Ali Abunimah, a writer and commentator on Middle East and Arab-American affairs, lives in Chicago. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Jordan Times, Lebanon’s Daily Star and Ha’aretz, among others.
In 1996, when Israel attacked Lebanon, Abunimah began writing Chicago’s NPR station about their lack of objective coverage. Months later, NPR asked him to appear on one of their shows to comment on Clinton’s bombing of Sudan and Afghanistan. Since then, Abunimah has steadily become a common voice as an expert commentator and debater offering insight into a range of topics regarding the Middle East. He is frequent guest on local, national and international radio and television, including public radio and television, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, CNN, MSNBC, Fox, the BBC and many others.
Abunimah lectures frequently at colleges in the United States. He was born in the United States and grew up in Europe. Both of his parents are originally from Palestine. He received his BA from Princeton University and MA from the University of Chicago. Abunimah travels often to the Middle East and is a full-time researcher in social policy at the University of Chicago.
In October 2006, Abunimah’s book One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse, was released by Metropolitan Books. “I realized this idea of partition is an illusion; it’s the problem. The reality is that it [Palestine-Israel] is one country.” said Abunimah. “We don’t have to agree how and why everyone came into the country. We just have to agree it is indeed one country and everyone gets to have a dignified life. Debates about how it came to be are important but they don’t deal with the reality that there are 10 million people who live there. And they aren’t going to go away,” he added.
“My parents taught me the importance of standing up for your rights but doing so in a way that is not tribal. The Palestinian issue is about universal rights and about equality for everyone.”
Abunimah was born in Washington, DC in 1971. His mother is from Lifta, near Jerusalem, and became a refugee when Israel was established in 1948. His father, a former Jordanian diplomat and ambassador to the United Nations, hails from the West Bank village of Batir.
Other recent book contributions include “No Justice, No Peace,” in “The Anti-Capitalism Reader,” edited by Joel Schalit. New York: Akashic Books, 2002; “The US Media and the New Intifada” (with Hussein Ibish) in “The New Intifada,” edited by Roane Carey. New York: Verso Books, 2001; “The Palestinian Right of Return” (with Hussein Ibish), Washington, DC: ADC, 2001; “The Media’s Deadly Spin on Iraq” (with Rania Masri) in “Iraq Under Siege” edited by Anthony Arnove. Cambridge, MA: South End Press, 2002 (Updated Edition).
This special show opens with a song by Michael Heart “We Will Not Go Down” which has swept the internet receiving over a quarter of a million hits on YouTube worldwide in less than 2 weeks drawing attention to the plight of the people in Gaza.
Basima Farhat is joined by Michael, as well as Greta Berlin - Co-Founder of FreeGaza.org who shares her decades of dedication and organization on behalf of the people of Palestine, sometimes at the risk of her own life. Joining Greta is her friend Cynthia McKinney, whose entire career has been in support of justice for the Palestinian people. Both on Capitol Hill as a Congress member and now as a recent passenger on the SS Destiny which was rammed by the Israeli Navy before it could reach its destination in Gaza laden with tons of medical supplies, doctors and journalists. Living to tell the tale the courageous Cynthia McKinney shares her experience with the media in an attempt to bring awareness to the situation in Gaza.
GRETA BERLIN has been an advocate for justice for the Palestinians since the early 60s. She is the mother of two Palestinian/American children whose father was born and raised in Safad, Palestine and is a 1948 refugee. She has a masters degree in Theatre and a bachelor’s in English and, when she’s not working with the Palestinians, has spent the past 32 years teaching engineers and scientists how to design and deliver presentations.
She has been in the West Bank three times (over five months total) since 2003 with the International Solidarity Movement, a Palestinian-led movement that applies nonviolent principles to resist the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Greta, along with 10 other ISM volunteers, was wounded by Israeli gunfire in July 2003 while trying to pull down the gate in the fence at Anin, just outside of Jenin. She has spent most of the time in the occupied territories as media coordinator in the ISM offices in Beit Sahour and Ramallah. She is one of the founders of the Free Gaza Movement, which seeks to break the siege of Gaza through seaborne nonviolent action and was onboard the Free Gaza, the first boat with internationals to reach this besieged strip of the Mediterranean in 41 years. You can read some of her articles and interviews by GOOGLING Greta Berlin, Palestine.
