Entries for the 'Health & Fitness' Category

Florida, USA - If you ask the Clearwater BP gas station owner Karim Mansour, he will say they had a bone to pick with Cody and they won.  Florida’s health department inspector says the dog will no longer be able to join his owner to work. 

“Successful Chaldean business owners are known to fight for their employees.  It is perhaps one of the biggest reasons as to why they are successful.  You treat your workers great, they are loyal and work hard to make the business a success,” says Angela Yousif, a member of Clearwater areas Chamber of Commerce. 

Mansour, received a warning from the Florida Department of Health on Thursday, informing him that Cody would have to go or all of the store's food - mostly bottled soda, candy and other snacks - would be declared unfit for consumption.

Michigan, USA – “If you’ve ever gone a month without spending any real quality time with your spouse, you know how negatively it can affect your marriage. All relationships need to be nurtured, and none more so than our relationship with our spouse,” says Eddie Kuza from Farmington Hills, Michigan. 

Kuza attended the new Couples Club at Mother of God Chaldean Catholic church with his wife.  The Couples Club organizes fun outings and events for engaged and married Chaldean couples.  “The Club is fun.  The group organizes some great activities, like dinner and a play, or a small trip up North, or great tickets to a basketball game.” 

Kuza says the goal of the Couples Club is to nurture strong marital relationships and create opportunities for Chaldeans to have fun.  Successful Chaldean marriages may be best seen as a triangle, with God at the top and each partner at the lower corners. The closer we draw to God, the closer we’ll be to each other.  “Marriage is not a ‘done deal’ at the altar; it’s a continuous, daily ‘I do.’ Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads, which sew people together through the years.”

The Chaldean Couples Club event brochure offered these wonderful tips to perk up a relationship.

California, USA – Chaldean immigrant receives special attention from the U.S. Center for Disease control (CDC) for his blood.  “It is like the movie Arachnophobia where a spider is brought to the U.S., spreads, and creates havoc,” says Dr. Jason Edwin III, Director of Entomology at the CDC.  “We were able to find an Iraqi who has something in his blood that is immune to the spider’s venom and is assisting in treating the infectious bite site of the spider.”

David Abbas of Tel’Kepe, Iraq seems to be immune to the venom of the infamous “Camel Spider” which is identified as the cause of a state-wide outbreak in Nevada.  Abbas was given $100,000 after a sample of his blood proved to contain the necessary antibodies.  The CDC is now asking Chaldeans in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Michigan to be tested.  Those with the rare blood immunity will be offered a $100,000 in order for the CDC to have enough vaccine to stop the epidemic from spreading outside of Nevada.  

“I was scared and worried,” says Ashley Michael.  “My baby would not stop crying.  It was late at night and I was so tired.  He was getting on my nerves.  Thank God we lived with my Mother-in-Law.  She helped keep me calm and made me feel that everything would be fine.  She was so kind and helpful.”

All babies cry. And at about two weeks of age, it is common for babies to develop a fussy period in the evening that can last for as long as two hours.  Fortunately for Mrs. Michael it is a Chaldean tradition for a new mom to stay with her mother or mother-in-law after giving birth for a few months.   

The reassurance, extra set of hands, and experienced advice can make all the difference.  So can a number of these helpful tips given to www.CHALDEAN.org by experienced Chaldean moms on how to soothe a fussy baby.  Try some of the following techniques, or perhaps a combination of them, to soothe your baby.

Chaldean expectant mothers know that a healthy diet is the best way to get the vitamins and minerals you need. Chaldean food is one of the healthiest of cultural cookery, but even if you eat healthfully every day, some Chaldean moms may fall short on key nutrients. If you're pregnant or hoping to conceive, prenatal vitamins can help fill any gaps.

In today’s article I cover why you need them, when to start taking them or how they help.  I hope Chaldean moms-to-be find the information useful and helpful.  If you have suggestions for future articles on healthy living e-mail me at info@chaldean.org care of Brenda Hermiz. 

California, USA – “Chaldeans who voted for him should be ashamed of themselves.  When will people learn that what goes around comes around?  Like the Nazis who supported eugenics and the killing of the useless and unwanted, so too goes America with this President,” says Ashley Bashi. 

