Black Hawks star Tony Esposito signs autographs for patrons at Charley Horse Munster Indiana April 12

Black Hawks star Tony Esposito signs autographs for patrons at Charley Horse Munster Indiana April 12

Famed Black Hawks super star Tony Esposito will sign autographs during a special event April 12 at the Charley Horse Sports Bar in Munster Indiana Monday April 12.

Esposito, who’s autograph is one of the toughest for collectors to obtain, will provide autographs to the first 150 people at the Charley Horse Restaurant, 8940 Calumet Avenue, in Munster, Indiana.

Charley Horse in Munster is operated by Bryan Sord, who operates two other Charley Horse Sports Bars in Tinley Park and also New Lenox, in Illinois. Sord also operates the popular 94 West restaurant in Orland Park.

“We’re very excited to be able to bring Tony Esposito to our Charley Horse Sports Bar in Munster Indiana,” said Sord who opened the franchise in Munster, Indiana in February of this year.

Charley Horse is a very popular hangout for sports aficionados, and offers not only a superb menu of food but also features one of the only “Ice Bars” in the region.

“The Ice Bar is a section of the bar that is made of solid ice. Our customers love it. It is a tough challenge to maintain but it adds a special ambience today’s sports customers demand,” Sord said.

Sord said tickets for the Tony Esposito event are $35 per person.

“We’ll only sell 150 and it will be first come first serve. We are proud to be able to bring some of the best sports personalities to our establishments and Tony Esposito is one of the best. His autograph is a highly sought one by sports memorabilia collectors.”

Past celebrities have included Bobbie Hull and Andrew Ladd. Esposito is a former goalie for the blackhawks and he and his brother, Phil Esposito, a Center, have been honored with admission to the Hall of Fame.

The autograph session will begin at 6 pm.

For more information, contact the Charley Horse Sports Bar in Munster.

Bryan Sord’s Restaurants include:

94 West Restaurant
http://www.94westrestaurant.com/
15410 94th Ave.
Orland Park, IL 60462
(708) 364-9494

Charley Horse Restaurants & Sports Bars
http://www.thecharleyhorse.com/

8940 Calumet Avenue
Munster Indiana
219-836-4040

901 Lincoln Highway
New Lenox, Illinois
815-463-1700
Fax: 815-463-1717

9501 W. 171st Street
Tinley Park, Illinois
708-873-9455

End

Fundraiser April 8 to benefit the memory of journalist Carlos Hernandez Gomez

Fundraiser April 8 to benefit the memory of journalist Carlos Hernandez Gomez

When: Thursday, April 8, 2010 starting at 7 p.m.
Where: FitzGerald's
6615 Roosevelt Road, Berwyn, IL
Admission: $25 in advance/$30 at the door

You are cordially invited to a special evening in honor of the dear friend, fellow journalist, political expert, and devoted Chicagoan we all cared so deeply for: Carlos Hernandez Gomez.
Please join Carlos’ wife, Randi Belisomo Hernandez, and friends and family for this celebration of Carlos’ life through the music that meant so much to him. As many of you know, Carlos was an avid Beatles fan. In fact, Carlos had as much of an encyclopedic knowledge of British Invasion music as he did of Chicago politics.

The event will take place on April 8 at FitzGerald's, with performances by some of his local favorites and closest friends: The Beatle Brothers, Phil Angotti and Brad Elvis, and Eric Howell. To kick off the festivities, Carlos’ own band, The Gear, will reunite to perform for the first time in 15 years. Carlos’ best friend, actor Joe Farina, will serve as master of ceremonies for the evening.


All proceeds from the concert and auctions will benefit Living Water International (LWI), a faith-based, non-profit organization that helps communities in developing countries acquire safe drinking water. The proceeds will help to build a water well in Carlos’ honor in Haiti.
Carlos watched coverage of the Haiti earthquake the week before he died and was deeply affected.

Truth comes out in Census lies: Doesn't matter if you write in ARAB -- you WON'T be counted as Arab

Census to Count Arabs as White, Despite Write-In Campaign

New America Media , News Report, Suzanne Manneh, Posted: Mar 25, 2010

The Census Bureau says it doesn’t matter if Arab Americans write their race in on their Census questionnaire. 

Even if they check the “other” box and write in “Arab,” as many community groups advocate, the Census will still count them as racially white.

“Anyone from Europe, North Africa or the Middle East [will be classified] as white,” said Roberto Ramirez, chief of the ethnicity and ancestry branch at the Census Bureau.

