Month: August 2008

‘THE WIZARD,’ AN ARMENIAN FOLKTALE

Staten Island Advance – SILive.com
renting/index.ssf?/base/living/121793311636360.xml &coll=1
Aug 5 2008
NY

Long ago, there was a man who heaved a carpet bag over his shoulder
and set off on a journey. He had been feeling weak and ill, and he
thought travel would be good for him. As he trudged along, he came to
a spring and saw water bubbling to the surface. He longed for a drink.

A group of women was gathered around the spring, filling their buckets,
and the traveler asked, "Would one of you spare some of that sweet
water to quench a man’s thirst?"

"Go away," one of the women cried, and another echoed her words until
all of the women were shooing him away. All but one.

"Why shall we not share our water?" she asked her friends, and she
filled her bucket and handed it to the man.

He drank with pleasure, and then he looked at the women again and
asked, "Does anyone have a place for a weary traveler to sleep?"

Again it was the generous woman who offered a corner of her house. She
led the stranger home, and when she introduced him to her husband,
he, too, welcomed the man. "Our home is yours."

Now the couple was poor, but when they sat down to eat, the man asked
for a big bowl of rice. When he finished the bowl, he asked for more
food; he was very hungry. The woman fed him bowl after bowl, until at
last she had nothing else to feed him. "I’m sorry," she told the man,
"I cannot offer you another bite. We have nothing left."

They all went to sleep, but when the couple awoke the next morning,
the man was gone. When they opened their cupboards, they saw that
they were filled with sacks of rice and flour and beans, along with
buckets of berries and baskets of fruit.

The couple realized they had fed a special traveler. "Our visitor
was a wizard," they said, and they were grateful.

Meanwhile, the wizard continued on his journey. Soon he passed a man
carrying a bundle of wood. "What are you doing?" the wizard asked.

"Eking out a living," said the poor woodsman. "There’s nothing
more I can do." So the wizard turned the wood into a big, thriving
vineyard. "Tend your vines and prosper!" he cried, and went on his way.

Before long he came to a man sitting in a grove of dying trees. "What
a fine orchard you have!" he said, and a moment later those dying
trees were thick and leafy and filled with fine, juicy apples.

The wizard cried, "Work and prosper, and long life to you!" Then he
walked on.

Before long he saw a man carrying a sack of rocks on his back, sweat
pouring down his face. The wizard called out, "Brother, what a fine
flock of sheep you have," and sure enough, that bag of rocks turned
into a flock of fat sheep. "May you prosper," the wizard called as
he journeyed on.

Now the man with the vineyard and the man with the orchard and the
man with the flock of sheep were amazed, but they never gave a second
thought to the stranger.

A year passed, and the wizard, after walking through the land and
offering his gifts to many, decided it was time to return to where
he began his journey. He was well again.

So he turned around and started to retrace his steps. After a few days,
he came across the shepherd he had helped, who sat by a fire. He was
roasting a lamb over the coals.

"Could you spare a taste for me?" the wizard asked the shepherd,
but the shepherd squinted up at him and said, "Have you helped me to
tend my flocks? Only those who work deserve to be paid."

The wizard walked on, whispering as he did, and behind him that flock
of sheep turned into a big bag of rocks.

A day later, the wizard came to the orchard, where many men were
picking apples. "Would you spare a bag of apples for a poor man?" he
asked the owner.

"I pay my men and offer no charity to the lazy," the orchard owner
said, and so the wizard walked on, but behind his back that orchard
turned into a field of barren trees.

Now he came to the vineyard, and seeing the field filled with workers,
he stopped to ask if he might pick a bag full of grapes.

The workers shook their heads. "Our master gives nothing away,"
they said sorrowfully, and so the wizard walked on, empty-handed,
but behind him the orchard vanished, and in its place the workers
saw only a pile of wood.

