008 at the Middle Eastern Financial Services located at 7323 W. 87th St, in which a female employee of Middle Eastern Financial was fatally shot.

It is requested that the below information be broadcasted to your listeners, viewers and readers informing them of this incident and providing them with information regarding the suspect and vehicle involved.

The suspect is described as a white male possibly of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern decent approximately 40 to 50 years of age, between 5ft 7inches to 5ft 10inches tall weighing between 200 to 230lbs. The suspect walks with a slight limp. The suspect’s vehicle is described as a newer model, charcoal colored Toyota 4 Runner Sport. The vehicle has a luggage rack, a hood scoop and 6 point rims. The vehicle also has driver and passenger side running boards with unknown Illinois registration, possibly with handicapped registration.

The Bridgeview Police Department asks your listeners, viewers and readers that if they have any information regarding this incident to please contact the Bridgeview Police Department at 708-458-2131.

Suspect's Vehicle

Picture of suspect taken from the store's video camera equipment

CHICAGO: Alhambra Palace Election Night specials

Rub Elbows with Chicago’s Politicians This Election Day
And have on of the most exotic meals in town!

Alhambra Palace (1240 W. Randolph) is hosting the election victory party of the century and they are inviting you and your camera crew to join them. With a confirmed attendees list which boasts the likes of Alderman Ed Smith, Congressman Danny Davis, Senator Ricky Hendon andAlderman Walter Burnett this is the place to be on November 4th. Other confirmed attendees will include several religious community business leaders of Chicago.

But let’s not forget the most important thing here- the food! Alhambra Palace is known for its palate-pleasing menu with delectable dishes like three different twists on the Moroccan Tagine, out-of-this-world chicken, beef and kefta kabobs, and a mezza appetizer spread that will leave you with a grin the size of a palace on your face! The hummus, baba ghanoush and lebne are just a few of the traditional Middle Eastern fare that you’ll be dipping in to all night long. And, for those who like to have a cocktail or two to help fend of anxiety as we wait impatiently for our new leader to be declared, Master Mixologist Ricky Torres will shake up your night and your favorite libation.

For more information or to speak with someone at Alhambra Palace, please contact me directly.

Best,
Lina

ABOUT ALHAMBRA PALACE:
Alhambra Palace is a spectacular dining and entertainment complex, a grand salon of opulence and intrigue named after and inspired by the 13th century fortress in Granada, Spain. Alhambra Palace, located in Chicago’s West Loop serves Moroccan cuisine with a French twist while combining live entertainment and promises an unforgettable dining experience with award-winning Chef Kher Albourini. This Middle Eastern restaurant with a Moroccan flair also offers one-of-a-kind customized special event accommodations with a ballroom, two VIP rooms along with the main room downstairs. Alhambra Palace has most recently been featured on WFLD- TV and WMAQ-TV. To immerse yourself in another world or for more information please visit www.AlhambraPalaceRestaurant.com.

Lina Khalil
Senior Publicist
Empower Public Relations

Arab American Community humor supporting Ralph Nader for President:

"Obama is the only game in town"

Caesars Windsor, Canada welcomes Carole Samaha Dec. 13

Caesars Windsor welcomes Carole Samaha, December 13
Media Contact:

Holly Ward, Director of Communications and Community Affairs
Direct: 519.985.2869 or 1.800.991.7777 ext. 22869 ward@caesarswindsor.com

For immediate release: October 29, 2008

Windsor, Ont. – Caesars Windsor is proud to present Carole Samaha, celebrated star of the Middle East, performing her award-winning Arabic music on Saturday December 13 at 9 pm. Tickets go on sale at noon on Wednesday, November 5, for $25 and $35 Canadian. With the current U.S. exchange rate, your entertainment dollar goes further at Caesars Windsor.

Also appearing in the Colosseum line-up of world-renowned entertainers, acclaimed Grammy Award nominee Jewel, will be performing on January 23, 2009. Jewel has topped the alternative rock charts with hits such as “Foolish Games”, “You Were Meant for Me” and “Who Will Save Your Soul.” Her twelve-time platinum album, “Pieces of You” has been chronicled as one of the best selling debut albums of all time. Returning to her country roots, Jewel is celebrating her seventh career album entitled “Perfectly Clear.”

Jewel will perform at 9 pm on Friday, January 23. Tickets go on sale at noon on Wednesday, November 5, for $35 and $45 Canadian. With the current U.S. exchange rate, your entertainment dollar goes further at Caesars Windsor.

Tickets can be purchased through www.caesarswindsor.com or at the Box Office located in the main casino building on the second floor, open daily from noon to 8 pm. On concert days, the Box Office is open noon until midnight, call 1-800-991-8888. Guests must be 19 years of age or older to attend concerts.

Other headliners already on sale include: Regis Philbin (October 31/November 1), Hall & Oates (November 7/8), Paul Anka (November 13), Nashville Star Tour (November 14), Johnny Mathis (November 21/22), Blue Man Group (November 29/30) Spirit of Christmas (December 2-7), Dionne Warwick (January 9/10), Jeff Foxworthy (2 shows on January 24).

Caesars Windsor is the first and only Caesars property in Canada. The 5,000 seat Colosseum is the largest entertainment venue at any Harrah’s Entertainment resort.
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Toronto Palestine Film Festival opens

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Palestine Film Festival Opens to Packed Audience at Bloor Cinema;
Suheir Hammad, Bashar Da?as, Danny Glover at Opening Reception

Toronto, October 25 ? The inaugural Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF) opened to a packed audience last night. Enthusiastic crowds came to see the Canadian premiere of Annemarie Jacir?s critically acclaimed Salt of this Sea, the first film written and directed by a Palestinian woman. Rafeef Ziadah, an organizing committee member, welcomed the 850 people in attendance by expressing that ?On the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, we are happy to bring the spirit of Palestine to theatres across Toronto for a whole week.?

Acclaimed poet Suheir Hammad, who plays the lead role of Soraya in Salt of this Sea, introduced the film, stating that ?I want people to see this movie as representing a part of the Palestinian experience; to see us as beautiful, complex individuals. I want people to see themselves in our stories. This is for the girls who?ve felt marginalized, and the indigenous people of Canada who continue to live as second class citizens in their own homeland.? The successful screening was followed by an engaging Q&A with Suheir Hammad and members of the audience.

Special guests celebrated the successful opening at a gala reception held after the film. Guests were treated to a pre-screening of Min Sook Lee?s Sedition. In attendance, were Suheir Hammad, Danny Glover, Bashar Da?as, along with a number of other prominent Torontonians active in the local media and arts scene. Farid Ayad, president of Paelstine House, warmly welcomed the guests.

Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF) was conceived by ?. The festival continues throughout the week, with over 30 screenings, including 25 Canadian premieres. The festival concludes on November 1 with the Canadian premiere of Slingshot Hip Hop. The director of the film Jackie Reem Salloum, will be in attendance for the closing portion of the festival. She will also present on a panel on ?Palestinian Cinema and Cultural Resistance? at the William Doo Auditorium at the University of Toronto. Tickets can still be purchased online @ www.tpff.ca, at the Women?s Bookstore (73 Harbord Street), and Palestine House (3195 Erindale Station Road).
Media Liaison
Toronto Palestine Film Festival
October 25 - November 1, 2008

phone: 647-882-9231
e-mail: media@tpff.ca
http://www.tpff.ca/media.htm

Judge’s actions overshadow already troubled Iraq war contracts case

Judge’s actions overshadow already troubled Iraq war contracts case
By Ray Hanania

Jurors in the controversial Halliburton corruption case playing out in a Federal Courtroom in Peoria complained to U.S. District Court Judge Joe Billy McDade last week they were “deadlocked” following their first full day of deliberations in the three-week long trial.

The drama began when the jury foreman sent McDade a note Thursday afternoon identifying one juror as refusing to support a unanimous verdict. Instead of simply responding by telling jurors to continue their deliberations, McDade summoned the foreman who sent the note to explain why it was sent.

Declaring his fears the hold-out juror might be "biased," "predisposed" and questioned if she was “fair,” the soft-spoken McDade then summoned all the jurors into to his courtroom to express “regrets” about the apparent deadlock.

“The court is unsure if this is a disagreement among jurors, or a breakdown in the jury process,” McDade told the jury of 3 men and 9 women as he reread his instructions that he had read twice before. “Each of you looked me in the eye and said you would be impartial. … The lone juror may feel she is being pressured but I assure you, that is not the case.”

Clearly concerned about defense protests that his actions might prejudice the jury, McDade was compelled to repeat, “This is not an attempt to pressure anyone to change their vote.”

Well, then, why tell them anything? Why not simply accept their decision or just ask them to try harder without any comment? Why force the jury to make a decision?

McDade and prosecutors are in a bind. This is the second time the case has come before McDade’s court. The first trial, held in Rock Island, deadlocked with the same prosecutors and same evidence.

At the heart of the case is Jeff Mazon, a southwest suburban Chicago man who is accused of inflating the cost of a war related contract while working for Halliburton/KBR in Kuwait in exchange for a bribe he allegedly received six months after he quit the company’s employ.

Prosecutors cited finger-pointing from his Halliburton supervisors and said Mazon manipulated an embedded dollar-to-Kuwait Dinar formula in an Excel Spreadsheet. The defense argued the spreadsheet error was a simple mistake. One Kuwait Dinar is equal to 3.3 U.S. Dollars but the mistake increased the dollar amount from $685,000 to $5.52 million.

Witnesses agreed Mazon was overworked and tired, like all of the employees at the company who worked up to 20 hour days, seven days a week as the country rushed into the Iraq War in March 2003.

The alleged “bribe” was a business deal, Mazon insisted, one he negotiated six months after he left Halliburton and took a new job in Greece for the Athens Olympics. Mazon did not try to conceal the payment and he openly declared it to U.S. Customs when returning from Greece to the states.

McDade could have simply ignored the jury foreman’s note and instructed the jurors to go back and continue deliberating. But by expressing concern about possible “juror bias,” McDade was reflecting a tenor in the case that has been decidedly anti-defense.

At the start of this second trial, McDade squared off with Mazon’s attorney J. Scott Arthur in a heated clash. McDade warned he would not give Scott “leeway” to explore an assortment of issues Scott felt Mazon needed to make his defense but that the judge said were outside the realm of the case.

The judge prohibited Mazon from arguing as a part of his defense:

· That he is being made a “scapegoat” by his supervisors at Halliburton who approved the contract and that other major contract errors have occurred. Mazon argues that the inflated contract was a mistake caused by a flawed embedded formula in an Excel Spreadsheet and not a part of a “scheme.”

· That Halliburton and his supervisors “framed” him in order to pass the responsibility from them to him. While Mazon acknowledges the contract price was a mistake, he says that the mistake was reviewed by everyone of his supervisors who were more concerned with processing government contracts as fast as possible, rather than with the accuracy of the contracts themselves.

· That the government participated in the conspiracy to heap the blame on Mazon, a small cog in a nearly one trillion dollar contract system that has pumped tens of billions of dollars of profit into Halliburton’s coffers. Halliburton’s former CEO is Vice President Dick Cheney.

· That Halliburton has a history of improper conduct. Halliburton is plagued by scandals, all unrelated to Mazon, yet the prosecutors were able to bring in two convicted felons who worked for Halliburton and who admitted taking bribes to sully Mazon through guilt by association. Mazon was not permitted to argue that Halliburton has much to lose in a trial that addresses the bigger issues.

Defense attorneys expressed concern Mazon cannot receive a fair trial under those restrictions. “The very act of calling the jurors back in to listen to the judge tell them he is concerned and then to re-read his instructions clearly pressures the one juror who supports acquittal,” Mazon’s attorneys said.

In their flash at the start of the trial, McDade offered a chilling warning to Arthur, cautioning, “Whether or not there will be a 3rd trial in this case by you is questionable.”

Under McDade’s orders, the jury deliberated about 8 hours Friday before retiring for the weekend and telling the judge they were exhausted. Jurors resume deliberations Monday.

The jury may in fact reach a unanimous agreement on a verdict and the hold-out juror may succumb to the pressure and change her mind. But the question that seems lost is “can this jury now be fair?”

(Ray Hanania is an award winning columnist and Chicago radio talk show host. He can be reached at www.ArabWritersGroup.com and by email at rayhanania@comcast.net.)

Performance: I- Fest 2008, Best of European Solo Acts

Performance: I- Fest 2008, Best of European Solo Acts

Press Release
For Immediate Release : October 2008
Contact: Zygmunt Dyrkacz 773.278.1500
info@chopintheatre.com

Description:
Fourth edition of I-Fest presents Mr. Oleg Liptsin taking on Dostoevsky's A Propos of the Wet Snow and Mr. William El-Gardi taking on the Shakespeare inspired Yasser by Abdelkader Benali. I-Fest performances (15 from 10 countries in past 3 years -- Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine) give a stage to nonconforming citizens. They choose their language, material and art form closest to their own I. They represent the growing population of individuals influenced by 21st Century new realities -- global culture, international migration, mixed marriages, and even world cuisine and attire. They dispel the myths of collective identities, often used for political and social simplification and manipulation. Reality is much richer than what's in a name.