She has spoken around the world at universities, and organizations about what she has witnessed in Palestine and how to advocate for an occupied people.
The historic illegal appropriation of Palestinian land, home and heritage is at the heart of the Middle East conflict. It has given rise to the largest ongoing refugee population in the world. It paved the way for subsequent land theft in 1967, and the ongoing ethnic cleansing that has squeezed Palestinians in the West Bank into ghettos and bantustans surrounded by 27-foot walls, sniper towers, and military guards. It has created the open-air prison of Gaza with an impoverished and overcrowded population of 1.4 million inhabitants.
This tragic event has dispossessed and disinherited Palestinians all over the world; and a destitute population of refugees with only their memories of Palestine, crumbling property deeds, and an undaunted will to return.
Mission Statement
We want to break the siege of Gaza. We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation. We want to uphold Palestine’s right to welcome internationals as visitors, human rights observers, humanitarian aid workers, journalists, or otherwise.
Who are we?
We are these human rights observers, aid workers, and journalists. We have years of experience volunteering in Gaza and the West Bank at the invitation of Palestinians. But now, because of the increasing stranglehold of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, many of us find it almost impossible to enter Gaza, and an increasing number have been refused entry to Israel and the West Bank as well. Despite the great need for our work, the Israeli Government will not allow us in to do it.
We are of all ages and backgrounds. Back home, we are teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers, truck drivers, youth workers, musicians, secretaries, parents, grandparents, lawyers, students, activists, actors, playwrights, politicians, web designers, authors, international training consultants, and we even include a former Hollywood film industry worker, a former Marine, an aviator, and an explorer. We are Italian, Irish, Canadian, Greek, Tunisian, German, Australian, American, English, Scottish, Danish, Israeli, and Palestinian.
What are we doing?
On August 23, 2008, we broke the siege of Gaza by sea for the first time and on October 29 for the second time. We want to repeat the action and establish a permanent sea lane between Cyprus and Gaza.
Points of Unity
All participants in the Free Gaza Movement accept the following principles and practices:
1. We respect the human rights of everyone, regardless of race, tribe, religion, ethnicity, nationality, citizenship or language.
2. The lawful inhabitants of all territories occupied by Israel since June 5, 1967 must have unimpeded access to international waters and air space, in conformity with all UN resolutions and international law.
3. The lawful inhabitants of all territories occupied by Israel since June 5, 1967 have the right to control all entry and exit to and from those territories without Israeli interference.
4. Israel must withdraw its military presence from all territories occupied since June 5, 1967 and revoke all legislation, regulations, directives and practices that apply differently to different populations living in those territories.
5. Israel must demolish all barriers built to restrict passage in all territories occupied by Israel since June 5, 1967.
6. We recognize the right of all Palestinian refugees and exiles and their heirs to return to their homes in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories; to recover their properties, and to receive compensation for damage, dispossession and unlawful use of such property. This is an individual and not a collective right, and cannot be negotiated except by the individual.
7. We agree to adhere to the principles of nonviolence and nonviolent resistance in word and deed at all times.
A former six-term Member of Congress from Georgia, Cynthia McKinney proved herself a courageous voice for the voiceless, unafraid to speak truth to power. Cynthia’s Power to the People Committee is working to put Cynthia on fifty-one ballot lines!
Cynthia was never afraid to introduce legislation that showed her moral compass and where she felt our country ought to be. In that regard, after the tragedy of September 11th, 2001, Cynthia introduced legislation that would allow the survivors of the tragedy’s victims to sue those responsible for the attacks as well as participate in the Victims Compensation Fund. She introduced legislation to establish a national living wage and she also introduced legislation to repeal the Military Tribunals Act. Her signature environmental piece of legislation was the National Forest Protection and Restoration Act which would have provided much-needed jobs and revenues for the restoration and protection of America’s national forests. McKinney successfully authorized the USDA disparity study that demonstrated USDA discrimination against minority farmers. McKinney, like so many Americans, has long held Green values. McKinney is now proudly a Green.
