Here, for New Year's Eve 2017, is WWII's Vera Lynn —now Dame Vera Lynn and still releasing recordings at 100— singing her hit We'll Meet Again (as reprised by Stanley Kubrick at the conclusion of his 1964 film classic, "Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love").
But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.
To the folks that I know.
Tell them that I won't be long.
I was singing this song.
Don't know where, don't know when.
And, so, to close the year, I wish you appreciation for those loved and lost; felicitations for good health, good luck, and good fermentables; and gratitude for your perusal of this little blog. Next year, Ninkasi willing, may we meet again.
For the final Pic(k) of the Week of 2017, no beer. Instead, it's a 'macro' of a house-cut poinsettia, 'filmed' with a 16-millimeter extension tube.
I pronounce the plant as it is spelled: "poin SET tee uh." If you say it otherwise, ignoring that final 'i,' I say you're wrong.
In spring, return the plant to a sunny area and water well. Cut back all canes (branches) to about 6 inches from the pot’s rim. It may also be a good idea to repot the poinsettia using the same type of soil. While poinsettias can be kept indoors throughout summer, many people choose to move them outdoors in a sunny, but protected, area of the flower garden by sinking the pot into the ground. Either way is fine. After new growth has reached between 6 to 10 inches, pinch out the tips to encourage branching. This can be done once a month until the middle of August. Once nights become longer in fall, bring the poinsettia indoors. From about September through November light becomes crucial in poinsettia plant care. In order to encourage blooming, poinsettia plants require long periods of darkness at night (about 12 hours). Therefore, move the poinsettia to a location where it will not receive any nighttime light or cover it with a box. Allow plenty of light during the day so the plant can absorb enough energy for flowering. Warmer days (65-70 F./18-21 C.) and cooler nights (55-60 F./13-16 C.) are also recommended. Provide semi-cool, humid locations in bright, indirect light with plenty of moisture once blooming occurs.
Mine fared well. But, did you notice that line about the fall? "Bring the poinsettia indoors." I ignored that advice. That's when this happened.
So pretty, but, then, a couple days after that, this happened.
Oh, well. Back to another store-cut poinsettia. Green (red?) thumbs are not my cups of beer.
Beer Writers: mentors & mentees.
The North American Guild of Beer Writers (NAGBW) is establishing a network of mentors and mentees to "better connect its membership, to enhance communication skills, and to further understanding of the beer industry."
To that end, the NAGBW is looking for veteran beer writers to mentor aspiring writers. And, vice versa: new beer writers looking for advice on covering the industry and pitching their stories.
Vet or newbie? Consider signing up.
The North American Guild of Beer Writers is an all-volunteer group of professional beer writers dedicated to elevating the level of the craft as it covers the art of brewing.
We are serious in our purpose, but strive to enjoy ourselves in doing our jobs.
Leave a beer out tonight for ol' Saint Nick!
Unlike his Easter Island brethren, this Moai wears a Christmas hat.
As seen in Falls Church, Virginia, on 21 December 2008. Has he since enjoyed the longevity of his grander Rapa Nui kin?
Porter: the drink that launched thousands of ships.
And if [the pint of Plain] is all drawn properly, the way it should be done, then the [contented] cream is borne majestically above to form the clerical collar that proves the goodness in its heart. And the true porter drinker would look upon such a glass with great reverence, indeed.
A brewer in Virginia, USA, recently posted a dark lament to Facebook.
"IPA, IPA, IPA! I think it's time that 'real beer' drinkers and brewers (not the Instagrammers and Untappd abusers) take beer back. When was the last time anyone saw a brown ale or a porter or stout that wasn't flavored or imperial? There is nothing quite like a nice, unflavored porter. DARK BEERS MATTER!"
A few days later, it just so happened, British beer authors Jessica Boak and Ray Bailey —in their eponymous blog's year-end list of top beer tweets— linked to a tweet from the archives of the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Larry McCoubrey's panegyric to porter was pure pub poetry. Pint of plain, please, publican.
Yes, brew (more) Porters again. Yes, make (more) beers dark again! Malted serendipity, indeed.
Porter, an old established tradition in Irish drinking history. Why, we've even got songs about it.
Give him a jar of porter.
It's an acquired taste, of course. But, at least, it comes easier than the bitter thickness of stout. But just as England produced beer that was mild and bitter, so we developed porter and stout. This is the 'mild.' "Plain" they call it. You would always call for a pint of Plain. That was just part of the mystique that grew up around this drink.
The more essential part of it was the way in which it was drawn. Barmen could rise and fall on their ability to draw a pint of Plain.
You see, it's drawn from two barrels. A high one, first, to give it a bit of life. A good glass full of gushing good cheer that settles slowly towards the bottom of the glass into a thick, contented cream.
It takes several minutes for that cream to substantiate towards the bottom of the glass, when it's ready for the muscle and the sinew, the real body of the drink itself. And that comes from the other barrel...of flat.
And if it's all drawn properly, the way it should be done, then the cream is borne majestically above to form the clerical collar that proves the goodness in its heart. And the true porter drinker would look upon such a glass with great reverence, indeed.
If work was the curse of the drinking classes, then porter was their salvation.
And, yet, you know, it was not the traditional drink of Ireland the disciples would have you believe. This was a city drink; there were definite centers for it. It was the liquid lunch of countless working men in Dublin, and Derry, and in Belfast, where the shipyard drew most of its strength from the dark substance.
It was the drink that waited for the men as the horn blew in the evening and pubs up in Newtownards rolled around the station and up Ann Street, Short Strand, the pints of plain used to be standing in rows on the counter, waiting for the onslaught from the yard.
Used to be...for pubs progressed. Bottle beer broke through; gin and tonic took over; and porter became impolite. Lately, there have been less than a hundred pubs in Ireland selling it.
And, now, these are probably the last pints of Plain you'll probably ever see in Belfast. For on the thirtieth of April 1973, they stopped making it altogether.
This was more than a way of drinking. This really was a way of life. Porter: the drink that launched thousands of ships.
Clamps & Gaskets: News Roundup for Weeks 47/48, 2017.
Christmas beer sales ranked 4th for off-the-premises sales —that is, beers bought at retail stores— but only 8th for on-the-premises sales.
For other holidays, Fourth of July took the number one spot in off-the-premises sales. For on-the-premises sales, St. Patrick’s Day took the top spot while Independence Day fell to 8th. Halloween and Thanksgiving were the two holidays for which both on and off-the-premises sales were most equivalent.
— Via NBWA, which does not provide the actual sales volumes for those holidays.
North Korea has tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking most of the U.S. mainland.
Cask Marque is a U.K.-based organization that certifies pubs, breweries, and brewpubs that properly serve cask-conditioned ale. Its accreditation is also available in the United States.
What's next? Winemakers experimenting with traditional flavorings... like grapes?
What we’re starting to see now is more brewers experimenting with traditional flavourings like malted barley.” [...] Hops could fall out of favour in craft beer industry as brewers look to barley.
Avery Brewing Company is the latest large craft brewery to sell a stake of its company to a foreign brewing company. Spanish brewery, Mahou San Miguel, has purchased a 30 percent share for an undisclosed amount. The [U.S.] Brewers Association —which bills itself as the advocacy organization for small and independent breweries— defines a craft brewery as one of which "less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer." Ownership by a non-brewing entity, however, such as a private equity firm, does not count against the definition.
When asked how he felt about no longer being considered a 'craft brewer' by an organization that is located just 6 miles away from his brewery, [Brewing Founder Adam] Avery responded succinctly: 'I don’t care,' he said, noting that private equity’s 'infiltration' into the craft industry should be more of a concern than large beer company acquisitions. 'It is so funny how ‘big beer’ is demonized. The only way private equity makes money is by selling the business to someone else. Guess who will be the highest bidder in four or five years? Probably big beer. As far as the BA’s definition of what ‘craft’ is, I couldn’t disagree more.
Researchers at Oregon State are [...] trying to quantify the ways different strains [of barley] affect flavor in beer, and in turn, how those strains are affected by terroir. "Barley genotype had significant effects on many sensory descriptors. The most significant sensory descriptors—when comparing barley genotypes—were cereal, color, floral, fruity, grassy, honey, malty, toasted, toffee, and sweet. Golden Promise was significantly higher in fruity, floral, and grassy flavors, whereas Full Pint was significantly higher in malty, toffee, and toasted flavors. CDC Copeland was closest to neutral for most flavor traits. There were notable differences for some descriptors between locations." That researchers documented the way different barley strains vary in flavor is entirely predictable and well-known--at least to Europeans. Americans, it seems, are centuries behind them in tumbling to these ancient truths.
— Via Jeff Alworth, at Beervana.
Chopping swedes and carrots (for roasting in brown ale with balsamic vinegar and brown sugar).
It’s one of the most intense 20th-century storms you may have never heard of. And it consistently makes it to meteorologists’ top 10 lists of all-time greatest storms — including those published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Weather Channel. The Great Thanksgiving Storm of 1950: East Coast flooding, widespread wind damage, record snowfall, and low temperatures conspired to make the storm, also known as the Great Appalachian Storm, a meteorological powerhouse. Upward of 383 deaths are attributed to this storm, which impacted 22 states and levied nearly $700 million in damage, after adjusting for inflation.
— Via Capital Weather Gang, at Washington Post.
We are proud to be the first OUT, Black, queer, woman-owned-and-operated brewery."
— More about the brewery and L.A. McRae, via Asheville Citizen-Times.
— More about the attacks and vandalism, via Mountain XPress.
— GoFundMe campaign to replace vandalized equipment.
George Avakian —groundbreaking jazz producer and record executive, who helped introduce long-play LP vinyl records, live albums, and album liner notes— has died at 98. He produced, among others, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck, Keith Jarrett, Johnny Mathis, Bob Newhart, Bill Haley, and the Everly Brothers, and oversaw retrospective releases that revitalized interest in Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Bessie Smith.
Jon Hendricks 91921-2017) —master of vocalese, “the epitome of hip,” “poet laureate of jazz”— dies at 96.
A singer and composer who developed [vocalese,] an intricate style of vocal gymnastics to match his tongue-twisting lyrics. [His] Grammy-winning vocal trio, "Lambert, Hendricks & Ross," is widely regarded as the most influential singing group in jazz history.
I do tire of references to temperance as code for everything one does not like in beer regulation. It’s up there with anxieties over lack of wine world respect. Face it – public health is a key foundation of modern western civilization. Who would choose to go back to the pre-temperance society? Even when the do-gooder sociologists in their laboratories get it wrong, no one in their right mind wants them stopping doing their work. Give the church its gruitgeld!
— Via Alan McLeod, at A Good Beer Blog.
Large craft brewery Left Hand (Boulder, Colorado) has sued White labs —a major supplier of yeast to the brewing industry— for selling it contaminated brewers yeast that, the brewery claims, forced the brewery to recall several of its beers in 2016, costing it $2 million dollars. White Labs denies the charges.
Cult-leader Charles Manson, mastermind of grisly 1969 murders, dies at 83.
Keystone pipeline leak spills 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota.
"We told you so," Daniel Sheehan, chief counsel of the Lakota People's Law Project, said in a statement. "It was just a matter of time. There have been over 200 significant leaks in these pipelines since the year 2000. This is the exact threat that the Lakota people were trying to protect their sole source of water from at Standing Rock."
Me: "I see you have a locally-brewed dunkel! It's difficult to brew one well, let alone find one in the U.S."
