ARMENIAN REPORTER
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February 16, 2007 — From the community section
To see the printed version of the newspaper, complete with photographs
and additional content, visit and download the pdf
files. It’s free.
1. Candidate Speier recalls surviving Jonestown (by Tania Ketenjian)
2. Boston-area Armenians and Jews share stories of pain and survival
(by Ara Nazarian)
* A joint Holocaust-Armenian Genocide event held at ALMA
3. Armenian doctor saves officer after shooting that leaves five dead
(by Alene Tchekmedyian)
* AGBU campus near crime scene closed for the day
* Security measures to be bolstered
4. Remembering Seta Sahinyan Yavru-Sakuk (by Madlen E. Setian)
* A personal tribute
5. Master watchmaker Garo Anserlian knows how to manipulate time (by
Lory Tatoulian)
6. Fresno fundraiser to help send students to the homeland (by Nyrie Karkazian)
7. Roger Kupelian’s Vartanantz epic inches closer to realization (by
Tamar Kevonian)
* Who you are is worth fighting for
8. Former chief of police Bernard Melekian serves as interim City
Manager in Pasadena (by Lory Tatoulian)
9. Sergei Paradjanov’s work to be shown at LACMA in late February (by
Brandon Lowrey)
10. At Lincoln Center, a restored cinematic Spartacus re-embodies Aram
Khachaturian’s famous music (by Florence Avakian)
11. This Armenian Life: Arman the Beekeeper forced out of business (by
Tamar Kevonian)
* "No respect"
12. Armenian Allied Arts Association to hold competition (by Lory Tatoulian)
13. Crime Beat: Accused health care fraudster nabbed after traffic
stop (by Jason Kandel)
14. Laughter for a great cause (by Karine Chakarian)
15. Restaurants: Que Rico Taqueria (by Lucie Davidian)
*************************************** ************************************
1. Candidate Speier recalls surviving Jonestown
by Tania Ketenjian
[Jackie Speier is expected to be elected in a special election this
spring to complete the term of Rep. Tom Lantos, who died on February
11. Mr. Lantos had announced in early January that he would not be
seeking reelection, and Ms. Speier had already been campaigning to
succeed him. What follows is the second in a four-part series about
the American-Armenian candidate.]
SAN FRANCISCO — Former State Senator Jackie Speier is running for
Congress. But this is hardly a daunting challenge for a woman who has
been in politics for most of her life, even through the most difficult
of times.
Ms. Speier was in high school at the time of her first foray into
politics, when she went to work for Rep. Leo Ryan. Throughout college
and law school, she kept her connection to Mr. Ryan, her mentor,
ultimately becoming his legal counsel when she was a young lawyer. Her
association with Mr. Ryan led to their fact-finding mission to Guyana
in 1978, a trip that would change her life forever.
In the 1970s, Jim Jones, an ordained minister, had drawn a
considerable congregation to his church, the People’s Temple, in
California, promising racial equality and social justice. Mr. Jones
envisioned himself as a healer and savior. After an investigation into
Mr. Jones’ church for tax evasion had begun in 1977, he and most of
the 900 members of the People’s Temple moved to the small, Central
American country of Guyana, where he promised to build a utopian
community. But congregation members who had left the People’s Temple
prior to its move to Guyana told the authorities of brutal beatings
and murders. There were also rumors of a mass suicide plan. On
November 18, 1978, these rumors proved to be true as 913 inhabitants
of Jonestown, including 276 children, died in a mass suicide at the
People’s Temple settlement. While most of Mr. Jones’ followers
committed suicide by drinking a cocktail of Flavor Aid, cyanide, and a
sedative, many were killed by forced cyanide injection or shooting.
Three days before the tragedy, Mr. Ryan led a fact-finding mission
to the Jonestown settlement to investigate allegations of human rights
abuses. The delegation included reporters from Time magazine and NBC
as well as Ms. Speier, who was 28 years old at the time. She wrote a
will before her departure to Guyana, thinking that there was a chance
she might not come back alive.
"The weekend before we left, I was listening to interviews of
[People’s Temple] defectors and none of it added up," Ms. Speier
recalls. "There were many unanswered questions. I was literally in the
process of buying my first piece of real estate at the time, a
condominium, and I had signed all the papers. But I made [the
purchase] contingent on my trip to Guyana, knowing full well that
there was something very risky about this trip and, should I die, I
didn’t want my parents to be saddled with a piece of property they had
no need for."
Ms. Speier’s precautions were well-founded. As Mr. Ryan and his
delegation, along with 15 People’s Temple defectors, were getting
ready to board a plane to leave Jonestown, a group of Mr. Jones’
followers opened fire, killing Mr. Ryan and five others. Ms. Speier
was shot five times and left for dead on the tarmac.
* The gift of a second chance
"I was lying on this airstrip with bullet holes throughout my body and
bones sticking out," Ms. Speier recalls. "It was a horrific moment. I
thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s over.’ So when people ask, ‘How did you live
through that?’ I say it was a gift; I survived when I shouldn’t have."
Ms. Speier was hospitalized for two months.
"I had lots of time to think," she says. "I had to learn how to walk
again because the first time I got up to walk, I fainted. I had broken
so many bones in my arm and the doctors were trying to get me to flip
a small Styrofoam pellet across the room. I couldn’t do it…. So I
reassessed what was important to me. When I came home that first
weekend, I realized I wasn’t in pain. I mean, I was, but I discovered
that because I was directed in other ways, I didn’t feel the pain as
much. It was like this light bulb that went off in my head: ‘Here’s my
chance,’ I thought. ‘Do I want to be a victim, do I want to go through
my life being the Guyana victim, or do I want to move on?’ Not just
survive but thrive. So three days after arriving home, I ran for [Mr.
Ryan’s] congressional seat. It was the very last day I could have done
it. I chuckle about it now but I do believe there is a plan. Why did I
get released from the hospital when I got released and come home and
make that decision?"
Ms. Speier lost the election for that seat — the very one she is
now running for. However, in 1980, as she struggled to recover from
her injuries and tried to deal with the loss of Mr. Ryan, as well as
her failed bid for the House of Representatives, Ms. Speier ran for
San Mateo County Supervisor. She won, beating a 20-year incumbent.
"Had I not run for Congress and lost, I wouldn’t have been ready to
run for the Board of Supervisors," she says. Time and time again, it
seems like Ms. Speier sees the silver lining through all her
challenges. "You have to be open to the path in your life, watch it
unfold and embrace it when it does," she stresses.
On February 11, 2008, Rep. Tom Lantos died at the age of 80. After
being diagnosed with cancer in January, Mr. Lantos, chair of the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs, announced that he would not seek
reelection at the end of his term next year. Ms. Speier is running for
his seat.
Like Ms. Speier, Mr. Lantos was a fighter. He was the only Holocaust
survivor to serve in Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi commented,
"Tom Lantos devoted his life to shining a bright light on dark corners
of oppression." In a press release posted on her website, Ms. Speier
stated: "Congressman Lantos’ tireless and passionate work for human
rights around the globe is legendary. No one was more articulate,
persuasive, or tenacious in fighting for all people, and no adversary
was too large for Tom. I have many fond personal memories of
Congressman Lantos, as does anyone who was privileged to have known
him. Of the many things we can learn from him, perhaps the most
important is: Never give up. Fight for what is worth fighting for,
because you don’t know what life has planned for you."
connect:
* Next week: a look at Speier’s service on the San Mateo County Board
of Supervisors and the challenges she faced.
****************************************** *********************************
2. Boston-area Armenians and Jews share stories of pain and survival
* A joint Holocaust-Armenian Genocide event held at ALMA
by Ara Nazarian
WATERTOWN, Mass. — The Armenian and Jewish communities of the Greater
Boston area came together on January 20 to honor two of their own, and
to share the common bond between two peoples. The event, called the
"Joint Holocaust-Armenian Genocide Exhibit," brought together two
genocide survivors — one of the Holocaust and one of the Armenian
Genocide — in the context of a joint exhibition at Watertown’s
Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA).
Artifacts that once belonged to Holocaust victims in Auschwitz —
preserved by Mr. Meyer Hack, himself a survivor of that conflagration
who worked in the laundry at Auschwitz — were displayed alongside the
permanent Armenian Genocide exhibit at ALMA titled "In Memoriam."
Additional photos from Project SAVE, the valuable Armenian
photographic archive, juxtaposed two powerful statements from the
recent pasts of the long-lived Armenian and Jewish communities.