And then the wizard reached the house where he had passed a pleasant
night a year before, and when he knocked on the door, the couple
opened it and smiled with delight. "Welcome," they cried, "we are so
glad you have returned. Please, come in and let us treat you. Whatever
you wish!"

The wizard smiled. "You are good people," he said, "and from this
moment on, each night you will find a sack of gold coins in your
cupboard. You will use them well, and you will always be happy."

And with those words the wizard bowed and departed.

Tell Me A Story, which appears in the Relationships section on
Tuesdays, is adapted by Amy Friedman and illustrated by Jillian
Gilliland. "Tell Me a Story 2: Animal Magic," the second CD in the
audiobook series, is now available. For more information, please
visit

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MINSK SAYS THAT IT SUPPLIED WEAPONS TO ARMENIA, ERITREA AND SUDAN LAST YEAR

r/2008/08/05/ic_articles_259_158327/
Aug 5 2008
Belarus

The Belarusian government has announced that it did not import any
conventional weapons and supplied arms only to Armenia, Eritrea and
Sudan in 2007, BelaPAN said.

A report sent to the UN Register of Conventional Arms says that
Belarus supplied Sudan with two modernized versions of the BTR-70
armored personnel carrier, sold 10 122-milimeter D-30 howitzer guns
to Armenia and nine Uragan multiple launch rocket systems to Eritrea.

The value of the contracts was not disclosed.

In 2006, Belarus shipped 41 T-72 tanks to Azerbaijan in its only arms
trade deal that year.

In 2005, Belarus supplied Azerbaijan with 19 T-72 tanks, exported
two Mi-8 helicopters to Slovakia and two Mi-24 choppers to Djibouti,
the lowest amount of weapons sold by the country in a decade.

In 2004, Belarus supplied Sudan with 21 BRDM-2 armored reconnaissance
vehicles, seven BTR-80 and 10 BTR-70 armored personnel carriers and a
BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle. In addition, Belarus sold two Su-25
fighter jets to Ivory Coast.

In 2003, Belarus exported nine BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles,
39 BRDM-2s and 32 artillery systems to Sudan, 19 missiles for the
Igla mobile anti-aircraft system to Sweden and 20 armored vehicles
and 16 artillery systems to Ivory Coast.

Between 1996 and 2002, Belarus sold arms to Iran, Algeria, Sudan,
Ivory Coast, Peru, Congo, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia,
Uganda, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine.

ARMENIA’S DREAMS GO DOWN IN FLAMES
Khachik Chakhoyan from Yerevan

uefa.com
Aug 5 2008
Switzerland

The 2008/09 European season proved to be a dispiriting one for Armenian
clubs with all falling at the first hurdle with an aggregate defeat
of 19-3.

Brutal awakening

Four Armenian league sides were involved in the opening rounds
of the UEFA Intertoto Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup and
none survived their opening fixtures. Of the eight games played by
Armenian clubs in European competition, six were lost and two were
drawn. Given the progress made at international level in recent years,
it was a brutal disappointment.

Away goals FC MIKA’s defeat by FC Tiraspol in the opening final UEFA
Intertoto Cup was almost a good result in the context. At home,
they surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2, and then dominated the
return leg in Moldova, losing on away goals after the match ended
goalless. Captain David Grigoryan fumed: "We were the better side. We
paid for our failure to convert chances. Those goals we let in at
home cost us dear."

Anorthosis strength Champions FC Pyunik took their 3-0 aggregate UEFA
Champions League first qualifying round loss to Cyprus’s Anorthosis
Famagusta FC on the chin. "We were beaten by strong opponents,"
said president Karen Harutyunyan. "Our players did their best but
Anorthosis had quality and skill. We have mostly young players and
such games are very useful for the future."

Banants mauled Banants could not put such a positive spin on their
10-0 aggregate UEFA Cup first qualifying round mauling at the hands of
FC Salzburg. "We put a black spot on the reputation of Armenian clubs
in Europe," conceded president Sargis Israelyan. "Our opponents were
a cut above and our young team were not ready for such games. The 17
and 18-year-olds were lost. It was a useful lesson for us."

