ASBAREZ Online [09-20-2004]

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09/20/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Threats to Freedom of Press in Pending Turkish Penal Code 2) Prime Minister Margarian Addresses Nation on Occasion of Independence Day 3) Merzliakov Refutes Statements in Azeri Press 4) Celebrations Mark Anniversaries of Anjar and Musa Ler 5) Parliament Member Mushegh Movsisian Passes Away 6) AYF Gears up for 2nd Annual Little Armenia Cleanup 7) Is Our Community Obsessed with Smoke and Mirrors? OUR NEXT ISSUE: Due to the Armenia's Independence Day holiday, Asbarez Online will not be posted on Tuesday, September 21; our next issue will be posted on Wednsday, September 22. 1) Threats to Freedom of Press in Pending Turkish Penal Code ANKARA (Combined Sources)--The Turkish parliament adjourned late last week without passing key reforms to its penal code--something the European Commission has said is necessary to the country's bid to join the 25-nation trade bloc. The debate in Turkish parliament stalled as legislators disputed whether to include a provision criminalizing adultery, something the EU also opposes. The Istanbul-based Armenian newspaper Marmara reports that the pending package includes two very controversial articles--passed earlier by parliament--dealing with the freedom of expression and freedom of press; the articles call for punishment of imprisonment for writings and announcements that appear in the press, that counter Turkey's national interests. Articles 5 and 6 of paragraph 127 of Turkey's penal code even cite literal examples of what would be punishable under that code. Publishing for example, writings that read: "The Turkish army must pull-out of Cyprus," or "Armenians were subject to genocide during the Ottoman Empire," fall into the category of going against national interests, and call for imprisonment. In debating the proposals, certain parliament members suggested softening the tone of the articles, but they passed intact. What is even more interesting is that Turkey, in its bid to join the EU, recently passed laws banning imprisonment for any acts concerning freedom of press. Marmara reports that in all, the penal code under consideration contains 20 articles that hinder freedom of press in Turkey. But EU enlargement commissioner Guenter Verheugen said on Sunday that the European Union will not open membership talks with Turkey unless the country passes a human-rights reform package, his strongest remarks on the issue so far. The commission is expected to present on October 6, its recommendation on whether to start entry talks with Turkey, and Verheugen said it would recommend against it unless the package is passed. "The criminal reforms are an indispensable pre-requisite for the establishment of membership negotiations," Verheugen said. "Only with these reforms can we certify that Turkey is a just state in which human rights are taken into account. The commission will make it clear that the membership negotiations cannot come so long as this central element is not fulfilled." If they do include the provision, Verheugen said it "would with certainty not survive the membership negotiations." "Now comes the moment of truth," Verheugen said. "Turkey must find the strength to reconcile traditional Turkish values with European values. European values are non-negotiable." Verheugen even summoned the Turkish ambassador on Saturday to ask for clarification on Ankara's position on the code. The summons followed a public dispute between Verheugen and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan last week, when Erdogan bluntly told the EU to stop meddling in Turkish affairs. The two will probably meet in Brussels on Thursday. 2) Parliament Member Mushegh Movsisian Passes Away YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Armenian parliament member Mushegh Movsisian, 48, died on Saturday after months of treatment for heavy injuries he sustained earlier this year in an automobile accident. Born in the Aygek village of Etchmiadzin, Movsisian was a physical training instructor, before he left for Mountainous Karabagh to fight against Azeri troops. He served as a community leader in his native village from 1994 to 1996, and was subsequently elected to parliament. In late 1999, Movsisian was arrested on suspicion of complicity in the 1999 Armenian parliament shootings. After spending seven months in prison, he was released on June 5, 2000, when a court ruled that the claim used to detain him was groundless. 3) Prime Minister Margarian Addresses Nation on Occasion of Independence Day YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Prime Minister Andranik Margarian addressed the nation on Monday on the occasion of Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union. Margarian stressed that the road leading to independence and during various periods has not been an easy one, but has been paved with numerous difficulties which continue to persist, "but our unbending will and the ability to unite our efforts at crucial times for solving our national problems, and the desire to live freely in our homeland have helped us. . ." He urged citizens to be intolerant of those forces that threaten to incite new clashes among nations and states, and pose a threat to civilized nations, in "a restless world." He also called for uniting efforts in Armenia, Mountainous Karabagh Republic, and Diaspora, so as to withstand any and all challenges. "By strengthening our state, we pay respects to our dedicated heroes, who sacrificed their lives to pave the way for our independence," said Margarian. 