Him: "It's excellent. And they brew a coffee-version!"
Getting into the spirit, a can of Night On Ponce IPA (from Three Taverns Craft Beers, a brewery in Decatur, Georgia) sits jauntily atop a Christmas tree.
Getting into the spirit, the decorator consumed the contents of the can (7.5% alcohol-by-volume, 69 International Bittering Units) before fixing the beer atop the tree.
The [U.S.] Brewers Association (BA) —"the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers"— has released an end-of-year summary, looking "back on the defining beer moments of the year."
But... NOT included were any actual numbers for production, depletions, or sales (other than the amount of homebrew produced) for 2017. Of course, there are two more weeks of sales to go before the year is out, including Christmas which is the 4th highest holiday period for off-the-premises sales.
☞ There were 6,000 breweries in operation during 2017—with 98 percent of them small and independent craft brewers.
☞ At present, 83 percent of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a local brewery.
☞ The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA) has been added as an amendment to the larger Senate Tax Reform Bill. If passed, it would significantly reduce the federal excise tax on the first 60,000 barrels of any domestic brewery that produces fewer than 2 million barrels a year and would lower the federal excise tax on barrelage up to 6 million barrels.
☞ There are currently an estimated 1.1 million homebrewers in the U.S. In 2017, they produced more than 1.4 million barrels of beer—equaling one percent of total U.S. beer production. The National Homebrew Competition, hosted by the American Homebrewers Association, continues to be the world’s largest beer competition, this year with 8,618 entries from 3,530 homebrewers worldwide.
☞ The average 'craft' beer drinker visits 3.5 breweries near their homes and 2.5 breweries within two hours’ driving distance.
Beef and Beer (and Wild Irish Rose) ... and Jazz.
In January 2008, I was in a wine & beer bar in Greenville, South Carolina, flogging the beers of my employer. A vintage record shop shared an entrance with the restaurant.
These days, I avoid such places; they do great damage to my wallet. But that day, finished with the sales call, I walked in. Fortunately for my wallet, my working schedule was nearly filled for the day, so my browsing was limited. I purchased only one CD.
That compact disc was The Main Ingredient, a jazz album that Washington, D.C.'s own Shirley Horn —the late great vocalist and pianist— recorded in 1996.
It features Shirley Horn's then personal trio: Steve Williams on drums, Charles Ables on bass, and Ms. Horn on piano and singing. And then there's the rest of her lineup: a young Roy Hargrove on trumpet; Washington D.C. stalwarts, bassist Steve Novosel and tenor saxman Buck Hill; and stars of the jazz firmament, drummers Elvin Jones and Billy Hart, and tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson.
The sessions were recorded in Ms. Horn's D.C. home, but the quality doesn't betray that. Not only is the music exquisite — Shirley Horn was one of the great chanteuse/pianists of the latter portion of the 20th century — but printed on the back page of the liner notes is an astounding recipe for ... Beef & Beer (and something else).
Look at the ingredient list. Scroll down to the final two ingredients: a bottle of beer — Heineken — and a lot of wine — Wild Irish Rose.
In case you've forgotten your days of searching for a quick, cheap buzz, the latter is a sweet fortified 'wine' of a mere 18% alcohol. The recipe calls for a full half pint of it! It suggests you "open a beer or drink & chill"; and, maybe to regain a healthy veneer, the recipe concludes with an underscored admonition: "Remember no salt."
Although the recipe looks like winter comfort food, I've never cooked it (and probably won't *). But, since that day in Greenville, I have replayed the disc many times.
Ms. Horn died in 2005. I am fortunate to have heard and seen her perform live on several occasions. Her music —quiet and sensitive yet insinuatingly powerful— is the main ingredient. It lives on.
Drinking, again! Bell's Christmas Ale.
This traditional Scotch Ale is rich and malty with notes of caramel and a warm finish. Certain to make any occasion festive, or at least a bit more bearable. Enjoy with the company of friends and family. Alcohol-by-volume (abv): 7.5%.
It's a translucent ruddy reddish-brown, on the fuller side of medium-bodied, malty in flavor (toffee, nuts, caramel) without being treacly, hinting at grape jelly, and finishing with a gentle hop presence that helps to dry the finish.
Not for hopheads, Christmas Ale is quite the enjoyable beer and strong (not so, the NFL product). But warning! It's a far different beer than the Bell's Winter White Ale. Rather, it's like an American take on a trad beer that, I would surmise, Bell's Director of Ops John Mallet might want to drink. I did.
A series of occasional reviews of beer (and wine and spirits).
YFGF's Pic(k) of the Week has gone to the dogs.
Cancer survivor Charlie, a French bulldog resplendent in his snappy Christmas bow-tie, was expectantly watching the Reindog Parade and Contest, at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, in Atlanta, Georgia, on 2 December 2017.
The competition, in its tenth annual observance, showcases canines in their winter fashions (and their companion humans). Categories include Best Puppy, Best Adult, Best Botanical, Best Dog-Owner Dress-alike, Best Dog Pack, and, ultimately, Best in Show.
Pic(k) of the Week: Canopy Walk, by night.
This photo was taken in December 2011, but Garden Lights, Holiday Nights is an annual December tradition of the Atlanta Botanical Garden in Atlanta, Georgia. Over one million energy-efficient LED lights bedeck the 30-acre garden and facilities.
Pictured is a night view from the 45-foot high Canopy Walk, a reverse-suspension bridge, the only tree-canopy-level walkway of its kind in the United States.
Since 1997, Cask Marque has been ensuring that the cask ale you drink in pubs in the U.K. has been in perfect condition. Qualified assessors make over 20,000 visits to pubs each year in England, Scotland, Wales, and Europe to check the temperature, appearance, aroma, and taste of Britain’s favourite drink.
Does your American pub (or brewery taproom or brewpub) serve a "great pint" of cask-ale? If so, you should know that Cask Marque accreditation IS now available for pubs and breweries in the United States.
In fact, Cask Marque has been assessing American pubs for several years, initially led by Paul Pendyck, a purveyor of cask-ale equipment in the U.S. and assisted by Alex Hall, a cask-ale partisan in New York. Both, by the way, are British expats.
Now, Steve Hamburg, one of the premier cellarmen in the U.S., has taken the reins as Cask Marque's USA Director and Chief Assessor.
What does it take for a pub (or brewery taproom or brewpub) to gain accreditation in the U.S.?
First and foremost, as self-evident as this may sound, your pub must serve cask-ale every day, or close to it. Simply tossing a cask up on the bar once a week for Firkin Friday doesn't cut it.
After that, it's the big five criteria: temperature, aroma, taste, appearance, and cleanliness.
No evidence of staling, contamination, or otherwise off-aromas that don't belong in the beer as brewed.
This one gets tricky. As classically presented in the U.K., cask-ales should be bright as a filtered beer without filtration. But American brewers often eschew clarity (and some UK brewers do as well). So, as with aroma, the clarity should be as the beer was brewed. No extraneous yeast or proteinaceous sludge.
Flavor (& conditioning) of beer.
Not gassy or foamy; not flat. No evidence of staling or age. The flavor should be representative of the beer as brewed; conditioning (carbonation) should be as the brewery intended.
A clean beer-cellar, clean beer-lines, clean beer-engine and/or tap, and beer-clean glassware. Of course.
And a sixth criterion. NO gas pressure used to dispense the beer, whether CO2, nitrogen, or whatever. That being stipulated, a cask breather 2 is not a demerit; only badly served cask-ale is.
When your pub passes its inspection, it receives a Cask Marque metal plaque. The expiration date basically works like that on a car license plate. A pub must renew each year (and pass its subsequent assessments) to get a new valid sticker.
Most pub owners are very money conscious, as, of course, they should be. And, yes, there is a nominal annual fee for Cask Marque accreditation, which helps defray the cost of the U.S. licensing fee and materials. But pub owners should view Cask Marque as an economical value-added business-augmenter. It's an advertisement of achievement, just as a victory at the Great American Beer Festival would show brewing skill or a Cicerone accreditation highlight serving acumen. It's a public acknowledgment of a pub's (or brewery's or brewpub's) cask excellence and, thus, the value to a customer therein.
For further details, and to arrange an assessment, contact Mr. Hamburg directly, via email: shamburg@cask-marque-americas.com.
Serving a great pint of cask-ale is not rocket science. But it does require care and attention to detail. So, do it. Be that cask-ale hero. Get your pub its Cask Marque accreditation. And, besides, that Cask Marque plaque is a damned nice thing to display.
"That's one big carrot," thought Ethel Mae, before prepping for Thanksgiving dinner, 22 November 2017.
#VeggieDag Thursday: The Last Thanksgiving.
For the day today, here's a cartoon by illustrator Roz Chast, that orginally appeared in The New Yorker, published in November 2010.
Have a happy and safe day of giving thanks.
Clamps & Gaskets: News Roundup for Weeks 43/44, 2017.
This date marked the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a sixty-seven-word proclamation from Britain’s then-foreign secretary expressing his government's support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
The Balfour Declaration is held up as a seminal event, the first formal utterance of the modern Israeli state’s right to exist (though some historians quibble that a “national home” is not the same thing as a state). For that reason, it is also bitterly regarded by many Palestinians as the first instrument of their dispossession. In 1917, Jews made up less than 10 percent of Palestine’s population — a century later, they are now the majority, while millions of Palestinians live in exile or in refugee camps.
As craft dies its death, so too goes its side kick style. In its place we are seeing hundreds and thousands of local expressions, each defying any concept of canon.
—Via Alan McLeod, at A Good Beer Blog.
The 'craft' brewing industry contributed $67.8 billion to the U.S. economy in 2016, and more than 456,000 jobs.
2016 craft brewing industry contributions to the U.S. economy, broken down by state and per capita.
—Via YFGF (from Brewers Association data).
The other Reformation: how Martin Luther, five hundred years ago, helped to change our beer.
In the 16th century, the Catholic Church had a stranglehold on beer production, since it held the monopoly on gruit — the mixture of herbs and botanicals (sweet gale, mugwort, yarrow, ground ivy, heather, rosemary, juniper berries, ginger, cinnamon) used to flavor and preserve beer. Hops, however, were not taxed, considered undesirable weeds. [...] Even before the Reformation, German princes had been moving toward hops [...] But Luther's revolt gave the weed a significant boost. The fact that hops were tax-free constituted only part of the draw. Hops had other qualities that appealed to the new movement; chiefly, their excellent preservative qualities. [...] If the Catholic Church lost control over the printed word with the invention of the printing press — the technological weapon that ensured Luther's success — it lost control over beer with the rise of hops.
hop sensory assessment program in 2018, utilizing new sensory methods that will include hundreds of brewers to probe brewer acceptance and to guide rational acreage increase decisions. This assessment program is essential to bridge a persistent gap between variety development and commercialization.
The monks of Mount St Bernard Abbey, in Leicestershire, U.K., plan to open a brewery on the monastary grounds. Pending accreditation by the International Trappist Association, the brewery will become the world's twelfth Trappist brewery (and the first in the U.K.).
“Great Black Music: Ancient to the Future.” Muhal Richard Abrams —composer, pianist, musical visionary, co-founder, in 1965, of Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians— has died at 87.
Georgia Department of Transportation employees conducting roadwork on Interstate-75 outside of Macon, Georgia, uncovered a cave that had been dug out nearly two centuries earlier by the state's oldest brewery —the Jacob Russell & Julius Peter Brewery (established in 1837)— to lager its beers. The brewery 'vault' was located below an African-American cemetery built after the brewery closed in 1878. The department said that it would work to avoid impacting the cave with the highway expansion project.
