June 2006

Contents Of This Issue:

Quote

"Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever".
Margaret Cho, weblog, 03-11-04

Events- Click here for more details

PAUL ORFALEA                                                                   Mr. Orfalea is the author of "Copy This"
FOUNDER, KINKO’S                                                                which will be featured next newsletter. 

Paul Orfalea [pronounced OR-Fah-La] founded Kinko’s in 1970 near the University of California at Santa Barbara with a simple idea: provide college students with products and services they need at a competitive price. The space that Orfalea rented for his copy business was so small the copy machine had to be lugged out onto the sidewalk. From its modest beginnings, Kinko’s is now the world’s leading business services chain. Today, there are over 1100 Kinko’s worldwide.

Much of Kinko’s success can be traced directly to Orfalea’s unique business philosophy that was based on the founder’s freethinking, creative style. Orfalea encouraged active participation from all 25,000 co-workers and generous incentive programs were implemented to stimulate creativity. In fact, co-workers at every level were encouraged to share ideas freely in organizational decisions. A reflection of this success is that Fortune Magazine selected Kinko’s as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work with in America” for three years in a row. Forbes Magazine also ranked Kinko’s 84th on its year 2000 “Forbes 500 Biggest Private Companies.” Working Mother magazine lists Kinko’s in it’s Best Companies for Working Mother’s 2001 issue.

The year 2000 brought about many changes for Orfalea as he retired from his position as Kinko’s Chairperson. Orfalea is no longer involved with Kinko’s. He now devotes much of his time to new business ventures with his associates. One of those ventures is the formation of the Orfalea Family Foundation. Orfalea, his family, and Kinko’s have a long history of supporting educational initiatives concentrated in California. Paul Orfalea’s current focus is to increase public awareness of the important need for businesses to act “family friendly” and support for working parents.

Orfalea is in great demand for public speaking, often addressing business organizations, especially entrepreneurs and working women, with his inspirational messages. He frequently lectures at University of Southern California, (his alma mater), UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, as well as various community and state colleges, and he has taught at NYU and Wharton School of Business among others.

In 2000, People Magazine profiled Orfalea as one of several prominent leaders who has overcome dyslexia and gone on to have illustrious careers. Other recent prestigious awards are the 1998 Entrepreneur of the Year award from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business; the 2000 Philanthropist of the Year by the Network of California Community Colleges; and in 2001 the Conrad Hilton Entrepreneur award, the Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion for Entrepreneurship, along with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Salvation Army “Sally” award for Business Leadership.

Despite all of these high profile activities, you will find Paul Orfalea very down to earth, friendly, compassionate and continually curious about the world around him – he is a true modern adventurer.

http://www.paulorfalea.com/
http://www.nationwidespeakers.com/speaker/70

Albert M. Balesh, M.D.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Albert M. Balesh, M.D. completed his secondary education at a private Catholic, college preparatory school in the Chicago Area.  He obtained

He was a clinical Research Fellow and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Rome School of Medicine from 1983-1986 and completed a residency in General Surgery in 1987.  A specialist in the treatment of surgical pathology of the liver, Dr. Balesh holds licenses to practice in all fifteen European Union (EU) countries.  He is currently in the process of obtaining his medical license in the United States.  He had published extensively in both national and international medical and surgical journals such as The American Journal of Surgery, International Surgery and Annals of Surgery.

Dr. Balesh has published three books of poetry, titled Fall From Grace, Head Above Water, and First of the Last, respectively, and is completing work on his novel for publication, tentatively titled Fountain of Youth.  Dr. Balesh is currently an instructor of ESL (English as Second Language program at El Paso Community College.  He is also an instructor of beginner, intermediate and advanced courses in Italian Language in the division of professional and Continuing Education at the University of El Paso, Texas.

Dr. Balesh has written several health articles for a local paper.  He was kind to share his articles to be read at this link.  They include interesting titles as: Staying Abreast, Motor Madness, Vege-toll, Eye-atollah, Forty Winks or Forty Wives?, Mine is Bigger than Yours! The Truth about Fertility , TB or not To Be, Flat Tired, Hocus-pocus Meningococcus, Terminator versus Defibrillator, Blackbird, Vital Mends with Vitamins, Placebo Domingo, Face to Place, Ornery Coronary and much more.  You will enjoy these articles whether or not you are in the health profession. 

 
Lebanon A to Z: A Middle Eastern Mosaic

Children’s book explores the heritage, culture and people of this small, yet, important country.

Lebanon A to Z: A Middle Eastern Mosaic is a delightful book that teaches children all about the country of Lebanon and the incredible diversity, charm, and vitality of its people.

With eleven-year-old Kareem as your guide, you get to take a journey through a remarkable country filled with rich contrasts, geography, history, and natural resources.

You will learn facts about this incredible country that will amaze you. Lebanon is a small country of only 4,000 square miles. It is a little longer than Long Island, New York and has only 131 miles of coastline from north to south. There are only five major cities and the population of the whole country is about 4 million people.

Beginning with the letter A for the word Alphabet, to G for the Lebanese author Kahlil Gibran, going all the way to the letter Z for the word Zaffe, which stands for a celebration of love and life, Kareem takes you on a tour of this vitally significant country.

