ASBAREZ Online [03-10-2006]

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03/10/2006
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Armenians Wounded and Killed in Georgia 2) ANCA-WR Participates in California Republican Party Convention 3) OSCE Minsk Group Urges Armenia And Azerbaijan to Prepare Publics for Peace Not War 4) Bay Area ANC Hosts Publishers Hrant Dink And Ragip Zarakolu 5) President Bush's Trade Policy Report Cites Progress on US-Armenia Economic Cooperation 6) State Department Ends Silence on Azerbaijan's Destruction of Historic Julfa Cemetery 7) ARF to Hold Conference Titled "Armenians And The Left" 8) Geragos, Yeghiayan, And Kabateck Receive 2006 CLAY Award 9) Harvest Gallery Presents Rafael Atoyan Exhibit 10) Publishing House Established in Honor of Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian 11) SKEPTIK'S OSCAR PARTY RECIPE FOR GOLDEN RICE A LA "ESH" 12) Homo Ottomanicus? By Garen Yegparian 13) ANCA Endowment Fund Purchases New Washington, DC Headquarters 1) Armenians Wounded and Killed in Georgia (Armenpress/PanArmenian.Net)--A group of ethnic Ajarian or Svani Georgians attacked three young Armenian men, stabbing one of them to death in Tsalka, southern Georgia. According to A-Info news agency, which is based in the predominantly Armenian populated region of Javakhk in southern Georgia, the Armenians were attacked Thursday by a 15-member group in Tsalka's busy town center. The men were attacked after leaving a restaurant as they were getting into a car. The unidentified attackers dragged them out of the car and started beating them, some armed with heavy metal objects. In the attack, 23-year-old Gevorg Gevorkyan of the Ghushchi village was stabbed multiple times and died the scene. V. Saakyan, 25, was wounded in the leg and 25-year old K. Baloyan was transported to a hospital in Tbilisi with severe injuries. A-Info quoted the wounded Armenians as saying they did not know the reason they were attacked. The perpetrators escaped after the attack. A special squad of Georgia's interior ministry, deployed to the region to prevent inter-ethnic violence, has arrested three suspects. Following the attack and closure of roads leading to the Armenian villages, local Armenians held a protest. A crowd of 300 people demonstrated outside the building of the local police department demanding a fair trial of the suspects and broke some windows. According to Georgian parliament member Hayk Meltonyan, some 100 protesters were beaten by truncheon-wielding police officers trying to disperse the crowd. Tsalka, population 22,000, is predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians and Greeks. It is located close to Javakhk. In the early 1990s, the Georgian government moved a group of about 2,500 ethnic Georgians (mostly Ajarians and Svans) to Tsalka after a devastating landslide in their native mountainous villages. Conflicts between Armenian and Greek communities and Georgians do periodically occur in the Tsalka area. Nevertheless, Georgian officials continuously argue that the conflicts in Tsalka have no ethnic context and represent mostly "communal violence." 2) ANCA-WR Participates in California Republican Party Convention SAN JOSE--Representatives of the Armenian National Committee of America - Western Region (ANCA-WR) traveled to San Jose to participate in the California Republican Party (CRP) Convention held February 24-26. During the three-day convention, ANCA-WR Director Armen Carapetian and ANCA activist Jack Hadjinian met with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as other Republican leaders to discuss issues of concern to Armenian Americans. Carapetian and Hadjinian joined the CRP Volunteer Organization Committee meeting with the California Congress of Republicans, California State Republican National Hispanic Assembly, and California Federation of Republican Women, among others, where participants discussed opportunities to collaborate on initiatives. Many candidates for statewide offices were on-hand during the meeting to provide updates on their campaigns. Governor Schwarzenegger greeted the volunteer organizations and thanked them for their support. "Volunteers have always been extremely important in campaigns," said the Governor in his remarks. Following the meeting, Jack Hadjinian spoke with the Governor and thanked him for his principled stance on the Armenian genocide. Hadjinian, a Montebello resident, extended a special invitation to the Governor for this year's commemoration of the Armenian genocide at the Armenian Martyrs Memorial Monument at Bicknell Park. Paying homage to the victims of the Armenian genocide at the monument is an annual tradition for Los Angeles area Armenian Americans. This commemoration regularly draws over 10,000 visitors, including many elected officials. Most notably, in 1969, then Governor Ronald Reagan joined His Holiness Khoren I in commemorating the Armenian genocide at the monument. This year's remembrance event will take place on Sunday, April 23. The convention provided the ANCA-WR the opportunity to reach out to California Republican elected officials and candidates for elected office. Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48), who was the only Congressional member at the convention, reiterated his support for the Armenian genocide legislation pending in the House of Representatives. State Senator Chuck Poochigian (Fresno) invited the ANCA representatives to a special reception and briefed them on his campaign for Attorney General. Carapetian and Hadjinian also met many Republican Party activists over the weekend, including Armenian Americans involved in the CRP and various campaigns. "It's important for us to be here, and it's good to see that Armenian Americans are involved at this crucial level of the political process," said Carapetian. "We have received nothing but appreciation for coming to this convention, and we will continue to build on the relationships we established this weekend." The ANCA-WR sponsored an exhibit table at the convention to familiarize those in attendance with the organization, its programs and initiatives. Carapetian and Hadjinian also took part in workshops hosted by the CRP aimed at training activists in all areas of campaigning. The next CRP Convention will be held in the fall. The ANCA is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues. 3) OSCE Minsk Group Urges Armenia And Azerbaijan to Prepare Publics for Peace Not War YEREVAN (Armenpress)--The three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, which deals with the Karabagh conflict, have issued a statement regretting the lack of forward movement in the recent negotiations and calling on Armenia and Azerbaijan to "work vigorously" to achieve a result in 2006. In the statement: "The Co-Chairs reaffirmed their belief that a great deal of progress has been achieved in the past year and a half... they urged both parties to build on the basic principles for a future settlement that have already been developed in order to achieve an agreement in 2006." "They regret that the process has not moved forward in recent weeks though, despite ample opportunity to do so," but reiterated their belief that 2006 is a highly favorable year for substantial progress. The Co-Chairs called on the governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan to work toward this goal and "to take steps with their publics to prepare them for peace, and not for war." The Co-Chairs also said that they will decide when their next trip to region will be after assessing the readiness of the parties. Their next meeting will take place March 20 in Istanbul. 4) Bay Area ANC Hosts Publishers Hrant Dink And Ragip Zarakolu SAN FRANCISCO--The Bay Area Armenian National Committee (ANC) hosted its annual "Hye Tad Evening" at Treasure Island, with special guests including Turkey's Agos Armenian Weekly editor, Hrant Dink and Belge Publishing House owner, Ragip Zarakolu. Hrant Dink is the publisher and founding editor of the only bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper, the Agos Weekly, established in 1996. Dink thanked the Bay Area ANC for inviting him to the event. Speaking in Armenian, he said, "I am delighted to have the opportunity to meet the Armenian community here," adding that he was happy to have had the chance to meet and talk with ANC committees all over the world. Dink grew up in Malatia, attended Armenian school in Istanbul, and studied Philosophy and Zoology at Istanbul University. Through his writings, publications, and public statements, Dink has been an outspoken advocate for the democratization of Turkish society and for the need to break the silence about the Armenian genocide. Dink recently went on trial for "insulting the Turkish state," because of his remarks about reciting the Turkish oath. Dink said about the oath, which says "I am Turkish, I am honest, I am hardworking," that although he was honest and hardworking, he was not a Turk, but an Armenian. Although he was finally acquitted in that case, he was later convicted of "insulting the Turkish identity" for writing an article about the impact of the Armenian genocide on the diaspora. Although his suspended sentence requires that he not repeat the crime, Dink said, "I will not be silent. As long as I live here, I will go on telling the truth," and vowed that he would appeal to Turkey's supreme court and to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary. "If it is a day or six months or six years, it is all unacceptable to me," he said. "If I am unable to come up with a positive result, it will be honorable for me to leave this country." Dink now faces new charges for attempting "to influence the judiciary," because of his comments about his conviction. Despite government pressure on people who are speaking out, Dink said, "It was a dream 10 years ago to imagine seeing the publication of books and articles on the Armenian genocide. There is no doubt that there has been some positive change." "People are starting to defend their rights," said Dink, hoping for "great changes." "The activities of the diaspora, the Genocide resolutions passed by other countries every year, have contributed to the growing consciousness in Turkey," said Dink, who also attributed much of the growing recognition of the Armenian genocide in Turkey to the Kurdish struggle for national rights there. "The government used to say, 'We don't have Kurds or a Kurdish problem. Those people fighting up in the mountains are actually Armenians,'" said Dink. "And to prove their assertions, they would publish photographs