Month: September 2013

Athens News Agency-Macedonian Press Agency , Greece
Sept 26 2013

National Defense General Staff Chief Visits Armenia

National Defense General Staff chief General Michael Kostarakos paid
an official visit to the Republic of Armenia on Wednesday, September
25, at the invitation of the country’s Armed Forces chief General Yuri
Khatchaturov.

Kostarakos was received during his visit by the President of Armenia
Serzh Sargsyan, he laid a wreath at the Armenians’ Genocide Memorial
and visited the Museum bearing the same name. He also toured the
premises of the Armenian Patriarchate and visited the Carthedral in
the region of Echmiadzin.

The Military Cooperation Program for the year 2014 was signed between
the two countries in the framework of the meetings and talks.

Speaking after the meeting between the two chiefs, the Greek National
Defense General Staff chief said that “the frequency of the high-level
contacts between the two sides, that includes my presence here today
as well, constitutes proof of the excellent bilateral relations and
underlines the strategic character of these relations which are based
on the very deep historic bonds of our peoples”.

“In addition, I would like to underline that the Armed Forces of
Greece are distinguished by extroversion, meaning they are not limited
only to their national place, but participate in the efforts of the
international community to maintain peace in various regions around
the world where, unfortunately, problems of peaceful cohabitation
still exist,” he added.

The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK)
September 27, 2013 Friday

Ara’s era top notch at ND

by Berry Tramel
SOUTH BEND, Ind.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame alums Steve Sullivan and Wayne Micek,
class of 1968, walked through the Morris Inn this week and recognized
a familiar face.

Walking with a cane, slightly hunched, his once-coal black hair having
long turned silver, was the hero of these 60somethings who arrived in
South Bend in 1964.

They just had to shake hands with Ara Parseghian.

“He started a tradition that is comparable to Rockne and Leahy and
Holtz,” said Micek of Glen Ellyn, Ill. “The spirit he created, just
one hell of a guy.”

We sometimes forget Parseghian in the pantheon of great coaches. He
became a major college head coach in 1951, became Notre Dame’s coach
in 1964 and won two national championships before stepping away from
the game in 1975 at age 51.

Parseghian played for Paul Brown and Sid Gillman. Coached with Woody
Hayes. Went head-to-head with Bud Wilkinson and Bear Bryant and
Darrell Royal and John McKay.

Parseghian was 4-0 against Oklahoma, which tries to reverse 60 years
of Irish frustration Saturday, when the teams play at Notre Dame
Stadium. Parseghian even beat the Sooners twice when he coached
Northwestern, 1959 and 1960.

And he’s with us still. At 90 years old, 39 years after his final
Irish game, Parseghian remains a Notre Dame institution.

* * *

Notre Dame hired Parseghian in 1964. And he heard the same things you
hear today.

The landscape has changed. The Fighting Irish no longer can compete at
the top of college football. Notre Dame no longer has the advantages
it once had but still has the same disadvantages.

Schedule too difficult. Academics too tough. Can’t recruit the top
talent. Same old song.

“Every time a coach has been dismissed from here, go back and read the
papers,” Parseghian said. “It’s exactly the same. Almost word for
word.

“Then somebody comes in, knows what they’re doing or experienced … I
think as long as Brian Kelly stays, their program is going to stay at
a high level.”

Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy are dead. Holtz has turned cartoon
character on ESPN. But here’s Ara Parseghian, as distinguished as
ever, still living in South Bend. Still holding the candle for Notre
Dame, and he’s not even Catholic.

Parseghian’s father, an immigrant from Armenia, despised Catholics,
blaming them for the World War I genocide in his native country. But
Parseghian took the job anyway.

“I’m still here,” Parseghian said with a shrug. “I used to kid around.
Everybody says, did they try to convert you. I said, I don’t think
they wanted me, because they never did try.”

South Bend can be tough on coaches. A coach as great as Leahy was
fired. Dan Devine won a national championship but lasted just six
seasons. Rockne coached 13 years before dying in a 1931 plane crash,
but Leahy, Holtz and Parseghian each coached only 11 years. Four OU
coaches have gone longer – Bennie Owen (22), Bud Wilkinson (17), Barry
Switzer (16) and Bob Stoops (15 and counting).