‘Not enough’ Ararat fared slightly better against AC Bellinzona in
the same competition, losing 1-0 at home but playing well in a 3-1
away defeat. "We had one of our best games in Switzerland, but we
were not clinical up front again," said coach Varuzhan Sukiasyan. "I
liked the lads’ commitment. They did their best, but that was not
enough." A fitting epitaph for the Armenian clubs’ campaign, perhaps.

DARCHINYAN WANTS Z, DONAIRE IN NEXT FIGHT
By Salven Lagumbay

Cebu Daily News
Aug 5 2008
Philippines

New two-time world champion and newly-crowned IBF superfly champion
Vic Darchinyan has indicated he is ready to face conqueror Nonito
Donaire or Z Gorres "any time."

In an interview with Sportsnut.com.au, Darchinyan said he has the
power to put the lights off on Gorres and Donaire.

Donaire is the only fighter to have beaten and knocked out Darchinyan
in 32 fights, while Gorres gave him his only draw.

"I would love to fight those guys again," Darchinyan told Sportsnut.

"I believe I would knock both of them out," the brash Armenian based
in Australia stated. "I made some mistakes against Donaire that I have
fixed and I should have got the decision against Gorres in Cebu City."

Darchinyan demolished Russian Kirilov this weekend to win a world title
in a second weight division, knocking down Kirilov twice in the fifth.

He said his main target now is WBA and WBC super flyweight champion
Cristian Mijares who is scheduled to defend his titles against
Thailand’s Chatchai Sasakul in Monterrey, Mexico on August 30.

In case he beats Mijares, Darchinyan is also training his sights on
WBO superfly champ Fernando Montiel before moving up in weight to
win another title in another weight division.

THE "PRIDE OF WALES" GUESTS IN BENIDORM’S PLAZA DE TOROS
by Tom Walker

BritishBoxing.net
http://www.britishboxing .net/news_3680-The-Pride-of-Wales-guests-in-Benido rm-s-Plaza-de-Toros.html
Aug 5 2008
UK

Joe Calzaghe C.B.E., the undefeated super-middleweight world champion
is the guest of honour at Steve Williams’s promotion in the bullring
at Benidorm a week on Tuesday (the 12th August). Britain’s longest
serving genuine world champion and BBC Sports Personality for 2007
is a major coup for the promoter who now lives and works in Spain.

Joe’s presence, allied to that of Francisco "Kiko" Martinez and
Armenian Leva Kirakosyan, both former European champions who are both
boxing on the bill, will ensure an excellent night for fight fans in
the warmth of the Costa Blanca.

Steve has compiled a bill of seven bouts with a combination of British,
African, South American, and Spanish boxers featuring. Ringside seats
are sold out but there are a few less expensive ones available from
the outlets mentioned in the earlier piece.

MATTHEW BRYZA: THE RESIDENTS OF NAGORNO KARABAKH SHOULD PLAY A KEY ROLE IN DETERMINING THEIR REGION’S STATUS

Azeri Press Agency
Aug 5 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Tamara Grigoryeva – APA. "Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign
Ministers’ meeting in Moscow on August 1 was positive.

As both Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Edward Nalbandian stated
at their press conference, their one-on-one discussion lasted over
an hour and was held in a positive mood," American Co-Chair of OSCE
Minsk Group Matthew Bryza told APA.

He said the Foreign Ministers agreed to continue negotiations under the
Minsk Group to reconcile their countries’ respective positions on the
remaining issues as outlined in the Co-Chairs’ November 2007 Madrid
Document, which sets out suggestions proposed by the Co-Chairs to
guide the negotiation of a framework agreement for a final resolution.

"The Co-Chairs’ suggestions form a balanced package. It is very
important to remember that no single element has been agreed. The only
way any element of the Madrid Document can be agreed is if all elements
are agreed at the same time in a broad package," the Co-Chair said.