O. Liptsin is a Russian Ukrainian and a Catholic Jew whose artistic partner is a Taiwanese woman. Sudanese Egyptian born Muslim W. El-Gardi immigrated to Switzerland and is now a citizen of the United Kingdom. The author of his play, Yasser, was born in Morrocco and now, similar to the director Teunkie van der Sluijs, is a citizen of the Netherlands. This very well received play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival was produced by the British Theatre Tours International.

So it is fitting that I-Fest is produced also by a couple of Polish/African American misfits. It also illustrates that international theater, in whatever simple and inexpensive way, can still be shown in our City.

I-Fest will also featuring the following panel discussions
The State of Race - Oct 31st 6p (Special Guest Laura Washington, Chicago Sun Times)
Staging 1 Man Show for Edinburgh Festival - Nov 2nd 630pm (Special Guest Brian Shaw, Columbia College Chicago
Shakespeare meets the Middle East - Nov 9th 630pm (Special Guest Ray Hanania)

Location:
Chopin Theatre - 1543 West Division

Dates/Times:
10/28, 31 - 7p/830p
11/1, 6, 7, 8 - 7p/830p
11/2, 9 - 3p/430p
The U.S. premiere of Yasser (60 min) will be followed by intermission and A propos. (90 min.)
Both are in English.

Tickets:
$15/ea. or 2 for $20.
Tix: 773-278-1500

Supporters:
British Council, Consul General of the Netherlands, Wicker Park/Bucktown SSA#33

More info:
http://www.studiodubbelagent.com/yasser.html
http://www.internationaltheaterensemble.com/A_PROPOS_OF_THE_WET_SNOW.html
www.i-fest.com



The Presentations

Yasser is an uncompromising, yet playful monologue by award-winning writer Abdelkader Benali. Yasser Mansour is a young, idealistic and fervent Palestinian actor, living and working in Europe. As he prepares in his dressing room to go on stage to play Shylock, the archetypal Jew in The Merchant of Venice, he finds himself torn between his Palestinian identity and the role he is about to play. He would really rather play Arafat. And Yitzhak Rabin, as he used to do as a young boy in Palestine. What's more, he has just been robbed of all his props necessary to perform his role, and dumped by his fellow actress and girlfriend Lucy, tired of his political soliloquies. It's an hour before curtain up, the pressure mounts, but where is his nose? As he maneuvers through conflicts, roles and identities, Yasser discovers that the Arab understands Shylock better than anyone else: can anyone really cut a pound of flesh without spilling blood?

Yasser was nominated for the 2008 Expression of Freedom Award by Amnesty International. Reviews and more information at http://www.studiodubbelagent.com/yasser.html.


A Propos of the Wet Snow - (Based on "Notes From Underground" by Feodor Dostoevsky).
One of the most famous literal articulations on the irrationality of the human soul has been adapted into an emotionally challenging and physically active work touching on the main problems of modern life: hatred, destruction, intellectual and physical terrorism.

These "Notes" theatrically deliver the story of the notorious Dostoevskian hero - a person from
the underground. On examples from his own life he demonstrates the paradoxical quality of the human soul - "the territory on which God and devil carry on their battle". Starting from the philosophical question about the nature of evil in the human soul our protagonist quickly moves into the anecdote from his life. Getting drunk at the farewell party with his old school fellows he challenges one of the most popular and successful members of their group. Confronting this successful young man our hero is questioning all prosperous parts of society, everyone who corrupts with public rules and lies, who represents the corpus of "life winners". In his drunken debauchery the man from the underground defends the individual truth and personal freedom against compliance with social rules and norms of behavior.

By challenging the relationship between the individual and society, Dostoevsky touches upon a most vulnerable issue of the day - why people choose a freedom of doing something that hurts them rather than complying with public rules and be rewarded for it?

Reviews and more information at http://www.internationaltheaterensemble.com/A_PROPOS_OF_THE_WET_SNOW.html


Production Team - Yasser


William El-Gardi (Yasser Mansour) was born in Egypt in 1978 in an Egyptian-Sudanese-Turkish family and grew up in Egypt, the Sudan and Switzerland before settling in the United Kingdom, where he trained at Mountview Academy in London. His most recent theatre credits include Touch by Rikki Beadle-Blair at the Tristan Bates Theatre in London, as well as the Theatre Café Symposium at the Unicorn Theatre in London with Company of Angles. He made his Edinburgh debut in 2007 in The Container by Claire Bailey which won a Fringe First and the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression award.

Other recent theatre credits include Failed States, a political Musical satire at the Pleasance Theatre,
London and Time of the Tortoise at Theatre 503 in London. UK tours of: Tangier Tattoo with
Glyndebourne Opera House, OneFourSeven with the Dende Collective/Lyric Hammersmith, and a
Welsh national tour of Flowers from Tunisia with Theatre Ibyd/Theatre Clwyd. Other theatre
includes Laters with Rikki Beadle-Blair at the Tristan Bates Theatre, Release The Beat-The Musical
with Mehmet Ergen at the Arcola Theatre and Funky Stuff at the King's Head Theatre, all in
London.

In Film and TV, William recently completed guest roles in the BBC series Whistleblowers, The Bill, and Channel 4's new drama Saddam's Tribe. Other recent credits include Last Flight to Kuwait for the BBC, a lead role in the BBC/HBO film Dirty War, and Danish Dogma feature Brothers with Suzanne Beir. Other TV includes: Spooks (series 3), and Black September-Days that Shook the World, both for the BBC, The Sketch Show-Clithero for Channel 4 and Murder Prevention for World productions/Five.

Teunkie van der Sluijs (director) was born in the Netherlands in 1981 and is a graduate of the three year directing programme at Rose Bruford College in London. Recent directing work includes productions of Robert Holman's Kerry Leaves Home (Battersea Arts Centre, London), Boris Vian's The Empire Builders (Pleasance Theatre, London), Howard Barker's Judith (Rosemary Branch Theatre, London) and The Love of a Good Man (Rose Bruford College), devised piece The Great Monkey Trial (Rose Bruford College) and The Expected, a modern opera by composers ThomasMyrmel and Wilbert Bulsink, which toured Europe in 2006-2007. College productions include Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, Don Duyn's Den Uyl and Marguerite Duras' India Song.

