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.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
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 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
Sunday, October 12, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, October 10, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Egyptian author releases English version of his new novel based in Chicago called "Chicago"
Egyptian author releases English version of his new novel based in Chicago called "Chicago"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jane Beirn
212/207-7256
jane.beirn@harpercollins.com
CHICAGO: A NOVEL by ALAA AL ASWANY
The best-selling Arab writer both in the Middle East and abroad, Egyptian novelist Alaa Al Aswany used a Cairo apartment building as the backdrop for his international success, The Yacoubian Building, which brilliantly captured the daily drama and comedy of life in the teeming metropolis on the Nile. For his much-anticipated second novel, CHICAGO (HarperCollins Publishers; October 7, 2008; $25.95), this acclaimed fiction writer and controversial journalist – who despite literary success still practices dentistry in Cairo – shifts the stage to America’s Windy City, where a group of Egyptian émigrés navigate the shifting tides of life in the post 9/11 United States.
The many stories that converge in CHICAGO are set in and around the histology department at the University of Illinois, where Aswany himself studied dentistry in the 1980s. The characters, Muslim and Coptic Egyptians, as well as white and black Americans, all struggle with life’s quotidian demands, confronting issues of love, sex, religion and politics that have great impacts on their lives and aspirations. As their personal choices and interactions often
spiral out of control, the threat of life-altering consequences looms over their every decision.
Shaymaa Muhammadi is a brilliant young woman who has come to America on scholarship to further her medical education. Thirty and unmarried, she is religiously conservative, and appropriately modest in dress and demeanor, which isolates her from the free-wheeling Americans. When she meets a fellow Egyptian, another serious-minded student named Tariq Haseeb, she at first resists his advances. But the sexual chemistry between them proves too great, causing Shaymaa to compromise everything she has been raised to believe. The newest student, Nagi Abd al-Samad is politically suspect to some of the established members of the department, most particularly Ra’fat Thabit, a doctor who has fully assimilated, even marrying an American. But Ra’fat’s perfect world is shattered when he discovers that his daughter is harboring a cocaine addiction.
Another Egyptian married to an American, Muhammad Salah has been in this country for thirty years. Now sixty, Dr. Salah faces a crisis, his marriage has fallen victim to sexual impotence and he wallows in nostalgia for a woman he long ago left behind in Egypt. Ahmad Danana, president of the Egyptian Student Union in America, may be exploiting his student visa in order to remain in the States as an agent for the right wing government back in Cairo. When he clashes with Nagi’s over the new student’s revolutionary beliefs, the conflict may prove more serious than a mere student agreement. Meanwhile, Nagi’s situation is made all the more precarious by the fact that he has found himself a Jewish girlfriend in America. Rounding out the intertwined cast: Karam Doss, a brilliant heart surgeon with liberal politics whose Coptic beliefs stood in the way of his medical career at home; Dr. John Graham, an aging leftist who has found love late in life; and Carol, Graham’s African American girlfriend, who struggles with racism in her frustrating search for a job.
In its twelfth Arabic print run and an immediate bestseller when published in France last year, CHICAGO speaks to both the modern Arab reader and to the non-Arab interested in the ordinary lives of the modern Egyptian. The international edition of Time says Aswany’s “writing tackles the most pressing issues facing Egyptian society today, from dictatorship and corruption to economic inequality and Islamic extremism,” yet at the same time, here is a popular writer who entertains while he informs. The U.S. publication of CHICAGO, in this new English translation by Farouk Abdel Wahab, is sure to cement Alaa Al Aswany’s reputation as one of the most talked about writers on the world literary stage.
About the Author:
Alaa Al Aswany, 50, is the bestselling author of three previous books published in Arabic, including THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING, which was published in English by Harper Perennial and went on to top bestseller lists around the world. It was made into the biggest movie ever in Egypt and premiered in the US at the Tribeca Film Festival. A journalist who writes a controversial opposition column, Al Aswany makes his living as a dentist in Cairo.
# # #
June 9, 2008
Dear Book Review Editor:
The New York Times Magazine recently profiled Alaa al Aswany, the controversial Egyptian journalist and host of one of Cairo’s most talked about literary and political salons, who is also the world’s best-selling Arab-language novelist. Aswany’s first book, The Yacoubian Building, was an international sensation, selling hundreds of thousands of copies in Egypt alone – a country with 50 percent illiteracy – and has been published in more than a dozen foreign languages. Critics and devoted readers have drawn comparisons to Egypt’s great Nobel laureate, Naguib Mahfouz. Yet while Aswany “does share the legendary author’s talents for constructing simple stories about Egyptian life that convey universal truths in defense of human dignity,” Time magazine has said, “[h]is writing tackles the most pressing issues facing Egyptian society today, from dictatorship and corruption to economic inequality and Islamic extremism.”
Already in its twelfth Arabic print run and an immediate bestseller when published in France last year, Aswany’s new novel, CHICAGO, provides a kaleidoscopic view of the lives of Egyptian expatriates in post 9/11 America. The colorful tapestry of interwoven storylines is filled with memorable characters – among them an idealistic medical student with a blonde American girlfriend; a veiled PhD candidate facing the conflict between her upbringing and the Western culture she encounters; an ambitious state security officer cum informant; a university professor nostalgic for the past – whose detail-rich everyday lives come to embody the complex collision between traditional Arab ways and modern American mores. An entertaining storyteller, Aswany has a singular talent for portraying the forces that shape these lives in a subtle, realistic manner, and CHICAGO is unusual in the way it shows us how America is seen from a Middle Eastern perspective.
Despite his global literary status, Aswany still works as a dentist in his native Cairo, an occupation that allows him to hear the stories of the kinds of ordinary Egyptians who populate his books. Indeed, it was the time he spent studying dentistry at the University of Illinois that has provided the core material for CHICAGO. Working on a broad canvas, Aswany keeps his finger firmly on the pulse of the modern Arab experience. “He is read everywhere,” says Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury, editor of Al-Mulhaq, the Arab world’s preeminent literary supplement. “The importance of Al Aswany is that he reinvented the popular Egyptian novel.”
In addition to his literary success, The Yacoubian Building was made into a highly successful film starring some of the biggest stars in Arab-language cinema.
HarperCollins is proud to be publishing this illuminating new work by one of world literature’s most impressive and important talents. I hope you agree that CHICAGO merits prominent space in your pages.
Sincerely,
CHICAGO
Alaa Al Aswany
HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: October 7, 2008
Hardcover/$25.95/352 Pages
TOUR SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 NEW YORK
Barnes & Noble / Upstairs at the Square
@ 7:00 pm, 33 East 17th Street
MONDAY, OCTOBER 20 CHICAGO
Women’s Athletic Club
@ 12:00 pm, 626 North Michigan Avenue
Writers on the Record with Victoria Lautman
@ 6:00pm, Harold Washington Library, 400 South State Street
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24 WASHINGTON, D.C.
Politics & Prose
@ 7:00 pm, 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jane Beirn
212/207-7256
jane.beirn@harpercollins.com
CHICAGO: A NOVEL by ALAA AL ASWANY
The best-selling Arab writer both in the Middle East and abroad, Egyptian novelist Alaa Al Aswany used a Cairo apartment building as the backdrop for his international success, The Yacoubian Building, which brilliantly captured the daily drama and comedy of life in the teeming metropolis on the Nile. For his much-anticipated second novel, CHICAGO (HarperCollins Publishers; October 7, 2008; $25.95), this acclaimed fiction writer and controversial journalist – who despite literary success still practices dentistry in Cairo – shifts the stage to America’s Windy City, where a group of Egyptian émigrés navigate the shifting tides of life in the post 9/11 United States.
The many stories that converge in CHICAGO are set in and around the histology department at the University of Illinois, where Aswany himself studied dentistry in the 1980s. The characters, Muslim and Coptic Egyptians, as well as white and black Americans, all struggle with life’s quotidian demands, confronting issues of love, sex, religion and politics that have great impacts on their lives and aspirations. As their personal choices and interactions often
spiral out of control, the threat of life-altering consequences looms over their every decision.
Shaymaa Muhammadi is a brilliant young woman who has come to America on scholarship to further her medical education. Thirty and unmarried, she is religiously conservative, and appropriately modest in dress and demeanor, which isolates her from the free-wheeling Americans. When she meets a fellow Egyptian, another serious-minded student named Tariq Haseeb, she at first resists his advances. But the sexual chemistry between them proves too great, causing Shaymaa to compromise everything she has been raised to believe. The newest student, Nagi Abd al-Samad is politically suspect to some of the established members of the department, most particularly Ra’fat Thabit, a doctor who has fully assimilated, even marrying an American. But Ra’fat’s perfect world is shattered when he discovers that his daughter is harboring a cocaine addiction.
Another Egyptian married to an American, Muhammad Salah has been in this country for thirty years. Now sixty, Dr. Salah faces a crisis, his marriage has fallen victim to sexual impotence and he wallows in nostalgia for a woman he long ago left behind in Egypt. Ahmad Danana, president of the Egyptian Student Union in America, may be exploiting his student visa in order to remain in the States as an agent for the right wing government back in Cairo. When he clashes with Nagi’s over the new student’s revolutionary beliefs, the conflict may prove more serious than a mere student agreement. Meanwhile, Nagi’s situation is made all the more precarious by the fact that he has found himself a Jewish girlfriend in America. Rounding out the intertwined cast: Karam Doss, a brilliant heart surgeon with liberal politics whose Coptic beliefs stood in the way of his medical career at home; Dr. John Graham, an aging leftist who has found love late in life; and Carol, Graham’s African American girlfriend, who struggles with racism in her frustrating search for a job.
In its twelfth Arabic print run and an immediate bestseller when published in France last year, CHICAGO speaks to both the modern Arab reader and to the non-Arab interested in the ordinary lives of the modern Egyptian. The international edition of Time says Aswany’s “writing tackles the most pressing issues facing Egyptian society today, from dictatorship and corruption to economic inequality and Islamic extremism,” yet at the same time, here is a popular writer who entertains while he informs. The U.S. publication of CHICAGO, in this new English translation by Farouk Abdel Wahab, is sure to cement Alaa Al Aswany’s reputation as one of the most talked about writers on the world literary stage.
About the Author:
Alaa Al Aswany, 50, is the bestselling author of three previous books published in Arabic, including THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING, which was published in English by Harper Perennial and went on to top bestseller lists around the world. It was made into the biggest movie ever in Egypt and premiered in the US at the Tribeca Film Festival. A journalist who writes a controversial opposition column, Al Aswany makes his living as a dentist in Cairo.
# # #
June 9, 2008
Dear Book Review Editor:
The New York Times Magazine recently profiled Alaa al Aswany, the controversial Egyptian journalist and host of one of Cairo’s most talked about literary and political salons, who is also the world’s best-selling Arab-language novelist. Aswany’s first book, The Yacoubian Building, was an international sensation, selling hundreds of thousands of copies in Egypt alone – a country with 50 percent illiteracy – and has been published in more than a dozen foreign languages. Critics and devoted readers have drawn comparisons to Egypt’s great Nobel laureate, Naguib Mahfouz. Yet while Aswany “does share the legendary author’s talents for constructing simple stories about Egyptian life that convey universal truths in defense of human dignity,” Time magazine has said, “[h]is writing tackles the most pressing issues facing Egyptian society today, from dictatorship and corruption to economic inequality and Islamic extremism.”
Already in its twelfth Arabic print run and an immediate bestseller when published in France last year, Aswany’s new novel, CHICAGO, provides a kaleidoscopic view of the lives of Egyptian expatriates in post 9/11 America. The colorful tapestry of interwoven storylines is filled with memorable characters – among them an idealistic medical student with a blonde American girlfriend; a veiled PhD candidate facing the conflict between her upbringing and the Western culture she encounters; an ambitious state security officer cum informant; a university professor nostalgic for the past – whose detail-rich everyday lives come to embody the complex collision between traditional Arab ways and modern American mores. An entertaining storyteller, Aswany has a singular talent for portraying the forces that shape these lives in a subtle, realistic manner, and CHICAGO is unusual in the way it shows us how America is seen from a Middle Eastern perspective.
Despite his global literary status, Aswany still works as a dentist in his native Cairo, an occupation that allows him to hear the stories of the kinds of ordinary Egyptians who populate his books. Indeed, it was the time he spent studying dentistry at the University of Illinois that has provided the core material for CHICAGO. Working on a broad canvas, Aswany keeps his finger firmly on the pulse of the modern Arab experience. “He is read everywhere,” says Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury, editor of Al-Mulhaq, the Arab world’s preeminent literary supplement. “The importance of Al Aswany is that he reinvented the popular Egyptian novel.”
