Muslim Students Say U. S. Media is to Blame for Misconceptions about Islam

Muslim Students Say U. S. Media is to Blame for Misconceptions about Islam

A survey conducted by the Glimpse Foundation of 130 Muslims studying in the United States--both American - and foreign-born--reveals very positive impressions of the general American public, but marked frustration toward the U. S. media for its distorted and one-dimensional portrayals of Muslims.

Providence, RI (PRWEB) November 20, 2006

Most Americans associate Islam with violence and hatred of the West, but a recent survey of 130 young Muslim adults studying in the United States--both American - and foreign-born--paints a very different picture. For example, although 87% of respondents believe that Americans do not understand Islam and 63% believe that Americans are prejudiced against Muslims, an overwhelming 80% have a "generally favorable view of Americans." Seventy-two percent believe that Islamic values are compatible with Western values.

When it comes to Western misconceptions of Islam, the vast majority of respondents blame the "distorted media," which according to an Indonesian-born student at University of Kansas "likes to jumble everything under one umbrella. Something that is not necessarily taught by Islam could be acted out by its followers."

Also at fault are the U. S. education system, which according to an American Muslim from John Hopkins University, doesn't "put enough emphasis on teaching about the values of 20 percent of the world population," as well as Muslims themselves, some of whom "misinform by being poor representatives of their religion and its values," says Pakistani-born Fahad Zahedi, a student at University of Texas at Arlington.

Respondents insist that if we succeed in bridging this gap in understanding, non-Muslim Americans will discover that they have more in common with Muslims than they think. Says Pakistani-born Abdur-Rahman Syed from Boston University, "Islamic values appeal to many of our basic moral intuitions about human dignity, equality and accountability. It isn't surprising that there is considerable overlap between Western and Islamic values."

Respondents generally agree on the most widely held Western misconceptions about Islam, including the misconceptions that Muslim women are oppressed, Islam is an inherently violent religion that condones terrorism, Islam is intolerant of other religions and "jihad" is synonymous with "Holy War."

Full survey results are featured in Glimpse Quarterly's special year-end issue (http://glimpseabroad. org/subscribe. php), to be released this week, which focuses on Islamic practices around the world. The survey was conducted by Glimpse Quarterly's 501(c)3 parent organization, The Glimpse Foundation (http://www. glimpsefoundation. org), which fosters cross-cultural understanding and exchange, particularly between the United States and the rest of the world, by providing forums for young adults to share their experiences living abroad. Click here for a PDF of the survey results (http://glimpsefoundation. org/downloads/Spectrum-Winter2006.pdf) as they appear in Glimpse Quarterly.

Glimpse Quarterly's Editor in Chief, Kerala Goodkin, is available for comment.

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The Gibson Guitar App Has Arrived

The Gibson Guitar App Has Arrived

Gibson Guitar Releases Its Own Free To Download App Exclusively For The iPhone and iPod Touch from the Apple App Store

Nashville, TN (Vocus) March 3, 2010

Gibson Guitar (http://www. gibson. com), the world’s premiere musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology, is proud to announce the highly anticipated launch of the Gibson Guitar App. This free to download App will be available exclusively for all Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users directly from the Apple App Store 25th February 2010. This is one App every guitarist and fan of Gibson Guitar must own. Over the past two years over 3 Billion Apps have been downloaded around the world, the Gibson Guitar App cements Gibson’s reputation as the industry’s leader in innovation and music technology.

The Gibson Guitar App (http://www. gibson. com) includes a number of special features, such as a traditional chromatic tuner which starts in “All Notes” mode that tracks whatever is played. Owners of the App can choose a tuning on the “Mode” page so the tuner will only track notes for that particular tuning. Also included is a standard chromatic tuner, a simple tuner which allows less advanced users to tune to Standard tuning Open G, Open D etc by touching the key. For iPhone users, the Gibson headstock inlay will automatically change color indicating if the string is sharp, flat or in tune. For iPod Touch users they can turn the “Play Notes” option on so they can hear the appropriate tuning since they do not have a microphone facility.

The Gibson app also features a standard metronome that allows users to choose a specific BPM or tap the screen three times to automatically set the tempo. Other key features of the app include over 30 chord charts with finger markings to help the user with mastering the chord. For those who prefer to learn new guitar riffs, licks or chord sequences via video tuition can now have that option from their Gibson App. The app will be updated frequently with new video content so users of all guitar ability can improve their technique from the comfort of their home.

For those who want to keep up with everything Gibson Guitar related including the announcement of new products, artist activity, news stories, interesting and factual features, exclusive contests and special events to name a few can now do this via the Gibson. com option. By popular demand the Gibson Guitar App is a multi-purpose and fully interactive guitar application which can be used at home, on the road or in the Studio. It’s a must have for guitarists and music enthusiasts of all ability and style, and best of all its free. Get yours today.

Hi-res images of app graphics available for media upon request.

About Gibson Guitar
Gibson (http://www. gibson. com) is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. The Gibson Les Paul guitar is the best selling guitar of all time and bears the name of the late, great Les Paul. Gibson’s HD.6X-PRO Digital Guitar, the Gibson Robot Guitar, Gibson's Dark Fire and the new Gibson Dusk Tiger represent the biggest advances in electric guitar design in over 70 years. The Gibson Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Gibson Guitar Corp., and dedicates its time and services to making the place a better world for children through its support of music, education, health and human services. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazo, Michigan, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.’s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Baldwin, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson’s website at www. gibson. com].

About Learn & Master Guitar
Learn & Master Guitar is produced by Legacy Learning Systems, Inc., the world leader in video instruction for music and the arts. Its renowned Learn & Masterseries provides the most comprehensive multi-media courses available anywhere for learning guitar, drums, piano, ballroom dance and painting, each containing between 17 and 25 instructional DVDs and CDs for up to two year's worth of instructional content per course. For additional information on the innovative company that has made truly comprehensive music and arts training available in the home for the first time, visit www. LearnAndMaster. com].

