Friday, September 23, 2011

Ray Hanania-Columnist or Comedian?

Ray Hanania, a former Creators columnist and is now a self-published  Palestinian-American writer married to a Jewish woman. He writes about Mideast issues in an evenhanded way that makes him seem like a radical with some of his topics compared to other columnists who back Israel almost unconditionally. Hanania's approach to writing has caused him to become un-popular with much of the mainstream media. By the way, Hanania is also a stand-up comedian who has developed just as large of an audience to his hilarious comedy as to his humorous writing.
Hanania's parents are Christian immigrants from Palestine. His mother is from Bethlehem; his father, George John Hanania, from a prominent Christian family in Jerusalem, served with the U.S. Army during World War II and with the Office of Strategic Services and later the CIA. He himself served with the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War and in the Illinois Air National Guard. Hanania's wife, Alison, is Jewish; and they currently reside in Orland Park, Illinois
Hanania is a University of Chicago graduate and a longtime, veteran Chicago political reporter, Hanania now writes an award winning column analyzing political and social issues that is now a part of several Chicago area newspapers. He also writes a weekly column for the Jerusalem Post Newspaper on Middle East issues.
As a parttime, freelance media and political analyst, Hanania also provides media support for web pages and internal communications projects as well as providing media consulting to governments and businesses.
Hanania is also a recognized Arab American historian and author of several books including "Arabs of Chicagoland" which was published in 2005. To add to his list of commitments, he is an activist for peace between Palestinians and Israelis speaking out against terrorism, violence, extremism, and religious fanaticism. He strongly supports and advocates for peace based on non-violence and compromise between Israel and Palestine.
Hanania has become internationally known as a standup comedian using humor performing for Christian, Muslim and Jewish audiences around the world to confront hatred and animosity. His Arab American-Jewish comedy routine lampoons his life and unique marriage to his wife, Alison, who is Jewish, at clubs, universities and Arab, Muslim, Jewish and American events around the country.
Some of his college credentials and awards include: Sigma Delta Chi National Award for Column Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists for his columns on the alleged discrimination against an Arab grocer in a suburb of Chicago. MT. Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award 2009 by the Mehdi Family. Winner of the First National Ethnic Media Award for Commentary/Editorial Writing (which was translated into English) in 2006 by the New America Media Association for his three-part series: "Shedding Moonlight on Conflict," "A new Language of Peace" and "Things Palestinians and Israelis share." Society of Professional Journalists Lisagor Award for column writing in 1985, 2003, 2007, 2009. Also, he won an award for a Chicago Newspaper Guild Column among many others.
I enjoy his comedy and stand up humor considering that I can directly relate to the Arab-American issues he must deal with, as well as the Arab-Jewish relations that I have written about and followed throughout my college years. His humor somehow creates more of an understanding of these very serious issues while raising awareness to anti-war efforts and racial tolerance in America. I appreciate his writing and the efforts behind them and will continue to read and follow his work.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Arab Americans in the Media

Arabs Americans, and Muslim Arab Americans by association and by direct action have
been increasingly racialized and targeted and discriminated against. These prejudices
have been fueled by the "war on terrorism" media influence. Mainstream media
continues the repetition of the urgent threat of Islam and of the Arabs and Muslims who
represent it. There are many ways for the media to deliver such a message to the
public through respected print, radio and various other news mediums. These
organizations increasingly reflect and reproduce the same global images and incidences
of Arab and Muslim Americans and Islam globally.
Although these media outlets cannot decide for the public and their readers and
Consumers consider race, they are representational of something larger that can
change mainstream beliefs, or main belief about Arab Americans.  It becomes an easy
outlet to discriminate when an American tragedy such as Pearl Harbor, 9-11 and many
others, are tied to a specific nationality or race of people. Arab Americans and Muslim
Americans are represented as highly religious, and strictly more religious than most
Americans. Arab Americans and Muslim Americans are represented as religious devout
Muslims. This assumption leads most Americans to believe that the attacks of 9-11 to
be religiously motivated. Although this may be true for the few men who committed the
act of terrorism, it does not represent the majority of Muslims or Arabs in America.
Arab Americans and Muslim Americans are represented as linked to international
Muslims and Muslim movements, which are themselves are categorized as people of
color, dark and dangerous; this also associates all people of Arab descent as Muslims
which is untrue. Many Arab Americans, like myself, are Christian. Although Arab culture
is widespread the religion has nothing to do with the actions that were committed. The
idea that Muslims and Arabs are against the United States became an ongoing theme in
most media coverage, this made Arab Americans and Muslim Americans target citizens
for discrimination and an ongoing struggle for acceptance and equality and their civil
rights.

By Renee Sweis

Friday, September 9, 2011

Whats it all for?