On October 19, the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii spotted the first observed object from outside our solar system. The long and rocky cigar-shaped object spins on its own axis every 7.3 hours It has a burnt dark-reddish hue due to millions of years of radiation from cosmic rays and most likely has a high metal content. Its orbit and shape firmly place it in the category of interstellar origin.
With the introduction of the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the federal government now treats alcoholic beverages as food products, falling under the purview of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Another 'craft' brewery has been sold...but this time to another 'craft' brewery. Harpoon Brewery, of Boston, Massachusetts, has acquired Clown Shoes Brewing. To be precise, it was Mass Bay Brewing Company which did the buying, the parent company of Harpoon and UFO that was created after Harpoon's founder Rich Doyle left in 2014 (to set up his own 'craft brewery holding company called Enjoy Beer LLC). Clown Shoes Beer was founded by Gregg Berman, in Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 2009.
Fats Domino, rock 'n' roll pioneer of New Orleans, has died at 89. A contemporary of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis, Domino was among the first acts inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was reportedly only second to Presley in record sales thanks to a titanic string of 11 top 10 hits between 1955 and 1960, including "Blueberry Hill" and "Ain’t That a Shame."
Thanks to his New Orleans upbringing, Domino's signature songs fused Dixieland rhythms, his charming, Creole-flecked voice, and his rolling-river piano style.
In 2014, after a survey of its members, the [U.S.] Brewers Association pointed out that, “No common (tool or) terminology or lexicon exists to describe the diverse range of flavors found in malts from different sources.” Partially in response, the Sensory Technical Subcommittee of the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) recognized "the opportunity to develop a pragmatic approach to malt sensory evaluation. Selected brewery panels throughout the U.S. then created more than 4,000 unique aroma terms —pleasant and unpleasant. Paring the results to 20 primary aroma descriptors encompassing 83 specific terms, the ASBC Sensory Committee created a Base Malt Flavor Map.
Vice President Pence cast the tie-breaking vote as the U.S. Senate blocked new regulations allowing U.S. consumers to sue banks for financial malfeasance concerning accounts and credit cards.
Amazon has halted online wine sales due to conflict-of-interest arising from its purchase of Whole Foods, which sells wine in its stores. The decision to shut down seems to be due to so-called “tied-house laws,” which prohibit an alcohol merchant from receiving payments from other suppliers to advertise their goods.
'Craft' brewery sustainability is not simply tree-hugging morality but profit-making, good business. Toward that end, the [U.S.] Brewers Association has released its second Sustainability Benchmarking Update, basing it on data from 2016.
Cask ale cellarmanship advice, published in 1850, often ignored in 2017.
Place it in that part of the house which is coolest and most free from damp.
Tap it when it first comes in, and never shake or disturb it again.
Let it stand two or three days before you draw any of it for use.
Never leave the peg out.
Do not draw it until just before it is to be consumed.
Do not have a supply which will last longer than (on the average) three weeks: —a little longer in winter— and shorter in summer.
The Proprietors of the Swan Brewery, Walham Green, Fulham - (Established 1765) - Beg to Present These Pages on Beer and Brewing; and Will Feel Honoured by Their Acceptence and Perusal.
—Via Gary Gillman, at Beer et seq.
Something's rotten in the state of Stone Brewing. Chief Operating Officer, Pat Tiernan, fired/resigned; the latest in a recent exodus.
Tiernan’s resignation, however, comes on the heels of a number of high profile personnel shakeups at the nation’s ninth largest craft brewery by volume. Most significantly, in August of last year, the company named a new CEO in Dominic Engels. Leaving his former post as president of POM Wonderful, Engels supplanted Stone founder and then-CEO Greg Koch, who in turn assumed the post of executive chairman. Stone proceeded to cut “approximately 5%” of its workforce about a month later, eliminating more than 50 jobs in the process. These two events were preceded by the June 2016 departure of longtime brewmaster Mitch Steele, who left to open a new brewery of his own in Georgia. Former Stone brewmaster Peter Wiens, meanwhile, was named the first brewmaster of Guinness' new Stateside brewery this past June.
"Technologies come and go but the desire to socialise and get tiddly is eternal."
Fun facts: a snapshot of the brewing and craft brewing business in the U.S. and globally.
In 2016, the U.S. beer market totaled $107.6 billion dollars, 0.5% of the entire U.S. gross domestic product ($18.6 trillion).
By volume in 2015, the U.S. beer industry sold 206.7 million barrels of beer – equivalent to more than 2.8 billion cases of 24-12 ounce servings.
However, the overall U.S. beer market volume is expected to decline 1.5% this year.
In 2016, 'craft' beer accounted for $23.5 billion, 0.1% of U.S. GDP.
But, if all related industries are included (retail, wholesalers, suppliers, etc.), the 'craft' brewing industry contributed $67.8 billion to the U.S. economy in 2016.
'Craft' beer sales growth is projected to be 8 or 9 percent this year, but that's below the 10 percent pace of 2016.
'Craft' beer's volume growth is forecast to be 5 to 6 percent, also below recent double-digit growth.
This year, that translates to 1.5 million barrels more than in 2016.
The peak year for 'craft' beer was 2014, when it added 3.3 million barrels.
Grocery chains are not adding total space this year for 'craft' brands.
'Craft' beer is forecast to represent about 12 percent of total beer volume this year, up slightly from 2016 levels.
In 2017, homebrewers will have produced approximately 1.4 million barrels of beer, 1% of all beer produced in the U.S.
Directly and indirectly, the beer industry employs nearly 2.23 million Americans (including breweries, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, and importers).
In 2016, 'craft' breweries, themselves, employed 128,768.
Nearly 6,000 U.S. breweries are expected to be in operation by the end of this year, up from about 5,300 at the end of 2016. The vast majority of them will be 'craft'(small, independently-oned, and/or locally focused).
In 1970, there were 4,000 breweries in the world. At the end of 2016, there were 20,000.
The number of beer brands, worldwide (excluding one-offs), is close to 250,000.
In 2016, worldwide 'craft' beer sales totaled $85 billion.
Beer vs. wine & spirits?
“Quad is NOT a style!” insisted Stephen Beaumont, as he and Tim Webb presented the just-released edition of their new book —Best Beers: The Indispensable Guide to the World’s Beers— to a 50+ filled room (attendance, not all demographics), upstairs at the Brick Store Pub, in Decatur, Georgia, on 14 November 2017.
Among many beery accomplishments, Tim Webb is also the author of The Good Beer Guide Belgium, first published in 1992, and now in its 7th edition (the latter co-authored in 2014 with Joe Stange). The 8th edition is scheduled for release in spring 2018; in fact, Webb was working on the final revisions during this America trip. Sadly, it will be his last update to the series.
lucky enough to have spent the last 25 or so years sipping and savouring beers and spirits all around the world, and getting paid to write and talk about it. Along the way, I’ve managed to author or co-author ten books, beginning with the first of two editions of The Great Canadian Beer Guide back in 1994. [...] Among my other books, I’m extremely proud of The World Atlas of Beer, which I co-wrote with Tim Webb and has now been printed in eleven international editions in nine languages.
In previous editions, Best Beers: The Indispensable Guide to the World’s Beers had been entitled The Pocket Guide to Beer. This was both because that is what the books had been and because, to some degree, Messrs. Webb and Beaumont wrote them as an homage to the late beer writer, Michael Jackson, who had begun the Pocket Beer series in 1986.
For the 2017 edition, the authors have retitled and re-tooled the book to include fewer beer reviews. And why is that?
So, you might ask, why create a book that features even fewer beers? The answer is focus. Rather than attempt to deliver a cross-section of breweries spanning the globe, we have assembled a carefully selected group of what we firmly believe are the best minds in beer [listed at the back of the book] and tasked them to deliver detailed reviews of the absolute best beers their native lands have to offer. Not the most talked about or rarest or the most obscure, but simply the finest ales and lagers and mixed-fermentation beers that eager enthusiasts might actually be able to get their hands on. Star ratings have been dispensed with because all the beers we have featured are at the top of their class.
New England IPA: "the first beer style based around Instagram culture."
Garrett Oliver —author, bon vivant, editor of The Oxford Companion to Beer, and brewmaster for Brooklyn Beer— recently had something to say about so-called New England India Pale Ales.
I think it (NEIPA) is a fad. These things come and go. I have seen a great many fads over my 28 years of brewing. Three or four years ago, it was black IPA —everyone brewed one. Now, it is hard to find one.
New England IPA is a beer style that can be really tasty when it is well made, but it can't even sit on a shelf for two weeks. It has no shelf life to it at all. It is the first beer style based around Instagram culture. [...] It is based on the idea that you wait online or at a brewery to get some of this limited thing.
—Read the full interview with Mr. Oliver at the The Morning Advertiser (in the U.K.), published on 15 November 2017.
Typically cloudy in appearance and loaded with fruity esters from both hopping and fermentation, New England IPAs [sometimes known as NEIPAs or Vermont-style IPAs] rose to fame on the back of a beer called Heady Topper from The Alchemist Brewery in northern Vermont. Other northeastern US and central Canadian breweries soon started to emulate the massively successful beer, and from there this new style spread westward [and south] and eventually overseas.
Along the way, the appearance of these beers gradually evolved, growing first densely cloudy, then turbid and finally reaching something resembling orange juice with a head on it. As the "turbidity stakes" grew hotter, it came out that some breweries were adding flour and fruit purées to increase the cloudiness and "juicy" character of their beers.
Surprisingly, the principal difficulty with such ales is not that their appearance might put drinkers off — a dense cloudiness has, in some circles, come to be perceived as a mark of quality — but that some of these ales lack the flavour stability necessary in a market where competition is growing and kegs or cans of beer might not wind up being consumed within an optimal time frame.
In their new book, Mssrs. Webb and Beaumont alliteratively placed their NEIPA description, accompanied by a few other beer 'style' candidates, under the heading, Suspect Styles & Tenous Trends. Mr. Oliver, in his interview, was adamant that his brewery would never brew such a beer, throwing shade: "We don't do bandwagon." And this blog's writer, a past brewer, simply disdains ugly beer.
So, whence NEIPA? Its murk —and beer murkiness in general— continues to pop up all over, unabated. What do we know? Instagram or not.
This post originally appeared (in shorter form) at YFGF's Facebook page.
Umami and oleogustus! Today would have been the eighty-ninth birthday of scientist Dr. Morten Meilgaard, a man of good taste.
Born on 11 November 1928, Dr. Meilgaard would become a pioneer of the science of beer flavor identification and nomenclature. In 1979, he created the Beer Flavor Wheel, a landmark organoleptic tool that the European Brewery Convention, the American Society of Brewing Chemists, and the Master Brewers Association of the Americas soon designated as an accepted standard. His book, Sensory Evaluation Techniques, became a textbook for sensory science.
Dr. Meilgaard died on 11 April 2009, at age 80. His Beer Flavor Wheel is still being used today by brewers, beer judges, and sensory scientists. His textbook is now in its 5th (and revised) printing. His influence on brewing (and craft brewing) and on the enjoyment of beers is ongoing and substantial.
Morten Christian Meilgaard was born on Fyn, Denmark in 1928. His younger siblings, Ida, Jorgen, and Erik, followed in short succession. As their father, Anton Meilgaard, was a country doctor, they were brought up in a rural milieu in Morud. Their school was a considerable distance away, and during some winters, they would ski to pursue their education.