In addition to his literary success, The Yacoubian Building was made into a highly successful film starring some of the biggest stars in Arab-language cinema.
HarperCollins is proud to be publishing this illuminating new work by one of world literature’s most impressive and important talents. I hope you agree that CHICAGO merits prominent space in your pages.
Sincerely,
CHICAGO
Alaa Al Aswany
HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: October 7, 2008
Hardcover/$25.95/352 Pages
TOUR SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 NEW YORK
Barnes & Noble / Upstairs at the Square
@ 7:00 pm, 33 East 17th Street
MONDAY, OCTOBER 20 CHICAGO
Women’s Athletic Club
@ 12:00 pm, 626 North Michigan Avenue
Writers on the Record with Victoria Lautman
@ 6:00pm, Harold Washington Library, 400 South State Street
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24 WASHINGTON, D.C.
Politics & Prose
@ 7:00 pm, 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Judge in Halliburton contract corruption trial clashes with defense
(DATELINE Peoria, Il, Sept. 30, 2008) -- The judge in the controversial trial of Jeff Mazon, a former Halliburton procurement officer accused of intentionally inflating a contract payment in exchange for a bribe, acknowledged his rulings have caused "some tensions."
In the second day of hearings, U.S. District Court Judge Joe Billy McDade acknowledged his rulings tightened reigns on Mazon’s defense team which is led by J. Scott Arthur a suburban Chicago attorney from Orland Park.
Arthur protested, after the judge directed the jury to leave the court room during a procedural squabble, that the judge’s ruling compromised Mazon’s ability to get a fair trial.
"Your honor. I can’t represent my client because you have given the government (prosecutors) so much leeway," Arthur protested as Judge McDade ruled against Arthur’s attempts to strengthen his clients argument that the War in Iraq had strained the war contract delivery system.
McDade, who is soft spoken and rarely raises his voice, referred to the first trial in which the jury last April deadlocked on the complex charges.
"I gave the defense attorney in the last trial more leeway on issues outside of the scope of cross examination to allow him (Arthur) to address matters to put on his own case for the defense," Arthur said.
But he said he "won’t allow" Arthur to do it again in this second trial which began Monday in McDade’s court room in the Peoria Federal Building.
McDade offered a chilling warning to Arthur, saying, "Whether or not there will be a 3rd trial in this case by you is questionable." Arthur said he thought he understood what the softspoken judge said but "wasn’t sure."
After verbally reprimanding Arthur, McDade cautioned the attorney about his conduct.
The argument erupted when Arthur tried to get a government witness who worked for the U.S. Army that approved contracts to support the War in Iraq to acknowledge that everyone was in a rush to get the contracts serviced.
McDade has already ruled that Arthur cannot argue Mazon is being made a scapegoat by Halliburton KBR, his former employer, that he was "framed," that Halliburton, worked with the government to frame Mazon, or that Halliburton KBR mishandled dozens and maybe more government contracts..
What remains of Mazon’s defense, which may have swayed the deadlocked jury in the first trial held in Rock Island, is that Mazon, like many other contractors serving the Iraq war, were overworked causing many errors.
During the trial, a government witness and Mazon’s supervisor, Col. Robert Gatlin, said that he and Mazon and others worked as many as 20 hours a day, seven days a week.
Prosecutor Jeffrey B. Lang argued that Mazon inflated the contract to provide fuel to soldiers at garrisoned at a military base that was hurriedly built in Kuwait prior to the Iraq war.
Arthur argued in the last trial and will argue again that Mazon and several other Halliburton contractors had merely tripped up over the conversion of U.S. dollars to the Kuwait Dinars. One Kuwaiti Dinar is equal to 3.3 U.S. dollars. The inflated contract price was increased precisely by 3.3 in an Excel spreadsheet in which the formulas were automatically embedded. By clicking the "cells," contractors automatically changed the price.
The bid document presented to the court showed the contract was $1.67 million US Dollars but listed as $1.67 Kuwait Dinars. It was then converted to $5.52 million U.S. Dollars through the monetary conversion error.
Lang also challenged claims that the government and Bush administration were intentionally seeking to downplay the trial.
"This is not a political trial. No one from Washington (DC) called and told me to do anything. I got into this because I wanted to. I read a story about this in the Wall Street Journal and I called and asked to be assigned to this case," Lang said during a break in the trial.
Lang said as many as 60 people have been charged and convicted with contract related corruption, but he insisted that the politically connected Halliburton should not be the focus of the trial.
Critics, though, insist the Bush Administration intentionally pushed the trial to Rock Island for several reasons. Mazon is Ecuadorian American but his skin tone could lead many to mistake him for an Arab American. Since the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of Arab Americans have become victims of American public anger from subtle acts of discrimination and bias in court rooms, businesses and government to acts of vandalism and violence.
Rock Island’s mainly rural Bible Belt constituency might have produced an unsympathetic jury for someone who looks "foreign" and who is alleged to have engaged in corruption with contractors in the Arab World.
Lang brushed the charges aside.
The Peoria jury reflects a slightly better cosmopolitan diversity including five men and nine women, all save with one apparent Hispanic juror and another Asian.
The trial is expected to continue through the middle of October.
(Ray Hanania is providing special reports and commentary from and during the trial which is taking place in Peoria, Illinois. He can be reached at rayhanania@comcast.net.)
In the second day of hearings, U.S. District Court Judge Joe Billy McDade acknowledged his rulings tightened reigns on Mazon’s defense team which is led by J. Scott Arthur a suburban Chicago attorney from Orland Park.
Arthur protested, after the judge directed the jury to leave the court room during a procedural squabble, that the judge’s ruling compromised Mazon’s ability to get a fair trial.
"Your honor. I can’t represent my client because you have given the government (prosecutors) so much leeway," Arthur protested as Judge McDade ruled against Arthur’s attempts to strengthen his clients argument that the War in Iraq had strained the war contract delivery system.
McDade, who is soft spoken and rarely raises his voice, referred to the first trial in which the jury last April deadlocked on the complex charges.
"I gave the defense attorney in the last trial more leeway on issues outside of the scope of cross examination to allow him (Arthur) to address matters to put on his own case for the defense," Arthur said.
But he said he "won’t allow" Arthur to do it again in this second trial which began Monday in McDade’s court room in the Peoria Federal Building.
McDade offered a chilling warning to Arthur, saying, "Whether or not there will be a 3rd trial in this case by you is questionable." Arthur said he thought he understood what the softspoken judge said but "wasn’t sure."
After verbally reprimanding Arthur, McDade cautioned the attorney about his conduct.
The argument erupted when Arthur tried to get a government witness who worked for the U.S. Army that approved contracts to support the War in Iraq to acknowledge that everyone was in a rush to get the contracts serviced.
McDade has already ruled that Arthur cannot argue Mazon is being made a scapegoat by Halliburton KBR, his former employer, that he was "framed," that Halliburton, worked with the government to frame Mazon, or that Halliburton KBR mishandled dozens and maybe more government contracts..
What remains of Mazon’s defense, which may have swayed the deadlocked jury in the first trial held in Rock Island, is that Mazon, like many other contractors serving the Iraq war, were overworked causing many errors.
During the trial, a government witness and Mazon’s supervisor, Col. Robert Gatlin, said that he and Mazon and others worked as many as 20 hours a day, seven days a week.
Prosecutor Jeffrey B. Lang argued that Mazon inflated the contract to provide fuel to soldiers at garrisoned at a military base that was hurriedly built in Kuwait prior to the Iraq war.
Arthur argued in the last trial and will argue again that Mazon and several other Halliburton contractors had merely tripped up over the conversion of U.S. dollars to the Kuwait Dinars. One Kuwaiti Dinar is equal to 3.3 U.S. dollars. The inflated contract price was increased precisely by 3.3 in an Excel spreadsheet in which the formulas were automatically embedded. By clicking the "cells," contractors automatically changed the price.
The bid document presented to the court showed the contract was $1.67 million US Dollars but listed as $1.67 Kuwait Dinars. It was then converted to $5.52 million U.S. Dollars through the monetary conversion error.
Lang also challenged claims that the government and Bush administration were intentionally seeking to downplay the trial.
"This is not a political trial. No one from Washington (DC) called and told me to do anything. I got into this because I wanted to. I read a story about this in the Wall Street Journal and I called and asked to be assigned to this case," Lang said during a break in the trial.
Lang said as many as 60 people have been charged and convicted with contract related corruption, but he insisted that the politically connected Halliburton should not be the focus of the trial.
Critics, though, insist the Bush Administration intentionally pushed the trial to Rock Island for several reasons. Mazon is Ecuadorian American but his skin tone could lead many to mistake him for an Arab American. Since the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of Arab Americans have become victims of American public anger from subtle acts of discrimination and bias in court rooms, businesses and government to acts of vandalism and violence.
Rock Island’s mainly rural Bible Belt constituency might have produced an unsympathetic jury for someone who looks "foreign" and who is alleged to have engaged in corruption with contractors in the Arab World.
Lang brushed the charges aside.
The Peoria jury reflects a slightly better cosmopolitan diversity including five men and nine women, all save with one apparent Hispanic juror and another Asian.
The trial is expected to continue through the middle of October.
(Ray Hanania is providing special reports and commentary from and during the trial which is taking place in Peoria, Illinois. He can be reached at rayhanania@comcast.net.)
Sunday, September 28, 2008
New Play produced on Iran: Two teenage boys sentenced for crimes against God
For Immediate Release: September 19, 2008
Jay Paul Deratany, Writer/Producer, 312.375.3574 jaypaul@haramiran.com
HaramIran.com
Two Iranian Teenage Boys sentenced for crimes against God
Permoveo Productions, presents the world premier of the play:
Haram Iran a play written by Jay Paul Deratany
At the Athenaeum Theater
Please Be Our Guest on Opening Night, Saturday, November 8th, at 8 p.m.
Chicago – Haram Iran, written by Jay Paul Deratany and Directed by David Zak, is based on the true story about the trial of two Iranian teenagers in Mashad, Iran in 2005.
Haram Iran tells the story of two boys coming of age, and struggling with their identities as Arab Iranians, and as typical teenagers longing to discover their place in the world. Ayaz Marhouni and Mahmoud Asgari, two fifteen year old boys who may have been experimenting with their sexuality-- like many teenagers do, however, they get caught in an innocent situation, publicly humiliated and tried in the Iranian legal system. The story follows the boys' passions--one for literature and the other for sports--and their friendship. The play takes the audience into the complexity of their relationship, and then the horrifying ordeal of being tried by an unforgiving Iranian legal system which misinterprets the Muslim law of Sharia.
The dates, names and many of the facts are true, however the trial scenes and much of the side story of the boys is fictional since it is not known exactly what occurred during the trial. What is known is that they were adolescents, who were tried and sentenced for "moral sins".
In Iran thousands of people, including children, are jailed or killed each year, some because they are women who have had pre-maritial sex, and others because they are considered to be homosexual.
Haram Iran is critical of Iranian politics and their very flawed legal system. This play does not, however critique or criticize Muslims, or the Islamic faith, which is a loving and peaceful religion. In fact, to the contrary, the writer draws the distinction between a loving faith and some of its misguided extremist followers.
Producer/writer Jay Paul Deratany has said "this play is about exposing the human rights violations being committed on a daily basis, therefore I will be donating a significant portion of the of the profits from this play to Amnesty International for the aid and assistance to Iranians who suffer from torture and injustice." So when you buy your ticket, remember that some of your ticket price will go to help those who are in desperate need of our care and love.
Opening Night
Thursday, November 8th at 8:00
Regular Performances are
November 6, 7 and 8 - 8:00 pm
November 9 - matinee 2:00 pm
November 13, 14, 15 - 8:00 p.m
November 16 - matinee 2:00 pm
November 20, 21, 22 - 8:00 pm
November 23 - matinee 2:00 pm
November 28, 29 - 8:00 pm
November 30 - matinee 2:00 pm
December 4, 5, 6 - 8:00 pm
December 7 - matinee 2:00 pm
$20 for Adults
$18 for Students & Seniors
Theater seats 60
Tickets are available through TicketMaster® at ticketmaster.com or by calling TicketMaster® at 312-559-1212, you will be able to guarantee your space and print your tickets online.
Tickets are also available at the Athenaeum Theater.