Did you know that when President John F. Kennedy gave his inaugural address in 1961, he immortalized the words of Kahlil Gibran when he said: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

Learning and understanding the Middle Eastern society is vitally important to all of us today, and this book allows you to learn and experience the unique foundations of the Lebanese culture and gain an appreciation for its strong eastern roots and heritage.

This 76 page book takes you through a colorful tour across the land, dead center in the cradle of modern civilization, visiting over a dozen locations and unearthing layer upon layer of civilization from the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, to the Arabs, Turks and French, and the ways they shaped the foundations of modern Lebanon.

The clear explanations of the many aspects of the society are soundly and solidly educational and provide all of us with greater understanding of this important culture and a clear opportunity for multi-cultural exchange. The authors deftly succeed in delivering a strong and heartfelt message of hope that with knowledge and communication, we can transcend all the troubles of the world.

Tatiana Sabbagh’s colorful and lush illustrations depict and covey the intimate details of Lebanese life with great humor, sensitivity and respect.

Lebanon A to Z
By Marijean Boueri, Jill Boutros, and Joanne Sayad  Illustrated by Tatiana Sabbagh
8.5 in. x 11 in. 78 pages trade hardcover with color illustrations throughout
$25.00 ISBN 0-9744803-4-7 PublishingWorks, Exeter, New Hampshire
Available in the US starting in May 2006.

This charming book, written with sensitivity, introduces the reader to Lebanon and the vitality of its people. It is indeed a mosaic of cultures that makes Lebanon unique in this part of the world.  Nina Jidejian-Author and Historian

For more information and to read about the authors please visit www.lebanonatoz.com or
 https://www.revolutionbooksellers.com/index.asp?menu=wp918200515198&page=wp918200515198&prodid=180#LebAZ

For Immediate Release                              
Contact:  Carol McCarthy (603) 772-7200

Lebanon 1-2-3; A Counting Book in Three Languages
By Marijean Moran Boueri
Illustrated by Mona Trad Dabaji

Lilting rhymes and luminous illustrations carry us through a lovely Lebanese day in the mountains “en grande famille.” Children can count along in three languages - English, French, and Arabic - while exploring the beauty and family traditions of Lebanon.

This book features charming, vibrant paintings by one of Lebanon’s most respected artists, Mona Trad Dabaji. These fascinating visual details of a Lebanese home, along with the tri-lingual rhyming couplets bring a typical day in Lebanon to life.

But most important, Lebanon 1-2-3 shows us how similar families are everywhere. No matter where we live, children love to giggle and play, and grandparents are ready with their kisses and embraces.

http://revolutionbooksellers.com/index.asp?menu=wp918200515198&page=wp918200515198&prodid=180#Lebanon_123 
 

Carol McCarthy, Projects Manager
Lebanon A to Z, Lebanon 1-2-3
Revolution Booksellers
60 Winter Street    Exeter, NH 03833
Phone: 800-738- 6603  Fax: 603- 772-7204
Email: carol@revolutionbooksellers.com
Website: www.revolutionbooksellers.com

Note:  Both books Lebanon A to Z and Lebanon 1-2-3 are also available through www.lebanesebooks.com. You can check out books that we have featured in past issues in the book section of this site.

Lebanese Campus Links  www.lebanesecampuslink.com

CampusLink is the result of likeminded Lebanese students coming together to create a backbone of support for otherwise unconnected Lebanese clubs on university campuses across the world. Our main goal is to “Link” all Lebanese clubs and create a network of information and assistance.

We would also like to encourage the creation, growth, and revival of Lebanese clubs in as many schools as possible, spreading Lebanese Culture on as broad a scale as possible. All this will be very useful for any type of Lebanese student transferring from one university campus to another, or even to the US from abroad or any country in the world !

We decided to achieve that through the establishment of a committee that will have representatives from all the participating clubs and also through the creation of a website that can be accessed easily by any Lebanese student in the world.

TECH 2006 Conference Update www.techlebconference.com

 Friends,

I would like to share with you a great initiative that was launched this past weekend in TechLeb at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of
Technology). The initiative is called iv4leb.org, and it is a web portal (www.ivolunteer4lebanon.org or www.iv4leb.org ), which helps the Lebanese Diaspora volunteer to help Lebanese organizations (non-profits, academic, gov’t or private). The team effort was funded by USAID, with deployment, feedback, and encouragement coming from many organizations including IESC, Hariri Foundation, Moawwad Foundation, Microsoft, Techleb, TidWiT...

Basically, iv4leb.org is free-to-use (and non-profit) allowing organizations in Lebanon to register and post volunteer assignments that they need help in; and for volunteers in the Diaspora to register themselves and apply to these assignments. Assignments could be of different duration (as short as hours and as long as weeks…) done from abroad or inside Lebanon depending on the preferences/constraints of the organization and those of the volunteer. Volunteers can be of any nationality and age as long as they are of legal age. I am happy to say that so far we have had an excellent response and already we have volunteers and organizations from the United States, Saudi Arabia, France, Canada, Germany, and Argentina. 