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Tommy Ates Online©: Northern Blacks On The Move: Will Politics Follow?

Tommy Ates Online©: Northern Blacks On The Move: Will Politics Follow?

Who would have thought African-Americans would return home in such large numbers for comfort, rest, and renewed hope? Perhaps the South is rising again, with a more mellowed face, just wanting the future to be different than the past. Oh, there is one thing people shouldn’t forget either: the battle for life, liberty, and the pursuit of equality isn’t over. In fact, it may be just beginning. Alas, use of the “Dixie Code.”

(PRWEB) November 19, 2003

November 17 2003--You can see it the metropolitan sophistication of Atlanta to the seaside resorts of Hilton Head, South Carolina. More than 680,000 blacks moved to the South between 1995 and 2000, according the U. S. Census Bureau. African-Americans now hold more than 5,500 elected positions south of the Mason-Dixon Line. There are now black mayors in Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Birmingham. You don’t have to worry about getting harassed (overtly) in northerner-viewed “dreaded” Mississippi, but you do have to wonder that your money might be taken for a ride in a Biloxi casino.

Oh, there is one thing people shouldnÂ’t forget either: the battle for life, liberty, and the pursuit of equality isnÂ’t over. In fact, it may be just beginning.

The politics of welfare-reform and prescription drug coverage has never been a more pressing issue than in the southern states of Texas, Georgia, and “post-South” Florida, places where in the massive population boom, thousands of retirees have moved for warmer climates, only the find their prescription drug benefits decreasing in coverage both the government and their employer-based insurance plans. In the meantime, more high-tech and distribution businesses are finding the South to be an easier conduit in which to do business, as many states (formally Aquarian) have fewer business taxes and code restrictions.

But all these attractive qualities may be ruined if the Republican Party in Southern states continues with a de-facto policy of “race-baiting.”

Yes, the secret is out and open. State Democratic stalwarts and liberal activists are not exaggerating these claims. They are real and open in the public eye. One only has to look at the Trent Lott controversy or the continued South Carolina scandal of the Confederate Flag to see the in’s and out’s of “hoodwink” politics.

After fall of the Jim Crow era in the early 1970s, the Democratic Party in the South was in the tent of liberal to conservative blacks and whites, including many white segregationists. The Republican parties in those states saw an opening for their agenda of economic independence against the “welfare state” (meaning blacks) and equal-opportunity laws which tried to correct some of the imbalance between the different racial communities. Many times they failed; however in the 1990s, with the rise of Congressman Newt Gingrich and his schema of the rule of the upper middle-class, the many of children of old-time southern white Democrats crossed over to the Republican side, believing the Democratic Party to be filled with the minorities and racial apologists, for whom they saw little in common. By 1994 and the Gingrich Republican revolution in Congress, the conversion of white South Democrats was all but complete.

Nowadays, to be white and a Democrat in the South seems almost like an oxymoron. The veiled political theology spilled (most recently by the Mississippi Governor’s race) is that to be Republican, at its worst, keeps the black power (perhaps vengeful) at bay and preserves the quality of life, built by true Southerners (meaning white men). Alas, use of the “Dixie Code.” Of course, these same politicians forget that slave labor that produced many of the intrinsic qualities of ‘Southern infrastructure’ to begin with.

WhatÂ’s left of the Democratic Party is these states are finally trying to regroup and fight for an economic agenda that appeal to both whites and blacks. Focusing on social programs in education and home ownership is just start of what southern Democrats can do to win over Reagan and Bush Republicans suffering in this long recession. Increased Medicare for seniors is another issue that most be tacked to convince old-time Democrats that they should return to the large, broad tent of ideas which Republicans increasing do not stand for.

All that being said, this reasoning should not discourage African-Americans from voting their conscience (whether it is Democratic or Republican) in the new South. Minorities can only insure equal treatment if they are accepted and excel in every part of society, not just as a token or quota. Equality in Southern states can happen if the political landscape lends itself to political organizing in rural areas where more of the traditional voting base still lives.

There are many reasons why blacks are returning to the South in large numbers and it’s not just about relatives, weather, or jobs. It’s just about being happy at home. Perhaps, a place one should have never left. Maybe people are moving to “a town called Hope?”

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Copyright © 2003 Tommy Ates. All Rights Reserved.

Tommy Ates loves the left because the left is always right! Tommy Ates has appeared in several publications, such as The Houston Chronicle, Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, The Wichita Eagle, The Macon Telegraph, and Global Black News, among others. Please consult contact information on column release dates and/ or pricing.

Ramallah, Tel Aviv, New York: Three Cities Against the Wall Collaborative Art Show

Ramallah, Tel Aviv, New York: Three Cities Against the Wall Collaborative Art Show

Ramallah, Tel Aviv, New York: Three Cities Against the Wall Collaborative Art Show w/56 artists participating (w/1 month exhibition following) to open November 9, 2005

NEW YORK (PRWEB) October 20, 2005

Artists from three separate but vitally interconnected communities will participate for the first time in a one-of-a-kind art show that opens Nov. 9, 2005, in Ramallah, Palestine; Tel Aviv, Israel; and New York City. Three Cities Against the Wall brings together 56 painters, sculptors, filmmakers, and graphic artists united in opposition to the “Separation Wallâ€Â that Israel is constructing in the Occupied Territories of Palestine.