Matthew Bryza said the Co-Chairs proceed from a starting position of
recognizing Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

"To reach a political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
Armenia and Azerbaijan will eventually have to reach a compromise on
NK’s status. We cannot predict what that compromise will look like, or
when it will emerge. But, the Co-Chairs recommend that the residents
of NK play a key role in determining their region’s status through
some type of voting process at some point in the future," he said.

American mediator considers that the specifics of such a voting
process must be negotiated.

"Such a voting process could only emerge after the return of internally
displaced persons and refugees, which could take quite some time,"
he said.

"TURKEY AT CROSSROADS ON ARMENIA" – TREND NEWS EXPERT

Trend News Agency
;news id=1262674&lang=EN
Aug 5 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 4 August / Trend News corr. R.Hafizoglu / Armenians
implement an active lobby activity to restore their ‘obedient nation’
image, like in the period of the Ottoman Empire.

For this purpose, Armenia did not need political maneuvers. The recent
events in Turkey have proved the activity of Armenians in the territory
of the country.

It is not by chance that Turkish President Abdullah Gul was invited
to watch the football match between the Turkish and Armenian teams
in Yerevan on 6 August by Armenian’s Serzh Sargsyan. Actually, such
a step by Armenians may drive Turkey into a corner. Gul’s rejection
to visit Armenia may be evaluated as Turkey was not ready to launch
a dialogue with Armenia, and Armenians consider the possible visit
of Turkish President to the country as the start of dialogue between
the countries.

A serious popularization was carried out in Turkey before Gul was
invited to Yerevan. Dismissal of Pf.Yusuf Khalachoglu, who attempted
to prove the invented pretensions to ‘Armenian genocide’, from the
chairman position in the Turkish History Department, gave an impact
to extend the Armenian popularization in Turkey.

The scheduled festival Yeshil Yayla through support of the Armenian
Government in the Rize City, is one of the lobby activity of Armenians
in Turkey. The Christensen Fund (TCF) supported by Armenian Diaspora
has allocated â~B¬200,000 to hold this festival. The funds were
allocated to support hemshins, who reside in Turkey and state about
their Armenian origin.

Ismayil Dinchar, the Head of International Force Unity Platform, said
that the scheduled festival by Armenians in the Black Sea region was
directed to reinforce their lobby activity and to prove hemshins the
unity of historical origins. Furthermore, Armenians, who attempt to
prove hemshins that they have the one historical roof, state that the
Armenian Churches and churchyards in Turkey were in a bad situation.

These statements were published in the Turkish magazine Evrensel
Hayat. "There are hundred of our Churches in Turkey, and they are
in a bad situation. Our main Church is the cloister on the Mereto
mountain and Church Maria Mother of God in Gulse. Turks do not respect
our graves. Gravestones are installed with the names of Muslims,
while there is not any sign on the graves of Armenians. This must be
stopped," is stated in the magazine.

There are other evidences about the Armenian lobby activity in Turkey.

Some 70,000 Armenians illegally work in Turkey. Former MP of Armenian
Parliament Stephan Grigoryan said the following about Armenians
illegally working in Turkey in the interview to the Star newspaper:
"I normally perceive that Armenians work in Turkey. We will solve this
problem as soon as we will restore the diplomatic relations with this
country. Armenians have good working conditions in Turkey. Turks and
Armenians have one culture, music and traditions. In spite of Dashnaks,
we should start the dialogue with Turks from the common issues rather
than problems."

Grigoryan has positively evaluated the invitation of Turkish President
to Yerevan and touched upon the importance of such a step to develop
relations between the two countries. "I do not believe that Gul
will visit Yerevan, but there is a message to Turkey beyond this
invitation. Our further development depends on Turkey. Turkish
political elite is very intelligent. Turkey understands that it is
an ally not only for Azerbaijan in the region. We should use of this
chance and to take the initiative to our hands," former Armenian
MP said.