Barack Obamaa has plans to reward the allies that helped him topple Hillary Clinton and seize the presidency by making total unrestricted abortion in the United States his number one priority as president.  Nonetheless, some Chaldeans think abortion is a religious issue or only a disagreement to overlook with the controlling Democrat party. 

 “It is sad that some in the Chaldean community think abortion is a religious issue.  Our entire society is based on morals and values.  If we don’t value the innocent, the old, unproductive, weak, or poor of our society, how much longer before we begin to make decisions to eliminate them,” says Dr. Hiba Hannou, a leading Chaldean medical researcher in reproductive science.  “How much longer before we say those that are not smart or unproductive must also be killed.”

California, USA – The double standard in the Chaldean community always was a point of contention.  Why is it okay for men to smoke, but not women?  Some argue the double standard was required by Chaldean men living in a Muslim dominated society where smoking was seen as a male’s passage to adulthood and encouraged.  

The society pressures seem to be a strong force as American society continues to grow in disgust with smokers.   Chaldean men living in western society show a significant decrease in smoking compared to their Middle Eastern counterparts.  However, the increase in Chaldean women smokers versus their counterparts is staggering, but understandable, given the freedoms and consumer coaching aimed at women who have come a long way to light-up.

Stories abound in the Chaldean community of fathers and mothers disgusted at the sight of young American teenage girls smoking at school.  Some of the stories go so fat as to say that the parents refused to allow their daughters to enroll in the school, opting instead to home school. 

So whatever happened to those teen girls who defiantly puffed away as gawking Chaldean parents drove by worried as to what their child was being exposed to.  A new study says those insecure girls have grown up to be fat and are now costing society in hefty healthcare costs.

Florida, USA – “The family is the nucleus of society.  When it is weakened or destroyed, we all pay,” says Jenny Jabril, a Chaldean nurse in Florida’s Orange County.  “We all pay when families break-down or fail.  We the people, deal with the dysfunction.  Our taxes go up to care for the abandoned or misguided children, our education system spins out of control, we pay more to prevent crimes, protect our families, or hospitalize these people.” 

Jabril is frustrated over the increased number of substance abuse.  In Florida law, citizens can be held against their will under the Marchman Act. Individuals whose substance abuse makes them a threat to themselves or others can be held at a mental-health facility for up to five days while physicians evaluate them.

Jerry Kassab, president and chief executive officer of Lakeside Alternatives, Orange County's receiving center, said his facility receives about 20 patients a day who are committed under the law.   There are three scenarios in which someone can be committed under the Marchman Act.

In Orange County, Kassab said, most patients are taken to Lakeside by law enforcement officers.  "The most common instance is when someone's out on the street who's acting up, or the police might be called by a store owner because someone's acting up or acting weird," Kassab said. "You also get instances when one family member calls the police because someone in their family is out of control."

You are My Sunshine, My only Sunshine'….Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling.

They found out that the new baby was going be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in mommy's tummy.   He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her.

The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen.  In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five minutes, every three, every minute. But serious complications arose during delivery and Karen found herself in hours of labor.

Would a C-section be required? Would the mother survive?  Would the baby live?  The entire family and medical staff were on pins and needles.  Finally, after a long and exhausting struggle, Michael's little sister was born. But she was in very serious condition.

Michigan, USA – The Church of Transfiguration in Southfield, formerly St. Michaels hosts the Southfield 40 Days for Life kick-off campaign.  The 40Days for life team invites the public to join the prayer effort as the prayer group gathers at 6:45 p.m. today, Tuesday, September 24th to help put an end to abortion. 

From September 24 - November 2, our community will be one of more than 170 cities in 45 states joining together for the largest and longest coordinated pro-life mobilization in history -- the 40 Days for Life campaign.

40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life effort that consists of:

40 days of prayer and fasting, 40 days of peaceful vigil, and 40 days of community outreach.  Chaldeans4Life help lead the effort in the Chaldean community.  Group leaders say the are praying that, with God's help, their groundbreaking effort will mark the beginning of the end of abortion in our city -- and throughout America.