Participating artists, many of them internationally recognized, have contributed a wide range of works that movingly convey the conditions imposed by the Wall and the emotions and visceral responses it provokes. Some participants, Palestinian and Israeli, live daily with the conditions imposed by the Wall. Others have traveled extensively in Israel and occupied Palestine, absorbing the reality of the Wall and its disastrous impact on hundreds of thousands of Palestinians' lives.

ARTISTS' ROSTER

From New York:

Mumia Abu-Jamal, author, award-winning journalist, political activist, and now cartoonist, is currently on death row in Pennsylvania. He has written three books, Live from Death Row, Death Blossoms, and We Want Freedom: A Life in the Black Panther Party, and has produced radio commentaries for National Public Radio and the Pacifica Radio Network.

Yacoub Al-Kurd's architectural ceramic mosaic projects include the exterior mosaics on the Alezariah Village Mosque and the Shufat Mosque in Jerusalem. He has exhibited in Palestine and internationally since 1991, and his residencies have included the Arkansas Children’s Museum, Little Rock, and Studio Im Hochhaus, Berlin. He teaches at the Arts and Crafts Center in Abu Ghosh, West Bank.

Terry Berkowitz has created installations and video that deal with political and social issues since 1975. Works include “A Rock and a Hard Placeâ€Â (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1992), which explored the lives of Palestinians under occupation; “Backseatâ€Â (Sculpture Center, New York, 1994), which investigated rape; nd “Chant for the Unsettledâ€Â (Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, 1996), which concerned forced expulsion. In 1997, a public action, “The Same Land/La Misma Tierra,â€Â was executed in the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco. She has received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, Creative Artists Public Service Program grant, and two Jerome Foundation production grants and is a Fulbright Scholar.

Christopher Cardinale has created large-scale murals both individually and in collaboration and has participated in solo and two-person shows in New Mexico, New York, Mexico, Italy, and Greece. He contributes frequently to World War 3 Illustrated. Other work has appeared in the New York Times, Time, and the New York Press.

Orly Dahan is an Israeli artist now living and working in Paris. Her work has appeared in exhibitions including “Mois de la photoâ€Â and “Nuit blancheâ€Â at Hypegallery palais de Tokyo, Paris; the Festival du cin? ma d’art et d’essai, Marseille; the 48th Salon d’art contemporain, Montrouge; and Les Rencontres d’Arles. She is a member of M? moire de l’avenir, an association that allows Palestinian, French, and Israeli artists to create dialogue between people and promote better arts education in Paris schools.

Ronit Davrat, an Israeli artist now living in Italy, founded Ehad Haam 90, an experimental contemporary art gallery in Tel Aviv and cofounded Zeit U Za’tar, a museum in Italy addressing the Palestinian catastrophe. She has shown work addressing the Occupation in many group exhibitions including the Biennale of Young Artists at the Haifa Museum and exhibits at the Kibbutz Gallery, Tel-Aviv; Portogruaro, Venice; Grand Palais, Paris; and Pinta Gallery, Milan. Her solo exhibitions include: Gallery of the City of Siena; Radius Gallery, Tel-Aviv; Cit? des Arts, Paris; and Pinta Gallery, Milan.

Eric Drooker is a painter and graphic novelist. His paintings frequently appear on the covers of the New Yorker and many other magazines. His published books include Flood! A Novel in Pictures (American Book Award, 1994), Illuminated Poems (with Allen Ginsberg), and Blood Song: A Silent Ballad.

Mike Estabrook's work, which encompasses video, painting, drawing, and photography, approaches political topics through a deconstruction of the conventions of their representation. His work has been shown at a wide variety of venues including White Box Gallery, ABC No Rio, the Queens Museum, the Dumbo Short Film Festival, all in New York City, and Prenelle Gallery in London. He is a recipient of the Leopold Schepp Foundation Award.

Kate Evans is a British activist and cartoonist. As part of her work in defense of the environment, she authored Copse: The Cartoon Book of Tree Protesting, and Funny Weather We’re Having at the Moment: Everything You Didn’t Want to Know About Climate Change But Probably Should Find Out.

Danielle Sara Frank spent six months in the West Bank in 2003, documenting the effects of the Occupation and engaging in nonviolent direct action with solidarity groups and Palestinian people. Her sculpture and video work has been exhibited in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Leon Golub, who died last year, was one of the most accomplished American figurative painters of the second half of the 20th century. He was also a leading political artist, known for his “Assassinsâ€Â series (1972-73) commenting on the Vietnam War. His work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Tate Gallery (London), among others.

Susan Greene is an artist and clinical psychologist. In 1989, with three other American Jewish women artists, she co-founded the Break the Silence Mural Project, the goal of which is to bring the images and stories of Palestinians back to the US to raise awareness and inspire action. For more than two decades, Break the Silence has painted murals in Palestine and exhibited documentation from this work in the US. Greene's work has been included in numerous surveys of muralism. She directs the learning center at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Brian Higbee is the founder of Associated Artists for Propaganda Research, a member of Art Codex, a member of the Pavilion of the American Resistance, and director of the Lost Estate of Ed “Johnsonâ€Â Shepard. He has recently exhibited at the Rotunda Gallery in Brooklyn, New York; ABC No Rio in New York City; and the Islip Art Museum on Long Island, New York. He has received two grants from the Puffin Foundation.

Suzanne Klotz, painter and multimedia artist, has shown internationally in more than 300 exhibitions. Her work is in collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Palestine Costume Archive Museum. She has mounted multicultural collaborative exhibitions in Australia, West Africa, Mexico, Taiwan, the US, and in Palestine and Israel as a guest artist of Mishkenot Sha’ananim, a nongovernmental cultural center in Jerusalem. Her 2004 awards included a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Fellowship and a Puffin Foundation grant in support of a collaborative project about the Wall with Yacoub Al-Kurd. One of her most recent works is a digital 'zine, A Pocket Guide to the Other Holy Land.