Morten caught the travel bug early, taking a road trip with his friends Finn and Torben, pulling a creaky four-wheeled cart around Jutland in 1944, during the German occupation of Denmark.
After WW II, Morten pursued a degree as a chemical engineer and became a research chemist specializing in yeasts for Alfred Jorgensens Laboratorium in Copenhagen. This dovetailed nicely with his love of travel, and his job took him all over the World. He became the Johnny Appleseed of establishing the [nomeclature of] flavors of beer throughout the world, including in Japan, South Africa, and the Americas.
Morten's contribution to the field of sensory science cannot be underestimated; it was truly extensive. Amongst his many contributions, He is the major contributor to the flavor wheel, a Rosetta Stone of sensory evaluation science.
Morten's publication, Sensory Evaluation Techniques, is the educational standard in this field of science. He was quite possibly the foremost expert in his field.
During his work and travels in England, he met Manon Meadows. They fell in love and remained married for almost fifty years, until her death in 2007.
Justin Meilgaard, Morten's and Manon's son, was born in England, 1966.
In 1967, the entire family, including Manon's mother, Doris Meadows, moved from Denmark to Monterrey Mexico where Morten worked for the Cuauhtemoc Brewery from 1967 to 1973.
In 1973, Morten was hired by Peter Stroh of the Stroh Brewery, Detroit, where he worked as Peter's right-hand man until the brewery was acquired by the Miller Brewing Company in 1999, at which point Morten retired.
Even after retirement, he continued to be active in his profession for many years, doing consulting jobs for the Danish Government, working with his co-editors on a revised edition of his book, and donating his extensive collection of brewing literature to Wayne State University [in Detroit, Michigan].
In 2008 Morten returned to Denmark and Sweden to visit family and revisit the important sites of his childhood and early adulthood.
Morten is survived by his younger brothers and sister, Jorgen, Erik, and Ida, and by his sons, Justin Meilgaard and myself.
[Beer descriptors in the Beer Flavor Wheel] are divided first into those perceived by sense of taste and those perceived in aroma. The descriptors are then organized into 14 categories, each of which contains between one and six descriptors. Meilgaard's aim in creating this wheel was to establish a standard vocabulary of beer evaluation and to this day many organizations use his Beer Flavor Wheel as a reference tool.
— The Oxford Companion to Beer: Oxford University Press, 2012.
A more detailed description of the Beer Flavor Wheel —"Focus On Beer Flavor"— was written in 1997 by Scott Bickham (of the BJCP) for Brewing Techniques, a long defunct magazine whose articles are —thank goodness— maintained online.
Physical copies of the Beer Flavor Wheel can be purchased from the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA).
In 2016, scientists Lindsay Barr and Nicole Garneau 'updated' Dr. Meilgaards' wheel with their Beer Flavor Map, a graphic explication of beer flavor rather than of chemical analysis. Among other changes, the new 'map' elevated “umami” (savory) and “oleogustus” (fat) to the subcategory of taste and designated “mouthfeel” as a primary sense.
We elected to use the common descriptors to make the Beer Flavor Map useful to anyone that picks it up, no matter if they had sensory training. This structure allows more people to speak using a common vocabulary of beer flavors. The map bridges the gap for people to begin to associate the descriptive vocabulary with the chemicals.
Lindsay Barr works as the sensory specialist at New Belgium Brewing and has her BS in biochemistry and molecular biology as well as an MS in food science and technology. Dr. Nicole Garneau received her BA in Genetics and her Ph.D. in Microbiology, and currently is the curator and department chair of health sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Both are members of the Beer and Food Working Group of the [U.S.] Brewers Association. The team is developing a companion model —to make the technical side of flavor just as accessible as the descriptive —and a mobile app— to combine the descriptive and chemical sides of sensory analysis.
Pic(k) of the Week: one in a weekly series of photos taken (or noted) by me, posted on Saturdays, and often, but not always, with a good fermentable as the subject.
A film, called Brewmaster, directed by Douglas Tirola, will arrive in theatres in the new year.
The trailer, which you can watch exclusively on Food & Wine, details several aspects of American beer culture. It follows one man as he studies to acquire his Master Cicerone certification, the beer equivalent of becoming a sommelier. Another thread in the movie follows a young man who quit his job as a lawyer to brew his own beer and pursue his dream of opening a brewery of his own.
The film is also peppered with expert voices in the beer world, such as Jim Koch, the co-founder of the Boston Beer Company; Vaclav Berka, a senior brewmaster at Pilsner Urquell (the company funded the film in honor of its 175th anniversary); and Charles Papazian, who founded the Association of Brewers and the Great American Beer Festival.
Food and Wine Magazine which wrote that blurb, ignored appearances by Ray Daniels of the Cicerone Certification Program, Randy Mosher of several books, and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewery.
And the trailer reeks of fanboy-dom. Beer is referred to as the “most noble beverage ever conceived by man” and “a gift from God.” Food and Wine Magazine, in presenting the trailer, states that the documentary will be required viewing for "beer fanatics." Which does not promise a serious, 'documentary,' consideration of the topic.
If you can't put that beer out tasting essentially the same every time, that doesn't mean you're a craft brewer. It means you're not a brewer.
Food and Wine Magazine says that Brewmaster will have select screenings in November and will be released to the general public in January. I don't know director Douglas Tirola from John Facenda, but just on that Garrett Oliver statement alone, maybe this might be worth the price of admission.
Without further comment, here's the trailer presented for your enjoyment.
Pic(k) of the Week: Wooden cask, deconstructed.
The entire front disc. Even though it's referred to as "top", it faces forward, not up. It's circumferenced by a wooden ridge called a chimb (white arrow), or chime. The head consists of four planks: two crescent-moon shaped pieces called cants (bright green arrows). Between them are the two middles (blue arrows). The lower cant is where the keystone bung sits.
The back of the cask.
The BELLY of the cask, made up of several wooden planks called staves (aquamarine arrows). The shive bung (fuscia arrow) sits at the top of the pitch.
The two sections of the belly between the pitch and the front and rear chimes, respectively.
Metal bands keep the heads and staves securely in place.
Porous bamboo peg inserted into the tut in the shive bung. The tut (not pictured) is an indentation in the center of the shive bung. When venting a cask, the tut is hammered through, and the spile inserted.
Stand on which the cask sits, angled slightly forward toward the top face, the bottom of the back chimb no higher than the level of the top of the keystone.
A beer cask can be made of wood or metal although stainless steel is much more the common choice these days. Although metal casks are welded together and don't have staves as do wooden ones, one can still refer to a cask's heads, chimbs, keystone, shive bung, spiles, stillage, etc. Ditto for plastic casks.
Casks come in many sizes. A firkin is one size of cask, equal to 10.8 U.S. gallons.
The cask above is NOT a firkin, but a 10 U.S. gallon wooden cask. It did, however, contain cask-conditioned ale. *.
Empty: 24 pounds (11.24 kilograms).
Full: 114 pounds (51.71 kilograms).
?? ... but more than 90.072 pounds, the weight of 10.8-gallons of water.
A barrel and a cask, while superficially similar, serve two distinct purposes.
☞ A barrel is for aging.
☞ A cask is for cask-conditioning.
☞ A barrel-aged beer is well-aged; a cask-conditioned beer is, well, fresh. It's the package and the intent.
A series of occasional posts on good cask cellarmanship.
Ray Johnson —the indefatigable "I want a keg of your beer" man of Virginia beer— has died.
Rayner M. Johnson (Age 75) of Springfield VA, passed November 5, 2017 from complications of a sudden stroke. He is survived by his loving and supportive wife of 44 years, Kathy; sons, Matthew and Charlie (Anika) and the grandchildren.
If you're a good beer person who doesn't live in Virginia (or Maryland or the District of Columbia) you probably don't know Rayner (Ray) Johnson. But boy, oh, boy, those who do, do!
For nearly 40 years, Ray was an organizer of the Blue-Gray Show, a premier breweriana show of the East Coast. He was a member of the National Association of Breweriana Advertising (NABA) and the Brewery Collectible Club of America (BCCA), and a past national Board member of the latter as well as an inductee into its Hall of Fame. Maybe more so, Mr. Johnson was an indefatigable supporter of Virginia 'craft' beer. He visited every brewery in the state, those extant, some shuttered, and those many planned.
More recently, Mr. Johnson was the northern Virginia distribution manager for Virginia Craft Beer Magazine and a canning line supervisor at Fair Winds Brewing Company, in Lorton, Virginia.
Word has come that Mr. Johnson is in a medically induced coma after suffering a stroke this past Tuesday evening, 31 October.
Please send good thoughts and hoist good beers toward his speedy and full recovery. I am, tonight, with fervor.
May Nikasi be with you, Rayner Johnson! There are (so many) breweries yet to visit.


4/17/19: IN-PERSON MEETING: A conversation with Max Blumenthal about “The Palestinian Issue and Trump’s Plans for the Middle East after the Israeli Election” (in English). Mr. Blumenthal is an award-winning journalist and author of several books, including his latest, the Management of Savagery: How America’s National Security State Fueled the Rise of Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Donald Trump. His discussion was followed by remarks by Mohamed Mohamed, Executive Director of the Palestine Center, co-sponsor of this event.
12/19/18: An Evening of Poetry with Mr. Qassim Al-Wazir, Mr. Yousef Abdul Samad, Mr. Walid Keilani, and Dr. Majd Al-Ghatrif (in Arabic). This was the last event of the year and also marked Al-Hewar Center's 24th Anniversary!
10/10/18: IN-PERSON MEETING: A conversation with Dr. Daoud Khairallah, professor of international law at Georgetown University, about "How International Law Sees What is Happening in Yemen, and What is Needed to End the War".
9/5/18: ON-LINE DISCUSSION: On-line conversation with writer and journalist Mr. AbdelBari Atwan, publisher of Rai Al-Youm newspaper in London, about "What Is Happening Among the Palestinians... What Is the Plan for the Palestinian Cause... What Should the Palestinians and Arabs Do"
6/4/18: On-Line Meeting - Open Discussion in Arabic about "Is War, or Peace, Coming Soon to the Middle East?
5/2/18: On-line discussion with Aziz I. Shaibani, MD about "How Professional Success Can Be Combined with Public Service"
5/18/16: Special Event to Honor the Life and Legacy of Dr. Clovis Maksoud who passed away on May 15, 2016. Read a brief biography of Dr. Maksoud prepared by Dr. Mokhless Al-Hariri . Dr. Ghassan Rubeiz was originally scheduled to speak this evening about "Ecumenism as Liberation Theology: Building Bridges and Circumventing Walls". Click here to read his presentation.
5/4/16: A celebration of the 1,000th event at Al-Hewar Center and the 27th Anniversary of the Experiment of Dialogue in Washington (the founding of Al-Hewar Magazine) A special evening and open discussion about: The Important Political Milestones During these 1,000 Events; Memories and Highlights of Events at the Center; The Difference between Dialogue and Negotiation; Why We Need Dialogue to Solve Our Problems; and Some Quotations about the Ethics of Dialogue. With introductions by Founder of Al-Hewar Center, Sobhi Ghandour; Advisory Board member, thinker, and former diplomat, Dr. Clovis Maksoud; Al-Hewar Center member Mr. Dhiya Al-Saadawi and other members of the Center (in Arabic). SPECIAL NOTE: This was Dr. Clovis Maksoud's last public appearance before his passing on May 15, 2016.