As stated by the organizers, the aim of the exhibit was to further
enhance the bond between two peoples who have each suffered horrific
crimes against humanity, as they continue to recognize common ground
and share a hope for a better future.
The event was hosted by Jordan Rich, a radio talk-show host at
station WBZ, and began with welcoming remarks from ALMA trustee Scott
Offen. Mr. Offen spoke about recent events, referring especially to
the summer’s controversy involving the national leadership of the
Anti-Defamation League, which threatened to divide the two
communities. However, he emphasized that the two communities cannot be
divided, as they share experiences dating back thousands of years.
Both nations, he said, have had their ancient homelands overrun; both
have lived in diaspora; both have inherited unique religions; both
have been characterized by a love for letters; and both have suffered
genocide.
Opening invocations were delivered by Rev. Gregory Haroutunian of
the First Armenian Church of Belmont, and by Rabbi Moshe Waldoks from
Brookline’s Temple Beth Zion.
Following the invocations, Shoshana Trump recited a poem titled "Six
Million Souls" by Susie Davidson, and introduced Armenian Genocide
survivor Mr. Kevork Norian as the first speaker.
* "Friends, let’s yell together"
Kevork Norian gave a childhood reminiscence going back to the early
years of the 20th century — when a sense of impending chaos and fear
gripped the lives of the Armenians in their ancestral homeland. Born
into a world filled with uncertainty, Norian had little prospect to
celebrate his first birthday. But his life, along with those of his
immediate family, was initially spared due to the usefulness of his
father to the Turkish war and genocide machine. The members of his
extended family were not so fortunate, succumbing to brutal
maltreatment and disease.
Mr. Norian’s life’s journey began in Aintab, and continued on to
Syria (where he eventually met his wife), and finally to America,
which he now calls home. He spoke of his family’s experiences during
the Genocide, and described the brutalities suffered by their fellow
Armenians.
Most importantly, he touched on the need for the Armenian and Jewish
communities to work together. Addressing the Jewish guests, he said:
"Friends, we know how much you have suffered, we know the pain of
hatred and suffering. We share your pain…. Friends, let’s talk….
Friends, let’s yell together."
At the conclusion of Mr. Norian’s remarks, Sossie Beojekian recited
a poem by Barouyr Sevag titled "Ghoghanj Yeghernayin."
Dr. Dean Solomon, a co-congregant of Mr. Hack’s and one of the
organizers of the joint event, introduced Mr. Meyer Hack. The
92-year-old Mr. Hack lost his beloved family during World War II, but
not his will to live. By exercising extreme ingenuity, he survived the
horrors of the Auschwitz, Birkenau, and Dachau concentration camps. As
a laundry worker, Mr. Hack retrieved the pieces of his collection of
artifacts from the removed clothing of incoming, doomed inmates. He
miraculously hid them from the Nazis throughout his years in the
camps, and during a 1945 "death march" to the Dachau concentration
camp. The collection is scheduled to be installed at the Yad Vashem
Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem in a special ceremony.
The January 20 event at ALMA was attended by a number of elected
public figures in the Greater Boston area, including State Senators
Gallouccio, Tolman, Walsh, and Fargo, State Representatives
Koutoujian, Balser, Brownsberger, Forry, Murphy, Smizik, Toomey Jr.,
and Wolf, along with Mr. Cranston Rogers, a U.S. Army platoon sergeant
and liberator of the Dachau concentration camp.
This event provided and opportunity for members of the Jewish
community to get a closer look at Armenian history and culture, as
presented by ALMA’s exhibits. It was also an important opportunity to
exchange stories with Armenian friends and neighbors.
The exhibit was co-sponsored by the Armenian Library and Museum of
America, the Armenian Assembly of America, the Armenian National
Committee, Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives, the Holocaust
Center — Boston North, the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies at Clark University, and Facing History and
Ourselves.
********************************** *****************************************
3. Armenian doctor saves officer after shooting that leaves five dead
* AGBU campus near crime scene closed for the day
* Security measures to be bolstered
by Alene Tchekmedyian
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — It was about 1:30 A.M. on February 8 when Dr.
Gabriel Aslanian received an urgent call from the Emergency Room at
Northridge Hospital Medical Center. He was asked to come in to
evaluate a police officer who had just been shot in the face.
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Special Weapons and Tactics
(SWAT) officer James Veenstra was shot during a nearly 11-hour
standoff at a West Valley house on the 19000 block of Welby Way, in
which gunman Edwin Rivera, 20, killed three of his family members.
After Rivera refused orders by local police officers to leave the
house, the LAPD SWAT team arrived on the scene and an exchange of fire
ensued. Two SWAT officers, Randal Simmons and Veenstra, were shot.
Rivera himself was eventually shot and killed. As the injured officers
were hurried to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, Simmons died, at
around 1 A.M., while Veenstra was in critical condition.
"[Veenstra] was sitting awake and alert, in a decent amount of
pain," Dr. Aslanian said. "He had already undergone a CAT scan. The
entire left side of his jaw was shattered by the bullet. The bullet
also caused a lot of injury to all the soft tissues: the tongue, lip,
cheek, and gums. Because it was an open wound, there was a good chance
bacteria would seep into it, so I made the decision to take him to the
operating room immediately."
Dr. Aslanian conducted a debridement procedure — removing from the
wound loose fragments such as bone, bullet, tongue, and tissue — to
minimize the officer’s chances of developing an infection.
Next Dr. Aslanian performed intermaxillary fixation on Veenstra to
reconstruct fractured bones so they could grow back in the correct
position. "I did my best to put all remaining pieces back together
again," the doctor said. "His jaw was shattered… It was like putting
broken arm into cast."
Later Veenstra underwent a tracheotomy, a process of making an
incision in the windpipe to allow the patient to breathe out of the
hole rather than the nose or mouth. The whole operation lasted
approximately three hours.
"Since then he has been doing very well," Dr. Aslanian said. "We
have been able to fight off infection, which is our greatest concern."
Born in Ethiopia, Dr. Aslanian moved to the United States in 1974.
After graduating from the AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School, he
attended California State University, Northridge. He studied dentistry
at the University of Southern California and medicine at State
University of Stoneybrook, New York. He received dental and surgery
training at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
Dr. Aslanian’s alma mater, the AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School,
which he serves as a trustee and chair of the Alumni Association, was
shut down on February 8 because of its proximity to the scene of the
crime.
"The roads to the school were blocked by police activity and, more
importantly, at the time that the parents and students would arrive,
there was a lot of tear gas in the air and the action had not yet come
to an end," said Levon Keshishian, Director of Business Operations at
AGBU, who arrived on the scene at 6 AM that day. "We provided the
[school’s] auditorium as a counseling center so that the city and
county crisis counselors and police can meet. We also provided two
classrooms for the LAPD to do investigations and interviews, and the
parking lot was provided for access parking."
Dr. Aslanian was thankful for the measures the school took to
protect the students, including his own children. "The school not only
shut down for the day, but school facilities were made available to
local authorities," he said.
Word of the crime traveled quickly; before school was supposed to be
in session, all 950 students and 100 faculty members were aware of the
situation. "We posted it on our website immediately," Keshishian said.
"I went on live TV announcing that the school is closed. We have an
emergency hotline where we posted a notice as well. We sent 581
e-mails to parents who have provided their e-mail addresses. Everyone
heard because they text and call each other."
The tragedy has prompted AGBU officials to reevaluate the school’s
security measures. The Safety and Security Committee plans to employ
new techniques to ensure the safety of students. "The main thing that
we are going to look into is a text messaging system [for instantly
notifying parents of an emergency], which would entail updating our
records of parents’ numbers," Keshishian said.
******************************************* ********************************
4. Remembering Seta Sahinyan Yavru-Sakuk
* A personal tribute
by Madlen E. Setian
ORANGEBURG, N.Y. — News of the loss of Seta Sahinyan Yavru-Sakuk five
months ago reverberated far and wide, bringing profound sadness to all
who knew this remarkable person, and how valiantly she had fought
against illness.
Seta Sahinyan Yavru-Sakuk, daughter of Arsaluys and the late Kegam
Sahinyan, mother of Nadine Mekjian and Alex Yavru-Sakuk, and sister of
Ani Capan, passed away after a grave illness at Pascack Valley
Hospital, on Tuesday, September 11, 2007. She was 54 years old.
Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Mrs. Sahinyan Yavru-Sakuk completed her
studies at the Armenian Mekhitarian Varjaran, continued at the
Osterreichische Schule-Austrian High School, graduating from its
Science Division, and took private art lessons to enrich her talent
for oil painting. She later received a certificate of proficiency in
the French language in France, and earned a degree from Rockland
Community College in Graphic and Interior Design in Suffern, N.Y.
Seta grew up in a traditional Armenian home, where she learned a
deep filial love and reverence for the Armenian Church, culture and
heritage. Devotion to faith and to Armenian education was instilled by
the parents in both their children. Kegam Sahinyan was a church parish
council member, an acolyte, served on the board of directors of the
Getronagan Alumni Association, and taught algebra voluntarily at the
Getronagan and Esayan Armenian Schools in his spare time; the mother
Arsaluys maintained a strong Armenian home.
The same pride in the Armenian identity became one of Seta’s core
beliefs. Through church and Armenian elementary school she began her
involvement with Armenian causes as a youngster. Her sister Ani Capan
recalled how Seta gave up her summer vacations to help in a camp for
disadvantaged children.
Following her marriage in Istanbul and a brief stay in France, Seta
and her family moved to the United States in 1975 and settled in the
Fort Lee, N.J., area. Seta was tenderly devoted to her family —
especially her two children Nadine and Alex — and just as she was
raised, Seta instilled her love for the Armenian Church and heritage
into her children. She enrolled them in the Armenian School at
Tenafly’s St. Thomas Church, and became involved in the life of the
school and parish.
Seta demonstrated an unparalleled generosity of self and spirit to
the St. Thomas Church and the Kirikian Armenian School. An incredibly
hard-working person, she wholeheartedly devoted herself to making sure
that every necessary project was undertaken and completed
successfully. She was efficient, resourceful, and proficient in
everything she touched. She used her intellect, her artistic
creativity, and her ingenuity to physically and morally press on to
see a job accomplished for the betterment of the church and school.
Seta served for eight years on the St. Thomas parish council, and
was its recording secretary. She served the Kirikian Armenian School
for 26 years, and was its Executive Committee chair and a teacher. She
was also (among other things) a choir member, vice-chair of the parish
cultural committee, layout artist and designer for the church bulletin
— and was involved in nearly every single church function or project.
Using her artistic talent, Seta designed and coordinated the
construction of five beautiful stained glass windows at St. Thomas.
She also designed the Kirikian Armenian School emblem, and the logo
for the St. Thomas Church magazine, Nor Tar. For her outstanding
services, Seta received the "St. Thomas Award" in 2000, and the
"Kirikian Armenian School Award" in 1991.
* Compassion and concern for others
For over 30 years, Seta Sahinyan Yavru-Sakuk was loved by everyone at
St. Thomas, which was her second home. During the week she would
devotedly attend bible study classes with Fr. Papken Anoushian, the
parish pastor, and carried out dozens of unseen church projects. On
Saturdays she taught at the Kirikian Armenian School, and on Sundays
she sang with the choir.
Everyone knew Seta or had been touched by her in some way. She lived
the life of a model Armenian Christian, helping those who were
disadvantaged or had some special need. She would quietly reach out to
those in anguish, and her concern was heartfelt and genuine. Those
whose lives she touched would feel comforted and reassured. One of the
last times she attended church, she still inquired about and showed
compassion for others, even though she was gravely ill.
Seta was also involved with lending her artistic talent to the
ornamentation of publications issued by the Armenian Language Lab and
Resource Center (ALLARC) at the Eastern Diocese. In 1984, she designed
a pre-Kindergarten manual titled Mezi Hamar, a book which is still
used by Armenian elementary school students throughout the Diocese. In
2004, she designed and compiled a wonderful arts and crafts book for
children called A Trip to My Armenian Roots, full of hands-on
activities teaching Armenian faith, culture, and history.
Throughout her illness, Seta’s family was wholeheartedly devoted to
her, taking care to give her as much comfort and as little pain as
possible. Fr. Anoushian, a close family friend, visited countless
times to give her spiritual support, while her mother, children,
sister and brother-in-law (Dr. Capan, a medical doctor) researched and
investigated every possible medical treatment to ameliorate her
condition.
Now, Seta’s legacy lives on in her children, Nadine and Alex: both
fine examples of young Armenian adults, who are involved in many
Armenian causes and activities.
At the funeral services for Seta at St. Thomas Church on September
17, countless friends and relatives, some from overseas, came to pay
their final respects. The sadness was palpable throughout the church
— even her young Armenian School students cried for their teacher.
Her colleagues on the parish council stood as an honor guard
surrounding Seta’s casket. Fr. Anoushian, Fr. Suren Chinchinian, and
Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian officiated, and the parish and cathedral choirs
participated along with numerous deacons and altar servers.
In his eulogy, Fr. Anoushian, remembered Seta as a woman who "deeply
loved her church and devoutly followed all its teachings." He
mentioned that she had wanted her coffin to bear a cross such as our
ancestors had, and since none existed, a carver had been found to
carry out her request.
Seta was exceptional: Elegant, accomplished, and diligent; a
beautiful person throughout. She is irreplaceable in the lives of her
family members, and for those at St. Thomas. All who knew her —
including this writer — feel a profound sorrow at not being able to
be with her any longer. We cannot imagine life at St. Thomas without
her. The memory of her sweet face and graceful spirit will never fade,
but will radiate in our hearts and minds forever.
**************************************** ***********************************
5. Master watchmaker Garo Anserlian knows how to manipulate time
by Lory Tatoulian
LOS ANGELES — When NASA and JPL launched the rovers Spirit and
Opportunity in the summer of 2003 to explore the topography of Mars,
the engineers working on the mission needed special wristwatches to
keep track of their space vehicles. Because they lived on earth and
their project took place on the red planet, they needed a watch that
would allow them to synchronize their work schedules with Martian
time.
On Mars, one solar day is 39 minutes and 25 seconds longer than our
24-hour day. This means that a watch that runs on Mars time needs to
run approximately 39 minutes slower than the 24 hours it takes for
earth to revolve around its axis.
The Mars mission’s engineers and scientists have managed to send two
rovers 48,940,000 miles into space and have them land on the Red
Planet, but they had yet to find a watchmaker in Los Angeles who could
construct a watch that functioned on Mars time — until, that is, they
came to Garo Anserlian.
The middle-aged watchmaker is owner of Executive Jewelers, a modest
watch and jewelry store located on a provincial-looking street in
Montrose, California. After operating his store for more than 20
years, Anserlian enjoys a solid reputation for his mechanical prowess
and has built up an impressive clientele, including a large number of
engineers and scientists who work at the NASA/JPL lab in neighboring
La Canada.
* A watch for the Red Planet
Anserlian has always satisfied his clients with his ingenuity and
top-notch workmanship. But when two engineers approached him in early
2004 to request that he manufacture a watch that ran on Mars time, he
was bewildered. "I thought they were joking," he recalls. "They had
always appreciated me being precise with getting the exact 24 hours
correct on their watches, and now they were asking for watches that
ran 39 minutes slower."
But when the engineers explained to Anserlian that they needed
watches to keep track of sunrise and sundown on the Red Planet, he
immediately got to work. He had a product ready for them within three
months.
"They had gone to many other jewelers, but the other jewelers said
it couldn’t be done," Anserlian says. "I gave the engineers hope that
it could be done."
When Anserlian embarked on his time-altering journey, he had to
overcome many obstacles. He consulted with colleagues, who told him he
was "wasting his time" trying to accomplish such an impossible feat.
But Anserlian was defiant. After manipulating the oscillating hands on
the dial, he produced the first watch that was able to tell the time
on the fourth planet from the sun.
Anserlian went on to make 100 time pieces for the NASA engineers.
But when word got out to the public, science buffs, watch
connoisseurs, and collectors wanted to own one of his custom-made
watches.
"I received e-mails and phone calls from all over the world,"
Anserlian says with pride. The master craftsman decided to limit the
number of his Mars watches to 1,000 — a fact that instantly turned
them into collector’s items.
In keeping with his newfound fame, Anserlian has expanded his
exclusive watch line to 20 models, including a ladies’ watch. His time
pieces are modified versions of models by Citizen, Seiko, and Orient,
and feature his "Mars Local Solar Time" logo. Prices range from $200
to $500.
Apart from his Mars line, Anserlian has been busy creating watches
with unusual functions. The inventor just completed manufacturing
dual-time watches for scientists working on a NASA project in the
North Pole. Other Anserlian models offer dual and triple time-zone
functionality for a variety of projects, be they based on earth or
another planet.