in newspapers showing the uncircumcised corpses of the defeated fighters. The Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan was referred to as 'The Armenian Bastard.'" Dink said that one of the first things his paper did was to prove a certain priest who appeared in a government newspaper photo with a Kurdish leader, was not, in fact, an Armenian priest, as was claimed. "We said we're going to speak in their language," Dink said of the decision to publish Agos in Turkish as well as Armenian, against the protests of many in the Armenian community. "Since then we began to speak about our history and to counter their lies. We said, 'Now, it's our turn.'" Dink said that the process of democratization in Turkey can no longer be turned back. "There is a movement to talk about the past and a desire to know what happened to Armenians, " he said. One of the unexpected consequences of this movement was that many people in Turkey are now revealing that their ancestors were Armenian. "On the other hand, the Turkish government has responded with more propaganda," said Dink, citing the fact that four years ago, new textbooks were distributed to all the schools which claim that Armenians massacred the Turks. Comparing the small number of books on the Genocide now being published, with the millions of government textbooks denying the Genocide, Dink said, "My hope is that those 3,000 books will vanquish the governments' millions." He said that the process of recognizing the Armenian genocide is going to take place from within the country, starting from the general population. He said that outside pressures for change must find a partner from within the country, or there is a danger for extreme nationalism. Dink described a new ideological movement within Turkey which brings together the Turkish and the Islamic identities to form one unifying identity. He also pointed out that the nationalist groups and Islamist groups are competing with one another and as a result attacks against Armenians have increased. Nevertheless, Dink expressed optimism about Armenian genocide recognition. "One day they will recognize that the Armenian genocide has to be addressed. But they will try to delay it and water it down as much as possible." Regarding Turkey's entry into the European Union, Dink said, "Turkey is like a young man in love with a young European woman. But by the time a union can actually take place, the man will be old and the woman will be ugly... But love is the important thing. It keeps men young, because they try to look better, act younger, take care of themselves. Joining the European Union is not the important thing, but being in love is important." Dink also expressed his hope that one day Armenia would join the European Union. Ragip Zarakolu is the owner of Belge Publishing House. Through the publication of books deemed subversive by the Turkish authorities, Zarakolu has given voice to countless victims of injustice whose stories have been silenced, denied, and banned by successive Turkish regimes. The first book on the Armenian genocide which he published in Turkish was Yves Ternon's, Le Genocide des Armeniens, under the title, Armenian Taboo, in 1994. Later came Vahakn Dadrian's Genocide as a Problem of National and International Law. When Zarakolu was acquitted of charges against him for that publication, the possibility of more free discussion about the Armenian genocide in Turkey increased. Among Zarakolu's other translated publications about Armenian and non-Armenian human rights issues is Mgrditch Armen's Heghnar's Fountain, Franz Werfel's Forty Days in Musa Dagh, Avetis Aharonian's, The Fedayees, Tessa Hoffman's Talaat Pasha Trials in Berlin, Peter Balakian's Black Dog of the Fate, and most recently, Turkish translations of Ambassador Morgenthau's Story. Because of his work, Zarakolu spent three years in prison in the 1970's. His wife also spent several years in prison. Zarakolu spoke about his first exposure to the Armenian genocide, when his mother, a witness to the deportations, told him about being kept in the house, while hearing Armenians being taken away outside. "My mother said, 'The Armenians were crying outside, and we were crying inside,'" said Zarakolu. Referring to Turkey's involvement in WWI as a "stupid, adventurous war of the Ittihadists," Zarakolu said his mother lost both her parents. She was also able to save two Armenian girls from deportation, but the government later removed those girls from their home. Zarakolu also spoke admiringly of Sarkis Cherkezian, an Armenian genocide survivor born in a Syrian refugee camp who just passed away at 90 years of age. "We learned many things about the realities of what happened to the Armenians," he said of his close relationship to Cherkezian. He said it was because of people like Cherkezian that he is able to write. Zarakolu discussed the initial years of the Belge publishing house, during which his work was not only banned but received little attention. "We had a press conference for our collection of writings of the first reports on the Armenian genocide, but there was no coverage in the press," said Zarakolu. Since then he has withstood a constant barrage of criminal charges, further imprisonment, confiscation and destruction of books, the bombing of his publishing house, and heavy government fines and taxes. His publishing house has endured more than 40 criminal indictments. Zarakolu is currently being tried for publishing George Jerjian's History Will Set Us Free, and Dora Sakayan's An Armenian Doctor in Turkey: Garabed Hatcherian: My Smyrna Ordeal in 1922. Economic means permitting, Zarakolu hopes to publish the Turkish editions of the Blue Book from the United Kingdom, Armin Wegner's testimonies, Captanian's testimonies, and a selection of Zabel Yeseyan's works, as well as a photographic documentation of the Armenian deportation to the Syrian Desert. 