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05/20/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) ANCA Congratulates Villaraigosa, Looks Forward to Working Together in the Future 2) Greek Americans Call for Armenian Genocide Reparations 3) Surprise Move by Belgium's Socialist Party Hinders Armenian Efforts 4) Kerkorian Pays Unexpected Visit to Armenia 5) Glendale Ghapan Sister City Association to Send Medical Delegation to Armenia 6) ANC Leadership Institute Hosts Talk on Genocide Education Project 7) UCLA Armenian Student Association Celebrates 60th anniversary with Alumni Reception 8) Tamar Mashigian Reviews PASSAGE THROUGH HELL 9) I SEE LONDON, I SEE FRANCE...I SEE SADDAM'S UNDERPANTS 1) ANCA Congratulates Villaraigosa, Looks Forward to Working Together in the Future LOS ANGELES--Los Angeles City Council Member Antonio Villaraigosa scored a decisive victory in the May 17 run-off election for Los Angeles Mayor, running against incumbent Mayor Jim Hahn. This was the second time the two have faced off with the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) having endorsed Villaraigosa both during the previous election in 2001and this election cycle. This victory makes Antonio Villaraigosa the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since 1872 and also positions him to be a political force in national politics. Villaraigosa rode a wave of voter discontent with Mayor Hahn and his administration and was able to build a substantially broader coalition of support this time, especially among the city's different ethnic communities, including the Armenian American community. This fact, coupled with voters' desire for a fresh direction for the city, resulted in a major voter swing in Villaraigosa's favor. Commenting on the strong relationship Villaraigosa has with the Armenian American community, Steven J. Dadaian, Chairman of the ANC Western Region, stated, "Antonio's relationship with our community is based on years of being a leading advocate in supporting justice for the Armenian Genocide, promoting genocide curricula in our schools, strengthening economic ties with Armenia, and increasing the inclusion of Armenian Americans in public service. We congratulate him on his election as Mayor of the nation's second largest and most dynamic city and look forward to his leadership in making our goals a reality." The ANCA conducted a major voter awareness campaign for the election and Villaraigosa's candidacy which included television interviews, producing a TV commercial targeted at the Armenian American community that aired on many Armenian cable stations, print advertising, and providing volunteers to do Armenian voter outreach throughout the campaign. "As we have seen in both the Glendale city elections and now the Los Angeles Mayor's election, there is a growing electoral shift occurring in Los Angeles that is creating new opportunities for political leaders of different ethnic backgrounds," said Zanku Armenian, ANCA Liaison to the Villaraigosa campaign. "Recognizing the need for more dynamic and diverse leadership in City Hall, the ANCA endorsed Villaraigosa and deployed substantial resources to get out the Armenian American vote in support of his candidacy. As with his past positions, we felt Antonio Villaraigosa would prove to be a mayor who will work closely with the Armenian American community, ensuring we play a vital role in city government," added Armenian. Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa will be sworn into office on July 1. 2) Greek Americans Call for Armenian Genocide Reparations WASHINGTON, DC--The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) expressed appreciation on behalf of the Armenian American community to the American Hellenic Institute and the leading Greek American membership organizations for their principled stand in favor of Turkish compensation for the Armenian genocide. American Hellenic Institute president Gene Rossides, in a public statement issued on Thursday, called for Armenian genocide reparations as part of a policy statement on "Compensation to Turkey's Victims," prepared by the American Hellenic Institute. The policy statement has been endorsed by the major Greek American membership groups: the Order of AHEPA, Hellenic American National Council, Cyprus Federation of America, Panepirotic Federation of America, Pan-Macedonian Association of America, Evrytanian Association of America and American Hellenic Institute. "We want to extend our appreciation to Eugene Rossides, the American Hellenic Institute, and all the leading Greek American groups for their clearly articulated and principled demand that Turkey compensate the Armenian nation for the Armenian Genocide," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We join with our Greek American friends in calling on our government to press Turkey to ensure a just resolution of this crime and an equitable settlement of all of Turkey's offenses against Greeks and Armenians." In addition to seeking Turkish government compensation for the Armenian genocide, the Greek American leadership calls for Turkish compensation to the 1) the victims of Turkey's illegal invasion of Cyprus of 1974; 2) the owners of