Month: August 2008

IS A CAUCASUS ALLIANCE POSSIBLE?

Today’s Zaman
Aug 22 2008
Turkey

Turkey is continuing its talks with countries in the Caucasus for
a proposed Caucasus stability and cooperation platform, which was
proposed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a regional crisis
erupted following a Georgian military offensive in the Russian-backed
breakaway region of South Ossetia earlier this month.

The project will start as an economic cooperation platform among
countries in the region and will tackle issues of conflict, as
well. Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are hoped to
become members of the initiative. But with Armenia and Azerbaijan
in a state of enmity due to Armenia’s continued occupation of the
Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan, observers say a regional
alliance including both countries as members may be difficult to
implement.

Sabah daily’s Erdal Å~^afak says such projects are of great importance
for the Caucasus, as through them the countries in the region will find
common ground on which to cooperate in a number of areas, including
energy, transportation, infrastructure, education and health. "If
the countries in the region do not stand for their joint future, the
Caucasus will not be able to enjoy peace, security and prosperity," he
writes. He stresses that the membership of Iran in the planned platform
is of great importance. "Iran should be included in the platform both
due to the position of parts of its territories in the Caucasus and due
to the fact that the alliance will be of direct concern for Iran. The
platform should be supported by a number of internationally recognized
organizations, such as the EU, the [Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe] OSCE, the [Black Sea Economic Cooperation]
BSEC and the World Bank," he explains, adding that the platform
shouldn’t assume the duty of solving frozen conflicts in the region.

Milliyet’s Fikret Bila notes that the planned alliance in the Caucasus
is worth paying attention to for the countries in the region. "It
was President Abdullah Gul who gave the first message to Caucasian
countries last year regarding the proposed platform. He called on
Armenia to normalize its relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan and
participate in giant energy projects in the region," he recalls. He
also writes that Caucasian states should stop being used like pawns by
the US and Russia and should exert their utmost efforts toward becoming
more prosperous and peaceful through energy projects. "Turkey’s call
for an alliance in the region is very important for all Caucasian
countries. Turkey may become a leader in a project for peace and
development in the region by persuading all regional leaders to
contribute to the alliance. War will bring no good to the Caucasus,
as it didn’t bring any happiness or wealth to the Middle East,"
Bila concludes.

Radikal’s Ä°smet Berkan, on the other hand, is not hopeful that the
planned platform will prove effective. "The platform will include
Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. It will aim to make
these five countries discuss matters with one another. To me, making
these countries sit around a table is a great success. But I don’t
believe the platform will even succeed in this. I don’t expect Russia
to discuss the Caucasian issue with any other country. On the one
hand, if Russia decides to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia, the Caucasus will be dragged into greater chaos. And,
on the other, it will not allow any other country to intervene to
help solve the problem. Thus, it is of great importance to closely
follow developments in the region," he states.

–Boundary_(ID_ABlwJOfxOtTQz2owMIBbEg)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MAYBE WEAVER WAS REFERRING TO SMOKERS
By Jesse L. Byers

Glendale News Press
Aug 21 2008
CA

As a resident of Burbank, I can appreciate the controversy surrounding
Glendale’s proposed smoking ban ("Smoking ban still unsettled,"
July 31).

I was initially opposed to the smoking ordinance that we adopted in
Burbank, and though I think it has its negatives and it is sometimes
a little too far reaching, overall, I admit, it has worked and it
has been successful.

I do believe it is in Glendale’s best interest to adopt a similar
measure.

That being said, it might also be in everyone’s best interest to leave
Glendale City Councilman Dave Weaver alone ("Weaver’s remarks slammed,"
Aug. 7).

I’ve been keeping up on it and I can say that everything I have seen
points to Weaver having no bias or prejudice against anyone.

The lone statement he made that is being targeted is, there is "a lot
of opposition from one segment of the population that loves to smoke."

And the furor arises from the words put in his mouth by a Pasadena
Weekly reporter who claimed Weaver’s comment was referring to the
city’s substantial and politically influential Armenian community.

So why are people so outraged and certain that Weaver himself was
referencing to Armenians?

If he was, maybe he’s right.

According to the Center for Communications, Health and the Environment,
70% of native Armenians smoke, the highest percentage in that part
of the world.

Glendale’s Armenian population is about 80,000 strong. According to
the American Public Health Association, 77% of Armenian men smoke.

Given those statistics, it might be a safe bet that yes, if Weaver
was referring to Armenians then the largest portion of smokers in
Glendale are Armenian.

Then again, he could be way off. See, those 80,000 Armenians are only
about 40% of Glendale’s population.