Chaldeans interested in becoming part of the growing movement are encouraged to take a stand for life. 

Michigan, USA - Three levels of difficulty will challenge Chaldean visitors to the second annual Bowers Farm Corn Maze nestled in the fields of Bloomfield Township’s historic farm at 1219 E. Square Lake Road.

Beginning Saturday, Sept. 27 and continuing Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 1, the corn maze will offer beginning, intermediate and advanced routes covering ten acres.  All mazes have check points where visitors can consult a map.  Walking time varies from 15 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on pace. Guides will be present inside the maze to assist visitors.  

Chaldean families can also enjoy free wagon rides or horse drawn hayrides for $3, concessions including apple cider, doughnuts and hot dogs roasted over a bonfire, complimentary on-site parking, and pumpkin picking beginning Oct. 17.  Guests should wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather, and may bring flashlights for after dark.

Children in America face a huge problem!  Obesity is a serious health concern in America and is affecting Chaldean families more and more.  Chaldeans forgetting the roots of their culture on matters of wholesome and nutritious living are at risk of adopting the American food habits of eating processed sugary food.  Parents making poor choices combined with commercials peddling their sugary treats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner has created a health crisis in America.  Unfortunately, Many Chaldeans are caught in the net as well. 

Over 20 percent of American children are overweight -- almost five times the rate of 30 years ago. Twenty-five percent of all children who are overweight will grow up to be overweight as adults. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued this dire, but true, warning: Obesity is an epidemic, and if the current trend continues, one-third of all children born in 2010 will become diabetic later in life.

Healthcare costs are skyrocketing and a major factor to the rising cost is obesity.  The quality of life for the obese is also miserable.  Children as well as adults experience severe health and emotional problems like depression and anger. 

To protect your family from the threat of obesity, Chaldeans as well as Americans, will have to make smarter choices, become more responsible for their eating habits, and accept the fact that they must rely on themselves for the care of their health as well as their family.  Parents must do a better job in teaching their kids the right eating habits. 

Here are 10 rules to help families become healthier. 

California, USA  – The event is planned from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the southwest parking lot of the El Cajon Wal-Mart, 605 Fletcher Parkway.

The event is free and open to all county residents. E-waste includes old computers, TVs, stereo equipment, phones and other items that can't be thrown in the trash.  Household appliances and batteries will not be accepted.

Also on Saturday at the El Cajon Wal-Mart, San Diego Gas & Electric is partnering with Electronic Disposal Group for a light bulb exchange.

"Sometimes healthy competition for what we want turns into a problematic desire to have something merely because a rival already has it. This is not just based on what we want, but also on what we don’t want our perceived rival to have,” writes author, Susan, Barash in her book “Tripping the Prom Queen: The truth about Women and Rivalry.” 

Seventy percent of the five hundred women interviewed said they were familiar with the concept Barash writes about.  Barash is a professor of gender studies at Marymount Manhattan College in New York and became fascinated by women's relationship. Can sisters, mothers and best friends be jealous and supportive at the same time? In fact she found that rivalry and envy often pervades female relationships.

The women were interviewed on female competition.  The study revealed that many women are competitively mean.   In her book, Barash outlines why women compete with each other differently than men do with other men and why women often want to sabotage powerful female rivals.

A strong, supportive Chaldean relationship is built from a couple's words and actions. With work, children, and other responsibilities, sometimes it is easy to take your spouse for granted or forget to do the things that strengthen the marriage. Here are some ten little things every Chaldean couple can do that will have a big payoff for your marriage says Jennifer Kinaya, marriage counselor and researcher on the psychology of better relationships.

Chaldeans are reminded that staying healthy during the summer months requires more than just eating the right foods. Dr. Saad Manni offers this partial list of things Chaldeans can do that will help keep them cool and healthy during the hot summer months.

Michigan, USA - Protecting God's Children Workshop (PGC) is a professional development workshop organized by the Chaldean Diocese of Michigan.  The PGC workshop covers diocese wide policies and procedures for all church volunteers.  All church volunteers are required to attend the PGC professional development workshop. 

