Subj: ZENDA (Vol II, #9; 4/1/96) Date: 96-04-01 04:16:14 EST From: zenda@ix.netcom.com (Zenda) To: zenda@ix.netcom.com April 1, 1996 Volume II, Issue 9 ***** ***** * * **** ** * * ** * * * * * * *** * * * * * ****** * * * ** * * * * ***** ***** * * **** * * A Weekly Online Newsletter Serving the Assyrian Communities Around the World **** **** ************ ************ **** **** **** **** The following is Mar Shimoon Bar Sabbai's blessing for the five bishops and one hundred clergy who along with his Excellency had refused to worship the sun as decreed by King Shapur II of Persia. "May the Cross of our Lord be the protection of the people of Jesus; The peace of God be with the servants of God, and establish your hearts in the faith of Christ, in tribulation and in ease, in life and in death, now and for evermore." Mar Shimoon and his followers were executed on Good Friday of the year 339 A.D. ===================================================== THE L I G H T H O U S E ===================================================== SUMERIAN DAYS The Sumerians, like the Greeks, commenced the counting of each day (U-mu), at sunset (Kid-da-at u-mu). Each day, then, was reckoned as the period from sunset to sunset. The months (Itu) were begun in the period of the new moon (Bu-ub-bu-lum, literally the 'time of the ravishment of the moon'), literally commencing at the time of the moon's emergence in the heaven's following its disappearance at the new moon (U-na-am, literally the day of the moons renewal). The months were 30 days long, with the first quarter occurring on the 7th, and the full moon on the 15th. These days, together with the period of the new moon, formed the sacred cycle of the month. The Sumerians celebrated these aspects of the moon's phases on the first, seventh, and fifteenth of each month. These three days formed the monthly Essesu Festival. The importance of these sacred days is articulated in the Atrahasis myth, Tablet I, columns 204-207, as Enki sets about the creation of man: -Enki opened his mouth and addressed the great Gods, 'On the first, seventh, and fifteenth day of the month I will make a purifying bath' The necessity for observation of these sacred days is reiterated in a number of collected Mesopotamian letters which refer to the necessity of 'passing the first, seventh, and fifteenth as you have been taught.' This observance, in the minimum, included a ritual bath: a sacred immersion in the creative Waters of Life. The first month of the year, Mas-Azag-Kur ("Nisannu" in the Standard Mesopotamian Calendar), began in the period of the first new moon following the yearly barley harvest. The months would then proceed apace at 30 days each, spanning 12 months. This wholly lunar cycle, however, invariably left a gap within the Solar year to be filled. To cure this problem, and keep the first month succeeding the barley harvest, the Sumerians placed an intervening intercalary month known as Itu-diri BEFORE the twelfth month, Itu-Se-Gur-Kud, the 'month of the harvesting of the barley.' This intercalary month was utilized only when, upon examination of the length of time remaining in the barley season, it was determined that Mas-Azag-Kur would not fall directly after the barley harvest. Under the Meton Cycle, such intercalary months would be utilized at a frequency of roughly seven per nineteen years. In the same way they were able to unify their year with the Circle of Life, so to did the Sumerians operate a system of timekeeping quite literally within the confines of a circle. Time was related to the degree of apparent motion of the sun, Utu, as it traveled across the heavens each day. Each degree of motion was calculated as 4 minutes, called one "Us". The entire circle was said to comprise 12 'temporal hours', or "Beru", which were literally double-hours of 30 Us each. The Sumerians had no concept of daylight savings, though they were well aware of the variances in the length of daylight and nighttime hours in the course of the year. Though the Sumerian day was uniformly held to consist of 6 Beru, or 12 hours of temporal daylight; and 6 Beru, or 12 hours of temporal nighttime, adjustments to the real as opposed to temporal hours was made. To this end, a series of associations was expounded. For example, a temporal hour of daylight plus a temporal hour of nighttime always equals 2 REAL hours. Thus, a measurement of the length in real hours of either daylight or night- time will yield the solution to the length of the inverse. In addition, there were specific relations observed between and among the months of the year. Specifically, in the month of the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, the length of daylight and nighttime real hours