4) Merzliakov Refutes Statements in Azeri Press YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--The Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzliakov refuted recent reports in the Azeri press, following the September 16 meeting between Armenian president Robert Kocharian, and Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev, in Astana Kazakhstan. According to those accounts, Merzliakov was quoted as saying that one of the proposals discussed concerned the pullout of Armenian forces from the "occupied territories in the vicinity of Karabagh, the return of refugees, and guarantees for their security," and that the proposals of the OSCE co-chairs maintain the "principle of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan." Asking for clarification, the Armenian foreign ministry press and information department received a direct response from Merzliakov who said that no such statements or comments were made to the reporters--neither during the meeting in Astana, nor afterwards. 5) Celebrations Mark Anniversaries of Anjar and Musa Ler ANJAR--The 89th anniversary of the historic battle of Musa Ler and the 65th anniversary celebration of the formation of Anjar, kicked off this year on September 18 in Anjar. From morning on, both young and old gathered to re-establish their pilgrimage. After the lamb "madagh," the preparation of the traditional "herissa" began. In the evening, ARF "Garmeer Ler" educational committee organized a public gathering, with Movses Herguelian offering the opening remarks. He stated that the battle of Musa Dagh was a historic event that provided a standard for the entire world. The festive evening continued with Mampre Simonian singing patriotic songs for nearly two hours, inspiring the spirit of revolution passed down from their ancestors. With the traditional "davul, zourna," the evening came to an end with dancing and keeping alive the eternal memory of Musa Dagh's eighteen martyrs, who lost their lives in 1915 during the bloody battle. Their tombs are on the Mountain of Musa (Samandagh today) near the monument dedicated to them. The celebration continued the next day, as a congratulatory message forwarded by President Robert Kocharian was read by Armenia's Ambassador to Lebanon Areg Hovhannisian. Kocharian noted that Musa Dagh serves as a symbol of Armenian spirit and patriotism. 6) AYF Gears up for 2nd Annual Little Armenia Cleanup GLENDALE--The Armenian Youth Federation is getting ready for its 2nd Annual Little Armenia Cleanup, this Saturday, September 25, and with registration deadline around the corner, sign up immediately! The cleanup, co-sponsored by Los Angeles City Councilmember Eric Garcetti's office, will help remove litter and weed from major streets in Little Armenia. Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to gather at the Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School, where the clean-up will begin at 8:00 AM. According to the Los Angeles City Sanitation Department, volunteers cleaned over 23,000 pounds of litter during last year's cleanup. This year, the AYF hopes to exceed this number with the help of more volunteers. Those who wish to volunteer should provide their complete name, telephone number, address, and t-shirt size to the organizing committee by emailing [email protected] or call (818) 507-1933. Registered volunteers will be provided a t-shirt, lunch, and water throughout the day. "We are honored to have a part of Los Angeles named after our homeland," said Vicken Sosikian, Public Affairs Director of the AYF. "Positive feedback received from Little Armenia businesses and residents after the cleanup last year, along with our efforts to expand service to our communities, have led us to make the cleanup an annual effort," explained Sosikian. For more information about the 2nd Annual Little Armenia Cleanup or about AYF in general, please visit AYFwest.org. 7) Is Our Community Obsessed with Smoke and Mirrors? By Skeptik Sininkian The other day I finally had time to go over my stack of news I ritualistically print out every week from various websites in order to stay informed and up to date on what's new in the world. As I passed over the story of how Michael Jackson moon walked on the roof of an SUV surrounded by members of the rhythm Nation of Islam, ignored the Scott Peterson and Mark Geragos Modesto Media Carnival, and threw away the stories about Kobe Bryant's sexual misconduct, I almost sprayed my morning coffee all over my keyboard and desk after reading "Frustrated Chimp Takes Up Smoking--A chimpanzee has taken up smoking and spitting, according to China's Xinhua news agency." Folks, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. I'll spare you the details of the story except to say that the "poor" chimp was driven to smoking out of sexual frustration. Now some of you may wonder where I'm going with this, but let me assure you, I have a point. Actually, I have a few but this is a family publication and my views on our community and sexual frustrations will not fit in the space allowed for my column. But for starters, let me say that I can understand a caged animal, thousands of miles away from his/her native habitat, constantly surrounded by prying eyes and without privacy or a soul mate, resorting to smoking. After all, apes may share DNA with us but they're still animals and unable to reason. But I doubt that the youth in our community have it as bad as or worse than this poor chain smoking chimp. Yet every day, when I walk down Brand Boulevard in Glendale or walk out of a coffee shop, I see throngs of young Armenians polluting their lungs with cancer sticks. And they're not even caged up! Even