Mother of God Church will be offering the workshop on Friday, June 27, 2008.  The workshop begins at 6:30 PM and will end at 9:30 PM. 

To register for the event please CLICK HERE and complete the online form.  You must be a registered user of this website in order to complete the online form.  Once logged into the site, please click on the blue pencil (lower right) for the online form to appear. 

Summer months are upon us and Chaldeans are feeling the heat.  The summer scorchers causing beach sun burns may be the summer trademark, but other heat related illnesses are just as dangerous. 

Although Chaldeans are inherently from hot areas, current migration has placed Chaldeans in different environments.    Some places are dry and hot and others humid and hot.  The heat can be our friend, but it can also be very dangerous. 

These helpful tips can make the difference in ruining the family's summer:

Michigan, USA - The Chaldean American Association of Health Professionals (CAAHP) will be sponsoring a Chaldean Community Health ‘O Rama on Sunday, June 8th, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the afternoon.  The health fair will be held in the Mother of God Church, Southfield community hall and is open to the entire community. 

The event will feature physicians, medical specialists, the American Red Cross, and other related health professionals offering free health consultation, screening, and testing services to the community. 

High school and college students interested in health careers in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, physical therapy, or health administration are invited to volunteer for the event.  “This is a wonderful opportunity for both high school and college students to network with health professionals and pharmaceutical companies,” says Robert Kakos, assistant coordinator of the event.  “To gain admission to medical or dental school, or a quality health program; students will need to demonstrate community involvement and secure recommendation letters.  Volunteering at this event will go far in helping students reach their dreams.”

Michigan,USA - The youth and beauty of a Chaldean is all too obvious.  The unique diet, good genes, olive toned skin, frequent cleanings, and skin care management secrets all contribute to the youthful beauty.  This unique trait is something the Nordstrom retailer took notice, and hopes to leverage, at the opening of their new store in the Mall at Partridge Creek. 

The store has contracted with Joanne Recchia-Kallabat’s company SkinOnyx, the U.S. distributor for Italy’s Kleraderm skin care products to make the product available in the cosmetics section of the new Nordstrom. 

"It feels like I brought Nordstrom with me," she said of her return.  The only other U.S. store that carries Kleraderm is the Nordstrom in Troy's Somerset Collection, where they've earned a strong following over the past three years.  "Nordstrom calls them 'Kleranets' because they only want Kleraderm products," Recchia-Kallabat said.  Kleraderm is an advanced skin care line developed by a doctor in Bologna, Italy.  "It really works," Recchia-Kallabat said. "It's been a beauty secret of the stars for years."

California, USA - The El Cajon Community Development Corporation (then known as Downtown El Cajon, Inc.) has been looking for a novel way to build their downtown community.  Hoping to tap into the business creativity, entrepreneurship, and community family spirit of the Chaldean community, the organizers invite Chaldeans to join their concert series along with other residents of El Cajon.

The 13th Annual Concerts on the Green is a free weekly summer concert series featuring live music for all ages that beings Friday, May 23, 2008 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on the Prescott Promenade in Downtown El Cajon. Opening night of the 2008 Concerts on the Green will feature the Rockabilly sounds of The Stilettos. The concerts are free to the public.  Concerts on the Green 2008 is offered every Friday evening through September 5.

Chaldean lifestyle and eating habits have changed.  Living in the American culture and adopting American eating habits have led to an increase risk of obesity and chronic illness in the Chaldean community.  Chaldeans have lived through many health crises in the past but the latest threat, though largely preventable, has silently grown to potentially deadly proportions. Chaldeans as well as Americans are in the grips of an “obesity epidemic,” whereby 65 percent of the American population is overweight and a growing number of Chaldean toddlers and children are obese. 

Even those who may not consider themselves overweight may be carrying a large amount of deadly belly fat, known to increase the risk of heart disease in relatively slim people.   Most Chaldeans have a basic sense that being overweight is bad for their health, but few appreciate just how dangerous it is.

Controlling fat excess is really fairly simple: Eat for health, not for pleasure. This is not to say that a healthy diet has to taste bad. But it is critical to keep in mind that the goal is a diet that provides health. The loss of excess fat will always come when you follow a healthy diet.