ATHENAEUM THEATER
2936 N. Southport
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 935-6860
athenaeumtheatre.com
info@athenaeumtheatre.com
Jay Paul Deratany, Writer/Producer, 312.375.3574 jaypaul@haramiran.com
HaramIran.com
Two Iranian Teenage Boys sentenced for crimes against God
Permoveo Productions, presents the world premier of the play:
Haram Iran a play written by Jay Paul Deratany
At the Athenaeum Theater
Please Be Our Guest on Opening Night, Saturday, November 8th, at 8 p.m.
Chicago – Haram Iran, written by Jay Paul Deratany and Directed by David Zak, is based on the true story about the trial of two Iranian teenagers in Mashad, Iran in 2005.
Haram Iran tells the story of two boys coming of age, and struggling with their identities as Arab Iranians, and as typical teenagers longing to discover their place in the world. Ayaz Marhouni and Mahmoud Asgari, two fifteen year old boys who may have been experimenting with their sexuality-- like many teenagers do, however, they get caught in an innocent situation, publicly humiliated and tried in the Iranian legal system. The story follows the boys' passions--one for literature and the other for sports--and their friendship. The play takes the audience into the complexity of their relationship, and then the horrifying ordeal of being tried by an unforgiving Iranian legal system which misinterprets the Muslim law of Sharia.
The dates, names and many of the facts are true, however the trial scenes and much of the side story of the boys is fictional since it is not known exactly what occurred during the trial. What is known is that they were adolescents, who were tried and sentenced for "moral sins".
In Iran thousands of people, including children, are jailed or killed each year, some because they are women who have had pre-maritial sex, and others because they are considered to be homosexual.
Haram Iran is critical of Iranian politics and their very flawed legal system. This play does not, however critique or criticize Muslims, or the Islamic faith, which is a loving and peaceful religion. In fact, to the contrary, the writer draws the distinction between a loving faith and some of its misguided extremist followers.
Producer/writer Jay Paul Deratany has said "this play is about exposing the human rights violations being committed on a daily basis, therefore I will be donating a significant portion of the of the profits from this play to Amnesty International for the aid and assistance to Iranians who suffer from torture and injustice." So when you buy your ticket, remember that some of your ticket price will go to help those who are in desperate need of our care and love.
Opening Night
Thursday, November 8th at 8:00
Regular Performances are
November 6, 7 and 8 - 8:00 pm
November 9 - matinee 2:00 pm
November 13, 14, 15 - 8:00 p.m
November 16 - matinee 2:00 pm
November 20, 21, 22 - 8:00 pm
November 23 - matinee 2:00 pm
November 28, 29 - 8:00 pm
November 30 - matinee 2:00 pm
December 4, 5, 6 - 8:00 pm
December 7 - matinee 2:00 pm
$20 for Adults
$18 for Students & Seniors
Theater seats 60
Tickets are available through TicketMaster® at ticketmaster.com or by calling TicketMaster® at 312-559-1212, you will be able to guarantee your space and print your tickets online.
Tickets are also available at the Athenaeum Theater.
ATHENAEUM THEATER
2936 N. Southport
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 935-6860
athenaeumtheatre.com
info@athenaeumtheatre.com
Arab American Chicago journalist named to host new daily morning radio talk show
Arab American journalist named Chicago morning radio talk show
photo available for download at:
http://www.themediaoasis.com/hananiaformlport300jpg.jpg
(Chicago/Sept. 29, 2008) – Arab American journalist Ray Hanania was named as the morning talk show host for WJJG AM 1530.
An award winning journalist who covered Chicago City Hall politics from 1977 until 1992, and hosted a radio show on WLS AM radio, will host the show weekday mornings, Monday through Friday, beginning every morning at 8 AM.
“Mornings with Ray Hanania” will feature interviews and discussions with listeners on every topic in the news. Hanania will also emphasize local Southwest suburban news and issues in the show along with regional, national and international guests, but will also highlight Arab American and Middle East issues on the program.
Hanania said he expects the show to expand in the near future.
“I am a big believer in community news, community newspapers and community reporting and one important aspect of the show will be inclusion of community perspectives and news in our discussion,” said Hanania who was named “Best Ethnic Columnist in America” by the New America Media.
“I want people throughout the Chicagoland region to engage each other on issues that are of local significance, but that also cross cultural lines. Americans face common challenges and even though the details might be different, they are the same and sharing and discussing is important. It’s very important that Americans also expand their understanding of the Middle East by opening their ears and minds to an alternative views and opinions and perspectives.”
Hanania is also the winner of three Society of Professional Journalism Lisagor awards and was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times in 1990 for a Pulitzer Prize for his 4-part series on the Palestinian Intifada. He also has awards from UPI and two Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild.
The radio show is broadcast live on the Internet off his web page at www.RadioChicagoland.com. Hanania is also a columnist with the Southwest News-Herald newspaper, and with the HuffingtonPost.com. His columns also appear in news blogs and newspaper around the world.
Hanania said he is also targeting Arab Americans.
“People love me. People hate me. But people read my columns,” Hanania said.
“What’s really important is that we open our minds and stop allowing emotion, anger and frustration to force Arab Americans to be predictable and act out of emotion rather than out of strategic communications.”
The show is broadcast on the Internet, and select interviews are podcast and available on iTunes for download to individual iPods. Segments of the radio show are also videotaped and rebroadcast on Hanania’s TV Chicagoland (http://www.tvchicagoland.com/) Comcast Cable TV program every Friday in 145 Chicagoland suburban communities.
Contact Hanania at rayhanania@comcast.net.
end
photo available for download at:
http://www.themediaoasis.com/hananiaformlport300jpg.jpg
(Chicago/Sept. 29, 2008) – Arab American journalist Ray Hanania was named as the morning talk show host for WJJG AM 1530.
An award winning journalist who covered Chicago City Hall politics from 1977 until 1992, and hosted a radio show on WLS AM radio, will host the show weekday mornings, Monday through Friday, beginning every morning at 8 AM.
“Mornings with Ray Hanania” will feature interviews and discussions with listeners on every topic in the news. Hanania will also emphasize local Southwest suburban news and issues in the show along with regional, national and international guests, but will also highlight Arab American and Middle East issues on the program.
Hanania said he expects the show to expand in the near future.
“I am a big believer in community news, community newspapers and community reporting and one important aspect of the show will be inclusion of community perspectives and news in our discussion,” said Hanania who was named “Best Ethnic Columnist in America” by the New America Media.
“I want people throughout the Chicagoland region to engage each other on issues that are of local significance, but that also cross cultural lines. Americans face common challenges and even though the details might be different, they are the same and sharing and discussing is important. It’s very important that Americans also expand their understanding of the Middle East by opening their ears and minds to an alternative views and opinions and perspectives.”
Hanania is also the winner of three Society of Professional Journalism Lisagor awards and was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times in 1990 for a Pulitzer Prize for his 4-part series on the Palestinian Intifada. He also has awards from UPI and two Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild.
The radio show is broadcast live on the Internet off his web page at www.RadioChicagoland.com. Hanania is also a columnist with the Southwest News-Herald newspaper, and with the HuffingtonPost.com. His columns also appear in news blogs and newspaper around the world.
Hanania said he is also targeting Arab Americans.
“People love me. People hate me. But people read my columns,” Hanania said.
“What’s really important is that we open our minds and stop allowing emotion, anger and frustration to force Arab Americans to be predictable and act out of emotion rather than out of strategic communications.”
The show is broadcast on the Internet, and select interviews are podcast and available on iTunes for download to individual iPods. Segments of the radio show are also videotaped and rebroadcast on Hanania’s TV Chicagoland (http://www.tvchicagoland.com/) Comcast Cable TV program every Friday in 145 Chicagoland suburban communities.
Contact Hanania at rayhanania@comcast.net.
end
Friday, September 26, 2008
Fundraiser for under privileged Moroccan Rural women
Bouchra Adyel
VP Communications
Association of Moroccan Professionals in America
www.amp-usa.org
Press Release
For Immediate Release United States, 9-15-2008
AMPA - Association of Moroccan Professionals in America - is organizing a milestone fundraiser during its members annual assembly in New York City on October 25 th, 2008.
Under the theme of « Droit de la jeune fille rurale au Baccalauréat» AMPA is organizing a fundraiser for CSSF - Comité de Soutien à la Scolarisation des Filles Rurales - a nonprofit association helping young underprivileged Moroccan rural women to overcome the high rate of dropping out from
high school in the first three years. Through its network of local associations in remote areas in Morocco, CSSF provides 1100 young women with living facilities (27 foyers), meals and private courses for the first three years of high school. In order to assist CSSF in its efforts, AMPA is inviting you to a charity fundraiser gala to raise money for the CSSF campaign. The evening will consist of dinner, a fashion show, live music as well as a fundraiser and silent auction. AMPA encourages all Moroccan-Americans and the friends of our community to join us for this evening of charity and entertainement.
“The rural girls, just like the other Moroccan children of today, aspire to a quality education which opens the doors for them to become accomplished citizens. Unfortunately, our education system is in
crisis and the chances for the rural children, girls and boys to complete a full education cycle are very slim. The rural girls more than the other categories, are victims of a massive abandonment which mortgages their right to the Baccalaureate as a first stage of a promising university degree, a gratifying career, and a significant participation in the public life” Aïcha Khidani, CSSF President.
“CSSF is one of the most respected associations in Morocco and it is doing an excellent work by encouraging these young women. As Moroccans who got the opportunity to flourish and pursue our dreams in the United States we believe it is time to give back and help these young women in pursuing their own dreams” Hicham Kabbaj, AMPA President.
The Association of Moroccan Professionals in America (AMPA) is a non-profit organization established to promote networking between Moroccan professionals, transatlantic business opportunities, career development and community service.
VP Communications
Association of Moroccan Professionals in America
www.amp-usa.org
Press Release
For Immediate Release United States, 9-15-2008
AMPA - Association of Moroccan Professionals in America - is organizing a milestone fundraiser during its members annual assembly in New York City on October 25 th, 2008.
Under the theme of « Droit de la jeune fille rurale au Baccalauréat» AMPA is organizing a fundraiser for CSSF - Comité de Soutien à la Scolarisation des Filles Rurales - a nonprofit association helping young underprivileged Moroccan rural women to overcome the high rate of dropping out from
high school in the first three years. Through its network of local associations in remote areas in Morocco, CSSF provides 1100 young women with living facilities (27 foyers), meals and private courses for the first three years of high school. In order to assist CSSF in its efforts, AMPA is inviting you to a charity fundraiser gala to raise money for the CSSF campaign. The evening will consist of dinner, a fashion show, live music as well as a fundraiser and silent auction. AMPA encourages all Moroccan-Americans and the friends of our community to join us for this evening of charity and entertainement.
“The rural girls, just like the other Moroccan children of today, aspire to a quality education which opens the doors for them to become accomplished citizens. Unfortunately, our education system is in
crisis and the chances for the rural children, girls and boys to complete a full education cycle are very slim. The rural girls more than the other categories, are victims of a massive abandonment which mortgages their right to the Baccalaureate as a first stage of a promising university degree, a gratifying career, and a significant participation in the public life” Aïcha Khidani, CSSF President.
“CSSF is one of the most respected associations in Morocco and it is doing an excellent work by encouraging these young women. As Moroccans who got the opportunity to flourish and pursue our dreams in the United States we believe it is time to give back and help these young women in pursuing their own dreams” Hicham Kabbaj, AMPA President.
The Association of Moroccan Professionals in America (AMPA) is a non-profit organization established to promote networking between Moroccan professionals, transatlantic business opportunities, career development and community service.
Future of US-Muslim World Relations Conference Oct. 4
PRESS RELEASE AND MEDIA INVITE
For Immediate Release: September 26, 2008
The Future of US-Muslim World Relations
A Hope Not Hate Leadership Retreat at Northwestern University
Evanston, IL – On Saturday, October 4th Americans for Informed Democracy presents a Hope Not Hate youth leadership retreat at Northwestern University. The retreat will bring together special guest speakers and young leaders for a day of discussions and leadership workshops focused on the ways to improve US-Muslim World relations. Young people from across the region are invited to attend to learn how they can encourage international cooperation and influence US foreign policy.
The one day retreat will feature a panel discussion led by local experts Ray Hanania, award winning syndicated columnist, author, and host of Radioland Chicago; Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, a journalist with the Chicago Tribune and their correspondent for Afghanistan; and Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of the Chicago Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The event, which will be held in Harris Room 107, is free and open to all, and free refreshments will be served.