Anserlian’s passion for watchmaking was ignited at a young age, in
his native Lebanon. When he was 12 years old, he took his parents’
advice to work at a watch store during his summer break.
"My parents didn’t want me just sitting around the house all summer
doing nothing; they wanted me to make myself useful during vacation,"
Anserlian says. "They thought, since I love to work with my hands, why
not have me go learn about watches."
Throughout his teens, Anserlian worked at different watch stores on
weekends and holidays. As the Lebanese civil war raged in the 1970s,
he moved to Washington in 1979 and eventually settled in Los Angeles,
where the weather reminded him of Beirut, his birthplace.
While working at a jewelry store in Burbank, Anserlian was shot
three times during a robbery. Soon he quit his job and went to work
for Montrose Jewelers, where he met his wife, Maral. After they were
married, Anserlian opened his own jewelry store, in 1984, on the same
street as Montrose Jewelers. Offering the full complement of retail
and watch-repair services, coupled with Anserlian’s uncompromising
dedication to quality control, the business has grown exponentially.
Anserlian has three sons: Raffi, Armen, and David. The youngest,
David, now 18, is following in the footsteps of his father.
Garo Anserlian continues to explore the terra incognita of
next-generation watchmaking, as ever intent to go where no other
watchmaker has gone before.
"As an Armenian, I felt proud; we accomplished something important,"
he says, referring to his work for the NASA scientists. "We did
something good for this country we live in."
*************************************** ************************************
6. Fresno fundraiser to help send students to the homeland
by Nyrie Karkazian
FRESNO, Calif. — The newly named Charlie Keyan Armenian Community
School of Fresno celebrated their fifth annual Crab Feed fundraiser on
Saturday, Feb. 9th with raffles, auctions, food and music for everyone
to boogie back to the 70s.
The 1970s-themed fundraiser was held at Holy Trinity Armenian Church
and was hosted by Kopi Sotiropulos "Great Day" co-anchor for KMPH Fox
26.
The night was filled with disco balls and live disco music performed
by Papa Bear and Company along with an all you can eat crab dinner.
Students and Parents served guests family style along with special
guest servers Jerry Tarkanian former Fresno State basketball coach,
Tom Boyajian Fresno Mayoral candidate and Alexan Balekian KSEE 24
sportscaster.
"People were dancing, eating, bidding on silent auction…we had so
much fun there were so many people trying to outbid each other during
the live auction, it was great," said Lena Karkazian member of the
Crab Feed Committee along with Dzovig Kutumian, Melissa Pilavian,
Paula Sapatjian, Mary Krikorian and Hasmik Nishanian.
Along with the live auction people spent the night bidding on items
from the silent auction as well as on mystery boxes which contained
gift certificates from $25 to $100 and basketballs signed by
Tarkanian. A 50/50 cash raffle was also held where the amount of
money the winner spent on the raffle was split evenly between the
winner and the school.
"It was great," Christina Karakashian, Armenian School Alumnus,
said. "It was really cute to see the students serving because we were
once students at the Armenian school also and it’s great to see all
the benefits go toward the school."
Approximately 450 people attended the Crab Feed which is the biggest
fundraiser event of the year for the school and all the money raised
will go toward school necessities.
The school has been working on moving into its new location on
Herndon and Villa and is planning on being moved in completely by
March 1st. There are about 95 students attending the school this year
from nursery school to the 6th grade.
"The children are getting a valuable education in both Armenian and
English," Karkazian said.
Among these valuable learning experiences the students are receiving
are the trips they take every year either to Washington or Armenia.
This year the fifth and sixth grade classes are taking a trip to
Armenia March 7th to the 20th along with their families. They will be
spending Palm Sunday in Armenia at Holy Etchmiadzin and will also be
visiting different places such as the Madenataran, Garni, Geghart and
the Museum of Children’s Creative Art.
"As a parent I am so excited to be able to go with my son who is a
sixth grader to see our homeland and to be able to experience Armenia
as a family," Karkazian said.
connect:
[email protected]
(559) 233-1800
**************************************** ***********************************
7. Roger Kupelian’s Vartanantz epic inches closer to realization
* Who you are is worth fighting for
by Tamar Kevonian
LOS ANGELES — The Hamazkayin Heritage Committee will host a
fundraising event on February 24 for filmmaker Roger Kupelian’s East
of Byzantium: Fugitives and Warriors, a docudrama and feature-film
project about the historic Vartanantz battle, fought by the Armenians
against the Persians in 451.
The middle of the 5th century was a pivotal time for Armenia,
located at the junction where the East met the West, when the weakened
kingdom was ruled by the Persian Empire. In their attempt to dilute
the Armenian spirit, the Persians invited Armenian noblemen and
military leaders to Ctesiphon, the Persian capital, to leave the
Armenian people leaderless, thus making it easier for them to force
Christian Armenia to convert to Zoroastrianism. Vartanantz is the
celebration of the epic battle fought and lost by the Armenians under
the leadership of General Vartan Mamigonian, but which solidified
Armenia’s adherence to Christianity. The tag line of Kupelian’s film,
"Who you are is worth fighting for," is an apt description of the
sentiment which fueled the long-ago event.
The popularity of recent films such as 300, Gladiator, King Arthur,
and The Passion of the Christ have made this the perfect time for a
film of this scope and a hero of Mamigonian’s stature, considered by
many to be the Armenian Braveheart. The producers believe that
high-quality films such as East of Byzantium go a long way towards
generating greater interest in Armenian culture and history in
countries throughout the Diaspora, helping bring Armenian culture into
the mainstream.
East of Byzantium is the first solid step towards a fully realized
epic retelling of Vartan and his war against the mighty Persian
Empire. The film consists of two parts, each running two hours. The
first will be a docudrama telling the story of the Christianization of
Armenia while the second will be an epic feature showcasing the story
of Vartan Mamigonian and the battle at Avarayr. Both installments were
written by Roger Kupelian, one of the lead artists on the
special-effects team of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Already he has
recruited Serj Tankian, former lead singer of System of a Down, to
write the musical score, and is in talks with the Australian filmmaker
Paul Currie for the director’s chair.
Kupelian conceptualized the East of Byzantium project in 2002 while
on location in New Zealand, where he shot sample footage during a
rainy weekend with an army of extras clad in period costumes. "It’s
the first time the Vartan story is on film," says the enthusiastic
filmmaker. Using the latest camera technology still rarely used in
Hollywood, he believes "This is going to shake everything." After five
years of laying the groundwork, he describes the start of shooting the
first trailer as "getting the first down," a football reference to
signify his sense of achievement so far.
* Financing will be key
The Hamazkayin Heritage Committee, which holds an annual event
dedicated to various aspects of Armenian culture, decided to showcase
Kupelian’s film project for 2008. "We expect 300 people to attend,"
says Rita Demirjian, an executive member of the committee. "It’s the
first historical, non-Genocide-related, film about our identity," she
adds, further explaining that East of Byzantium is important because
"it tells the story that solidified our identity as a Christian
people." The fundraiser seeks to raise $100,000 to pay for the film’s
teaser and two trailers, which are necessary for subsequently helping
raise the $1 million needed for the docudrama. This, in turn, will
generate interest in funding the second part of the project, a
$75-million feature film.
The attendees of the February 24 fundraiser will be able to meet
some of the film’s stars and view the unveiling of footage about the
historic battle of Avarayr, followed by a Q&A session with the
creative minds behind the upcoming docudrama. Donors are encouraged to
send a tax-deductible contribution in advance to receive a special
gift as well as be credited in a designated section in an art booklet,
available only at the fundraiser, which will include more information
on the project and new artwork of the film.
The event will take place at 3229 Casitas Avenue, Los Angeles,
California, 90039, at 6 PM. Tickets are $50 per person and can be
purchased by contacting Rita Demirjian at (818) 445-6556 or Shoushig
Arslanian at (714) 403-0875.
*************************************** ************************************
8. Former chief of police Bernard Melekian serves as interim City
Manager in Pasadena
by Lory Tatoulian
PASADENA, Calif. — The Pasadena City Council appointed Chief of
Police Bernard Melekian to serve as interim City Manager. Melekian,
who accepted the position, has served as the city’s Chief of Police
since 1996 and briefly served as acting Fire Chief in 1998.
