WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT — The Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy (MMLA) has been awarded funding to support a limited number of scholarships for heritage speakers of Arabic and Mandarin Chinese. Broadly speaking, heritage speakers are students from families with an Arabic or Chinese heritage, but who lack formal education in the language.

“STARTALK” is one of the projects of a U.S. government funded effort to expand foreign language education in under-taught critical languages by supporting new and existing programs for students, kindergarten through university, in several targeted languages including Mandarin Chinese and Arabic.

To be considered for a STARTALK partial scholarship at the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy an applicant must meet these criteria:

• Entering grade 7 through grade 12

 • Parents or grandparents speak either Arabic or Mandarin Chinese

• Have knowledge of the culture and traditions associated with the heritage language

 • Have a willingness to share that cultural  knowledge with others studying the language

 • Express a sincere desire to develop stronger skills in either Arabic or Chinese

 • Demonstrate financial need

 • Complete the application

The Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy extends the renowned Middlebury Language School summer immersion to middle and high school students for four weeks in a summer camp setting. See more at //www.mmla.middlebury.edu

Located at sites in California, Vermont and Massachusetts, MMLA combines rigorous and effective language education with summer camp activities, all conducted in the target language. As a Middlebury language immersion camp, students adhere to a Language Pledge® and agree to refrain from using English except in cases of emergency, safety or when the Pledge has been relaxed in camp for a particular purpose.

Students who do not meet the above criteria for a STARTALK scholarship may still apply to MMLA as regular students. To apply, call MMLA at 802.296.2459 or email to mmla.info@middlebury.edu.

Third U.S.-Arab Economic Forum near

WASHINGTON — The U.S.-Arab Economic Forum (USAEF) is taking place on May 7-9, 2008 in Washington, D.C. The USAEF is the premier event for people with an interest in business and policy decisions impacting the U.S. and Middle East. Bringing together corporate leaders and policy makers creates shared opportunities and strengthens U.S.-Arab relations. Focusing on business and economics builds mutually beneficial partnerships to promote economic growth and integration, free trade, entrepreneurship, public/private partnerships and a modern, innovative and competitive Middle Eastern society.

The USAEF is an opportunity to network with global colleagues and attend thought-provoking lectures and discussions of today’s business economy. There have been over 430 corporate leaders present, 170 government officials, 30 ministers, 90 speakers, and over 120 organizations from 35 countries at each forum. In addition, the USAEF reaches approximately 50 million people worldwide through global media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, FOX, Al-Jazeera, BBC, LBC, and Al Arabiya.

This year, Dr. Craig R. Barrett, chairman of the board, of Intel Corporation, will be a featured speaker. He became Intel’s fourth President in May of 1997 and Chief Executive Officer in 1998. He was elected to Intel’s Board of Directors in 1992 and served as Chief Operating Officer from 1993 to 1997. Barrett began his tenure at Intel as a Technology Development manager in 1974. Prior to joining Intel, Dr. Barrett was an Associate Professor at Stanford University in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Fawzi Al Hariri, minister of industry and minerals in Iraq, is another featured speaker. He was sworn in on May 20, 2006. Hariri lived in London for 16 years and is a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraq. He is currently Iraq’s minister of industry after being elected in the December 2005 elections as a member of the Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan. Fawzi has been quoted as saying “We will always be grateful to the Americans for overthrowing Saddam Hussein.”

Occidental Petroleum Corporation is a proud sponsor of the forum.  Oxy is an international oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, Middle East/North Africa and Latin America regions. It is the fourth largest U.S. oil and gas company, based on equity market capitalization. Oxy’s wholly owned subsidiary, OxyChem, manufactures and markets chlor-alkali products and vinyls.

In the Middle East/North Africa region, Oxy currently has operations in Libya, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Yemen and is a partner in the transborder Dolphin Project that supplies natural gas from Qatar to markets in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Occidental is committed to safeguarding the environment, protecting the safety and health of employees and neighboring communities and upholding high standards of social responsibility in all of the company’s worldwide operations.

The Council of Mayors promotes the developments of strategies for greater U.S.-Arab municipal cooperation and the development of effective economic and social policies. AMEEAC and the Harvard School of Government are in discussions to host the inaugural meeting of the Council of Mayors in Dubai. This initiative hopes to bring over 70 mayors from the U.S. and the Arab World together to promote mutual understanding, communication and learning between elected city officials in both regions.

For further information and/or to register, visit //usaef.ameeac.org.

Deadline approaching for Shaheen scholarship

Washington — The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is currently accepting applications for the 2008 Jack G. Shaheen Mass Communications Scholarship. Jack G. Shaheen, PhD, is the world’s foremost authority on media images of Arabs and the author of “Reel Bad Arabs,” “Arab and Muslim Stereotyping in American Popular Culture,” “Nuclear War Films,” and “The TV Arab.”

The deadline for applications is April 12, 2008. Dr. Shaheen established this scholarship through ADC to recognize Arab American students who excel in media studies. Recipients of the scholarship will be announced and presented at ADC’s 2008 National Convention, “Securing the Principles of Liberty” which will be held June 12-15 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC.

The purpose of the $1000 scholarship is to recognize Arab American students who excel in media studies. Juniors, seniors and graduate students who are attending college in the 2008-09 academic year and majoring in mass communications, journalism, radio, television, and/or film are eligible. They must have at least a 3.0 GPA and be a U.S. citizen of Arab heritage.

Applicants should send the following to the ADC Research Institute:

A one-page statement stating that you are a U.S. citizen, explaining your goals and why you merit the scholarship; copies of articles, videos, films, etc; official academic transcripts including your GPA; two letters of recommendation from mass communications professors; and a listing of your permanent home address, phone number, email address, address, phone number, and email address during the school year.

Send materials to:

Attn: Nawar Shora

ADC Research Institute (ADCRI)

1732 Wisconsin Ave, NW

Washington, DC 20007

Tel: 202.244.2990, Fax: 202.244.7968