12/6/15: Dinner for the 21st Anniversary of Al-Hewar Center at Bawadi Restaurant. Evening featured a buffet dinner, oud music by Fuad Foty, and short speeches by Sobhi Ghandour, Clovis Maksoud, Azizah al-Hibri, Qassem al-Wazir, and Abdallah Hassan.
9/9/15: A Memorial Tribute to renowned scholar, Dr. Suheil Bushrui, who passed away on September 2, 2015, featuring fond memories and words of tribute from some of his friends and fans (in Arabic) Click here to send condolences to the family . Click here for pictures from the tribute at Al-Hewar Center. Click here to see the entire event on YouTube.
11/23/14: A Special Evening and Dinner to Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Al-Hewar Center, featuring live music by Simon Shaheen and ensemble; a ceremony to Honor Retiring Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA), and former Arab League Ambassador Dr. Clovis Maksoud; remarks by president of Al-Hewar Center's Advisory Board, Mr. Sadeq Jawad Sulaiman, and the Founder and Director of Al-Hewar Center, Sobhi Ghandour.
5/29/13: A presentation by Egyptian lawyer Ms. Dina Guirguis, Executive Director of the Tahrir Institute, about "The Coptic Issue in Egypt"
1/30/13: A Conversation with Imam Yahya Al-Hindi and Ms. May Rihani with remarks presented on behalf of Mr. Sadeq Sulaiman about "Thoughts about Religion and Life"
11/30/12: Reception and Dinner to Celebrate the 18th Anniversary of Al-Hewar Center and to support its activities. Our Guest of Honor: Egyptian Actor Hussein Fahmy, who spoke with the audience about the current situation in Egypt. The evening concluded with poetry and music (Oud) by Sudanese Artist, Dr. Abdel Karim Alkabli. Dinner was prepared by Ya Hala Restaurant in Vienna. Desserts donated by Jerusalem Restaurant in Falls Church. See special Video Tribute to Al-Hewar Center prepared by Mr. Mohamed Said Al-Ouafe.
5/23/12: A Conversation with Dr. Shawki Qassis about: "The History of Middle Eastern Christianity" (in Arabic). Dr. Qassis was born in Haifa in 1947 and is from the village of Rama in the upper Galilee. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Microbiology and Biochemistry from Tel-Aviv University. He and his family have been in the United States since 1979. He recently publish a book entitled, “A Tale of Two Cities”. The Arabic title of the book, “Haifa is no Cordoba”, implies that Haifa, Palestine, will remain an Arabic city, unlike Cordoba in Spain. In his book, he narrates the experiences and suffering of the Palestinians who were able to remain in their land in Palestine after the Jewish State was established in 1948 on 80% of Palestine.
11/30/11: A conversation with Dr. Ibrahim Oweiss about his new book "A Tale of Two Cultures: A Personal Account, with a preface by President Bill Clinton" (in Arabic). Followed by a one-hour Open Discussion about "The Current Situation in Egypt and Syria"
9/7/11: A conversation with Dr. Hisham AlTalib, of the International Institute of Islamic Thought, about "Ten Years after 9/11: What the West Doesn't Know About Islam."
7/1/09: A conversation with Ishaq Budeiri, General Director of the Arab Studies Society in Jerusalem, about "The Symbolism of Occupied Jerusalem as the Capital of Arabic Culture "
5/31/09: Dinner to Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Al-Hewar Magazine at Marco Polo Restaurant in Vienna. Program featured a reception and buffet dinner with short speeches by Dr. Irfan Shaheed, Mohammad Shinnawi, Mohammad Said Al-Ouafe, Sobhi Ghandour, Dr. Issam Omeish, Dr. Rashid Kabbani, and Dr. Clovis Maksoud.
10/16/08: Open Discussion with an Introduction by Dr. Clovis Maksoud, about "How the Sectarian Divisions in the Arab World are Affecting the Arab American Community" (in Arabic).
6/11/08: A Conversation with Dr. Haider Ala Hamoudi, Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, about His New Book, Howling in Mesopotamia: Experiences and Stories of the Iraqi People in the Post-Invasion Era." Followed by a one-hour discussion about Iraq with Dr. Ghassan Atiyyah, Director of the Iraqi Foundation for Development and Democracy (Entire Evening in Arabic).
11/14/07: Conversation with Dr. Halim Barakat, novelist and former professor of sociology at Georgetown University, about "The Identity and Roles of the Arab Intellectual"
4/18/07: A conversation with scholars Dr. Taher Adouani and Dr. Abdeljabar Obeidi about "Reading Historical Texts: Toward Achieving a More Accurate Understanding of History"
1/10/07: A conversation with thinker Mr. Sadek Sulaiman, about "Human Self-Perception - a Philosophical Perspective" (in Arabic). Followed by a 1-hour open discussion about President Bush's New Strategy for Iraq.
7/14/06: A conversation with Retired Sudanese General Mohamed Zeinelabdin M. Hamad about "Preemptive Strategy and the Influence of Oil on International Relations" (in Arabic). Followed by a discussion about the "New Crisis in Lebanon and the Middle East"
7/7/06: A conversation with former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, James Akins about "Remarks on American Middle East Policy." With an introduction by former Arab League Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations Dr. Clovis Maksoud (Event in English).
about "Lessons from the Interfaith Experience" (in English). Moderated by Dr. Munzer Sleiman. This event was dedicated to the memory of Mona Ismail, who worked with the InterFaith Conference. This event was co-sponsored by the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (GSISS).
2/1/06: Open discussion about "Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine: Where are They Headed?" (in Arabic). With opening remarks by Sobhi Ghandour and final remarks by Dr. Clovis Maksoud.
12/21/05: A conversation with former Ambassador Dr. Clovis Maksoud, about "An Overview of 2005 and 2006 for the Arab World" (Event in Arabic).
12/14/05: A conversation with Dr. Suheil Bushrui, Kahlil Gibran Chair at the University of Maryland, about " 'The Perennial Philosophy' and 'the Eternal Wisdom' of the Arabs" (Event in Arabic).
12/7/05: A conversation with Dr. Paul Sullivan, Professor of Economics at the National Defense University, about "A Clash of Ignorances: The War on Terror, Terrorists, and the Regular Folks" (in English). Moderated by Mr. Mazhar Samman.
Palestinian Journalist Dr. Fawzi El-Asmar (in Arabic).
9/7/05: A conversation with Mr. John Marks, President and Founder of Search for Common Ground, about "Common Grounds for Peace in the Middle East" (in English). Followed by a discussion (in Arabic and English) with Mr. Ayman AbdelNour, Syrian activist and editor of All4Syria.org.
7/10/05: Open discussion about "Reading the New Political Situation in Lebanon" (in Arabic), featuring Dr. Clovis Maksoud, Dr. Mohammad Shatah, and Dr. Daoud Khairallah.
4/27/05: "Toward Freedom and Liberties in the Arab World: Conclusions from the Third UN Report on Human Development in the Arab World," a conversation with Dr. Clovis Maksoud, one of the authors of the report. Moderated by former Ambassador Mr. Sadek Sulaiman.
4/16/05: "The Dilemma in Contemporary Arab Thought," a conversation with Dr. Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, President of the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Ashburn, Virginia (GSISS) (in Arabic). Event co-sponsored by GSISS.
3/30/05: A conversation with Michael K. Bohn, author of "The Achille Lauro Hijacking: Lessons in the Politics and Prejudice of Terrorism," about "Why is Terrorism Not Simply a Battle Between Good and Evil?" (in English).
2/9/05: A conversation with Mr. Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman of the U.S. State Department, about "The Iraqi Elections: A U.S. State Department Perspective" (n English and Arabic).
1/26/05: Evening of Poetry & Music to Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Al-Hewar Center, featuring musician Simon Shaheen and poet Youssef Abdul Samad, founder of the Immigrant's Pen League in New York, who read from his new published collection "The Sword and the Iris".
1/12/05: A conversation with former Ambassador Dr. Clovis Maksoud about "President Bush's Second Term and U.S. Arab Relations"
11/10/04: A conversation with George Hishmeh, columnist and President of the Washington Association of Arab Journalists, Said Arikat, Palestinian political analyst in Washington, and Dr. Edmond Ghareeb, media consultant for Middle Eastern Affairs in Washington, about "An Arab Media Reading of the American Election Results" (in English) Moderated by Mazhar Samman. As broadcast on C-Span.
10/20/04: Open Discussion about "Internal and External Expectations After the U.S. Elections," with introductions by Dr. Hany Al-Konayyesi, Abu Dhabi TV Washington Bureau Chief; Khalid AbdulKarim, Middle East News Agency Washington Bureau Chief; and Alaa Bayoumi, Director of Arabic Affairs of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (in Arabic).
10/17/04: A conversation with Dr. Paul Sullivan, professor at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., about "Energy and Economic Development in the Middle East." Moderated by Mr. Mazhar Samman. (in English).
10/10/04: "The Secrets of the October 1973 War as Revealed in American Documents," a new book published by Al-Ahram Newspaper in Egypt. A conversation with the translator Khalid Daoud, Bureau Chief of Al-Ahram in Washington, with comments by Dr. Rushdi Said and others (in Arabic).
10/1/04: A conversation with former Ambassador of Libya and retired professor Dr. Mohammad Youssef about his new book "Libya Between the Past and Present: Pages from the Political History" (in Arabic). The author just published the first of three volumes on the recent history of Libya.
9/15/04: A conversation with Dr. Mounzer Sleiman, analyst and commentator on political and military affairs, about "The Danger of a National Security State and an Imperial Presidency," a critical analysis about reforms needed to the U.S. National Security apparatus (in Arabic).
9/8/04: A conversation with Helen Thomas, journalist and former Dean of the White House Press Corps, with an introduction by attorney, Dr. Albert Mokhiber (Event in English) Click here for more information about Ms. Thomas.
8/27/04: "A Sudanese Point of View About the Darfur Crisis", a conversation with former Ambassador General Mohammad Al-Zein (in Arabic).
8/8/04: A conversation with Ambassador of Syria Dr. Imad Mustapha, about "Syria and the Current Developments in the Middle East"
7/11/04: A panel discussion about "The Challenges of Security, Sovereignty,and the Future Constitutional Experience in Iraq," featuring two Iraqi journalists, Mr. Nazar Haidar and Mr. Tarik Al-Azami (in Arabic).
6/27/04: A conversation with Dr. Abdel Monem Said Aly, Director of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (Egypt) about "The Conflict in US-Arab Relations" (in Arabic), followed by a discussion about "Al-Mithaq Al-Arabi", a proposal by Al-Hewar Magazine of "Draft Principals for Unity and Reform in the Arab World", as explained by Sadek Jawad Sulaiman and Sobhi Ghandour .
6/6/04: A conversation with Dr. James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute (AAI), about "Arab Americans & The Election Year." Moderated by Mr. Mazhar Samman (English).
5/26/04: A conversation with Dr. Suheil Bushrui, Director of the Kahlil Gibran Chair at the University of Maryland, about "The Concept of the Unity of Being in the Thought of Kahlil Gibran"(in Arabic). Moderated by Mr. Sadek Sulaiman.
5/12/04: A conversation with Mr. David Ballard, Director of the U.S. Department of State's Office of Foreign Press, about "The Current U.S. Role in Iraq" (in English).