Furthermore, Armenians hope that the Turkish-Armenian border to be
opened in the near future.

Gregoriy Vanyan, the Chairman of the organization World Initiatives
of South Caucasus, has evaluated the opening of the Turkish-Armenian
border as a very significant step to stabilize relations between
Armenia and Turkey and to solve the problems.

Another evidence of development of the relations between Turkey and
Armenia is an opening of the Armenian language and literature faculty
in one of the Universities in Nevsher City.

Turkish Education Ministry has opened the Armenian language and
literature faculty after an official permission by the Foreign
Ministry. This was said by Pf.Mehmet Metin Hulagu to the information
agency Habertime. Hulagu hoped that the faculty would play a role of
bridge between the two countries. Taking into consideration that there
are few specialists in Turkey, who can speak in the Armenian language,
such specialists will be attracted from Armenia.

It would be simply-minded to take actualization of the Turkish-Armenian
relations as by chance. European Union is also interested in
normalization of the Turkish- Armenian relations and opening of
borders. EU’s main demand from Turkey is to open borders with Armenia
and to restore relations with this country in response to support
the Turkish ruling party.

All the aforesaid make us to think that the deadlock period between
Turkey and Armenia have passed. Armenian’s prospectus depends on
Turkey. Turkey faces another historical choice.

–Boundary_(ID_M6Fq0K4wkgCn8jWHO//i6g)–

EUROPE’S CAUCASIAN MOMENT
By Borut Grgic And Alexandros Petersen

Wall Street Journal
19011381.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Aug 5 2008

The European Union is getting closer to the security concerns of
the Eurasian landmass, in particular the "frozen conflicts" in
Moldova, Georgia and Azerbaijan. And it’s not just due to the EU’s
expansion to the Black Sea. If Europe wants to reduce its dependency
on Russian energy, it will need alternative oil and gas supplies from
the Caspian region. But those strategic pipelines are only kilometers
away from hotspots like Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria, South Ossetia
and Abkhazia.

Over the weekend, six people were killed in firefights between
separatist South Ossetian militia and Georgian forces. This new
outbreak of violence threatens to further complicate peace efforts
in nearby Abkhazia. After years of neglect, EU heavyweights are
finally taking action there. Last month, German Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier developed a three-step strategy to resolve
the Abkhazia dispute.

This statelet in northwestern Georgia is run by an ethnically distinct
minority that demands formal independence from Georgia. Lacking
international recognition, the Abkhaz — just like the South Ossetians
— won de facto independence with Russian support through a chaotic
conflagration amid the breakup of the Soviet Union. During a 1992-1993
war, the secessionists defeated the Georgian army and forced the
majority ethnic Georgian population to leave. The enclave’s isolated
economy is fueled by Russian business interests, which sit comfortably
behind a shield of so-called Russian peacekeepers that divide the
territory from the rest of Georgia.

So it is no surprise that the conflict plays out in confrontations
between Tbilisi and Moscow. A Russian aircraft was recently filmed
shooting down a Georgian surveillance drone. Moscow’s "peacekeepers"
frequently harass ethnic Georgians in the breakaway region, demanding
protection money or, like last year, forcing them to vote in separatist
elections. These provocations serve a greater strategic agenda:
keeping Georgia out of NATO. The unresolved conflicts of the two
breakaway regions are the greatest obstacles to Georgia’s ambitions
to join the alliance. Moscow holds the trump card.

Mr. Steinmeier’s plan was ambitious but realistic. It envisioned a
stage of confidence-building measures leading to a gradual return
of displaced peoples, followed by economic revitalization with
European help. Abkhazia’s final status was to be determined in the
last stage. In a nod to Moscow, Mr. Steinmeier’s plan did not demand
the internationalization of the peacekeeping force.