Van der Sluijs holds a BA and MA in Drama from the University of Amsterdam, and directed several productions in the Netherlands, including Sarah Kane's 4.48 Psychosis, Stanislaw Witkiewicz' The Madman and the Nun and Eugene Ionesco's The Bald Soprano, as well as co-directing a devised production based on the writings of Nikolai Gogol. His work has toured in Europe, to North America and to North Africa, where he was awarded the Récherche Théâtrale Award 2003 by the Arab theatre critic's jury at the Festival International de Monastir, Tunisia ("This masters the vocabulary of theatrical depiction; it presents us a distinguished piece of artistic work" - Le Temps). He has taught drama at the University of Amsterdam and City University London, and is currently working as coordinator of the international new writing programme at Rose Bruford College. He has taught theatre workshops in the Netherlands, the UK, Canada and Tunisia.

Van der Sluijs aims to (re)discover and re-imagine the great texts of European writers, both classic and contemporary. He has a keen interest in the dark comedic undertones of conflict - both personal and political.

Esteban Nuñez (lighting designer and technician) was born in 1975 in the Basque Country, an autonomous region in Northern Spain. He studied physical and technical theatre in France and Ireland and worked in puppet theatre, clowning and visual theatre all over Europe. He subsequently completed a BA in lighting design at Rose Bruford College London, and set up Fishylight Productions, a UK-based company in lighting design and visual imagery for performance.

Abdelkader Benali (author) was born in Morocco in 1975 and has lived in the Netherlands since 1979. He is one of the best-known contemporary writers in the Netherlands. For his debut novel Wedding by the Sea he won the prestigious Geertjan Lubberhuizenprijs, and the Prix de Meilleur Premier Roman Étranger in France ("Vivid, mythic and heartfelt" - Financial Times; "Full of verve and hilarity" - Le Soir). He was awarded the 2003 Libris Literature Award in the Netherlands. Critically acclaimed because of his lucid and insightful treatment of migrants' issues, Benali has been widely translated, and some of this work has been published in English. He reported from Beirut under siege in the 2006 Lebanese war. With Yasser, Benali won the H.G. van der Vies Award for best new play in the Netherlands in 2002; in the same year, the play was selected
for the Nederlands-Vlaams Theaterfestival, the showcase festival of the 10 best dramatic works of
the Low Countries.

Andy Sinclair-Harris (designer) was born in the United Kingdom in 1982 and trained at Rose Bruford College. He holds a degree in theatre design and an MA in Theatre Practices. He is a celebrated designer/director and concept artist with an extremely diverse portfolio including theatre, puppetry, events, parades and theme parks.

His credits include Zoetrope the first aerial show to be performed at Rose Bruford College which he both designed and directed. When the Lights Go Out an interactive, visually powerful piece and The Autumn of His Years, a production using only projection. Andy also formed the production company Kinematic, and has already become renowned for creating visually stunning performances without dialogue. He has also designed Howie the Rookie at Battersea Arts Centre in London, and And the River Weeps for The Miskin Theatre. He has also assisted Bob Crowley with the design of Disney's Tarzan and Mary Poppins, both of which ran on Broadway.


Production Team - A Propos of the Wet Snow

Oleg Liptsin (Dostoevskian Hero/Director) - Mr. Liptsin studied theater at Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS) in Moscow with Anatoly Vasiliev and Mikhail Butkevich. He worked as an actor and assistant director at renowned Moscow State Theatre "School of Dramatic Arts" (Theatre de l'Europe) under artistic direction of Anatoly Vasiliev. For 3 years Oleg performed in a worldwide known production "Six Characters In Search Of An Author" by Pirandello.In 1989 Oleg established one of the first independent theatre ensembles in Ukraine - Theater Club, Kiev - which became a leading experimental and avant-garde theatre-laboratory in the country.

In early 90s Oleg began his directing and teaching career in Europe and other parts of the world. In 1991, a short-term residence in Schaubuhne (West Berlin) while Luke Bondy was directing "The Winter's Tale" by Shakespeare. In 1993, experimental theatre/installation project "Kusma" based on Andrej Platonov in frames of art festival in Upper Austria. In 1993-94, teaching at the "Konrad Wolf" Film and TV Institute in Potsdam/Babelsberg, Germany. Later, a production based on Joyce's "Ulysses" for International Festival "Kontakt" in Poland. In 1995, teaching at the National School of Drama in Delhi, India. From 1995 Oleg Liptsin began working in USA and later - in Canada, from 2003 - in Paris.
Awarded a National Award for Experimental Work in Theatre by the Theatre Union of Ukraine, won the "Best Director" award and 4 nominations for "Best Director" and "Best Actor" in Ukraine, participated in more than 30 international festivals.Currently Mr. Liptsin works as director and professor of drama in different parts of the world. He established and conducted the post-graduate educational program in stage directing at National University of Theatre, Film and TV in Kiev, teaches acting at Slavic University in Moscow and at Shelton Theater School in San Francisco, manages the InternationalTheaterEnsemble - recently established experimental international theatrical network. Oleg Liptsin's most recent directing credits include: 'Outcry" by T.Williams, "A Propos Of The Wet Snow (notes from the underground)" by F.Dostoevsky, "The Gamblers" by N.Gogol at PODOL Theatre in Kiev, "Happy Days" by S.Beckett - ITE production in San Francisco and Berkeley, "The Living Corpse" by Leo Tolstoy at Shelton Theater in San Francisco, "Oscar" by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt in Kiev, "The Elephant Man" by B. Pomerance in San Francisco and "The Serpent-Woman" by Gozzi in Kiev. Currently Oleg works on "The Overcoat" by N.Gogol and continues his effort on developing the innovative theatrical network - ITE/InternationalTheatreEnsemble

Ai-Cheng Ho (Prostitute) - Ai-Cheng Ho was born in Tau-yuan, Taiwan. She studied acting with Oleg Liptsin at Acting International in Paris and was trained in Jacques Lecoq's acting method at the International Jacques Lecoq Theatre School in Paris and International School of Performing Arts in London.

Ai-Cheng's other performing trainings include the Chinese opera and contemporary dance, which she's mastering for years. She is trained in martial arts: Tai-ji quan and others.

Since 2004 Ai-Cheng Ho is a member of ITE, she participated in such ITE projects as 'Cherry Orchard On Plain-Air' based on Anton Chekhov, 'The Snake-Woman' by Carlo Gozzi (Commedia dell'arte) and 'Mozart and Salieri' by Pushkin.