5/8/04: A conversation with writer and thinker Mr. Kassem Al-Wazir, about "Reasons for and Results of Division in Arab Society" (in Arabic). Co-sponsored by the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences.
4/14/04: A conversation with former Ambassador Mr. Sadek Sulaiman, about "Constitutional Structure in Contemporary Arab Experience"
4/7/04: A conversation with Dr. Faleh A. Jabar, Senior Fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace, about "The Possibilities of Democratic Transformation in Iraq"(in Arabic).
3/31/04: An Evening of Poetry featuring Mr. Yousef Abdul Samad and Ms. Nahida Fadli Dajani (in Arabic).
3/24/04: A conversation with Mr. Ibrahim Sahad, Secretary General of NFSL-Libya, about "Current Developments in Libya" (in Arabic).
3/10/04: A conversation with Dr. David Khairallah, Professor of International Law at Georgetown University, and Dr. Edmund Ghareeb, Professor of Political Science at American University, about "Federation Within Some Arab Countries: A System for Unification or Division?" (in Arabic).
3/3/04: A conversation with Dr. Al-Tijani Abdul-Kader, about "The Future of Sudan After the Peace Agreements" (in Arabic).
2/25/04: A conversation with May Rihani, Senior Vice President of the Academy for Educational Development, a Founder of the Ameen Rihani Organization, and an Advisor to the Ameen Rihani Institute, about "Ameen Rihani's Vision of US-Arab Relations" (in Arabic). Click here for more information about Ameen Rihani.
2/18/04: A conversation with Dr. Yvonne Haddad, Professor at Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, about "George Bush and the Muslims after 9/11: The Search for Moderate Islam" (in English). Moderated by Mr. Mazhar Samman. Event co-sponsored by the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Virginia. To read more about the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, click here.
2/11/04: Open discussion about "Current Developments in Iraq," with an introduction by Mr. Kareem Al-Mousawi, the Washington Representative of SCIR in Iraq (in Arabic).
2/4/04: Open discussion about "The Arab-Israeli Conflict and the American Elections," with an introduction by Mr. Said Arikat, political analyst in Washington (in Arabic).
1/29/04: A special event, in coordination with the Academy for Educational Development (AED), about "What Arab Youth Can Do To Build a Better Understanding Between Arabs and the West," featuring: William Smith, May Rihani, Sandra MacDonald, and Gregory Valadie all from the AED, and two young people: Fadi Elsalameen and Maryah Al-Dafa. Moderated by Mr. Mounzer Sleiman from Al-Hewar Center. (Event in English and held at the AED in Washington). To read more about the AED, click here.
1/28/04: A conversation with Dr. Clovis Maksoud and Dr. Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, about "The Arabs: Defining Ourselves and Facing Current Challenges" (in Arabic). Event co-sponsored by the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Virginia (GSISS).
1/21/04: A conversation with Mr. Khalid Turaani and Dr. Fawzi Al-Asmar about "Palestine: The State, the Authority, and the People" (in Arabic).
1//7/04: A conversation with Dr. Imad Mustapha, about "The UN 2003 Report on Arab Human Development" (in Arabic). Dr. Mustapha is one of the authors of the Report.
12/13/03: On the occasion of the 9th Anniversary of Al-Hewar Center, a Special Panel about "The Role of the Arab Community in the United States: Setting Our Priorities," with panel discussions about (1) The Influence of the Current Situation in the Middle East on the Role of the Arab Community in the US; (2) Ideas for Setting Priorities for the Arab Community; and (3) Moving Toward Common Goals, featuring panelists H.E. Mr. Bader Omar Al-Dafa; H.E. Dr. Hussain Hassouna; Dr. Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, Mr. Mazhar Samman; Dr. Ziad Asali; Mr. Nihad Awad; Dr. Azizah al-Hibri; Dr. Abdulkader Fustok; Abdallah Hassan; and Sobhi Ghandour. Featuring a snack buffet. Held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tysons Corner, Virginia.
12/10/03: A conversation with Dr. Ali Al-Attar, about "A Point of View about Iraq's Present and Future" (in Arabic).
12/3/03: A conversation with Dr. Paul Sullivan, professor at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., about "Economics and Extremism" (in English). To be moderated by Mr. Mazhar Samman, Vice President of the National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce.
11/5/03: A conversation with Dr. Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, about "The Islamic View of Diversity" (in Arabic).
11/5/03: A conversation with the Ambassador of Lebanon Dr. Farid Aboud, about "The Current Situation in Lebanon and the Region" (in Arabic).
10/15/03: Conversation with Ishaq Budeiri, General Director of the Arab Studies Society in Jerusalem, about "The Struggle Over Jerusalem: Current Facts and Future Possibilities" (in Arabic). Followed by a short discussion with a delegation of women from Morocco and Syria invited by the Arab Women's Council Research and Education Fund.
10/8/03: Open discussion about "The Question of Government Legitimacy: The Role of Civil Liberties and Sovereignty," with an introduction by Mr. Sadek Sulaiman (in Arabic).
10/1/03: Conversation with Dr. Mohammad Taki Baqer, General Secretary of FreeMuslim Association, Inc. about "An Islamic Point of View About Non-Violence" (in Arabic). Followed by a short discussion with Iraqi media personality, Shameem Rassam, about The Current Situation in Iraq.
9/24/03: Conversation with Dr. Walid Abdelnasser, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Egypt, about "Lessons from an Important Era During Gamal Abdul Nasser's Life" (in Arabic).
8/24/03: Conversation with renowned oncologist and thinker Dr. Philip Salem, about "The Future of Lebanon: Options for a Solution" (in Arabic). For more information about Dr. Salem, click here.
8/10/03: Research Workshop with Dr. Caroline Nagel, Lecturer of Human Geography at Loughborough University in England, and professor Lynn Staeheli, Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Colorado in Boulder, about "What It Means to be a Citizen". To read more about Dr. Nagel, click here.
7/27/03: Panel Discussion about "Egypt and the New Challenges in the Arab World," with Dr. Hesham Elnakib, Director of the Egyptian Information Office in Washington, Mr. Kahled Daoud, Washington Bureau Chief of Al-Ahram Newspaper, and Dr. Rushdi Said, former member of the Egyptian Parliament (in Arabic).
7/13/03: Conversation with Ambassador Husain Haqqani, Visiting Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and leading journalist, diplomat, and former Advisor to Pakistani Prime Ministers, about "Winning Hearts Before Wars -- The U.S. and the Muslim World" (in English). To read more about Ambassador Haqqani, click here.
6/8/03: Panel Discussion with Dr. Ibrahim Oweiss, Professor of Economics at Georgetown University, Dr. Tarik Yousef, Professor of Economics at Georgetown University, and Dr. Ibrahim Elbadawi, Lead Economist and Manager, DECRG, World Bank, about "Plans for the Future of the Middle East, Based on the American Vision of a Free Trade Area" (in Arabic).
5/28/03: Conversation with Mr. Ghaleb Darabya, Counsel for Political and Congressional Affairs for the Palestinian Liberation Organization Mission in Washington DC, about "Which Road Will End the Israeli Occupation and Begin the Palestinian State?" (in Arabic).
5/21/03: Conversation with Dr. Imad Mustapha, Deputy Ambassador of the Embassy of Syria about "Syrian American Relations" (in Arabic).
5/14/03: Open discussion about "Arab Prospects After the Iraq War: Democratic Process or Civil Wars?", with an introduction by Washington Bureau Chief of Al-Ahram Newspaper Mr. Khaled Daoud, Publisher of Al-Hewar Magazine Sobhi Ghandour, and others (in Arabic). Following the event, Mr. Camille Nowfel, former Interpreter for the White House, signed copies of his new book in Arabic "America's Arabs: Hopeless Hostages".
5/7/03: Panel discussion about "Why We Need Dialogue Among Cultures and Civilizations," featuring Mohamad Bashar Arafat, Ph.D., Muslim Chaplain and Professor of Islamic Studies and Theology in Baltimore; Mr. John Simmons, Director of Dialogue Technologies, City of Mind; and Dr. Lowell Christy, Chairman and Co-Founder, City of Mind. Moderated by Mr. AbdulWahab Al-Kebsi (in English).
4/16/03: Discussion about the war on Iraq and its reflection on the Palestinian cause, with an introduction Dr. Kamal Khaldi President of the Damascus Chapter of the Union of Palestinian Writers and Journalists (in Arabic).
3/26/03: Open Discussion about the War on Iraq and its Influence on the Region and around the World, with introductions by Mounzer Sleiman and Sobhi Ghandour (Event in Arabic).
3/19/03: Open discussion about "The Situation in Iraq and its Influence on the Arab World and Relations between World Powers," with an introduction by Dr. Laith Kubbah, President of the Iraq National Group (in Arabic).
3/12/03: A conversation with Dr. Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, thinker and Islamic Iraqi writer, about "The Iraqi Issue: Shadows of the Past and Possibilities for the Future" (in Arabic).
3/5/03: A conversation with Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, professor of Law at Richmond University and founder and President of KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, about "Islamic Communities in America: Understanding the Role of Minorities and the Art of Communication" (in Arabic).
2/19/03: A conversation with Arab League Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Hussein Hassouna, about "Arab Coordination and the Current Challenges in the Middle East" (in Arabic).
2/12/03: A conversation with Mr. Mounzer Sleiman, Political and Military Analyst and Commentator, about "The Role of U.S. 'Think Tanks' in the Formulation of American Foreign Policy" (in Arabic).
2/5/03: A conversation with Mr. Tareq Al-Azami, a member of the Islamic Iraqi Opposition, about "The Future of Iraq from an Opposition Point of View" (in Arabic).
1/29/03: A conversation with Ambassador James Akins, about "Perspectives on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East" (in English). Ambassador Akins served as an American diplomat for over 20 years specializing in the Middle East. In 1973, President Nixon appointed him Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. After strong differences with Henry Kissinger on policy matters, Akins left the Foreign Service in April 1976.
1/22/03: A conversation with Dr. Fawzi Al-Asmar, Palestinian writer and journalist, about "After Two Years of the Intifadah and 25 Years after the Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty: How Israelis See Their Future." Dr. Asmar recently returned from the Middle East where he held dialogues with some Israeli intellectuals. (Event in Arabic).
1/15/03: A conversation with thinker and former Ambassador, Mr. Sadek Sulaiman, about "Islam, Democracy, and the Question of Violence: An Important Topic in Contemporary Arab Dialogue" (in Arabic).
12/18/02: On the occasions of the 8th Anniversary of Al-Hewar Center and the end of 2002, a discussion with professor and former Arab League Ambassador Dr. Clovis Maksoud about "Reflections on a Turbulent Year" (in Arabic).
12/4/02: Panel discussion about "Arab Christians: Between Internal Facts and External Plans", with Dr. Rushdi Said, Dr. David Khairallah, and Mr. Rateb Rabie (in Arabic).
11/27/02: Open discussion about "Reasons for Violence in Societies," with an introduction by Mr. Kassem Al-Wazir (in Arabic).
11/20/02: A discussion with Dr. Najib Sacirbey, retired Ambassador-at-Large of Bosnia, about "A Lesson in Tolerance: Things to Know about Islam and Muslims in Europe " (in English).
11/13/02: A discussion with Dr. Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, President of the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (GSISS), about "Challenges for Arabs and Muslims in the U.S." (in Arabic).
11/6/02: A discussion with the Ambassador of Jordan Karim Kawar, about "Jordan and Current Developments in the Middle East" (in Arabic).
