Touma B Issa

This book addresses several aspects of environmental sustainability awareness and priorization, explores ways to use resources and processes more responsibly, and describes the strategies, models and tools required to overcome various challenges. Sustainable and green IT are used to minimize the current ICT recycling problems which are harming our planet. The book discusses the new green information technologies as alternatives to conventional ICT, which have significantly harmed nature, and examines how to make recent technologies such as cloud computing; social networking; smart technology; blockchains, IoT (internet-of-things); and big data sustainable. Exploring sustainability awareness and importance among individuals and organizations in the developed and developing countries, most of the contributions conclude that sustainability should be considered a duty in order to change mindsets, attitudes and actions so as to preserve our planet. Furthermore, it examines the green information technology strategies and models.

This book would not have been possible without the existence of that brilliant, vivid, bright, superb, wonderful, luminous, radiant, and very beautiful person whom the authors simply refer to as ‘Mum.’ The Authors’ mother was always there for them as they went through the highs and lows of their lives, always encouraging and helping them throughout her life, and this help continued even when the authors became adults. She continued to be a source of great help until she answered God’s call and went into her eternal sleep on that Wednesday afternoon in March of 2016. This book is written by her five children and is an attempt to keep Bathqyomo Marine Khoury-Issa’s memory alive. The authors’ mother hailed from Mesopotamia, “the land between the two rivers.” Mesopotamia is the place that is referred to as the“Cradle of Western Civilization.” Therefore, it was worthwhile to mention in this book some of the literature that talks about this great civilization that the authors’ parents brought them nearer to by what they taught, told and asked them to read in history books. The recipes included in this book were taught to the authors by their mother, and thus have a Mesopotamian origin. This book is dedicated to the authors’ mother, Bathqyomo Marine Khoury-Issa, with her unique characteristics as a spouse, mother and matriarch of the Issa Family. Her care put continues to exist in the food she used to cook (both main dishes and sweets), the care she gave to the garden, the way she faced life and the way she welcomed people into her home and family.

Technology continues to make great strides in society by providing opportunities for advancement, inclusion, and global competency. As new systems and tools arise, novel applications are created as well. Smart Technology Applications in Business Environments is an essential reference source for the latest scholarly research on the risks and opportunities of utilizing the latest technologies in different aspects of society such as education, healthcare systems, and corporations. Featuring extensive coverage on a broad range of topics and perspectives including virtual reality, robotics, and social media, this publication is ideally designed for academicians, researchers, students, and practitioners seeking current research on the improvement and increased productivity from the implementation of smart technologies.

This book, authored by family members who were originated in Mesopotamia, and are members of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, strives to provide a brief historical background on the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, her dogma, her ancient sacred language (Syriac/Aramaic), and persecution including 1915 Genocide (Sayfo) which might also be referred to as (SAYFO/SEPA/SWORD ܣܝܦܐ). This book endeavours to bring to light a historical account of the inhabitants of the ancient land of Mesopotamia, leading to the events that resulted in several persecutions of these original people of the land, specifically during the “Syriac Genocide” (Sayfo) of 1915 (SAYFO/SEPA/SWORD ܣܝܦܐ). The authors derive from diverse sources, including some ancient rare manuscripts that have not been, to date, translated into English from Syriac/Aramaic; supported by evidence derived from some of what has been translated into English, including personal accounts. In this book, the authors highlight the number of people who were massacred and those who were forced to leave their Christian faith and convert, including members of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, showing the unpleasant face of persecution and Genocide against people who are accredited of their huge positive impact on the World’s Civilization. This book commences with a brief historical background on the origin of Christianity in the East, and the historical background of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, leading to an explanation of the atrocities at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, providing a backdrop to allow an understanding of the context at the time, concluding with some insights of the atrocities in the 21st century against the same people in parts of the Middle East and around the world. The book provides a brief account of the courageous actions taken by patriarchs, other clergy, and lay people to face such atrocities. The authors briefly examine some of the events that took place leading to the main Genocide of 1915, the “Syriac Genocide” (Sayfo) (SAYFO/SEPA/SWORD ܣܝܦܐ), or what has been dubbed as “The Forgotten Genocide”. The book concludes with some events that took place in the 21st century which were mainly derived from the ongoing incidents that affected the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and her community in the Middle East and around the world. The image on the front cover of this book is taken from a handwritten manuscript that was written in 1478 in Syriac/Aramaic. This manuscript was the property of the father of the main author and the parental grandfather of the other co-authors, the ܡܫܡܫܢܐ ܐܘܢܓܠܝܐ (Mshamshono Ewangeloyo) “Full Deacon Touma Issa Sr.” (his full name is Touma bar Issa Dbeath Khoshaba Maryya). His vast knowledge in Syriac/Aramaic language, and his reticence in the Syriac Ecclesiastical melodies and hymns led him to teach these two topics for some forty years, thus, and due to his immense knowledge and tireless services to the Holy Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, he was ordained by the Archbishop then as a ܡܫܡܫܢܐ ܐܘܢܓܠܝܐ (Mshamshono Ewangeloyo) (i.e. Full Deacon) at the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch on 15th July 1901. May his soul rest in peace.