Ai-Cheng is Master of Performing Arts with major in Film study from the University Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Kevin Quennesson (Video Art Programming) - Kevin was born in France and studied sciences in the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, leading French school of Engineering. He came to the USA in 2004 and studied philosophy at Stanford and computer vision and graphics at Georgia Tech. His interests are in the intersection of technologies and the humanities.

He showed his first work called "conscious=camera" in August 2005 at Siggraph, LA in the Emerging Technology and Art Gallery category. The "conscious=camera" based on real-time body-tracking is a poetic interpretation of the phenomenology of images expressed by JP Sartre in "L'Imagimaire". In 2006, he presented at Siggraph in Boston his "traces" installation aimed at representing people passage and absence. "traces" is featured in the large scale "quell code" (source code) Kunst an Bau installation in the new headquarters of SAP in Germany. "Quell code" was made in partnership with the Ars Electronica Futurelab in Austria.

Since 2006 Kevin is a featured artist of the Victory Media Network in Dallas, TX - largest outdoor media art gallery in the world. Kevin Quennesson now lives in California and is a software development engineer at Apple Inc.

Jeff Mazon trial: A case of speculation and circumstance; but where is evidence?

Jeff Mazon Trial - a case of speculation and circumstance; Where is evidence?

The trial of Jeff Mazon, a former Halliburton employee accused of inflating a war-related contract in exchange for a kickback, enters its third week in a Federal courtroom in Peoria.

This case was tried once before in Rock Island before the same judge and by the same prosecutors, and with the exact same evidence. The jury in the last trial deadlocked, failing to reach a decision.

The deadlocked Rock Island jury obviously was not overwhelmingly conviced that Mazon was guilty of the crimes charged and was in fact an innocent man. U.S. Attorney Jeffrey B. Lang, insists it was not a majority but declined to disclose how many jurors did in fact support conviction versus acquittal.

Having reported on the first trial, the only thing new about this trial is déjà vu. The same witnesses. The same accusations. Nothing new, so why are we here again?

Mazon's defense is solid. He admits that a calculation error was committed on the contract in questions, but a mistake is not intentional criminal conduct. The prosecutors insist he inflated the price on purpose in order to receive a "bribe" that was paid to him six months after he left the company, even though the error was later discovered. In the end, the inflated payment amount was corrected.

The contract was among thousands of contracts issued to support the war effort in Iraq in early 2003. It was issued in Kuwait Dinars. Each Kuwaiti Dinar is equal to 3.3 U.S. Dollars. The spreadsheet used to calculate the conversion mistakenly increased the dollar amount instead of converting the Kuwait Dinars into U.S. Dollars.

Mazon and his attorneys have always alleged this case is little more than an effort by Halliburton and the Bush administration to make Mazon into a "scapegoat," taking attention away from the bigger issues of corruption involving the war itself and the role that Halliburton has played in managing the contracts.

Bush wants the American public to believe something is being done about allegations of war-related corruption that are rampant, but not enough so that the public might ask the logical question: "If there is so much corruption under Halliburton's watch, why is Halliburton and its subsidiaries continuing to receive the lucrative contract business?"

Halliburton was formerly owned by Dick Cheney, the U.S. Vice President. Many expect Cheney to return to Halliburton when his term ends this year.

The prosecutors failed to convince the jury the first time that Mazon committed any crime. And they haven't presented any new evidence in this second trial to suggest the outcome will be any different.

Last week, we heard testimony from a number of prosecution witnesses who failed to make a connection between the allegedly intentionally "inflated" contract bid of a Kuwaiti company and the million dollar loan that Mazon received over 5 months after he left his job with Halliburton.

The testimony of each and every government witness was speculative and inconclusive. They could not say with certainty that the contract in question was intentionally inflated. How could jurors reach that conclusion?

There are no eye-witnesses to a "deal." No evidence of a conspiracy between Mazon and the Kuwaiti contractor to inflate the contract in exchange for anything. All there is before the jury is the prosecution's assertions and an Excel Spreadsheet with a poorly constructed formula that each time miscalculates the final amount with an embedded inaccurate formula.

It is also a fact that Mazon did enter into a business relationship with a Kuwait businessman and his company.

But, before Mazon engaged in private business with the Kuwaiti, he left Halliburton and worked for the Athens Olympics in Greece for at least six months.

The prosecution's allegation that the loan Mazon received from the Kuwaiti contractor was a "kickback" in exchange for the inflated contract price is weak. The loan is not connected in time or logic to Mazon's employment with Halliburton. There is no testimony other than suspicion.

Additionally, the loan was in the form of a draft check that was declared to U.S. customs when Mazon entered the U.S. Attempts to deposit it in an "off-shore account" was at the direction of the bank in Greece where he was working at the time, six months after leaving Halliburton's employ. The "loan" eventually never materialized, the check was never cashed and no money exchanged hands.

As I prepare myself to sit through yet another week of trial, I cannot help but think about how these wasted dollars could have been better spent by the Bush administration. One failed attempt to convict should have been the end of this apparently never-ending story.

- Ray Hanania

The shame of Sen. John McCain's father in covering up the massacrer of 34 Americans on June 8, 1967

On June 8, 1967, the Israeli military was in the midst of a war with its Arab neighbors. At the time, they were engaged int he battle and did not fully grasp how easily the Arab nation's armies had collapsed -- they were never a real threat to Israel. Israel wanted the United States -- which was already supplying Israel with military supplies from American military stockpiles -- to also enter the war and attack Egypt, which was a client state at the time of the Soviet Union.

On June 8, 1967, Israel's air force was monitoring an American Naval Vessel, a spy ship, that was monitoring the war for the US Navy. The ship was the U.S.S. Liberty. The Israeli air force had monitored the ship for 7 hours. Suddenly, the Israeli planes disappeared. They were replaced minutes later by unmarked fighter jets that launched a massive assault on the ship which only had a few guns and cannons but was not a fighter vessel. The attack killed 10 American sailors.

The Liberty soldiers, who were pro-Israel and supporting Israel at the time, ran to the deck to wave American flags, but the jets kept firing ont he ship killing many of the sailors as they waved the American flags. Scores were wounded.

The ships captain immediately signaled an SOS to the commander of the 6th Fleet, who also immediately issued an order for American forces to respond and defend the U.S.S. Liberty. But within minutes, the order was contermanded and revoked by the 6th Fleet Commander and the rescue and defense American forces were ordered to stand down and return to their ships.

