Month: December 2008

Azad Hye, United Arab Emirates
Dec 19 2008

Zohrab the royal photographer

Azad-Hye Special

From a young man, who used to be a guitar player in a local band, to
Jordan’s King Hussein’s royal photographer, a company and a magazine
owner ¦ meet Zohrab Markerian, a proud Armenian and a proud
Jordanian.

Born in Amman, Jordan, the son of poor Armenian refugees, Zohrab grew
up with his brother and sister in a very humble neighborhood. He lost
his father when he was 12 and had to leave school and find a job to
improve his living conditions. Thanks to his hard work, he was able to
earn a decent living and he succeeded to go up all the way to the
royal palace!

Azad-Hye had the following interview with him:

Can you tell us about the main phases of your life, and how you
reached the royal palace?
I used to play the guitar in a band called `The Believers’. The cream
of the society always came to listen to our band perform songs by the
Beetles. Later, I decided to learn photography like my brother and
together we opened a photographic studio, which, thanks to the support
of our fans, was a success.

One thing led to another, and in 1973 during an exhibition by a
British photographer -held under Queen Alia’s auspices – I suggested
that she allow me to have my own exhibition under her patronage to
show her the country depicted through the eyes of an Armenian-Jordanian.
The answer was yes; It took me months to prepare for it but when I was
ready, she was thrilled and more than supportive. The same year she
announced a competition among Jordanian photographers to present
photos of Jordan. I won, and the prize was to become the King’s Royal
photographer! What great honor!

King Hussein sent me to New York to specialize in photography. I
completed the two-year course successfully and returned with several
prizes and an honor certificate. I accompanied the King in each of his
private and official trips; I traveled around the world taking his
photos. I have even been to the White House five times, whenever the
king went to congratulate a new US president.

What about your relations with the current King Abdullah?
After King Hussein passed away, I kept in touch with king Abdullah,
whom I started to photograph when he was only eight. Like his father,
he is a great man who strives to achieve the best for his country.

I have made seven different photo albums about the King and Jordan
with its tourist attractions which are now presented by the King to
his guests, as souvenirs.

We have seen copies of `I Celebrating Jordan’ magazine. How did it
come to life and what kind of articles does it include?
Along the way I have always dreamed of running my own magazine,
something which became a reality in year 2005.

We naturally write about Jordan, tourism, art and culture. We give a
positive image of the country, and the magazine is distributed in all
five-star-hotels. Besides the mainstream Jordanian topics, we always
include articles and photos about Armenians and Armenia, about
Karabakh and April 24th. I had the opportunity to go to Artsakh
(Karabakh) in 1994 and took photos of the war. At that time, the
Church of Shushi was bombarded and there were tragic scenes
everywhere.

Living all those years in close connection with the royal palace, is
there a particular incident you recall?
I recall an incident when King Hussein and I met with a photographer
from France who turned out to be Armenian as well, but couldn’t speak
Armenian, the King’s comment was: `What good can a man be to his
nation if he doesn’t speak the language!’ Yes, He was a man who taught
me a lot, and whatever I do, I will not be able to compensate for all
that he and his family have done to the Jordanian Armenians in general
and me in particular.

What is your message to Armenians?
Live in harmony with the nation that has welcomed you. Do not hold any
negative attitude towards it, because if you are not good for the
country you live in, then you are good for nothing.

END OF INTRVIEW (Text prepared by Nanor Mikayelian)

Photography in Jordan was not much known in the past, but with the
help of sophisticated people like the Late king Hussein and his son
King Abdullah and some hard work by names like Zohrab and other
Jordanian colleagues, the concept of photography has changed and it
became one of the most appreciated arts in modern times.

—————————————— ———————-

ADDITIONAL READING

Books and Publications by Zohrab:

King and Country 1985
Jordan – Land for All Seasons 1988
Jewels of the Crown 1989
Kingdom of Peace 1995
King Hussein 1999
Dawn of a New Century 2000
Jordan in the Eyes of Saraya 2005
Amman 2007

`I Celebrating Jordan’ Magazine

`I Celebrating Jordan’ magazine announced the launch of its first
issue on 31st of July 2005, at a colorful event held at the Kempenski
Hotel in Amman. The magazine is a unique concept, with content, and
photography that describes and examines the many different facets of
Jordan in a creative and insightful manner. One of the important
features, in this young and state-of-the-art magazine, is the
showcasing of the rich talent of the internally renowned, award
winning photographer Zohrab, portraying through his images, a voyage
of discovery of Jordan – a land filled with history and untapped
potential.

Official website of Zohrab:
Email: [email protected]
To purchase any of the photos featured in the website, please contact
[email protected]

Jordan through the eyes of Zohrab:
Zohrab images available for sale:

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UNION YERKIR

[email protected]

Nouvelles Persécutions au Djavakhk

20 décembre 2008.

Le procès des militants du mouvement pour les droits civiques des
arméniens du Djavakhk, à savoir de Vahagn Chakhalyan (leader de
l’Alliance Démocratique Djavakhk Uni), de son père Rupen et de son
frère mineur Armen ainsi que le procès de Gourguen Shirinyan, de son
père Harutyun et de sa tante Karine, doivent reprendre le mercredi 24
décembre.

Les autorités géorgiennes continuent à faire pression sur les témoins,
les amis et les familles Chakhalyan et Shirinyan ainsi que sur les
membres et sympathisants de l’Alliance Démocratique Djavakhk Uni.

· Arthur Nahapetyan, cousin de Gourguen Shirinyan, a pris en charge
les frais de l’avocat défendant ses parents. Une procédure judiciaire a
été ouverte contre lui pour escroquerie et fraude fiscale (la police a
fait pression sur son créancier afin qu’il dépose plainte contre lui).
Le procès doit avoir lieu prochainement.

