Cedar News USA December 2005

Contents Of This Issue:

"A thought is a thing as real as a cannonball."  Joseph Joubert (1754-1824)

Prominent List Update

We received the following nominations for our list of prominent American-Lebanese.  These nominations came from family and friends.

ALMA Event Honoring Dr. Michael Debakey and Dr. Philip Salem

The American-Lebanese Medical Association will hold their annual event  Feb 24-25, 2006 in Las Vegas at the Riviera Hotel.  Both Dr. Debakey and Dr. Salem will be recognized at this event for their achievements.

The medical meeting will focus on prevention and targets doctors but it should be or interest to all other health providers and the general public.  The program will discuss methods of prevention of Eye disease, heart disease, cancer, communicable diseases and osteoporosis. 

You can find out more information about the meeting on the website where you can download the brochure, application and other event information.  www.almamater.org.
 

American-Lebanese Engineering Society News

This year, ALES Boston Chapter is going to present two $1,000 scholarships.  One will go to an undergraduate student and the other to a graduate student.  All students are encouraged to apply so please share this information with any student you may know.  The application deadline is January 17, 2006.  The scholarships will be presented during the annual party on Saturday February 04, 2006.

The application and more information is available on the website www.ales-usa.com.

Hani Al-Dayaa
ALES Boston Chapter, President.

Phoenicians, Lebanon's Epic Heritage-  A word from the author

Bringing together three thousand years of Phoenician life in Lebanon is not something I was able to do by myself.  I gladly give thanks to all my friends in Lebanon and in the Lebanese-American community who have been so helpful in this work.  Many professors and experts contributed, and are named in the book.  Also very valuable were Joumana Medlej and Antonia Kanaan in Beirut, as well as Salim Khalaf of phoenicia.org and cedarsusa.com the U.S.

And the work continues.  In June I was asked to address the World History Conference in Ifrane, Morocco, on the Phoenicians and their tremendous effect on other Mediterranean societies.  The presentation stirred quite a bit of interest among historians in the often-overlooked subject of the Lebanese people and their importance in world affairs.  These latest discoveries are also included in the book.

As I have said many times, this Phoenicians book is about the Lebanese people and society, not simply monuments and dates.  That is what made the Phoenicians so fascinating to me:  they created an amazingly unique, peaceful and prosperous society during Lebanon’s early days.  Talking with people in Lebanon today, I can still detect traces of all those things.  Lebanese people are quite special and have – I think – much more to be proud of in their heritage than is ever admitted.  Now, finally, all the parts of that golden society have been brought together in one place, and polished so that they shine brightly in the light of day.  A total of 92 illustrations help illuminate the 392 pages of this remarkable journey through the rich heritage of all Lebanese people.

Sanford Holst
Los Angeles, California

ps- you can read more about this book and the introduction on this page.

American Lebanese National Movement (ALNM) News

Houston, Texas- ALNM members held an event on Nov 22nd where Houston Council woman, Dr. Shelley Sekula Gibbs, and world renowned professor Philip Salem were the guest speakers at the event. Their support of ALNM and the Lebanese community is immeasurable. After her eloquent from the heart speech, Council woman Sekula Gibbs presented Dr. Mazin Moufarij with a Certificate of Recognition for his leadership and efforts for the Lebanese community and ALNM. Council woman Sekula Gibbs also presented Dr. Moufarij a Proclamation from Bill White the Mayor of Houston part of which states “The City of Houston salutes and commends the organizers and participants of this worthwhile endeavor, and extends best wishes for continued success.” “Therefore, I, Bill White, Mayor of the City of Houston, herby proclaim November 22, 2005 as American Lebanese National Movement day.”   For more information Visit www.alnm.net

American-Lebanese Profile: Dr. Aksam Merched

Dr. Merched received his Ph.D. in Clinical Biochemistry/Lipids from the University of Nancy, France in 1998, and spent 5 years as a Post Doc in Molecular Cellular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine. In 2003 he was appointed to the faculty at the Instructor level, and in 2004, he was promoted to Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Merched has authored and co-authored over 45 publications and has received several awards.  He is currently a member of the American Heart and several other professional organizations.  His research interests have focused on the basic research of cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.

Even with his busy agenda Dr. Merched has made time to create a website for his village.  You can visit this website and read more about him at www.bterram.com
 

American-Lebanese Profile: Linda Sawaya

Linda Dalal Sawaya is the youngest of five daughters of Lebanese immigrants, Alice and Elias both from Douma, Lebanon. Linda and her sisters were born and raised in Los Angeles, growing up in Alice¹s kitchen‹where cooking became a great passion, along with baking bread and gardening. All of these led her to write and publish a well-loved Lebanese cookbook: Alice's Kitchen: Traditional Lebanese Cooking in 1997 that was featured in Aramco World Magazine.   Her book is appreciated for her family stories and cultural information...it is a cookbook generously seasoned with memoir and photos.

Sawaya studied photography, ceramics, and design at UCLA.  While working as a graphic designer in the mid-1980s, she began to paint and fell in love with this medium. Integrating media photography, painting, and ceramics in her work, Sawaya has exhibited in galleries in Oregon, California, and New York. Her art has been published on the covers of numerous books that she has illustrated and designed including two children¹s books that she illustrated. How to Get Famous in Brooklyn was selected as one of the best children¹s books of the year for exhibition in New York by the New York Society of Illustrators and The Little Ant/La Hormiga Chiquita, a delightful bilingual Mexican folk tale, was one of Bank Street¹s Best Children¹s Books of the Year.

Linda¹s work can be viewed at www.lindasawaya.com. Ahlan wa sahlan!

Website Update - New Links

Holiday Wishes

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