The order to not defend the Liberty came directly from Admiral John McCain, Senator McCain's father. Admiral McCain ordered that the 6th Fleet immediately withdraw its rescue and defense operation partly because he did not want the American forces to directly engage the Israelis.

When the order not to intervene was issued, the Israeli returned with five torpedo boats that were clearly marked with Israeli flags and the Star of David. The torpedo boats fired five torpedoes at the U.S.S. Liberty. Onew of the torpedoes was a direct hit and struck the U.S.S. Liberty and killed 24 more American soldiers.

In the meantime, the commander of the 6th Fleet was fighting with Admiral McCain demanding that support be sent to DEFEND AMERICAN LIVES. It was no longer about Israel and the Arab coutnries but about AMERICAN LIVES. Admiral McCain could have issued orders to intervene, even though President Lyndon Baines Johnson was now involved in the discussions about the war and the incident involving the U.S.S. Liberty. LBJ was quoted as saying that despite the tragedy of the attack on the Liberty, he did not want to do anything that would expose Israel to defeat at the hands of the Arab nations -- remember, no one knew for sure, especially among the Americans, how easily the Israelis would defeat the Arab armies.

Admiral McCain's actions COST THE LIVES OF 24 AMERICANS who were killed AFTER the first attack and when it was clear the ship could have been defended.

The Israelis returned a third time assaulting the ship this time with helicopter gunships filled with heavily armed Israeli soldiers who were preparing to storm the ship. Their goal was to kill every last American on the U.S.S. Liberty as it became apparent to the Israelis that their plan to destroy and sink the Liberty had failed, that there were witnesses and that they feared the massacre of Americans would result in destroying their relationship with the United States. But before the troops could be ordered to assault, the Israelis realized that the battle among the American military leaders was now a major issue and it was clear that the Israelis had been identified not only by the survivors on the U.S.S. Liberty as being Israeli, but also by the commander of the 6th Fleet.

The assault helicopters were called back.

After the incident, Admiral McCain sent a commander to meet with the ship's survivors and he ordered them to keep their mouths shut or to face court marshal. If anyone EVER discussed what happened, they would be punished.

For years, no one spoke out about theinjustice. Then, survivors began to fight back publishing several books about what they saw with their own eyes, and challenging the Israeli propaganda that the ship was attacked "by accident," which was now the "official version" that was endorsed by the Israelis and the John administration and by Admiral McCain.

In response, Israel's powerful lobby produced its own material and a bookw as wwritten by a pro-Israel apologist which claimed the attack was an accident and that the allegations by the eyewitnesses on the boat, and the documents, were false. It further claimed that 10 official investigations were conducted and all concluded that the attack was an accident. The truth was, there was only one official Military Probe and it refused to blame Israel. testimony from the survivors at the investigation were censored and charges that the Israelis intentionally attacked the ship were rmeoved from the official record.

How does Sen. John McCain come into the picture. His father was the commander during the Gulf of Tonkin incident in which the United States and John administration faked up an attack on an American ship to allow American forceds to invade and bomb North Vietnam. The attack never took place, but Johnson got what he wanted, an excuse to enter the Vietnam War in full force with the backing of the American people who thought the Vietnamese had in fact attacked and killed Americans.

Senator John McCain acted to defend his father's honor and he endorsed the propaganda, pro-Israel book version of the attack on the U.S.S. Liberty introducing it to the U.S. Senate and declaring that this book by an outsider an dproagandist for Israel was in fact the official version of what happened. He then introduced the book to the Library of Congress to further cement the lie and to cover-up for his father's betrayal of the American soldiers and the American people and truth.

Senator John McCain owes the American people an apology. And, he can make this right by standing up and demanding a full and uncensored public investigation into how America turned its back on its fighting men on June 8, 1967 in order to protect an ally it viewed crucial to the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Senator McCain can show he is a leader by exposing the truth about his father's misdeed and to stand up for the families of the 34 brave men who were murdered by israel on June 8, 1967, and for the survivors and their families who have endured ridicule, shame and insult over the years for simply trying to tell the truth.

You can hear the story of the shameful coverup by Admiral John McCain and Sen. John McCain and the details of the massacre on my radio show (in both audio and video podcast) at www.RadioChicagoland.com.

Regardless of whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, the way our American soldiers were mistreated is shameful and remains a black spot on the honor of this country. It MUST be corrected and clarified and truth MUST be allowed to come out. The survivors of the Israeli massacre of 34 Americans must be given the chance to tell the truth, and the cowards who have shamefully tried to cover up and protect Israel's actions deserve to experience the same ridicule and persecution that the survivors, American soldiers and their families, have been forced to endure for more than 40 years.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com.

A Propos of the Wet Snow – (Based on “Notes From Underground” by Feodor Dostoevsky) in Chicago

Press Release
For Immediate Release : October 2008
Contact: Zygmunt Dyrkacz 773.278.1500
info@chopintheatre.com

Performance: I- Fest 2008, Best of European Solo Acts

Description: Fourth edition of I-Fest presents Mr. Oleg Liptsin taking on Dostoevsky’s "A Propos of the Wet Snow " and Mr. William El-Gardi taking on the Shakespeare inspired Yasser by Abdelkader Benali.

I-Fest performances (15 from 10 countries in past 3 years –- Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine) give a stage to nonconforming citizens. They choose their language, material and art form closest to their own I. They represent the growing population of individuals influenced by 21st Century new realities -- global culture, international migration, mixed marriages, and even world cuisine and attire. They dispel the myths of collective identities, often used for political and social simplification and manipulation. Reality is much richer than what’s in a name.

O. Liptsin is a Russian Ukrainian and a Catholic Jew whose artistic partner is a Taiwanese woman. Sudanese Egyptian born Muslim W. El-Gardi immigrated to Switzerland and is now a citizen of the United Kingdom. The author of his play, Yasser, was born in Morrocco and now, similar to the director Teunkie van der Sluijs, is a citizen of the Netherlands. This very well received play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival was produced by the British Theatre Tours International.

So it is fitting that I-Fest is produced also by a couple of Polish/African American misfits. It also illustrates that international theater, in whatever simple and inexpensive way, can still be shown in our City.

I-Fest will also featuring the following panel discussions
The State of Race
Shakespeare meets the Middle East
Pan European collaboration in theater practices
Staging the one-man show for Edinburgh Festival

Location: Chopin Theatre - 1543 West Division

Dates/Times: 10/28, 31 - 7p/830p 11/1, 6, 7, 8 – 7p/830p 11/2, 9 – 3p/430p
The U.S. premiere of Yasser (60 min) will be followed by intermission and A propos… (90 min.)

