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March 2009 Issue | Serving Since 2006 | Online: www.myCRESCENT.com | T: 214-306-7920 Email: info@myCRESCENT.com FREE COPY
Sluggish Economy Hits Hard At Home
Mohammed Salem says job hunting is full-time work in this economy.
By Lena Dirbashi
An article in the Wall Street journal appeared in January claiming that Nortel, with its headquarter in Richardson, TX, was filing for bankruptcy.
her colleague’s fears came true: Nortel really did file for bankruptcy and there will be mass layoffs. It’s been over two months since Mohammed Salem graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in electrical engineering. When people ask him where he works, he replies, “My job is looking for a job.” Mohammad began job hunting four months ago, and spends his days on the computer rigorously applying to jobs online, navigating through promising career websites like Monster.com, CareerBuilder, and Engineering Central.
“At the time, the managers assured us that it was just a rumor,” Ummukulthum Al Maawiy, who works at Nortel, said. Then a few weeks later, her supervisor called for a meeting where Ummukulthum and Continues on page 05 >>
“It is better for a man to give a Dirham as sadaqa during his lifetime than to give a hundred at the time of his death.” -Source: Abu Dawood
Amir Omar taking a shot at Richardson City Council -P. 03
Against all odds, Masjid Al-Islam serves in the heart of Dallas -P. 09
Amoud Delivers Success This Month With Self-Sustaining Projects
Bashir Rabileh, Mohamoud Egal, Yusuf Kalib, Ibraahim Gurey and Halimo Hadi
By Hazrat Amin
(IRVING, TX) Remember the saying, “if you give someone a fish they can eat for a day, but if you teach them fishing they are able to feed themselves for life.” Irving-based Amoud
Foundation has been been implementing it for the past 10 years. “We are a very small organization,” says Mohamoud Egal who is president of the board. “One of the things that’s different about us is that we don’t go after disasters. We stay with core
projects – and community has been very supportive of us.” Amoud has adopted a strategy of empowering the people with resources and infrastructure to become productive citizens. In January the second batch of medical doctors graduated from Amoud University. In 1997, Amoud started the university in Borama region after a long civil war. “Most of the education infrastructure from primary to university was destroyed,” explains board member Yusuf A. Kalib. “There were no universities left.” He said that primary, middle and high school level education was re-established by various communities in the region, but there was no university for the kids to go to. Continues on page 10 >>
in u.s. history March 5, 1770 - British troops fire on a rock throwing crowd (known as “The Boston Massacre”). March 4, 1791 - Vermont is the 14th state admitted to the Union. Vermont became the first state added to the Union following the 13 colonies on March 1, 1791. March 5, 1794 - The 11th Amendment is passed by Congress. March 27, 1794 - The United States Navy is established. March 15, 1820 - Maine is the 23rd state admitted to the Union. Maine became the 23rd state on March 15, 1820. March 3, 1845 - Florida is the 27th state admitted to the Union. Florida became a state on March 3, 1845, a move delayed by the reluctance of Congress to admit another slave state, and it joined the Confederacy on January 10, 1861, re-entering the Union at war's end.