Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
By Eileen Fleming On Monday The New York Times broke the news that Trevor Noah will succeed Jon Stewart on ‘The Daily Show’ and quoted the 31-year-old South African, “I didn’t live a normal life – I grew up in a country that wasn’t normal.” Mr. Noah grew up in Soweto, the son of a…
Read More “The Daily Show and Israeli Apartheid #FreeVanunu #TDS @Trevornoah @TheDailyShow” »
The Greene Space at WNYC & WQXR presents MUSLIM/AMERICAN, a five-part event series kicks off with special advance screening of Aasif Mandvi’s “Halal in the Family” on Thursday, April 9th New York City is home to over 600,000 Muslims, many with strong family ties rooted in cultures from all over the world–Southeast Asia to North Africa, Europe to…
Read More “Muslim Americans focus of 5-part live performance” »
By Eileen Fleming Decades of US Israel nuclear entanglements and occupation of Palestine have reaped a tangled mass impeding movement. Once anyone or thing is entangled; extrication does not come easily but is possible. From Jerusalem on Monday, The New York Times reported, Netanyahu Says No to Statehood for Palestinians…Mr. Netanyahu’s chief challenger, Isaac Herzog of…
Read More “US Israel Nuclear Entanglements and Occupation of Palestine #FreeVanunu #FreePalestine” »
“A Pissed off Saint” finds strength; Middle Eastern woman offers hope through journey to freedom in her book “A Pissed off Saint.” According to the U.S. Department of State, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year. In order to break the silent struggle of these men, women and children, a survivor of this…
Read More “New book details forced marriage of Arab woman” »
By Eileen Fleming VENTURA, Ca.- Before the brother of the first non-Arab reporter for The Arab Daily News committed suicide on Feb. 11, James A. Kasmir wrote about his struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and prescription drug addictions in short stories, plays, poems and autobiographical files in a computer at Straight Up. Straight Up is…
Read More “Family Maters: Addictions and Yoga #SuicidePrevention #JimKaz” »
Chicago painter leaves mark in United Arab Emirates American artist Anastasia Mak is known for her bright expressionist paintings of world destinations, including Rome, Istanbul, Paris, and her home Chicago. Thanks to collaboration between Al Qasimi Foundation and the U.S. Mission in the United Arab Emirates, she can now add UAE-inspired works to her portfolio,…
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Lebanese author Sarah Houssayni provides insight into the life and challenges of Shiite residents in the suburbs of Beirut in her new book, “Fireworks.” Fireworks, the debut novel from Lebanese-born Sarah Houssayni, transports readers to the Shiite suburbs leveled and devastated during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War. Quite literally a tale of war and peace, the book…
Read More “Sarah Houssayni offers new book on Shiite life in Lebanon” »
By Eileen Fleming Professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University Medical Center, Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy wrote for The Wall Street Journal regarding America’s growing epidemic of Psychiatric drug prescriptions for infants and toddlers: “The causes are debatable but our culture of ‘a pill for every temper tantrum’ is one culprit….We also need to…
Read More “Big Pharma, John Oliver and Ventura California #JimKaz” »
Nadia Hilou, a lone Arab-Israeli Christian voice for families and children, was vilified and attacked by extremists in the Arab community in the Middle East and in the United States because she dared to work for peace from inside the system. Hilou was the first Arab Christian woman to serve in the Knesset and as…
Read More “Nadia Hilou: In praise of a brave Christian Palestinian woman” »
Come celebrate the Taybeh Vinfest this weekend, Feb. 27-28, 2015, in Taybeh, Palestine. The festival will feature local and regional entertainment and art. By Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D. The Taybeh Vinfest is a wine festival happening this weekend on 27- 28 February at the new Taybeh Winery in Palestine. It aims to introduce the new Palestinian…
A look back at the Oscars and the Academy Awards night from 1978 when Palestine and Israel clashed on stage for the first time. Here’s one of several columns I published over the years reflecting on that moment, this one published in 2006. By Ray Hanania A very special Oscars Night BY RAY HANANIA (Originally…
Racism and stereotypes can be used to denigrate and destroy people in America, but they can also have a positive value to help Americans, who are consumed with issues of race and stereotypes, to better understand the targets of hatred. Television sitcoms can become a means of educating not hating By Ray Hanania For years…
By Eileen Fleming [Ventura, California] I learned of my brother’s suicide via Facebook last week and because all suicides are preventable I must now learn and share all I can learn regarding WHY 53 year old James A. Kasmir went on a drinking binge and put his head in a noose then died by self-inflicted…
By Ray Hanania A full-length documentary on the challenges facing peace between Palestinians and Israelis, “A People without a Land” was named as the winner of the “Best Documentary Category” at the 2015 Pasadena International Film Festival. The documentary is produced by the husband and wife team of Eliyahu and Pennie Ungar-Sargon and explores the issue of the…
Read More “Film on Israel-Palestine wins Best Documentary in Pasadena” »
Art Dubai announces Global Art Forum 2015 2015 Global Art Forum takes on the theme of technologies, and their impact on the world of art, culture and beyond. 50 local and international contributors participate in the ninth edition, codirected by Turi Munthe and Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, with Shumon Basar as Director-at-Large The Global Art Forum begins, for…
Read More “Technology will theme Art Forums in Kuwait and Dubai” »
By Eileen Fleming The real impact of Jon Stewart and how the bogus anchor influenced real anchors is a story in progress; but for this reporter it all began when The Daily Show went back on the air nine nights after THAT DAY we call 911. Watch it HERE Jon began by asking, “are…
By Ray Hanania I used to watch beauty pageants purely for entertainment. But in recent years, they’ve become the focus of a cultural debate between the Arab world, and the rest. The Miss Universe Pageant was held Sunday in Doral, Florida in the United States. It featured 88 female contestants competing in categories involving their…
By Ray Hanania Well, one Arab-Israeli war won’t be fought this year, but there will be much debate over the messages in the controversial film American Sniper, the story of an American soldier during the illegal war in Iraq. Unlike in several past broadcasts of the Academy Awards, no Oscars have been nominated this year…