The Pasadena City Council appointed Melekian when former City
Manager Cynthia J. Kurtz announced that she was leaving her position
for a post at a Pasadena-based consulting firm. That’s when Melekian
was asked to replace her. Meanwhile Christopher O. Vicino, a 23-year
law-enforcement veteran, is serving as Pasadena’s acting Chief of
Police.
"This job is much broader in scope than my previous work as Chief of
Police," Melekian says. "As City Manager, I have to deal with the day
to day activities of the entire city, such as creating more parks and
open space in the community and working closely with the Pasadena
Unified School District."
Melekian plans on serving on this position for about six more
months, until the Pasadena City Council appoints a new city manager.
He is slated to resume his duties as police chief once the vacant City
Council seats are filled.
A native of Pasadena, Melekian is a descendent of Genocide
survivors. He spent his formative years in Oklahoma, where his father
was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP). Through his father’s involvement with the
progressive NAACP, Melekian gained valuable insight into the racial
divisions and injustices that afflict America’s cities. Years later,
as the Chief of Police of Pasadena, he made history by being the first
police chief to publicly apologize to the African-American community
for law enforcement’s pattern of abuse and racism.
"Melekian hold no prejudices and he really worked towards bringing
equality among all the ethnic groups that live in Pasadena," says
Setrak Kopoushian, Vice-Chairman of the Pasadena Armenian Police
Advisory Committee. "Throughout his career, he has humbly worked to
make Pasadena one of the safest and cleanest cities in California, and
he does this because he loves this city."
************************************* **************************************
9. Sergei Paradjanov’s work to be shown at LACMA in late February
by Brandon Lowrey
LOS ANGELES — Six films by acclaimed Soviet-Armenian filmmaker Sergei
Paradjanov will be shown at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art this
month, nearly 18 years after his death.
The films will begin Feb. 22 and run through Feb. 29, showcasing
Paradjanov’s four best-known works will be shown, along with two
earlier pieces.
The films are noted for being lavishly detailed, rich in story,
character and beautifully shot.
"He worked in this sort of extravagance. You say, ‘Jesus, how did he
do this?’" said Professor Dickran Kouymijian, director of the Armenian
Studies program at California State University, Fresno. "The things he
could do on the set were unbelievable."
Kouymijian personally knew Paradjanov, who died in 1990; he
eventually wrote Paradjanov’s obituary for a French publication. The
professor described Paradjanov as an aesthetic-minded man who had a
natural knack for creating beauty.
"He was a creator. An instantaneous creator," said Kouymijian. "He
could turn nothing into something, whether it was on film or in a
collage or in the decoration of a room or a table, or even in the
dressing of a woman.
"He loved beauty. He was involved as a child, as a teenager … in
all the arts — he did ballet, he did piano, theatre."
Paradjanov’s poetic style with film was a stark departure from
socialist realism — the only artistic style accepted in the Soviet
Union. And like many artists under Communist rule, he was censored,
blacklisted and spent several years in Soviet prisons.
From 1965 to 1973, Paradjanov was banned from making movies.
In 1973, he was arrested and imprisoned on trumped up charges of
homosexuality, dealing in foreign currency, anti-state behavior and
other crimes, Kouymijian said. Paradjanov was jailed until 1977.
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964) is about star-crossed lovers
in the Ukraine — a man falls in love with the daughter of his
father’s murderer. When she dies in a tragic accident, he tries to
move on. But her memory haunts him, even as he remarries in this tale
of sorrow, humiliation and sorcery.
"There is no modernization of any sort, no vehicles," Kouymijian
said. Instead, Paradjanov presents his audience a "heavily overloaded,
absolutely gorgeous (depiction of) traditional life" in the
Carpathians. "It’s absolutely extraordinary. The camera work is
incredible. The film was not like any other Soviet film. It was
immediately remarked upon and was a very popular cult film."
This film was the first of Paradjanov’s to flagrantly buck the
Soviet realist style, playing with color to express moods.
"That film was a revolution," Kouymijian said.
The Color of Pomegranates (1969) tells the tale of 17th-century
Armenian poet-priest Sayat Nova in an unconventional style — as the
famous poet’s life story is related through his poetry, the camera
rarely moves and the dialogue is extremely limited.
"That film is something that really was unique in Armenian film
history," Kouymijian said. "No film before or after has so well
depicted the traditional life of Armenians, especially in the 18th and
19th centuries. Here again, as with Shadows, Paradjanov went heavy
into customs, traditions, church…. but he also uses just absolutely
tons of medieval manuscripts.
"What happened in (Pomegranates) is that Paradjanov takes his camera
and fixes it," the professor said. "You almost think that you’re
looking at a slide show. He does everything to arrange an
aesthetically mind-boggling scene, shoots it, and goes on to another
one.
"The cameraman in Soviet film making is extremely important,"
Kouymijian said. "I’ll give you a dollar if you can name the cameraman
in any American film. You can’t."
Paradjanov’s best-known films also include Ashik Kerib (1988) and
Legend of Suram Fortress (1984). Paradjanov succumbed to cancer in
1990. It was only a few years before his death that he was able to
show his films at international festivals.
But his distinct touch wasn’t limited to the medium of film — many
of his collages, some of which he constructed in prison, are on
display internationally. And many of his personal belongings and
pieces of art can be found at the Paradjanov Museum in Yerevan.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is located in downtown Los
Angeles, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard.
For more information, go to
* * *
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964)
Friday, Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m.
(97 minutes)
Andriesh (1954)
Friday, Feb. 22, 9:20 p.m.
(63 minutes)
Ashik Kerib (1988)
Saturday, Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m.
(74 minutes)
The First Lad (1958)
Saturday, Feb. 23, 9 p.m.
(86 minutes)
The Color of Pomegranates (1969)
Friday, Feb. 29, 7:30 p.m.
(73 minutes)
The Legend of Suram Fortress (1984)
Friday, Feb. 29, 9:20 p.m.
(83 minutes)
**************************************** ***********************************
10. At Lincoln Center, a restored cinematic Spartacus re-embodies Aram
Khachaturian’s famous music
by Florence Avakian
NEW YORK — The story of the legendary gladiator-slave-folk hero
Spartacus has been embraced by people throughout history, and remains
apropos today. It dramatically recounts the struggle of an oppressed
people fighting for justice and freedom against the brutality of the
state.
Roman historians date the hero, whom ancient sources agree was a
native of Thrace, to anywhere from 120 to 70 B.C. During this time,
Spartacus, who had served in the Roman army, then was enslaved for
desertion, led an unsuccessful slave uprising against the Roman
republic.
A newly restored version of the Soviet-era ballet film Spartacus was
brought to life recently at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theatre in
New York City, as part of its "Dance on Camera" festival. The glorious
spectacle, originally filmed in 1975, was restored to wide-screen
splendor in 2007.
It stars some of the Bolshoi Ballet’s greatest dancers of that era,
including Vladimir Vasiliev, Maris Liepa, Natalya Besmertnova, and
Nina Timofeeva. The bold, difficult, and high-energy choreography is
by the acclaimed Yuri Grigorovich, who emphasizes the power of the
epic adventure, rather than its subtleties.
The composer of the music, the acclaimed Soviet-era Armenian
composer Aram Khachaturian, also does not dwell on subtlety, except in
the excruciatingly beautiful love theme repeated throughout — and
frequently played in isolation in countless dance recitals and
concerts.
Much of the score matches the virility, strength, dynamism, and
flawless technique of the spectacular male dancers who dominate the
story, and are nothing less than awesome. But at times, the music can
be brassy and bombastic.
* Risk to life and limb
It is astounding to think that the story’s overriding theme of
oppression was even permissible during the period of the Soviet
dictatorship, and it is not too much to assert that Khachaturian was
taking an enormous risk to life and limb in pursuing this theme.
In the film, Vladimir Vasiliev as the freedom-fighting Spartacus —
who eventually loses his struggle — radiates enormous power. His
soaring leaps through the air, sometimes appearing suspended, are
heart-stopping and don’t seem humanly possible.
Maris Liepa, as a villainous Roman, is equally unforgettable, not
only for his fierce body language, but also for his crazed eyes
reflecting unrelenting ruthlessness. He is truly a man possessed. The
noiseless landings by both male dancers, and their stunning one-handed
lifts, were truly impressive.
The role of Phrygia, the lover of Spartacus, danced by the lithe and
elegant Natalia Bessmertnova, is frail, tender and compassionate, and
expresses the soul-searing beauty of Khachaturian’s love theme. Her
final grief scene on the death of Spartacus is intensely moving.