Below are four steps for losing weight permanently.

Want your kids to eat their veggies? Start offering them when they're tiny babies, and don't take a grimace to mean "No."  Think Chaldean babies receive enough vegetables in their diet?  Think again. 

Mennella, an expert on food choices at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia recently had 45 mothers spoon-feed their babies puréed green beans once daily. Half the group also offered puréed peaches afterward. At first, the babies who got peaches ate more peaches than beans; after eight days, both groups were eating green beans and had increased their consumption twofold. "They'll wrinkle their noses," Mennella says, "but they still continue to eat."

The babies who were breast-fed also ate more peaches than formula-fed babies, perhaps because their mothers ate more fruit than non-breastfeeding moms. This echoes Mennella's earlier research, in which babies born to women who drank carrot juice in the third trimester favored cereal made with carrot juice, as did babies whose mothers drank carrot juice while breast-feeding. "It's really a fundamental feature of all mammals," Mennella says. "It's the first way we learn about foods and flavors."

You have heard Chaldean grandmothers telling their daughters to eat some baklava to sweeten breast milk.  Mannella’s research seems to prove the wise words.

It is of no surprise that all are susceptible to colds.   While some Chaldeans are accustomed to constant change of weather, there are plenty who are vulnerable.

Think of waking up to the traditional tea and toast one morning, and before you know it, you realize your nose is stuffy, your throat is scratchy and a sneeze is slowly sneaking up on you.  You try to reach for a tissue to catch it in time, and all the while feel the aches in your body, and the light-headed feeling that comes right before the big “Ah-Chu!” And it’s here: that nasty cold that’s been going around; the one your friend(s)/family has complained about all week.

Those that should really be watched over carefully are the younger Chaldean children. They are still building their immune system and other infections could easily develop alongside the cold, like ear infections.

Ghasoon Majed and Dawood Summa, met at a Communion celebration party.  “We were both friends of the family.  The parents of the boy that received Communion had a barbeque and invited friends and family to their home.  I was a friend of the boy’s older brothers and Ghasoon was a friend of boy’s aunt,” Dawood fondly remembers. “I was around 24 and she was 20.  I kept bringing her tea so we could talk.  We must have finished two pots by ourselves.  The worst part was that we both had to use the bathroom after drinking so much tea.  The best part was that neither of us wanted to go because we enjoyed talking to one another so much.”

After several hours of conversation—and several pots of tea—Ghasoon and Dawood knew they wanted to be together. Some 20 years have passed, living in four different countries since that tea-filled talk, but when Ghasoon phones her husband to say she's on her way home, Dawood ready reply is, "I'll put the teapot on." For Ghasoon, that simple phrase, loaded with memories and meaning, tells her she is still loved by the man she fell in love with.

In America and Europe more than 40 percent of first-time marriages fail.  Chaldean couples continue to need both an understanding about what it takes to make their marriages last in Western society.  Latifa Seeba examines the latest research and studies on Marriage and shares some of the “Do’s” that Chaldean couples can use to make the journey together easier and more rewarding.

Michigan, USA - The Chaldean Education and Career Center, Chaldean American Student Association of Michigan, and Chaldean American Professionals share with the community four very important instructional family based seminars on children with special needs.  The events are free and will be held throughout Oakland and Wayne County.

Chaldean parents and health professionals which include teachers, counselors, social workers, nurses, psychologist, ministers, and community family aid providers as well as Chaldean college students studying in these fields are strongly encouraged to register and attend.  The events offers state accredited certificates and an opportunity to network with other professionals in your field. 

The seminars will be held in English by industry experts.  The dates for the events are February 16, March 5, and March 18. The seminar will cover state aid and educational services for families with children of special needs. 

Afterwards CE&CC, CASA-MI, and CAP will be organizing special culturally focused sessions for families with children of special needs.  A brief summary including the seminar syllabus, location, and registration requirements follows.

California, USA - Chaldeans who eat a lot of red meat and processed meats have a significantly higher risk of several types of cancer, including lung cancer and colorectal cancer, says Dr. Tarik Kajy, a Chaldean cancer specialist and surgeon.  A recent study released by U.S. researchers concur with Dr. Kajy that high red meat consummation is a health risk.  