· Le cousin de Vahagn Chakhalyan, Varsham Chakhalyan a été condamné
à une peine de cinq ans de prison pour non remboursement d’une dette,
ce dernier ayant été libéré sous caution d’un montant de 10 000 Lari (4
200 ?¬).

· L’atlier de fabrication de portes et de fenêtres du père de Vahag
Chakhalyan, Rupen a été fermé par l’administration fiscale géorgienne.

· Après 5 mois d’emprisonnement, de procédures et le début des
procès le 6 novembre 2008, la police d’Akhalkalak et de Borjomi a
ajouté, dernièrement, de nouvelles charges contre Vahagn Chakhalyan,
charges basées sur des faits datant du printemps 2006.

· Pour trouver de nouvelles charges, la police maintient sa
politique d’intimidation en convoquant régulièrement les membres et
sympathisants de l’Alliance Démocratique Djavakhk Uni ainsi que les
parents et les amis de Vahagn Chakhalyan pour les contraindre à des
témoignages contre lui.

Les objectifs des autorités géorgiennes sont :

· D’affaiblir les soutiens et les familles Chakhalyan et Shirinyan
par une politique de pression judiciaire, administrative et fiscale
pour les détruire économiquement.

· De terroriser les témoins de la défense pour les inciter à ne pas
témoigner.

· D’établir un climat de peur dans la population arménienne
d’Akhalkalak.

En conséquence, l’Union YERKIR demande à l’Ombudsman (défendeur public)
de Géorgie, M. Sozar Subari, à l’OSCE, aux structures et organisations
internationales présentes en Géorgie de se pencher sur ces événements
et faire pression sur les autorités géorgiennes, en particulier sur les
ministères de l’intérieur et de la justice, pour que cessent
définitivement leur politique de répressions contre les arméniens de
Samtskhe-Djavakhetie et qu’elles libèrent rapidement tous les
prisonniers politiques.

UNION YERKIR

Rare Turkish bird haven under threat

By Sarah Rainsford
North-eastern Turkey

The birdwatchers at Kuyucuk lake rise with the sun.

The water stretched out before them is covered with black dots that
suddenly come alive as flocks of birds open their wings and soar into
the early morning sky.
"I’ve never seen such a congregation of wildfowl in my life, it’s
phenomenal!" enthuses Glen, binoculars glued to his eyes – a spotter
who has come to Turkey from Britain.

"The number of birds is overwhelming. It’s awe-inspiring. I don’t know
where to look."

Kuyucuk lake, close to Turkey’s border with Armenia, lies at a
critical spot on the bird migration path between eastern Europe and
Africa.

Almost 200 species stop here to feed, breed or rest en route, and the
spotters have recorded 14 species that are globally endangered.

Ten rare white-headed duck are regular visitors to Kuyucuk and the
orange-bodied ruddy shelduck, rarely seen in the wild in Europe, is in
abundance here.

Grass greener

A small team of conservationists now work at the lake, documenting its
rich population and battling to keep the birds’ habitat intact.

For years, nearby villagers have led their cattle to graze by the
water. They have chomped the tall reeds that once lined the shore to
the roots, leaving little space for the birds to nest or breed in.

The conservationists have fenced off small zones to encourage re-growth.

But the wire has been cut in several places by local shepherds,
convinced the grass on the forbidden side must be greener.

"People here say they are proud of the lake and support us," explains
Dr Cagan Sekercioglu, who heads the lake conservation project for the
KuzeyDoga Association.

"But if a shepherd’s out here alone and he sees the nice green grass
and reeds in our enclosure, he’ll let the animals in. It’s too
tempting."

Trucker ‘magnet’

Now a new threat to the lake is looming.

The Turkish-Armenian border lies just 30km (19 miles) from Kuyucuk,
but it was closed in the 1990s when Turkey sided with Azerbaijan in
its conflict with Armenia. Diplomatic relations were frozen.

But there are talks now about re-opening the border and
re-establishing official ties.

Many locals support that and the surge in trade it is sure to bring.
Ornithologists fear disaster.

A branch of the old road to Armenia already bisects the lake, but it
is rarely used.

"That road would definitely be expanded if the border opens, then the
whole lake area would be a magnet for truckers," Dr Sekercioglu says.

He worries the area will be developed – until hotels, shops and
recreation facilities crowd the shoreline.

Legally, there is nothing to stop that.

Rare wetland

"The birds come here to rest," Dr Sekercioglu says. "They can’t afford
to waste valuable migration energy, fleeing from visitors. If they’re
constantly disturbed they can’t stay here."

Almost 60% of Turkey’s wetlands have disappeared in the past five
decades – a result of irresponsible irrigation combined with climate
change. That has made the struggle to save Kuyucuk for the birds more
urgent.

Every so often a huge truck rumbles by loaded with construction
materials for a new dam being built nearby.

The prospect of irrigation is encouraging villagers to plan more
intensive farming, using fertilisers for the first time. If that
happens, those chemicals are sure to contaminate the lake.

But on its shore the protection work goes on, to the constant honk of
hundreds of shelduck.

Every hour, volunteers untangle birds from huge nets strung at various
points on the lakeside. They weigh and measure them, then release them
into the wild with a metal leg-ring to track their progress.

"We want to see where they go, what the trends are and how global
warming is affecting things," explains Alan Brooks, a volunteer from
South Africa, who is dressed in shorts despite the biting cold.
"Tens of thousands of birds use this place. It’s one of the few
wetlands of its type left. We must preserve it. It’s very important,"
Mr Brooks believes.