While in Congress, Cynthia:
* Consistently opposed funding for bloated military and secret intelligence budgets;
* Introduced Articles of Impeachment for George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Condoleezza Rice;
* Introduced, championed, and passed in the U.S. House the Arms Trade Code of Conduct, prohibiting the sale of arms to known human rights abusers;
* Authored legislation to end the use of depleted uranium weapons;
* Passed legislation to extend health benefits for Vietnam War veterans still suffering the health effects from exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange;
* Challenged Pentagon Secretary Rumsfeld and Chairman Myers of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the $2.3 trillion missing Pentagon money and on U.S.-sponsored war games taking place on September 11, 2001;
* Currently serves on (a) International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, (b) Brussels Tribunal on Iraq, (c) is participating in War Crimes prosecutions in Spain, and (d) is working with the Malaysian Peace Organization to criminalize war;
* Introduced legislation to eliminate federal subsidies for corporations taking jobs overseas.
MICHAEL HEART
Michael Heart’s background is as diverse as can be. Born in Syria and raised in Europe (Switzerland and Austria), the Middle East and the United States, he has lived a multi-cultural life and absorbed the music of different parts of the world (although his current CD release is purely categorized as Pop/Rock). He started out on piano and guitar at age 10. Shortly thereafter, he began dabbling in songwriting and eventually made the natural progression towards recording. After earning his audio engineering degree from Full Sail (recording school), he moved to Los Angeles in 1990 and spent the past 18 years working on the local studio circuit both as a session guitarist and a recording engineer. In that time, he has worked with such artists as Brandy, Will Smith, Toto, Natalie Cole, The Temptations, Phil Collins, Patty LaBelle, The Pointer Sisters, Earth Wind & Fire, Ricky Lee Jones, Lou Rawls, Jesse McCartney, Hillary Duff, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Paige, Al Jarreau, K-Ci & Jojo, Deborah Cox, Monica, Taylor Dayne, Keiko Matsui, Steve Nieves, Luis Miguel and Tarkan. Michael’s fluency in French was definitely an added bonus when he also worked in the studio with French artists like Calogero (The Charts), Marc Lavoine and Veronique Sanson. Other projects also included work with producers Rodney Jerkins, Philippe Saisse and David Foster. (note: on most of these recording credits, Michael is credited as “Annas Allaf”, his real name, Michael Heart being the stage name). Although most of Michael’s work has been in the recording studio, he also done some touring (notably back in the early 90’s, when he toured as a Flamenco guitarist in a guitar trio with Juan Manuel Canizares, opening for Dire Straits). He has also recorded and toured with the smooth jazz band Jango.
These days, when he is not promoting his new CD or writing new material, Michael is lending his production skills to various local artists, primarily working in his home studio.
In January of 2009, Michael also wrote and composed a song about the horrific situation of the Palestinian people in Gaza. The song is called “We will not go down”.
In an effort to help his daughter who suffered from an allergy to cats, Ashok Wahi’s put his engineering skills to work and invented a product which was tested by allergist Dr. Paul Ratner. This new product is now being sold in stores nationwide in the USA under the brand name Chloraseptic Allergen Block for adults and Little Allergies Allergen Block for kids.
Ashok Wahi, M.S., P.E. Wahi is an engineer who was motivated by his desire to help his daughter, who suffered terribly from cat allergies. Wahi didn’t want to give his daughter allergy medications which might have side effects. He found support from allergy specialist, Paul Ratner, M.D., who later became advisor to the project, providing input on product development and subsequent testing. The project goal was to find a way to help manage exposure to allergens in the air when complete avoidance was unrealistic, rather than to manage nasal allergy symptoms once they had already developed. Wahi notes, “Necessity is the mother of invention. Because of my daughter’s allergies, I wanted to develop a product that would help enhance my daughter’s—and all allergy sufferers’—quality of life.”
Ratner notes, “I have thoroughly reviewed both the patented technology that makes Allergen Block products effective, as well as the research conducted to date. These are unique treatments to help allergy sufferers control symptoms before allergens in the air enter the body and begin to elicit the nasal allergy symptoms. The approach taken by Allergen Block products could transform the way we currently look at allergy relief.”
Allergies are the fifth leading chronic disease in the U.S. among all ages, and the third most common chronic disease among children under 18. The Allergen Block products can be an effective addition to the arsenal of treatments used by the estimated 40 million American [nasal] allergy sufferers.
About Allergen Block and How It Works:
Allergen Block products, sold under the Chloraseptic™ brand for adults and the Little Remedies™ brand for children, are topical gels which are applied outside around the nostrils to block both indoor and outdoor allergens in the air on contact, thereby helping to prevent nasal allergy symptoms. Just in time for the fall allergy season, the products (each of which contains approximately 150 applications) are sold for approximately $14.99 at drug stores, mass merchandisers and supermarkets.