Tom Lewis was a founding member of Artists Against the War during the Vietnam War and served a three-year prison term during that period for destroying draft files. He teaches nontoxic printmaking at Anna Maria College and the Worcester Art Museum. His work is in the permanent collections of the Baltimore Art Museum and the Peace Museum. He has won prizes at the Fitzburg Museum of Art and the Peal Museum, among others.

Alice Hailey Proskauer studied painting at the Vesper George School of Art in Boston and the Art Students League in New York. Her work has been exhibited frequently in New York City and also in Buenos Aires.

Fawzia Reda has designed costumes and sets for the American University in Cairo; the Egyptian Opera and Ballet House; La Scala, Milan; and Theatre in the Round, Minneapolis. She is the founding and creative director of Cultural Connexion, a US-based nonprofit organization with affiliates in Jerusalem and Paris that promotes Arabic arts and culture and fosters dialogue in the West with Arab communities. She has received grants from the Rockefeller and Henry Luce Foundations.

Joe Sacco is a cartoonist and journalist. He is best known for Palestine (National Book Award, 1996), a comic book that combines the techniques of eyewitness reporting and comics storytelling. Sacco has contributed work to a wide range of comics magazines including Drawn & Quarterly, Prime Cuts, Real Stuff, Buzzard, and R. Crumb's Weirdo. His recent work includes Safe Area Gorazde: The War In Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995 (2002).

Nicole Schulman, cartoonist and graphic artist, is a frequent contributor to and occasional editor of World War 3 Illustrated. Her comics and illustrations have appeared in such publications as the New York Times and the Progressive, and she is the co-editor of Wobblies: A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World (2005). Her work has been exhibited across the US as well as in Europe and South Korea and is in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress.

Nancy Spero has concentrated on social and political themes in her work, producing the War Series, 1966–70; the Codex Artaud, 1971–72; and Torture of Women, 1974–76. Since 1974, she has focused exclusively on images of women. Solo exhibitions include the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York City; the University of Chicago; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London; and a major retrospective at the Centro Galego de Arte Contempor? nea, Santiago de Compostela, Spain in 2004. Spero and her husband Leon Golub were jointly awarded the Hiroshima Art Prize in 1995. Spero’s mosaic “Artemis, Acrobats, Divas, and Dancersâ€Â can be seen at the Lincoln Center subway station in New York.

Seth Tobocman started the radical comic book World War 3 Illustrated with Peter Kuper in 1979 and has been involved in publishing the magazine ever since. His illustrations have been published in the New York Times, the Shadow, and many other periodicals. His work has been exhibited at Exit Art and ABC No Rio in New York among other spaces. He is the author of three books of his artwork: You Don’t Have to Fuck People Over to Survive (Soft Skull Press), War in the Neighborhood (Autonomedia), and Portraits of Israelis and Palestinians (Soft Skull Press). He teaches at the School of Visual Arts and Parsons Institute of Design in New York.

From Ramallah:

Khalil Abu Arafeh, architect and cartoonist, has had solo exhibitions in Baltimore and in Oslo, Norway. He has published two books on “forbidden cartoonsâ€Â and a children's storybook and is an editorial cartoonist for Al-Quds daily newspaper.

Iman Abu Hmeid, participated in the group installations “Read 1â€Â in Belgium and “Read 2&3â€Â in Biala, Italy, in 2003. She was a finalist in the A. M. Qatan Foundation competition for young artists with her installation “Paper Kite.â€Â

Jawad Almalhi, has participated in many group exhibitions in Palestine and abroad and held several solo exhibitions in Jerusalem and Paris. He has been awarded residencies in the UK, Sweden, and France.

Ibrahim Almuzayan's solo exhibitions and installations include “Optical Section of the Rose Stoneâ€Â at Tell Alfukhar Theatre in Akka in 1993 in association with the late poet Husein Albarghouti, and “Call them Iconsâ€Â at the Rashad Alshawa Center in Gaza in association with the poet Muhamad Alqaisi in 1998. He created several installation on Gaza Beach in 2001, including “Nets on Gaza Beach,â€Â “Dinner in Honour of Her Majesty,â€Âand “When Earth Is Rocked With Her Last Convulsion.â€Â

Nabil Anani, head of the League of Palestinian Artists since 1996, is co-author of several books about Palestinian art and culture. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Palestine and abroad and has held many solo exhibitions in Palestine.

Asad Azi's group exhibitions include “Arab Painters in Israelâ€Â in Akka in 1984, Haifa Contemporary Arts Museum in 1986, and the 48th Venice Biennale in 1986. His solo shows include the Israeli Museum in Jerusalem (1987), the Nazareth Municipal Cultural Center (1991), and “Bypass Your Limitsâ€Â at the Ashdod Museum in 1996.

Tayseer Barakat, director of Zyriab Gallery in Ramallah, is a leading member of the “New Visionâ€Â group of Palestinian artists who use local media such as straw, clay, henna, and leather in their work. He participated in the 1996 Sao Paulo Biennial and in the French Palestinian Spring Exhibit at the Paris Institut du Monde Arabe.

Maysara Baroud graduated from Al-Najah University in Nablus in 1998 and has participated in many group exhibitions in Palestine and abroad.

Aamer Dirbas, an art teacher in Jaffa, has participated in several group exhibitions in Palestine and abroad and has been featured in one solo exhibition in Jerusalem.

Hanadi Hijazi, an art teacher in the Hebron schools, graduated from Al-Najah University and has participated in several group exhibitions in Palestine and abroad.

Hanan Hirzallah works in the Art Department of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture and has participated in many group exhibitions in Palestine and abroad.