Dangerous time

The volunteers are true enthusiasts, able to swap bird stories
non-stop and never tire.

But the team knows they need to infect the local villagers with some
of their passion to have any chance of protecting Kuyucuk for the
future.

"For now, people talk the talk, but they don’t walk the walk," Dr
Sekercioglu explains.

"Conservation is still seen as a luxury in Turkey," he says, though in
Kuyucuk awareness is improving – encouraged by talk of eco-tourism and
a potential income for the villagers.

Due to Dr Sekercioglu’s tireless campaigning, Turkey’s environment
ministry has been considering granting the lake area limited
protection status.

However, there are signs it may be faltering – and Dr Sekercioglu is worried.

"We’ve lost so many important conservation sites almost overnight in
Turkey – and ones with far stricter protection than what’s being
considered for Kuyucuk," he says.

"Anything could happen here."

Story from BBC NEWS:
/7789585.stm

Published: 2008/12/19 08:08:05 GMT

(c) BBC MMVIII

Print Sponsor

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian FM: No single document can be adopted without consent of
Nagorno-Karabakh

2008-12-20 16:31:00

ArmInfo. Today, Minister of Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward
Nalbandyan, who is paying a working visit to Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,
met with professors and students of Artsakh State University.

ArmInfo’s own correspondent in Stepanakert reports that Nalbandyan
presented the current stage of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. He
pointed out that during the last meeting of OSCE FMs in Helsinki the
conflicting parties confirmed their commitment to resolve the problem
peacefully in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group on the basis of the
Madrid principles. Nalbandyan said that the key priority for the
Armenian diplomacy is the recognition of the right of the
Nagorno-Karabakh people to self-determination. "No single document can
be adopted without the consent of Nagorno-Karabakh," he said.

Make or break year for the EU and Turkey
By Hugh Pope

Cyprus Mail
21 Dec 2008

AN ABRUPT and unusual word buried in a European Union declaration on
December 8 showed the mounting risks of a breakdown in Turkey’s EU
membership talks. Ankara’s need to solve its problems with Cyprus,
foreign ministers warned, has become "urgent". Thanks also to Turkey’s
failure to meet EU reform benchmarks since negotiations started in
2005, a showdown looks inevitable over the next year.

Failure to reform and deep political polarisation have led to a sense
of lost direction in Turkey. Nationalism and human-rights violations
are again on the rise. As the adoption of EU norms looks more distant,
ethnic tensions between Turks and Kurds have risen. The EU anchor of
Turkey’s economic miracle this decade, and the great progress made in a
golden era of reform from 2000 to 2004, are at risk.

For Europe, the costs of losing Turkey are higher than it thinks.
European access to one of the biggest and fastest-growing nearby
markets would become more difficult. The souring EU relationship has
helped slow the EU’s first effort to diversify away from Russian gas
supplies with the planned Nabucco natural gas pipeline across Turkey.
What’s more, an EU that proves unable to work on an equal basis with
Turkey will deepen a belief in the Islamic world that the West rejects
Muslims.

In Cyprus, this situation shows how wrong the Greek Cypriot leadership
would be to believe that Turkey will do anything to get into the EU, or
that EU pressure can ever force Ankara to accept its demands; instead,
it must do all it can to bring Turkey closer to itself and the EU,
through avoiding conflicts over contested territorial waters at home
and ending the practice of blocking Turkey-EU negotiating chapters in
Brussels.

For its part, Turkey has long been wrong in its belief that the Greek
Cypriot position is the result of an EU policy; but fading EU-Turkey
ties would make it even more mistaken to expect that the EU could or
would impose anything on the Greek Cypriots. The only way forward for
Ankara is through actions to win Greek Cypriot trust, like keeping its
navy out of contested waters, and doing all it can to reform and show
itself to be a good partner in future normalised Turkey-Cyprus
relations.

There are many reasons for this damaging EU-Turkey divergence. EU
populations and politicians are cooler to enlargement than ever before.
Sound arguments about Turkey’s long-term contribution to the EU are
losing ground to nostalgia for an idealised vision of a homogenous
European past, along with fears about radical Islam and the potential
loss of jobs to Turkish immigrants.

In Turkey, disillusionment began with the EU’s 2004 admission of Cyprus
as a divided state run by Greek Cypriots, when it was the Turkish
Cypriots who had accepted, and the Greek Cypriots who rejected, the
EU-backed United Nations peace plan. French and German attacks on
Ankara’s right to join the EU further demotivated Turkish leaders, who
slowed the adoption of EU law to a crawl. Additionally, half of the 33
negotiating chapters are now frozen for political reasons by the Greek
Cypriots and the French. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily
dressed down EU diplomats at an Ankara dinner in September, telling
them the EU had got the "bucket stuck in the bottom of the well".

In such an atmosphere, Turkey-sceptic EU states, or perhaps Turkish
politicians angry with Europe, may try to suspend the negotiations
altogether. One pretext could be Turkey’s promise, made in order to win
the opening of negotiations in 2005, to normalise relations and trade
with Cyprus. When Turkey had failed to do so by December 2006, the EU
said it would study the issue "in particular in 2007, 2008 and 2009".
Brussels’ new warning that the issue is "urgent" implies that this
ambivalent wording is now seen as a deadline.

