Welcome to Prime Time
April has been a crazy month in the CN offices. The Iraqi Prime Minster’s visit included a whirlwind of pre-activity, planning, logistics, and protocol – all for a few hours of time spent with him. It was a historic visit, and we were lucky enough to have a front row seat. We hope you enjoy the photos and story.
The community has been busy in other ways as well. Cal Abbo shares a few “feel good’ stories, one about a business partnership that the Chaldean American Chamber’s Sharkey Haddad is helping create between Detroit store owners and local police and community leaders, and another about a community member, Anthony Elia, who had a firsthand experience with addiction and is using what he has learned to help others.
Again, we bring you all the cover stories from the month. It has been a learning experience for me to review these articles and they still hold so much value for the reader. If you have never read old issues, or if it has been a while since you read them, you may want to visit the archives on the Chaldean News website and browse through them.
As part of the continuing Michigan Humanities Grant initiative, we are bringing you the history of Middle Eastern folklore and introducing you to modern day storytellers in the community. From the Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest recorded saga in history, to “Sweet Dreams Habibi,” a modern bedtime story for all American immigrants, we are weaving a narrative to entertain and inspire future readers.
In a second Culture + History feature, Dr. Miri explores the history of Chaldean names and surnames. Deriving from occupations, place names, religious names, and terms of endearment, the origin of these names is fascinating.
In Arts + Entertainment, we bring you Omar Jarbo, zurna player extraordinaire, and his thoughts on music and music making. This is part of our Great Michigan Stories initiative, one that allows us to tell the community’s story to everyone else. A second Arts + Entertainment article is a review of the movie “Sister Cabrini.” In it, author N. Peter Antone shares his reaction and the feelings that the movie stirred in him.
Our guest columnist, Caitlyn Hakim, introduces us to the Young Adult Committee (YAC) at Shenandoah Country Club and writes about a recent event with guest speakers who shared their “pearls of wisdom” with the event attendees.
A returning event is highlighted in the Iraq Today section, with photos from the Old Alqosh Bazaar Festival submitted by Hanan Qia. The energy and excitement of the participants is conveyed through the photos.
Sportswriter Steve Stein interviewed the teams in the Chaldean Hockey League and covered their season, including the triumphant win of Team Gold, who skated away with the Telga Cup.
Dr. Rena Daiza and Dr. Paul Nona have a conversation about heart health and share tips with us. If you think about it, heart health is about more than just diet and exercise. There are also new tests and screenings that indicate problems before symptoms even arise.
And the beautiful historical photos featured in ‘From the Archive’ showcase our mothers, the ones who shaped us with their unconditional love and devotion. None of us would be here without Mom.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms among our readers!
Sarah Kittle
Editor in Chief