Ramirez said that will be the case no matter how many people write in “Arab,” because the Census Bureau is required by law to use racial categories determined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and those categories do not include Arab.

Advocates for including Arab as a race say they will press on with their write-in campaign however. Census regulations provide that any organization can pay for its own special tabulation providing a formal count of write-ins.

“As with any write-in option, it is not comprehensive enough to be published as a ‘count,’ but it will provide us with important trends and estimates of the proportion of people of Arab ancestry who do not identify with the white race classification,” said Helen Samhan, the executive director of the Arab American Institute, which plans to order a special count.

“That is a start for working with the Census Bureau to research necessary changes in the way race and ethnicity are measured,” she added.

A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget told New America Media that current racial standards for the census will be reevaluated after the 2010 census, in time for the next one in 2020.

Click here to read the full report

-- Ray Hanania

www.RadioChicagoland.com

Open Letter from President Barack Obama to America on health Care Reform

Open Letter from President Barack Obama to America on health Care Reform

I'm writing to you on a great day for America.

This morning, I gathered with members of Congress, my administration, and hardworking volunteers from every part of the country to sign comprehensive health care reform into law. Thanks to the immeasurable efforts of so many, the dream of reform is now a reality.

The bill I just signed puts Americans in charge of our own health care by enacting three key changes:

It establishes the toughest patient protections in history.

It guarantees all Americans affordable health insurance options, extending coverage to 32 million who are currently uninsured.

And it reduces the cost of care -- cutting over 1 trillion dollars from the federal deficit over the next two decades.

To ensure a successful, stable transition, many of these changes will phase into full effect over the next several years.

But for millions of Americans, many of the benefits of reform will begin this year -- some even taking effect this afternoon. Here are just a few examples:

Small businesses will receive significant tax cuts, this year, to help them afford health coverage for all their employees.

Seniors will receive a rebate to reduce drug costs not yet covered under Medicare.

Young people will be allowed coverage under their parents' plan until the age of 26.

Early retirees will receive help to reduce premium costs.

Children will be protected against discrimination on the basis of medical history.

Uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions can join a special high-risk pool to get the coverage they need, starting in just 90 days.

Insured Americans will be protected from seeing their insurance revoked when they get sick, or facing restrictive annual limits on the care they receive.

All Americans will benefit from significant new investments to train primary care doctors, nurses, and public health professionals, and the creation of state-level consumer assistance programs to help all patients understand and defend our new rights.

As I've said many times, and as I know to be true, this astounding victory could not have been achieved without your tireless efforts.

So as we celebrate this great day, I want to invite you to add your name where it belongs: alongside mine as a co-signer of this historic legislation. Organizing for America will record the names of co-signers as a permanent commemoration of those who came together to make this moment possible -- all of you who refused to give up until the dream of many generations for affordable, quality care for all Americans was finally fulfilled.

So, if you haven't yet, please add your name as a proud health care reform co-signer today:

http://my.barackobama.com/cosigner

Please accept my thanks for your voice, for your courage, and for your indispensable partnership in the great work of creating change.

History, and I, are in your debt.

President Barack Obama

Krisnamoorthi named finalist for Lieutenant Governor's Democratic ballot vacancy

RAJA NAMED FINALIST FOR DEMOCRATIC LT. GOVERNOR NOMINATION; IADO TO ACCOMPANY HIM TO SPRINGFIELD FOR FINAL SELECTION MEETING
IADO to Democratic Party: “If Not Now, When?”

Buoyed by the support of IADO and thousands of Indian Americans, Raja (RAH-jah) Krishnamoorthi (krish-nah-MOOR-thee) was named a finalist for the Lieutenant Governor nomination by the Illinois Democratic State Central Committee last Saturday, and heads to Springfield this weekend to make his case before the full Democratic State Central Committee.

IADO Vice-President Ashish Sen is calling on all IADO members to continue to press Krishnamoorthi’s cause in Springfield this Saturday. “We are calling on all members to attend the full Illinois Democratic State Central Committee in Springfield this Saturday,” said Dr. Sen. “We have been long time supporters of the Democratic party, and it is important to make sure the committee understands the depth of our feeling for Raja’s candidacy. He is the right candidate for this job, and we ask the Party: “If not now---when?”