Paradoxically, this cooling of relations comes just as Turkey is
showing how much it can do to complement EU goals. Ankara has played
key roles in representing the EU point of view over Iran’s nuclear
policy and nudging Lebanese factions toward compromise on a new
president ` actions which Brussels acknowledged in its 2008 Turkey
progress report. This year it has mediated talks between Syria and
Israel, and opened up dialogue with both the Iraqi Kurds and even an
old enemy, Armenia. In recognition of Turkey’s responsible foreign
policy, the country was elected to a two-year seat on the UN Security
Council.

EU politicians must do their share to avoid a crisis. They should
recognise their past mistakes on Cyprus, engage even-handedly in
support of the promising new Cypriot talks in progress since September,
and publicly commit funds to a future Cyprus settlement. The dangers of
failure were highlighted last month when the Turkish and Greek navies
and Greek Cypriot-chartered oil-prospecting ships sparred over
territorial rights in the Mediterranean.

Since 1963 the EU has repeatedly promised Turkey full membership once
it meets all criteria. Now would be a good time to reaffirm this
promise. Also, the EU would win by following the call of pro-Turkey EU
states to deepen strategic dialogue with Ankara.

Turkey should do its utmost to give arguments to the pro-Turkish EU
presidencies of Sweden and Spain in 2009/2010. The government and
opposition should overcome their mutual hostility, implement the
long-delayed reform program, and relaunch work on a new, more
democratic constitution. Unfortunately for Ankara, EU politicians care
more about the anti-enlargement mood at home than about Turkey’s
geostrategic role. Only a full adoption of European norms can prove
that Turkey truly wishes to be part of
the EU family.

n Hugh Pope is Turkey/Cyprus project director for the International
Crisis Group and author of Turkey Unveiled: A History of Modern Turkey.
The Crisis Group on December 15 published its new policy report `Turkey
and Europe: the Decisive Year Ahead’, available on

Implications of the World’s Financial Crisis for Armenia’s Economy

Policy Forum Armenia Occasional Report 02/08

Executive Summary

It has become clear by now that the ongoing financial crisis will have
a deep and prolonged impact on a wide range of economies. This is also
likely to be true for a peripheral economy like Armenia’s, regardless
of how isolated its relevant sectors are from the rest of the world.
While in-depth research on the causes and consequences of the crisis is
still in the pipeline and will become available as more facts are
uncovered, economists around the world agree that there is ample
evidence of a serious crisis in the making. A number of large economies
have already come under strain and applied for emergency funding from
the International Monetary Fund.

In this context, Armenia’s economy is likely to be significantly
affected. Recent developments in emerging markets suggest that the
crisis-related deterioration of the economic outlook is likely to occur
abruptly with little signs of early warning, making it important to
have pre-emptive policy response in place before things get worse.
Against this background, the report discusses the main channels through
which Armenia’s economy is likely to be affected as a result of the
adverse global conditions and offers a set of specific policy
recommendations summarized below that may help mitigate the impact of
the ongoing global crisis on Armenia’s economy.

Recommendations

Addressing Capacity Issue

* Establish a Crisis Prevention Team as a high-level policy advisory
body reporting directly to the Prime Minister. It should consist of
economists and financial sector professionals with strong reputation
and experience in dealing with crisis countries and include Diaspora
and possibly non-Armenian professionals.

Fiscal Policy Response

* As signs of the crisis become more pronounced, undertake a review of
the current budget envelope and reduce expenditures on items of
secondary importance (excluding social spending) and waste during
public procurement. Recourses that will have been freed in such a
way’as well as any new external financing that could be secured for
this purpose’should be used to provide exporter support and social
assistance as part of the fiscal stimulus package.

* As a counter measure to possible shrinkage of the traditional tax
base, broaden the tax base by ensuring that no privileged large company
remains outside of the tax authorities’ radar screens.

* Launch a guarantee facility to ensure uninterrupted trade financing,
particularly for critical commodities.

Monetary and Exchange Rate Policy Response

* Allow for much greater flexibility of the exchange rate by reducing
to a minimum the Central Bank’s interventions (i.e., sales of foreign
exchange) on the foreign currency market.

* Gradually reduce policy interest rate and reserve requirements, and
ease access to the Central Bank’s credit and liquidity facilities,
while carefully monitoring inflation developments. Prepare to adopt
higher rates of credit expansion specifically targeting producers,
especially exporters.

Structural Policy Response

* Create a lending facility for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to
provide targeted and easy-to-access loans to viable SMEs in need of
emergency financing.

* Take measures to reduce the monopoly price-setting powers of key
import companies.

* Undertake a review of barriers for business operations and make
credible steps to eliminate some of those barriers in the near term.

* Enhance/expand the social safety net by: (1) undertaking a review of
the poverty guidelines, and (2) targeting the next layer (i.e.,
currently on the margin) of socially vulnerable strata of population,
and (3) making credible steps toward eliminating corruption from the
existing system.

* Review and enhance existing unemployment insurance and provide
assistance to employees that have lost jobs due to crisis-related
closures and downsizings.

Georgia, West and Russia in information war

en.fondsk.ruÐ?rbis Terrarum
21.12.2008
Nikolai DIMLEVICH

As the military confrontation in the Caucasus stopped after the tragedy
in South Ossetia in early August, the information war between the
opposing sides has only stirred up. The West is still trapped in
stereotypes about Russia`s policy in Georgia: the world sees Russia as
Georgia`s enemy and aggressor, trying to violate sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the neighboring state.

With start of the war in South Ossetia, the West and Georgia launched a
large-scale information and propaganda campaign, using any means and
resources to impose their view of the conflict. On 9 August at the
decree of President Mikhail Saakashvili, Georgia`s Security Council
banned the broadcasting of all Russian TV and radio channels and cut
off access to Russian Internet domains. The people of Georgia found
themselves in an information blockade: all TV and radio broadcasters
offered only an official stance of the Georgian leadership and true
coverage of the events.