Americans for Informed Democracy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers young people in the United States to address global challenges such as poverty, disease, climate change, and conflict through awareness and action. We promote just and sustainable solutions at the campus, community and national level. The Hope Not Hate is an annual series of conferences and international videoconference dialogues on the future of U.S.-Muslim World relations that has engaged tens of thousands of students and citizens in hundreds of communities since its inception in 2003. The series was called by The Boston Globe editorial board “a victory of knowledge and inquiry over fear and blind pledges of revenge”.
The conference series is supported by a coalition of non-profit organizations, including Americans for Informed Democracy, the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the United Nations Foundation, as part of a broader initiative called The People Speak.
For more information or to register for the conference, please visit our website at
http://www.aidemocracy.org/conferences/hnh/evanston08.php
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"HOPING NOT HATING: A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR ACRASSICAUDA"
The leadership retreat will be followed by a benefit concert for Acrassicauda, a heavy metal band on the run that formed and practiced in Baghdad, Iraq during the height of the Iraq war. The concert will bring together two bands from the Great Lakes region, AL-THAWRA and NATIVE to stand in solidarity with Acrassicauda and raise some funds for them to continue their creative work in Turkey
The concert is $2 for Conference Attendees and $6 for Non-Conference Attendees. All proceeds from this event will go straight to Acrassicauda. For more information on Acrassicauda and the benefit check out Heavy Metal In Baghdad. For any questions regarding the concert please contact Arya Zarrinkelk, Program Associate for Global Peace and Security
Press Contacts: Americans for Informed Democracy: Northwestern University
(410) 962-8773 Stephanie Chang
Vicente Garcia Kerri Metcalf
Director, Peace and Security Program Co-Presidents
Vicente@aidemocracy.org AID Campus Chapter
Arya Zarrinkelk schang13@gmail.com
Program Associate k-metcalf@northwestern.edu
Arya@aidemocracy.org
Laura Kavanaugh
Program Fellow
Laura@aidemocracy.org
Marceline White
President
marceline@aidemocracy.org
We invite all members of the press to attend this event. If you would like to send a
correspondent, please contact Laura, Arya, or Vicente with details and requests. Further
information and a complete schedule can be found on the retreat website at
http://www.aidemocracy.org/conferences/hnh/evanston08.php
For Immediate Release: September 26, 2008
The Future of US-Muslim World Relations
A Hope Not Hate Leadership Retreat at Northwestern University
Evanston, IL – On Saturday, October 4th Americans for Informed Democracy presents a Hope Not Hate youth leadership retreat at Northwestern University. The retreat will bring together special guest speakers and young leaders for a day of discussions and leadership workshops focused on the ways to improve US-Muslim World relations. Young people from across the region are invited to attend to learn how they can encourage international cooperation and influence US foreign policy.
The one day retreat will feature a panel discussion led by local experts Ray Hanania, award winning syndicated columnist, author, and host of Radioland Chicago; Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, a journalist with the Chicago Tribune and their correspondent for Afghanistan; and Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of the Chicago Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The event, which will be held in Harris Room 107, is free and open to all, and free refreshments will be served.
Americans for Informed Democracy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers young people in the United States to address global challenges such as poverty, disease, climate change, and conflict through awareness and action. We promote just and sustainable solutions at the campus, community and national level. The Hope Not Hate is an annual series of conferences and international videoconference dialogues on the future of U.S.-Muslim World relations that has engaged tens of thousands of students and citizens in hundreds of communities since its inception in 2003. The series was called by The Boston Globe editorial board “a victory of knowledge and inquiry over fear and blind pledges of revenge”.
The conference series is supported by a coalition of non-profit organizations, including Americans for Informed Democracy, the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the United Nations Foundation, as part of a broader initiative called The People Speak.
For more information or to register for the conference, please visit our website at
http://www.aidemocracy.org/conferences/hnh/evanston08.php
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"HOPING NOT HATING: A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR ACRASSICAUDA"
The leadership retreat will be followed by a benefit concert for Acrassicauda, a heavy metal band on the run that formed and practiced in Baghdad, Iraq during the height of the Iraq war. The concert will bring together two bands from the Great Lakes region, AL-THAWRA and NATIVE to stand in solidarity with Acrassicauda and raise some funds for them to continue their creative work in Turkey
The concert is $2 for Conference Attendees and $6 for Non-Conference Attendees. All proceeds from this event will go straight to Acrassicauda. For more information on Acrassicauda and the benefit check out Heavy Metal In Baghdad. For any questions regarding the concert please contact Arya Zarrinkelk, Program Associate for Global Peace and Security
Press Contacts: Americans for Informed Democracy: Northwestern University
(410) 962-8773 Stephanie Chang
Vicente Garcia Kerri Metcalf
Director, Peace and Security Program Co-Presidents
Vicente@aidemocracy.org AID Campus Chapter
Arya Zarrinkelk schang13@gmail.com
Program Associate k-metcalf@northwestern.edu
Arya@aidemocracy.org
Laura Kavanaugh
Program Fellow
Laura@aidemocracy.org
Marceline White
President
marceline@aidemocracy.org
We invite all members of the press to attend this event. If you would like to send a
correspondent, please contact Laura, Arya, or Vicente with details and requests. Further
information and a complete schedule can be found on the retreat website at
http://www.aidemocracy.org/conferences/hnh/evanston08.php
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Taybeh OctoberFest Oct. 11-12, 2008
Release, Taybeh Municipality,
Taybeh-Ramallah, Palestine
Festival Coordinator: Dr. Maria C. Khoury,
Mobile: 054 5 465 845 or 059 318 347 Email: Khourymaria@hotmail.com
(Nadim Khoury +972 2 289 8868) Sept 20, 2008
Taybeh Oktoberfest, the 4th annual village festival is scheduled, Sat and Sun, Oct 11 &12, 2008 in Taybeh-Ramallah, Palestine, 11 am to 10 pm with the opening celebration, 11am at the Taybeh Municipality on Sat, Oct 11th including Al Kamandjati Music and Duernbach Blas Music Band from Bavaria. A successful 2005 first time event initiated by Taybeh Brewing Company, the Oktoberfest in Palestine promoting all local products produced in Taybeh thus boosting the local economy has become a favorite for thousands including dignitaries, ministers and head of representative offices. The festival is the cooperative work of Taybeh Municipality (www.taybehmunicipality.org) and its mayor David Canaan Khoury with all local civic organizations.
The most magnificent site in Taybeh, the Byzantine ruins of St. George Greek Orthodox Church is now a national protected archeological site. New plans are underway in cooperation with Riwaq and the Spanish Cooperation for preventive restoration of Taybeh’s historical old town maintaining traditional architecture with the vision of moving future Oktoberfest activities to the historic neighborhood.
The Taybeh Oktoberfest allows participants to share in the ancient roots of Palestine since Taybeh is one of the oldest places in the region known by its Biblical name Ephraim thereby offering visitors a cultural, educational and ancient heritage on one of the highest mountain regions in Palestine. With a population of less than 2,000, Taybeh residents who suffer to exist under Israeli occupation experience the Oktoberfest as the ultimate form of non violent action.
Taybeh Beer, a leading Palestinian manufacturer who made history launching Taybeh Golden Beer in August 1995 will continue its leading role by introducing the first Palestinian non-alcohol Brew made in traditional German style, 100% malt. This light, crisp, refreshing drink will continue to inspire a Palestinian Oktoberfest in search for freedom and democracy.
The origins of the “Oktoberfest” date back to 1810, when a lavish five-day celebration was held all over Munich to mark the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig.
Music groups will include Spafford Children’s Center, Wael Abu Salom and Mohamed Hadeeb; Culture Shock, the new Rock-Rap Band; Sanabel; G-Town Hip Hop Makers; Zaman Arabic Gipsy Music; Cinderella-Al Kasaba Theater; Karate Demonstration from Japan; Sarab for Dance; Assayel Dance Troup; Ramallah Orthodox Club; Al Ghad Al Jadid Folklore (Beit Sahour); Ibdaa Dance Troup (Bethlehem) and many local Dabkeh groups. Taybeh will host the first Tag Rugby in Palestine Ramallah Blue Snakes vs Beit Jala Lions RFC, 1 pm, Sunday, October 12th, Taybeh Soccer Field, North entrance of Taybeh.
Please join us Saturday and Sunday, October 11 and 12, 2008, in Taybeh, Palestine.
Taybeh-Ramallah, Palestine
Festival Coordinator: Dr. Maria C. Khoury,
Mobile: 054 5 465 845 or 059 318 347 Email: Khourymaria@hotmail.com
(Nadim Khoury +972 2 289 8868) Sept 20, 2008
Taybeh Oktoberfest, the 4th annual village festival is scheduled, Sat and Sun, Oct 11 &12, 2008 in Taybeh-Ramallah, Palestine, 11 am to 10 pm with the opening celebration, 11am at the Taybeh Municipality on Sat, Oct 11th including Al Kamandjati Music and Duernbach Blas Music Band from Bavaria. A successful 2005 first time event initiated by Taybeh Brewing Company, the Oktoberfest in Palestine promoting all local products produced in Taybeh thus boosting the local economy has become a favorite for thousands including dignitaries, ministers and head of representative offices. The festival is the cooperative work of Taybeh Municipality (www.taybehmunicipality.org) and its mayor David Canaan Khoury with all local civic organizations.
The most magnificent site in Taybeh, the Byzantine ruins of St. George Greek Orthodox Church is now a national protected archeological site. New plans are underway in cooperation with Riwaq and the Spanish Cooperation for preventive restoration of Taybeh’s historical old town maintaining traditional architecture with the vision of moving future Oktoberfest activities to the historic neighborhood.
The Taybeh Oktoberfest allows participants to share in the ancient roots of Palestine since Taybeh is one of the oldest places in the region known by its Biblical name Ephraim thereby offering visitors a cultural, educational and ancient heritage on one of the highest mountain regions in Palestine. With a population of less than 2,000, Taybeh residents who suffer to exist under Israeli occupation experience the Oktoberfest as the ultimate form of non violent action.
Taybeh Beer, a leading Palestinian manufacturer who made history launching Taybeh Golden Beer in August 1995 will continue its leading role by introducing the first Palestinian non-alcohol Brew made in traditional German style, 100% malt. This light, crisp, refreshing drink will continue to inspire a Palestinian Oktoberfest in search for freedom and democracy.
The origins of the “Oktoberfest” date back to 1810, when a lavish five-day celebration was held all over Munich to mark the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig.
Music groups will include Spafford Children’s Center, Wael Abu Salom and Mohamed Hadeeb; Culture Shock, the new Rock-Rap Band; Sanabel; G-Town Hip Hop Makers; Zaman Arabic Gipsy Music; Cinderella-Al Kasaba Theater; Karate Demonstration from Japan; Sarab for Dance; Assayel Dance Troup; Ramallah Orthodox Club; Al Ghad Al Jadid Folklore (Beit Sahour); Ibdaa Dance Troup (Bethlehem) and many local Dabkeh groups. Taybeh will host the first Tag Rugby in Palestine Ramallah Blue Snakes vs Beit Jala Lions RFC, 1 pm, Sunday, October 12th, Taybeh Soccer Field, North entrance of Taybeh.
Please join us Saturday and Sunday, October 11 and 12, 2008, in Taybeh, Palestine.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Press COnference Thursday Sept. 25, New York on anti-Muslim hate DVD "Obsessions"
Press COnference Thursday Sept. 25, New York on anti-Muslim hate DVD "Obsessions"
Contact and RSVP: Meryl Zegarek Public Relations,
info@mzpr.com, 917-493-3601
FOR NEWS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR - PRESS CONFERENCE 9/25/08 4:30-5:30PM
DATE/TIME Thursday, September 25, 2008 4:30pm - 5:30pm
WHERE: Intersections, 274 Fifth Avenue (at 29th Street) NYC
WHAT: The Cost of War at Home & Abroad Series addresses Muslims in the Media– panelists discuss the media's portrayal of Muslims post 9-11 and how that has affected the Islamic community. They will also address the 60 minute video “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West” distributed by the Clarion Fund, which plays on fear, and distorts the reality of the Muslim community. As recent as this past weekend, this DVD has begun distribution to 28 million households in the U.S. bundled as an advertising supplement in newspapers, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal (specifically in cities outside of NYC). The film features Daniel Pipes, Alfons Heck, Walid Shoebat, Nonie Darwish and others.
Intersection’s Executive Director, Rev. Robert Chase, will moderate the press conference and will also unveil a new website about Muslims in America called ChangeTheStory.net. The website addresses the lack of understanding of Muslims in the U.S. with the intent to build bridges of understanding across lines of faith and culture, and counter the stereotypical narratives of Muslims portrayed in our media, and in propaganda such as the Obsession video.