was assumed equal. Conversely, in the month of the Summer Solstice daylight was held to be twice the length of nighttime real hours, and in the month of the Winter Solstice, Nighttime was held to be twice the length of the daylight real hours. In addition, the month preceding the equinoxes were held have the same ratio of daylight to nighttime real hours as the month following the Equinoxes, and the month preceding the solstices was similarly held to possess the same ratio of daylight to nighttime real hours ratio as the month following the Solstices. With this complex system of relations, the calculation of the length of real daylight and nighttime hours was extremely simplified for these ancient peoples. DANIEL SULLIVAN Adapa adapa@anet-dfw.com http://webusers.anet-dfw.com/~adapa/Index.html [Mr. Sullivan, a ZENDA reader, maintains the contents of the website mentioned above. His article was written in response to our recent installment "The Arrival of Spring" in Literatus (Vol. II #7)] ===================================================== G O O D M O R N I N G B E T - N A H R A I N ===================================================== IRAQ COMPLAINS AGAINST U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN THE NORTH (RU: Baghdad) Iraq accused the United States of interfering in its internal affairs by planning talks with rival Kurdish factions in northern Bet-Nahrain. State-run newspapers carried a foreign ministry statement lambasting the U.S. aerial protection of Kurds and its attempts to reconcile the rival factions. Robert Deutsch, head of the northern Gulf affairs section at the U.S. State Department, is planning to visit northern Bet- Nahrain in mid-April to end fighting between warring Kurdish groups. Fighting has erupted between the two main Iraqi Kurdish factions, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The PUK this week urged the KDP to renew peace talks with U.S. mediation and consolidate their cease-fire. Thursday, Turkey's parliament approved a three-month extension of the mandate for the U.S.-led Operation Provide Comfort that protects the Kurds from attacks by the Iraqi government in Baghdad. OIL TALKS CONTINUE TO CONTINUE NEXT WEEK (RU: Kuwait) A U.S. official accused Iraq of misusing talks on limited oil exports to try to regain control of northern Bet-Nahrain. Edward Gnehm, deputy head of Washington's mission at United Nations headquarters in New York, said any limited resumption of Iraq oil exports under a U.N. oil-for-food plan would not lead to an easing of Gulf War sanctions against Baghdad. On March 18, Iraqi and U.N. negotiators wrapped up their second round of talks on how to implement U.N. resolution 986 permitting Baghdad $2 billion of oil sales over six months. Iraq is under stringent U.N. trade sanctions, including a ban on its oil exports, imposed after it invaded Kuwait in 1990. The two sides are scheduled to resume the talks April 8. ===================================================== S U R F S U P ! ===================================================== "It seems that every issue I read reassures me that there maybe light at the end of the tunnel. This is one of the greatest revolutions that's ever happened in the Assyrian world. The fact that we have this vehicle to communicate with one another across space and time, not knowing who most of the recipients are, sharing of our beliefs, thoughts, hopes, dreams out of our love and concern for Assyrian people and nationhood. I was very much moved by this issues message from Vivian Younan, the article you included as her writing fills my heart with joy that Assyrians can be so effective in their writing and sharing of talent, knowledge and beliefs. I wish such writings can be accessible to the world outside ZENDA's subscribers so they too can experience such writings. I was especially moved by the line "but do not ever forget that the present is the key to tomorrow". I am so glad to have read this line, written by someone else, for I so much believe in it, and I am so much against our dwelling in our past and wasting energy over what no longer is, instead of using our energy of what there is today and what we can make happened tomorrow with the help of GOD and our savior Jesus as our foremost leader in all of our battles. This leads me to mention that I am a little concerned about one statement in Vivian Younan's message in which she states ", and you will realize that she really is ALL POWERFUL, and ALL KNOWING". The uppercase to direct your attention to where my concern is. While Vivian is speaking about mother Assyria, I believe that only GOD is All powerful and All knowing and no one else is, and I strongly believe that unless all Assyrians believe in that, all