10/30/02: "Arab American Relations: Which Direction Will They Go?" a panel discussion featuring Ambassador of Qatar Mr. Bader Omar Al-Dafa, writer and professor Dr. Edmond Ghareeb, and Dr. Mohammad Al-Sayed Said, writer and Bureau Chief of Al-Ahram Newspaper in Washington (in Arabic).
10/16/02: A Conversation with The Head of Mission, Embassy of Sudan, Khidir H. Ahmed about "Challenges for Peace in Sudan" with comments by Sudanese Economist, Dr. Ibrahim Elbadawi (in Arabic).
10/9/02: Open Discussion About "Towards an Effective Presence for American Muslims and Arabs in American Politics," with introductions by AbdulRaham Al-Amoudi, Eric Erfan Vickers (AMC), and AbdulWahab Al-Kibsi (CSID) (in English).
9/25/02: A Conversation with Ambassador of Syria, Dr. Rustom Al-Zou'bi about "American-Syrian Relations" (in Arabic).
9/18/02: A Conversation with Dr. Mohamed Al-Naqbi about "Asymmetry in International Relations [the Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations]" (in Arabic).
9/11/02: Special Panel to discuss "What Lessons Should be Learned by Americans and Arabs and Muslims from September 11?", featuring Mr. Jean AbiNader of AAI, Mr. Jason Erb of CAIR, and Nawar Shora of ADC. Moderated by Mr. AbdulWahab Al-Kebsi (English).
8/23/02: An Evening of Literature and Poetry and History with Dr. Irfan Shahid, professor at Georgetown University, about "Al-Watan (the Homeland) in Arabic Poetry" (in Arabic).
8/11/02: Conversation with Palestinian journalist, Dr. Fawzi Al-Asmar, about "Impressions from a Recent Journey to Palestine" (in Arabic).
8/4/02: Conversation with the former Chairman of the Lebanese Lawyers Association in Tripoli, Mr. John Harb, about "The Current Political Situation in Lebanon from a Legal Point of View" (in Arabic).
7/21/02: "50 Years After Nasser's Revolution"Remarks and Opinions by a variety of Egyptian and Arab thinkers, including Dr. Fawzy Al-Asmar, Nahida Fadli Dajani, Sobhi Ghandour, Mohammad Hakki, Dr. Rushdi Said, Dr. Mohammad Saied, and Mohammad Wahby (in Arabic).
6/23/02: A Conversation with Dr. Clovis Maksoud about "The Arab World and The Current American Middle East Policy" (in Arabic).
6/9/02: Open discussion about "American-Israeli Relations...and a Comparison Between the Arab and Israeli Lobbies," with an introduction by Dr. Kamal Khaldi and Sobhi Ghandour (in Arabic).
Mr. Hussein Ibish, Communications Director of ADC (in English).
5/29/02: A discussion with Dr. Ahmed Ali Attiga, Advisor to the Executive Director of the World Bank, and Dr. Tarik Mohamad Yousef, Professor of Economics at Georgetown University, about "The Arab Economy in the Era of Globalization: Reality and Prospects" (in Arabic).
5/22/02: A discussion with Dr. Jayne Docherty, Associate Professor of Conflict Studies, Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia, about "Domestic and International Terrorism: Misunderstood Sources and Misguided Responses," focusing on Oklahoma City and September 11 as prototypical cases where authorities failed to correctly analyze the sources of violent acts (in English).
5/15/02: A conversation with Dr. Rushdie Said about "Living on the Verge of a New World" (in Arabic).
5/8/02: A conversation with thinker and former Ambassador, Mr. Sadek Sulaiman, about "The Nature of American Philosophy" (in Arabic).
5/1/02: A discussion with Mr. John Wagner, Commissioner Program Director, International Dispute Resolution, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services, about "Conflict Management Needs of Domestic and International Communities" (in English).
4/24/02: A Conversation with Dr. Mohammad Waqi'Allah, professor at the Institute of Islamic and Arabic Sciences in America, about "Saudi American Relations and the Campaign Against Terrorism" (in Arabic).
4/17/02: A discussion with Dr. Ziad Asali, President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), about "An Agenda for Arab Americans" (in Arabic). Followed by an hour meeting with the President of the Arab Women's Solidarity Organization Dr. Nawal Saadawi, visiting from Cairo (in Arabic).
4/10/02: An Evening with Professor and Director of the University of Maryland Kahlil Gibran Research and Studies Project Dr. Suheil Bushrui, about his new book "The Wisdom of the Arabs" (published by One World Publications, UK), which draws on the vast spectrum of Arab writings, from classical literature and the holy Qur'an, to traditional folk sayings and the more recent wisdom of the legendary Kahlil Gibran. The book offers a combination of practical and spiritual wisdom, as well as a deeper insight into the joys, sadnesses and passions of the Arab people (in English).
4/6/02: A special tribute in memory of Dr. Fawzy Haikal, who passed away in February, featuring reflections and memories by his friends and colleagues. Co-sponsored by Al-Hewar Center, The Egypt Foundation, Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine, and the Center for the Global South at American University. Held in the offices of The Jerusalem Fund in Washington, DC.
4/6/02: A conversation with writer Mr. Al-Kassem Al-Wazir, about "Where We Stand on Western Civilization" (in Arabic).
3/27/02: Open discussion about "American Movements Toward Iraq" (Arabic).
3/20/02: Open discussion about "The Arab Summit and the Challenges Facing the Arab World," with introductory remarks by Dr. Abdul-Monem Al-Mashat and Mr. Mazhar Samman (in Arabic).
3/13/02: Open discussion about "The New American Intervention in the Crisis in Palestine," with introductory remarks by Palestinian writer Dr. Fawzi Al-Asmar and the Executive Director of American Muslims for Jerusalem Mr. Khalid Turaani (in Arabic).
3/6/02: "Tips and Tools for Explaining Islam and the Middle East - Part 2", a workshop presented by Lobna Ismail, Alexander Kronemer, Abdulwahab AlKebsi, and Dr. Louay Safi (in English).
2/27/02: Open discussion about "The Definition of Terrorism" with an introduction by Mr. Mounzer Sleiman, a political analyst in Washington (in Arabic).
2/20/02: A conversation with Dr. Hesham Elnakib, Director of the Egyptian Information Office, and Dr. Mohamed El-Sayed Saeed, new Assistant Editor in Chief of Al-Ahram Newspaper and Manager Director of Al-Ahram Overseas-USA, about "The Role of Egypt in the Dialogue of Civilizations" (in Arabic).
2/13/02: A Workshop on "Tips and Tools for Explaining Islam and the Middle East" presented by Lobna Ismail and Naila Habiby (Part 1) (in English).
2/6/02: A conversation with Dr. Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, President of the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Virginia, about "Arabism, Islam, and the West" (in Arabic).
1/30/02: A conversation with Dr. Jon Alterman, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, about "The State Department and the Middle East" (in English).
1/27/02: An Evening of Music and Poetry to Celebrate the 7th Anniversary of Al-Hewar Center! Featuring musician Simon Shaheen and poet Youssef Abdul Samad from New York and other participants from the Washington area (held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tysons Corner, Virginia).
1/23/02: A conversation with Ambassador Khidir H. Ahmed, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Sudan, about "The Current and Future State of American-Sudanese Relations" (in Arabic).
1/16/02: An open discussion about "What is the Future of the Islamist and Arabist Movements in the Arab World?", with an introduction by Sobhi Ghandour, the publisher of Al-Hewar Magazine (in Arabic).
1/9/02: A discussion with thinker and former diplomat, Mr. Sadek Sulaiman, about "Americans and the Arab World: Who has Misunderstood Whom? (in Arabic).
12/19/01: Poetry Reading and informal gathering to celebrate the Holidays.
12/12/01: A conversation with Maurice Atiyeh, M.D. , about "Questions and Answers about How to Take Care of Your Health" (in Arabic).
12/ 5/01: A conversation with Dr. Clovis Maksoud, President of the Center for the Global South at American University, about "Lebanon, Arabs and the World after September 11" (in Arabic).
11/28/01: A discussion with Dr. Mohammed Sharafuddin, visiting Fulbright Professor in the English Department of George Washington University, about "Positive Orientalism: Islam in the Eyes of the West," an exploration of positive images of Islam in Western literature (in English).
11/21/01: Dr. Abdalla Musa Al-Tayer, a Saudi journalist and Chairman of the Arabic Teaching Department, Institute of Islamic and Arabic Sciences in America (IIASA), about "The American Media Campaign Against Saudi Arabia" (both discussions in Arabic).
11/14/01: A conversation with activist Abdul Kader Fustok, M.D., about "Ideas and Remarks about Arab American Activism" (in Arabic).
11/7/01: "Morocco and Current Developments," a conversation with Hassan Hami, Minister in the Moroccan Embassy (in Arabic).
10/17/01: "In the Footsteps of the Prophet": a discussion on the making of a documentary for American Television on the life and times of Prophet Muhammad, presented by film co-producer Alexander Kronemer (in English), followed by a short address by Marwan Burgan about "Political Participation by Arab and Muslim Americans."
10/10/01: "How September 11 is Affecting the Arab and Islamic Community," an open discussion including comments by some members of Al-Hewar Center about their personal experiences during this crisis.
10/ 3/01: Open Discussion about the "Changes Expected in American Society After the Tragedy of September 11" (in Arabic).
9/ 5/01: Panel Discussion about "The U.S. Middle East Policy: What's Behind It? How to Change It...", with professor and writer Dr. Laura Drake and Mr. Edward Abboud, author of the new book, "Invisible Enemy: Israel, Politics, Media, and American Culture (event in English).
8/12/01: A Literary Evening featuring (1) an hour with Iraqi artist Dr. Mohammad Al-Sadoun about "Arabic Calligraphy as the Art of Civilization" featuring a slide show and (2) an hour with Mr. Abdullah Hassan speaking about "A Biography of Libyan National Poet Ahmed Rafiq Al-Mahdawi (1898-1961)" (in Arabic).
8/1/01: A Conversation with the Ambassador of Jordan, Dr. Marwan Al-Muasher, about "Jordan and Current Developments in the Middle East" (in Arabic).
7/25/01: A Conversation with the Ambassador of Syria, Dr. Rostom Al-Zoubi, about "Syria and Current Developments in the Middle East" (in Arabic).
7/21/01: In coordination with the Egyptian-American Culture Association (EACA), you are cordially invited to a seminar with Dr. Rushdie Said entitled "My Experience with the 1952 Revolution: A Memoir of an Egyptian Politician," with comments by Mr. Sadek Sulaiman and Mr. Sobhi Ghandour (in Arabic). Held at the Carnegie Institute in Washington, D.C.
7/18/01: A conversation with Dr. Hisham Sharabi about "Choices for the Palestinian People" (in Arabic).
7/11/01: A conversation with Mr. Sadek Sulaiman about "The Commonality of the Human Condition" (in English). Held in coordination with the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (GSISS).
6/27/01: A Conversation with the Arab League Ambassador to the United Nations and the United States, Dr. Hussein Hassouna, about "The Arab League and Obstacles to Arab Coordination" (in Arabic).
6/20/01: A Conversation with Mr. Anwar Haddam, a leader of FIS in Algeria, about "Self-Determination and the Question of Identity in Algeria" (in Arabic).
6/6/01: A Conversation with Ambassador of Egypt Dr. Nabil Fahmy, about "Egypt and Current Developments in the Middle East" (in Arabic).