“We have done a fantastic job in communicating with the party our strong support for Raja, both financially and at the voting booth. Now we have to finish the job, by making our case through our presence at the State Central Committee meeting.” said Sainath Reddivary, IADO Secretary. “Krishnamoorthi is the strongest candidate for Lieutenant Governor because of his unique appeal,” said Sreenivas Katragadda, IADO Director. “He also had a very strong electoral performance in the 2010 Democratic primary for Comptroller in the two key battlegrounds for the November general election: the Chicago suburbs and Downstate.”

Krishnamoorthi, who garnered roughly 385,000 votes statewide but lost the Democratic nomination for Comptroller with a margin of 1% of the votes cast, won 22 out of the 30 Cook County suburban townships with a 52-41% margin of victory.

He swept all of the Chicago collar counties (DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, Kendall, McHenry) by a total of 60-33%.

Krishnamoorthi was raised in Peoria, and he handily won by 52-42% in the 26 counties throughout central Illinois that include the communities of Bloomington, Champaign, Danville, Decatur, Peoria and Springfield.
Krishnamoorthi also raised a record $1.1 million for his primary campaign, and was strongly endorsed by newspapers all over the state, including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Peoria Journal-Star and the Kankakee City News.

The State Central Committee meeting will be held on Saturday, March 27 at 11:00 AM at the Inn at 835 on South 2nd Street (www.innat835.com) in Springfield, Illinois.

For more information regarding Krishnamoorthi, please visit www.rajaforillinois.com

end

IRS Tax filings higher than prior year

IRS Issues 2010 Filing Season Statistics

CHICAGO –– Electronically filed tax returns are on track with last year and overall refunds are running nearly 10 percent higher so far in 2010, the Internal Revenue Service announced today.

Filing season statistics, covering the period through March 12, show that while the overall number of tax returns filed this year is down slightly, the percentage of returns using e-file remains strong. Nationwide, more than 82 percent of the 69 million returns received this year have come in via e-file. Home usage of e-file is up almost 7 percent compared to this time last year.

Also, the IRS has received nearly half of the 6 million federal tax returns expected from Illinois taxpayers this year. Illinoisans have filed more than 2.9 million federal tax returns as of mid-March and about 81 percent have been e-filed. E-file from a home computer is up more than 6 percent compared to the same time period last year.

Additionally, the average federal refund totaled $3,036, an increase of $266 compared with the same period a year ago.

The refund increase follows a number of federal tax incentives enacted last year as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, such as the homebuyer credit and the American Opportunity Credit.

“If you haven’t filed your tax return yet, e-file and get your refund faster,” said Sue Hales, IRS spokeswoman in Illinois.

There were many new credits and deductions this year. Taxpayers can check their eligibility for these tax benefits on the IRS Web site at IRS.gov/recovery. This special section also contains instructions on how to claim the available tax incentives and provides answers to frequently asked questions. Detailed information is available on the:

Homebuyer Credit

Making Work Pay Credit

Economic Recovery Payments

Earned Income Tax Credit

American Opportunity Tax Credit

Sales and excise tax deduction for new car purchases

Energy incentives for homeowners

Details on other special tax incentives, some specifically for businesses, are also available on IRS.gov.

# # # #

Online Restaurant Column: 94 West goes far out

Online Restaurant Column: 94 West goes far out

By Ray Hanania

When I was a kid, my parents took me too a restaurant where they served sour-tasting little green pasta, we called “squiggles.”

I never knew the name of the place, but it was on the Southwest Side. Hey. To a kid, green squiggles were great. Of course, my parents tried to make me eat the spinach, sour kraut and meats, but who listened to their parents.

About a week ago, I happened to finally get around to visit a new restaurant that opened in Orland Park called “94 West.” Orland has a wealth of new restaurants and I’m not sure I’ll actually get around to eating at all of them in this lifetime.

But what attracted to me to 94 West, first, was a large white fountain with a statue in its open courtyard that was surrounded by tall palm trees. Yeah. Palm trees. Real ones. Rustling in the Fall air. I wondered, how long will those trees last, but then figured, what a gimmick.

Well, the Palm Trees are stored for the winter and will be back up in the spring, but when I sat down with my wife, the first thing the waitress brought out was a small dish of little green sour-tasting pasta. Squiggles.

Turns out that the COO of 94 West, Bryan Sord, is the son of the man who owned the restaurant my parents used to dine at where I splurged on green squiggles as a child.