Nina Timofeyeva’s Aegina, the cold, calculating and deceptive
concubine of Crassus, is sinuously lustful during the seduction
scenes. After seducing the slave army with wine and prostitutes, she
does a graphic pole dance, the perfect physical expression of
Khachaturian’s bump-and-grind accompaniment.
Spartacus is memorable for the dedication and virtuosity of the
dancers, for impetuously and majestically sweeping the viewers along,
and for its tragic but inspirational climax, where the human spirit
proves victorious over injustice and tyranny. Its 30-year-old ballet
performances stay with the viewer long after the spectacle has ended;
and in this restored film version, one of the high-water marks of the
Russian dance tradition will be around to thrill further generations.
Khachaturian’s score for Spartacus is, of course, as close to
immortal as anything he composed. But it’s especially pleasing to see
that music — so often (literally) disembodied in purely instrumental
arrangements — brought to life in the context for which it was
originally conceived.
Note: A version of the Yuri Grigorovich/Vladimir Vasiliev filmed
version of Spartacus has been released on DVD.
******************************************** *******************************
11. This Armenian Life: Arman the Beekeeper forced out of business
* "No respect"
by Tamar Kevonian
LOS ANGELES — Arman the Beekeeper is a gregarious, full-bodied
32-year-old man with an infectious sense of humor and impish twinkle
in his eye that seems to say, "Life is a joke and I know the punch
line." He has been on a journey of self-discovery and settled into the
world of pest extermination for the last year. It is the latest in a
string of half a dozen career paths he has explored in the past three
years. His stints have included running a limousine service, towing,
auto transportation, retail sales in the ladies’ shoe industry, and
mortgage brokering, but pest control seems like a natural evolution
from his original occupation of beekeeper and honey producer. It is an
odd occupation for someone who abhors sweets.
From the outset, Arman was involved in the family honey business,
which was started by his father in 1984 after emigrating here from
Armenia four years prior to that. It was an usual occupation but one
they were very good at. Although there were other similar enterprises
at the time, theirs was the only one to be owned by an Armenian.
"We had 2,800 colonies of bees at one point," Arman explains. "But I
got squeezed out," he says, hinting at sinister conspiracies. His
story includes the usual challenges faced by a business owner, along
with politics, violence, racism, land development, and old Armenian
men.
"I would place my swarms all over the foothills, up Angeles Crest,
from Los Angeles County up to San Bernardino County: Arcadia,
Montclair, Altadena, Pomona," Arman explains. "Then they started
building houses up there and I started getting complaints." City
officials from Los Angeles County Public Works Department would call
him to relay homeowner grievances and ask him to speak to them.
He would knock on the door of these large, newly built homes and
announce with a smile, "Hi I’m the beekeeper," and would be met with
panic and demands for the immediate removal of his bee colonies. Arman
rolls his eyes at this point, showing his amazement at the oblivious
nature of the residents of those million-dollar homes with their
elaborate landscaping. He says he tried to explain the impossibility
of the task, the bees’ harmlessness, their necessity for the existence
of fruits, vegetables, and the flowers in their yard, but to no avail.
"Get them out!" the homeowners would scream at him, as he waves his
arms in the air, trying to mimic their senseless terror. Arman soon
understood that their complaints were not about the bees themselves
but the waste generated by them. "The poop is like a very small dot
that turns into powder," he says, rubbing his forefingers together to
indicate their intangibility.
The homeowners started calling town meetings and filing complaints
with their city council members. "I started getting calls from [Mike]
Antonovich’s office apologizing but still asking me to remove the
bees," he shrugs. Eventually the city offered him a location deep in
Azusa Canyon, past the San Gabriel Dam. It was a difficult location to
access, requiring advance notice to the dam keeper before every visit.
Bob the Dam Keeper did not appreciate being inconvenienced and
constantly complained to his superiors, even though there were other
beekeepers with locations in those mountains. "Apparently I was
disturbing his peace," Arman says with sarcasm.
The honeybee is a necessity not just in the pollination of flowers
in our gardens, but also of fruits in the orchards and vegetables in
the fields. One-third of all the food we consume is a result of the
work done by this tiny pollinator. Honeybees require a mere five miles
to gather pollen, never sting unless provoked, and multiply by the
thousands every year when they split the existing colony and swarm to
form a new one with the queen bee.
* Shrewd farmers and an old nemesis
As Arman’s colony grew, he began to rent them out to farmers in
Fresno. "Once I knocked on the door of this farm and this old man
answered," he recalls. "’Why do I need your bees?’ he said. ‘All the
farms around are paying for them so I get to use them for free.’ He
knew his stuff and he was Armenian. I couldn’t argue with him," Arman
says with a chuckle.
During one such trip, as he was returning from Fresno, he decided to
stop in the mountains to drop off some of his bees. He called ahead to
inform Bob the Dam Keeper of his plans and the time of his arrival. "I
was there loading my truck and I see these headlights coming down the
mountain," he says. "Next thing you know, it’s Bob the Dam Keeper with
his gun drawn, so I pulled out my gun." After significant yelling and
arguing, both men went their own way but the saga was just beginning.
Although Arman’s hives were not the only ones in the mountains, he
seems to have been the only one targeted by Bob the Dam Keeper’s
incessant campaign to have them removed. He called the city council,
the fire department, and every other official he could find. The
timing of his harassment coincided with the fires in the Azusa Canyon
that year. "The public works department called and then the fire
marshal," Arman says. "Apparently my bees were swarming around the
heliport and the helicopter pilots were getting scared," he adds
incredulously. "I asked them. ‘How can this tiny, one-ounce animal
fight against the wind generated by the blades?’ but it didn’t
matter."
That incident, and almost driving off the side of the cliff on the
way back from the mountains on a dark night, finally persuaded him to
get out of honey producing. He sold his business and went on a search
for a different calling, eventually settling on pest control. "I used
to always get calls from people who had bees colonized in the walls of
their house and I would go get them out," Arman says, describing the
foundation for his current business idea. "After a while I realized I
could make a living from this. Now I don’t have to rip the walls out
to get them out alive; I just spray." And so a new career was
launched for the former beekeeper.
************************************** *************************************
12. Armenian Allied Arts Association to hold competition
by Lory Tatoulian
LOS ANGELES — The Armenian Allied Arts Association is gearing up for
its 68th annual arts competition, set for the spring of 2008. Since
1940, the organization has awarded more than $250,000 in cash prizes.
The competition is intended to spotlight and foster the talents of
artists who live in the Armenian community. The yearly event
recognizes artists in a series of genres including fine art,
literature, dance, music, voice, drama, and film. Competition winners
are awarded cash prizes, certificates, and trophies.
Armenian Allied Arts Association President Maurice Yotnegparian, who
has worked with the association for more than 20 years, says that this
is the only Armenian organization he is involved with because he is a
big advocate of the arts. "Our competition gives many artists their
first opportunity to expose their talents," Yotnegparian says. "I
think it is important to give young Armenian artists the chance to get
up on the stage and perform."
The competition culminates in an award ceremony when artists are
provided the chance to showcase their talents. At the Artists’
Banquet, over $10,000 is given out to various artists.
Since its inception, the competition has functioned as a catalyst
for some of the most accomplished contemporary Armenian artists.
Conductor George Pehlivanian and opera star Isabel Bayrakdarian began
their careers as winners of the annual competition. Pianist, composer,
and educator Vatche Mankerian, who also serves as Program Manager of
the USC Institute of Armenian Studies, is an alumnus of the event. The
association also organizes concerts and art exhibitions throughout the
year.
The Armenian Allied Arts Association was launched in 1934 by a small
group of distinguished Armenian-American artists. They sought to start
a cultural club so that they could stay connected with each other and
share their interest in the art scene of Los Angeles. The founding
members included Marshall Chashoudian, Greta M. Chashoudian, Zaruhi
Elmassian, Hovsep Ignatius, Siroon Mangurian, and Dr. Aram Tolegian.
The group later renamed itself the Armenian Allied Arts Association, a
nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging and supporting
artistically talented individuals of Armenian descent.
"I think art is just as important as politics and religion,"
Yotnegparian says. "Sometimes it’s hard to find people to be a patron
of the arts — they think art is just a pastime or a hobby — but the
Allied Arts Association really likes to help artists achieve their
full potential."
connect:
www.armenianalliedarts. org
********************************************* ******************************
13. Crime Beat: Accused health care fraudster nabbed after traffic stop
by Jason Kandel
GLENDALE, Calif. — Sarkis "Sako" Militonyan was on his way to a
soccer game the morning of Jan. 27 when Glendale police pulled him
over after noticing his white Chevrolet Tahoe straddling two lanes
near Glenoaks Boulevard and Sonora Avenue.