Tickets: $15/ea. or 2 for $20. Tix: 773-278-1500

Supporters: British Council, Consul General of the Netherlands, Wicker Park/Bucktown SSA#33

More info: http://www.studiodubbelagent.com/yasser.html
http://www.internationaltheaterensemble.com/A_PROPOS_OF_THE_WET_SNOW.html
www.i-fest.com

The Presentations

Yasser is an uncompromising, yet playful monologue by award-winning writer Abdelkader Benali. Yasser Mansour is a young, idealistic and fervent Palestinian actor, living and working in Europe. As he prepares in his dressing room to go on stage to play Shylock, the archetypal Jew in The Merchant of Venice, he finds himself torn between his Palestinian identity and the role he is about to play. He would really rather play Arafat. And Yitzhak Rabin, as he used to do as a young boy in Palestine. What's more, he has just been robbed of all his props necessary to perform his role, and dumped by his fellow actress and girlfriend Lucy, tired of his political soliloquies. It's an hour before curtain up, the pressure mounts, but where is his nose? As he maneuvers through conflicts, roles and identities, Yasser discovers that the Arab understands Shylock better than anyone else: can anyone really cut a pound of flesh without spilling blood?

Yasser was nominated for the 2008 Expression of Freedom Award by Amnesty International. Reviews and more information at http://www.studiodubbelagent.com/yasser.html.


A Propos of the Wet Snow – (Based on “Notes From Underground” by Feodor Dostoevsky).
One of the most famous literal articulations on the irrationality of the human soul has been adapted into an emotionally challenging and physically active work touching on the main problems of modern life: hatred, destruction, intellectual and physical terrorism.

These “Notes” theatrically deliver the story of the notorious Dostoevskian hero – a person from
the underground. On examples from his own life he demonstrates the paradoxical quality of the human soul – “the territory on which God and devil carry on their battle”. Starting from the philosophical question about the nature of evil in the human soul our protagonist quickly moves into the anecdote from his life. Getting drunk at the farewell party with his old school fellows he challenges one of the most popular and successful members of their group. Confronting this successful young man our hero is questioning all prosperous parts of society, everyone who corrupts with public rules and lies, who represents the corpus of “life winners”. In his drunken debauchery the man from the underground defends the individual truth and personal freedom against compliance with social rules and norms of behavior.

By challenging the relationship between the individual and society, Dostoevsky touches upon a most vulnerable issue of the day – why people choose a freedom of doing something that hurts them rather than complying with public rules and be rewarded for it?

Reviews and more information at http://www.internationaltheaterensemble.com/A_PROPOS_OF_THE_WET_SNOW.html






Production Team - Yasser


William El-Gardi (Yasser Mansour) was born in Egypt in 1978 in an Egyptian-Sudanese-Turkish
family and grew up in Egypt, the Sudan and Switzerland before settling in the United Kingdom,
where he trained at Mountview Academy in London. His most recent theatre credits include Touch
by Rikki Beadle-Blair at the Tristan Bates Theatre in London, as well as the Theatre Café
Symposium at the Unicorn Theatre in London with Company of Angles. He made his Edinburgh
debut in 2007 in The Container by Claire Bailey which won a Fringe First and the Amnesty
International Freedom of Expression award.

Other recent theatre credits include Failed States, a political Musical satire at the Pleasance Theatre,
London and Time of the Tortoise at Theatre 503 in London. UK tours of: Tangier Tattoo with
Glyndebourne Opera House, OneFourSeven with the Dende Collective/Lyric Hammersmith, and a
Welsh national tour of Flowers from Tunisia with Theatre Ibyd/Theatre Clwyd. Other theatre
includes Laters with Rikki Beadle-Blair at the Tristan Bates Theatre, Release The Beat-The Musical
with Mehmet Ergen at the Arcola Theatre and Funky Stuff at the King’s Head Theatre, all in
London.

In Film and TV, William recently completed guest roles in the BBC series Whistleblowers, The
Bill, and Channel 4's new drama Saddam's Tribe. Other recent credits include Last Flight to Kuwait
for the BBC, a lead role in the BBC/HBO film Dirty War, and Danish Dogma feature Brothers with
Suzanne Beir. Other TV includes: Spooks (series 3), and Black September-Days that Shook the
World, both for the BBC, The Sketch Show-Clithero for Channel 4 and Murder Prevention for
World productions/Five.

Teunkie van der Sluijs (director) was born in the Netherlands in 1981 and is a graduate of the
three year directing programme at Rose Bruford College in London. Recent directing work includes
productions of Robert Holman’s Kerry Leaves Home (Battersea Arts Centre, London), Boris Vian’s
The Empire Builders (Pleasance Theatre, London), Howard Barker’s Judith (Rosemary Branch
Theatre, London) and The Love of a Good Man (Rose Bruford College), devised piece The Great
Monkey Trial (Rose Bruford College) and The Expected, a modern opera by composers Thomas
Myrmel and Wilbert Bulsink, which toured Europe in 2006-2007. College productions include
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, Don Duyn’s Den Uyl and
Marguerite Duras’ India Song.

Van der Sluijs holds a BA and MA in Drama from the University of Amsterdam, and directed
several productions in the Netherlands, including Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis, Stanislaw
Witkiewicz’ The Madman and the Nun and Eugene Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano, as well as
co-directing a devised production based on the writings of Nikolai Gogol. His work has toured in
Europe, to North America and to North Africa, where he was awarded the Récherche Théâtrale
Award 2003 by the Arab theatre critic’s jury at the Festival International de Monastir, Tunisia
(“This masters the vocabulary of theatrical depiction; it presents us a distinguished piece of artistic
work” - Le Temps). He has taught drama at the University of Amsterdam and City University
London, and is currently working as coordinator of the international new writing programme at
Rose Bruford College. He has taught theatre workshops in the Netherlands, the UK, Canada and
Tunisia.

Van der Sluijs aims to (re)discover and re-imagine the great texts of European writers, both classic
and contemporary. He has a keen interest in the dark comedic undertones of conflict - both personal
and political.

Esteban Nuñez (lighting designer and technician) was born in 1975 in the Basque Country, an
autonomous region in Northern Spain. He studied physical and technical theatre in France and
Ireland and worked in puppet theatre, clowning and visual theatre all over Europe. He subsequently
completed a BA in lighting design at Rose Bruford College London, and set up Fishylight
Productions, a UK-based company in lighting design and visual imagery for performance.