The Allergen Block products are patented formulations which are designed to work in a novel fashion. The gentle, positively-charged water-based gels help filter negatively-charged allergens in the air on contact. Filtering allergens in the air such as pollen, ragweed, pet dander, and dust mites helps stop them from entering the nasal passages, where they can cause allergic symptoms such as runny nose and sneezing. Therefore, unlike existing allergy products that treat allergy symptoms once the symptoms have started, Allergen Block products, when used as directed, help prevent the start of mild nasal allergy symptoms by reducing the number of allergen particles in the air from entering the nostrils.
Because these products are drug-free, they are safe to use with other medications since they lack the side effects and potential drug interactions which can often accompany the use of systemic medications. The products are safe for use in both children and adults who need a gentle way to combat allergies without the worry of drug side effects. Allergen Block products have received a Food and Drug Administration 510K registration number.
Ashok Wahi, who was born and raised in New Delhi, received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the age of 20 while in India. He then immigrated to the United States to pursue his master’s degree in operations research at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU. He relocated to New Jersey in 1980, where he still calls home.
A licensed professional engineer in New York and New Jersey since 1982, Ashok was co-founder and Vice President of Princeton Design Group in 1999 working as consultant to pharmaceuticals, Medical, R&D facilities as well as colleges and universities in the Northeast such as Rutgers, Lafayette, Bloomfield and others. From 1994 to 1999 Ashok was a Senior Project Manager for Vanderweil Engineers in Princeton, NJ.
Ashok has also been a successful author, created and published books on Applied Yoga Techniques:
Improve Your Golf with Yoga Techniques
Yoga Techniques to Help You Quit Smoking
Yoga Techniques to Help YOU Sleep Better
Yoga For All Americans
Yoga for Kids
Yoga for Dads
Yoga for Moms
Yoga for High School Students
Yoga for Teachers
In addition, Yoga Para Principiantes’ and Yoga Para Nino’s both Spanish titles are currently under pre-print.
Ashok co-authored a fiction novel – “The Vital Breath” - A 110,000 words love story of reincarnation spanning over two life times promoting non-violence through yoga.
Ashok is also working on a series of inventions for healthcare, medical devices and skin care products; currently under R&D and patent development.
PAUL H. RATNER, M.D., M.B.A.
Dr. Ratner began his medical practice in 1984. He specializes in the treatment of allergies, asthma and immunology in children and adults. Concurrent with the start of his medical practice, Dr. Ratner also created Sylvana Research. This research facility studies new investigational medications about to be introduced via Phase 1 through Phase 4 clinical drug trials. These trials are not limited to allergy medications. He is certified by the Drug Information Agency (DIA) as a Certified Clinical Investigator (CCI) and by the Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians and Investigators (AAPI) as a Certified Physician Investigator (CPI).
A graduate of The State University of New York at Stony Brook with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 1971, Dr. Ratner received his Medical Degree from the Albany Medical College of Union University in 1975. Dr. Ratner completed his residency in Pediatrics at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio in 1978. He was appointed as a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics in 1979. He completed a two year fellowship in Clinical Allergy and Immunology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio in 1984. Later, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and served on the clinical faculty from 1984 to 1994. Dr Ratner also holds an M.B.A. degree in management from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. He is a member of Delta Mu Delta and Kappa Gamma Pi National Honor Societies.
Dr. Ratner has served as Chairman of the Allergy Section of the Texas Medical Association, Program Chairman of the Texas Allergy Society, Program Chairman of the South West Allergy Forum and Secretary of the San Antonio Allergy Society. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Allergy Society and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology, and member of the American College of Allergy, and the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is a past President of The Society of Principle Investigators. He is a core member of Clinical Research Network (CRN). Dr. Ratner is currently Chairman of the Public Relations Committee of The American College of Allergy.
Dr. Ratner served on the Board of Directors of the Winston School of San Antonio from 2001-2005 and was the Chairman of the Medical/Scientific Advisory Committee of the Winston School of San Antonio from 2001-2003 and is currently a member of the committee. He served on the Board of Directors of Any Baby Can of San Antonio from 2001- 2002. In May 2002 he was the chairperson of Any Baby Can’s fundraiser “Faces of the New Millenium”, which raised over $100,000 for the needy children of San Antonio.