5) President Bush's Trade Policy Report Cites Progress on US-Armenia Economic Cooperation WASHINGTON, DC--President Bush's annual Trade Policy Report cites progress across a broad range of areas of US-Armenia economic cooperation, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). "We are gratified to see that the steady progress in US-Armenia economic relations is reflected in the President's annual trade report to Congress," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "We look forward, in the weeks and months ahead, to building on this momentum by encouraging the negotiation of both a treaty eliminating double taxation and an agreement clarifying the Social Security obligations and entitlements of those dividing either their careers or their retirements between the US and Armenia." The President's annual trade report is submitted to Congress by the United States Trade Representative (USTR). It details the benefits of foreign trade for US businesses, farmers and ranchers, service providers and consumers, reviews the Administration's accomplishments of 2005, and lays out its agenda for 2006. Additional information on this report can be found at: The provisions of the report that deal specifically with Armenia are as follows: 1. Normalization of US-Armenia Trade Relations "In 2004, Congress passed the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004 which authorized the President to terminate application of Jackson-Vanik to Armenia. On January 7, 2005, the President signed a proclamation terminating application of Jackson-Vanik to Armenia and granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) tariff treatment to products of Armenia. Based on the President's proclamation granting products from Armenia PNTR treatment, the United States and Armenia can apply the WTO between them and have recourse to WTO dispute settlement procedures." 2. Expansion of US-Armenia Trade and Investment "The United States continues to actively support political and economic reforms in Central Asia and the Caucasus, which includes the former Soviet countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The United States has been striving to construct a framework for the development of strong trade and investment links with this region. This approach has been pursued both bilaterally and multilaterally. The United States currently has Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT) in force with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and has signed a BIT with Uzbekistan, which has not yet entered into force." 3. Cooperation on Intellectual Property Rights "In 2003, due to improvements made to Armenia's Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime, the US Government closed the review of the IPR industry's petition with respect to Armenia." 4. Promotion of Economic Growth Through Duty-Free Exports "Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan participate in the GSP program. In 2004, Azerbaijan submitted an application for designation as a beneficiary developing country under the GSP program which is under consideration." (The GSP is a program to promote economic growth in the developing world by providing preferential duty-free entry for more than 4,650 products from 144 designated beneficiary countries and territories.) 6) State Department Ends Silence on Azerbaijan's Destruction of Historic Julfa Cemetery WASHINGTON, DC--In the wake of a sustained international outcry, growing Congressional protests, and a forceful condemnation by the European Parliament, the US State Department ended its three-month long silence Tuesday on the Azeri government's destruction of the medieval Armenian cemetery in the Julfa region of Nakhichevan. Speaking Tuesday at a press conference in Yerevan, Armenia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza responded to reporters' questions by describing the destruction as a "tragedy," and noting that, "it's awful what happened in Julfa. But the United States cannot take steps to stop it as it is happening on foreign soil. We continually raise this issue at meetings with Azeri officials. We are hopeful that the guilty will justly be punished. We are hopeful that in no other state of the region such things will happen again, as there are great historic monuments in the Caucasus and, frankly speaking, in all three states they are endangered." "We welcome the end to the State Department's long silence on Julfa, but regret that it took three months and sustained international protest before our government summoned the will to utter its first public condemnation of a clear cut and thoroughly documented case of cultural desecration," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "It's