Russia gave the plan a green light in private meetings, only to
reject it when the German foreign minister made it public. Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin and his successor as Russian president,
Dmitry Medvedev, see it as in Moscow’s interest to preserve the
simmering status quo. By publicly ambushing the plan, Moscow hopes
to put an end to what it considers as European meddling in its own
backyard. Russia wants to sow confusion about its true intentions,
thus delaying any resolution of the conflict.

While the first attempt of the German peace plan failed, it nonetheless
indicates a growing realization among the EU’s power brokers that
it is time to get serious about resolving festering conflicts in
the union’s new neighborhood. Berlin’s leadership is particularly
notable as Germany is closest to Russia among the EU’s major member
states. And yet Berlin’s peace initiative showed that it considers
its diversified investments and diplomatic interests in the Caspian
region important enough to strengthen Europe’s relations with Georgia.

There is now no time to lose to draft an improved plan that will
better provide for Abkhaz demands to shape their own destiny, without
jeopardizing Georgia’s sovereignty, democratization and Western
integration. Any stepped-up effort must include the separatist Abkhaz
leadership. Isolated and increasingly overshadowed by Moscow, the
leaders in Sukhumi are no more enthusiastic about Russian dominance
than the Georgians are. True, the Abkhaz depend on Moscow’s support in
their fight against Tbilisi. But they are worried that in the process
of getting independence from Georgia, they are being integrated
into Russia. That’s why they have quietly reached out to Western
capitals. An EU high representative, with a significant staff and
peacekeeping contingent, would likely be welcomed by the Abkhaz.

By seeking a resolution to the conflicts, Europe is facilitating
stability and prosperity in its neighborhood. Reducing tensions
in the region also benefits Russia. Violence in Abkhazia has been
linked to unrest in Russia’s North Caucasus republics of Chechnya,
Dagestan and Ingushetia. If Russia got bogged down in a confrontation
in Abkhazia, violent separatists in the North Caucasus would step up
their own rebellions.

Therefore, achieving peace may not be an insurmountable task. The key
to a resolution in Abkhazia is to convince Russia that stability on its
southern border is more important than a violent veto over Georgia’s,
and possibly Abkhazia’s, Western integration.

Mr. Grgic is director, and Mr. Petersen policy adviser, at the
Institute for Strategic Studies in Brussels.

METAMORPHOSIS OF VIC DARCHINYAN
Igor Frank

411mania.com
/boxing/81966/Metamorphosis-of-Vic-Darchinyan.htm
Aug 4 2008
TX

Darchinyan wins another title but not before making some changes.

As I woke up Sunday morning in Tacoma Washington, I was still thinking
about a brilliant performance that Vic " The Raging Bull" Darchinyan
put on yesterday at the Emerald Queen Casino by ravaging his opponent
Dimitri Kirilov and thus earning his IBF super flyweight title.

What a difference a year makes. Last year I saw Darchinyan twice:
once in April beating undersized and overmatched Victor Burgos, who
ended up seriously hurt and in the hospital in Carson, California,
throwing a haymaker after a haymaker and the second time in Bridgeport,
Connecticut when Vic was separated from his senses by a perfectly
placed left hook of "The Flash" Nonito Donaire in what many considered
to be an upset of the year. In both fights Vic looked like a crude
banger, who threw one punch at a time with singular purpose to knock
you out, not much technique, just stocking and banging. It worked
for most of his career, but in a fight with Donaire, Flash was able
to time him and counterpunch with a lot of success and deliver a one
punch knock out that fans are still talking about. It was a kind of
punch that not many can recover from; consider that plus a near fatal
conclusion to a Burgos fight, that obviously bothered Darchinyan for
a while and many thought that Vic was damaged goods. When I previewed
this contest between Kirilov and Darchinyan a week ago I called it
a classic match up of boxer versus puncher and was not really sure
about the outcome, but the way the fight unfolded was a complete
surprise to me.

The puncher, Darchinyan turned boxer, he was on fire from the onset:
he moved, threw a lot of jabs and straight left hands right down
the middle.