The restaurant was called the Candlelight Lodge and it was located at 55th and Spaulding. Johnny Sord and his wife, Mary, ran the place with the help of their own kids, Wayne, Alan, Susan and Bryan, for years and the “Green Noodles” were famous and popular even with adults.

John Sord died in 1999 and his wife, Mary, closed the restaurant. After her death, Bryan decided he’d open his own place, give it a new name but offer the same kind of service, great food and Green Noodles.

Okay. I’ve outgrown my limited childhood diet and try to eat other things like steak, lobster, fine soups and even asparagus, too. And I have to say that if great food was the reason my dad went to the Candlelight

Lodge back in the 60s, it’s definitely a place he’d be headed today.

I don’t know what their secret is, but the steaks were the best I’ve had in years. My wife ordered hers rare – which is too bloody for even an Arab like me – and I ordered mine medium well. We both agreed they melted in our mouths. Not tough at all. Easy to cut and great tasting.

Sord says he broils them at extremely high temperatures “to seal in the flavor” but I think he does more and doesn’t want to tell.

We started off with the spicy unbreaded Calamari, the way real Italians prefer, and dug into a combo special of steak, lobster and crab legs.

The menu has all kinds of shrimp appetizers, Escargot, Ahi Tuna, and the main menu features steaks of all kinds from Filet Mignon to Rib Eye, New York Strip and Porterhouse for two.

It’s a little pricey, as good food goes. The lowest is $26 for a petit filet and the Porterhouse for Two is $65. But I have spent less and gotten worse. And as my mom always said, if you are going to spend your money, you might as well enjoy it.

And you will enjoy this meal, no matter what you select.

It has chops. Seafood and an assortment of soups and salads, with vegetable and potatoes on the side.

But the big deal was the dessert finale.

Sord insisted I try their specialty, the “Chocolate Lava Explosion.” What can I say. I’m Arab. It appealed to me right away. And when they brought out the chocolate iced cake, ince cream and strawberry sauces, it was sizzling hot and the best dessert I’ve ever eaten.

The dessert menu includes other choices, too. Tiramisu, carrot cake and all kinds of cheese cakes (Pumpkin Pie cheesecake, New York style cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse cheesecake), and the usual fare of fresh fruits, strawberries and nuts.

I wouldn’t call the dining room Spartan, but it is simple and has class. It’s not cluttered. It’s very clean and the wait-staff is not only efficient and pleasant, but they’ll walk you through the menus and their assortment of California and some French wines.

Check it on the weekend with a reservation if you want to impress your date, or your wife. But they have a great lunch menu and also a Sunday Brunch from 10 until 3.

They even have a kids menu, something that when I was a kid, no one thought to offer.

And, of course, scoop up those Green Noodles.

They’re great.

The Scoop:

94 West Steak and Seafood

15410 S. 94th Avenue, Orland Park

708-364-9494 for reservations

Ample parking

Dress casual to fine

END

The babies at the Census and Detroit ...

The Census is a job creation program. Not jobs for you but jobs for itself. They have received $1 billion and plan to spend it to convince people to fill out the Census forms which discriminate against many ethnic and racial groups.

The alleged purpose of the census is to help distribute the $435 billion in federal funds -- but the truth is the government doesn't use the census to fairly distribute the funds. Instead, they pick and chose based on political favorites. Many ethnic and religious groups are denied federal funding -- and also the trickle down funds from states and municipalities because of who they are. American Arabs, for example, do not share equally or fairly in the national funding at all. The Census falsely claims that is because American Arabs do not fully participate. In fact, American Arabs do fully participate in the census and have been since 1980 -- I worked with the census as an unpaid volunteer in 1980 and in 1990 and supported the effort in 2000 with my media and newspapers.

What I discovered is the lying bastards at the US Census are cowards, too. They know American Arabs are shortchanged. The STATISTICS PROVE IT. In fact, after 30 years of supporting the Census, the DATA SHOWS AMERICAN ARABS ARE DENIED FUNDING at a far greater pace than ANY OTHER ethnic group.

That has to do with the anti-Arab hatred in America, that started long before Sept. 11, 2001 became the convenient excuse.

All you have to do is look at Chicago, for example, where federal and local funding is disbursed not to American Arabs who make up 8 percent of the city's population (250,000 out of 3 million according to Mayor Sleepy, Richard M. Daley), but to other ethnic and racial groups.

In fact, the flaw of the census is obvious. The Census forms ONLY identify 29 FAVORED ethnic groups that are "PC". They get not only the spotlight but all the funding. And their needs are artificially reinforced.