neither fair nor accurate for the State Department--in an apparent exercise in artificial evenhandedness--to imply that both Armenia and Azerbaijan are guilty of cultural destruction," added Hamparian. "In commenting on this subject in the future, we would hope that our diplomats will limit themselves to the actual facts on the ground, which point unmistakably to Azerbaijani culpability for the Julfa desecration and a long-standing pattern of deliberate demolition of Armenia religious and cultural treasures." In December of 2005, approximately 200 Azeri forces were videotaped using sledgehammers to demolish the Armenian cemetery in Julfa, a sacred site of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The cemetery dates back to the 7th Century and once was home to as many as 10,000 khatchkars (stone-crosses). An on-line video of the destruction can be viewed at: The ANCA has widely distributed DVDs documenting the destruction, educated Congressional offices about this desecration, and worked in concert with ANCA affiliates around the world to protest Azerbaijan's worsening anti-Armenian behavior. The Congressional Armenian Caucus, led by Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), has formally condemned Azerbaijan's actions, as have Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (D-CA). On February 16, 2006, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning Azerbaijan's destruction of the cemetery and demanding that Azerbaijan allow an European Parliament delegation to survey the site. On February 28, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura. During the meeting, the Foreign Minister called attention to the destruction of the Julfa cemetery and urged UNESCO to send a team of experts to assess the situation and take appropriate action. 7) ARF to Hold Conference Titled "Armenians And The Left" --Robert Fisk, Noam Chomsky, and David Barsamian to speak In an effort to develop ties with political currents outside the US mainstream and broaden the range of participation among an increasingly diverse Armenian community, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in the Eastern United States is planning a conference called "Armenians and the Left." The conference is scheduled for the weekend of April 8 in New York City and is co-sponsored by the Nation Institute and City University of New York's (CUNY) Study for Place, Culture, and Politics. On the eve of the conference, Robert Fisk of the British-based newspaper The Independent will deliver a plenary lecture at the New York Society for Ethical Culture at 7:30 PM on April 7. As the author of two highly acclaimed books on the region, Fisk will address global issues such as US imperialism in the Middle East and Transcaucasus and the implications for small, struggling nations like Armenia. The conference will begin the following day at CUNY Graduate Center, where panels of scholars, activists, and opinion makers will take a critical look at, and offer progressive analyses of a range of subjects pertinent to Armenia's political situation within a global context. The website armeniansandtheleft.com provides a full description of the panels and biographies of the panelists. Robert Fisk that day will join David Barsamian of Alternative Radio on a panel titled, "War, Propaganda, and the Media." Barsamian has built Alternative Radio into one of the few remaining independent forums for critically analyzing US domestic and foreign policy. On the following day, Fisk will join Noam Chomsky at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to address an audience about the topic of "War, Geo-Politics, and History: Conflict in the Middle East." Chomsky is perhaps the nation's most well known critic of US Foreign Policy. The talk will take place at Room 10-250 on MIT's Campus on Sunday, April 9 at 1:30 PM. 8) Geragos, Yeghiayan, And Kabateck Receive 2006 CLAY Award SAN FRANCISCO--Out of more than 200,000 eligible attorneys, California Lawyer Magazine chose attorneys Mark Geragos, Brian Kabateck, and Vartkes Yeghiayan to be among the few attorneys which will receive the prestigious California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year (CLAY) Award in litigation. The CLAY Award recognizes those attorneys throughout the state whose work has had a profound, far-reaching impact over the past year. The attorneys honored changed law, broke new ground in various areas, and substantially influenced public policy. Armenian-American lawyers Mark Geragos, Brian Kabateck, and Vartkes Yeghiayan were recognized for their work in reaching two settlements of $20 million and $17.5 with insurance companies on behalf of descendants of Armenians killed during the Armenian genocide. Martin Marootian, et al. v. New York Life Insurance Company and Kyurkjian, et. al. v. AXA were momentous since they represent one of the oldest unresolved cases in history--that have now been settled 90 years later. They are also the first recorded cases addressing issues involving the Armenian genocide. All three attorneys are of Armenian decent and descendants of Genocide victims and survivors. Through these cases, they feel honored to have helped people understand the magnitude of the atrocities committed during the Armenian genocide. 