property in Cyprus illegally taken, occupied and used by the Turkish authorities and individuals since 1974; 3) the victims of the September 1955 Turkish pogrom against its Greek citizens in Istanbul; 4) the victims of the Turkish genocide against the Pontian Greeks in the 1920's, and; 5) the victims of the Turkish massacre of the Greek and Armenian populations of Smyrna (now Izmir) in 1922 under Kemal Ataturk's orders. In calling on "the US government to press Turkey to pay compensation," the Greek American leadership cited "the compensation paid by the government of Germany to Holocaust victims and to the state of Israel and the government of Japan to the victims of its actions in Asia before and during World War II." 3) Surprise Move by Belgium's Socialist Party Hinders Armenian Efforts BRUSSELS--In the next few days, the Belgium Senate will examine a draft law that would expand the definition for genocide denial. The draft law approved earlier by the House of Representative is based on a judicial definition of the crime of genocide, and does not specifically penalize the denial of the Armenian genocide. The House version was enacted prior to the establishment of the relevant international jurisdiction. But the issue has come to prominence recently due to numerous instances of Armenian genocide denial in Belgium. As a result, nearly half of the members of the Senate are seeking to consider this law and examine amendments to extend penalties for the denial of those genocides recognized by Belgian federal legislative bodies and by European legislative institutions. The position of Belguim's Socialist Party (PS), however, has upset a leading European Armenian group, which denounced the "openly denialist position" of the PS. The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) said the PS has indirectly indicated that it will not support these amendments. The PS, in a statement, writes: "To take legal action in our courts, a consensus is required among the international community on the qualification of the incriminated facts. This consensus of the international community has to go beyond resolutions without juridical significance taken by national or European Assemblies. If not, we would take the risk to trivialize the horrible meaning of the Jewish genocide undertaken by a modern State." The statement also concludes that House of Representative draft law could be applied "to the Armenian genocide, when it is recognized by an appropriate body." "It appears to us that the PS position was imposed by the Turkish state, in furtherance of its policy of questioning the reality of the Armenian genocide through the use of trivialization and rationalization," the EAFJD said in its sharp criticism of PS. "We also hold that the PS, in making comparisons to the Holocaust, has reduced itself to the base level of arranging a hierarchy of suffering, ranking victims in order importance." The EAFJD also criticized the PS for discrediting itself by repudiating its previous positions on this very issue. It accused the PS of reducing a profound moral issue to crass electoral considerations by enlisting the support of "a fringe element of genocide deniers that have neither respect for Belgium or Belgians." "We denounce the transparent demagoguery of the PS, which has become obsessed with chasing the Turkish vote throughout Brussels." The EAFJD has called on human rights organizations, the Centre pour l'egalite des chances, the members and the organization of the Common Socialist Action, the organization representing the victims of genocide, and especially the Jewish, Armenian, and Tutsi organizations and civil society to demand that PS issue a public apology and adopt a position consistent with its socialist legacy and European values. 4) Kerkorian Pays Unexpected Visit to Armenia YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--Armenian-American billionaire and philantropist Kirk Kerkorian arrived in Yerevan on Wednesday and met with President Robert Kocharian, as well as received the nation's highest state award--The Medal of Fatherland. The reclusive tycoon spent the next day inspecting streets in the city center and roads outside it that were rebuilt with his money. He was reportedly satisfied with the results of the projects. "Everything is wonderful here. I just couldn't imagine how beautiful this place is," Kerkorian said, as he sat in a street cafe in downtown Yerevan on Thursday. Asked by the paper whether intends to provide more multimillion-dollar assistance to Armenia, he said: "We'll think." The Armenian government hopes that Kerkorian will approve another hefty aid allocation comparable to its annual budget. Its possibility was apparently discussed during his meeting with Kocharian. "The current economic situation and reforms implemented in the country were discussed at the meeting," read a brief statement by Kocharian's office. "Also discussed were prospects for the republic's economic development." The implementation of the Lincy projects was personally overseen and coordinated by the chief of Kocharian's staff, Artashes Tumanian. The transparency and integrity of the process was seriously questioned by some Armenian press reports. Kerkorian, 