Abdelkader Benali (author) was born in Morocco in 1975 and has lived in the Netherlands since
1979. He is one of the best-known contemporary writers in the Netherlands. For his debut novel
Wedding by the Sea he won the prestigious Geertjan Lubberhuizenprijs, and the Prix de Meilleur
Premier Roman Étranger in France (“Vivid, mythic and heartfelt” – Financial Times; “Full of verve
and hilarity” – Le Soir). He was awarded the 2003 Libris Literature Award in the Netherlands.
Critically acclaimed because of his lucid and insightful treatment of migrants’ issues, Benali has
been widely translated, and some of this work has been published in English. He reported from
Beirut under siege in the 2006 Lebanese war. With Yasser, Benali won the H.G. van der Vies
Award for best new play in the Netherlands in 2002; in the same year, the play was selected
for the Nederlands-Vlaams Theaterfestival, the showcase festival of the 10 best dramatic works of
the Low Countries.

Andy Sinclair-Harris (designer) was born in the United Kingdom in 1982 and trained at Rose
Bruford College. He holds a degree in theatre design and an MA in Theatre Practices. He is a
celebrated designer/director and concept artist with an extremely diverse portfolio including theatre,
puppetry, events, parades and theme parks.

His credits include Zoetrope the first aerial show to be performed at Rose Bruford College which he
both designed and directed. When the Lights Go Out an interactive, visually powerful piece and The
Autumn of His Years, a production using only projection. Andy also formed the production
company Kinematic, and has already become renowned for creating visually stunning performances
without dialogue. He has also designed Howie the Rookie at Battersea Arts Centre in London, and
And the River Weeps for The Miskin Theatre. He has also assisted Bob Crowley with the design of
Disney’s Tarzan and Mary Poppins, both of which ran on Broadway.









Production Team – A Propos of the Wet Snow

Oleg Liptsin (Dostoevskian Hero/Director) - Mr. Liptsin studied theater at Russian Academy
of Theatre Arts (GITIS) in Moscow with Anatoly Vasiliev and Mikhail Butkevich. He worked as
an actor and assistant director at renowned Moscow State Theatre “School of Dramatic Arts”
(Theatre de l’Europe) under artistic direction of Anatoly Vasiliev. For 3 years Oleg performed in
a worldwide known production “Six Characters In Search Of An Author” by Pirandello.

In 1989 Oleg established one of the first independent theatre ensembles in Ukraine – Theater Club, Kiev – which became a leading experimental and avant-garde theatre-laboratory in the country.

In early 90s Oleg began his directing and teaching career in Europe and other parts of the world. In 1991, a short-term residence in Schaubuhne (West Berlin) while Luke Bondy was directing “The Winter’s Tale” by Shakespeare. In 1993, experimental theatre/installation project “Kusma” based on Andrej Platonov in frames of art festival in Upper Austria. In 1993-94, teaching at the “Konrad Wolf” Film and TV Institute in Potsdam/Babelsberg, Germany. Later, a production based on Joyce’s “Ulysses” for International Festival “Kontakt” in Poland. In 1995, teaching at the National
School of Drama in Delhi, India. From 1995 Oleg Liptsin began working in USA and later – in Canada, from 2003 - in Paris.

Awarded a National Award for Experimental Work in Theatre by the Theatre Union of Ukraine, won the “Best Director” award and 4 nominations for “Best Director” and “Best Actor” in Ukraine, participated in more than 30 international festivals.

Currently Mr. Liptsin works as director and professor of drama in different parts of the world. He established and conducted the post-graduate educational program in stage directing at National University of Theatre, Film and TV in Kiev, teaches acting at Slavic University in Moscow and at Shelton Theater School in San Francisco, manages the InternationalTheaterEnsemble – recently established experimental international theatrical network.

Oleg Liptsin’s most recent directing credits include: 'Outcry" by T.Williams, "A Propos Of The Wet Snow (notes from the underground)" by F.Dostoevsky, “The Gamblers” by N.Gogol at PODOL Theatre in Kiev, “Happy Days” by S.Beckett – ITE production in San Francisco and Berkeley, “The Living Corpse” by Leo Tolstoy at Shelton Theater in San Francisco, “Oscar” by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt in Kiev, “The Elephant Man” by B. Pomerance in San Francisco and “The Serpent-Woman” by Gozzi in Kiev. Currently Oleg works on “The Overcoat” by N.Gogol and continues his effort on developing the innovative theatrical network – ITE/InternationalTheatreEnsemble

Ai-Cheng Ho (Prostitute) – Ai-Cheng Ho was born in Tau-yuan, Taiwan. She studied acting with
Oleg Liptsin at Acting International in Paris and was trained in Jacques Lecoq’s acting method at
the International Jacques Lecoq Theatre School in Paris and International School of Performing
Arts in London.

Ai-Cheng’s other performing trainings include the Chinese opera and contemporary dance, which
she’s mastering for years. She is trained in martial arts: Tai-ji quan and others.

Since 2004 Ai-Cheng Ho is a member of ITE, she participated in such ITE projects as ‘Cherry
Orchard On Plain-Air’ based on Anton Chekhov, ‘The Snake-Woman’ by Carlo Gozzi (Commedia
dell’arte) and ‘Mozart and Salieri’ by Pushkin.

Ai-Cheng is Master of Performing Arts with major in Film study from the University Paris
I-Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Kevin Quennesson (Video Art Programming) – Kevin was born in France and studied sciences in
the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, leading French school of Engineering. He came to the USA in
2004 and studied philosophy at Stanford and computer vision and graphics at GeorgiaTech. His
interests are in the intersection of technologies and the humanities.

He showed his first work called “conscious=camera” in August 2005 at Siggraph, LA in the
Emerging Technology and Art Gallery category. The “conscious=camera” based on real-time
body-tracking is a poetic interpretation of the phenomenology of images expressed by JP Sartre in
“L'Imagimaire”.
In 2006, he presented at Siggraph in Boston his "traces" installation aimed at representing people
passage and absence. "traces" is featured in the large scale "quell code" (source code) Kunst an Bau
installation in the new headquarters of SAP in Germany. "Quell code" was made in partnership
with the Ars Electronica Futurelab in Austria.

Since 2006 Kevin is a featured artist of the Victory Media Network in Dallas, TX - largest outdoor
media art gallery in the world.

Kevin Quennesson now lives in California and is a software development engineer at Apple Inc.