Subj: ZENDA (Vol II,#33 ; 9/30/96) Date: 96-09-30 03:51:31 EDT From: zenda@ix.netcom.com (Zenda) To: zenda@ix.netcom.com Eelool 30, 6746 September 30, 1996 ***** ***** * * **** ** * * ** * * * * * * *** * * * * * ****** * * * ** * * * * ***** ***** * * **** * * Volume II, Issue 32 A Weekly Online Publication of the ZENDA Assyrian Newsagency ===================================================================== THE L I G H T H O U S E ===================================================================== A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHICAGO WINGED BULL SOCCER TEAM In the spring of 1970, Misters Hani Baba, Fred DeEiel, Raman Oshana and Steve Younan of the Assyrian American Association of Chicago formed the Winged Bull Soccer Team. The four founders, still a very active part of the organization, saw it fit that our youth's energy be directed into the sports arena as they believed the famous quote `A sound mind in a sound body'. Through their efforts, the Assyrian community of Chicago gained an instant recognition among millions of immigrants from other countries. In 1971, Winged Bull joined the Third Division of the National Soccer League. In 1975 it had already won its way to the First Division, during which time several titles were won. Shortly after a Trophy Cabinet was installed at the AAA of Chicago. In 1977, the team overwhelmed with victories and titles moved on to the Major Division, where it still thrives and enjoys a commanding lead among players from several soccer- loving nations as Argentina, Italy, Germany, Poland, to note a few. The Winged Bull Soccer Team of Chicago continued adding titles to its outstanding record: three times winning the Regional Championship, becoming the only team to win the Nations Cup three times thus far, and obtaining the title of State Champions a countless number of times. In Chicago, thousands of emotional Assyrian fans have twice witnessed the Winged Bull's game against the Chicago Sting, a Professional Major League Soccer team, both indoor and outdoor. In the mid 1980's, the newspaper write-ups were quite encouraging. At Soldier Field, where the Winged Bull defeated Wisla, a Polish team with three national players, thousands of Assyrians cheered their nationless heroes to the victory. In 1984, because of exhaustive managerial duties and a substantial rise in the number of players, the organizers of the team believed that an association that can focus its resources on organizing Assyrian Athletes exclusively can better suit the agenda of the Winged Bull team. Consequently the Assyrian Athletic Club of Chicago was formed to oversee the sports activities and the day-to-day management of this soccer team. In the Summer of 1994, when for the first time the World Cup Soccer came to the United States, the opening ceremonies held in Chicago were preceded by a procession of floats from all over the World. The Winged Bull Soccer Team took part in the rally and emphasized once again that Assyrians are very much Alive ! Today, the Team enjoys a commanding lead in the Major division. There are currently over 70 registered players with the Winged Bull organization. They practice twice a week and every week participate in a different game. The Assyrian Athletic Club, being the sole supporter of the team, continuously strives to provide the financial means possible to support such an undertaking and helps keep our young Assyrian men involved in sports, through sponsorship programs, donations and festivities. Sargon B Yalda Chicago, Illinois ===================================================================== G O O D M O R N I N G B E T - N A H R A I N ===================================================================== KDP TO FORM GOVERNMENT IN NORTHERN BET-NAHRAIN, WILL INCLUDE ASSYRIANS (ZNUP: London) Last week a Kurdish group that seized control of a portion of northern Bet-Nahrain earlier this month said it was forming a government to run the province. Delshad Miran, spokesman for the Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP in Britain said the 16-member Cabinet would be led by Roj Nuri Shawyess. Shawyess, an engineer and member of the KDP politburo, was chosen prime minister by the Kurdish National Assembly when it met on Sept. 16 in Arbil. The KDP overran Arbil on Aug. 31 when, supported by Iraqi government tanks and troops, it defeated the forces of its main rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan or PUK. Shawyess's Cabinet is expected to include Assyrians, Turkmen, Communists and Islamists.'' But the Cabinet would not include a PUK representative. There were PUK representatives among the 67 members of the National Assembly when it convened in Arbil earlier this month. The meeting in Arbil consisted of 47 KDP representatives, 17 PUK, and 3 Assyrian representatives. The full assembly is comprised of 50 KDP members, 50 PUK and five Assyrian members. AN UPDATE ON THE 3 ASSYRIAN PRISONERS IN DIYARBAKIR (ZNDA: Turkey) On Tuesday, September 17, the Court in Diyarbakir, Turkey issued the written opinion leading to its judgment on Gebro Tokgoz and Adnan Kesenci, two of