But most Notre Dame coaches move on after the gridiron. To another
job, or another part of the country.

Not Parseghian.

“I had pretty good footings here,” Parseghian said. “We had been here
11 years. My kids grew up here. My son and daughter both went to Notre
Dame. My other daughter went to St. Mary’s (across the street).

“Then I got involved with an insurance agency, had some of my former
coaches that were with me. We had reasons to stay. It was a good
environment to be in. Just the right-sized town. One of the reasons I
never went into pro football was because I wanted my kids to grow up
around an academic environment. And that’s exactly what we did.”

* * *

The Bob Stoops Story is the Ara Parseghian Story. Both took over
storied programs that had gone five straight years without a winning
season.

Both won immediately, in part by putting players in the right
position. Stoops moved Frank Romero from defensive line to offensive
line and found an all-Big 12 tackle. J.T. Thatcher was moved from
tailback to free safety and made All-American.

Parseghian in 1964 inherited three massive running backs – Jim
Snowden, Pete Duranko and Paul Costa were called the Elephant
backfield. Parseghian moved them to the line, and all became stars.

Senior John Huarte, who had yet to even letter, was named the starting
quarterback. He won the Heisman Trophy.

Notre Dame won its first nine games before a season-ending loss to Southern Cal.

“It created an electricity that I don’t know that this university has
ever seen since then,” said Sullivan, the ’68 grad from Cordova, Tenn.

After Notre Dame won its opener at Wisconsin, the team returned to
South Bend via bus around midnight in the rain, only to discover Notre
Dame Avenue lined and packed with students.

“That excitement carried on all year,” Sullivan said.

And Parseghian’s teams never slumped. His worst record was 8-3 in
1972; the Irish were 95-17-4 overall under Parseghian.

“He gave you every opportunity to succeed,” said Terry Hanratty,
Parseghian’s great quarterback from 1966-68. “We never went into a
game where we were surprised at anything.

“Great communicator. Great in-game coach. If we ever recovered a
fumble or intercepted a pass, better put your secondary on the 10-yard
line, because we were coming at you.”

Parseghian had a great saying: “We must find the other team’s breaking
point. We do not have a breaking point.” It’s the inscription on his
statue just outside Notre Dame Stadium.

* * *

But Parseghian did have a breaking point. He stepped down after the
1974 season, worn out.

“I was old as a football coach,” Parseghian said. “I became a head
football coach when I was 27 years old at Miami of Ohio. The burdens
of being a head coach are different from being an assistant. If I had
been an assistant coach for awhile, then become a head coach, I
probably would have lasted longer.

“I coached for 25 years. I was here 11 years. You do the head coaching
responsibilities at major universities for 25 years, it’s going to
wear and tear on you. Very demanding. It finally catches up with you.
Demands on your time, you’re on a treadmill almost. Season to season
going through all that.”

Parseghian promised his wife he would sit out a season. So far, he’s sat out 39.

Hanratty believes Notre Dame erred, that the university should have
named an interim coach, and Parseghian would have returned, batteries
charged, in 1976.

But Parseghian found other life interests. He was an ABC or CBS
analyst for 14 years.

One of his daughters was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Three of
his grandchildren died from the rare genetic disorder Niemann-Pick
disease, and Parseghian’s family founded the Ara Parseghian Medical
Research Foundation in 1994.

On Jan. 1, 1975, Notre Dame beat Alabama 13-11 in the Orange Bowl.
Parseghian’s players carried him off the field. He never coached
another game.

“I assured my wife I’d stay out for a year,” Parseghian said. “After a
year was over, I had opportunities. But I decided not to. I knew what
it was going to take out of me physically. I wanted to accrue some
longevity in my life. The quickest way to shorten it was to be back on
the hot seat again.”

Parseghian was right. He’s lived a long life. And still touching
people, with his foundation and with his strolls through the Morris
Inn.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at
[email protected] He can be heard Monday through Friday from
4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1.
You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel.