Reference: Georgia banned RTVi channel owned by Vladimir Gusinsky. RTVi
had been the only Russian-language source of information in Georgia.
The RTVi was banned from broadcasting after it demonstrated an
interview with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticizing
Georgia`s actions in South Ossetia.

Since the very beginning of the military campaign on 7 August, a
press-center in Tbilisi was used by Saakashvili and other high-ranking
officials as a platform for brainwashing and propaganda. The leading
western TV channels showed Mr. Saakashvili addressing the nation in
order to warn about the oncoming threat from Russia.

Georgia’s media and the leading information outlets in the West had
been enjoying close cooperation- the fact that also contributed greatly
to the success of their propaganda. Saakashvili hired professional PR
managers and thus got an access not only to the `Russia Today’ but also
CNN, BBC, Sky News, Bloomberg and many other channels. During the first
five hours of the attack on Tskhinvali, Saakashvili appeared on TV for
20 times, while the journalists received about 200 press releases. As a
result, many channels did not send their people to Tskhinvali and
relied on the information from Tbilisi. The parliament of Georgia
regularly informed the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) about `Russia’s
aggressive and inadequate actions, including its attacks on the
Georgian civil infrastructure, settlements and ports. Thus, on 11
August, after the President of the PA voiced his view on the situation
in Georgia, the PA vice president and the head of the German delegation
Karl Lamers supported an anti-Russian declaration suggested by a US
congressman J. Tanner, citing `reliable information sources in
Georgia’.

In this information war the Internet played a very active role ever.
BEFORE the military invasion began on 7 August, the Georgian
authorities had signed contracts with the western PR agencies
(including the one in Belgium), while Georgia`s Interior Ministry
officials were asked to prepare a video footage featuring the citizens
of Gori, Marneuli, Poti, Senaki and Zugdidi, testifying in Russian
about `atrocities of the Russian occupants and large-scale air attacks
on the Georgian cities’. These materials were due to be presented at
the International Criminal Court.

Now let us see how the military campaign in South Ossetia was covered
in the information outlets of the Georgian diaspora in Russia.

Since 1993 to 2008 in Russia there were registered 12 printed media
connected with the Georgian diaspora, 10 of which were Moscow-based
`Evening Tbilisi’, `Georgia’ and `Moscow-Tbilisi’ (in Armenian
language); `Georgia`s Revival’, `Multinational Georgia’, `Georgia.
Events. People’, `The new Caucasus newspaper’, `Sunny Mziuri’;
magazines `Bolshaya Gruzinskaya’ and `Tbilisi’. There also were two
outlets in the cities of Nizhny Novgorod (`The Nizhny Novgorod Empire’)
and Samara (`Samshoblo’ newspaper).

The leaders of the Georgian communities in the Voronezh and Saratov
regions critically condemned Saakashvili. The website of the All-Russia
public organization `The Union of Georgians in Russia’ provided regular
information from the conflict zone, and the reports contained the
opinions from both Georgia and Russia. `The Union¦’ urged the opposing
sides to achieve a ceasefire. The prominent cultural figures of
Georgian origin commented on the tragedy. Most of them did not welcome
Russia`s actions in South Ossetia and Georgia. The website of the
Moscow-based Georgian `Youth movement of Lazare’ () also
contained some anti-Russian statements.

***
Unlike Tbilisi with its well-coordinated and active propaganda
campaign, Russia has been engaged in rather defensive tactics. All the
words that violence against the peaceful civilians, murders of the
peacekeepers were nothing but a harsh violation of the international
legislation, and that Russia had to increase its presence in the
conflict zone only to provide assistance to the people of South Ossetia
and Russian citizens and stop the humanitarian catastrophe, came TOO
LATE.

Preoccupied with propaganda among the citizens, Russia paid too little
attention to cooperation with the western media. However, some attempts
were made to inform the colleagues abroad about what had really
happened in Georgia.

Some representatives of the Russian Embassy in US were interviewed by
Wolf Blitzer, who anchors a popular analytical program on CNN. During
the show President Mikhail Saakashvili was reached in Tbilisi to=2
0
comment on the situation once again but in view of the words said by
the Russian guests, his arguments were too weak and he had nothing but
empty accusations. The program was broadcast by the NPR national radio
and the Chile-based `AND’ international radio corporation, available in
19 countries and popular among the Hispanic audience in US. The `US
Today’ published an article revealing the essence of the Russian
operation to force Georgia to peace and the danger of conniving at
Tbilisi`s adventure. `The Washington Times’, `The Wall Street Journal’
and the UPI news agency cited some Russian officials denying Russia’s
involvement in the so-called cyber attacks on the Georgian websites.
Russia`s major ITAR-TASS and RIA News contributed much to the coverage
of the situation in South Ossetia abroad.

The website of the Russian Embassy in US provided a real-time reporting
from the press-conferences in Russia and was sending special
press-releases to more than 200 organizations, including the US
Administration, the Congress, some federal and educational
institutions, research centers, etc.

Guided by the officers from the 58th army, the groups of foreign
journalists visited Tskhinvali. Since 11 August, 86 foreign journalists
visited the conflict zone. The Russian side helped all foreign
journalists, including a CNN group, which arrived in Tskhinvali and
Vladikavkaz from Georgia. However, some TV companies, for example, FOX
NEWS, banned the demonstration of the footages their reporters made in
Tskhinvali.

Each day during the conflict Russia`s Senior Military Officer, Colonel
General Anatoly Nagovitsyn, held briefing session to tell the Russian
and foreign journalists the latest news from South Ossetia.