Khaled Hourani is manager of the Plastic Arts Department of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture. He has participated in international workshops and residencies in Geneva, Switzerland and Alexandria, Egypt as well as the Braziers Workshop (Braziers College, Oxford) and the Spike Island center (Bristol), and has curated Palestinian participants in many international exhibitions.

Ahmad Kanaan, sculptor, has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions in Israel and abroad as well as international sculpture workshops in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, the UK, Poland, and Germany.

Yusef Katalo is a photographer and graphic designer who has participated in several group exhibitions in Palestine and abroad.

Sliman Mansour was one of the first Palestinian artists to move away from painting and start experimenting with non-traditional materials such as mud. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions in Israel, Japan, Russia, Norway, the US, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and Egypt, where he won the grand prize at the 1998 Cairo Biennial for his works I Ismail. He is director and a co-founder of the Al-Wasiti Art Center in Jerusalem.

Hisham Muhsen, head of the Art Department at Al-Quds University, has participated in many exhibitions in Palestine and abroad, including 35 Artists/35 Years of Occupation.

Muhammad Musallam, a graduate of Al-Najah University in Nablus, has made several solo exhibitions in Palestine and participated in many group shows in Palestine and abroad.

Husni Radwan, a graphic designer in Ramallah, has participated in many group exhibitions and held several solo shows in Palestine and abroad.

Khalil Rayyan, a bronze sculptor and art teacher in Tamra, Galilee, has participated in many group exhibitions in Israel, Palestine, and abroad and held seven solo exhibitions in Jerusalem and Galilee.

Samir Salameh has taught art in Damascus and Paris and worked in the Art Division of UNESCO in Paris. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions and held several solo exhibitions in the Arab world and abroad.

Ariej Zahdeh is an art instructor at the Polytechnic University in Hebron. She has participated in several group exhibitions in Palestine and Egypt.

From Tel Aviv:

Tal Adler, conceptual artist, has had group and solo shows in Israel and throughout Europe. Artists Without Walls, video of (art) action, is a group of Israeli and Palestinian artists who have come together to create a permanent forum for dialogue between individuals engaged in all fields of art and culture.

Lary Avramsson, painter, is an organizer of Three Cities Against the Wall in Tel Aviv.

Yael Bartana, video and installation artist, this year was awarded the Dorothea von Stetten-Kunstpreis, Kunstmuseum Bonn and is a nominee for the Prix de Rome.

Adva Drori, performance and installation artist, has created numerous projects in Israel and received several prizes including the 2003 Yehoshua Rabinovitch Fund, Tel Aviv Minicipality.

Emanuel Faychevitz, a painter, digital and mixed media artist, and watercolorist, has exhibited at the Tal Esther Gallery in Tel Aviv as well as in Berlin and Stockholm.

Ravit Gat and Moshe (Chicko) Gerstel, installation.

Dan Geva, graffiti book.

Dudu Geva, animator, cartoonist, painter, and social satirist, died early this year. One of Israel's best-known illustrators, he has been called “the godfather and inspiration for all Israeli alternative comics.â€Â A cartoonist for the newspapers Ha'aretz, Ma'ariv, and Ha'ir, his masterpiece, “Mighty Sha'anan Against the Son of Godzilla,â€Â a comicbook parody of science fiction literature and much else, appeared in 1993.

Hagar Goren, sound installation. Her latest work includes “Bagcheck & Bodysearch,â€Â a video installation that treats the excesses in penetration of privacy during security and medical inspections.

Hadas Kedar, video art.

Shula Keshet, adapted photography, in 2003 launched an ongoing series of exhibitions in which her own installation art fuses with the work of individuals from Mizrahi (Middle Eastern/North African Jewish), Ethiopian, and Arab communities in Israel.

Dana Levi, photography.

David Reev, painting

Roee Rosen, multimedia artist, is one of a group of artists who address the political by constructing new “historicalâ€Â figures and identities. His work was featured in the Jewish Museum's controversial show, “Mirroring Evil: Nazi Imagery/Recent Art,â€Â in 2002. Another recent creation is “Justine Frank,â€Â a Belgian-Jewish, lesbian artist of the first half of the 20th century. Her fictive life and her entire oeuvre of painting (created by Rosen) stand for an outsider position that was doomed to failure between the Holocaust and Zionism.

Amitai Sandy, posters, co-published the influential Israeli alternative comix magazine Penguins' Perversions for four years. He is a member of the Dimona comix group, which publishes collective anthologies, participates in European comic festivals and is featured in several exhibitions.

Shual, Net art.

Meirav Shaul, painting, is an illustrator and comics artist. She has published three comics books with the Israeli comics group Dimona. Her work has also appeared in the French comics anthology Ferraille Illustre, the Scandinavian anthology Glump, and the German Jungle World and in Israeli newspapers and magazines and on album covers.

Naama Tzabar, sculpture.

Carmela Volk, adapted photography.

Nevet Itzhak and Lior Friedman, video art.

Naama Yuria, adapted photography.

Three Cities Against the Wall also represents a hopeful development for the future of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. Each artist has contributed three works to the show, one to be displayed in each city. In the two years they have been planning the exhibition, the artists and activists involved have built networks and created relationships that will sustain a long-term cultural network that opposes Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people.

In New York, Three Cities Against the Wall is organized through ABC No Rio, a community center for the arts on the Lower East Side, by a committee of artists and activists. In Ramallah, Tayseer Barakat, founder of the League of Palestinian Artists and curator of the Gallery Barakat, and Suliman Mansour, director of the Wasiti Art Center in Jerusalem, are organizing the exhibition. And in Tel Aviv, the project is organized by a group of artists and activists associated with the Israeli Coalition Against the Wall, Ta'ayush, and Anarchists Against the Wall.

Three Cities Against the Wall will run for one month in all three locations. For more information, visit the Three Cities Web site at www. abcnorio. org/againstthewall/ (http://www. abcnorio. org/againstthewall/).