And, according to the Armenian National Committee-Glendale Chapter,
61% of respondents to a recent survey don’t smoke.

That means Armenians are both a minority in Glendale and a minority
of the city’s smokers.

Accepting all that, Weaver’s comments were identifying only smokers
and no one else.

The newspaper in which the article appeared and the reporter have
both apologized for the statement.

So what’s the problem?

Seems to me people are looking for a reason to be angry, as if they’re
deliberately looking for a reason to brand someone as a bigot.

I know people who say they don’t support Sen. Barack Obama for
president and they’re automatically branded as racists.

Doing so is the same mentality as accusing Weaver of being prejudiced.

In other words, simplistic.

Maybe some people just don’t like Obama’s policies.

And maybe, when Weaver says smokers he just means smokers and not
Armenians.
From: Baghdasarian

SALMON ARMENIANS ON RARE EARTH RUN

Vernon Morning Star
Aug 21 2008
Canada

Published: August 21, 2008 6:00 PM When the Salmon Armenians were
nominated for the Okanagan Music Awards Best Blues Band of 2007,
the eight-member group decided maybe they should have a blues song
in their repertoire.

"We thought, ‘What is there to be blue about living in the Okanagan
and playing in the summer?’" recalled band founder Lody Kieken, who
says that question turned into the inspiration for the song guitarist
Mike Hilliard wrote: Ain’t My Time To Have The Blues.

The classic rhythm and blues band was taken aback to be even included
in the OMA category, never mind win it, said Kieken. "We were quite
surprised."

Easier to explain, said Kieken, is the reason why the Salmon Armenians’
music is sought-after throughout the Okanagan and Shuswap.

"I think we have a lot of fun on stage and it shows," said Kieken,
on what is a working musician’s weekend: Monday morning. The band has
had a steady stream of gigs this summer and next week they’ll cap it
off with a performance at the Rare Earth Jazz and Blues Fest.

"Our music appeals to a wide range. Kids have fun with it and adults
have fun with it and seniors have fun with it," said Kieken, who plays
the organ and keyboard as well as sings in the Salmon Armenians. He
formed the band in 1997 because he couldn’t find another rhythm and
blues group to play with.

"Mostly I wanted to have a chance to play in a band with live horn
players, so that was the motivation for me," said Kieken, who has
kept the Salmon Armenians afloat despite a changing membership.

"The group has been together 12 years, so we’ve gone through up to
50 musicians, but the core of the band has been together three years."

The Salmon Armenians is now made up of Rich Thorne (trombone),
Mike Scharf (saxophone), Doug Sonju (saxophone), Murray Holmes
(bass guitar), Larry Keats (drums) and Sabrina Weeks (lead vocals),
in addition to Hilliard and Kieken.

Right now the band is in the process of recording an album of
entirely original material. But because the members are spread out
(from Penticton to Salmon Arm), and they’re not in a rush, Kieken
has stopped giving out an estimated time of arrival.

"When it’s done, it’s done," he said.

For now, they’re looking forward to their live gigs, including Rare
Earth, for several reasons. "Just the opportunity to see the new
festival get off the ground and mingle with other artists, that’s
one of the fun things about playing a festival," said Kieken.

The Salmon Armenians perform Aug. 30 at 1:40 p.m. at the Rare Earth
Jazz and Blues Fest, taking place at the Kin Race Track. Day passes
are $40 for adults, available through Ticket Seller. Children 12 and
under are free.

TENNESSEE DEMOCRAT DEFEATS BLACK LAWYER
By Woody Baird

FinalCall.com
an/publish/article_5136.shtml
Aug 21 2008
IL

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A racially charged Democratic primary campaign ended
with an incumbent congressman trouncing the opponent who ran an ad
linking him to the Ku Klux Klan.

Unofficial results showed Democrat Steve Cohen with 79 percent of
the vote to 19 percent for Nikki Tinker, a Black corporate lawyer who
was his chief opponent in the district that covers Memphis, with all
precincts reporting.

Rep. Cohen is the first White congressman from Memphis in more than
three decades and one of only two White congressmen representing a
majority Black district.

"The results are pretty clear," Rep. Cohen told cheering supporters
July 7 at a victory party. "I’m here to report that Tennessee and
Tennessee (District) 9 voted firmly for the post-racial politics that
has carried a new generation to power."

In the state’s other major congressional primary, Johnson
City Mayor Phil Roe beat Republican Rep. David Davis, giving an
incumbent Tennessee congressman a primary loss for the first time
since 1966. The campaign in the solidly Republican 1st District in
northeastern Tennessee heated up toward the end, moving from joint
stump appearances to negative ads.

In the 9th District, in Memphis, the campaign turned ugly in
its final days, when Ms. Tinker ran a television ad juxtaposing
photos of Rep. Cohen, who is Jewish, and a hooded Ku Klux Klan
member. Ms. Tinker’s supporters argued the district, which is 60
percent Black and 35 percent White, should be represented by a Black
candidate.

The primary will likely decide the next congressman in the heavily
Democratic district, which has returned incumbents to the House since
1974. Rep. Cohen won his first term after a 2006 primary in which a
dozen Black candidates, including Ms. Tinker, split the vote.

Ms. Tinker said her ad linking Rep. Cohen to the KKK for opposing
a 2005 effort to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford
Forrest from a downtown park "merely states the facts. I think the
nation needs to know Steve Cohen’s complete record."

The ad drew condemnation from Democratic presidential candidate
Barack Obama. It juxtaposed pictures of a statue of Gen. Forrest,
the founder of the KKK, and a hooded Klansman in front of a burning
cross while asking, "Who is the real Steve Cohen?"

"These incendiary and personal attacks have no place in our politics,
and will do nothing to help the good people of Tennessee," Mr. Obama
said in a statement.

Rep. Cohen, a former state senator with a long record as a civil
rights supporter, led an effort in July to get the U.S. House to
issue an unprecedented apology to Black Americans for wrongs committed
against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim
Crow segregation laws.

The ad was also incongruous because of Rep. Cohen’s religion–Jews
are another group targeted by the KKK.

John Geer, a Vanderbilt University political science professor,
said the ad indicated Ms. Tinker knew her campaign was in trouble.

"Steve Cohen has been very conscious that he’s representing a Black
majority district, and he’s not a member of the KKK," Mr. Geer
said. "Voters are not fools, and they can sort this out."

Rep. Cohen’s opposition to a House resolution labeling the killing of
Armenians in World War I as genocide also came up in the campaign. The
House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the nonbinding resolution
last year despite arguments it would anger Turkey, which allows
U.S. military shipments headed for Iraq to cross its borders.

During a news conference at Rep. Cohen’s home Aug. 6 to call
Ms. Tinker’s ad an act of desperation, a cameraman who identified
himself as working for an Armenian-American citizens’ group
interrupted. Rep. Cohen pushed the man, Peter Musurlian of Glendale,
Calif., out of his house and called police.

Mr. Musurlian said his group supported Ms. Tinker because of
Rep. Cohen’s opposition to the genocide resolution. The district does
not have a large Armenian population.

CAS ASKED TO RULE ON SWEDISH WRESTLER CASE

Associated Press Worldstream
August 20, 2008 Wednesday 11:47 AM GMT

Wrestler Ara Abrahamian and his country’s Olympic committee asked
the Court of Arbitration for Sport to investigate a controversial
semifinal bout that so incensed the Swede that he dropped his bronze
medal in disgust and eventually had it stripped by the IOC.

CAS said Wednesday that a hearing will be held on Friday in Beijing
after it received a request from the National Olympic Committee
of Sweden and from Abrahamian against the International Wrestling
Federation.

The Geneva-based CAS said in a statement that it will decide whether
the international federation’s consideration of Abrahamian and the
Swedish Olympic committee’s requests "to change the result of the
bout and to sanction the officials in the bout comply with the Olympic
charter and FILA’s own internal rules."

CAS said Abrahamian and the Olympic committee "do not seek from the
CAS any particular relief" regarding the ranking of the medals for
the event, or a review of the IOC to exclude Abrahamian from the games.

Last Friday, the IOC disqualified Abrahamian and stripped his bronze
medal for dropping the medal in protest after Thursday’s disputed
loss. He was punished by the IOC for violating the spirit of fair
play during the medal ceremony.

Abrahamian was upset that a disputed penalty call decided his semifinal
match against Andrea Minguzzi of Italy, who went on to win the gold
medal in the Greco-Roman 84-kilogram division.

During the medal ceremony, the Armenian-born Abrahamian who also lost
a 2004 Olympic semifinal match on a disputed call took the bronze
from around his neck and dropped it on the mat as he walked away. He
did not take part in the rest of the medal ceremony.

The IOC executive board ruled Abrahamian’s actions amounted to
a political demonstration and a mark of disrespect to his fellow
athletes.

The 28-year-old Abrahamian had to be restrained from going after
matside officials following his loss to Minguzzi. He stormed away
from the area where interviews are conducted and slammed a door to
the dressing rooms.