87, has been Armenia's by far the largest diaspora benefactor since independence, having donated about $180 million through his charity, the Lincy Foundation. The bulk of the money has been allocated and spent since 2001 on various infrastructure projects. Those included the repair of 420 kilometers of major highways and the construction of 3,700 new apartments in the country's northwestern regions hit hard by the 1988 catastrophic earthquake. Kerkorian is known around the world as the owner of Tracinda Corporation, a Nevada-based investment company. "Forbes" magazine estimates his fortune at $8.1 billion. Among his biggest holdings are the MGM-Mirage casino and hotel operator as well as the Mandalay Bay Resorts group. Kerkorian recently made headlines in the Western press with the announcement of his plans to more than double his stake in General Motors, the world's largest automaker, to 8.84 percent. 5) Glendale Ghapan Sister City Association to Send Medical Delegation to Armenia GLENDALE--The Glendale Ghapan Sister City Association (GGSCA) has organized a delegation of medical experts and professionals to visit Armenia in September to promote a better understanding of the country's history, people, and culture among Glendale's medical community, and to familiarize Armenia's health administrators and professionals with the American healthcare system model. The delegation includes Hon. Larry Zarian, Governing Board Member of Glendale Adventist Hospital and former Glendale City Councilmember; Scott Reiner, Chief Executive Officer of Glendale Adventist Hospital; Carl Ermshar, the hospital's Chief of Staff; Dr. Alber Karamanoukian, a Glendale-based physician; and representatives of GGSCA. "We are very excited about our upcoming delegation to Armenia," said Artin Manoukian, President of GGSCA. "Both the delegation, as well as the medical community in Armenia, will learn a great deal from this exchange, and as a result will be able to provide a higher quality of care to their patients in the long run." The delegation will travel to Yerevan and Ghapan where they will visit medical institutions, as well as meet with various medical professionals, government officials, and health administrators. They will also visit historical and cultural sites throughout the two cities. "Because of Glendale's large Armenian population, the City's medical community provides care to thousands of Armenians," said Larry Zarian, Governing Board Member of Glendale Adventist Hospital. "Through exchanges such as this delegation, our health providers can become more familiar with the culture and history of the people they serve." The non-profit organization was founded in 2001 to foster relations, as well as cultural and economic cooperation between Glendale, California and Ghapan, Armenia. 6) ANC Leadership Institute Hosts Talk on Genocide Education Project GLENDALE--Speaking to a capacity audience at the Armenian National Committee (ANC) Leadership Institute on May 11, Sara Cohen, Education Director of the Genocide Education Project, presented its mission to help prevent genocide by assisting educators, students, and educational organizations through education about genocide and other major human rights violations, with specific focus on the Armenian genocide. The ANC Professional Network (PN) hosted the lecture in its ongoing effort to develop future generations of leaders to advance the interests of Armenian Americans by encouraging the emergence of an educated and politically active community. The audience of young professionals, which included educators, learned of the Genocide Education Project's development of a comprehensive teacher's manual that includes one, two and 10-day lesson plans and how the organization trains teachers interested in educating their students about the Armenian genocide. Complete lesson plans and other teaching tools are available online at "Incorporating the Armenian Genocide into public school curricula will help establish more understanding among a diverse student body so that all future acts of intolerance can be avoided," commented Jeannine Topalian, President of the ANC-PN and a school psychologist in the Los Angeles Unified School District. California Law mandates that the Armenian genocide be taught in the state's public schools. However, due to the overwhelming number of lessons that teachers have to plan and prepare, the Armenian genocide is often omitted. The lesson plans in the teacher's manual developed by the Genocide Education Project lift the burden placed on teachers and allow them to easily incorporate California's mandated curriculum. 