WHO: (the multi-cultural global initiative of The Collegiate Churches of NY), and Faith House Manhattan. Panelists will address the press and take questions (prior to the public event, 7pm - 9pm)
• Debbie Almontaser, founding & former principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy
• Anisa Mehdi; Emmy-award winning filmmaker, consultant about Muslims to academic institutions and media outlets;
• Hussein Rashid, founder of islamicate.com, works with major political figures and institutions, advising them on the history and culture of Muslims.
ChangeTheStory.net – is a new website aimed at combating harmful stereotypes about Muslims that persist in American society. It was inspired by a new and major report, Changing Course: A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the Muslim World. The report was compiled by the Leadership Group on U.S. Muslim Engagement, comprised of more than thirty American leaders, including such luminaries as Madeleine Albright, Stephen Covey, Daniel Yankelovich, Vin Weber and Imam Feissal Abdul Rauf. This report will be released on September 24th at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
(Daisy Kahn, Ex. Director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), is on the public panel, but not yet confirmed for the press conference.)
Meryl Zegarek Public Relations, Inc.
255 West 108th Street, Suite 9D1
New York, New York 10025
Office/Land-line 917-493-3601 Fax: 917-493-3598
mz@mzpr.com
Contact and RSVP: Meryl Zegarek Public Relations,
info@mzpr.com, 917-493-3601
FOR NEWS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR - PRESS CONFERENCE 9/25/08 4:30-5:30PM
DATE/TIME Thursday, September 25, 2008 4:30pm - 5:30pm
WHERE: Intersections, 274 Fifth Avenue (at 29th Street) NYC
WHAT: The Cost of War at Home & Abroad Series addresses Muslims in the Media– panelists discuss the media's portrayal of Muslims post 9-11 and how that has affected the Islamic community. They will also address the 60 minute video “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West” distributed by the Clarion Fund, which plays on fear, and distorts the reality of the Muslim community. As recent as this past weekend, this DVD has begun distribution to 28 million households in the U.S. bundled as an advertising supplement in newspapers, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal (specifically in cities outside of NYC). The film features Daniel Pipes, Alfons Heck, Walid Shoebat, Nonie Darwish and others.
Intersection’s Executive Director, Rev. Robert Chase, will moderate the press conference and will also unveil a new website about Muslims in America called ChangeTheStory.net. The website addresses the lack of understanding of Muslims in the U.S. with the intent to build bridges of understanding across lines of faith and culture, and counter the stereotypical narratives of Muslims portrayed in our media, and in propaganda such as the Obsession video.
WHO: (the multi-cultural global initiative of The Collegiate Churches of NY), and Faith House Manhattan. Panelists will address the press and take questions (prior to the public event, 7pm - 9pm)
• Debbie Almontaser, founding & former principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy
• Anisa Mehdi; Emmy-award winning filmmaker, consultant about Muslims to academic institutions and media outlets;
• Hussein Rashid, founder of islamicate.com, works with major political figures and institutions, advising them on the history and culture of Muslims.
ChangeTheStory.net – is a new website aimed at combating harmful stereotypes about Muslims that persist in American society. It was inspired by a new and major report, Changing Course: A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the Muslim World. The report was compiled by the Leadership Group on U.S. Muslim Engagement, comprised of more than thirty American leaders, including such luminaries as Madeleine Albright, Stephen Covey, Daniel Yankelovich, Vin Weber and Imam Feissal Abdul Rauf. This report will be released on September 24th at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
(Daisy Kahn, Ex. Director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), is on the public panel, but not yet confirmed for the press conference.)
Meryl Zegarek Public Relations, Inc.
255 West 108th Street, Suite 9D1
New York, New York 10025
Office/Land-line 917-493-3601 Fax: 917-493-3598
mz@mzpr.com
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
ADC Remembers Sabra and Shatilla
ADC Remembers Sabra and Shatila
Washington DC | September 16, 2008 | www.adc.org | Today, marks 26 years since one of the bloodiest and most brutal massacres in recent history, the 1982 massacre of Palestinian refugees in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.
Twenty six years ago, shortly after the Israeli army seized control of West Beirut, Lebanon, right wing Phalangist militia forces, under the direction of Israeli forces, made their way into the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila located on the outskirts of the city. Once in the camps the militias massacred hundreds of defenseless men, women and children. Israeli troops, who were in control of the area, allowed the militias into the camps, prevented the refugees from fleeing for their lives, and lit the night sky with a continuous series of flares as the killing raged for two days. The US had pulled its troops out of Beirut just days prior to the massacres, and had given a guarantee of protection to the residents of the refugee camps.
Following massive outrage and protest from the international community as well as from Israeli citizens, the Israeli government formed The Kahan Commision of Inquiry. The Commission found that Israel was responsible for participating in the violence and recommended the dismissal of the Army Chief of Staff. Then Defense Minister Ariel Sharon was also forced to resign after the Commission concluded that he bore personal responsibility for the massacre, and should never hold public office again. In 2001, Sharon became the Prime Minister of Israel a position he held until he suffered a massive stroke which rendered him incapable of carrying out his duties as Prime Minister.
ADC C President Mary Rose Oakar said, "We must take the time to remember the victims of the horrific Sabra and Shatila massacre. The massacre is a reminder to us all of the tragedy of Palestinian refugees who have been excluded from their homeland for more than half a century and their vulnerability as a stateless people. It underlines the necessity for a just settlement to the refugee issue based on the Right of Return, which is enshrined for all refugees in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Fourth Geneva Convention, and was specifically applied to the Palestinian refugees in UN Resolution 194."
-30-
______________________________________________________________
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee | www.adc.org
1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW | Washington, DC | 20007
Tel: 202-244-2990 | Fax: 202-244-7968 | E-mail: media@adc.org
You are subscribed as organizing@adc.org
Washington DC | September 16, 2008 | www.adc.org | Today, marks 26 years since one of the bloodiest and most brutal massacres in recent history, the 1982 massacre of Palestinian refugees in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.
Twenty six years ago, shortly after the Israeli army seized control of West Beirut, Lebanon, right wing Phalangist militia forces, under the direction of Israeli forces, made their way into the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila located on the outskirts of the city. Once in the camps the militias massacred hundreds of defenseless men, women and children. Israeli troops, who were in control of the area, allowed the militias into the camps, prevented the refugees from fleeing for their lives, and lit the night sky with a continuous series of flares as the killing raged for two days. The US had pulled its troops out of Beirut just days prior to the massacres, and had given a guarantee of protection to the residents of the refugee camps.
Following massive outrage and protest from the international community as well as from Israeli citizens, the Israeli government formed The Kahan Commision of Inquiry. The Commission found that Israel was responsible for participating in the violence and recommended the dismissal of the Army Chief of Staff. Then Defense Minister Ariel Sharon was also forced to resign after the Commission concluded that he bore personal responsibility for the massacre, and should never hold public office again. In 2001, Sharon became the Prime Minister of Israel a position he held until he suffered a massive stroke which rendered him incapable of carrying out his duties as Prime Minister.
ADC C President Mary Rose Oakar said, "We must take the time to remember the victims of the horrific Sabra and Shatila massacre. The massacre is a reminder to us all of the tragedy of Palestinian refugees who have been excluded from their homeland for more than half a century and their vulnerability as a stateless people. It underlines the necessity for a just settlement to the refugee issue based on the Right of Return, which is enshrined for all refugees in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Fourth Geneva Convention, and was specifically applied to the Palestinian refugees in UN Resolution 194."
-30-
______________________________________________________________
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee | www.adc.org
1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW | Washington, DC | 20007
Tel: 202-244-2990 | Fax: 202-244-7968 | E-mail: media@adc.org
You are subscribed as organizing@adc.org
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Author dissects Sarah Palin in new book "Barracuda"
Award-winning author Aladdin Elaasar released his latest book, “BARRACUDA: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF SARAH PALIN: WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW AND SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AMERICA’S POTENTIAL VICE PRESIDENT”.
This timely book describes how McCain’s choice of ‘the Barracuda’, a.k.a. Sarah Palin, as his running mate, opened the flood gates of the media to controversy and speculations.
While Radio host Rush Limbaugh and former Bush adviser Karl Rove hailed Palin, some Republicans were dismayed, who felt the choice underscored McCain's weaknesses. Palin is facing an investigation in Alaska for alleged abuse of power involving her former brother-in-law.
McCain’s choice of Palin could not have been more timely and savvy. Palin managed to steal all the attention and the limelight from Senator McCain who could not be happier!
American media has quickly turned its attention from JoeBama to McPalin – but more so to Republican VP and Alaska Governor Sarah. Where does Palin buy her eyewear? Will Oprah ever have Palin on her show? She’s been in the spotlight for few days and has given plenty of news for the media to talk about
McCain-Palin Republican presidential campaign buttons now read “The Hottest Chick,” “Our mama is better than your Obama,” “Read my Lipstick,” “She proved you can throw a punch with a French manicure.”
“Though Sarah Palin is clearly a powerful speaker, I kept thinking it was a monologue on Saturday Night Live and Palin was "news roaster" Tina Fey, says one commentator.
“Will the media test her on substance or let her play "Ms. Congeniality?" It is up to the public to see through the fact-free diet we're being fed. Despite Campaign Spin, McCain Would Be a Disaster on Women's Rights”, claims columnist Laura Flanders.
Columnist Kimberly Gadette describes Palin pick as “The Bikini Car Wash: One Sexist Tradition” “in selecting Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, John McCain is dusting off an old GOP tool: the estrogen guard. Slap a friendly, female face on a hard core-conservative political platform, and pray that the pundits will only take pot-shots and talk about gender. It worked for George W. Bush and it just may work for Palin”.
The choice of Sarah Palin, as it seems, is a high risk bet that could bring high rewards, but there are no guarantees. Many wonder whether she is ready to be vice-president and lead the US, should something happen to McCain if he is elected president.
Democrats said they felt insulted that McCain thought he could woo women by just putting any woman on his ticket, with one sentence making the rounds: "Palin, you are no Hillary Clinton".
Aladdin Elaasar’s BARRACUDA is a must-read for all American voters and those following American elections and politics. The result of this year’s election will not only impact the USA, but many nations around the globe.
In this timely book, Aladdin Elaasar investigates: Who is the real Sarah Palin? Palin’s Political Records; Palin’s connections with Big Business and Big Oil. Is Sarah Palin’ an Extremist? Is she a Zombie Republican or a Right Wing Feminist? How Populist is Sarah Palin? Can Sarah Palin's faux-feminist machismo and her handlers succeed in using purely symbolic appeals and Culture Wars to camouflage her actual record and the plain contradictions in her story? Will the Slogan of the McCain/Palin Administration- in their quest for oil- be: Drill, Baby, Drill?
- END
For media reviews and interview:
Please contact
Aladdin Publications
1723 Hudson Bay,
Palatine, Illinois 60074
Tel 847 668 4206
Email: omaraladin@aol.com
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/eBookDetails.asp?BookID=110858
About the Author
Aladdin Elaasar is a syndicated columnist and lecturer. Some of his writings are: “Iraq, the State and Terrorism”; where he predicted the downfall of former Dictator Saddam Hussein. Elaasar also wrote: Silent Victims: The plight of Arabs and Muslims in Post 9/11 America. And “The Last Pharaoh: Mubarak and the Uncertain Future of Egypt in the Volatile Mid East”. Elaasar has been a frequent commentator on Middle Eastern affairs on several local American TV and Radio networks and media and cultural consultant since 1992. Email him at: omaraladin@aol.com
Praise for the Last Pharaoh
"Peeling back layer after complex layer of Egyptian intrigue, culture and politics, Aladdin de-mystifies Egypt without tarnishing her almost mystical status as the pinnacle of Arabian culture, and the bedrock of human civilization. The book is stunning in its revelations of Mubarak’s stranglehold on every aspect of life in this glorious, long suffering nation. Connecting one mysterious dot to the next, Aladdin teases the reader from chapter to chapter as he lucidly explains the details of Egypt’s worst kept secrets of all…the ‘secret’ of Mubarak’s power and how he plans to rule from his own royal crypt. "
- Professor Tate Miller, expert on International Negotiations; Conflict Management; Government Relations and Diplomacy; Cross-cultural Communication, and Senior Lecturer at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
The Last Pharaoh should be indispensable to anyone -
“Combining an uncanny sense of clarity and understatement, Aladdin Elaasar weaves Egypt’s historical grandeur with an unnerving cascade of political intrigue that reveals a side of Mubarak the world cannot long ignore. In one fell swoop, my admiration for Egypt is both strengthened, and the source of my unease revealed, as the author sheds light on the darkness of Egyptian politics that could one day turn catastrophic. With so much at stake, the west is slowly coming to grips with a new reality; a reality which no single book or author could possibly address. But the views expressed by Aladdin Elaasar in The Last Pharaoh should be indispensable to anyone hoping to understand Egypt’s role, not only the Middle East, but the potential for Mubarak’s Egypt to impact the destiny of global events.”