worse, most aren't even old enough to smoke. These kids look old but are no older than 15 at the most! Most of these twelve year olds sport mustaches thicker than anything I ever grew in college during my "Sgt. Pepper" phase. I'm willing to bet $10 that most of these kids can't buy cigarettes legally. They're either lifting it from their parents, who continue to smoke in front of their children and thus encourage them, or are buying them from vendors who are breaking the law. Either way, smoking has become an epidemic amongst our community and it seems as though no one really cares. For a community that is so vain in the clothes they wear, the cars they drive, the restaurants they eat at, it amazes me that they are too stupid to realize that smoking makes them look like a sweaty third world car mechanic. California has taken some bold and admirable steps to try and curb this nastiest of nasty habits but there is still a lot of work to be done. If someone ever did a study of the Armenian community, I'm sure they'd find Armenians smoking on the rise. For a community that prides itself on being well-informed and educated, we seem to have missed the memo about all the risks that smoking poses to one's health. Most folks know the damage that smoking does but here's some other facts that you may not have known (). --About one in every five deaths in the US can be attributed to tobacco related products. --About 50,000 people a year die from second hand smoke in the US. --2000 teenagers start smoking every day. --Over 80 percent of all adult smokers started smoking before they were 18. --Tobacco companies make about 1.8 billion dollars a year from underage sales. Our children are already stupid--addicted to the internet and video games. Because of tobacco, our children are also going to grow up unhealthy and at a greater risk of dying of cancer and other smoking related diseases. What's so attractive about smoking anyway? I lose count when trying to recall how many times I've been to an Armenian dance or event and found more people standing outside smoking than inside dancing. Mothers, daughters, sons, fathers--even toothless grandfathers--all stand around puffing away and polluting the air for those of us who want to take a break from the overwhelming obnoxious heat from toxic levels of sweat inside the venue. Forget smoking outside, there's always that one tough guy who thinks he's Joe Pesci from Goodfellas and has to smoke inside the building during the event. He takes a drag off of his cigarette as if his life depended on it. You know the type of smoker I'm talking about. The one's who light the cigarette and then look like they're in pain as they inhale and then look like they finished running a marathon when they exhale. The next time you're at an indoor event and someone decides to light up, slap them with a piece of looleh kebab and tell him or her that Skeptik sent you. But the ultimate example of Armenian ignorance combined with tobacco was witnessed during a trip to Armenia. On the side of the road stood a man who ran a "gas station" which consisted of himself, a table, a homemade sign, and glass jars filled with petrol. (By the way, Armenia is the only place where I would recommend buying gasoline from a person with a homemade sign). Now as the man poured the gasoline into the tank of the car from the jars, a cigarette bounced up and down his chapped lower lip as he tried to make small talk. When warned about the dangers of smoking while "pumping" or pouring gas from an open container, his only reply was agreeing nod and an "I've heard of an accident like that happening before. It's really sad" comment. Maybe Armenians think their immune to the affects of tobacco or large fireball explosions? Consider the following. The average Armenian smoker smokes about one pack of cigarettes a day. That's roughly 4.50 cents per pack. That comes out to approximately 31.50 cents a week. (Before I continue, I must warn you that these calculations are based on figures derived from the legal procurement of cigarettes instead of smuggling counterfeit Marlboros from Mexico). Now with 52 weeks in a year, that comes out to 1638 dollars per person. Let's say that out of the 80,000 residents of Glendale who are Armenian, about half are male, and let's assume that a quarter of them smoke. That's about 10,000 young punks and old farts puffing away on cigarettes with logos like "Turkish Gold" or "Turkish Jade" or "Turkish blah blah blah." Now imagine if they took their nasty daily habit and instead donated their money to an Armenian charity. That would mean 16,380,000 dollars in funds for Armenian causes, schools, social programs, etc. Can you imagine how many lehmejoun's 16 million dollars can buy? So the next time you see an attractive boy or girl about to light up a cigarette, instead of telling them that it's their health that it's harming, tell them that their harming Armenia by literally burning their money. Maybe if we can get our act together here in the US, the chain smoking Armenians in Republic Square in Armenia will soon follow. In the meantime, I'll work on a breakthrough in medical technology, a patch that will keep people from smoking and mouthing off stupid comments and opinions. I call it the Skeptik Smoking and Stupidity Suppressor. So far, all I have is a piece of duct tape that you place over the patient's mouth but it still needs more work. Skeptik Sinikian lives and works in a pineapple under the sea and writes poetry on bathroom stalls in his spare time. He can be reached for comment at [email protected] or visit his blog at All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.