College can prepare us for our leisure time just as much, than it can prepare us
for our working lives. College educated people are able to appreciate and enjoy
literature, art, music, essays, movies, and other products of the culture. College
graduates have a sort of appreciation and enjoyment that is deeper because of
their education: those with a liberal arts education see things in movies and
music and literature that those without the education don’t. And, as a
consequence, their experience is richer.
College students often worry about what they will do after graduating as an
English major, or a Sociology majors. Most people believe and would argue that
the only thing valuable about a college education is what sort of job, and income
you can get with that college education. So, since you’re spending all that time
and money and effort on college, you should get yourself the sort of education
that is useful for getting a good job. Choosing a major in the commonly chosen
field of ‘business’ or ‘marketing’ is a broad subject matter and has a vast
opportunity for success in the work force.
I would further engage you by asking that you broaden your image of what a
college student wants, and should want; and what a college student actually gets
out of an education vs. what they should get out of an education. Most students
who land an office or medical assisting job feel as though they have hit the
highlight of their career. Furthermore I would continue by saying it doesn’t
matter what college you choose, but what you do in college, and after college
that matters. It is important to choose something that you enjoy doing rather
than what will bring in the most income after college, because now is the time to
pave the way for your future in a non regrettable way.
Back to my college student-office-worker analogy, this topic regarding the
benefits of a college education and its enjoyments along the way can be
extended without end, as it can definitely be debated, but what no one can
debate is the importance of taking action to pave your way to the future you
hope to have for yourself in the end. You can’t hope that the piece of paper that
says “Diploma” will be your meal ticket into the dream life, it just means that you
have a better chance while competing for better career opportunities. If your
focus is more on status and status alone, you might end up being Andy Bernard. 
times. From his small desk on the office floor of the Dunder Mifflin paper
company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Be more than a bachelors degree, or a
diploma, be what you’ve always dreamed of…..
He went to Cornell University. (Ever heard of it?) He will tell you this. Many

Friday, September 2, 2011

From Summertime to Crunch Time

Thursday, September 1, 2011


Bumper to bumper traffic, angry students jogging from class to class, endless lines at Starbucks and Java City... Yes, it must be the first day of the semester.
Waking up at the crack of dawn to go to work is bad enough on its own, but now the added joy of 5 back to back classes in one day, is not as tolerable.  To add to the list of joys, a 30-hour-a week Summer internship at ABC News Ten, takes up any other "free" time I may have.

Despite the endless work and stress, it was very motivating to get back into a strict and steady routine. Although the next four months of my life are planned down to the minute, it will all be worth it in the end come graduation time; or getting hired through the internship I have invested so much of my time.

It was either out of sheer luck, or the grace of God that I did not struggle with tickets or finding parking these first few days. Although the parking problem continues to plague the campus, from students to the faculty members.

My first class went smoothly,and of course was let out early as expected on the first day. Of course, the only thing on my mind was finding a cup of coffee during the 11 minutes I had before my next class started.
 
"Why would you enroll in 5 classes in two days, back to back?"... You might ask, well thanks to the decisions of our state congress men, and members of our school board, there are not a variety of classes to choose from, so you take what you can get.
 
Another "joy" of first day, is that you have to re-train your mind into focusing on what your professor is saying, and remembering to write EVERYTHING down to avoid missing an assignment. After being detatched from the classroom scene for several weeks, sitting for a long period of time is easily described as torture. 

Although my earliest class begins at 10 a.m. it can become easy to procrastinate and under-estimate timing with completing assignments. Leaving at the exact right time, and leaving time for parking becomes second nature. A 10 a.m. class is not that early, but overestimating the "extra" morning time can be very dangerous in meeting deadlines.
 
It seems as though I can never time things correctly, either im extremely early or three minutes late. Even though professors will wait and give you the benefit of the doubt, you still have to fight thru 345 people to get to a seat in a class that you are enrolled in; only to find out that later on 300 of those students are hoping to add or on a waitlist.
 
After spending 35 minutes taking roll and then another 45 minutes explaining the same syllabus that was explained in the previous class, its on to the next journey of finding Del Norte hall, which I just discovered this semester, actually exists.

Although having back to back classes is extremley stressful, it is convienient not to have to find a way to fill up a one or two hour gap in between classes, which I had to do last semester. I no longer have to akwardly sleep in my car, or in the library until my next class started.
 
With all of that said, I feel that over these passed few semesters, there have been many lessons learned, and many more to come. I can't wait until graduation time when I look back on these days, or re read this blog and be ecstatic that its all over, and I can now embark on a new journey and start my future.

So I am filling my head with good thoughts, and wishing my peers good luck. I am hoping to stay focused, and ending this last semester with pride and excellent grades.
 
Here comes a new semester!!