7) UCLA Armenian Student Association Celebrates 60th anniversary with Alumni Reception WESTWOOD--The UCLA Armenian Student Association (ASA) will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the organization's founding with an alumni reception on Sunday, May 22 on campus. Established in 1945, the ASA has continued to strive to spread Armenian history and culture throughout the UCLA student community. Whether it is planning a cultural performance, a genocide awareness event, or a social mixer, the ASA has consistently put together quality programming to serve the student community. This year, the organization decided to not only give back to the students, but to fellow alumni as well. The networking event will include guest speakers and a photo slide show highlighting various years throughout ASA history. Proceeds from the program will be used towards various UCLA ASA programming and to build a school in Armenia. The alumni reception will be held at the Kerckhoff Grand Salon on UCLA's campus. Through networking, the ASA has attempted to get in contact with a number of UCLA alums and former ASA members to take part in the event. "A project like this hasn't been attempted in recent years...this is something that the ASA has decided to put together to give back to the community," said program coordinator Maral Karagozian. "It was a great challenge to start from scratch and attempt to locate as many former ASA members as possible." Tickets for the event are $20, which includes appetizers and wine. Please RSVP as soon as possible at leblebouh@yahoo.com or by calling (626)372-4630. The UCLA ASA is one of the oldest Armenian-American student groups in the United States. This year marks the 60th anniversary of its existence. The UCLA ASA seeks to cultivate a true understanding and appreciation of Armenian history, heritage, and culture through cultural, social, and recreational activities. 8) Tamar Mashigian Reviews PASSAGE THROUGH HELL By Armen Anush Marashlian Translated by Ishkhan Jinbashian Passage Through Hell, the English translation of writer Armen Anush's memoir of the deportation and massacres, was presented at the Montebello Armenian Center on April 19, and at Ferrahian High School in Encino on April 28. It is dedicated to the memory of the 1.5 million Armenian victims of the Genocide and to the Generation of the Desert Orphans. The following is Tamar Mashigian's April 28 presentation of the book: Over the past three decades, I have heard the tragic stories of dozens of Genocide survivors. I have interviewed numerous survivors, both on film and cassette tape. From cities like Izmit and Izmir to Garin and Kharpert, these eyewitnesses to the Genocide have told of the shock of being uprooted from their loving Armenian homes, their horrifying journeys through the desert and their ultimate miraculous survival. So when I received the book "Passage Through Hell" by noted writer and educator Armen Anush Marashlian, I thought to myself, "I've heard so many stories about the deportations and massacres. Maybe I can skim this book." Most accounts of the deportations and massacre are so horrific, I was thinking I might spare myself the river of tears that involuntarily flow when I hear the grisly details of the Genocide. But there was no putting it aside or hastily scanning the pages of Passage Through Hell. Instead, I discovered that I was reading the poignant plight of one family, author Armen Anush's family, and almost like a suspense novel found I couldn't put it down. I had to know what was going to happen to them. The book is written in the first person. Armen Anush is a 9-year-old boy living in war-torn Urfa, with gunfire and explosions wracking his neighborhood. That was in the fall of 1915. Armen Anush's father was gone for days at a time, returning with a grim face only to leave again--presumably to fight the enemy Turk. One evening shrapnel landed near the family's house. "Tomorrow evening our neighborhood, too, will be destroyed," Armen Anush's father predicted, and he left the house, never to be seen again. Indeed, the next day an explosion took off the roof of their house, and the family left on a journey that was, quite literally, "a passage through hell." During the Marashlians' march through the killing fields of Turkey, we get to know each of the family members as if they are our own, and we are caught up in emotional turmoil as we discover the fate of each one of them: * His amazingly young mother, who at the age of 29 bears 7 children, ranging from twin babies to a 12-year-old, is determined to keep the family together during the deportations, and even after her money runs out... * his sister, Victoria, who is transformed from a pretty, black-haired 12-year-old Armenian girl to a withered skeleton on the deportation route. * sister Rebecca, age 7, with her red hair and fiery black eyes, uncharacteristically quiet on the deportation march, wearing her kindergarten uniform. * sister Nvard, 5 years old, who is deaf and mute after a terrible fever when she was 3, and is consequently protected by everyone in the family. * 3-year-old sister Aghavni, a cute little girl who is the spoiled child of the family. * twin brothers, Tigranik and Mihranik, 9 months old. Armen Anush brings all of his family members to life in these pages; in doing so, he has found a beautiful way to honor them. There are many poignant moments for the Marashlian family along the deportation route; for instance, when they create a makeshift home. "We were still working when mother came back. Victoria took the stuff that she had brought, which included a jug of water, bread, vegetables and even a candle and matches. Nvard, eyes wide open, looked on with astonishment. I grabbed the candle and matches from Victoria's hands and jumped up and down. 