- Professor Tate Miller, Assistant Dean for Academic Programs and Senior Lecturer of International Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies
Why everyone has to read this book? -
“Let me give you the four scariest words I can't pronounce in Arabic: Egypt after Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak's "emergency rule" dictatorship is deep into its third decade, making him one of Egypt's most durable pharaohs. His succession plan is clear: Son Gamal tries to replicate Beijing's model of economic reform, forestalling political reform... “
- Thomas P. M. Barnett, Esquire columnist and author of “The Country to Watch: Egypt"
This timely book describes how McCain’s choice of ‘the Barracuda’, a.k.a. Sarah Palin, as his running mate, opened the flood gates of the media to controversy and speculations.
While Radio host Rush Limbaugh and former Bush adviser Karl Rove hailed Palin, some Republicans were dismayed, who felt the choice underscored McCain's weaknesses. Palin is facing an investigation in Alaska for alleged abuse of power involving her former brother-in-law.
McCain’s choice of Palin could not have been more timely and savvy. Palin managed to steal all the attention and the limelight from Senator McCain who could not be happier!
American media has quickly turned its attention from JoeBama to McPalin – but more so to Republican VP and Alaska Governor Sarah. Where does Palin buy her eyewear? Will Oprah ever have Palin on her show? She’s been in the spotlight for few days and has given plenty of news for the media to talk about
McCain-Palin Republican presidential campaign buttons now read “The Hottest Chick,” “Our mama is better than your Obama,” “Read my Lipstick,” “She proved you can throw a punch with a French manicure.”
“Though Sarah Palin is clearly a powerful speaker, I kept thinking it was a monologue on Saturday Night Live and Palin was "news roaster" Tina Fey, says one commentator.
“Will the media test her on substance or let her play "Ms. Congeniality?" It is up to the public to see through the fact-free diet we're being fed. Despite Campaign Spin, McCain Would Be a Disaster on Women's Rights”, claims columnist Laura Flanders.
Columnist Kimberly Gadette describes Palin pick as “The Bikini Car Wash: One Sexist Tradition” “in selecting Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, John McCain is dusting off an old GOP tool: the estrogen guard. Slap a friendly, female face on a hard core-conservative political platform, and pray that the pundits will only take pot-shots and talk about gender. It worked for George W. Bush and it just may work for Palin”.
The choice of Sarah Palin, as it seems, is a high risk bet that could bring high rewards, but there are no guarantees. Many wonder whether she is ready to be vice-president and lead the US, should something happen to McCain if he is elected president.
Democrats said they felt insulted that McCain thought he could woo women by just putting any woman on his ticket, with one sentence making the rounds: "Palin, you are no Hillary Clinton".
Aladdin Elaasar’s BARRACUDA is a must-read for all American voters and those following American elections and politics. The result of this year’s election will not only impact the USA, but many nations around the globe.
In this timely book, Aladdin Elaasar investigates: Who is the real Sarah Palin? Palin’s Political Records; Palin’s connections with Big Business and Big Oil. Is Sarah Palin’ an Extremist? Is she a Zombie Republican or a Right Wing Feminist? How Populist is Sarah Palin? Can Sarah Palin's faux-feminist machismo and her handlers succeed in using purely symbolic appeals and Culture Wars to camouflage her actual record and the plain contradictions in her story? Will the Slogan of the McCain/Palin Administration- in their quest for oil- be: Drill, Baby, Drill?
- END
For media reviews and interview:
Please contact
Aladdin Publications
1723 Hudson Bay,
Palatine, Illinois 60074
Tel 847 668 4206
Email: omaraladin@aol.com
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/eBookDetails.asp?BookID=110858
About the Author
Aladdin Elaasar is a syndicated columnist and lecturer. Some of his writings are: “Iraq, the State and Terrorism”; where he predicted the downfall of former Dictator Saddam Hussein. Elaasar also wrote: Silent Victims: The plight of Arabs and Muslims in Post 9/11 America. And “The Last Pharaoh: Mubarak and the Uncertain Future of Egypt in the Volatile Mid East”. Elaasar has been a frequent commentator on Middle Eastern affairs on several local American TV and Radio networks and media and cultural consultant since 1992. Email him at: omaraladin@aol.com
Praise for the Last Pharaoh
"Peeling back layer after complex layer of Egyptian intrigue, culture and politics, Aladdin de-mystifies Egypt without tarnishing her almost mystical status as the pinnacle of Arabian culture, and the bedrock of human civilization. The book is stunning in its revelations of Mubarak’s stranglehold on every aspect of life in this glorious, long suffering nation. Connecting one mysterious dot to the next, Aladdin teases the reader from chapter to chapter as he lucidly explains the details of Egypt’s worst kept secrets of all…the ‘secret’ of Mubarak’s power and how he plans to rule from his own royal crypt. "
- Professor Tate Miller, expert on International Negotiations; Conflict Management; Government Relations and Diplomacy; Cross-cultural Communication, and Senior Lecturer at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
The Last Pharaoh should be indispensable to anyone -
“Combining an uncanny sense of clarity and understatement, Aladdin Elaasar weaves Egypt’s historical grandeur with an unnerving cascade of political intrigue that reveals a side of Mubarak the world cannot long ignore. In one fell swoop, my admiration for Egypt is both strengthened, and the source of my unease revealed, as the author sheds light on the darkness of Egyptian politics that could one day turn catastrophic. With so much at stake, the west is slowly coming to grips with a new reality; a reality which no single book or author could possibly address. But the views expressed by Aladdin Elaasar in The Last Pharaoh should be indispensable to anyone hoping to understand Egypt’s role, not only the Middle East, but the potential for Mubarak’s Egypt to impact the destiny of global events.”
- Professor Tate Miller, Assistant Dean for Academic Programs and Senior Lecturer of International Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies
Why everyone has to read this book? -
“Let me give you the four scariest words I can't pronounce in Arabic: Egypt after Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak's "emergency rule" dictatorship is deep into its third decade, making him one of Egypt's most durable pharaohs. His succession plan is clear: Son Gamal tries to replicate Beijing's model of economic reform, forestalling political reform... “
- Thomas P. M. Barnett, Esquire columnist and author of “The Country to Watch: Egypt"
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Egyptian boxer joins American based team
Claire Young
Optimum Sports Agency
T UK: +44 7738 179 176
T USA: +1 347 264 4800
E: claire@optimumsportsagency.com
W: http://www.optimumsportsagency.com/
------
NEW YORK 09 September 2008: Optimum Sports Agency is proud to announce the addition of Ahmed Samir to their stable of fighters.
Egyptian born Ahmed arrived in the United States as part of the Egyptian National boxing team to compete in the 2007 World Amateur Championships in Chicago. Yet before the championships began, Ahmed left the team in search of a new life for himself in the US as a professional prize fighter.
Ahmed has had an extensive amateur career finishing with an outstanding record of 198-13 including 95 international fights with an international record of 85-10
Ahmed represented Egypt with distinction winning gold at such prestigious events as the 2007 All African Games in Algeria, the 2007 Arab Championships in Tunisia and the 2006 Jordan International Championships.
Ahmed had his first professional fight in February of this year at the famous Blue Horizon in Philadelphia winning a unanimous decision against Kamarah Pasley which got his career off to the right start. This was soon followed up with a win against Pedro Martinez in May in which he was unlucky not to get the stoppage win. He dropped his foe twice in the opening round but Martinez was tough and held on to lose a unanimous decision to Ahmed.
Ahmed resides in New York and trains at the renowned Gleason’s gym under the guidance of Dillan Carew who has recently taken over the training duties of Ahmed.
Ahmed is scheduled to fight again on the 26th of September at the Huntington Hilton in Long Island, New York against Andrew Hutchinson.
Ahmed is managed by Optimum Sports Agency’s Damon de Berry, who says “we are delighted to represent Ahmed. He has the right attitude and ability to go a long way at either Cruiserweight or Heavyweight. We have him fighting on the 26th September and then we will look to have him fighting more frequently after that”
Ahmed Samir has just started his professional career and is determined to make it even more successful than his amateur career. Optimum Sports Agency is excited to be a part of this young prospect’s rise and looks forward to showcasing his talents.
Optimum Sports Agency
T UK: +44 7738 179 176
T USA: +1 347 264 4800
E: claire@optimumsportsagency.com
W: http://www.optimumsportsagency.com/
------
NEW YORK 09 September 2008: Optimum Sports Agency is proud to announce the addition of Ahmed Samir to their stable of fighters.
Egyptian born Ahmed arrived in the United States as part of the Egyptian National boxing team to compete in the 2007 World Amateur Championships in Chicago. Yet before the championships began, Ahmed left the team in search of a new life for himself in the US as a professional prize fighter.
Ahmed has had an extensive amateur career finishing with an outstanding record of 198-13 including 95 international fights with an international record of 85-10
Ahmed represented Egypt with distinction winning gold at such prestigious events as the 2007 All African Games in Algeria, the 2007 Arab Championships in Tunisia and the 2006 Jordan International Championships.
Ahmed had his first professional fight in February of this year at the famous Blue Horizon in Philadelphia winning a unanimous decision against Kamarah Pasley which got his career off to the right start. This was soon followed up with a win against Pedro Martinez in May in which he was unlucky not to get the stoppage win. He dropped his foe twice in the opening round but Martinez was tough and held on to lose a unanimous decision to Ahmed.
Ahmed resides in New York and trains at the renowned Gleason’s gym under the guidance of Dillan Carew who has recently taken over the training duties of Ahmed.
Ahmed is scheduled to fight again on the 26th of September at the Huntington Hilton in Long Island, New York against Andrew Hutchinson.
Ahmed is managed by Optimum Sports Agency’s Damon de Berry, who says “we are delighted to represent Ahmed. He has the right attitude and ability to go a long way at either Cruiserweight or Heavyweight. We have him fighting on the 26th September and then we will look to have him fighting more frequently after that”
Ahmed Samir has just started his professional career and is determined to make it even more successful than his amateur career. Optimum Sports Agency is excited to be a part of this young prospect’s rise and looks forward to showcasing his talents.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Hanania named weekday morning radio talk show host on WJJG in Chicago
Hanania named to host weekday morning radio talk show on WJJG Radio
(Orland Park/Sept. 5, 2008) – Orland Park resident and journalist Ray Hanania was named this week as the morning talk show host on WJJG AM 1530.
An award winning journalist who covered Chicago City Hall from 1977 until 1992, and hosted a radio show on WLS AM radio, will host the show weekday mornings, Monday through Friday, beginning every morning at 8 AM.
Hanania said he expects the show to expand in the near future.
“Mornings with Ray Hanania” will feature interviews and discussions with listeners on every topic in the news. Hanania will also emphasize local Southwest suburban news and issues in the show along with regional, national and international guests.
“I am a big believer in community news, community newspapers and community reporting and one important aspect of the show will be inclusion of community perspectives and news in our discussion,” Hanania said.
“I want people in Bollingbrook to learn about some of the events in Orland Park, for example, and for the people in Orland Park to engage people in other communities on issues that are local but that cross suburban boundaries. Suburban communities face common challenges and even though the details might be different, they are the same and sharing and discussing is important.”
Hanania is the winner of three Society of Professional Journalism Lisagor awards and was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist in America” by the New America Media in November 2006. He also has awards from UPI and two Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild.
The radio show will be broadcast live on the internet off his web page at www.RadioChicagoland.com. Hanania is also a columnist with the Southwest News-Herald newspaper, and with the HuffingtonPost.com. His columns also appear in news blogs and newspaper around the world.
“People love me. People hate me. People read my columns. Now you can listen to me and engage in a discussion about today’s top issues and topics. It won’t be me talking down to people like on most other radio shows. I want people to call and share their views on issues and topics,” Hanania said.
end
(Orland Park/Sept. 5, 2008) – Orland Park resident and journalist Ray Hanania was named this week as the morning talk show host on WJJG AM 1530.
An award winning journalist who covered Chicago City Hall from 1977 until 1992, and hosted a radio show on WLS AM radio, will host the show weekday mornings, Monday through Friday, beginning every morning at 8 AM.