the three Assyrians who had been accused of treason. Misters Tokgoz and Kesenci remain on bail pending the possibility of a trial in the future. While this matter still looms over them, their families were glad to have them back. Gebro's child was born while Gebro was in custody. Melek Akyol, the third Assyrian, remains under custody. ===================================================================== S U R F S U P ! ===================================================================== "Does anyone know what happens to the money that the Assyrian National Convention generates every year? Do the convention officials issue a financial statement after the convention outlining revenues and expenditures and do they make it public. If it is made public, can Zenda publish it. How do they decide how to spend any surplus. Do they come back at the end of the year and show how the money was spent. Do they know how much money is spent by the Assyrians at the convention Hotels?" Concerned Assyrian [ZENDA is in receipt of 1996-97 AANF financial statements. In the very near future ZENDA will also feature an article outlining the 1996 Convention's revenue/expenditure, 1996-97 AANF budget, and the projected 97-98 budget. For more information please contact the president and the treasurer of the Assyrian American National Federation whose address and telephone numbers were listed in our 9/16/96 issue.] **************** "To my great surprise, Zenda last week featured a letter to the editor which amounted to little more than Biblical tub-thumping. The letter writer slammed an Assyrian TV talk show host who, in referring to the Federation Picnic in San Jose, questioned whether this was the place for "a few Christians to be promoting Christianity among fellow Assyrians." The TV talk show host seems to have raised an intelligent question. Although I was not surprised by the tiresome length of the letter, nor by its myopia, what took me back was that Zenda should feature it at the very beginning of its newsletter, as if to accord it special insight. The writer of the Zenda letter seems well-versed in passages of the scriptures (e.g., Hebrews 3:8), but needs to bone up on her history. She points to the collapse of our "kingdom", and says: "Look what happened to us", for not being good Christians. For her information, our "kingdom" collapsed in 612 B.C.; therefore, it is difficult to see the connection she wants to make between Christianity and the fall of Nineveh. The TV show host apparently said that our good works would take us to heaven. This sounds pretty good to the average Joe, but the Zenda letter writer disagrees. She says that to God, our good works are just filthy rags (no passage quoted for this one). Some callers on the TV show apparently had the idea that "good persons from every religion will go to heaven." But the Zenda letter writer claims this is like calling Jesus Christ a liar ("I am the way and the Truth and the Life, etc."). So it sounds to me that between 80% and 85% of the world population is headed for a very hot place, no matter what great human beings they might be. Of those of us who are Christians, the letter writer failed to say whether any particular denomination has a better crack at the pearly gates (Church of East only? Chaldean Catholic only? Is Seventh Day Adventist OK? Mormonism? Jehovah Witness? Jews for Jesus?) The Zenda letter writer also sees a problem with those who only want to spend part of their time praying and talking religion. "Imagine if your child remembers you, visits you, and talks to you on 2 days a year. Will you be pleased with him/her?" Gee, maybe the only solution is for all of us to become monks and nuns; that way, we will minimize distractions. In conclusion, the TV talk show host in question sounds like a very sensitive person to me. When I go to a picnic, I go to renew acquaintances, to socialize, to catch up on personal news; I do not go to a picnic to be proselytized. Moreover, I assume that the religion that was being pushed at the picnic was not generic Christianity, but some specific brand of it. This could be offensive to those of us who hold very strong convictions about their own Church, and they have rights as well. Francis Sarguis Santa Barbara ********************** "...I also wanted to say that you guy(s) are doing a great job. It is because of people like you that we as a people can still survive in a nation that has been notorious for forcing its immigrants to assimilate. I find the information contained within the newsletter very interesting, educational, fun, and relevant. Keep up the good job." Lorence Eshoe ===================================================================== S U R F E R S C O R N E R ===================================================================== AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE ASSYRIAN DIRECTORY OF CALIFORNIA Dear Zenda Readers, We are now in the process of gathering our material for the 1997 issue of The Assyrian Directory of California. As you may already know, this publication is dedicated to gathering and promoting a comprehensive pool of Assyrian