To repel disinformation, the latest news from the conflict zone reached
both Russia and global media agencies simultaneously as a scrolling
text. Thus, on 9 August, at 11 a.m Moscow time Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov held a briefing session with foreign correspondents. Lavrov`s
article published at the `Financial Times’ website on 13 August,
remained at the top of the most readable issues for 2 days.

All these efforts were not in vain since the American experts became
aware that nothing good would come of the confrontation with Moscow.
`Russia Today’ and `Vesti 24′ saw a sharp increase in ratings then.
Sometimes the programs published by `Russia Today’ on the independent
YouTube web portal were ranked 4th, with BBC reports falling behind on
the 43d position.

Most independent experts believe that Georgia would have never
succeeded in this information war unless active support of the US and
European media. (At the same time experts praise Moscow`s attempts to
control reporting from the conflict zone by holding regular briefing
sessions at the Russian Defense and Foreign Affairs Ministries and
demonstration of videos depicting the deliveries of humanitarian aid to
South Ossetia by the brigades of the Russian Emergency Situations
Ministry.

Russia is still viewed in Europe and overseas as a country with
unpredictable and aggressive foreign and home policies.

Reference: From 2000 to 2008 the world saw 450 issues of `The
Economist’ British magazine. Russia was mentioned on 13 covers, with
only one issue (in 2002) being positive about the country. The latest
cover showed Russian tanks and planes attacking South Ossetia and
Georgia.

Although most of the western media outlets were very negative about
Russia`s actions in the conflict zone, they happened to give quite
ambiguous remarks after traditional pacifist slogans. There were some
exceptions though. The Spanish `El Pais’ called Georgia`s invasion in
Tskhinvali as `tragic and wrong’.

The Georgian authorities paid much more attention to the coverage of
the events in the media, which certainly played a crucial role in
building public opinion. Only Russia`s permanent representative to the
UN Vitaly Churkin dared to comment on the war, though only as part of a
common briefing after the Security Council`s meeting. President
Saakashvili gave dozens of interviews to the leading media outlets,
especially CNN.

Only on 12 August, when western correspondents arrived in Tskhinvali,
the tone of reporting changed20a little bit.

***
The question is whether Moscow has enough means to influence the public
opinion in Georgia and the West? We believe currently Russia lacks an
ability to hold a successful information campaign.

Firstly, Russia yields to the West in terms of information outlets:
today we do not have any mass media that could be acknowledged as
authoritative in the West. The `Russian Profile’ magazine and `Russia
Today’ TV channel is not enough.

Reference: `Russia Today’ finds it hard to win the audience in most
Western countries, and currently the channel is popular only among
Russian political experts, students, teachers and some business
circles. Most of the Americans believe `RT’ is the source of Kremlin
propaganda. Apart from this, the channel has some technical problems
(the lack of prompt reporting and some others).

Secondly, Russia and Europe speak different languages.

Reference: An ordinary European has access to hundreds of cable TV
channels, where two-three are always in the English language. `RT’ is
not in the list and thus cannot win the audience there. As a rule,
people in Europe watch news blocks in their native languages, not in
English.

Still, Russia has everything to continue its fight for its place in
global media resources, especially since a shortage of objective
reporting on the Russia-Georgia conflict remains.

The internat
ional community yet has not been presented any official
document with the chronology of events since 8 August. Despite the
declared intentions to issue Georgia for the damage, the courts of
Russia and the Republic of South Ossetia yet have not done this. In the
meantime, Tbilisi has opened a case against Russia for `ethnic
cleansings in the period of 1993-2008′. Georgia continues to receive
active financial support from abroad.

To win audience in Georgia and the West, Russian leading TV channels
(First, RTR-planet, Vesti 24, NTV and TVC) should use scrolling text in
English during the news blocks.

`The Voice of Russia’ state radio company, launched in 1929 and
currently broadcasting in 38 languages, has increased the number of its
short-wave and mid-wave transmitters and is now available in Georgia
for 14 hours running. The VOR turned on its seven transmitters located
in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Krasnodar and Samara. The VOR`s programs
are being rebroadcast in the Russian language in the capital of
Abkhazia on 107,9 FM (running time from 6 to 10 hours every day). Since
8 August the VOR`s `Commonwealth’ broadcasting service (for the CIS and
the Baltic states) has been working under 24-hour regime and was also
available in the Internet.

On 13 August `Vesti FM’ launched its broadcasting in Tskhinvali on
ultra short and middle waves. The first `Mayak’ call signals were heard
on 14 August. The `Rossiyskaya Gazeta’ presented its first special
issue.

***
Having analyzed the outcomes of the large-scale information
confrontation over the Russia-Georgia conflict, we can say Russia was
not ready to provide prompt reaction to Georgia’s propaganda due to the
lack of necessary state support to the Russian media outlets. The lack
of personnel and harmful money-saving measures lead to heavy political
consequences.

Daily Star – Lebanon
Dec 22 2008

Armenian heritage thrashed out on angry guitars

By Matthew Mosley
Special to The Daily Star
Monday, December 22, 2008

BEIRUT: "I don’t want to blow my own trumpet," says Eileen
Khatchadourian after her recent Beirut show, "but I don’t think that
Armenian music has ever been treated like this before."

The vocalist may well be correct. As a folk tradition, Armenian songs
have been variously re-interpreted down the years, but her Beirut
audience had never before heard it filtered through the angry guitars
and feedback loops of alternative rock. This week Khatchadourian
launched her new album, "Midan," with two shows at Achrafieh’s Monnot
Theater. In literary Armenian, midan means "home."