He wouldn’t make the game.
The 43-year-old man was on probation for a 2005 attempted extortion
conviction and was wanted by the federal government in a $5 million
health care fraud case, police said.
The former car wash owner was booked into the Los Angeles County
Jail, turned over to the FBI and awaits an arraignment hearing Tuesday
to answer to health care fraud charges, officials said.
Mr. Militonyan’s arrest shed light on the man’s murky ties to the
underground economy in Glendale and his current case put a spotlight
on the nagging problem of health care fraud in Southern California.
"Health care fraud is a massive problem across the United States,"
said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the United States Attorney’s Office
in Los Angeles. "It seems to be a particularly bad problem in the Los
Angeles metropolitan area. It’s a huge amount of money."
Mr. Militonyan’s attorney, Garo Ghazarian, said his client was made
aware of the pending health care fraud case against him when an FBI
agent interviewed him about it in October.
"Had my client been made aware that there was a warrant for his
arrest, he would have self surrendered," said Mr. Ghazarian, who would
not authorize an interview with his client due to the ongoing case.
"In knowing that, he did not flee."
Mr. Ghazarian said he could not comment on the merits of the
government’s case because he has not seen the investigative reports.
He is in the process of raising $225,000 in property to secure his
client’s release from custody.
The government’s case is laid out in a six-page federal grand jury
indictment. It alleges that between July 2001 and March 2003, the scam
netted Mr. Militonyan and his alleged accomplice, Dr. Michael Streams,
some $1.5 million for medical tests and services that were not
necessary or were not provided.
Using Mr. Streams’ legitimate Medicare identity number that
authorized him to bill the federal government for health care
reimbursements, the men allegedly cheated the government out of $5
million by indicating on paper they had performed the tests.
Dr. Streams’ attorney did not return a call seeking comment.
The case is one of several local health care fraud cases in the news
recently in the L.A. area.
Last year, five people, including a husband and wife from Altadena,
were convicted in what authorities said was a Russian-Armenian
organized crime ring that took $20 million from Medicare through phony
clinics and labs in L.A., Glendale, Van Nuys, and Pasadena.
Last summer, a Glendale husband and wife and two accomplices were
charged in a state Medi-Cal fraud case. In that case, the defendants
are accused of operating an adult day health care center out of a
church community room and filing false claims to the government for
services performed on a day prosecutors allege the clinic was closed.
Although there is no apparent tie with the current health care fraud
charges he faces, Mr. Militonyan is no stranger to law enforcement.
Los Angeles County Superior Court records show that he was convicted
of property theft in 1998. In 2005, he was one of two defendants
convicted in a murky extortion try.
The case came about in 2002 after an Armenian businessperson claimed
he had borrowed money from an accused loan shark identified in court
documents as Grigor Tifekchian, then 70. The victim apparently could
not afford to pay back the money he owed and eventually Mr. Tifekchian
and Mr. Militonyan came calling.
The victim, who himself had a prior arrest for credit card fraud —
charges that were later dropped — said in court testimony that Mr.
Tifekchian threatened to kill him if he didn’t pay the $3,500 he said
the victim owed on a $7,500 loan, court papers say.
Eventually the victim became so afraid of the men that he reported
them to police, agreed to wear a wire and record conversations that
would eventually lead to the convictions of Mr. Tifekchian and Mr.
Militonyan.
When the victim said he could only pay $1,000, Mr. Tifekchian said,
"If you don’t pay, this guy (Militonyan) knows where to find you,"
according court records. "He’ll cut your balls. He is going to
[expletive] you in front of your wife."
The victim testified that at one point, Mr. Militonyan claimed that
the money the victim owed to Mr. Tifekchian was actually his money.
The victim testified in front of a Los Angeles County grand jury
that he became so afraid of the men that he took his children out of
school and even traveled to Palm Springs to hide out for a few days,
court records show.
He also testified that during the case, "Sako," through an
intermediary, tried to get him to drop the charges.
He also said that the stress from testifying prompted him to break
out with some type of rash all over his body. It was so bad that he
checked himself into a hospital where he was prescribed allergy
medication and steroids, he said, according to the 2005 grand jury
transcripts.
Mr. Militonyan pleaded guilty to one count of attempted extortion
and was sentenced to 34 days in jail and three years probation. As
part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the threat charges.
Daniel Behesnilian, the attorney who represented Mr. Militonyan in
the attempted extortion case, said that Mr. Militonyan’s role in the
case was minor.
"He was sucked into it," Mr. Behesnilian said. "He didn’t repudiate
what the old man was saying, but he never used threatening language."
Mr. Tifekchian was sentenced to two years in state prison.
Mr. Tifekchian’s attorney, Fred Minassian, said his client has
served his time has not ties to Mr. Militonyan nor his current case
and is leading a law-abiding life.
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14. Laughter for a great cause
by Karine Chakarian
GLENDALE, Calif. — On February 6, Phoenicia Restaurant in Glendale
was abuzz with activity, with staff running around in fervent
preparation. As 8 P.M. neared, tablecloths were draped over tables and
chairs were brought in from the patio to accommodate the over 200
guests that were about to arrive.
The occasion was the Children’s Music Fund’s first annual Comedy
Night Fundraiser, an evening devoted to raising money for a noble
cause.
* Standing room only
The enthusiasm surrounding the event was fueled by the mission of the
Children’s Music Fund. The nonprofit organization, founded by Dr.
Raffi Tachdjian, a pediatric pain specialist at Mattel Children’s
hospital at UCLA, donates musical instruments and provides music
therapy to chronically ill children.
Tickets sold out within weeks of the event’s announcement and far
surpassed the organizer’s expectations. "The restaurant overflowed
with so much energy, there was barely any standing room left," said
Mariette Tachdjian, RN, one of the organizers of the event and a
Children’s Music Fund board member. "And to think we are passing on
that positive energy in the form of music and laughter," Tachdjian
continued. "There is no better therapy… whether you are ill or
healthy."
As word of mouth and enthusiasm for the event spread across the
Armenian community, waiting lists were formed and organizers were
contacted by enthusiastic supporters who had hopes of attending the
event.
Ara Kalfayan, owner of Phoenicia Restaurant, allowed the
organization to use his Mediterranean eatery to host the event. A
small stage was set up towards the back of the restaurant where,
throughout the evening, an impressive lineup of comedians entertained
the guests.
* Serenading cows and "Dirty Dandigins"
The program began with a skit involving a Midwest farmer called Vrad
Khentamian, played by Raffi Rupchian, receiving the Long Lost Armenian
Award. In an interview with a reporter, played by Mariette Tachdjian,
Vrad discusses growing up in Missouri, where exposure to his ethnicity
consisted of listening to his father serenade cows in Armenian.
We learn that Vrad moonlights as a bailiff. As he reminisces, he is
joined on stage by Raffi Tachdjian, Shant Karlubian, and Sevan
Karagoz, in a reenactment of a trial in a Missouri state courthouse
where Sahag Mardik Aravodian, an immigrant from Kesab, played by
Karagoz, stands trial for accidentally shooting a bald eagle while
hunting for turkeys. As the trial progresses, so does the confusion,
as the translations of the court-appointed interpreter (Tachdjian),
whose grasp of the Armenian language is limited to television and
audiotapes, lead to the hilarious climax of the judge’s (Karlubian)
ruling.
The skit was followed with a performance by stand-up comic Jason
James, who will be featured on next season’s Last Comic Standing.
The highlight of the evening was Lory Tatoulian. Dressed head to toe
in gold lame and wearing large, round, red-framed glasses, she made
her first appearance as the "Dirty Dandigin," an overweight,
gossip-loving, coffee cup-reading Armenian woman who flirted
shamelessly with audience members.
Throughout the evening, Lory transformed herself into a multitude of
characters — from a Russian man carrying a bottle of vodka and
speaking in numb monotone about "existential" life in post-Soviet
Russia to the statue of liberty lighting a cigarette off her torch and
lamenting about returning to France. Lory’s performance was
wonderfully complemented with live musical accompaniment by composer
and multi-instrumentalist Ara Dabandjian.