The study is the first big study to show a link between meat and lung cancer. It also shows that people who eat a lot of meat have a higher risk of liver and esophageal cancer and that men raise their risk of pancreatic cancer by eating red meat.

A growing number of Chaldeans in America are being diagnosed with cancer.  Dr. Kajy theorizes that high red meat consumption in the Chaldean diet might be to blame.  “Chaldeans originating from the Middle East often ate a high vegetarian laden Mediterranean style diet balanced with low meat intake.  However, Chaldeans in America have reversed the portions and are now eating more meat then the traditional vegetable driven meal.”

Chaldean parents are curious on how to capture their little one's creative energy when the weather gets cold.  Being cooped up in the house all day can make a toddler honery and troublesome.  Chaldean parents can help channel that energy by trying at least one of our nine fun, brain-boosting projects.

California, USA - Chaldeans are busily preparing for the holidays.  The community is getting ready for big family dinners, the traditional extended family tours, and the hectic gift giving calculations.  It arrives at the same time every year, and yet Chaldeans continue to get confused, stressed, and frustrated over the potential holiday madness. Chaldean holiday preparations can be less taxing for Chaldeans if these 7 simple steps are followed. 

Step 1 - BE PREPARED
Create a budget for your gift purchases, a list of who has been nice, and stick to it. Chaldeans have huge families and trying to buy a gift for every cousin, friend, neighbor, or employee will have you filing for bankruptcy.  Chaldeans are generous and charitable, but a line has to be drawn.  Create a gift list to fight the urge of seeing an item on clearance that you think would be perfect for someone not on your list.  Write down a few ideas for presents, based on the preferences of those on the list and hints they have given you throughout the year.

Michigan, USA - The increasing disgust and hyper-sexualization in the media has one Chaldean scholar seeking answers.  Phyllis Easter Jeden is a first-generation Chaldean-American born and raised in metro-Detroit.  The pre-law student at Central Michigan University is perusing studies in International, Minority, and Human Rights Law.   

Jeden, like most Chaldeans and Americans has grown increasingly concerned over television advertising portraying women as nothing more than sex objects. “I am appalled by some of the things that the media culture tries to mainstream and celebrate.  This has hurt America and has undermined our ability to speak to the world about values.  Just look at the amount of cleavage you see worn by younger and younger women (and girls) in the supermarket, on the bus, in church?” 

Rather than sit idly by and adopt a hopeless attitude Jeden decide to act.  In her recently published study Jeden tackles the impact of sexualization of women in media and how such efforts harm women.  The study Rape, Women and International Law began as a response to such everyday irritants.  However, the study quickly began revealing much more about the insidious sexualization of women in media and other mainstream venues in societies across the world.

California, USA - Wise and thoughtful Chaldean parents continue to harp on their children to honor other people's kindness and generosity.  Most children despise having to write thank you notes.  Sadly, parents who fail to teach their children how to recognize and acknowledge the good they see in others will eventually have to contend with the consequences of a self-centered, ungrateful, and spoiled child. 

Michigan, USA - Joe Bidawid, professional board rider, uses his paddle in the fight to finding a cure for cancer.  The middle child from a family of five children has his eyes set on breaking a world record as he trains to stand-up paddle surf across Lake Michigan from St. Joseph, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois. 

The Farmington Hills, Michigan Chaldean native is perhaps one of the more versatile athletes in professional boarding.  Skiing, snowboarding, windsurfing, kiteboarding, and surfing, Joe Bidawid has mastered them all at a world class level.  Capturing the imagination of world boarders the Chaldean Aquaman has been featured in top sports boarding magazines and local Michigan papers.

Michgian, USA - The southeast Michigan Chaldean Church Sports League prepares for their playoff games this Saturday, July 21, 2007.  The Chaldean Eparchy (Diocese) of Eastern United States has narrowed the four top performing church teams in the 18 and under category of girl’s volleyball and boy’s flag football. 