We invite you to access www.iv4leb.org and check it out. The objective of this is to help Lebanon and Lebanese organizations. So if you have not registered, you can register here, and if it is not too much to ask, please forward this to other fellow compatriots.

Another accomplishment that resulted from this event was the formation of a new organization by the name of INLET (International Network of Lebanese Entrepreneurs and Technologists).  The following link contains more information www.inlet-lebanon.org.
 

LACC Event Report- Night of a 100 Stars Gala

From: American Lebanese National Movement (ALNM) pio@alnm.net 5-29-06

Houston, Texas –Few short months after releasing the “Lebanese Monthly” magazine, Councilman John Akouri of Michigan launched the Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce (LACC) with an impressive “2006 Golden Cedar Awards” Night of a Hundred Stars Gala that was sold out before the announcements were even out. On Friday, May 19th, a crowd of Lebanese and non-Lebanese alike merged into the luxurious Wyndham Garden Hotel with great anticipation, judges, congressman, local celebrities and citizens alike, to celebrate Lebanese Leadership in America.

LACC presented the Golden Cedar honoring great Lebanese men and women:
· Christa McAuliffe, Teacher and Astronaut
· Bobby Rahal, Legendary Racecar Champion
· Octavia Nasr, CNN Anchor and Reporter
· Samuel Saad III, Esq, United States Dept. of Labor

LACC also recognized the Business Achievements of:
· James LaHood- Sarkis, Businessman of the Year.
· Hayat (Heidi) Ghafari-Stein, Businesswoman of the year.
· Michigan Food and Beverage Association & Michigan Business and Professional Association, 2006 business Association of the Year.

LACC Honorary Host Committee Members included
· Former Ford CEO Mr. Jacques Nasser, Chairman
· Casey Kasem, Dr. Donna Shalala, US Rep. Charles Boustany, Co-Chairs

LACC’s keynote speaker and distinguished honoree was Alex Michael Azar, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human services, the highest ranking Lebanese American official serving under the Bush Administration today.

Akouri, speaking to the maximum capacity audience said, “As Lebanese Americans, we share not only pride in our heritage, but a successful history of business, trade and commerce handed down to us by our Phoenician ancestors – the world’s first merchants. The United States and Lebanon have long shared both diplomatic and cultural ties forging a relationship built on mutual respect. So then, on this historic evening, let us remember the words of Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran when he wrote in his message to young Americans of Lebanese descent:

‘It is to stand before the towers of New York, Washington, Chicago and San Francisco saying in your heart, "I am the descendant of a people that built…Byblos, and Tyre and Sidon, and Antioch, and now I am here to build with you, and with a will.’
Together we shall echo these same sentiments and collectively build an economic powerhouse that benefits all those who draw on the leadership of the national Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce.”

Representing the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP), Dr. Hamid Kantara, ALNM chairman presented the “LACC Special Tribute to Astronaut Christa McAuliffe” to her beautiful mother Ms. Grace George Corrigan after talking about the importance of NASA’s mission and the impact the Space Program has on our daily lives.

“If you want a First Class event, you want John Akouri. No one puts an event together the way John does, it is as simple as that,” stated Dr. Hamid Kantara, ALNM Chairman. “A Former Press Secretary to a U.S. Senator and elected official himself, John’s commitment and devotion to Lebanon is to be envied. We look forward to establishing a board of director for LACC-Houston very soon. ALNM is currently negotiating with LACC to have its 2007 Golden Cedar Awards Gala here in Houston.”

“ALNM continues to build its network of Lebanese organizations who are working hard to promote a positive image of our culture and heritage,” stated Dr. Kantara. “Where we see hard working people or individuals working for Lebanon and the future of our children, there we will also be to offer our support and encouragement. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. When one of us fails, we all fail. The sooner we all come together, the sooner we can ensure a Lebanon that our children can be proud of.”

For more information on the Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce, visit www.lebanesechamber.org ; for information on ALNM, visit www.alnm.net  or email us pio@alnm.net
 

Los Angeles-Beirut Sister City Project Update

Dear Friends of Lebanon,

On May 31 2006 Council President Eric Garcetti, Councilmember Dennis Zine and Councilmember Tom LaBonge were joined by over 100 friends to announce their Journey to travel to Lebanon in late June to sign the Historic agreement to make Los Angeles and Beirut Sister Cities.  Check this link for pictures of the event http://www.labeirut.org/events/events.htm 

The purpose of the Los Angeles- Beirut Sister City project is to enhance the relationship between the people of Los Angeles and the people of Beirut, Lebanon. This project will foster friendship, knowledge, commerce, and understanding between these two people through exchange of culture, education, public works, health services, arts, science, sports and industry.

We need your help by:  1- Becoming a member. 2- Tell you family and friends. 3- Join a committee

Call to action to attend the approval by the full Los Angeles City Council of the Los Angeles-Beirut Sister City agreement. This should be a joyful event and as many participants as possible are encouraged to attend!
Date: June 20 2006 @10:00 am
Place: City Hall Chambers on 200 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles CA 90012

Ferris Wehbe 
www.labeirut.org 

House of Lebanon News

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