Hanania said he expects the show to expand in the near future.
“Mornings with Ray Hanania” will feature interviews and discussions with listeners on every topic in the news. Hanania will also emphasize local Southwest suburban news and issues in the show along with regional, national and international guests.
“I am a big believer in community news, community newspapers and community reporting and one important aspect of the show will be inclusion of community perspectives and news in our discussion,” Hanania said.
“I want people in Bollingbrook to learn about some of the events in Orland Park, for example, and for the people in Orland Park to engage people in other communities on issues that are local but that cross suburban boundaries. Suburban communities face common challenges and even though the details might be different, they are the same and sharing and discussing is important.”
Hanania is the winner of three Society of Professional Journalism Lisagor awards and was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist in America” by the New America Media in November 2006. He also has awards from UPI and two Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild.
The radio show will be broadcast live on the internet off his web page at www.RadioChicagoland.com. Hanania is also a columnist with the Southwest News-Herald newspaper, and with the HuffingtonPost.com. His columns also appear in news blogs and newspaper around the world.
“People love me. People hate me. People read my columns. Now you can listen to me and engage in a discussion about today’s top issues and topics. It won’t be me talking down to people like on most other radio shows. I want people to call and share their views on issues and topics,” Hanania said.
end
Friday, September 05, 2008
SPJ Criticizes journalists arrests at conventions
For Immediate Release:
9/3/08
Contact:
Clint Brewer, SPJ President, (615) 301-9229, cbrewer@nashvillecitypaper.com
Scott Leadingham, SPJ Communications Coordinator, (509)859-2818, sleadingham@spj.org
ATLANTA – Leaders of the Society of Professional Journalists, currently meeting in Atlanta for the annual SPJ Convention and National Journalism Conference, are expressing outrage over recent arrests of journalists at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
SPJ, which represents journalists in all types of media outlets, is especially concerned that police in Denver and St. Paul=2 0have displayed aggressive tactics that interfere with the free flow of information and the constitutional guarantee of a free press. Additionally, what may have been viewed as an isolated incident in Denver last week has spilled over to St. Paul. SPJ firmly believes that both incidents represent an unacceptable infringement of the rights of journalists and, ultimately, a disservice to the public.
“There is a distinct and important difference between law enforcement officers keeping order and arbitrarily exercising police power,” said SPJ President Clint Brewer. “It’s clear that in both Denver and St. Paul, the journalists who were arrested were fulfilling their professional obligation to report objectively and fairly. As an organization that advocates on behalf of the journalism profession, we can’t sit idly by while members of our industry are treated unfairly.”
Last week, ABC News producer Asa Eslocker was arrested in Denver as he and a film crew were preparing an investigative piece on the role of lobbyists at the DNC.
This week, the arrests of journalists continued in St. Paul as three people with the independent news program “Democracy Now!” were arrested while covering the story of protests at the20RNC. One of those arrested was the show’s host, Amy Goodman, who ran to the scene after receiving a phone call that two of her producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, were under arrest. A now popular video on YouTube shows Goodman’s arrest. The video suggests that Goodman was acting as a journalist seeking information about her producers, not as a protestor. Matt Rourke, an Associated Press photographer, was also arrested in the same incident.
While SPJ is disturbed that the police have blurred the line between protestors and journalists covering such protests, it is not condemning the actions of police to maintain public safety when demonstrations become violent.
“Police have a duty to protect and serve the public. So, too, do journalists serve the public interest,” said Brewer. “SPJ doesn’t object to the police stopping violence. Rather, we are merely alarmed by the disconcerting trend of journalists being treated as if they are a threat to public safety, when they are clearly fulfilling their roles as professional reporters.”
Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, the Society of Professional Journalists promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For further information about SPJ, please visit http://www.spj.org/.
-END-
9/3/08
Contact:
Clint Brewer, SPJ President, (615) 301-9229, cbrewer@nashvillecitypaper.com
Scott Leadingham, SPJ Communications Coordinator, (509)859-2818, sleadingham@spj.org
ATLANTA – Leaders of the Society of Professional Journalists, currently meeting in Atlanta for the annual SPJ Convention and National Journalism Conference, are expressing outrage over recent arrests of journalists at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
SPJ, which represents journalists in all types of media outlets, is especially concerned that police in Denver and St. Paul=2 0have displayed aggressive tactics that interfere with the free flow of information and the constitutional guarantee of a free press. Additionally, what may have been viewed as an isolated incident in Denver last week has spilled over to St. Paul. SPJ firmly believes that both incidents represent an unacceptable infringement of the rights of journalists and, ultimately, a disservice to the public.
“There is a distinct and important difference between law enforcement officers keeping order and arbitrarily exercising police power,” said SPJ President Clint Brewer. “It’s clear that in both Denver and St. Paul, the journalists who were arrested were fulfilling their professional obligation to report objectively and fairly. As an organization that advocates on behalf of the journalism profession, we can’t sit idly by while members of our industry are treated unfairly.”
Last week, ABC News producer Asa Eslocker was arrested in Denver as he and a film crew were preparing an investigative piece on the role of lobbyists at the DNC.
This week, the arrests of journalists continued in St. Paul as three people with the independent news program “Democracy Now!” were arrested while covering the story of protests at the20RNC. One of those arrested was the show’s host, Amy Goodman, who ran to the scene after receiving a phone call that two of her producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, were under arrest. A now popular video on YouTube shows Goodman’s arrest. The video suggests that Goodman was acting as a journalist seeking information about her producers, not as a protestor. Matt Rourke, an Associated Press photographer, was also arrested in the same incident.
While SPJ is disturbed that the police have blurred the line between protestors and journalists covering such protests, it is not condemning the actions of police to maintain public safety when demonstrations become violent.
“Police have a duty to protect and serve the public. So, too, do journalists serve the public interest,” said Brewer. “SPJ doesn’t object to the police stopping violence. Rather, we are merely alarmed by the disconcerting trend of journalists being treated as if they are a threat to public safety, when they are clearly fulfilling their roles as professional reporters.”
Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, the Society of Professional Journalists promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For further information about SPJ, please visit http://www.spj.org/.
-END-
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Sheikh Zayed Book award entry deadline approaching
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award, one of the world’s most prestigious and well-funded prizes, to see whether we could post a call for nominations for the award’s 2009 session on your website.
Writers from across the world are invited to apply across all nine categories of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award – with AED 7 million (€1,282,868) in prize money available for the winners.
Two of the 2008 Sheikh Zayed Book Award winners, whose work was judged to have contributed to the Arab world’s cultural development, were based in Europe.
Ibrahim Al Kouni, who resides in Switzerland and spent his childhood in the desert in Western Libya, won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Literature prize for his novel A Call Not Too Far. Rifa’at Al Chadirji, who now lives in Britain, won the 2008 Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Fine Arts.
We would therefore like to encourage any writers whose work has contributed to the Arab world’s cultural development to nominate themselves before the October 15 2008 deadline.
One of the 2008 Sheikh Zayed Book Award winners, whose work was judged to have contributed to the Arab world’s cultural development, resides in Switzerland. Ibrahim Al Kouni won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Literature prize for his novel A Call Not Too Far.
The award, which was established under the umbrella of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and in memory of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, has been running for three years with nine categories open for nominations:
• Literature
• Children’s Literature
• Translation
• Young Author
• Fine Arts
• Publishing & Distribution
• Cultural Personality of the Year
• Development of the Country
• Best Technology in Culture
Winning authors from previous years have received considerable attention in the international media as well as coverage across the Arab world.
If you would like some more details on the application process for next year’s award, visit www.zayedaward.com
Writers from across the world are invited to apply across all nine categories of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award – with AED 7 million (€1,282,868) in prize money available for the winners.
Two of the 2008 Sheikh Zayed Book Award winners, whose work was judged to have contributed to the Arab world’s cultural development, were based in Europe.
Ibrahim Al Kouni, who resides in Switzerland and spent his childhood in the desert in Western Libya, won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Literature prize for his novel A Call Not Too Far. Rifa’at Al Chadirji, who now lives in Britain, won the 2008 Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Fine Arts.
We would therefore like to encourage any writers whose work has contributed to the Arab world’s cultural development to nominate themselves before the October 15 2008 deadline.
One of the 2008 Sheikh Zayed Book Award winners, whose work was judged to have contributed to the Arab world’s cultural development, resides in Switzerland. Ibrahim Al Kouni won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Literature prize for his novel A Call Not Too Far.
The award, which was established under the umbrella of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and in memory of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, has been running for three years with nine categories open for nominations:
• Literature
• Children’s Literature
• Translation
• Young Author
• Fine Arts
• Publishing & Distribution
• Cultural Personality of the Year
• Development of the Country
• Best Technology in Culture
Winning authors from previous years have received considerable attention in the international media as well as coverage across the Arab world.
If you would like some more details on the application process for next year’s award, visit www.zayedaward.com
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Last Pharoah Video Released
The Last Pharaoh’s Video Released -- Free Sneak Preview on Youtube….
Hollywood, California // Newswires-- In a Star-studded gala, award-winning and best- selling author Aladdin Elaasar celebrated the release of The Last Pharaoh video based on his latest book that tells the true story of Egypt’s Last Pharaoh, Mubarak. Utilizing the latest technology of I-pod and Smartphone, Palm Os, Symbian, Blackberry, Pocket-PC, Cybook, and Tablet PC’s, the story can be downloaded and enjoyed through Mobipocket, an Amazon company.
“This is the book that The Last Pharaoh and his gang do not want you to read and are trying to ban from circulation. This is the book that is a must read for every Western politician and decision maker, not to mention those who enjoy a true story. It should be under the pillow of Obama, McCain, Biden and Palin”, said Mike Donovan of Book Review.
Combining an uncanny sense of clarity and understatement, Aladdin Elaasar weaves Egypt’s historical grandeur with an unnerving cascade of political intrigue that reveal a side of Mubarak the world cannot long ignore. In one fell swoop, my admiration for Egypt is both strengthened, and the source of my unease revealed, as the author sheds light on the darkness of Egyptian politics that could one day turn catastrophic. With so much at stake, the West is slowly coming to grips with a new reality; a reality which no single book or author could possibly address. The story of The Last Pharaoh should be a must read for anyone hoping to understand Egypt’s role, not only the Middle East, but the potential for Mubarak’s Egypt to impact the destiny of global events.
The book (The Last Pharaoh) has been hailed in literary circles as a triumph of a new genre that combines the narrative of a thriller while based on historical facts and characters. "Peeling back layer after complex layer of Egyptian intrigue, culture and politics, Aladdin de-mystifies Egypt without tarnishing her almost mystical status as the pinnacle of Arabian culture, and the bedrock of human civilization. The book is stunning in its revelations of Mubarak’s stranglehold on every aspect of life in this glorious, long suffering nation. Connecting one mysterious dot to the next, Aladdin teases the reader from chapter to chapter as he lucidly explains the details of Egypt’s worst kept secrets of all…the ‘secret’ of Mubarak’s power and how he plans to rule from his own royal crypt, " said Professor Tate Miller, expert on International Negotiations; Conflict Management; Government Relations and Diplomacy; and Senior Lecturer at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
END-
Award-winning and best selling author Aladdin Elaasar was born, raised and educated in Egypt, lecturer and is one of the foremost authorities on Egypt and the Arab World. Some of his writings are: “Iraq, the State & Terrorism” where he predicted the downfall of former Dictator Saddam Hussein. Elaasar also wrote: Silent Victims: The plight of Arabs and Muslims in Post 9/11 America. And The Last Pharaoh
Elaasar has been a frequent commentator on Middle Eastern affairs on several local American TV and Radio networks and media and cultural consultant since 1992.
Email him at: omaraladin@aol.com, or call Cell 224 388 1353 for interviews and book reviews.
For a free preview of The Last Pharaoh, please click here:
The Last Pharaoh: Mubarak and the Uncertain Future of Egypt in the Mid East
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/AuthorDetails.asp?authorId=63168&authorName=Elaasar%2C+Aladdin
Watch “The Last Pharaoh” on Youtube.com at this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEowLnQhFk4
Hollywood, California // Newswires-- In a Star-studded gala, award-winning and best- selling author Aladdin Elaasar celebrated the release of The Last Pharaoh video based on his latest book that tells the true story of Egypt’s Last Pharaoh, Mubarak. Utilizing the latest technology of I-pod and Smartphone, Palm Os, Symbian, Blackberry, Pocket-PC, Cybook, and Tablet PC’s, the story can be downloaded and enjoyed through Mobipocket, an Amazon company.