Supposedly , Kirilov had a lot of experience fighting southpaws,
but he seemed lost in the ring with Vic, who moved his right leg on
the outside of Dmitri’s left leg and was always in perfect position
to fire a straight left hand that was landing with hammer like power
and an alarming regularity.

Darchinyan looked like he had more balance and he actually moved to
avoid blows from his adversary and his punches looked different:
they were straight and on target. From the second round on Vic
continued to throw dynamic, fast and accurate combinations of jabs
crosses hooks and uppercuts mixed in with thunderous body punches
that reverberated outside the ring and made me wince. Vic actually
boxed like a true professional with a confidence of a champion. It
was the most impressive performance that I have ever seen from Vic
and the most dramatic change that I have seen in a fighter in a long
time. By the end of the third round I started to worry for the safety
of Kirilov in lieu of him catching a huge amount of hard shots from
Vic, so I was relived when Dimitri was counted out at the beginning
of the fifth stanza and the fight was over.

Darchinyan promised a thriller and a knock out and he delivered in
a spectacular fashion.

So, as I was going down to a hotel lobby to get my morning coffee I was
still thinking about a miraculous transformation of Vic Darchinyan and
what could have caused it when I ran into a man I saw in Vic’s corner
last night. His name is Vazgen Badalian and he was called in from
Armenia to help after Vic parted with his trainer Billy Hussein. I
congratulated Vazgen on a tremendous victory and asked him what he
thought. He told me that he knew and trained Vic in Armenia since he
was eight years old and if Vic concentrates on task at hand he can
produce performances like that every time.

Mr. Vazgen Badalian is a famous and well respected trainer who has
developed a lot of amateur stand outs in Armenia and was in charge of
the Olympic team of that country. Let’s not forget that Vic Darchinyan
had a stellar amateur career: 178 fights, bronze medal at European
Championship in Greece in 1998, bronze medal in Goodwill Games in New
York in 1998, gold medal in European Championship in Ukraine in 1999
and was a member of Armenian Olympic team in 2000. One does not get
that far without knowing how to box. May be, Vic had so much success
in knocking people out that he forgot how to do it for a while. Well,
that time is over. Mr. Badalian brought Vic back to basics and brought
discipline back to his camp and Darchinyan looks to be a complete
fighter that has all the tools to compete on the elite level and he
is going to need all of it and more to vie with guys he called out:
Christian Mijares, Fernando Montiel and Nonito Donaire. In the ring,
Vic looks like a scorpion , predator, ready to strike at any time,
but in this fight he started to remind me of bare knuckle fighters of
19th century, guys that fought wars and did not mind spilling blood
and did not call it a sport." I like my style," said Darchinyan in
his post fight interview:" I am open, but you can not touch me." And
that certainly was the case on Saturday night when Vic stormed back on
the scene of super hot and talented 115 pound division in a dramatic
fashion and got himself right in the middle of some very intriguing
match ups.

RUSSIAN DINERS SAY "NYET" TO SOVIET SERVICE
By James Kilner

Reuters
Aug 5 2008
UK

MOSCOW (Reuters) – A frothy cappuccino or fresh mozzarella salad is
no longer enough. Russia’s growing middle classes now want service
with a smile.

With much of Europe and North America saturated, the newly affluent
among Russia’s 143 million people are an attractive target for Western
coffee shop chains eager for growth, and Starbucks and Costa Coffee
are among brands now found in Moscow.

But where once any alternative to Soviet-style fried meats and
dill-laced boiled vegetables was a thrill, increased competition now
means superior service is important to attract and retain customers.

This is a challenge, says Ian Zilberkweit, an American part-owner
of the Russian franchise for the Belgian coffee shop chain Le Pain
Quotidien.

He and his Armenian-American business partner have drawn up bonus
schemes and share plans to persuade staff to shake off Soviet habits
and instil loyalty in a typically casual sector.