QUICK FACTS...

Who is participating?

Fifty-six Palestinian, Israeli, and North American artists, united in their opposition to Israel's “Separation Wall.â€Â Internationally known artists who will be participating in the show include, from the U. S., painters Nancy Spero and the late Leon Golub and cartoonist Seth Tobocman; from Palestine, the painter-sculptors Tayseer Barakat and Suliman Mansour; and from Israel, video artist Galit Eilat, director of the Israeli Center for Digital Art, and the late cartoonist Dudu Geva. Each artist will be represented by work in all three locations.

Why and how did Three Cities Against the Wall come about?

Two years of contacts and networking between artists and activists in all three cities created this show. Its purpose is fourfold: To united our voices in demonstrating our opposition to the Separation Wall; to better inform people about the true nature of the catastrophic situation created by the Wall; to demonstrate that within the Israeli and American publics there is opposition to the Wall; and to lay the foundation for a community of artists across borders.

When?

Three Cities Against the Wall will open in Ramallah, Tel Aviv, and New York on Thursday, November 9, 2005, and run for one month in all three locations.

Where?

In Ramallah, at Gallery Barakat; in Tel Aviv, at a location to be announced shortly; and in New York, at the art center ABC No Rio.

What kind of works will be featured?

Works will include paintings, carvings and sculpture, film, video installations, graphic works on paper, and photography.

Will a catalog be available?

A full-color catalog, produced collaboratively by artists and designers in all three cities, will be available upon the opening of Three Cities Against the Wall. It will include essays by well-known Palestinian, Israeli, and American writers about the origins of the show, about the Wall and its impact, and about the role of the U. S. in creating and sustaining the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A full-color catalog of Three Cities Against the Wall, including essays by writers, critics, and activists from all three communities, is to be be published by Vox Pop Press in November. Please contact alex@voxpopnet. net for information and to receive review copies, or call Vox Pop at (718) 940-2084.

Writers contributing essays to the catalog of Three Cities Against the Wall include:

Terry Boulata is headmistress of a primary school in Abu Dis, a suburb of Jerusalem in the West Bank. She is a founder of he Palestinian Campaign for Freedom and Peace and a leading anti-Wall activist.

Grace Paley, fiction writer, poet, and lifelong peace activist, is the author of the celebrated short story collections The Little Disturbances of Man (1959), Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (1974), and Later the Same Day (1985) as well as three collections of poetry.

Steven Zunes is an associate professor of politics and chair of the Peace and Justice Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. He also serves as senior policy analyst and Middle East editor of the Foreign Policy in Focus project.

How can I get involved or contribute to Three Cities Against the Wall?

If you are located in the U. S., contact Steven Englander at ABC No Rio, (212) 254-3697.

OUR VISION: A WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS

In the process of creating Three Cities Against the Wall, the organizers and participating artists are building networks and creating relationships between their respective communities to oppose both Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people and the Wall as a symbol of that oppression.

Yet while American, Palestinian, and Israeli artists are showing their work together in this exhibition, we understand that the relationship amongst them is not one of equality. The relationship between Palestinians and Israelis has been compared to that between prisoners and guards, with U. S. cittizens as the patrons of this prison. Americans finance Israel through their tax dollars; some also finance Israel through contributions to Zionist organizations. The Wall is horrifying because it casts these relationships in concrete, making Palestinian imprisonment more thorough and more permanent.

Ironically, there is also an opportunity created by the Wall: this physical barrier makes the oppression of Palestinians more visible. Artists can use the Wall as a metaphor to educate the public. We are working together because we understand that, by uniting our voices, we are more likely to be heard and will therefore be better able to inform the public of the true nature of this catastrophic situation. We also want to demonstrate that within the Israeli and the American public there is opposition to the Wall.

We are laying the foundation for building a community of artists across borders, and will demonstrate, through combined effort, our opposition to injustice and oppression on moral and ethical grounds, and because injustice and oppression engender a separation between peoples, preventing normal human communication between them.

We believe that the world of the future is a world without borders. We support the right of a Turk to work in Germany, of a Haitian to seek refuge in the United States, of a Croat to live peacefully in Serbia. Thus we also support the right of a Palestinian, a Jew, or anyone else to live in the city of their choice, to enjoy all the privileges of citizenship there, and to travel freely to and from their chosen place of residence. This is not a radical demand but a natural human expectation. The attempts of 20th century governments to control demographics through genocide, forced transfer and other coercive means have been a disaster and such policies must be discarded. It is tragic that at a time when governments in Europe are discussing the possibility of open borders, Israel is building a border of cement and steel. We oppose the Wall because it is a wall against the future.

Information and Resources About the Wall:

Direct Action Palestine

International Solidarity Movement

International Women's Peace Service

Jews Against the Occupation

Middle East Children's Alliance

The Palestine Children's Welfare Fund

Al-Awda - The Palestine Right to Return Coalition

Electronic Intifada: News and Views on the Wall

Gush Shalom - The Israeli Peace Bloc

Indymedia Israel

Palestine News Network

The Palestinian Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PENGON)

Stop the Wall: The Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

Three Cities Benefits that have taken place:

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

3 ARTISTS for 3 CITIES against THE WALL

The Brecht Forum, 451 West Street, Manhattan

Sliding Scale: $7 to $20

With Grace Paley - world renowned Jewish short story writer

Eric Drooker - radical Jewish cartoonist and illustrator

Jennifer Camper - Up and coming Lebanese-American gay cartoonist

Performing spoken word and/or show slides of their artwork.