YUSHCHENKO URGES NEW PEACEKEEPING FORCE FOR CAUCASUS

Interfax
Aug 20 2008
Russia

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said that it is necessary to
come up with new peacekeeping mechanisms for the Caucasus.Yushchenko
was speaking at a joint press conference with Romanian President
Traian Basescu in Kyiv on Wednesday.

"I’m sure that it is necessary to create new peacekeeping mechanisms
to guarantee security in the region, including the Caucasus," he said.

He said the Caucasian events showed that peacekeeping forces
are inefficient. Yuschenko noted the need for serious work to
internationalize peacekeeping forces.

Yushchenko said that everything should be done to avoid repeating
the South Ossetian scenario in other frozen conflict zones.

"We should do everything to avoid such a scenario in other frozen
conflict zones," he said.

Yushchenko listed Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, and Transdniestria
among such zones.

He recalled that Ukraine does not recognize the military solution
of conflicts.

"We should make it very clear that we support territorial integrity
of any state," Yushchenko said.

He said Ukraine and Romania share the same position on the settlement
of the Georgian situation. He noted that the recognition of Georgia’s
territorial integrity should become a key principle.

The president voiced concern over the slow implementation of the
Russian-Georgian peace agreements, including the withdrawal of Russian
troops from Georgia.

Basescu, in turn, said the conflict should be settled on the basis
of a peace plan proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

ARMENIA WELCOMES TURKEY PLAN FOR TALKS ON REGIONAL SECURITY

Interfax
Aug 20 2008
Russia

Armenia welcomes Turkey’s plans to start talks on regional cooperation
and security.

"Armenia has always advocated dialog and talks, especially over
issues of cooperation and security in our region," Armenian Foreign
Minister Edvard Nalbandian said in answer to questions from the
Turkish newspaper Zaman.

"We welcome the Turkish prime minister’s statement on the plans to
start talks with Armenia on these issues," Nalbandian said, according
to the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s press service.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said that the events in South
Ossetia necessitate the creation of a platform of peace and cooperation
in the Caucasus region.

Tbilisi and Moscow spoke positively of the Turkish initiative. The
Turkish prime minister flew to Baku on Wednesday for talks with the
Azeri president.

Meanwhile, Armenia and Turkey do not maintain diplomatic relations,
and the Armenian-Turkish border has been closed since 1993 on Armenia’s
initiative.

SOUTH OSSETIAN SCENARIO MUST NOT BE REPEATED IN OTHER FROZEN CONFLICT ZONES

Interfax
Aug 20 2008
Russia

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has said that everything should
be done to avoid repeating the South Ossetian scenario in other frozen
conflict zones.

"We should do everything to avoid such a scenario in other frozen
conflict zones," he said at a joint press conference with Romanian
President Traian Basescu in Kyiv on Wednesday.

He listed Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, and Transdniestria among
such zones.

Yushchenko recalled that Ukraine does not recognize the military
solution of conflicts. "We should make it very clear that we support
the territorial integrity of any state," he said.

He said Ukraine and Romania share the same approach to the settlement
of the Georgian situation. He noted that the recognition of Georgia’s
territorial integrity should become a key principle.

The president voiced concern over the slow implementation of the
Russian-Georgian peace agreements, including the withdrawal of Russian
troops from Georgia.

Basescu, in turn, said the conflict should be settled on the basis
of the peace plan proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. He
was also concerned that after the war in South Ossetia other frozen
conflicts "will be unfrozen and have negative effects."

In his opinion, Black Sea countries and EU nations must develop new
mechanisms to resolve problems in conflict zones.

U.S., ARMENIAN INVENTORS DEVELOP MEMORY REPAIR DATA SIZE REDUCTION METHOD

US Fed News
August 21, 2008 Thursday 4:07 AM EST

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 21 — Yervant Zorian of Santa Clara, Calif.,
Karen Darbinyan of Fremont, Calif., and Gevorg Torjyan of Yerevan,
Armenia, have developed a self-repairable memory.

An abstract of the invention, released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark
Office, said: "Various methods and apparatuses are described in which
a repair data container may store a concatenated repair signature for
multiple memories having one or more redundant components associated
with each memory. A processor contains redundancy allocation logic to
execute one or more repair algorithms to generate a repair signature
for each memory. The repair data container may store actual repair
signatures for each memory having one or more defective memory cells
detected during fault testing and dummy repair signatures for each
memory with no defective memory cells. The processor may contain logic
configured to compress an amount of bits making up the concatenated
repair signature, to decompress the amount of bits making up the
concatenated repair signature, and to compose the concatenated
repair signature for all of the memories sharing the repair data
container. The repair data container may have an amount of fuses to
store the actual repair signatures for an adjustable subset of the
multiple memories."