In the heart of Southeastern Michigan at the Southfield Municipal Civic and Sports Center hundreds and hundreds of Chaldeans gather to play, pray, and show their support.  The Chaldean church teams have been competing weekly for nearly two months.  Based on their win-loss record and total game point earnings the top four church teams qualified for the League playoff games. 

The CCSL is attracting a high level of talent and producing great competition.  The league features some of the best athletes in the Chaldean community as all-American high school athletes lead their respective church to victory on the field and on the sand court.

Michigan, USA – Chaldeans need to beware the hot summer.  With the excitement of heading to the beach, chaldean family barbeques with plenty of food and running children, or the excitement of July fireworks, Chaldeans need to be aware.   Chaldeans in Michigan need to be especially vigilant as the hibernation of a cold winter and wet spring can lead to careless behavior over the excitement of a hot summer. 

In the emergency room at the University of Michigan Hospital doctors and nurses know what that means: any minute now, another burned patient will come through the door needing immediate treatment.

Maybe it’ll be a Chaldean woman who burned her bare feet walking over the buried coals of a beach bonfire, or a Chaldean child who got too much sun and developed skin blisters.  Maybe it’ll be a Chaldean teenager who came too close to the hot exhaust of a lawnmower, or a Chaldean father who didn’t heed the warning on a package of fireworks.   Or maybe it’ll be a Chaldean toddler who strayed too close to a fire pit, or a backyard chef who got impatient with a charcoal fire and tried to jump-start it with a squirt of lighter fluid.

Whatever kind of burn comes through that emergency room door, says emergency physician Samir Namy, M.D., it almost surely didn’t need to happen.

California, USA - The American Chaldean Father spends over 15 hours a day at work.  That leaves little time for the family.  “I have to work this hard.  How am I going to feed my family, pay the bills, or be able to afford the stuff my children want or need,” says Waseem Bokus, a grocery store owner in the heart of San Diego.   “I know I should spend more time with my children but what can I do?”

Chaldean fathers unable to find employment in corporations have few alternatives.  Either they create their own business or join day laborers in Southern California.  The difficult situation takes it toll on the Chaldean family and the impact may be more severe then most Chaldean families can tolerate.

California, USA - In the life of every being that walks this planet, there is a purpose that is to be fulfilled before their time here is complete. Whether it be carrying out a career that may change the lives of many, creating a family of his own and protecting them, or just living a life that is alive with faith, hope and love… every mission is unique. It is vital in life to have confidence in understanding that the value of every accomplishment and deed done, be it big or small, is still so very great. For it is in the words of the Blessed Mother Theresa who proclaimed that, “Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing.”

Over in The Golden State, better known as California, a great man by the name of Gregory Acho is believed to have found what so many seek: their calling in life. But this calling, this purpose he prays to fulfill successfully, is not for his own pleasure, but is for people in his community that he yearns to reach out to and help by leading them to an improved stage in their life.

Acho, 30, founder of Conscious Contact, Inc., a non-profit sober living organization (rehabilitation clinic) are helping Americans overcome the strenuous process of staying sober. Acho adds that it is not as simple as it sounds, just “staying sober” or fighting an addiction, but that it is “[much] deeper than that. We provide support for each person to look within themselves and make contact, Conscious Contact, with who and what they have always been.” 

Tired of hearing Chaldean grandparents fuss over the health differences among American Chaldean and Iraqi Chaldean babies?  Do you find it odd that babies from war torn Iraq tend to be healthier than their Chaldean American counterparts?  In a country with so much freedom and prosperity it wouldn’t seem to make sense.  However, the facts are in and much of the health differences can be attributed to mothers who breastfeed versus moms that don’t.

Chaldean mothers in second and third world countries are have little choice in regards to choosing to nurse their infant or provide commercial formulas.  That may have been a blessing in disguise for Chaldean mothers.  More data continues to prove that breastfeeding is by far the best choice for a baby.  All the while, formula manufactures continue to come under scrutiny over their chemical products and the lack of comparative health benefits.    

Michigan, USA - Chaldean-American Janie Shina, 24, of West Bloomfield, Michigan is counting on the generosity of the Chaldean community.  Shina has been called on a mission to run a marathon to help fight cancer.  The longtime Cancer Society volunteer felt it was time to take on a fraction of the challenge that cancer victims face daily. 

