Month: November 2006

November 3, 2006
PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
PRELATE TO CONDUCT HOLY MASS AT HOLY MARTYRS
ON THE NAME DAY OF THE CHURCH
According to our church calendar, Saturday, November 4,
2006 is All Saints Day. Traditionally, Holy Martyrs Church of Encino
celebrates its name day during this time. On Sunday, November 5, on
this occasion, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, will
conduct Holy Mass, deliver the sermon, and preside over the blessing
of madagh at Holy Martyrs Church.
Prelacy Christian Education Department Co-Director Very
Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian and Rev. Razmig Khatchadourian, Pastor of
Holy Martyrs Church, will assist at the altar. The blessing of the
madagh, which will be prepared by the parish Ladies Auxiliary, will
take place immediately following church services, at Avedissian Hall.
On Saturday, November 4, the annual banquet of the church
will take place at the Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills. The banquet
is being held under the auspices of the Prelate and hosted by Mr. and
Mrs. Khachik and Elo Mouradian.
THE PRELATE AND EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
WELCOME THE PRELATE OF LEBANON
H. G. BISHOP KEGHAM KATCHERIAN
This past week, H.G. Bishop Kegham Katcherian, Prelate of
Lebanon, visited our Prelacy. On the evening of Wednesday, November
1st, Prelate Archbishop Mardirossian and the Executive Council met
with Bishop Katcherian to discuss the situation in Lebanon and
specifically the difficulties facing the Armenian community, after
which they hosted the Bishop to dinner.
Prior to his arrival in Los Angeles, the Prelate was in
Fresno where, on Sunday, October 29, he conducted Mass at Holy
Trinity Church. On Thursday, November 2nd, before his departure,
Bishop Katcherian was honored with a reception by the Prelate, clergy
members, and representatives from the Prelacy Ladies Auxiliary.
PRELATE CONGRATULATES THE PUBLISHER, EDITORIAL STAFF, AND LEADERSHIP
OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
On the afternoon of Wednesday, November 1st, the Prelate
attended a special reception in honor of David Hiller, who was
recently named president, publisher, and chief executive officer of
the Los Angeles Times.
The luncheon, which was organized by community activist
Larry Zarian, was hosted by restaurateur Ara Kalfayan at his
Phoenicia Restaurant in Glendale. Members of the Los Angeles Times
editorial staff were in attendance, along with representatives of
Armenian organizations and the media.
LECTURE ORGANIZED BY
THE ARMENIAN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
On the evening of Wednesday, November 1st, a lecture took
place at Glendale Public Library, organized by the Armenian
Educational Foundation. Prof. Richard Hovannisian, AEF Chair in
Modern Armenian History at UCLA, spoke on “The Vanishing Landscape of
Historic Western Armenia”.
Rev. Vazken Atmajian, Pastor of St. Mary’s Church,
represented the Prelate.
PRELATE CONGRATULATES THE NEW
CONSUL GENERAL OF ARMENIA
In a press release dated November 2nd, the Consulate General of the
Republic of Armenia announced that on October 30, Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian appointedArmen Liloyan to serve as the Consul General
of Armenia in Los Angeles.
On behalf of the Prelacy Religious and Executive Councils, the
Prelate offered his congratulations, support, and best wishes to the
Consul.
The Prelate also sent a congratulatory letter to Consul General of
Lebanon Charbel Wehbe, on his recent elevation to the rank of
ambassador.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Borat and his producer Ken Davitian:
Equal-opportunity offensiveness Unbridled `Borat’ might have you
laughing and cringing at the same time
Friday, November 3, 2006 By James Sanford
[email protected] 388-8553
Some fans have said that Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat character — an
overeager, uncouth TV personality from Kazakhstan who originally
surfaced on Cohen’s series “Da Ali G Show” — was a takeoff on
Internet semi-star Mahir Cagri, the Turkish man whose fractured
English and child-like messages made his Web page a major attraction
in 1999. But Cohen’s “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make
Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” seems to draw inspiration from
another, much older source: “Candid Camera,” the series created by
Allen Funt more than 50 years ago.
Most of “Borat” features apparently improvised footage in which Borat
mingles with “average Americans” during a cross-country journey to find
“Baywatch” and “Stacked” star Pamela Anderson (or, as Borat calls her,
“Pommulla Undrazan”). There’s not much evidence to suggest the people
Borat encounters were aware they were being set up. But were they ever.
Whether it’s a New York hotel employee who’s dismayed to find Borat
unpacking his suitcase in an elevator car (Borat insists he thought
it must be his room), or the members of the Magnolia Mansion Dining
Society being startled by Borat’s inappropriate “date” for the evening,
the reactions don’t look rehearsed. Nor is there any indication that
the Manhattan subway riders had been clued in about what Borat brought
aboard the train, or that the ultra-conservative cowboys and cowgirls
at a rodeo knew what to expect when Borat expressed Kazakhstan’s
support for America’s “War of Terror.”
The biggest laughs (and many of the most uncomfortable moments) in
the film stem from watching ordinary people react to Borat’s curious
customs and clumsy attempts to merge into the American mainstream.
Cohen and director Larry Charles spare no one — even children, in
a memorably mean episode involving an ice cream truck — although
they seem to take particular delight in skewering Southerners,
who are generally portrayed in the film as being small-minded,
Bible-clutching, homophobic racists with a dread of anything that’s
not wrapped in a Confederate flag. “Shave that dadgum mustache off
(and) you’ll be less conspicuous,” a rodeo manager advises Borat.
“You’ll look like an Italian!”
“Borat” is a great litmus test for determining exactly how far a joke
can go before you stop laughing. In many of the scenes Cohen has set
up, the humor goes so far out on the edge it’s too ridiculous to be
truly insulting; other segments, such as a disastrous visit to an
antique shop, will make many viewers uneasy because they’re likely
to identify with the victims of Borat’s shenanigans.
Still, part of the movie’s appeal is its willingness to push the
envelope to the breaking point, in order to search for that elusive
line between the outrageously funny and the exasperating. In the eyes
of Cohen and David, if you take offense, the joke’s on you.
Although “Borat” has already drawn criticism from some critics who were
shocked by its dialogue and attitudes, the movie isn’t about promoting
ignorance and intolerance but about exposing it through humor. The
crude content and sometimes alarming talk serve a purpose, although
it takes a while to realize exactly what the filmmakers are doing.
“Borat” is reminiscent of the segments Canadian comedian Rick Mercer
created on the CBC show “This Hour Has 22 Minutes,” in which Mercer
interviewed Americans about supposed “news” from Canada.
Mercer would throw out absurd ideas, telling people that the leader
of Canada had announced he was moving into a gigantic igloo or that
Canada had just recently decided to allow women to vote, then present
the reactions. Like much of “Borat,” the results were often hilarious
and sort of painful to witness as well.
The movie wouldn’t work if Cohen ever allowed himself to smirk at
his victims or back away from the strange situations in which Borat
inevitably finds himself. To his credit, Cohen never lets his mask
slip, even when Borat is being roughed up by security guards or,
in one of the movie’s most astonishing sequences, hitching a ride
with a trio of plastered fraternity brothers who manage to live up to
(or down to, as the case may be) every ugly cliche about frat life. As
for the wrestling scene between Borat and his producer (Ken Davitian,
who also deserves points for comic bravado), let’s just say you’ve
never seen anything quite like it before and you may find yourself
wishing you’d continued living in blissful ignorance.
This may not be the kind of performance that gets Cohen Oscar
recognition, but it’s definitely an impressive piece of acting — and
“Borat” is a movie that will certainly make some sort of an impression
on everyone who sees it.
©2006 Kalamazoo © 2006 Michigan Live.
–Boundary_(ID_6zfo8TptNAhH1+sav5wUUA)–