"The Soviet system meant there was no system for treating people
nicely," said Zilberkweit, who has just opened his fifth store. "It
was all about shifting products."

Cash from energy and commodity exports has boosted Russia’s economy
since a crisis in 1998. The World Bank estimates real incomes rose
by 80 percent between 1998 and 2007 to nearly $8,000 per person —
roughly level with Mexico and Lithuania.

Data from Moscow-based Business Analytica shows the number of bars,
cafes and restaurants in Moscow rose by a third between 2004 and
2007 to 6,600, with the fastest growth at the mid-priced level. Big
chains now own around a third of the outlets in Moscow, double the
proportion in 2004.

Starbucks Corp., which is closing shops in North America, opened its
first branch in Moscow in 2007 with a Russian partner M. H. Alshaya
Company W.L.L and now has five, and Costa Coffee, owned by British
brewer Whitbread opened in March through a joint venture with Russia’s
Rosinter.

Starbucks declined to give details of its plans but Costa aims to
open at least 200 cafes in Russia, a market analysts described as a
major growth area.

"All companies are focusing on the Russian market in all leisure
sectors, not just coffee. It’s a country that Costa has to be in,"
said UBS analyst Stamatis Draziotis.

CROISSANTS, SOUP, FISH PIE

Le Pain Quotidien’s Zilberkweit said the potential in Russia was just
too great to miss out on.

"In Europe, real incomes are not going up due to rising prices, but
in Russia it’s different," he said, wearing a grey London Business
School sailing club shirt.

"Because the domestic economy is growing like crazy, incomes are
still going up like crazy."

By the end of this year, Le Pain Quotidien aims for eight outlets
in Moscow, rising to 50 within four years. Sales now stand at about
$5 million but are targeted to rise to $20 million by 2009, said
Zilberkweit.

A former investment banker at HSBC bank, he said competing in Russia’s
lucrative dining market is further complicated for foreign firms
because spending patterns and business costs differ from those in
the West.

Le Pain Quotidien projects itself as part-bakery, part-cafe,
part-restaurant.

The interiors are wooden, a counter sells freshly baked bread and
pastries — supplied by a bakery which Zilberkweit part-owns — and
the menus are based mainly around soups, salads and light main meals.

But Russian customers spend their money differently from people in
other countries.

About 50 percent of Le Pain Quotidien’s sales are from food in Russia
compared with 35 percent in Britain, for example. Rent is by far the
biggest expense in Russia while staff salaries are the main expense
in Europe.

Its prices in Russia are similar to the rest of Europe — $3 for a
croissant, $7 for a bowl of soup and $17 for a fish pie — and diners
usually add on a tip of around 10 percent.

SMILE FOR THE CAMERA

With prices high and rising, Russian customers are no longer willing
to stomach slow, erratic and surly Soviet service.

"If I see a new place which I want to go into, I do worry what the
service will be like," said Natalya Miloserdova, 27, puffing on a
cigarette outside the tour agency where she works.

"You pick a place to eat where you know the service will be good."

Zilberkweit said service has been a neglected aspect of retail in
Russia as most staff grew up without experiencing any.

"We were unbelievably frustrated two years ago because we would get
these people in and we would just want them to smile and they wouldn’t
even know why," he said.

Smiling staff can make the difference in Russia’s increasingly crowded
cafe sector.

"The customer, five years ago, in Russia would have been only too
happy if within five minutes’ walk there was a place to have a coffee
latte," he said. "Now, he has 10 choices and demands much more."

Another Soviet hangover Zilberkweit has had to confront was a drop
in an employee’s work ethic after promotion.

"In Russia, the moment you give somebody a title they stop working,"
he said. "Now, we give people more money and more responsibility but
not a new title."

The security cameras on the ceiling also play a role. "We have to do
this for security reasons," he said, adding that pictures are beamed
to a control room in every restaurant.

"But the main reason is to watch the staff."
From: Baghdasarian