Shina, describes an incident in which she felt she was “called” to help.  “Before the New Year, I wrote down the things that I wanted to accomplish during 2007, and running the marathon was one of them,” said Shina.  “And a week later, I received a letter from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Cancer Society requesting volunteers. Gods works mysteriously…this was my calling.”

Michigan, USA - Dalia Issa has been counseling others since she was a teenager.  “Growing up with five sisters made me a natural for this career,” says Dr. Issa.  “I was the oldest and since my parents had a hard time understanding the American culture and the language I often took charge.  When my younger sisters had questions I had to balance the social issues, our Chaldean customs and culture, and the peer pressure they were feeling.”

Dr. Issa is partner in a family coaching center in Bloomfield Hills.  The firm has over six partners, twenty associates, and a staff of nearly forty.  With revenues toppling ten million the group is considered one of the more influential experts in parental training.

“There is no other occupation that impacts society more than parenting.  The role of a parent and family is the nucleus of a community, a culture, a nation.  When I worked as a family psychologist it surprised me that there really were no formal courses or instruction for parents to deal with contemporary issues.  I started the firm with a handful of friends and colleagues and we have been growing ever since,” says Issa.  

Michigan, USA --Chaldeans will be able to get flu shots from nearby convenient stores.  Walgreens will offer flu shots for free or discounted rates for customers.   

Chaldeans who have Medicare Part B and are not a member of an HMO, can present their Medicare card. There will be no charge for the flu shot.  Walgreen’s will submit a claim to Medicare on your behalf.  For those wishing to pay the cost for a flu shot will be $25 and the cost for a Pneumonia shot will $40.

The dates and times for each store are listed below. Please note dates and times may change so please contact the particular store directly to confirm.

For the convenience of our readers we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions relating to the flu in this article as well.   Chaldean Healthcare Professionals will soon be announcing health fairs touring southeast Michigan Chaldean community centers.  Dates are not final at this time and will soon be announced. 

Chaldean mothers ought to strongly consider the high risk of obesity, diabetes, and weaker immune systems for babies that are not breast fed.  In light of the ongoing research that shows synthetic chemical baby formula is riskier than breastfeeding the world trade health organization is challenging multinational companies to stop considering profit over health. 

The marketing efforts to get second and third world countries hooked on baby formula products have quadrupled.  However, some countries are not buying into the scam and putting pressure on the corporations. 

“Convenience, modernization, playing on ignorance and fear is the way they do it,” says Dr. Hannaa Bedawid, a Chaldean pediatrician.   “The companies are using marketing and trying to make it seem as if it is shameful to breastfeed your child.  I applaud countries like China, Malaysia, Israel, and the World Health Organization to standing up against corporate greed.”

Companies are being charged with illegal marketing, racketeering, vastly insufficient quantities of the essential vitamins, and suppressing studies and reports revealing the dangers of baby formula.  One of the larger corporations, Abbott Laboratories, has recalled hundreds of thousands of fake liquid ready-to-feed infant formula.

New York, USA - Older Chaldean mothers often worry that their age will affect their pregnancy, and the birth of their baby. It doesn't help to see the medical term 'elderly primagravida' on your notes, (meaning older, first time mother) and some Chaldean women feel that extra tests and interventions are used because of their age.

Chaldean trends of marrying and having babies between the ages of 18 – 25 are being lost to the cultural assimilation of Western society. 

 Chaldean couples continue to flirt with the concept of having children at later ages.  While many often thought the danger solely rested with the woman, no research says men having children later in life is equally dangerous.  Men who wait increase the chances for offspring with autism.

Michigan, USA - Chaldeans are helping in the fight against Leukemia and they need your support.   Join friends and family as the community rallies to raise funds to help those suffering from Leukemia.   Event organizer and passionate advocate, Christine Loussia has been remarkably committed to educating the Chaldean community about cancer, Leukemia, and other terrible ailments. 

Loussia is on a mission to help the Chaldean community better understand Leukemia and build a comprehensive bone marrow database that will save eventually lives.