from the EDITOR
from the EDITOR Published By The Chaldean News, LLC Editorial Editor in Chief Vanessa Denha-Garmo managing Editor Joyce Wiswell Contributing Writers Caroline M. Bacall Neil Danial Jaddou, MD Mark Kassa Wean Namou Michael Sarafa Steve Stein proof reader Ken Marten EDITORIAL INTERN Joe Gasso art & production creative director Alex Lumelsky with SKY Creative graphic designers Zina Lumelsky with SKY Creative Joseph Sesi Photographers David Reed Ramiz Romaya operations Interlink Media director of operations Paul Alraihani circulation Paul Alraihani CLASSIFIEDS Joyce Wiswell sales Interlink Media sales representative Lisy Starr managers Vanessa Denha-Garmo Martin Manna Michael Sarafa subscriptions: per year The Chaldean News 29850 Northwestern Highway, Suite 250 Southfield, MI 48034 www.chaldeannews.com Phone: (248) 996-8360 Publication: The Chaldean News (P-6); Published monthly; Issue Date: NOVEMBER 2009 Subscriptions: 12 months, . Publication Address: 29850 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 250, Southfield, MI 48034; Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Rates is Pending at Farmington Hills Post Office Postmaster: Send address changes to “The Chaldean News 29850 Northwestern Highway, Suite 250, Southfield, MI 48034” What we know and don’t know I have to admit that I was hoping that the panelists from the Chaldean Chamber’s business luncheon would provide the answers we need to solve the economic woes in the region. The reality is there are no easy answers. There are no quick solutions. What does the future hold for Michigan? God only knows. I often listen to economists talk about how we have bottomed out and it will only get better from here. I pray that is true. I think all of us are mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. As entrepreneurs by nature, Chaldeans quickly go into survival mode. We begin to strategize on how to make money. It puts strain on our businesses, our marriages, our friendships and our families in general. When you are so focused on the future, it becomes near impossible to live in the present. Joyce Wiswell listened to what the four-member panel had to say about Michigan’s economic forecast and what each thinks needs to be done to move forward and lift us out of the economic downturn. Do they have the solutions? We learned from the panel that there are no easy answers. There are no quick fixes. There are no true predictions about what is ahead. We can never really know what the future brings. We can only make decisions based on the information on hand. We are all forced to make decisions on how we spend our money based on what is going on at the current moment. It becomes a vicious cycle because people are spending less and less money, which ultimately negatively affects the economy. We may not know what tomorrow brings but there are things we do know. We should all know our faith. If you don’t know, we hope you read Vanessa denha-garmo editor in chief the pieces on our religion often provided by the Eastern Christian Re-Evangelization Center (ECRC). This month we have a special column from Fr. Emanuel Rayes, which was actually prompted by a Facebook exchange. A few weeks ago I wrote on my Facebook page how I was debating what mass to go to because I needed a good cry room. My toddler is getting quite rambunctious in church. I got many replies. One was from a Chaldean member who explained to me that it is a “sin” to take communion We can never really know what the future brings. We can only make decisions based on the information on hand. at a non-Chaldean church, or at least that was his understanding. I found that statement odd and I did not believe it to be true. The discussion went back and forth with others chiming in on Facebook and we all agreed that it would make a good story for The Chaldean News. I asked Fr. Rayes to explain the differences of the Rites within the Catholic Church. By the way, it not a sin to take communion at a non-Chadean church. Learn about our faith in this special column. We appreciate Fr. Emanuel for contributing to this edition. What else do we know? We know that it is important to give thanks daily to God for all of our blessings. Of course, we are reminded to give gratitude this month as we celebrate Thanksgiving. Perhaps while we are slicing the turkey and getting a big spoon of kebaba, we can voice all that we are thankful for to our families. I am grateful for my husband who works hard every day. I grateful for my daughter – a precious gift from God. I am grateful for prayer and my daily connection to Christ. I am grateful for the ability to work and contribute to my family. I am grateful for my extended family, my friends, my confidents and my advisors – spiritual, legal and financial. I depend on their expertise. I am grateful for The Chaldean News and our loyal readers and supporters. This magazine gives me the creative outlet I desire. When we give thanks this Thanksgiving make sure you are giving thanks to God first and tell all those in your life what you are grateful for and how they contribute to the positive in your life. Enjoy this November issue and thanks for reading. What do we know? We know that we all have much to be grateful for. Let’s count our blessings. Alaha Imid Koullen (God Be With Us All) Vanessa Denha-Garmo vdenha@chaldeannews.com Corrections Mercy Kaskorkis is pictured on page 7 of the September issue receiving a prize for winning the hula-hoop contest at the Chaldean Music Festival. In the October issue, we misspelled the name of the founder of the new website Cooking- WithMelody.com. 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