African Americans are listed three times on the form. Hispanics 5 times and Asians a dozen.

And when American Arabs ask to be included, they are pilloried not only by the Census maniacs but by the hacks and shills in the American Arab community who are hired and paid by the Census to mislead their own people. Quislings is the proper word in this case, I believe.

Recently, I traveled to Michigan to give a comedy presentation. At the dinner, the Census was a "sponsor." They begged the host to ask me not to skewer the Census in my show as I do often. As a courtesy to the Census and a gesture of compromise, I dropped the Census segment in which I shish-kabob the Census lies.

They invited me out to lunch and we have stuffed grapeleaves and they said they wanted to continue the dialogue. Of course, weeks went by and I heard nothing. But maybe because they insisted on paying for my $6 plate of stuffed grapeleaves they felt that was enough money to buy off American Arabs like me who question their motives and their lies.

So when I continued my campaign to educate American Arabs about the lying Census lies, they acted by apparently punishing the sponsor.

That shows you the true colors of the Census and some of the American Arabs working for the Census in Dearborn and Detroit.

Their goal isn't to protect the American Arab community. Their goal is to make money. The jobs they create are jobs for themselves and their family members and their friends. That's why they need you to support the Census so they get their paychecks.

Without the money, none of them would be advocating for the Census.

I'm not paid and my voice rings truth.

The Census is skewered and unfair. It highlights 29 ethnic and racial groups, three in particular, unfairly. And, the US Census refuses to include the word "ARAB" among the 29 special ethnic and racial groups. Because the word "ARAB" is not listed, many American Arabs believe they are being discriminated against and do not fill out the Census forms. Even those who have know that simply writing in the word "Arab" on the line called "Other" at the bottom of the form is worthless and does nothing.

If the US Government and the US Census doesn't believe it is important to put the word "ARAB" on the Census form in a decade when American Arabs and the Middle East have dominated the news headlines, why would you then think they would care enough to make sure American Arabs get their fair share of the jobs, contracts and funds that government gives to communities? They are not doing it now and they won't do it even if they have counted and identified every single American Arab in the country.

American Arabs are cheated and denied government grants and awards -- these are monies that don't come from the government but come from taxpayers and American Arabs are taxpayers and pay their taxes like everyone else.

Fairness is not going to happen until the US Census and the US Government finally recognize that American Arabs have rights, too. Until then, going along with the plan only reinforces the bigotry and discrimination. Speaking out, as I and others are doing, is the only way to change things.

-- Ray Hanania

www.RadioChicagoland.com 

In the Middle Podcasts with the publisher & editors of ALO Hayati Magazine

Check out In the Middle podcasts with the publisher and editors of ALO Hayati Magazine.

About:::In The Middle Podcast
This is what happens when four diverse friends get together and dive into the core of social issues with a dash of love, a sprinkle of humor and a smattering of deep thought.

-There’s Wafa Kanan, the entrepreneur and international philanthropist with a heart of gold;
-Kerri Kasem, the radio and television host that tops the hot list with her jaw dropping takes;
-Michael Lloyd, the idea man, intrepid explorer and king of asking “Who am I to say no?”;
and
-Harout Hamassian, the financial expert, cigar master and sexologist with a renowned instinct on how to use his tongue.

LINKS
How can you hear the In The Middle Podcast?
Go to iTunes http://tinyurl.com/ykquxpd

Racist display indicates bias of one, not a community

For Immediate Release                                                                                          Contact:  Ken Gunn

March 10, 2010 

RACIST DISPLAY INDICATES BIAS OF ONE, NOT A COMMUNITY

On March 9, 2010, local news outlets reported on the story of a resident of Chicago’s West Beverly neighborhood on the south side, who put up a racially-charged display on his garage which states,”Say no to the ghetto. White Power. Mt. Greenwood, the next Englewood.”  It is alleged that the act was done to discourage African-American families from purchasing the vacant home next door to his residence.

Chicago Commission on Human Relations Commissioner and Chairman Dana V. Starks stated, “This is deplorable behavior which should not be condoned by anyone.  It is a deliberate attempt to frighten and discourage African-American and other minority families from purchasing a home.  We deplore this sick attempt to reach back into the scare tactics of the past to keep families from exercising their rights to fair housing.”