9) Harvest Gallery Presents Rafael Atoyan Exhibit GLENDALE-- A rare solo exhibition of internationally acclaimed artist Rafael Atoyan's works will be held March 10-22 at Harvest Gallery in Glendale. Rafael Atoyan is one of the former Soviet Union's baby boomers, the so-called "60's generation," which played a significant role in withstanding the oppressive regime of the time. This generation of artists (whose leader Minas Avetissian was later victimized by the regime) sought creative freedom and struggled for the right of self-expression. "Ato knows what it is that he is after," Avetissian said. "He treads slowly but surely. He's our Cezanne." Atoyan is a graduate of the Terlemezian College of Fine Arts and the Yerevan Institute of Theater and Fine Arts. He uses watercolors as he would use oil on canvas--meticulously, layer by layer, with painstaking elaboration of detail and form. His watercolors are conveyed through a real visible picture. Atoyan's exhibit will be on display from Friday, March 10 through Wednesday, March 22. For general information about the exhibit, please call Harvest Gallery at (818)546-1000 or visit Harvest Gallery 938 North Brand Blvd. Glendale, CA Exhibition Dates: Friday, March 10 through Wednesday, March 22 Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Sunday from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM 10) Publishing House Established in Honor of Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian In 2003, the Armenian Apostolic Church lost one of its most devoted servants, Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian. The Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society organized a public gathering on the first anniversary of his passing with the aim of keeping his memory alive. A total of $20,000 was raised by the public in memory of the Archbishop. Part of the contributions were allocated for the establishment of the "Mesrob Ashjian Publishing House" at the Armenian Academy's History Department, under the guidance of Professor Ashod Melkonian, Head of the History Department. Mesrob Ashjian Publishing House has already published ten books. The rest of the contributions were used to put up a life-size sculpture of the Archbishop in Armenia. His Holiness Karekin II has offered His blessing for the placement of the statue in front of St. Kevork's Church at Moughni Village. The ceremony will take place on May 28, the day Archbishop Ashjian was ordained. The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony on May 28, 2006 in the Moughni Village of Armenia. For more information please contact: [email protected] 11) SKEPTIK'S OSCAR PARTY RECIPE FOR GOLDEN RICE A LA "ESH" Dear Readers, I was sick for the last two weeks and no one even noticed. But that's OK. Don't bother asking me how I AM!! Anyway, just bear with me. This week's article will take a while to kick into second gear but I'll make it worth your while. Promise! Your friend, Skeptik I didn't watch the Oscars. I was at an Armenian wedding in North Hollywood. And what a wedding it was! Let me just say that the whole time, I was taking notes of "Do's" and "Don'ts" for future reference and a gazillion ideas for future columns. The whole time as two young people professed their love to one another in a timeless ceremony and celebration of Holy Matrimony, I kept thinking thoughts like "I can't believe I'm missing Jon Stewart hosting the Oscars" and "I wonder if Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie are going to have a cat fight on the red carpet??" I don't even like the Oscars and the last time I remember watching it, that old guy from "City Slickers" did one-handed pushups after winning his award. That was pretty awesome! The person who thought of getting Jon Stewart to host the Academy Awards/Oscars is a genius. I like this idea mainly because I think Stewart does a brilliant job on the "Daily Show" on Comedy Central. That show alone is enough reason to buy one of those packages for satellite or direct TV and then get stuck with over 20 home shopping channels, that Christian Evangelical Channel with the woman that wears all the makeup, and the Oxygen channel, which ironically, makes me crave carbon monoxide and not oxygen. I heard he did a good job and he made some great political jokes which included a Dick Cheney hunting joke, but from what I heard around the water cooler the next day, it looks like they'll probably go with someone else next year. WARNING! WARNING! SKEPTIK DIGRESSION ALERT! I don't know why the Oscars screwed around with a proven formula. I remember when Billy Crystal was the host every year. It was comforting. Now the Oscar host changes every year. It's like that friend who dates the same girl for like three years and she even starts to grow on you because you're so used to them together. Then they break up and no one knows why. For the next three years he keeps bringing a different girl to your annual Christmas party and some are okay and others are disasters but you always end up comparing them to the previous girl. And that's all I have to say about that. END OF DIGRESSION (if you wish to see more of my critique of the Oscars, visit my blog.) One of the things that I find funny during the Oscars is when some Hollywood nobody wins an award and then for the next fifty years, any time that