The album is a homecoming for Khatchadourian in more ways than
one. Not only does it consist of re-interpretations of the Armenian
songs that are part of the vocalist’s heritage, but she says that when
making this album she felt she had finally found a place to call her
own.

"I never stay long in any one place," Khatchadourian told The Daily
Star. "I divide my time between Lebanon, Montreal, Paris, Belgium and
the Cote d’Ivoire. I do not feel like I belong anywhere. With this
album I finally created my own space, and now I’m inviting people to
join me."

Born in Beirut in 1978, Khatchadourian was the lead singer of pianist
Guy Manoukian’s ensemble from 1999 through 2006. "We sang covers. I
was not really happy with this. I needed to find my own artistic
identity," she explains. "It’s wonderful to have achieved this with
‘Midan.’"

The capacity crowd at Monnot Theater on Wednesday were palpably
excited at the prospect of witnessing this new identity. As dry ice
swirled through the auditorium and Khatchadourian’s band began to
produce riffs from the edges of the stage, there was a real sense of
expectation.

Khatchadourian’s entrance did not disappoint. Looking as though she’d
just raided the dressing-up box, she sported a wonderfully flouncy
creation designed by young Beirut hotshot Krikor Jabotian.

Khatchadourian’s voice was equally impressive. Rich and confident, it
was a match to the ostentatious guitars and percussion. Sometimes
lamenting, sometimes aggressive, it seemed to exist on its own plane
and added real interest to the material.

The particular brand of alt-rock played by Khatchadourian’s band, all
head-banging guitar chords and mosh-pit percussion, is somewhat marred
by its association with the navel-gazing of pimply teens. It is, at
least initially, a curious choice for vehicle of the re-birth of
Armenian music.

But the somewhat aggressive edge to all those thrashing guitars is
appropriate for Khatchadourian’s purpose. "When you are a minority you
have to fight," she explained. "This is part of my battle to defend my
heritage."

The album is constructed with a youthful audience in mind. "I wanted
to repackage these songs for a new generation," said
Khatchadourian. "The songs are more easily accessible in this form."
On Wednesday Khatchadourian paused between each song to say a few
words about its derivation, fulfilling the educational aspect of her
project.

It should be said that Wednesday’s audience spanned the generations –
old and young alike appeared to be enjoying themselves. The Monnot
Theater was a slightly unsuitable venue for such "youthful" music. The
loud, thrashing chords demand some head-jerking at the very least,
which all becomes a bit self-conscious when sitting politely in a
theater. Only Khatchadourian had freedom to jump around on stage.

It was a conscious decision to hold the concert in a more formal
setting. "Since this is an avant-gout I really wanted people to listen
to the music," she explained. "I didn’t want people to be drinking and
chatting. In Europe bands hold concerts in theatres all the time. I
really like the idea"

The visuals became a redeeming feature for any uncomfortable audience
members. VJs Gabi Ferneine and Amin Dora projected a wonderful series
of images onto a screen behind the band. Desert landscapes,
androgynous youths holding flowers, contemporary dancers and undersea
adventures were inter-cut, reversed, frozen and overlaid, making a
diverting spectacle. But occasionally the application of dry ice was
so zealous as to obscure the diversion.

The final song of the evening, "Oror" ("Lullaby"), was also the
best. This is one of the songs that kicked the whole project off. At
the Dubai Jazz Festival in 2008, Khatchadourian and her band played
"Oror" and "Karouna" ("Spring"), which is now the first song on the
album. The warm reception convinced Khatchadourian she was on the
right path, and this path led ultimately to "Midan."

"Oror" begins with a wonderfully haywire melody that wouldn’t sound
out of place on the soundtrack of a Tim Burton film. Soon the guitars
come crashing in, almost theatrical with their exaggerated,
angst-ridden wall of sound.

Khatchadorian’s voice floats over the top in an elegiac lament.
Suddenly everything ceases. Khatchadourian places her fingers to her
lips: "Shhhhhhhh." The audience disobeyed this instruction and gave
way to rapturous applause.

Eileen Khatchadourian’s "Midan" is released through the independent
label Incognito.

p?edition_id=10&categ_id=4&article_id=9859 9

Space Ref (press release)
Dec 21 2008

Second Group of Mercury Craters Named

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recently approved a
proposal from the MESSENGER Science Team to name 15 craters on
Mercury. All of the newly named craters were imaged during the
mission’s first flyby of the solar system’s innermost planet in
January 2008.

The IAU has been the arbiter of planetary and satellite nomenclature
since its inception in 1919. In keeping with the established naming
theme for craters on Mercury, all of the craters are named after
famous deceased artists, musicians, or authors.

"We’re pleased that the IAU has again acted promptly to approve this
new set of names for prominent craters on Mercury," says MESSENGER
Principal Investigator Sean Solomon of the Carnegie Institution of
Washington. "These latest names honor a diverse suite of some of the
most accomplished contributors to mankind’s higher aspirations. They
also make it much easier for planetary scientists to refer to major
features on Mercury in talks and publications."

The newly named craters include:

Amaral, after Tarsila do Amaral of Brazil, considered one of the
leading Latin American modernist artists.
Dali, after Salvador Dali, a Spanish painter and leader of the
Surrealist Movement.
Enwonwu, after sculptor and painter Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu,
the most renowned Nigerian artist of the 20th century.
Glinka, after Mikhail Glinka, a Russian composer considered to be the
"father" of genuinely Russian music.
Hovnatanian, after Hakop Hovnatanian, an Armenian painter known for
his portraits.
Beckett, after Clarice Beckett, recognized as one of Australia’s most
important modernist artists.
Moody, after Ronald Moody, a self-taught, Jamaica-born sculptor and
painter who found success in mid-20th-century London and Paris.
Munch, after Edvard Munch, a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker,
and draftsman, perhaps most well-known for his painting The Scream.
Navoi, after Alisher Navoi, a 15th century Uzbek poet, considered by
many to be the founder of early Turkic literature.
Nawahi, after Joseph Nawahi, a self-taught artist, lawyer, educator,
publisher, member of the Hawaiian legislature for many years, and
principal adviser to Hawaii’s Queen Lili’uokalani.
Oskison, after John Milton Oskison, a Cherokee author who served as
editor and editorial writer for the New York Evening Post.
Poe, after Edgar Allan Poe, American poet, critic, editor, and
author. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre.
Qi Baishi, after Qi Baishi, a renowned Chinese painter known for his
whimsical water colors.
Raden Saleh, after Raden Saleh, a 19th century Javanese naturalist
painter considered to be the first modern artist from what is now
Indonesia.
Sher-Gil, after Amrita Sher-Gil, an eminent Indian painter, today
considered an important female painter of 20th-century India.
"It was quite enjoyable to consider candidate names from among the
world’s most accomplished people in the arts and humanities," says
MESSENGER Participating Scientist Dave Blewett, of the Johns Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory, in Laurel, Md. "It’s also
gratifying to have the IAU approve names that have meaning to the team
members. For example, the crater Poe (named for Edgar Allan Poe) was a
popular choice, as he happens to be a local favorite because of his
Baltimore ties.

"Having names for many of the prominent craters will help us to
remember and discuss specific locations in this previously
‘undiscovered country,’" adds Blewett.

An image of Mercury showing the locations of the newly named features
is available online at

The addition of these craters, along with the 12 features named in
April, brings the total to 27 newly named surface features for Mercury
in 2008. In September 2009 MESSENGER will complete a third and final
flyby of Mercury before becoming the first spacecraft to orbit the
planet, beginning in March 2011.

MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and
Ranging) is a NASA-sponsored scientific investigation of the planet
Mercury and the first space mission designed to orbit the planet
closest to the Sun. The MESSENGER spacecraft launched on August 3,
2004, and after flybys of Earth, Venus, and Mercury will start a
yearlong study of its target planet in March 2011. Dr. Sean
C. Solomon, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, leads the
mission as principal investigator. The Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory built and operates the MESSENGER spacecraft
and manages this Discovery -class mission for NASA.

d=30180

UKAthletics, KY
Dec 21 2008

Former Wildcat Martirosyan Wins Four Futures Tour Titles in 2008

2005 UK grad Tigran Martirosyan collected two singles and two doubles
crowns this year

Dec. 20, 2008

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Former University of Kentucky men’s tennis player
Tigran Martirosyan capped off a successful year by winning four titles
on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures Circuit this year
with two crowns apiece in singles and doubles action.

Besides the four titles in 2008, Martirosyan advanced to semifinals on
two occasions in both singles and doubles play. He finished the year
with a 31-12 singles record, upping his career mark to 51-29 all-time
on tour. On the doubles court, Martirosyan compiled a 14-9 ledger to
improve his career tour record to 26-17 overall. As a result of his
many wins this season, the former Wildcat has achieved his highest
career Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings in singles
(468) as well as doubles (829).

"Tigran has really had a great year on the USTA circuits," said UK
head Dennis Emery. "He has really positioned himself well to make a
run during the 2009 season. It’s good to see him continuing to improve
on the tour. It couldn’t happen to a nicer person."

Martirosyan won his first career doubles title last July in Peoria,
Ill. He teamed up with Marcus Fugate of Rochester, N.Y., to notch his
first career tour title. The pair knocked off the top seed in the
tourney quarterfinals en route to the championship.

A week later, the former Wildcat earned his first career singles
title. Martirosyan won the Joplin, Mo., tourney by defeating current
Florida State junior Jean-Yves Aubone 6-3, 5-7, 6-0 in the final.

Martirosyan’s best performance of the year took place in Decatur,
Ill., in late July. With doubles partner Daniel Yoo of South Korea,
Martirosyan won his third career title overall and second doubles
crown of his career. The third-seeded tandem defeated the second seed
pairing in the semifinals on the way to the final win. On the singles
side, Martirosyan defeated the number four seed in the semis before
falling to the second overall seed in the tourney final.

At the next singles tournament in Milwaukee, Wis., fourth-seeded
Martirosyan made a run to the singles semifinals before his doubles
partner Yoo defeated him 6-3, 6-3 on the way to the tourney crown.

In September, sixth-seeded Martirosyan defeated three consecutive
seeded players, including top-seed Michael McClune ranked 343 in the
world, en route to his second career singles title and fourth
championship overall in Claremont, Calif.

The 2005 UK grad knocked off another pair of seeded singles players
two weeks later in Irvine, Calif., to advance to the semifinals.
Martirosyan and partner Andrey Kumantsov of Russia also advanced to
the semis on the doubles side after eliminating the top seed in the
quarters.

Last month, Martirosyan jetted to Hawaii to close out the circuit
schedule. In Kohala Coast, Hawaii, the fourth-seeded Wildcat advanced
to the singles final by knocking off current doubles partner Kumantsov
as well as the number one seed overall, but former doubles partner Yoo
beat Martirosyan for the crown 7-5, 6-4. The next week in Honolulu,
Kumantsov and Martirosyan advanced to the doubles semis in the final
circuit event of the year.

A native of Armenia, Martirosyan currently lives in Boston where he
has taught tennis at the Westboro Tennis and Swim Club.

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