information and resources. The Directory offers many services to our community, among which are the Assyrian White Pages and the Assyrian e-mail Directory listing. We would like to invite you to join in and enlist your information at NOT CHARGE! We are dedicated to making this medium of communication among the finest and the most professional in its class. To reach our goal, we need your patronage and encouragement. Every single participant will further enrich this publication and can add to its caliber and effectiveness. We trust you will take the time to send us your information. We also encourage you to spread the word to friends and family. Look for our Directory in January of 1997. You will be proud to have been a part of it! Please submit your information via e-mail: EDSA INC@aol.com OR you may write to us at: The Assyrian Directory of California 4387 Cherry Ave. San Jose, CA 95118 In California: 1-800-472-3339 Outside CA: 408-266-7676 Fax: 408-266-7772 Avetoon baseemeh! ===================================================================== N E W S D I G E S T ===================================================================== LEBANON'S PRIME MINISTER ORDERS CHARGES AGAINST MARONITE SINGER DROPPED (ZNRU: Beirut) Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, responding to protests from intellectuals, has ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit against Marcel Khalife, a Maronite-Assyrian singer charged with insulting Islam by using a Koranic verse in a song. Lebanon's official National News Agency said Hariri instructed Justice Minister Bahij Tabbara on Friday ``to stop the lawsuit against artist Marcel Khalife and all that he has been charged with of insulting religious rituals in his song.' Khalife, who is touring the United States with his band, said on Friday by telephone he had obtained permission to release the song in his 1995 album ``Arabic Coffeepot'' from Lebanon's general security censorship bureau. The 46-year-old bearded entertainer has earned a cult following in the Arab world and the Arab diaspora through nationalistic songs during the 1975-90 Lebanese civil war. Paul Shaool, a Maronite- Assyrian poet, said on Friday the charges against Khalife were similar to 15th century Spanish Inquisition accusations. ``Sir (prosecutor) you were preceeded in your edict by those who issued edicts in Egypt, Sudan, India and Pakistan and before them the Inquisition courts of the dark Middle Ages,'' Paul Shaool wrote in an indignant newspaper article. ===================================================================== D I R E C T O R Y OF THE N E W S S O U R C E S ===================================================================== ZNAD (Assyrian Democratic Organization) ZNDA (Zenda: zenda@ix.netcom.com) ZNRU (Reuters) ZNSJ (San Jose Mercury News) ZNUP (United Press International) ===================================================================== C A L E N D A R OF E V E N T S ===================================================================== N e w D a t e s & U p d a t e s --------------------------------------------------------------------- Thru April 6 The Ain Ghazal Exhibit Smithsonian Institute Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Washington D.C. Nov 13 Babylon & Syria in the time of XENOPHON Lecturer: M. Stolper Oriental Institute University of Chicago Chicago, Illinois Jan 15 Ashur & Marduk: The State Gods of Assyria & Babylonia Lecturer: G. Frame Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations University of Toronto St. George campus Toronto, Canada 8:00 p.m Mar 12 Guardians of the Gate: The Assyrian Winged Colossi Lecturer: A. Harrak Near and Middle Eastern Civilization University of Toronto St. George campus Toronto, Canada 8:00 p.m April 9 Recent Excavations at Gordion, Turkey: An Achaemenid Persian Imperial Town in Central Anatolia Lecturer: T.C. Young, Jr. Royal Ontario Museum Toronto, Canada 8:00 p.m --------------------------------------------------------------------- E N T E R T A I N M E N T --------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 4 First Anniversary of the Church Dedication St. Mary's Catholic Church Naperdak Club San Jose, California 7:00 pm Donation: $ 30.00 Entertainer: Ogin --------------------------------------------------------------------- R E G U L A R C L A S S E S & M E E T I N G S --------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesdays Assyrian History Class Fall 1996 Session "Assyrian Biographies" Instructor: Wilfred Alkhas BETA of the Assyrian American Association of San Jose 20000 Almaden Road San Jose, California 8:00-9:00 pm Info: Wilfred_Alkhas@3mail.3com.com Fridays Assyrian Educational & Cultural Club at Modesto Junior College 1:00 pm Founders Hall 108 Modesto, U.S.A. Saturdays Nisibis School 10:30-1:30 The Church of the East Toronto, Canada Nisibin School 10:00-12:00 pm BETA of the Assyrian American Association of San Jose San Jose, California SUNDAYS Assyrian Boy Scouts Assyrian American Association of Southern California Assyrian Club 5901 Cahuenga Blvd North Hollywood, California 9:30am to 12:30pm Contact Sargon