Friday, October 7, 2005

SONGS AGAINST THE WALL

ABC No Rio, 156 Rivingon, LES, NYC

With Music by Jeff Lewis and The Ropes, Rebecca Moore, Barry Bliss along with Multi Media by Seth Tobocman w/with Steve Wishnia and Eric Blitz and Mushon Shual Israeli digital artist

Sliding Scale $7-$20

Thursday, August 25, 2005

ABC No Rio, 156 Rivingon, LES, NYC

NYC's Seth Tobocman and Israel's Meirav Shaul - showing slides of their comix, with music by Steve Wishnia and Eric Blitz. Along with a short film about direct action to pull down Israel's Apartheid Wall

Sliding Scale: $7-$20

Thursday, December 2nd, 2004

ABC No Rio, 156 Rivingon, LES, NYC

‘Three Cities Against the Wall’ Benefit with Grace Paley, Nathalie Handal and Seth Tobocman with Steve Wishnia and Eric Blitz

Sliding Scale: $5-$10

Friday, July 30, 2004

St. Marks Church, 131 East 10th Street, NYC

Sultana Ensemble concert

THREE CITIES AGAINST THE WALL - Benefit Concert (a coalition of artists in Tel-Aviv Israel, Ramallah Palestine and New York City, working for a just peace) with CAT POWER, Seth Tobocman with Steve Wishnia and Eric Blitz and a short film by Danielle Sarah Frank

Sliding Scale: $10-$20

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Search Engine Marketers in Dallas/Fort Worth Create Organization to Educate Businesses on the Benefits of Search Engine Marketing

Search Engine Marketers in Dallas/Fort Worth Create Organization to Educate Businesses on the Benefits of Search Engine Marketing

DFW Search Engine Marketing Organization elects board members and approves Charter

Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (PRWEB) May 4, 2004 -

– A group of leading search engine marketers in the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) area have formed an organization dedicated to educating DFW businesses on the benefits of search engine marketing and search engine optimization.

Currently named the Dallas/Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing organization, or DFWSEM, the organization recently elected board members and approved an organizational charter.

The purpose of DFWSEM is to educate area marketers on the benefits of search engine marketing and search engine optimization as well as provide guidance to the local marketing community with regard to the best practices and latest developments in the search engine marketing industry.

“It is important to have a local organization that can be called upon to provide education and guidance in the often confusing search engine marketing landscape,” said John Sanchez, President and CEO of Zunch Communications and the newly elected president of DFWSEM. “As an organization, DFWSEM’s job is to help businesses make sense of that landscape in order to make the right decision for their company in regards to its search engine marketing needs. We want local companies to understand that search engine marketing works, and when done right, will increase your bottom line.”

At a recent DFWSEM meeting, members of the organization approved an organizational charter and elected board members. The board members elected are:

President: John Sanchez, Zunch Communications, Inc. (http://www. zunch. com (http://www. zunch. com))

John Sanchez currently serves as the President & CEO of Zunch Communications, Inc, which is an Interactive Professional Services Firm providing search engine optimization, website design & development, strategic consulting, application development, software development, media research, planning and buying, email marketing, website analytics and hosting.

John started his Interactive career by founding a portal in 1996, which then went public in 1999. Additionally, John has consulted with various national Web properties as well as national agencies on business modeling, strategic consulting, tactical implementations as well as interactive marketing. Prior to starting his Interactive career, John was as General Sales Manager for Univision and prior to that for Telemundo. John also was involved with starting a national publication where he served as Advertising Director. Additionally, John served as the Marketing Manager for ChurchÂ’s Chicken and has held Account Management positions with various national advertising agencies.

John is involved with the Dallas/Fort Worth Interactive Marketing Association and is the President of the Dallas/Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing Association.

Vice President: Christine Churchill, KeyRelevance (http://www. keyrelevance. com (http://www. keyrelevance. com))

Christine Churchill is President of KeyRelevance. com, a full service search engine marketing firm offering organic search engine optimization, strategic link building, usability testing, and pay per click management. She is on the Board of Directors of the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), the professional association of the search engine marketing industry and is co-chair of the SEMPO Technical Committee.

Christine was part of the original founding family of NetMechanic and served as the Director of Web Development where she developed the knowledge-base behind their best selling promotion tool, Search Engine Power Pack. Christine's many roles at NetMechanic included Webmaster, Search Engine Optimization Guru, Marketing Manager, Usability Engineer and Newsletter Editor. Under her guidance NetMechanic's popular Webmaster Tips newsletter grew from 20,000 to 100,000 subscribers.

Christine is the Search Engine Friendly Design and Usability Moderator for the High Rankings Search Engine Optimization Forum. Christine has numerous published articles and currently serves as the Associate Editor of e-marketing-news. co. uk (http://www. e-marketing-news. co. uk (http://www. e-marketing-news. co. uk)). A frequent speaker at Search Engine Strategies, Webmaster World PubCon, and other conferences, Christine enjoys sharing her passion for search engines.

Chairperson: Jim Gilbert, Position Concepts (http://www. positionconcepts. com (http://www. positionconcepts. com))

Jim Gilbert is President of Position Concepts, a specialty service search engine marketing firm providing search engine optimization (SEO), research and pay per click (PPC) campaign development and management.

Jim has performed search engine optimization since the inception of public access Internet search engines in 1993. Before his involvement with the Internet, Jim spent twelve years providing analysis support in statistics, simulation and numerical analysis for several large companies including Sabre and EDS.

Treasurer: Doug Lay, IO Media Group (http://www. iomediagroup. com (http://www. iomediagroup. com))

Doug Lay is the Managing Principle & Owner of IO Media Group, a Dallas-based Web Services Agency providing custom web site design & maintenance services, professional search engine optimization & PPC program management, custom email marketing software, custom e-commerce solutions, market research, database development, flash animation, streaming video production, site hosting, & DNS services.