ARA PARSEGHIAN

Born: May 21, 1923, Akron, Ohio

High school: Akron South

Alma mater: Miami-Ohio

Coaching jobs: Miami-Ohio assistant (1950), Miami-Ohio head coach
(1951-55), Northwestern head coach (1956-63), Notre Dame head coach
(1964-74).

Record: Miami 39-6-1, Northwestern 36-35-1, Notre Dame 95-17-4,
overall 170-58-6.

Coaching influences: Played for Paul Brown (Naval Station Great Lakes
during World War II and Cleveland Browns of the NFL), played for Sid
Gillman (Miami-Ohio) and coached for Woody Hayes (Miami-Ohio).

The Tech: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA
September 27, 2013 Friday

BALLET REVIEW: Dancing under the stars

by Attila Forruchi

Night of Stars
Boston Ballet Company
Boston Common
Saturday Sept. 21, 2013, 7 p.m.

The Boston Ballet opened its 50th season before an estimated audience
of over 45,000 ballet aficionados, performing the dazzling Night of
Stars in Boston Common last Saturday. The free one-night performance
featured excerpts from Boston Ballet’s entire repertory of classical,
neo-classical and contemporary ballets. Multiple giant screens, a
velvety state-of-the-art sound system and the gigantic stage, which at
times dwarved soloist and pas de deux performances, made for an
enchanting evening of highbrow artistry.

The show opener was the classical Don Quixote pas de deux, featuring
the romantic qualities of the principal dancers Misa Kuranaga and
Jeffrey Cirio. While the cumbersome distances from the outdoor stage
made it difficult for most in the audience to appreciate all the
nuances and delicacies of Kuranaga’s exquisite movements, her
performance remained stunning from all distances and angle.

Rooster, from Boston Ballet’s stunning contemporary repertoire, is set
to the music of the Rolling Stones and the choreography of Christopher
Bruce, but it’s not just your parents’ ballet. In it, the dancers
swayed in vibrantly colored street clothes against the stark,
larger-than-life set. As the Stones crooned “Paint It Black,” four
dancers donning stunning black and blood red outfits, drenched in
hellish soft red lighting, displayed how fluidly ballet dancers can
move and contort their bodies while remaining loose. Next, the Stones’
“Play With Fire” set the mood for a duet more reminiscent of an edgy
flamenco than a classical ballet, the crowds’ favorite of the three
pieces. The last excerpt, set to “Sympathy for The Devil,” featured
vibrant, buttery, samba-esque figures, coloring the movements in time
that reflected the deep rhythms of the Rolling Stone’s ode to the
Satan. Stylistically it was carnival crashing into post modernism.

La Bayadère whisked us into the exotica of Regal India, where the
drama of the unrequited love of the High Brahmin for Nikiya, the lead
temple dancer (in French, la bayadère), and her devotion to Solor the
gallant warrior, unfolds in glittery costumes and motifs worthy of a
Raj. The excerpt chosen, “Golden Idol Variation,” is a dream piece for
any male dancer to perform. It is a tour-de-force of male dancing with
anti-gravity jumps and powerful, speedy, skillful movements. Avetik
Karapetyan, the Armenian soloist, rose to the occasion. His stunning
physique shimmered in gold, and was so well defined that the contours
of his chiseled muscularity often revealed the physicality of his
performance. Needless to say, however, I and most ballet aficionados
would have preferred to see the legendary white act, “Kingdom of the
Shades,” instead of the opium induced dream state of Solor’s mind.

The highlight of the night was the world premiere of Swan,
choreographed by Viktor Plotnikov with the accompanying score of
Camille Saint-Saens and performed by principal dancers Lorna Feijoo
and Yury Yanowsky. Their pas de deux – performed in the cool, dark
sparsity of a film noir-esque ambiance and minimalist set decor – was
haunting, tragic, and foreboding. There was nothing to distract from
their lush, posh and melancholic romanticism – neither Yanowsky’s
superlative topless prancing, nor Feijoo’s seemingly endless beautiful
leggy pointe. The ultimate goal of dancers should be to conceal their
technique, not to display it prominently. After all, ballet is a
performing art, not a science; the whole must not only be bigger than
it is parts, but, more crucially, it must not be reducible to its
parts.