'So we'll be lighting a candle and drink water from a jug,' I kept repeating and prancing. The girls laughed." Armen Anush also recounts the kindnesses of strangers: "I had recuperated but could hardly stand up. Mother carried me. She groaned and panted under my weight. Already we were behind. The slope wouldn't end and mother, out of breath, struggled to climb. A boy of 14 or 15 approached us and told her, 'Give him to me, madam, you're too tired.' Without waiting for an answer, he took me in his strong arms and headed straight for the front lines." Then there is the terrifying carnage that Armen Anush miraculously escapes: "The soldiers bound me with three women. I heard a horrific, gut-wrenching cry and collapsed. 'I'll die,' I thought. I continued hearing the dull blows of the swords and hatchets, the screams. The voices died down gradually. I forced myself to stir. Something heavy fell off my back. I looked: it was a woman--the one I was bound with. When I freed my waist, the corpse of another woman fell next to me. I was able to sit up, yet another woman's corpse lay on my legs. By falling on me, the three women I was bound with had, purposely or not, saved me from certain death." And, of course, he writes about the hardships: "All along the deportation road I had dreamt of Der-Zor. I was under the impression that we would have a room there...a warm, clean room of our own. I had dreamt of shoes and new clothes. But here we were in that city, and I was still barefoot, and my skin showed through my tattered clothes. Even when basking under the sun my body never, ever got warm. For hours I roamed the streets to get my hands on a few dates, while with each passing day bread became harder to come by, turning into an impossible fantasy." This was not an easy story to write, and it was 40 years after the Genocide that Armen Anush had the courage to put pen to paper and compose his memoir. Before then, he struggled to make a life for himself. After the deportations he escaped to Aleppo with the help of an Armenian coachman posing as a Turk. He was able to attend Aleppo's Haigazian Middle School, then he moved to Beirut, Lebanon, where he studied the French and Armenian languages and literature and he took some business courses, with the goal of becoming an educator. Eventually he entered the world of public service, working as a teacher and principal in Armenian schools throughout Syria, all the while taking correspondence courses in history and geography. He started writing as a young man, publishing articles in Armenian diasporan periodicals such as Haratch and Hairenik, and authoring books and poems about the Armenian experience. His works include Orerun Het, published in 1933; Ayrvats Kaghaki me Patmutiune, the story of Urfa's defense against the Turks, published in 1948; the epic poem Erkir Khrovki, published in 1955; and Aryan Chanaparhov, which was published in 1959 after his death and whose first English translation, Passage Through Hell, was published this year by Hagop and Knar Manjikian. This is not an easy text to translate, and Ishkhan Jinbashian deserves much credit for turning out some beautiful phrases. Jinbashian translates: "Mihranik was asleep, as were my sisters. I was still awake. I looked around, watching the scattered flames, which gradually died down while more and more the black of night, with its wings of dread, weighed down on the camp. From left and right you could hear children's whimpers, murmurs of prayer and damnations." Passage Through Hell is an important memoir. The value of this book is that it becomes one of a handful of eyewitness accounts of the Genocide, written by the survivors themselves, available in English today. Anyone searching Amazon.com for the subjects Armenian genocide, Armenian massacres and Armenian autobiography will notice fewer than a dozen books written by survivors themselves. The rest are written by children or grandchildren, or they're fictionalized accounts or they're history books. And most of the survivors memoirs are out of print. It is imperative that we have a substantial number of Genocide accounts in English so that the stories of the deportations and massacres be accessible to scholars, politicians, and researchers. And there's a vast and growing number of Armenians who can't read Armenian and who need to be aware of the human and political injustices of the Genocide of 1915. Passage Through Hell is an essential contribution to the English-language literature on the Great Crime that the Turkish government and people perpetrated against the Armenians in 1915. This book is another brick in Armenians' efforts to make a case against Turkey on the issue of the veracity of the Genocide. Passage Through Hell may be purchased in the Los Angeles area at the Sardarabad, Berj and Abril bookstores in Glendale; in Boston at the Hairenik bookstore; and in New York at St. Vartan Cathedral and the Prelacy. The book also may be purchased for $15 (add $3 for shipping) from H. and K. Manjikian Publications, P.O. Box 2734, Toluca Lake, CA 91610-0374; e-mail manjikianpub@hotmail.com. 9) I SEE LONDON, I SEE FRANCE...I SEE SADDAM'S UNDERPANTS BY SKEPTIK SINIKIAN Earlier this week, Britain's tabloid