The Commission on Human Relations serves as the civil rights agency for the City of Chicago. It is charged with enforcing the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance and the Chicago Fair Housing Ordinance.  People who feel they may have been victims of discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, and credit and bonding may file complaints in person or through the mail.  If evidence of discrimination is found by the Commission the aggrieved person may be awarded monetary damages as well as injunctive relief.  In 2009 the Commission received sixty complaints of housing discrimination which have been investigated. Many of these complaints have led to settlement agreements and others have been scheduled for administrative hearings.

Chairman Starks added, “We must be clear, this is an individual response, not a community response.  The residents of the West Beverly neighborhood are good people who are proud of their community.  I am confident that a great majority of them do not support this person’s actions nor condone his behavior.  In fact, for many years, one of the Commission’s neighborhood task forces, Beverly’s Unity and Diversity Council has provided tremendous support for the Commission and our initiatives to promote unity and fight against hate crimes,” he concluded.

The Chicago Commission on Human Relations also assists victims of hate crimes, and employs pro-active programs of education, intervention, and constituency building to discourage bigotry and promote unity.

###

Harriett A. Motley | ASOII | Chicago Commission on Human Relations | 740 N. Sedgwick Street, Suite 300 | Chicago, IL 60654-8488 | Phone: 312.742.8206 | Fax: 312.744.9389 | Email: Harriett.Motley@cityofchicago.org

American Arabs should resist the Census and demand their rights

American Arab rights jeopardized in Census 2010

By Ray Hanania

There is a big push by the US Census targeting the American Arab community to participate, but it’s not new.

They have been saying the same thing now for 30 years: if American Arabs would just fill out the Census form and “right in” the word “Arab” in the “Other” category at the bottom of the form, American Arabs will benefit immensely.

And every decade, the same thing happens. American Arabs participate and they get absolutely no benefits. No benefits, that is, except the American Arab organizations and activists hired and paid by the census to treat the American Arab community like mindless lemmings.

American Arabs are so disrespected that the Census isn’t evenly shameful about the exploitation, insisting against the facts that American Arabs will benefit.

Benefit? How? Will we get jobs for American Arabs? No. The only jobs that come from the Census go to the muscle minority communities like the African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans and the others that make up the 29 racial and ethnic groups identified by name on the Census form.

Will be get local municipal, regional, state or federal contracts? No. The contracts will go to the 29 ethnic and racial groups named on the Census forms.

The fact is not one of the American Arab activists can identify one specific benefit that American Arabs have received since we first began supporting the Census campaigns back in the 1980s.

Yes, the 1980s. I was there writing for a community newspaper when the government reached out to American Arabs and I did my part, writing columns and essays urging American Arabs to participate.

In 1990, again, the government came to the American Arab community and hired members of our community and bought advertising and even awarded grants to groups that promoted the Census. I did my part then too, never asking for a penny, believing the BS that somehow things would change and American Arabs would benefit from being “counted.”

In 2000, we did the same thing. We participated. I wrote more columns. We lobbied the community and urged them to participate.

And you know what? Nothing happened. Even though American Arabs participated, we were excluded from major contract awards, employment and more importantly in political empowerment.

It’s no secret that the majority of American Arabs in Chicagoland live on the Southwest Suburbs in District 230, the high school district that includes three high schools. No one from the state suggested that a legislative district be drawn to encompass the Arab community and “empower” us by consolidating our voter strength.

Sound implausible. It’s not. The State of Illinois has done that very thing to create Hispanic Districts and Black Districts. They’ve given jobs to Hispanics, Blacks and Asians.

They’ve awarded contracts to those communities and awarded huge grants to fund arts and culture.

But not for American Arabs.

And you know why?

Because for the past 30 years, American Arabs have been taken for granted. Instead of fighting for what is ours – we pay taxes like everyone else in this country – we just went along trying to be “good citizens,” filling out the forms and writing in our names.

Now suddenly a group of high-profile selfish American Arab leaders who are paid by the Census – the only people getting jobs in our community – are telling us if we don’t fill out the Census forms “the American Arab community will lose.”

Lose what?

Lose jobs? We’re not getting even a sliver of what we deserve. There are 38,000 employees in the City of Chicago and we account for 250,000 of the city’s 3 million residents. That means we should get 7.5 percent of the 38,000 jobs.  That would be almost 2,400 jobs. We have barely 300 total jobs, or 2,100 jobs short of what we should get but don’t.