No medley of an American ballet company’s performance is ever complete
without Balanchine’s Symphony in Three Movements. Not everyone’s
favorite piece, and often dismissed as too showy and toothy by the
purist, it nevertheless has a charm all of its own. It is to American
ballet what Grease is to Broadway musicals – an all-American display
of cheery exuberance with enough topologically twisted formations and
routines to impress any geometer. The finale is a 3D matrix formation,
seemingly emerging from the randomness of dancers frolicking around.
This is a feast for the eyes, but at the same time not brain candy.
There is too much of everything, and yet one feels unresolved at the
end!

Plan To B, by the resident choreographer Jorma Elo, would perhaps more
aptly be called “Plan B.” I doubt it was anyone’s favorite, but
nonetheless it has high energy and is full of accelerations and
decelerations that take your breath away, if not out of excitement,
then out of sympathy for the dancers, whose stamina seems to be
tested. Ironically, the glitterati seated in the VIP caged area seemed
most impressed with Plan To B. It must be highbrow.

Another one of Balanchine’s masterpieces, Serenade, capped the
evening. Sixteen maids-in-waiting, dressed in lightly translucent
draping skirts which highlighted their long-legged silhouettes, danced
to the upbeat tempo of Tchaikovsky’s refreshingly modern
Viennese-waltz-like score. The solo performance and the ensuing pas de
deux, headed by Prince Charming prancing onto the stage, was dazzling
and exciting. Next, the full ensemble was back on stage and draped in
a steely blue shade of lighting, rendering them elegant and polished.

Mass performances are never easy to organize, nor are they cheap; they
oftentimes have a circus-like air about them, but that did not hold
last Saturday night. Mikko Nissinen, Boston Ballet’s Artistic
Director, must be proud since the starry night performance went
silkily smoothly. In fact, the whole night was a success, and should
have bolstered Bostonians’ sense of ownership and pride in their
hometown ballet company.

Boston Ballet’s 2013-2014 season will feature La Bayadère,
Balanchine’s Jewels, and the ever popular The Nutcracker, Cinderella,
and Pricked.Post a comment on this article

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

States News Service
September 27, 2013 Friday

PRESS RELEASE BY THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE OSCE MINSK GROUP AND THE FOREIGN
MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN SEPT. 27, 2013

VIENNA, Austria

The following information was released by the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE):

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the
Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and James Warlick of the
United States of America) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, met with
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian in New York on September 27.

The Co-Chairs and the Ministers continued discussions on the substance
of the peace process. The Co-Chairs stressed the commitment of their
three countries to support the peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the non-use of force or the threat
of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights and
self-determination of peoples. They also referred to the statement of
their three Presidents on June 18, 2013, with special attention to the
appeal to the sides to refrain from any actions or rhetoric that could
raise tension in the region and lead to escalation of the conflict.

The Ministers reiterated their determination to continue working with
the Co-Chairs to reach a peaceful settlement of the conflict. The
Co-Chairs expect to visit the region in November to discuss with the
Presidents their planned summit meeting later this year.

From: A. Papazian

US State News
September 27, 2013 Friday 12:12 PM EST

UNECE HELPS ARMENIA TO SET TARGETS ON WATER AND HEALTH

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 27 — The United Nations Economic and Social
Council’s Economic Commission for Europe issued the following news
release:

The tenth meeting of the Steering Committee of the Armenian National
Policy Dialogue on water resources was held in Yerevan on Thursday, 26
September 2013. At the meeting, an expert group presented a draft
baseline analysis of the Armenia’s health and environmental situation
and legal framework on water, a first step towards setting national
targets under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UNECE)-World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe
(WHO/Europe) Protocol on Water and Health.

Some 30 representatives of different stakeholders and donors attended
the meeting, which was chaired by the Head of the Water Resources
Management Agency of Armenia, Mr. Volodya Narimanyan.