newspaper, The Sun, published a photo of infamous Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in wearing nothing but his lily-white briefs. That is correct. The man who incurred the wrath of not just one, but TWO Presidents named Bush, was photographed in his detention cell wearing only a "vardeeg." According to various news sources, the photo has angered US military officials who have issued condemnation and feel that Saddam's boudoir photo will now incur even greater anti-American sentiment in Iraq. Never mind the thousands of people who have died and continue to die every day because of this unjustified war. Forget the fact that America has no intention of pulling out of Iraq any time soon. You can invade/occupy/liberate a nation. You can turn a blind eye while rioters loot the National Historic Museum in Baghdad. But do NOT dare take pictures of their former leader wearing his tidy-whitey "Fruit of the Looms." My favorite part of this whole story has been the quotes issues by the White House. One spokesman, Trent Duffy, said that the President "has been briefed on that situation and he strongly supports the aggressive and thorough investigation that is already under way." BRIEFED! I almost fell out of my chair. (By the way, if US Senator Barbara Boxer prepares this "brief" for the President, would that make it the Boxer Brief?) The spokesman went on to say that the President "wants to get to the bottom of the investigation." Personally, I believe this photo is as close to the "bottom" as one can get. I don't know what the specifics behind this photo are, but I hope that making Saddam strip down to his underwear is not part of Bush's ongoing search for the elusive weapons of mass destruction. The strange part of this story is that after months upon months of searching for weapons of mass destruction and finally coming up empty handed, I thought it was the President who had been caught with his pants down. It's funny how the real world operates. Don't you think? Here's some more bizarre news that I thought I'd share with you this week. I just read that the Department of Defense's March 30, 2005 progress report on the post September 11 upgrading of its needs for foreign language professionals showed the Pentagon (41 months after the attacks) just now getting around to learning how many of its people already speak a foreign language. According to this document, it was not until May 2004 that a formal decision was made to "assess (foreign) language needs" and form a "steering committee." And it won't be until December 2005 that they will create a database of personnel with foreign language skills. Don't you feel safe knowing that our nation's top military and intelligence officials are working hard to keep us safe? Here's a suggestion for folks who are paid big tax dollars to keep our country safe. How about we forget about whether Saddam wears boxers or briefs and concentrate on training our intelligence and military personnel to learn a few new languages. If we're so concerned with our security, wouldn't it be wise to encourage more of our youth to learn foreign languages? It's funny how when I was younger, I remember how my non-Armenian friends used to make fun of the immigrant kids who had just come over from various countries in the Middle East or the former Soviet Union. They used to make fun of their accents and make them feel extremely uncomfortable. OK, maybe not "being-photographed-in-your-underwear-uncomfortable" but you get the idea. And here we are today, short staffed in our nation's intelligence and defense sectors on bilingual native speakers. I'm not encouraging the hiring of bilingual staff in order to spy on other people necessarily. I believe that with a diverse staff our governmental agencies and security forces would also be able to approach situations with a greater sensitivity towards other cultures. Maybe if they had people who understood both the language and the culture of a particular nation or people, then we'd be spared moronic stories in the news about soldiers flushing pages of the Koran down the toilet at the detention camps in Guantanamo Bay or naked human pyramids in Abu Ghraib or even Saddam Hussein in poses that would make even Paris Hilton blush. When we show no sensitivity towards other cultures and show no respect towards the traditions of the Arab nations we are trying to instill democracy in, then our credit line to preach American values--life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, etc.--is very limited. Given our current behavior, Americans preaching about respect and tolerance is like the Hunchback of Notre Dame telling someone to sit up straight! We will only be able to achieve peace if we understand and respect each other. Until next time, remember to wear clean underwear because you never know who's lurking around the corner with a camera. Skeptik Sinkian wrote this column "Commando" style (wearing no underwear). He is willing to pose for the British tabloids but as of yet, no one has accepted his offer. He can be reached for comment at SkeptikSinikian@aol.com or <; 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) 2005 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.