While the majority of the attendees and performers were Armenian,
the cause transcended all ethnicities. "The show was great," said
Sovann Somreth. "I laughed my head off even though a quarter of it was
in Armenian. There is such a great sense of community in Glendale."
In fact, several organizations were represented in the audience
including the UCLA Pediatric Pain Program, Armenian American Medical
Society of California, and Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art.
With the community’s generous involvement, the Children’s Music
Fund’s first annual fundraiser was a resounding success. And while the
fundraiser may have been the first of the year for the fund, the
organizers assured the audience that plans are underway for a
succession of similar evenings devoted to raising money, in the hopes
of bringing a smile to the faces of chronically ill children.
connect:
childrensmusicfund.org
****** ************************************************** *******************
15. Restaurants: Que Rico Taqueria
by Lucie Davidian
VAN NUYS, Calif. — Juan Mendez was a wonderful man. He was a
resourceful man who revolutionized Mexican cuisine by introducing one
of the greatest creations of all time – the Burrito. It sounds a bit
crazy; but then again, throughout the years I have developed a serious
Burrito habit. I eat one at least once a week. There are weeks that
can go by when I try my best to fight the cravings. Sometimes it
works; but for the most part, I end up giving in. My friends tease me
about it often, but I can’t help it. Every time I bite into a carne
asada burrito, I get a huge smile on my face. So you can imagine how
excited I was when I found out about a Taqueria owned by Armenians in
Van Nuys.
Burritos have a long history. "Burrito like" foods were eaten by the
Aztecs, who used to wrap their food with tortillas. This is according
to accounts by Spanish missionaries.
Burrito in Spanish translates to "Little Donkey," and according to
Wikipedia the name comes from the shape that the burrito takes which
resembles the ear of a donkey. The first burrito originated from the
city of Cuidad Juárez in the state of Chihuahua, where during the
Mexican Revolution (1910-1921), a taco salesmen named Juan Mendez, in
an attempt to keep his tacos warm wrapped them in a larger tortilla,
hence creating the burrito. The name developed because Juan used his
donkey the same way taco vendors in Los Angeles use taco trucks to
bring food to the people.
There are several different kinds of burritos, there is the Mexican
burrito which varies from state to state, in Yucatan for example they
only use meat and beans, whereas in Oaxaca they use Mole sauce to give
it a distinct taste; however the common ingredients are refried beans,
Spanish rice and meat consisting mainly of beef (carne) or pork
(carnitas). In the U.S. burritos have taken on a life of their own,
here they incorporate a lot more ingredients such as vegetables,
cheese, guacamole, salsa and sour cream.
The San Francisco Burrito is most famous due to its culinary and
cultural attributes, it is distinguished for its larger size due to
the amount of rice used and the abundance of side dishes. It also has
a history that goes back to the Central Valley farm workers and to the
city’s Mission district, where in the Seventies, it became an
important part of the Chicano movement. Who would have thought that a
wrapped up tortilla filled with meat and rice would be something of
cultural pride, but it was and still is, just like the Armenian
inspired Lavash Wraps that have become popular in the recent years, so
popular in fact that McDonalds in Eastern Europe has created the
McLavash.
The meshing of cultures through food is a part of our everyday
lives, living in L.A. it is impossible to avoid the influence of Latin
food, especially Mexican. It is for this reason that Danny Kovarkizi,
an Armenian-Assyrian who moved to the U.S. from Iran, almost six years
ago, decided to open a Mexican restaurant named Que Rico in Van Nuys.
When I asked him why he chose Mexican food his answer was "because its
low cost, the ingredients are simple but most importantly everyone
eats it, I have Armenian and Latin customers coming in and out of the
restaurant all day."
Que Rico’s location on Sherman Way is in a commercial and
residential area, the restaurant is open six days a week and has a
menu that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The whole operation is
run by Danny and his chef who helped him create the menu. Born in
Orumieh, Iran, Danny a tall, energetic 27 year old told me that he
really had no idea what he was getting himself into when he decided to
get into the restaurant business. After moving to the U.S., he worked
several jobs before realizing that he would prefer to have his own
business rather than work for someone else. Growing up in Post
Revolutionary Iran, Danny explains that his drive towards self
sufficiency stems from the work ethic his father instilled in him, as
well as the difficult life they lead back home.
Iran became an unpleasant place to live after the fall of the Shah,
the religious fundamentalism had its negative effects on the Armenian
community there. He explained that those like me, who left the country
right after the Revolution have been lucky in that we have had it a
lot easier than those like him who stayed behind. However that
experience helped shape him into the driven, hard working individual
that he is; he speaks several languages fluently including Spanish
which he insists makes a huge difference in his daily interaction with
his Latin patrons.
After realizing that he wanted to focus on Mexican food, he went to
several local Mexican restaurants and collected their menus to fully
understand what Mexican food really is. After hiring his chef Juan
Molina, they created a menu which has everything from Taco’s,
Quesadillas, Nacho’s, Torta’s, (Mexican sandwich) and of course
burritos. The menu also has nicely constructed seafood dishes
consisting mainly Tilapia and Camarones (shrimp) as well as breakfast
items such as Breakfast Burritos and Huevos Rancheros, eggs served
with corn tortillas, Ranchera sauce, rice and beans. The menu is
simple, all the salsas and other sauces are made in house by Juan and
Danny. They have the usual Mexican Agua’s Fresca’s ( Fresh Cold
Waters) which are a combination of fruits, seeds and water and come in
three distinct flavors, Horchata (rice and cinnamon), Tamarindo (
Tamarind) and Jamaica ( Hibiscus).
On my visit that day naturally I chose to get the Carne Asada
burrito, but this one was a bit different than what I’m used to
because it was served with a delicious, bright red Enchilada sauce
made of Chile Arbol. This is another version of the burrito, referred
to as the "Wet Burrito," where typically it’s topped with an enchilada
sauce and is eaten with a knife and fork. The burrito didn’t
disappoint, it was stuffed with carne asada, rice, beans, Pico de
Gallo (tomatoes, onions and cilantro) and Monterey Jack cheese. It was
one of the few times in my long history of burrito consumption that I
couldn’t finish the whole thing, I took the rest home and enjoyed it
that evening.
Que Rico opened a year ago and for Danny it has been a challenging
and insightful experience, he’s learned the importance of keeping your
ingredients fresh by selecting the right purveyors and understanding
how your customers’ taste buds work. Given his Latino and Armenian
clientele, he’s also learned what a difference the addition of beer
and wine makes to your menu. Most importantly he’s learned to cook
good Mexican food, because when Juan goes home, Danny is the one who
jumps into the kitchen and makes those delicious burritos. His
business is picking up and in the future he hopes to expand and
possibly develop a chain of Mexican restaurants.
The optimist in me still believes that food is the key to uniting
people especially here in the U.S. the "melting pot" of the world, and
particularly in cities like Los Angeles where ethnic tension is
abundant. Watching Danny cook the Carne Asada and hearing him talk
about how he makes the Enchilada sauce is the reason I was excited
when I first heard about this place. He’s comfortable with it because
as he says, since his move to L.A., he has spent as much time "hanging
out" with Latinos as he has with Armenians, so opening a Mexican
restaurant was not as far fetched as I initially assumed.
It hinders our growth as people and as a community when we don’t
learn to open up and tolerate others around us, even though some of it
can be attributed to our parent’s generation’s fear of assimilation,
there are ways to assimilate without loosing your identity. How many
times have we heard our parents say they won’t accept us marrying an
"odar?"
When I was younger I used to always tell my mom that I was either
going to end up marrying an Indian or a Mexican because I loved their
cuisine so much, it would be cool to have a mother-in-law who would
pass those recipes down to me. My mother, of course would laugh it
off, but a part of me was serious because there’s such an amazing
bonding experience that happens in the kitchen, it doesn’t matter what
culture you’re from. It wasn’t the chef’s in my culinary school who
taught me how to really cook, it was the Mexican’s and El Salvadoran’s
standing next to me everyday in the kitchen.
Every time I read an article in the paper of Armenian and Mexican
kids fighting and at times killing each other in high schools, it
saddens me that they’re so focused on their differences rather than
appreciating their similarities. Maybe these kids should get together
and share burritos and kebab sandwiches because in reality there
really isn’t much of a difference between the two, and maybe in some
strange way it will help them understand each other better.
* * *
Location
13611 Sherman Way
Van Nuys, CA. 91405
Contact
(818) 785-1002
Hours
Monday — Saturday
10:00 am — 9:00 pm
Average Price
$1.99 — $11.99
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