The inventors were issued U.S. Patent No. 7,415,640 on Aug. 19.

The patent has been assigned to Virage Logic Corp., Fremont.

THE SCOTS WHO FOUGHT FOR GEORGIA
by Jim Gilchrist

The Scotsman
August 21, 2008, Thursday

In 1918, the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders were sent to Tbilisi,
Georgia, to help quell fighting between ethnic minority groups,
discovers Jim Gilchrist

PARTIES with princesses, palatial accommodation and limitless
caviare… Ninety years before Russia’s current contentious military
incursion into Georgia, the soldiers of the Queen’s Own Cameron
Highlanders were dispatched there in a little-known campaign, and
rather than being seen as occupiers, were made relatively welcome.

This photograph shows officers of the regiment’s 2nd Battalion at
Tbilisi, where they were dispatched on Christmas Day 1918, just as they
expected to be demobbed following the end of the First World War. It
was given to The Scotsman by James Gorie, a retired journalist and
consultant, whose father, Lieutenant Tom Gorie recorded in his diary
what his son describes as "altogether a more chivalrous incursion
than the current murderous conflict".

Tom Gorie, who grew up on the island of Stronsay, Orkney, was a customs
officer in Greenock when the First World War broke out. Joining the
Camerons, he was wounded twice at the Battle of Loos, then found
himself fighting the Turks and the Bulgarians in Salonika, during
which he was mentioned in dispatches. "My father was waiting for his
demob in Salonika," says James Gorie, who lives in Helensburgh. "The
troopship arrived but, to his chagrin, on Christmas Day they were
routed through the Black Sea to Batum and up to Tbilisi."

In Georgia, at that time experiencing a brief respite from Russian
rule, the Camerons, along with other troops from the British Army’s
27th Division, were sent partly as a bulwark against the Bolshevik
threat, but were largely involved in quelling fighting between Azeri,
Armenian and other ethnic minority groups, as well as guarding
the railway linking the Caspian and Black seas. As James suggests,
Britain’s interest in the oil carried on the line was probably not
much different from that of the United States today.

Tiflis, as it was known by the Russians, was an elegant city with its
own opera house, and Lieutenant Gorie and his comrades were billeted in
an impressive mansion. After the privations of the Salonika campaign it
seemed like heaven – almost literally, as he recounted in his diary:
"I shared a bedroom with a large mural depicting angels in glorious
robes. We discovered that we had taken over a chateau belonging to
the Georgian nobility."

When the nobility paid an unexpected visit, however, the officers
expected to be ejected and quite possibly court-martialled for their
unauthorised occupation. Instead, they were made very welcome by
their host, Princess Chavchavadze, who arrived with two daughters
and an Irish governess in tow. According to the Lieutenant’s diary,
a party ensued, combining ballet, Irish jigs and Scots reels while
afternoon tea was served, using the tinned jam supplied by the UK
government to the Georgian army.

Elsewhere, the jam ran out, and British soldiers returning from Baku
complained that rations were so restricted that they were forced to
spread their bread with what they dismissed as "bloody fish paste"
– caviare.

Tom Gorie unsuspectingly had a tenuous brush with the grim shape
of things to come. He struck up a friendship with a multilingual
shoemaker in Tbilisi who knew of a bootmaker in the neighbouring
(and coincidentally named) town of Gori by the name of Dzugashvili,
whose son was an up-and-coming functionary in the Bolshevik government,
who would become Josef Stalin.

James says that "unlike later conflicts, there was a degree of chivalry
about local operations. Local combatants desisted from shooting
when the Camerons moved south to protect he strategic railway which
linked the Caspian and Black Seas. Operatic performances continued,
with local hostilities suspended during the evening performances."

Sadly, it wasn’t all so gentlemanly. In March 1919 a party of drunken
Georgian soldiers set upon the regiment’s medical officer, Captain
J H Magoveny, and beat him to death. Some of the culprits were later
court-martialed and hanged.

In May 1919, the 2nd battalion left for home. Arriving back
at Inverness, they were, according to The Scotsman at the time,
accorded "an enthusiastic public reception… on their return from
Salonika". The report added that "no battalion of the Camerons have had
a more strenuous time during the war", but said nothing about Georgia.

Tom Gorie, who died in 1968, often talked about his time there, says
James, "although he didn’t talk about the bloodshed on the Western
front. That seems to be something that most soldiers repressed. He
was lucky to survive."