“This is the book that The Last Pharaoh and his gang do not want you to read and are trying to ban from circulation. This is the book that is a must read for every Western politician and decision maker, not to mention those who enjoy a true story. It should be under the pillow of Obama, McCain, Biden and Palin”, said Mike Donovan of Book Review.
Combining an uncanny sense of clarity and understatement, Aladdin Elaasar weaves Egypt’s historical grandeur with an unnerving cascade of political intrigue that reveal a side of Mubarak the world cannot long ignore. In one fell swoop, my admiration for Egypt is both strengthened, and the source of my unease revealed, as the author sheds light on the darkness of Egyptian politics that could one day turn catastrophic. With so much at stake, the West is slowly coming to grips with a new reality; a reality which no single book or author could possibly address. The story of The Last Pharaoh should be a must read for anyone hoping to understand Egypt’s role, not only the Middle East, but the potential for Mubarak’s Egypt to impact the destiny of global events.
The book (The Last Pharaoh) has been hailed in literary circles as a triumph of a new genre that combines the narrative of a thriller while based on historical facts and characters. "Peeling back layer after complex layer of Egyptian intrigue, culture and politics, Aladdin de-mystifies Egypt without tarnishing her almost mystical status as the pinnacle of Arabian culture, and the bedrock of human civilization. The book is stunning in its revelations of Mubarak’s stranglehold on every aspect of life in this glorious, long suffering nation. Connecting one mysterious dot to the next, Aladdin teases the reader from chapter to chapter as he lucidly explains the details of Egypt’s worst kept secrets of all…the ‘secret’ of Mubarak’s power and how he plans to rule from his own royal crypt, " said Professor Tate Miller, expert on International Negotiations; Conflict Management; Government Relations and Diplomacy; and Senior Lecturer at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
END-
Award-winning and best selling author Aladdin Elaasar was born, raised and educated in Egypt, lecturer and is one of the foremost authorities on Egypt and the Arab World. Some of his writings are: “Iraq, the State & Terrorism” where he predicted the downfall of former Dictator Saddam Hussein. Elaasar also wrote: Silent Victims: The plight of Arabs and Muslims in Post 9/11 America. And The Last Pharaoh
Elaasar has been a frequent commentator on Middle Eastern affairs on several local American TV and Radio networks and media and cultural consultant since 1992.
Email him at: omaraladin@aol.com, or call Cell 224 388 1353 for interviews and book reviews.
For a free preview of The Last Pharaoh, please click here:
The Last Pharaoh: Mubarak and the Uncertain Future of Egypt in the Mid East
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/AuthorDetails.asp?authorId=63168&authorName=Elaasar%2C+Aladdin
Watch “The Last Pharaoh” on Youtube.com at this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEowLnQhFk4
Monday, September 01, 2008
NAAJA protests arrest of Arab American Journalist and two colleagues outside GOP Convention
Arab American journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous, a producer at Democracy Now (www.DemocracyNow.org), was arrested outside the GOP Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota along with host Amy Goodman and Nicole Salazar. They were covering a street protest.
The National Arab American Journalists Association (www.NAAJA-US.com) , founded in 1999 and with 275 members nationwide, has issued a formal protest demanding the release of all three journalists.
"The National Arab American Journalists Association today protests the arrest of Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Amy Goodman and Nicole Salazar as they were reporting on a street protest outside of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul today," said NAAJA coordinator Ray Hanania.
"NAAJA demands thatr the three journalists be released immediately. Their arrest while covering a street protest is a violation of the protections accorded journalists in this country."
Here is the release issued by Democracy Now on the arrests:
ST. PAUL, MN-Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman was unlawfully arrested in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota at approximately 5 p.m. local time. Police violently manhandled Goodman, yanking her arm, as they arrested her. Video of her arrest can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ
Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers who were being unlawfully detained. They are Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Kouddous and Salazar were arrested while they carried out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Goodman's crime appears to have been defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press.
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous and Salazar were being arrested on suspicion of rioting. They are currently being held at the Ramsey County jail in St. Paul.
Democracy Now! is calling on all journalists and concerned citizens to call the office of Mayor Chris Coleman and the Ramsey County Jail and demand the immediate release of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar. These calls can be directed to: Chris Rider from Mayor Coleman's office at 651-266-8535 and the Ramsey County Jail at 651-266-9350 (press extension 0).
Democracy Now! stands by Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and condemns this action by Twin Cities law enforcement as a clear violation of the freedom of the press and the First Amendment rights of these journalists.
During the demonstration in which they were arrested law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force. Several dozen others were also arrested during this action.
Amy Goodman is one of the most well-known and well-respected journalists in the United States. She has received journalism's top honors for her reporting and has a distinguished reputation of bravery and courage. The arrest of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar is a transparent attempt to intimidate journalists from the nation's leading independent news outlet.
Democracy Now! is a nationally syndicated public TV and radio program that airs on over 700 radio and TV stations across the US and the globe.
Video of Amy Goodman's Arrest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ
ABOUT DEMOCRACY NOW!
Democracy Now! airs on over 650 radio and TV stations, including Pacifica, NPR, community, and college radio stations; on public access, PBS, satellite TV stations (DISH network: Free Speech TV ch. 9415 and Link TV ch. 9410;
Sharif grew up in Cairo, Egypt. He joined the Democracy Now! staff in 2003 after leaving the lucrative world of corporate investment banking. As the U.S. led occupation of Iraq was in full swing, Sharif traveled to Baghdad with DCTV filmmaker John Alpert. In addition to shooting video footage in Iraq for Democracy Now! Sharif reported from the streets of Baghdad on the occupation.
-- Ray Hanania
www.TheMediaOasis.com
The National Arab American Journalists Association (www.NAAJA-US.com) , founded in 1999 and with 275 members nationwide, has issued a formal protest demanding the release of all three journalists.
"The National Arab American Journalists Association today protests the arrest of Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Amy Goodman and Nicole Salazar as they were reporting on a street protest outside of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul today," said NAAJA coordinator Ray Hanania.
"NAAJA demands thatr the three journalists be released immediately. Their arrest while covering a street protest is a violation of the protections accorded journalists in this country."
Here is the release issued by Democracy Now on the arrests:
ST. PAUL, MN-Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman was unlawfully arrested in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota at approximately 5 p.m. local time. Police violently manhandled Goodman, yanking her arm, as they arrested her. Video of her arrest can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ
Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers who were being unlawfully detained. They are Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Kouddous and Salazar were arrested while they carried out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Goodman's crime appears to have been defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press.
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous and Salazar were being arrested on suspicion of rioting. They are currently being held at the Ramsey County jail in St. Paul.
Democracy Now! is calling on all journalists and concerned citizens to call the office of Mayor Chris Coleman and the Ramsey County Jail and demand the immediate release of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar. These calls can be directed to: Chris Rider from Mayor Coleman's office at 651-266-8535 and the Ramsey County Jail at 651-266-9350 (press extension 0).
Democracy Now! stands by Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and condemns this action by Twin Cities law enforcement as a clear violation of the freedom of the press and the First Amendment rights of these journalists.
During the demonstration in which they were arrested law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force. Several dozen others were also arrested during this action.
Amy Goodman is one of the most well-known and well-respected journalists in the United States. She has received journalism's top honors for her reporting and has a distinguished reputation of bravery and courage. The arrest of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar is a transparent attempt to intimidate journalists from the nation's leading independent news outlet.
Democracy Now! is a nationally syndicated public TV and radio program that airs on over 700 radio and TV stations across the US and the globe.
Video of Amy Goodman's Arrest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ
ABOUT DEMOCRACY NOW!
Democracy Now! airs on over 650 radio and TV stations, including Pacifica, NPR, community, and college radio stations; on public access, PBS, satellite TV stations (DISH network: Free Speech TV ch. 9415 and Link TV ch. 9410;
Sharif grew up in Cairo, Egypt. He joined the Democracy Now! staff in 2003 after leaving the lucrative world of corporate investment banking. As the U.S. led occupation of Iraq was in full swing, Sharif traveled to Baghdad with DCTV filmmaker John Alpert. In addition to shooting video footage in Iraq for Democracy Now! Sharif reported from the streets of Baghdad on the occupation.
-- Ray Hanania
www.TheMediaOasis.com
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Muhammad Ali to attend services for the late Jabir Herbert Muhammad
THE CHAMP CONFIRMED TO ATTEND MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR JABIR HERBET MUHAMMAD TOMORROW
(CHICAGO, IL, 8/29/08) The family of Jabir Herbert Muhammad- long-time business and personal manager of the Champ, Muhammad Ali and son of Nation of Islam leader the Honorable Elijah Muhammad- will host a memorial service in honor of the memory and accomplishments of Mr. Muhammad tomorrow in Chicago. The memorial service is set for 11 a.m. tomorrow at Salaam Restaurant, 700 W. 79th St.
Confirmed guests include three-time heavy weight Champ- Muhammad Ali and a range of dignitaries, friends and community leaders.
Mr. Muhammad, 79, passed away on Monday, Aug. 25, after heart surgery at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago. He was a key advisor to his father, famed leader of the Nation of Islam from 1934 until 1975. Mr. Muhammad was the organization’s chief business manager, establishing and managing a successful bakery, restaurant, dry cleaners, among other enterprises. In addition, he established and oversaw operations of the Nation of Islam’s newspaper, Muhammad Speaks, at the peak of its influence, dispatching correspondents to Africa, Europe, and other points overseas, and building the weekly circulation to nearly one million copies.
Mr. Muhammad became Ali's business manager in 1966, a couple of years after the boxer formally converted to Islam. He negotiated fights for Ali and coordinated his role as a fundraiser and public face for the Nation of Islam. Mr. Muhammad was secured multimillion-dollar purses for Ali as he fought and won three heavyweight titles and became the most-recognized athlete of his generation.
Mr. Muhammad was a world traveler and philanthropist. He donated the land for, and built, the first freestanding Muslim mosque in Chicago, Masjid al-Faatir (the Mosque of the Originator), which stands on 47th Street at Woodlawn Avenue. Mr. Muhammad built treasured friendships, which transcended lines of race, religion and nationality.
WHAT: Memorial Service for Jabir Herbert Muhammad
WHEN: Tomorrow, Saturday August 29th beginning at 11 a.m.
WHERE: Salaam Restaurant, 700 W. 79th St.
TO RSVP CONTACT: Sultan Muhammad, (773) 540-6001 sultan@mpdstudios.com
- END -
(CHICAGO, IL, 8/29/08) The family of Jabir Herbert Muhammad- long-time business and personal manager of the Champ, Muhammad Ali and son of Nation of Islam leader the Honorable Elijah Muhammad- will host a memorial service in honor of the memory and accomplishments of Mr. Muhammad tomorrow in Chicago. The memorial service is set for 11 a.m. tomorrow at Salaam Restaurant, 700 W. 79th St.
Confirmed guests include three-time heavy weight Champ- Muhammad Ali and a range of dignitaries, friends and community leaders.
Mr. Muhammad, 79, passed away on Monday, Aug. 25, after heart surgery at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago. He was a key advisor to his father, famed leader of the Nation of Islam from 1934 until 1975. Mr. Muhammad was the organization’s chief business manager, establishing and managing a successful bakery, restaurant, dry cleaners, among other enterprises. In addition, he established and oversaw operations of the Nation of Islam’s newspaper, Muhammad Speaks, at the peak of its influence, dispatching correspondents to Africa, Europe, and other points overseas, and building the weekly circulation to nearly one million copies.
Mr. Muhammad became Ali's business manager in 1966, a couple of years after the boxer formally converted to Islam. He negotiated fights for Ali and coordinated his role as a fundraiser and public face for the Nation of Islam. Mr. Muhammad was secured multimillion-dollar purses for Ali as he fought and won three heavyweight titles and became the most-recognized athlete of his generation.
Mr. Muhammad was a world traveler and philanthropist. He donated the land for, and built, the first freestanding Muslim mosque in Chicago, Masjid al-Faatir (the Mosque of the Originator), which stands on 47th Street at Woodlawn Avenue. Mr. Muhammad built treasured friendships, which transcended lines of race, religion and nationality.
WHAT: Memorial Service for Jabir Herbert Muhammad
WHEN: Tomorrow, Saturday August 29th beginning at 11 a.m.
WHERE: Salaam Restaurant, 700 W. 79th St.
TO RSVP CONTACT: Sultan Muhammad, (773) 540-6001 sultan@mpdstudios.com
- END -
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