As an indication of respect by his peers, Dr. Ratner has been asked to lecture worldwide on six continents on allergy, asthma and immunology to many different professional associations. He is the author of 60 articles published in peer review journals.
In addition to his numerous studies and publications, Dr. Ratner has received many honors. Dr. Ratner served 7 years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps achieving the rank of Major and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal in 1979. The Travel Grant Award from the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology was bestowed on him in 1984 and Dr. Ratner was awarded the G. Gordon Beck Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award from the American Lung Association in 1990. He currently serves on the Steering Committee for their annual Asthma Camp, Camp Broncho, which he helped found in 1989.
Dr. Ratner also provides the daily pollen counts to all local television stations and newspapers and monthly is a guest expert on WOAI’s (NBC) Four San Antonio Living TV show. His portion of the show is dedicated to a discussion of allergy related topics.
Dr. Ratner continues to strive to stay on the cutting edge of treatment for allergy, asthma and immunology both in his medical practice and as Medical Director of Sylvana Research. He welcomes the challenge to research new drugs and to determine if they are effective in treating various diseases.
Ali Abunimah, a writer and commentator on Middle East and Arab-American affairs, lives in Chicago. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Jordan Times, Lebanon’s Daily Star and Ha’aretz, among others. 
GRETA BERLIN has been an advocate for justice for the Palestinians since the early 60s. She is the mother of two Palestinian/American children whose father was born and raised in Safad, Palestine and is a 1948 refugee. She has a masters degree in Theatre and a bachelor’s in English and, when she’s not working with the Palestinians, has spent the past 32 years teaching engineers and scientists how to design and deliver presentations.
We want to break the siege of Gaza. We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation. We want to uphold Palestine’s right to welcome internationals as visitors, human rights observers, humanitarian aid workers, journalists, or otherwise.
A former six-term Member of Congress from Georgia, Cynthia McKinney proved herself a courageous voice for the voiceless, unafraid to speak truth to power. Cynthia’s Power to the People Committee is working to put Cynthia on fifty-one ballot lines! 
Michael Heart’s background is as diverse as can be. Born in Syria and raised in Europe (Switzerland and Austria), the Middle East and the United States, he has lived a multi-cultural life and absorbed the music of different parts of the world (although his current CD release is purely categorized as Pop/Rock). He started out on piano and guitar at age 10. Shortly thereafter, he began dabbling in songwriting and eventually made the natural progression towards recording. After earning his audio engineering degree from Full Sail (recording school), he moved to Los Angeles in 1990 and spent the past 18 years working on the local studio circuit both as a session guitarist and a recording engineer. In that time, he has worked with such artists as Brandy, Will Smith, Toto, Natalie Cole, The Temptations, Phil Collins, Patty LaBelle, The Pointer Sisters, Earth Wind & Fire, Ricky Lee Jones, Lou Rawls, Jesse McCartney, Hillary Duff, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Paige, Al Jarreau, K-Ci & Jojo, Deborah Cox, Monica, Taylor Dayne, Keiko Matsui, Steve Nieves, Luis Miguel and Tarkan. Michael’s fluency in French was definitely an added bonus when he also worked in the studio with French artists like Calogero (The Charts), Marc Lavoine and Veronique Sanson. Other projects also included work with producers Rodney Jerkins, Philippe Saisse and David Foster. (note: on most of these recording credits, Michael is credited as “Annas Allaf”, his real name, Michael Heart being the stage name). Although most of Michael’s work has been in the recording studio, he also done some touring (notably back in the early 90’s, when he toured as a Flamenco guitarist in a guitar trio with Juan Manuel Canizares, opening for Dire Straits). He has also recorded and toured with the smooth jazz band Jango. 
The Allergen Block products are patented formulations which are designed to work in a novel fashion. The gentle, positively-charged water-based gels help filter negatively-charged allergens in the air on contact. Filtering allergens in the air such as pollen, ragweed, pet dander, and dust mites helps stop them from entering the nasal passages, where they can cause allergic symptoms such as runny nose and sneezing. Therefore, unlike existing allergy products that treat allergy symptoms once the symptoms have started, Allergen Block products, when used as directed, help prevent the start of mild nasal allergy symptoms by reducing the number of allergen particles in the air from entering the nostrils.