Gewargis @ fishtale@juno.com (818) 891-3705 after 7:30 pm Assyrian Student Union California State University, Northridge Assyrian American Association of Southern California Assyrian Club 5901 Cahuenga Blvd North Hollywood, California 6:00pm Contact Sargon Gewargis @ fishtale@juno.com (818) 891-3705 after 7:30 pm ===================================================================== A S S Y R I A N S U R F I N G P O S T S ===================================================================== N e w S i t e (s) Chaldeans in Iraq http://www.umd.umich.edu/~sdkjr/casa/chaliraq.html ===================================================================== P U M P UP THE V O L U M E ===================================================================== ENGLISH ASSYRIAN Fist Fighting mkha/look/ma [M] Boxing poo/qa/tdaa [M] koo/tash/goo/naa/reh [M] _____________________________________________________________________ F = Feminine M = Masculine P = Plural ===================================================================== B A C K TO THE F U T U R E ===================================================================== B.C. (704?) King Sennacherib moves the capital of Assyria from Dur- Sharrukin to Nineveh. << The Might That Was Assyria, Saggs >> A.D.(1847) Excavations of King Sennacherib's Palace begin under the direction of Sir Henry Layard. The project continues under the supervision of several archeologist until 1967, when the Excavation of the Southwest Palace is complete. << Sennacherib's Palace Without Rival at Nineveh, Russell >> ===================================================================== L I T E R A T U S ===================================================================== *** A TRAVELER'S TALE OF NINEVEH *** The following is a Jewish rabbi's account of the city of Nineveh nearly a thousand years ago, over 1600 years after is Fall in 612 B.C. : It is Ashur the Great, and about 7000 Jews live there... It sits on the river Tigris. Between it and Nineveh is a connecting bridge. It [Nineveh] is in ruins but within its ruins there are villages and communities. And the extent of Nineveh may be determined by its walls, about forty Persian miles, as far as the city of Arbil... << The Might That Was Assyria, Saggs >> ===================================================================== T H I S W E E K I N H I S T O R Y ===================================================================== October 2, 1972: dies, Dr. Peera Sarmas, author of A History of Assyrian Literature ===================================================================== B R A V O ===================================================================== ZENDA Assyrian Online Newsletter is now enjoyed by over 400 readers in 15 countries around the world. ZENDA TV Show is now broadcasted in San Jose, and will soon appear in Los Angeles and Connecticut. Meanwhile, ZENDA news and feature articles are published in several Assyrian magazines in the U.S., Canada, and Sweden. We are indeed very close to reaching our goal of 500 readers before December 31, 1996. On behalf of myself and ZENDA's regular contributors I would like to take this opportunity to thank our weekly readers who have continuously supported our efforts and brought ZENDA to the attention of other Assyrian internet surfers. Wilfred Alkhas Publisher of ZENDA ===================================================================== W E L C O M E T O Z E N D A ===================================================================== Zenda welcomes our new on-line subscribers from: CORPORATE ACCOUNTS Zycon Internet Shopping Network UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS PERSONAL ACCOUNTS ===================================================================== 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: Sargon B. Yalda Chicago Chris Aktas Sunnyvale, California Zaineb Istrabadi New York Albert Gabrial Hollister, California Mazin Enwiya Skokie, Illinois Pauline Jasim Chicago Ross Jatou Chicago Chaldean American Student Association: Univ of Michigan, Dearborn --------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Next Issue will appear on Monday, October 7, 1996. --------------------------------------------------------------------- In our next issue: 1996 Report of the Assyrian Youth Excellence Pageant Modesto, California Congresswoman Anna Eshoo's request for aid for the Assyrians in northern Iraq ----------------------- Headers -------------------------------- From zenda@ix.netcom.com Mon Sep 30 03:50:59 1996 Return-Path: zenda@ix.netcom.com Received: from dfw-ix8.ix.netcom.com (dfw-ix8.ix.netcom.com [206.214.98.8]) by emin06.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with ESMTP id DAA15738; Mon, 30 Sep 1996 03:50:55 -0400 Received: from sjx-ca71-54.ix.netcom.com (zenda@sjx-ca71-54.ix.netcom.com [207.92.177.118]) by dfw-ix8.ix.netcom.com (8.6.13/8.6.12) with SMTP id XAA12947; Sun, 29 Sep 1996 23:39:19 -0700 Message-Id: <2.2.16.19960930064505.4c571a14@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: Sun, 29 Sep 1996 23:45:05 -0700 To: zenda@ix.netcom.com From: Zenda Subject: ZENDA (Vol II,#33 ; 9/30/96)