Doug brings twenty-four years of management, marketing, and sales experience to interactive project management and production for information technology and new media projects. In addition to being the managing principle and owner, heÂ’s also involved in search engine optimization, web site architecture, user interface design, research, industry trends, content management, strategic planning, project management, and process improvement. His years of practical experience are backed by a solid education, including a degree in Psychology and Advanced Certifications in Multimedia Technology and Internet Communications.

Doug has worked on both national and regional accounts including Centex, Comware, Crescent Real Estate, Qualcomm, and SeagramÂ’s Americas.

Secretary: Rob Garner, itraffic/AGENCY. COM (http://www. itraffic. com (http://www. itraffic. com))

As Search Marketing Strategist, Rob Garner works with itraffic/AGENCY. COM design and media teams throughout the North American offices, supporting Fortune 500 clientele in their SEM efforts. He has 5 years experience in search engine marketing, and has also served as Internet Marketing Manager for multi-channel retailer Brook Mays. Rob has a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Arlington.

The next meeting of the Dallas/Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing Organization (DFWSEM) is at 6:30 p. m. on May 17 at NedleyÂ’s restaurant in Richardson, Texas. All individuals and businesses interested in search engine marketing are encouraged to attend. For more information on the meeting, send an e-mail to info@dfwsem. org.

About DFWSEM: The Dallas/Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing Organization is dedicated to educating businesses in the Dallas/Fort Worth area about the benefits of search engine marketing. The group meets once a month at various locations throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. For more information, please e-mail info@dfwsem. org

Clickfraud. com Launches Click Fraud Awareness Campaign

Clickfraud. com Launches Click Fraud Awareness Campaign

Online businesses can now resort to expert support. With the launch of Clickfraud. com

(PRWEB) January 13, 2005

There is a growing disturbing trend in the online search engines, which according to Google's CFO George Reyes “threatens the business model”.

ItÂ’s called click fraud and it may set back online advertisers anywhere between $450M - $1.8 Billion.

Online businesses can now resort to expert support. With the launch of Clickfraud. com both the business community and the general public can receive factual information about click fraud in order to protect themselves and their businesses.

The launch of Clickfraud. com provides helpful insight as to what click fraud is all about, how it is manifested, and most importantly ways of prevention.

Click fraud is the act of illicit online activity, where an individual or organization passes “fake” clicks to online advertisers for profit, which also gives false representation of public interest to the advertiser. In actuality, the fake clicks only hinder the company’s Return on Investment, or profit, causing major financial setbacks to advertisers.

Security specialist and owner of Clickfraud. com, Adam Sculthorpe, hopes that with the launch of Clickfraud. com “people will have an open forum in which to discuss their online experiences. Providing education of click fraud gives a realistic perspective of the risks associated with online advertising. Awareness is the first step toward developing effective online advertising risk management strategies.”

The website is composed of five main topics and an informative explanation of each. There is also a discussion forum open to those who are interested in sharing their experiences and suggestions.

For more information on click fraud, please visit: http://www. clickfraud. com/ (http://www. clickfraud. com/) or visit Clickrisk at http://www. clickrisk. com/ (http://www. clickrisk. com/) for fully pervasive click fraud solutions.

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Winning Drills Website Delivers a Slam Dunk with Free Basketball eBook

Winning Drills Website Delivers a Slam Dunk with Free Basketball eBook

Company Touts an Astounding 37,000 Downloads in Just 1 Year.

Marion, Iowa (PRWEB) February 19, 2008

A basketball ebook published by WinningDrills. com is scoring major points, delivering valuable basketball drills (http://www. winningdrills. com/freedrills. html) and tips that players and coaches won't want to pass on. In just one year, over 37,000 people across the U. S. and abroad have downloaded the free ebook and the fans are going wild for it.

Written by sibling basketball gurus and site owners Jeff and Joe Haefner, the comprehensive 152-page ebook consists of 72 exhilarating basketball drills that focus on developing and improving upon the fundamental aspects of the sport, including shooting, passing, ball handling, footwork and rebounding through easy to follow instructions, well-structured step-by-step illustrations, motivation and coaching tips, and is suitable for players and coaches of all skill levels. Other more advanced techniques, such as post play, transition, and agility are also covered in the complete collection of drills that are already helping to boost both talent and confidence in players of varying ages worldwide.

So what do the fans have to say about Winning Drills' free Basketball ebook? "I went on Google, keyed in 'free girls' basketball drills (http://www. winningdrills. com)' and voila, there it was," says Coach Fee Gentry. "Within minutes I had some great drills and instruction with easy to follow samples. Needless to say, we had a great practice. The ebook made me look like a pro!" Coach Mohamed Hammad adds, "It's an incredible and helpful book, especially for coaches who are in the beginning of their coaching careers." And teachers are talking about the Winning Drills free eBook too! "The ebook is awesome! I teach K-5 elementary PE and I'm using the drills for my older students," raves Physical Education teacher, Jan Tidwell.

The acclaimed ebook is available for download at the Winning Drills website. The site itself serves as a valuable resource that offers upbeat articles, an Internet directory containing a wealth of links to other websites, and additional basketball drills that are conveniently divided by both age group and skill. Winning Drills. com also offers a free Basketball newsletter, which provides players and coaches alike with several useful tips, drills and plays to help build and strengthen any basketball program. The interactive newsletters allow readers to post any comments and/or questions that they may have, and have them answered by the pros themselves, Jeff and Joe.

For more information on the free Basketball Drills eBook, including download instructions and other details, visit the Winning Drills website at www. winningdrills. com.

Jeff & Joe Haefner
Breakthrough Basketball, LLC.
1765 Bellboy Dr
Marion, IA 52302

Telephone (866) 846-7892
Facsimile (309) 410-1021

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