5/30/01: A Sampling of Arabic Poetry about Freedom. Moderated by Mr. Sadek Sulaiman (in Arabic).
5/23/01: A Conversation with Conflict Resolution Specialist Alma Abdul-Hadi Jadallah, about "Methods for Solving Personal and Social Conflicts" (in Arabic and English).
5/16/01: A Conversation with Dr. Samir Makdisi, Director of The Institute of Money and Banking; Chair of Economics Department and former Deputy President of AUB; and former Minister of National Economy of Lebanon, about "Lessons for the Future of Economic and Political Development in Lebanon" (in Arabic).
5/9/01: Open Discussion about "The Possibility of War or Peace in the Middle East" (in Arabic).
5/2/01: A Panel Discussion In Memory of Activist and Thinker Adel Hussein, Secretary General of the Labor Party in Egypt, featuring remarks by Dr. Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, Dr. Abdel-Monem Al-Mashat, Dr. Ashraf Bayoumi, Dr. Fawzy Heikal, and Dr. Rushdi Said (in Arabic).
4/25/01: A Conversation with Mr. Mazhar Samman, Vice President of the National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce about "How to Energize the Arab Common Economy". Moderated by Dr. Fawzy Heikal (in Arabic).
4/18/01: A Conversation with Mr. Ahmad Y. Al-Kibsi, visiting diplomat from the Foreign Ministry of Yemen about "The Developing Democratic Process in Yemen" (in Arabic).
4/11/01: A Conversation with Mr. Rateb Y. Rabie, President of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation about "Israel's Brutal Occupation and Its Agenda to Expel the Arab Christian Population" (in Arabic).
4/4/01: A Conversation with Mrs. Wendy Ghannam about "Arab-American Discrimination in the US Government Workplace and Its Ramifications" (in English).
3/28/01: Open Discussion about "The Threat of Ethnic and Religious Divisions in the Arab World", with Introductory remarks by Mr. Sadek Sulaiman and Mr. Sobhi Ghandour (in Arabic).
3/21/01: Panel Discussion about "Muslim America and the New Bush Team: Current Assessment, Future Plans", featuring Mr. Nihad Awad (CAIR), Mr. Ali Ramadan (AMC), Mr. Khalid Turaani (AMJ), and Dr. Hassan Ibrahim (MPAC); Moderated by Mr. Abdulwahab Alkebsi (in Arabic).
3/14/01: Immigration Workshop: Get Your Questions Answered, with immigration attorney, Mr. Ismail Laher (in English).
3/7/01: An Evening of Literature and Poetry about "The Homeland in Immigrant Literature" with Dr. Suheil Bushrui, Mrs. Nahida Fadli Dajani, and Mr. Mounzer Sleiman (in Arabic).
2/28/01: Open Discussion About "Ten Years After the Liberation of Kuwait: Has the Gulf War Ended?" (in Arabic).
2/21/01: A conversation with Mr. Sadek Sulaiman about "Culture and the Role of Intellectuals" (in Arabic).
2/16/01: An Open Discussion about "New Developments Concerning the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the New Government of Israel" (in Arabic).
2/7/01: "Thoughts about Islam and about Arabism," a conversation with Dr. Taha Jaber Al-Alwani (in Arabic).
1/31/01: "Relations Among the Countries of the Nile," a conversation with Dr. Rushdi Said and Dr. Ibrahim Elbadawi (in Arabic).
1/24/01: "Libya Yesterday and Today" a conversation with Dr. Mohammad bin Youssef (in Arabic).
1/17/01: A panel discussion about "The Policies of the New American Administration Toward the Arab World," with Dr. Shafeeq Al-Ghabra and Dr. Abdul Monem Al-Mashat (in Arabic).
1/10/01: "Al-Fardiyya (individuality) in the Arab Lifestyle and in Muslim History", a conversation with Mr. Zaid Al-Wazir about his new book "Al-Fardiyya" (in Arabic).
1/3/01: An Open Discussion about the Clinton Plan for the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations, with remarks by Dr. Khalid Abdalla (in Arabic).
12/20/00: A discussion with Dr. Clovis Maksoud about "The Current Situation in the Arab World: The Year in Review" (in Arabic).
12/13/00: A conversation with Mr. Charles A. McGee, a consultant, lobbyist and political activist, about "The Narrow Roads to the Great Pyramid: My journey from a miseducated colonialist to a universal evolutionist in human affairs" (in English).
12/6/00: A conversation with Ambassador of Algeria Idriss Al-Jaza’iry about "The Cultural Legacy of Prince Abdel Qader AlJazai'ry" (in Arabic).
11/19/00: An Evening to Celebrate the 6th Anniversary of Al-Hewar Center, featuring a Reading of Poetry about the Intifadah, and an art exhibition, including paintings donated by Italian artist Michele Kahlil Lombardo, Middle Eastern rugs donated by Rug Express, and African Art donated by The Cave.
11/15/00: A Discussion about "The Economic Developments in the Al-Maghreb Countries," with Dr. Tarik M. Yousef, professor of Economics at Georgetown University (in Arabic).
11/8/00: Open Discussion about "The US Presidential Election and the Arab-Israeli Conflict" (in Arabic).
11/1/00: A Conversation with Ambassador of Lebanon Dr. Farid Abboud about "The Political Developments in Lebanon" (in Arabic).
10/18/00: "The Israeli and Arab Lobbies: A Comparison," with Mr. Khalil Jahshan (ADC/NAAA) and Mr. Khalid Safuri (Islamic Institute in Washington) (in Arabic).
10/11/00: A conversation with Dr. El-Tigani Abdelgadir Hamid, professor at the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (SISS) in Leesburg, Virginia, on "About Sudan: Internal Crises and External Challenges" (in Arabic). Followed by an open discussion about "The Looming Developments in the Middle East" (in Arabic).
10/4/00: "The Current Developments in Al-Quds and the Palestinian-Israeli Negotiating Track", remarks by Palestinian writers and journalists Dr. Fawzi Al-Asmar and Dr. Ahmed Youssef (in Arabic).
9/27/00: A Panel Discussion about "30 Years After Gamal Abdul Nasser: How Arabs Understand Nasserism", with the participation of Dr. Khalid Abdalla and Mr. Sadek Sulaiman (in Arabic).
9/20/00: A conversation with Mr. Sadek Sulaiman and Dr. Edmond Ghareeb about "Changes in American Thought and Politics" (in Arabic).
9/13/00: Open Discussion about The Palestinian State and the Palestinian Issue (in Arabic).
8/16/00: A conversation with Dr. Rushdi Said about his new book "A Life Journey" with introductions by Dr. Fawzi Heikal and Mr. Mohamad Hakki (in Arabic). Followed by a Conversation with Al-Sayed Murtada El-Shirazi about "Al-Shoura" (in Arabic).
8/2/00: "Iraq and the Gulf 10 Years After the Invasion of Kuwait" with introductory remarks by Dr. Khalid Abdalla and Dr. Ashraf Bayoumi (in Arabic).
7/26/00: Panel Discussion about "Egypt: The Location, the Identity, the Role," with introductory remarks by Dr. Rushdi Said and Dr. Abdel-Monem Al-Mashat (in Arabic).
7/19/00: Discussion with Dr. Bassem Khafaji about "Globalism and the Future of the Arabic Economy" with remarks by Dr. Khalid Abdalla and Dr. Anwar Ashqi (in Arabic).
7/12/00: An Open Discussion about "Syria After Hafez Al-Assad," with an introduction by the Charge d'Affaires and acting Head of Mission of the Syrian Embassy in Washington, Dr. Rostom Al-Zou'bi (in Arabic). Followed by a discussion with Qadi Hussain Ahmad, president of the Islamic University of Pakistan (in Arabic).
6/28/00: "Getting Involved in the Political Process and How to Raise Arab American Issues in the 2000 Elections," a discussion with David Nasser and Abdallah Al-Zuabi, National Field Director and Field Organizer, respectively, of the Arab American Institute (AAI) (in English and Arabic).
6/14/00: An Evening of Literature and Poetry prepared by Ms. Nahida Fadli Dajani on the occasion of the 11th Anniversary of Al-Hewar Magazine (in Arabic). With special guest famous Sudanese Writer Al-Tayeb Al-Saleh.
6/7/00: "Remarks on the Methods of Change and Resistance in the Arab World," and Open Discussion with an introduction by Dr. Nasr Arif and Sobhi Ghandour (in Arabic).
5/24/00: A Conversation with Immigration and Tax Attorney Joseph Skeen about "What's New in Immigration Law?" (in English).
5/17/00: An Open Discussion about "The Palestinian Issue and Proposed Solutions for the Refugee Problem" (in Arabic).
5/10/00: "The Role of Women in the Syrian Social Life," a conversation with a visiting delegation of four women from Syria: Ms. Sahirah Hussaini, a lawyer and president of the Child's Protection Society in Homs; Ms. Zuha Ranne, a mechanical engineer, lawyer and member of the Executive Committee of the Youth Protection Center in Aleppo; Ms. Yumna Mohamad Mohamad, who works for the Directorate of Labor and Social Affairs and is responsible for 28 NGOs in Lattakia; and Ms. Roud Ziadeh, a professor of civil engineering and member of the Executive Committee of the Family Protection Organization in Damascus (in Arabic). This event was organized in coordination with The Arab Women's Council.
5/3/00: "A Point of View About the Various Methods of Interpreting Tradition," an Open Discussion with an introduction by Dr. Ahmad Al-Hassan (in Arabic).
4/19/00: A Conversation with Dr. Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, President of the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (GSISS), about "An Islamic Perspective on Reform: Between the Traditional and the Contemporary" (in Arabic).
5/12/00: "Thoughts About How to Confront Arab-Israeli Normalization," an Open Discussion with an introduction by Dr. Kamal Khaldi, Head of the Palestinian Writers' Union in Damascus (in Arabic).
4/5/00: A Conversation with Mr. Mazhar Samman, Vice President of the U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce, and Dr. Louay Safi, Director of the Center for Balanced Development, about "The Global Economy and the Greater Arab Free Trade Zone" (in Arabic).
3/22/00: "Earth, Water, and Fire: The Middle East Trilogy," a conversation with Middle East expert Dr. Laura Drake (who recently returned from trips to Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria) about regional strategy and geopolitics in Al-Mashreq (in English).
3/15/00: A Conversation with Dr. Azizah Y. al-Hibri about "Women and Personal Status Codes in Select Arab Countries" (in Arabic).
3/1/00: An Evening of Poetry prepared by Mrs. Nahida Fadli Dajani (in Arabic).
2/23/00: A conversation with Syrian foreign policy analyst, Dr. Murhaf Jouejati about "A Syrian Perspective on the Syrian-Israeli Track" (in English and Arabic), followed by a conversation with Charge d'Affaires of the Lebanese Embassy Mr. Hassan Najem.
2/9/00: An Open Discussion about "The Middle East Peace Process and the Future of the Arab World" (in Arabic).
2/2/00: A Conversation with Sudanese scholars Dr. Ahmed El-Bashir and Dr. Ahmed Kheir about "Conflicts within the Sudanese Government and Their Effect on Foreign Policy" (in Arabic).
1/19/00: A Conversation with Ambassador of Egypt Nabil Fahmy about "American Egyptian Relations and New Developments in the Middle East" (in Arabic).
1/12/00: Open discussion about "Lessons that the Arabs can Learn from the Experiences of the Twentieth Century" (in Arabic).
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