of our efforts will go to waste, for we are nothing and can do nothing unless he is first and foremost in the lives of everyone of us. Thank you and I look forward to the next release." Esha Tamras San Jose, California "Reading Janey [Golani]'s article brings to my mind what I always thought about it, and that thing is, for a long time Assyrians have been migrating to North America and some Assyrians have lived here for so long and some even born here. When will the time come that we start to learn that we need Democracy in our life, in our society? Can't we see that the power of the Western part of the world is in practicing freedom and democracy? From reading her article it looks like we didn't change a lot from the way we've been thinking in the past 20 years. I think Janey is right and the issue still, as old as the time I was living back home, is that Everybody wants to be a leader!!!!!!)." Ninos Younan Toronto, Canada -------------------------- "The work you are doing for the Assyrian Community is impeccable! Keep it up." Shamiran Chicago -------------------------- ===================================================== S U R F E R S C O R N E R ===================================================== GAP: What's the significance of the year B.C. 4750 in the calculation of the Assyrian Year 6746? Hint, hint! The Temple in the city of Ashur (Assur). Submit your answer before next Sunday. Either an educated or a wild guess is welcome. ===================================================== N E W S D I G E S T ===================================================== THE FATE OF QUEEN SHEMIRAN TO BE DECIDED IN CHICAGO Sculptor Fred Parhad's monument of Queen Shamiram of Assyria is coming to Chicago. The Department of Cultural Affairs in Chicago will meet to discuss the site of the Assyrian monument on April 11, 1996. The site requested by Mr. Parhad is downtown Chicago, where it is hoped the monument will get the most exposure. Mr. Fred Parhad, who also sculpted the Ashurbanipal sculpture in San Francisco in 1988 plans a new monument portraying the Great Assyrian Exodus of 1915. For information contact Fred Parhad 1220 Conn RD St. Helena, CA 94574 or write to Robert Dekalaita at rdekela@orion.it.luc.edu NINEVEH STAR SOCCER TEAM IN THE PLAYOFFS (SC: Chicago ) On March 16th, The Nineveh Star soccer team of Chicago has reached the semi-finals of the Soccermania Senior men Indoor Soccer Tournament with a record of 5-2-2. The Star is in the third place to face the Wolfpack S.C. in the first place. ===================================================== D I R E C T O R Y OF THE N E W S S O U R C E S ===================================================== RU (Reuters): ClariNet Communications Corp. SC: soc.culture.assyrian newsgroup UP (United Press International) WS (Wall Street Journal) ZN (Zenda: zenda@ix.netcom.com) ===================================================== C A L E N D A R OF E V E N T S ===================================================== New Dates & Updates No New Dates ----------------------------------------------------- April 12-14 The Assyrian Art Exhibition 1996 Toronto, Canada (416) 972-0106 Voice (416) 650-1983 Fax April 27 Two Plays by William Daniel "The Meeting" & "Tdalaboota" Santa Clara University Santa Clara, California May 24-27 Assyrian State Convention of California Fairmont Hotel San Jose, U.S.A. May 24-25 Memorial Weekend Games Chicago, U.S.A. May 25-26 2nd Assyrian Community Networking Conference Fairmont Hotel San Jose, U.S.A. June 1 Nineveh Choral Concert Conducted by Maestro Nebu Issabey Santa Teresa High School Auditorium San Jose, U.S.A. 8:00 pm June 9-11 The ARAM Conference Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A Thru Aug 15 "Beirut: Uncovering the Past" Profiles recent UNESCO archeology efforts The British Museum London, England Aug 29-Sept 2 AANF National Convention Red Lion Inn Hotel Modesto, U.S.A. ----------------------------------------------------- ENTERTAINMENT ----------------------------------------------------- April 12 St. Mary's Annual Church Party Assyrian Catholic Church Scottish Rite Center San Jose, California Entertainer: Walter Aziz/Haroot Band Nights of Babylon DJ Donation: $30.00 April 14 Neesan Dinner Social at Jora's Restaurant 1250 Aviation Ave, STE 235 San Jose, California 6:30 PM Donation: $15.00 ----------------------------------------------------- REGULAR MEETINGS ----------------------------------------------------- Fridays Assyrian Educational & Cultural Club at Modesto Junior College 1:00 pm Founders Hall 108 Modesto, U.S.A. ----------------------------------------------------- CLASSES ----------------------------------------------------- Thursdays Nineveh Choir: Maestro Nebu Issabey BETA: AAA of San Jose, U.S.A. 7:30-9:00 pm ===================================================== A S S Y R I A N S U R F I N G P O S T S ===================================================== New Site(s) No new sites ===================================================== P U M P U P T H E V O L U M E ===================================================== ENGLISH ASSYRIAN Flood ma-mo-la [M] Tornado kroo-khee-ta [F] Earthquake ro-daa-naa [M] Note: pronounce "mo" in mamola as in English "motel" _____________________________________________________ F = Feminine M = Masculine P = Plural ===================================================== B A C K T O T H E F U T U R E ===================================================== B.C. (1650) The period of Hurrian domination in the history of ancient Assyria begins. The vassal-governors of Ashur are elevated to royal status, claiming direct descent from an ancestor called Adasi. << G. van Driel, The Cult of Assur, Studia Semitica Needlandica, vol 13, 1969 >> A.D. (1905) A book entitled the Awakening of the Arab Nation by Najib Assuri of Syria calls for the armed rising of an Arab state in the Middle East. << Zeine, The Emergence of Arab Nationalism, 1966 >> ====================================================== L I T E R A T U S ====================================================== *** A SUMERIAN RESURRECTION *** From the "Descent of Ishtar into the Netherworld" One sprinkled upon her [Ishtar] the food of life, the other, the water of life. Innana arose. Inanna is about to ascend from the nether world, The Anunnaki seized her (saying): "Who of those who have descended to the nether world ever ascends unharmed from the nether world!" ====================================================== T H I S W E E K I N H I S T O R Y ====================================================== April 1, 1886: born, Sargis Osipov, Assyrian linguist in Tbilisi (Tiflis), Georgia April 1, 1988: members of the Cultural Wave of Nisibin celebrate first anniversary of their grouping, with 89 members present at the Kha b'Neesan celebrations in San Jose, California. ====================================================== B R A V O ====================================================== Volume nine, Number 2 issue of the Journal of the Assyrian Academic Society is out. To receive your copy write to: JAAS P.O. Box 4102, De Plaines, IL 60016-4102 Smaple articles from this issue: -Italian policy toward Assyrians & Kurds -Amulets and the Assyrians of Kurdistan -Verb tenses in Assyrian Aramaic -The first modern Assyrian printed book Congratulations to the editors of this semi-annual publication whose focus is the language, culture, and history of the Assyrian civilization. ===================================================== W E L C O M E T O Z E N D A ===================================================== Zenda welcomes our new on-line subscribers from: CORPORATE ACCOUNTS UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS PERSONAL ACCOUNTS Washington D.C. Chicago, Illinois Sweden ===================================================== A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S ===================================================== Zenda wishes to thank the following individuals & organizations whose contributions appear in this issue: Robert Dekalaita Chicago, Illinois Daniel Sullivan Twin Rivers ____________________________________________________ ZENDA will continue to print your comments and suggestions free of editing, as they appear in our mailbox. All letters will be printed in our SURFS UP! section unless directed otherwise. We urge you to submit your community events, personal accomplishments, and meeting/school times to Zenda no later than Sunday, 12:00 PM, Pacific Standard Time. ----------------------------------------------------- Our Next Issue will appear on Monday, April 8, 1996. ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- Headers -------------------------------- From zenda@ix.netcom.com Mon Apr 1 04:15:48 1996 Return-Path: zenda@ix.netcom.com Received: from dfw-ix11.ix.netcom.com (dfw-ix11.ix.netcom.com [206.214.98.11]) by emin19.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with ESMTP id EAA13587; Mon, 1 Apr 1996 04:15:46 -0500 Received: from sjx-ca54-19.ix.netcom.com (zenda@sjx-ca54-19.ix.netcom.com [206.214.106.83]) by dfw-ix11.ix.netcom.com (8.6.13/8.6.12) with SMTP id BAA29890; Mon, 1 Apr 1996 01:09:53 -0800 Message-Id: <2.2.16.19960401091302.44fff8ce@popd.ix.netcom.com> X-Sender: zenda@popd.ix.netcom.com X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 2.2 (16) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Mon, 01 Apr 1996 01:13:02 -0800 To: zenda@ix.netcom.com From: Zenda Subject: ZENDA (Vol II, #9; 4/1/96)