MISS ARMENIA AMONG 12 BEST AT MISS EUROPE 2006
Panorama.am
16:54 03/11/06
Marina Vardanyan, Miss Armenia 2006, told a press conference today
she is content with her results at Miss Europe 2006 since she is
among the best 12.
However, she said she had aspiration to be included among the best 5.
Karen Aristakesyan, chairman of Miss Armenia national agency, also said
“Marina deserves better,” but he refused to comment on the decision
of jury.
Aristakesyan said Marina was warmly welcomed by the Armenian community
in Kiev where the contest took place. He also said the Armenian
ambassador in Ukraine, Armen Khachatryan, accompanied the Armenian
delegation. Aristakesyan assures Marina will get many offers to
participate in fashion and beauty contests. /Panorama.am/

PROGRAM ON SUSTAINABLE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIAN AND GEORGIAN
BORDER REGIONS TO BE IMPLEMENTED UNDER AEGIS OF CE
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The 14th session of the European
Conference of Ministers Responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT) of
the Council of Europe member states took place in Lisbon (Portugal) in
late October. According to a press release of the RA Ministry of Urban
Development, during the session RA Deputy Minister Ruzan Alaverdian
made a report “Armenia as a New CEMAT Bridge in European Model
Regions”. Given the importance of the functions aimed at developing
the border regions of the CE member states in terms of dealing with
problems of common interest, a mutual understanding memorandum on the
program “CEMAT Model Region: Armenia-Georgia: Sustainable Regional
Development of Border Regions” was signed on October 27 among the RA
Ministry of Urban Development, the Georgian National Security Council
Office and Germany’s Ministry of Transport and Urban Development with
the participation of high-ranking CE officials. The program will be
implemented under the aegis of the Council of Europe.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BY 2007 DRAFT STATE BUDGET, EXPENDITURES ON MAINTENANCE OF STATE
GOVERNANCE MACHINERY TO INCREASE BY 5.2 BILLION DRAMS
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. By the 2007 draft state budget,
the expenditures on maintenance of the state governance machinery
will make 40.5 bln drams, which exceeds the 2006 financing by
5.2 bln drams (about 13.7 mln USD). Presenting the issue of the
draft state budget-envisaged financing of the state governance
machinery at the November 3 joint sitting of the RA National Assembly
standing committees, RA Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy Pavel
Safarian said that 67% of the increase of financing is conditioned
by the planned growth in salaries of civil servants and the related
increase in allocations for social secirity payments. Particularly,
from January 1, 2007 it is envisaged to set the basic official
salary of civil servants at 35,500 drams instead of 30,000 drams in
2006. The total cost of this change is 1.2 bln drams. As a result,
in 2007 the average salary of civil servants will make 104,000 drams
instead of the current 87,000 drams. From July 1, 2007 it is planned
to increase the salaries of high-ranking officials by about 40%, for
which the draft state budget envisages additional financing of 676
mln drams. One of the peculiarities of the law on official salaries
of high-ranking officials to be adopted soon is that their salaries
will be set not in absolute figures but in comparison with the minimal
salary in Armenia. Salaries of other categories of employees of the
state governance machinery will increase by 20%, which requires
additional financing of 508 mln drams. According to P. Safarian,
the growth in the salary fund of the state governance machinery is
also conditioned by some structural changes, including the creation
of the Judicial Department and a growth in the number of employees
due to the increased functions of some state governance bodies. As a
result, in 2007 the number of jobs in the state governance machinery
will increase by 174 and make 15,329.5. The deputy minister said that
along with these financing changes, the share of expenditures on the
state governance machinery in the overall budgetary expenditures will
remain the same compared with 2006 – 7.3%, while their ratio to GDP
will decline – from 1.47% in 2006 to 1.37%.

TIGRAN SARGSIAN: WITH HELP OF RF CENTRAL BANK, CBA PREVENTED SEVERAL
LARGE-SCALE MONEY LAUNDERING OPERATIONS
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. “Remittances from Russia to Armenia
are mainly those of natural persons, i.e remittances sent by numerous
Armenians working in Russia. As regards money laundering, the Central
Banks of Armenia and Russia closely cooperate in the fight against
it,” Tigran Sargsian, Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA),
current Chairman of the Interstate Bank, said at the press conference
to summarize the results of the Interstate Bank Board’s meeting in
Yerevan on November 3. Chairman of the Central Bank of the Russian
Federation Sergei Ignatyev and Chairman of Kazakhstan’s National Bank
Anvar Saydenov took part in the press conference. Responding to NT
correspondent’s question about whether “there exists a movement of
“dirty” or grey money from Russia to Armenia”, T. Sargsian said that
experts of the RF CB came to Armenia and discussed the schemes used by
some commercial banks for money laundering. “We took these schemes as a
basis and follow the transfers made. If they are made by these schemes,
the CBA applies the respective measures to these banks to prevent
such banking operations from being carried out,” CBA Chairman said,
adding that in such cases at the CBA’s request, the offshore accounts
of the banks attempting to use the indicated schemes are closed.
“I think, with the help of the RF Central Bank, we have succeeded
in prevention of several large-scale money laundering operations,”
T. Sargsian stated.
“I’d like to make some corrections, as the matter concerns tax and
customs payments evasion rather than a “dirty” money movement,” Sergei
Ignatyev said, noting that Russian residents attempt to do this. “It
is an ordinary situation at a customs-house when a Russian importer is
reluctant to state the real value of goods, indicates a lower value
in the declaration to pay less customs duties and VAT. So he has the
problem of moving his money abroad in the so-to-speak “shadow” way,
that is, without declaring what money it is and for what purposes
it is envisaged,” S. Ignatyev said, adding that “they try to solve
these problems by using various schemes.” According to him, there
have been cases that some banks of the post-Soviet countries have
been involved, in an active or passive way, in these schemes. In
his words, the RF CB actively cooperates with the central banks of
other countries, “in some cases they are the first to apply to us,
in other cases we apply to them and take the appropriate measures to
reduce the number of such operations,” S. Ignatyev noted. Asked “what
scale is the question about”, T. Sargsian replied that a case when
“the transfers amounted to several billion dollars over two years”
was revealed with the help of the RF CB. “The scheme was approximately
the same as described by my colleague. It must be established what
part was an attempt to evade taxes and which part was legal.”