UNECE helped to set up a national expert group which presented the
draft baseline analysis at the meeting. The baseline analysis
comprises an in-depth study of the environmental and health situation
in the country, as well as the existing national and international
legal frameworks. The baseline analysis will be followed by
identification and prioritization of problems in the field of water
and health that would require particular attention. It is expected
that the targets will be finalized and adopted by mid 2014.

At the end of 2012, Armenia started the process of setting national
targets with regard to water management, drinking water supply and
wastewater treatment with a view of improving human health and
reducing the incidence of water-related diseases.

According to the national report of Armenia submitted under the
Protocol on Water and Health in 2013, between 2008 and 2012 the
country had achieved an important increase in access to drinking water
in rural areas – from 92 to 94 per cent. However, access to sanitation
for rural dwellers has not seen any substantial improvement in recent
years. Moreover, issues like urban wastewater treatment and water
losses in water supply systems were also among urgent priorities.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

US Fed News
September 27, 2013 Friday 4:30 PM EST

WIPO PUBLISHES PATENT OF ECOSERV REMOTE OBSERVATION CENTRE AND
ARTASHES ARAKELYAN FOR “AN AUTOMATED WIDE-RANGING ANTI-HAIL PROTECTION
METHOD AND A NETWORK” (ARMENIAN INVENTOR)

GENEVA

GENEVA, Sept. 27 — Publication No. WO/2013/138824 was published on Sept. 26.

Title of the invention: “AN AUTOMATED WIDE-RANGING ANTI-HAIL
PROTECTION METHOD AND A NETWORK.” Applicants: ECOSERV REMOTE
OBSERVATION CENTRE CO. LTD. (AM) and Artashes Arakelyan (AM).
Inventors: Artashes Arakelyan (AM). According to the abstract* posted
by the World Intellectual Property Organization: “The present
invention relates to hail detection, warning, prevention.

An automated method of wide-ranging anti-hail protection including
reception of sky proper radiothermal emission in M sites, its
comparison with corresponding thresholds, generation command signals
to detonate combustible gas and to direct shock waves upwardly to the
sky, generation and transmission alert signals, reception of
transmitted alert signals in each M sites, comparison with proper
code-signals of that site and setting alert operational mode of sonic
generator. An automated network of anti-hail protection including M
hail preventing sonic cannons set in M sites of anti-hail protection
area any of which comprises an antenna, a radiometric receiver, a
controlled compensation device, a controlled multi-channel threshold
system, a wamer, a transmitter, a receiver, a comparison device, a
first controlling switcher, a controlled single- channel thrcsholdcr
and a second controlling switcher. It is enhanced operation efficiency
and is automated exploitation of an anti-hail protection network.” The
patent was filed on July 9, 2012 under Application No.
PCT/AM2012/000003. *For further information, including images, charts
and tables, please visit:

From: Baghdasarian

Washington Post
September 27, 2013 Friday 8:13 PM EST

Standing up to Russia

by Carl Gershman

Former Soviet states are. Will the U.S. join them?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has had some success recently using
his support for the Assad regime in Syria to strengthen Moscow’s
position in the Middle East. But his progress on this front is much
less important than Moscow’s growing troubles in its “near abroad,” as
it refers to the strategically vital area to its immediate west.

In a replay of the classic East-West rivalry of the Cold War, but with
the United States conspicuously on the sidelines, Russia has used
economic and security threats to draw post-communist countries into
its Eurasian Customs Union and to block the European Union’s Eastern
Partnership initiative, which seeks the reform and possible eventual
integration of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and
Ukraine into E.U. structures. Russian pressures have escalated with
the approach of a November summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, at which
several of the countries could sign association or free-trade
agreements with the E.U.

So far only Armenia has buckled under Russian pressure, agreeing to
join the customs union after Moscow, which guarantees Armenia’s
security against neighboring Azerbaijan, signed contracts to provide
Azerbaijan with $4 billion worth of military hardware.