person is in any type of play, movie, cartoon, commercial, advertisement or ribbon cutting of a new International House of Pancakes, they are introduced as "Academy Award Winner." Does anyone else think that it's absolutely ridiculous that Cuba Gooding Jr. and Marissa Tomei both have this moniker? So this has given me an idea to give out my own awards to mock the Oscars and leave my legacy for posterity's sake. Ladies and gentlemen... I introduce to you... the Golden Esh Award! (For non-Armenians reading this column, the word "esh" means donkey or jackass in Armenian.) Ta-Dah! The Golden Esh Award is meant to coincide with the Academy Awards, the People's Choice Awards, and the Golden Globes. The Golden Esh memorializes great accomplishments in idiocy. It is awarded to people who do or say things that only an ESH would do or say. The nominees for the 2006 Golden ESH are: US SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZA RICE for recalling US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans for comments he made reaffirming the Armenian genocide. In case you missed the news recently, Ambassador John Evans has been forced to resign his post as Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia because during a visit with diaspora Armenians in the US he actually said, and I quote: "I regard the event as an act of genocide. No American official has ever denied this fact. I think it will not bring honor to Americans to play with words concerning this issue. I know that everything should be called by their names. However, the US policy has not changed. We have military relations with Turkey in the framework of NATO. The Armenian genocide was the first genocide that was committed in the 20th century. I assure you that we shall seriously deal with this issue." So because of his candor and courage, Ambassador Evans is being rewarded with a pink slip and has probably been blacklisted from ever working in the State Department again. In fact, Armenia is now the lucky recipient of the US Ambassador from Tajikistan. Which means that if we're getting the Ambassador from Middle-of-nowhere Tajikistan, then Evans is probably going to be made the assistant to the Ambassador to some penguin colony in Antarctica. What a damn shame! Condoleeza Rice has sullied the reputation of not only her department but of the American people as well! The next nominee is the PUBLIC BROADCAST SYSTEM (PBS) for airing a discussion with a panel of Genocide Deniers immediately following a documentary on the Armenian genocide. (By the way, if you want to know more about either of these issues, you can read about them on the Armenian National Committee website at ) Having a panel of Genocide Deniers speak after a documentary about the Armenian genocide is like having a group of former Nazis and Holocaust Deniers speak right after a screening of Schindler's List. Over 10,000 Armenians have already written to PBS to complain about this decision to no avail. The folks at PBS have responded to their viewers and supporters with the same arrogance as one of their characters from those stupid Victorian era British shows that they are always promoting. This an all time low for the channel that brought us Sesame Street and Contact! Even worse, is that PBS has yet to see the error of its ways and remains unwavering in their complete and utter disregard for human decency. Thanks to this ESH move, I won't be able to watch Sesame Street ever again without picture a big ugly Turkish fez on top of Big Bird's head! Next time PBS has a telethon fundraising drive, I'm grabbing a bag of Lahmajouns and a six pack of beer, sitting by the TV with my cordless phone, and calling them over and over again just to tell the volunteers there that I will not donate a dime to their Genocide Denying idiots! And the final nominee for this year's ESH Award is SEMIH IDIZ, Editor of Turkish News who recently wrote an editorial in Milliyet (a Turkish paper) claiming that Turkey didn't deserve its bad reputation. This was a response to an international survey of attitudes towards 35 countries and Turkey was viewed as the least favorable. SURPRISE! SURPRISE! Idiz writes that evidently "the world sees Turks as ignorant, lazy, poor, radical Islamist, crazy, barbaric, and dangerous" and claims that these labels are completely unfair. Well, Idiz my effendi, in your list of "How Turks Are Perceived," you forgot genocidal, ungrateful, violent, oppressive, racist, fascist, arrogant, and delusional. And I almost forgot: Bird Flu Spreading! When delving into the roots of this so-called misconception, Idiz observes that foreigners may misunderstand Turkish society because "such developments as the police beating women demonstrators" just a few months ago, "looks bad." Idiz baby, the women beatings are just the tip of the iceberg. And now for the winner. Orhan Pamuk, if you can please pass me the envelope through the bars of your Turkish jail cell. Thank you. (Cough to clear throat) So we have three VERY worth nominees for this year's Golden ESH Award. In fact, the panel of judges has had such a hard time deciding who to award that we actually have a historic THREE WAY TIE!! That's right Condoleeza, PBS, and Idiz, you are all Golden ESHes! As part of receiving this honor, you will henceforth be known as "Golden ESH winners." So hold your heads up high and enjoy the company you're in. In addition to your goody bag filled with grade-A manure just like the stuff you like to peddle around town, all three of you have been selected for an exclusive hunting trip with Vice President Dick Cheney! Enjoy and don't forget to write! Skeptik Sinikian is currently working on a design for the statue of the Golden Esh Award. If anyone knows an Esh or would like to model for one, contact him at [email protected] or visit his cool (OK, not) new blog at 12) Homo Ottomanicus? By Garen Yegparian A few days ago, at a presentation about our political operations, the speaker described a pattern of behavior as being "the Armenian way" when describing the approach of a certain organization. It was the go-along-to-get-along approach to life in its worst manifestation. Cowering before the mighty. Abiding by their wishes even when those impinge on or harm one's own needs, desires, and goals. This is how we made it through Ottoman times. We became servile creatures, barely recognizable as human. Fortunately, our revolutionary period reinserted our backbones, but evidently not into all of us. The Soviet period wrought its damage too. To this day, people who grew up in that time and place, still speak while barely opening their mouths, as if to avoid being discovered. But what of those who grew up in and have known only the relative freedom of the Diaspora? Why are some of them so eager to please their "betters"? Or is it perhaps their "masters" they're pleasing in their own pathetic minds? Why would Armenians not proudly advocate Armenian interests? Why would they not set out what we really want, in toto, then work as reality allows for pieces of that whole until we've attained it all? To strategically and tactically back off a demand for good reason and for a time is wise. To not ever state it, deny its existence, negotiate it away, or only pursue it when permission is "granted" by those "wiser" than we is treasonous. This cowardly mindset is an anachronism. It is no longer warranted anywhere we are. It can be particularly detrimental when navigating the ship of state. Current leaders of the two Armenian republics seem to be doing a good job on this front. No one should undercut them by advocating policies based on fear of regional or super-powers. But the concern is not limited to Yerevan. The same thing happens closer to home. We can often be too accommodating to those in power on the local level too. We might support people for office who are not the best (or least worst) choice from an Armenian perspective, just for fear of retribution. Thus we get to be the "loyal millet" of yore all over again. I do not a call for loudmouthed posturing with no substance or ability to deliver. I call for ridding ourselves of this Ottoman pathology (with due credit to Ara Baliozian who wrote on this repeatedly a decade and more ago) once and for all. 13) ANCA Endowment Fund Purchases New Washington, DC Headquarters WASHINGTON, DC - The ANCA Endowment Fund announced Friday the purchase of a new national headquarters, cementing the grassroots organization's presence in the nation's capital and creating a platform for the continued growth of the political power and influence of the Armenian American community. "At its heart, this purchase speaks to our respect for our roots--our enduring historic roots as a people, our grassroots communities around the country, and the deep roots that we have planted here in the nation's capital," said ANCA Endowment Fund President Ken Hachikian. "Roots represent our identity--and our strength. Grassroots advocacy is in our very soul. Our roots have been the wellspring that has nourished us from our fledgling days, through decades of struggle, and to our status today as a world-class organization, recognized internationally as the principled, forceful, and effective voice of the Armenian American community." The four-story building, formerly owned by AOL founder Steve Case, is located near prestigious Embassy Row, blocks from the White House and the nation's leading think tanks, including the Carnegie Foundation and the Brookings Institution. The newly renovated structure features the latest in computer, communications, and networking technology. "Now is the time to build on our successes," added Hachikian. "We look confidently to the future--forging new paths and embracing new technologies--to generate the political power, influence and respect that the Armenian American community deserves--and that the Armenian homeland needs." With a proven track record of results and a rock-solid base of support to build on, the leadership of the ANCA Endowment is currently in the planning stages of a campaign to cover the full cost of this state-of-the-art building, expand a broad range of advocacy programs, and grow the organization's life sustaining endowment fund. These efforts will cement the long-term stability and continuing success of Armenian American advocacy, substantially reinforce the Armenian presence in Washington DC, and create an even more powerful voice for Armenian Americans--in short, provide a sound footing for the future and a permanent home for the Armenian Cause in the United States. 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