ACCORDING TO PANORAMA.AM, ARMENTEL SOLD TO RUSSIAN COMPANY VYMPELCOM
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the website panorama.am,
ArmenTel company has been sold to the Russian company Vympelcom. The
website informs its visitors that Vympelcom was the first Russian
company whose shares were listed on the New York stock exchange (since
1997). Most of its shares are owned by the Norwegian company Telenor,
one of the world’s telecommunication leaders. Besides, shares are owned
by the following companes: Egerton Capital Ltd, Charlemagne Capital,
Fidelity Internation, DWS Invest Bric Plus, Fidelity Fundseur, Deutsche
Bank AG, Jp Morgan Chase & Go, Brinson Partners, Merill Lynch Invest,
Axa, Pictet Asset Managem, Capital International, Thames River Capital,
Baring Eastern Europe, Raiffeisenosteuropa, Barclays Clobal Inve,
Credit Suisse Asset, and the Russian companies: Telenor East Inv,
Eco Telecom, Tehspetsmonthazh, Rapit LLC, Mitsar LLC, Veltex LLC,
Varkedge LTD, Occidental MGMT, Karino Trading L, Ravenscroft Hold,
Songo LLC and Express Times Ltd.
There have been no official reports to confirm this information. To
recap, a few weeks ago there were reports in the press that ArmenTel
was sold to an Arab company but this information was later refuted.

FREEDOM HOUSE CALLS ON MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION TO DISCONTINUE
ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Freedom House organization called
on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to discontinue its
assistance to several countries, inluding Armenia, for the reason that
protection of political rights and civil freedoms are not ensured in
these countries, Radio Liberty reported. The MCC Board of Directors
on November 8 will select the governments eligible for applying for
assistance in 2007. Freedom House urges the MCC not to select “the
countries having low scores of political rights and civil freedoms,
although by these indices they meet the standards for participation in
this year’s selection process. These countries are Armenia, Bhutan,
Egypt, Jordan, Maldives, Tunisia and Vietnam,” the November 3 press
release of Freedom House reads. Frredom House appeals to the MCC to
keep attention on countries like Armenia, which signed the agreements
but do not secure the standards promised in the field of democratic
governance. “Armenia did not keep its promise to the MCC to improve
its institutional commitments to democracy and tolerance towards the
opposition. Despite the appeal of the MCC Chief Executive Ambassador
Danilovich, the violations committed at the constitutional referendum
in November 2005 have not been investigated. The implementaion of
timid reforms approved by the referendum was stopped in 2006, and in
the opposition’s opinion, violations will again be committed at the
upcoming elections. Many antidemocratic methods are being used to keep
power. The judicial branch is subjected to political pressure of the
executive branch. Despite the fact that a new legislation was passed
to secure freedom of the mass media, the atmosphere of tension has
not improved, and attacks on journalists with the use of violence
continue,” Freedom House’s press release says. To recap, under the
Millennium Challenge Program, the US will allocate 235 mln USD to
Armenia in the next 5 years for the development of rural settlements.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

David Babayan: Adoption of the Constitution somewhat resembles baptism
04.11.2006 14:54
Marlena Hovsepyan
“Radiolur”
December 10 Constitutional Referendum will be held in Nagorno Karabakh.
Yesterday NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan signed a corresponding
decree. It is characteristic that the referendum will be held just on
December 10. To remind, 15 years ago on the same day the Referendum
on Independence was held in Nagorno Karabakh, and 99.9 % of the
participants voted for independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
NKR is actively preparing for the important event to be held in a
month. Up to now discussions have been held in the political field. The
public sector did not stay apart, either. November will also be rich
in discussions and roundtables, political scientist David Babayan told
“Radiolur.”
“Adoption of the Constitution somewhat resembles baptism. Some people
are baptized immediately after birth; others are christened in a more
mature age, when they start realizing what they are doing. During 15
years Nagorno Karabakh has really passed a long way. It has passed
through referendums, war, post-war reconstruction and economic
development. We look at our past and see evaluate it. We have an
exact view of the future,” says the political scientist.
Are there any similarities with the Armenian Constitution? In response
to the question, David Babayan noted that there are some similarities,
but certain differences also exist. “Although we are one nation with
common culture, but the peculiarities should be taken into account,”
he said.
The political scientist calls on the people of Karabakh to play
an active role in the adoption of the Mail Law of the country –
the Constitution.

Maxim Poghosyan wounded by an Azeri sniper
ArmRadio.am
04.11.2006 11:37
November 3 resident of Aygepar village Maxim Poghosyan, born in 1978,
was wounded by an Azeri sniper on Aygepar-Movses road.
Poghosysn was taken to the medical center of Berd, Press Service of
RA Ministry of Defense reports
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress