Month: April 2007

PRESS RELEASE
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
April 12, 2007
Phone: 610-642-6633
[email protected]

BIRTHRIG HT ARMENIA ERASES BORDERS WITH STRONG ALUMNI NETWORK

Birthright Armenia has answered the question on how to bring young Armenian
leaders together in both the "virtual" world and the real one, with the
formation of an active alumni network that spans the globe. With nearly 200
sponsored Birthright participants from 13 different countries in its
network, this challenge has been no small feat for the growing organization.
However, by adding new activities to its already successful alumni program,
Birthright Armenia has proven that when it comes to making a difference,
borders should not mean barriers.

The importance of alumni is not a new premise for the nearly four-year-old
organization, as it was founded on a philosophy that only through strong
ties to the homeland would young adults be energized to take on leadership
positions within the Diaspora. In fact, the idea of a strong alumni network
was based on continued youth involvement after completing their initial
volunteer service. The ultimate goal? Keep the youth engaged and
eventually they would become leaders of the numerous diasporan organizations
throughout the world, bridging the gap between countries, languages and
beliefs.

Recent AVC volunteer and Birthright Armenia participant Sophie Malkasian,
who volunteered with Heifer International in the southern region of Armenia,
is one recent example of the success Birthright has achieved with its
alumni. After spending nine full months of her one-year internship in tin
the village of Getap, Sophie personally raised over $28,000 to move her
homestay family in Yeghignadzor to a home of their own. Now Sophie herself,
both living and working in Yerevan, calls Armenia her own home.

Linda Yepoyan, Birthright Armenia’s executive director, notes that while
volunteers are offered significant opportunities to immerse themselves in
Armenian culture through language instruction, havaks, forums, excursions,
and homestays during their initial volunteer service, true success will only
be realized by helping these volunteers fulfill a lasting impact in both the
Homeland and the diasporan communities in which they live. "The biggest
assets we have are our alumni and we are constantly looking for
opportunities to help them channel their energies" she says.

One of the biggest success stories for Birthright Armenia’s program has been
its Continuing Involvement Proposal initiative, where each volunteer makes a
promise to continuously support the Homeland. Yepoyan states that these
"promises" are the result of life-changing experiences. "They feel strongly
about spreading the word to others who may not know about all the
opportunities to do good in Armenia," she elaborates. While every volunteer
is required to complete a Continuing Involvement Proposal, Birthright
Armenia has gone one step further in helping volunteers make their proposals
become reality. By establishing the Alumni Next Step Fund, former
volunteers can apply for monetary assistance up to $2500 for projects
benefiting the Armenian community. The decision-making committee for
proposals is even staffed entirely with Birthright alumni.

Twenty-four-year-old AVC volunteer and Sacramento native Tamara Shahabian
was the first to plant the seed for a future Alumni Next Step project, which
is well underway. Her first art show in the spring of 2006 featured artwork
created by the children of Gyumri’s Aesthetic Center, a school/orphanage
that promotes cultural education and development in children and youth from
4 to 20 years of age. With that show resulting in a huge success, she was
encouraged to start a new non-profit organization called Artworks Armenia
(), which kicked off its inaugural art exhibition and
sale of Armenian children’s art on March 30 in New York City. The show
brought in over $10,000, which all goes back to the children in Armenia.
Since Tamara’s success, there have been several other projects funded,
including Seta Iskanderian’s Project Harmony, a women’s center in
Nagorno-Karabagh.

Birthright Armenia is planning its first official alumni reunion in Armenia
this summer to run from June 29-July 8, 2007. While it will include a
number of excursions, social/cultural events, and educational meetings with
young Armenian leaders, more importantly, it will also include community
service activities throughout the week, including a "leave-behind" project.
This project will give former volunteers the opportunity to give something
back to the Armenian community in a more lasting way.

Recognizing the importance of online visibility, and the need to provide our
growing alumni base a place to keep in touch, Birthright is spending
considerable time redesigning the organization’s Web site
() in order to increase usage from both outside
patrons and alumni. Users on the "new" site will soon be able to post
personal blogs, videos and photos, as well as personal profiles. "The
internet is rapidly evolving how people, specially the younger generation,
communicate. We want to be cutting edge as far as offering the choices that
most of our visitors want to see on our Web site", said Yepoyan.

One of the key ways Birthright Armenia has kept alumni from all its various
sponsoring organizations within reach is through the quarterly Alumni
Newsletter. Not only does it provide information on new happenings within
the Birthright organization and its members, but it has also promoted
continued alumni involvement in the organization’s growth. Similar to the
Web site and the wealth of presentations made by former Birthright
participants fulfilling their Continuing Involvement Proposals, the
newsletter serves as a fountain of inspiration for what others are doing to
help Armenia.

The continuing involvement proposals, alumni reunion, Alumni Next Step fund,
Web site redesign and quarterly newsletter are some of the ways Birthright
Armenia is striving to keep the former volunteers it has sponsored involved
and engage them as community leaders. The organization is serious about its
commitment to the Homeland and the future of its people. "Each alumni
volunteer represents a unique potential ready to be tapped by his or her
community. With our alumni program we just serve as a conduit to keep the
flame within each volunteer warm until they are tapped by their communities
for leadership roles, or they on their own decide to make that commitment to
do more in Armenia like opening a business or repatriating," says Yepoyan.

Birthright Armenia’s mission is to strengthen ties between the homeland and
diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of Armenia’s
daily life and to contribute to Armenia’s development through work, study
and volunteer experiences, while developing a renewed sense of Armenian
identity.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Belleville Police Department Web Site Is Hacked

Created: 4/11/2007 10:12:35 PM
Last updated: 4/12/2007 1:45:36 AM

By Randy Jackson

(KSDK) – The Belleville Police Department is hot on the trail of an
Internet hacker. The victim is the department and the hacker may be a
world away.

Belleville police said they started receiving calls Tuesday night from
Internet users trying to go the department’s Web site. The users were
instead redirected to what is apparently a Turkish extremist site.

The site showed pictures of ethnic killings around the world,
including the murders of almost 2 million Armenians, who were killed
by Ottoman Turks in 1915.

The site’s author posted the Turkish flag and boldly left his cyber
calling card in French — ‘Le Hackeur.’

"It’s foreign in nature, it’s French-based, obviously. We’re assuming
someone from overseas. A virus got in through our subscribers which
gave this guy access to it," said Belleville Police Capt. Donald Sax.

Sax said confidential department information was never compromised.

"Nothing from the police department was compromised at all (including)
the police department files. Everything is computerized separately on
servers in house," said Sax.

But the painful images still hurt.

George Marifian, a second generation Armenian lost both his
grandparents to the killings. He is not surprised new technology is
the weapon of choice for propaganda.

"There are extremists throughout the world and with the advent of ease
through the Internet, we’ll see more — not less — of these types of
actions whether it is this political hate group or another form of
political hate," said Marifian.

In the Metro East, a small memorial stands in honor of the millions of
Armenians who were killed more than 90 years ago.

Members of the Armenian community said there many be ea connection
with the Web site and landmark date of April 24. It is on that day
that Armenians around the world commemorate those who lost their lives
in ethnic massacres.

Belleville police said the company that manages its servers is also
trying to track down the hacker.

Story =116710 Video
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Armenian National Committee of Canada
130 Albert St., Suite 1007
Ottawa, ON
KIP 5G4
Tel. (613) 235-2622 Fax (613) 238-2622
E-mail:[email protected]
www .anccanada.org

PRESS RELEASE

April 10, 2007

The Canadian-Armenian community and Armenians around the world will once
again commemorate the death of 1.5 million Armenians exterminated during
the first genocide of the 20th century by Ottoman Turkey.

In Canada, the various commemoration events will culminate on Parliament
Hill in Ottawa on April 24. Various religious leaders, representatives
of other community organizations, political representatives and other
genocide victim nations’ representatives will attend the commemoration.

This significant memorial ceremony will recall the horrendous crime
against Armenians and against humanity and will thank the Canadian
people for their support. Survivors of the Armenian Genocide and their
descendents will lay wreaths around the Eternal Flame. Various members
of the House of Parliament will accompany the survivors to place the
wreaths.

Here are list of the commemoration events which will be organized by the
ANCC and its affiliated chapters around the country.

Hamilton and St. Catharines Joint Commemoration:
Saturday, April 21, 2007
7:00 pm, evening
Hamilton Armenian Community Centre

Montreal and Laval Joint Commemoration:
Sunday, April 22, 2007
7:00 pm, evening
Montreal Armenian Community Centre

Cambridge Commemoration:
Sunday, April 22, 2007
3:00 pm, afternoon
Armenian Community Centre

Toronto Commemoration:
Sunday, April 22, 2007
3:00 pm, afternoon
Armenian Community Centre

Ottawa Commemoration:
Parliament Hill
1:00 pm, afternoon

Ottawa Book Reading:
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Sossi
by Linda Ghan
7:30pm, evening
Ottawa Public Library

Vancouver Commemoration:
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
7:00 pm, evening
Armenian Community Centre

In addition to the above, the Armenian Cultural Association of Ottawa is
organizing a commemoration ceremony on Monday, April 23, 2007 at 7:30 at
St. George Anglican Church located at 125 Metcalf Street.

For additional information please contact Aris Babikian.

-30-

The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and
affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances
the concerns of the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of
issues.

Regional Chapters

Montréal – Laval – Ottawa – Toronto – Hamilton – Cambridge – St.
Catharines – Windsor – Vancouver

April 5, 2007

LITURGY AND REQUIEM SERVICE FOR THE MARTYRS OF APRIL
The Divine Liturgy and a solemn requiem service will be conducted on the
evening of April 24, at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, 221 E. 27th Street, New
York City, in memory of the million and a half Armenians who perished during
the Genocide of 1915.
Under the auspices of the Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, the
liturgy will be celebrated by Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of the
Cathedral, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Vicar General, Bishop Anoushavan
Tanielian, will deliver the sermon. A special memorial program dedicated to
the memory of Hrant Dink will follow the liturgy and requiem service, both
of which will be conducted at the Cathedral’s Martyrs’ Altar.

PRELATE AND VICAR VISIT THE ELDERLY
IN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY
Last week Archbishop Oshagan and Bishop Anoushavan made their
traditional Easter visits to the two homes for elderly Armenians in the New
York metropolitan area, in Flushing, New York and Emerson, New Jersey.
The Prelate and Vicar, together with area clergymen, conducted services
for the residents and spent time afterwards interacting with them. The
residents look forward to these visits, which the clergymen make several
times each year.

PRELATE AND VICAR WILL RETURN NEXT WEEK
Archbishop Oshagan and Bishop Anoushavan will return from Montreal,
Canada, on Monday. They have been in Montreal since Tuesday for a Bible
translation session.

VICAR WILL ATTEND WCC MEETINGS NEXT WEEK
Bishop Anoushavan will participate in the semi-annual Board of Directors’
meeting of the U.S. Conference of the World Council of Churches next week,
Monday and Tuesday, April 16 and 17.

GENOCIDE COMMEMORATIONS
The Armenian National Committee of New York is hosting its annual City
Hall Armenian Genocide Commemoration on Friday, April 20th. It will take
place at the Surrogate’s Courthouse, north of City Hall, in Manhattan, at
6:30 pm. It is open to the public. Buses will depart from: The Armenian
Center in Woodside at 5:30 pm; St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, at 5:00 pm;
Holy Martyrs Church, Bayside, at 5:00 pm, Baruir’s Grocery, Sunnyside, at
5:30 pm; and from Brooklyn, at the corner of Coney Island and Brighton Beach
Ave., at 5:00 pm. For information: 718-651-1530.
The annual commemoration in Times Square will take place Sunday, April
22, beginning at 2 pm, at Times Square, 43rd Street and Broadway, New York
City. The event is sponsored by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan and
co-sponsored by the AGBU, Armenian Assembly, ArmenPac, and the ANCA.
Participants include the Diocese of the Armenian Church, the Prelacy of the
Armenian Church, the AMAA, the Armenian Presbyterian Church, the Armenian
Evangelical Church, and the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of the United States
and Canada. Bus transportation is being provided from all Armenian churches
in New York and New Jersey as well as from the Armenian Center in Woodside,
New York, Baruir’s Grocery, Sunnyside, New York, and the Hovnanian School,
New Milford, New Jersey.

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME..
The United Nations postponed (and possibly cancelled) the scheduled
opening of an exhibit on the Rwandan genocide that had been installed in the
visitors lobby of the United Nations headquarters in New York, by the
British-based Aegis Trust, which campaigns for the prevention of genocide.
The trust sponsors a center in Kigali in Rwanda, memorializing the 500,000
victims of the massacres there thirteen years ago.
The exhibit was assembled and set to open, when a Turkish diplomat
spotted what he considered to be "offending words" in a section entitled
"What is genocide?" The offending passage said: ".following World War I,
during which one million Armenians were murdered in Turkey, Polish lawyer
Raphael Lemkin urged the League of Nations to recognize crimes of barbarity
as international crimes."
The U.N.’s Secretary General requested that the sentence be removed from
the exhibit. James Smith, CEO of the Aegis Trust, refused saying, "Had we
been asked to remove reference of atrocities to Jews because Germany
objected, we would have been equally resistant. We can’t apply one rule to
some and not to others because the political wind in the U.N. is blowing
against the Armenians." He went on to say, "If we can’t get this right, it
undermines all the values of the U.N. It undermines everything the U.N. is
meant to stand for in terms of preventing [genocide]. You can’t learn the
lessons from history if you’re going to sweep all of that history under the
carpet. And what about accountability? What about ending impunity if you’re
going to hide part of the truth? It makes a mockery of all of this."

2007 DATEV INSTITUTE SUMMER PROGRAM
The 21st annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Christian summer studies
program will take place July 1 to 8 in Elverson, Pennsylvania.

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ORDINATION OF
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN CHOLOYAN
The 40th anniversary of the ordination of our Prelate, Archbishop
Oshagan Choloyan, will take place in three different regions as follows:
On Saturday, May 5, the first of the three celebrations will take place
at The Marriott in Providence, Rhode Island, with the participation of all
of the parishes in New England, Connecticut, and Troy, New York.
On Saturday, May 12, the second celebration will take place at The
Marriott at Glenpointe, in Teaneck, New Jersey, with the participation of
all of the parishes in the Mid Atlantic, which includes New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC.
The final celebration will take place during the National Representative
Assembly (NRA) which is being hosted by St. Sarkis Church in Dearborn,
Michigan. This will take place on Friday, May 18, at Double Tree Hotel in
Dearborn, with the participation of the parishes in the Mid-West, as well as
the NRA delegates and guests.

2007 NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY IN DEARBORN
The 2007 National Representative Assembly (NRA) will be hosted by St.
Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan.

PLG MOTHERS DAY LUNCHEON APRIL 7
The popular Mothers Day luncheon presented by the Prelacy Ladies Guild
will take place on Monday, April 7, at the St. Regis in New York City.
This year’s Mother of the Year is Mrs. Lalig Bayrakdarian, mother of six
children, including the famed Metropolitan Opera star, Isabel Bayrakdarian.
A special presentation of "Musical Sounds of Armenia" will be provided
by a quartet made up of graduates and current students of Juilliard and solo
dance presentation accompanied by kanon and piano.
For information and/or reservations contact the Prelacy, 212-689-7810.

IN CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE.
By order of His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan, the message of His Holiness
Aram I declaring 2007 as the Year of the Armenian Language, will be read in
all Prelacy parishes this Sunday, April 15.

CELEBRATING THE POET AND HIS POETRY
What better way to celebrate the Year of the Armenian Language than with
a tribute to an honored poet. Tomorrow evening, Friday, April 13, there will
be a Literary Tribute in memory of the poet Zahrad (1924-2007). It is being
sponsored by the Armenian-American Support and Educational Center (NJ); the
Armenian Cultural Center of Forest Hills, (NY); the Constantinople Armenian
Relief Society; Esayan-Getronagan Alumni; the Hamazkayin Armenian
Educational and Cultural Society (NY); and the Tibrevank Alumni. It will
take place at the Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs, Kalustyan Hall,
209-15 Horace Harding Expressway, Bayside, New York. The main lecturer is
Dr. Herand Markarian, with recitations and other contributions offered by
others. Zahrad is one of the great figures in modern Armenian poetry and was
considered to be the leading Armenian poet writing in Istanbul.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Passages from the Old Testament are read every Sunday preceding the
readings from the Acts and the Epistles of the Apostles and the Gospel. All
the Old Testament books are used except Judges, I Chronicle, I and II
Esdras, Nehemiah, Ruth, Tobit and II and III Maccabees. Next to the Psalms,
most of the selections are from the books of Genesis, Exodus, Proverbs, Job,
the Prophets (especially Isaiah). During the liturgical year all of the New
Testament is read, and the Gospels are read in their entirety more than once
a year. During Holy Week and the fifty days following Easter, the Scriptural
readings are intensified more than any other time.
Bible readings for today, April 12, are: Acts 4:13-31; James 1:13-27;
Matthew 5:1-12. Evening Gospels: Luke 24:36-40; Matthew 5:1-12.
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his
disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed
are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for
they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for
they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see
God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you
and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and
be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the
prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:1-12.

NEW SUNDAY
This Sunday, April 15, is "New Sunday." Easter Sunday is followed by a
period of fifty days (Hinoonk) during which there are no fasting days or
saints days. This period, from the Resurrection to Pentecost (Hogegaloost)
is dedicated to the glorification of the Resurrection. Each of the seven
Sundays of Hinoonk has a separate name. This Sunday, the first Sunday after
Easter, is called New Sunday (Nor Kiraki), since the first day of the week
through Christ’s resurrection became consecrated and Sunday became a
dominical day. By virtue of its being the eighth day of Easter and a day
similar to Easter, it is also called Second Easter (Grgnazadig, which
literally means Easter repeated).

TAX DAY IS APRIL 17 THIS YEAR
Usually the deadline for filing income tax forms is April 15. Because
the 15th is a Sunday, the deadline should have been Monday the 16th, but
because the 16th is a local holiday in Washington, D.C., the deadline this
year became April 17. Hence, a two-day reprieve for all the procrastinators.

"But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to
heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’"
(Luke 18:13)

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April 14-Ladies Guild Comedy Night featuring Mel Simons, Meze and dessert
will be served, St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts. For
information, 617-924-7562.

April 15-Health and Wellness lectures hosted by St. Sarkis Church, 38-65
234th Street, Douglaston, NY, 1 to 5 pm. Presentations by medical
professionals on current health issues. Refreshments; donations welcome. For
information, Dr. Arthur Kubikian, 718-786-3842 or church office,
718-224-2275.

April 20-City Hall Genocide Commemoration, hosted by the Armenian National
Committee of New York, at Surrogate’s Courthouse, north of City Hall in
Manhattan. The program will begin at 6:30. Open to the public.

May 5-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in the
New England area will take place in Providence, Rhode Island.

May 6-30th anniversary of St. Illuminator’s Armenian Day School, Terrace on
the Park, Corona, New York, at 5 pm.

May 7-Prelacy Ladies Guild Mothers’ Day Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., St. Regis
Hotel, Two East 55th Street (at Fifth Avenue), New York City. Special
entertainment, "Musical Sounds of Armenia."

May 12-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in Mid
Atlantic area will take place at the Marriott at Glenpointe, Teaneck, New
Jersey.

May 12-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, 50th anniversary concert
featuring Onnik Dinkjian and John Berberian.

May 12-Armenian Dance party, St. Gregory Church, Indian Orchard,
Massachusetts.

May 18-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in
Midwest will take place at the National Representative Assembly.

May 20-"Hello Ellis Island" and Reception, St. Stephen’s Church Hall,
Watertown, Massachusetts. $20 per person. Information, 617-924-7562.

July 1-8-St. Gregory of Datev Institute, 21st annual summer Christian
studies program for junior and senior high school students, at St. Mary of
Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania.

July 21-Sts. Vartanantz Church Ladies Guild, Providence, Rhode Island, and
ARS Ani Chapter present "A Hye Summer Night 2." For information
401-286-8107.

August 7-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual golf
tournament at Blackstone Country Club.

August 19-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church picnic.

September 29-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, 50th
anniversary banquet at Pleasant Valley.

December 1-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church bazaar.

December 9-St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 50th anniversary
celebration. For information, (617) 924-7562.

Visit our website at

April 12, 2007

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] <mailto:[email protected]>
Website: <;

PRELATE VISITS C & E MERDINIAN ARMENIAN EVANGELICAL SCHOOL

On the morning of Wednesday, April 11th, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh
Mardirossian, Prelate, visited Charlotte & Elise Merdinian Armenian
Evangelical School, accompanied by Christian Education Department Directors
Very Rev. Fathers Muron Aznikian and Barthev Gulumian, Rev. Razmig
Khatchadourian, pastor of Holy Martyrs Church, and Merdinian alumnus and
current ACYA chairman Mr. Gregory Martayan.

Upon his arrival the Prelate was welcomed by Rev. Joe Matossian,
Minister of the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America, Principal Mr.
Hovsep Injejikian, Chairman of the Board Dr. Hrair Atikian, previous Chair
Mr. Harold Demirjian, and the school administration.

After a brief meeting, the Prelate and guests headed to the
school auditorium where the student assembly took place consisting of
performances of nationalistic and religious songs. During his remarks, the
Prelate expressed his appreciation for the invitation extended to him and
the warm reception, and commended the principal, teachers, and students for
their hard work and dedication.

Rev. Matossian expressed thanks on behalf of the school, emphasizing the
close bond between the Western Prelacy and the Armenian Evangelical
community.

Following the singing of an Easter hymn, the Prelate blessed the
administration and students. The assembly came to a close with the
collective singing of the Lord’s Prayer and the presenting of prayer cards
to the students by the Prelate.

Turkey to block ‘insulting’ Web sites
CNN.com
April 12, 2007

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A parliamentary commission approved a proposal
Thursday allowing Turkey to block Web sites that are deemed insulting
to the founder of modern Turkey, weeks after a Turkish court
temporarily barred access to YouTube.

Parliament plans to vote on the proposal, though a date was not
announced. The proposal indicates the discomfort that many Turks feel
about Western-style freedom of expression, even though Turkey has been
implementing widespread reforms in its bid to join the European Union.

On Thursday, lawmakers in the commission also debated whether the
proposal should be widened to allow the Turkish Telecommunications
Board to block access to any sites that question the principles of the
Turkish secular system or the unity of the Turkish state — a
reference to Web sites with information on Kurdish rebels in Turkey.

It is illegal in Turkey to talk of breaking up the state or to insult
Ataturk, the revered founder of modern Turkey whose image graces every
denomination of currency and whose portrait hangs in nearly all
government offices.

Ataturk is held to be responsible for creating a secular republic from
the crumbling, Islamic Ottoman Empire.

Several prominent Turkish journalists and writers, including Nobel
Prize winner Orhan Pamuk, have been tried for allegedly insulting
Ataturk or for the crime of insulting "Turkishness."

European calls for free speech have angered some nationalist Turks,
who view the recommendations as interference in their internal
affairs.

Last month, Turkey blocked access to the popular video-sharing site
YouTube after a complaint that some videos insulted Ataturk. The ban
was lifted two days later.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

The Fresno Bee
4/11/2007
By, John Ellis

Debbie Poochigian challenges Waterston

Supervisor will face scion of Fresno Co. political family in ’08.

Debbie Poochigian, a longtime Republican activist and scion of a
politically prominent local family, said Tuesday that she will challenge
Fresno County Supervisor Bob Waterston when he seeks re-election next year.
The announcement signals an unusually early start to the 2008 supervisorial
race and suggests that Waterston may be politically vulnerable because of an
angry voice mail he left for a Fresno city planning official.
Poochigian, 54, wife of former state legislator Chuck Poochigian and
daughter of longtime Fresno County Supervisor Deran Koligian, said her
husband is no longer commuting to Sacramento and her three children are out
of the house.
Koligian died in 2001.
"The time seems to be right," she said.
Poochigian’s decision sets up a potentially intriguing race next year, with
Waterston seeking his third term and Clovis City Council Member Nathan
Magsig also pondering a run for the seat.
"If you want to come after me, you better bring a lunch, a tent and
sleeping bag, because I’m going to be hard to catch," a defiant Waterston
said Tuesday of Poochigian’s plans.
He said he has more than $200,000 already in his campaign account.
"I’ll just keep making money," he said.
Still, many believe Poochigian could be a strong challenger. Local
Republican political consultant Tal Cloud called it a case of "two
incumbents running for the same seat."
Waterston may already have a six-figure campaign war chest, Cloud said, but
"Debbie could raise $250,000 in a weekend." He also believes her
announcement "pretty much eliminates" Magsig from serious consideration for
election.
This is Poochigian’s first run for political office, but she has been in
the local political mix for decades.
Cloud said Poochigian has honed her political skills her entire life,
starting as a young child with her father, who spent 24 years on school
boards in west Fresno County. In 1982, he was elected to the Fresno County
Board of Supervisors.
She married Chuck Poochigian, who had a long political career in
Sacramento, serving two Republican governors and doing stints in both the
Assembly and state Senate.
Poochigian also worked on several presidential campaigns, playing a key
local role in President Bush’s 2000 and 2004 runs.
Poochigian’s decision comes three months after Waterston, who works as a
pool contractor, suffered some political damage by leaving an angry message
on Fresno planning director Nick Yovino’s voice mail. In the message,
Waterston complained about delays in the approval of a large and complicated
pool project.
During the message, Waterston — who is chairman of the Local Agency
Formation Commission, which directs growth in the county — said, "remember
this door swings both ways."
Waterston apologized for the message after it became public and on Tuesday
said the LAFCO connection was a nonissue.
And Poochigian said the incident had nothing to do with her decision. She
said she has considered running for office more than once over the years —
including Waterston’s District 5 supervisorial seat, which covers most of
Clovis, parts of east Fresno and the foothills and high mountains in the
county’s eastern third.
Still, Poochigian did say that she had "talked to a lot of people the last
couple of months, and they are telling me they want a supervisor they can be
proud of."
Waterston said Poochigian told him last year she wasn’t going to run for
his seat.
"She told that to my face, and then I turn around, endorsed Chuck [in his
unsuccessful run last year for state attorney general] and wrote a $1,000
check for the AG race," Waterston said. "I did that all for them, and here
we are. … I’m not sure what her motives are."
Poochigian said she will form a campaign committee this week.
Waterston said he has three fundraisers looming.
Said Magsig: "I keep my options open, but right now my focus is on that
supervisor’s seat."

INTENDS TO PARTICIPATE IN ARMENIAN RAILWAYS CONCESSION TENDER

Arminfo
2007-04-11 15:48:00

RF President Vladimir Putin has approved the OJSC for participation in
the Armenian railways concession tender, the terms of which are under
development at present, Head of "RR" Vladimir Yakunin said upon the
results of the session on the Russian railway transport development
strategy till 2030, chaired by RF President, the "Finmarket"
reports. In Yakunin’s opinion, "there is the needed volume of
transport works in Armenia for serious consideration of the Company’s
participation in the tender, and the increase of freight flows through
Iran and the development of the Caspian ferry communication prove
that we shall not remain workless there", V.Yakunin said.

According to the source, Vladimir Putin also charged the Government
with consideration of the issue of state support of the "RR" OJSC’s
initiative for construction of 1520mm-railway track to the European
countries. V.Yakunin recalled that the Company has presently developed
the proposals for construction of 1520 mm-railway track to Vienna,
which are preliminary agreed on with the Chancellor of Austria.

SERGEY IVANOV: IRAN IS AUTHORIZED TO DEVELOP PEACEFUL NUCLEAR ENERGY, BUT URANIUM ENRICHMENT IS ANOTHER QUESTION

Arminfo
2007-04-11 15:38:00

The problem of the Iranian nuclear dossier should be resolved in
the political-diplomatic way, since the threat of war is the way to
catastrophe, the first vice Prime Minister, Sergey Ivanov, said today
during his visit to the secondary school N21 of Russia’s Defense
Ministry in Yerevan, the ITAR-TASS reports.

"The problem of the Iranian nuclear dossier actually exists and it
should be solved in a political- diplomatic way, since the threat
of war is a way to nowhere or to catastrophe", S. Ivanov said. He
added that "Iran is authorized to develop the peaceful nuclear energy,
while the uranium enrichment is another question". In his opinion, the
uranium enrichment process should pass under IAEA’s strict control. He
recalled that Russia offered Iran to supply its nuclear fuel to RI
with subsequent return of the spent fuel to Russia. "I consider such
approach reasonable and balanced", S.Ivanov said.

REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA TO GET MAJORITY OF DEPUTY MANDATES IN PARLIAMENT OF FOURTH CONVOCATION: HEAD OF RPA

Arminfo
2007-04-11 15:32:00

The Republican party of Armenia will get the majority of places in
the Parliament of fourth convocation, Head of RPA Galust Sahakyan
said at today’s press-conference in "Pastark".

"If until recently, we were talking about the necessity of keeping
our places in the Parliament and increase of the number of party
mandates, if possible, now we think that RPA should get the majority
in the National Assembly of the fourth convocation, since our party is
responsible for every second of Armenia’s vital activity", G.Sahakyan
said. He underlined that if RPA gets the majority of places in the
Parliament, that will not mean that the party will solely form the
Government. "In our opinion, the Government should be represented
by the forces which are ready to assume the responsibility for its
activity", G. Sahakyan said.