And it’s worse at the state level were $19 million are disbursed every year to fund cultural and arts projects for various ethnic and racial community groups. The American Arabs get about $200,000 and half of that goes to non-Arab groups identified as “Middle Eastern” including Iranians and Israelis and Jews, the latter group also get even more from the state of Illinois.

This pattern is repeated in nearly every state in the union. We’re 4.5 million American Arabs and what do we have to show for it? Harassment, neglect, abuse, denial and one of the highest job loss rates in the country.

We have a handful of teachers in Chicago, and even less in the suburbs. We have a handful of elected officials, and not one district carved out for American Arab empowerment.

Now you can continue to do what we have always done, bent over without as much as a whimper and listen to the paid American activist flaks who are telling us to support the Census – to protect their jobs.

Or, for the first time in 30 years, we can stand up and make a statement against being exploited by a country that routinely abuses and denies our rights while targeting us for terrorist profiling.

We can make a statement in a powerful way or we can allow ourselves to be marginalized by American Arab leaders who benefit from the blood-money they are paid to lead us into national weakness.

Sometimes, it is easier to pick up crumbs than to fight for the cake.

I say, let’s fight for our rights and tell the Census and their mercenaries to “take that Census form and Shove it!”

END

Radio Baladi co-sponsors Mother's Day fundraiser & Comedy night in Dearborn

Radio Baladi co-sponsors Mother's Day fundraiser & Comedy night in Dearborn


Acclaimed Syrian Actor Jamal Suliman will appear at a special Mother’s Day event in the greater Detroit Arab and Chaldean American community. The event, Mother’s Day 2010 with Syrian Actor Jamal Suliman, Arabic Vocalist Emad Batayeh, and Comedian Mo Amer, will take place on Sunday May 9, 2010, 5:00pm at the Farmington Hills Manor, 23666 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, Michigan.

“We are very excited to host Jamal Suliman on his first visit to Detroit,” said Laila Alhusinni, director of U.S. Chaam Media and one of the organizers of the event; she went on to say, “Mr. Suliman is one of the top actors of television, film, and stage in the Arab world today. We are honored that he will join us as we celebrate Mother’s Day along with one of Arab Detroit’s hottest vocalists, Emad Batayeh and comedian Mo Amer, of “Allah Made Me Funny.”

Jamal Suliman is a prominent Syrian-born producer, director, and actor of television, film, and stage. Suliman was a lead actor in the historical television series "Saladdin," depicting the life of the great Arab leader Saladdin. Suliman has appeared in several films, but has preferred to use television as his main medium for stardom. Suliman's popularity and fame spread to a wider Arab audience when he was selected to play a prominent role in the late Ahmad Zaki movie, “Halim”. He starred in the Egyptian television program “Hada'eq el-Shaytan” (Gardens of the Devil) and received rave reviews for his acting in the series. On a humanitarian level, Suliman was selected as an ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund.

Emad Batayeh is one of the leading Arabic vocalists in the U.S. and Canada. Batayeh was born to a Jordanian family in Detroit and as a young boy, demonstrated a remarkable passion for Arabic music as a virtuoso of the Arabic keyboard. As a teenager, he began to sing at local events and today is in demand nationally at many of the nightclubs, weddings, festivals, and cultural events in the Arab American communities. His recent video “Ingrah Min Tani” was an instant hit throughout Arab America and has been one of the leading music videos broadcast on Arab television networks and social network sites throughout North America and the Arab world.

Mo Amer is a brillant personality in the world of comedy. A Palestinian, Amer was raised in Kuwait and settled at the age of nine in Houston, Texas where he resides today. Although his family hoped he would become a physician, Amer had a different plan; he became a comedian on the comedy tour, “Allah Made Me Funny.” In addition to the U.S. and Canada, he has performed in Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Bahrain. He is one of the most provacative Arab American comedians today.

About the Event Sponsors :

U.S. Chaam Media (www.uschaammedia.com) is an organization dedicated to protraying an accurate image of the Arab American community through specially produced radio and television programs in both Arabic and English.

Arab Detroit (www.arabdetroit.com) is one of the leading providers of
digital media to the Arab American community. The website provides events, news, commerce, music, and resources about the Arab American community and the Arab world.

For media inquiries and information contact:
Warren David, Arab Detroit, 313-999-6000
Email: warrend@davidcomgroup.com

For sponsorship information contact:
Laila Alhussini, U.S. Chaam Media, 313-570-2206
Email : lealhusinni@yahoo.com