Elsewhere, Moscow’s bullying has backfired. Russia has banned Moldovan
wine, threatened to cut off gas supplies to that republic and warned
that the people of its Russian-occupied separatist enclave of
Transnistria would resist any agreement with the E.U. But Moldova
remains committed to initialing a free-trade agreement with the
European Union in Vilnius, and it has responded to the threat of an
energy boycott by quickly agreeing with Romania to build a pipeline
linking the two countries.

Georgia, for years the target of Russian boycotts and security
threats, is ruled by Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who was
rumored to be less anti-Russian than outgoing President Mikheil
Saakashvili. Yet Georgia, too, is about to initial a free-trade
agreement in Vilnius, signaling that European integration is a
national aspiration, not the choice of any particular party.

Ukraine is the biggest prize, and there Russia’s bullying has been
particularly counter-productive. In addition to the usual economic
threats and trade sanctions, including a ban on the import of
Ukrainian chocolates, Putin offended Ukrainians during a state visit
in July, saying that they and the Russians were a “single people,” and
that the Ukranians had flourished under Soviet rule – totally ignoring
the famine of the early 1930s that Ukrainians call the Holodomor, or
“extermination by hunger.”

In an Independence Day speech at the end of August, Ukrainian
President Viktor Yanukovych called association with the European Union
“an important stimulus for forming a modern European state.” In short
order, Ukraine’s parliament passed reforms required by the E.U.
dealing with such issues as corruption, tariffs and prisons; and the
daughter of Yulia Tymoshenko, the imprisoned former prime minister
whose release the E.U. has insisted on, has said that she hopes her
mother’s freedom might be imminent.

The Russian online newspaper Gazeta.ru said recently that “Blackmail
is the worst possible way of advertising economic cooperation.” But
Russia’s problem is more than tactical. Its post-communist neighbors
prefer the relative dynamism of Europe – with all its debt and growth
problems – to Russia’s stagnant economy, and they have no interest in
sharply raising tariffs, which joining the protectionist Eurasian
Customs Union would require.

The process playing out in Europe has attracted little attention in
the U.S. media or from the Obama administration, which has been mostly
preoccupied with the Middle East and its pivot to Asia. But the
opportunities are considerable, and there are important ways
Washington could help.

The United States needs to engage with the governments and with civil
society in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova to ensure that the reform
process underway not only promotes greater trade and development but
also produces governments that are less corrupt and more accountable
to their societies. An association agreement with the European Union
should be seen not as an end in itself but as a starting point that
makes possible deeper reforms and more genuine democracy.

Russian democracy also can benefit from this process. Ukraine’s choice
to join Europe will accelerate the demise of the ideology of Russian
imperialism that Putin represents. There are signs of the emergence of
a new Russian nationalism: the strong performance by opposition leader
Alexei Navalny in Moscow’s recent mayoral election and polls that show
greater opposition to Putin in the Russian provinces, his traditional
support base. This nationalism is concerned not with the restoration
of Russia’s imperial greatness, which would be inconceivable if
Ukraine joined Europe, but with fighting corruption and addressing the
severe economic and social problems of the Russian people.

Russians, too, face a choice, and Putin may find himself on the losing
end not just in the near abroad but within Russia itself.

The writer is president of the National Endowment for Democracy.

Whittier Daily News (California)
September 27, 2013 Friday

Economic development, city image key issues at Montebello City Council debate

by Mike Sprague

MONTEBELLO >> Economic development and the city s image were among two
of the issues discussed Thursday at a City Council candidates forum.

While three of the four candidates present seemed to agree, three
other candidates were no-shows. Three seats are at stake in the Nov. 5
election.

Levon Kirakosian, chairman of the forum held by the Armenian National
Committee of the San Gabriel Valley, said he was disappointed that
challengers Emma Delgado, Flavio Gallarzo and Daniel Hernandez didn t
attend the meeting at the Montebello Armenian Center.

Kirakosian said the forum was intended to provide information to voters.

Regrettably, they ve chosen not to show up, he said.

The three candidates all of whom are backed by Mayor Christina Cortez
and whose ballot statements call for change all gave individual
reasons for their absence in interviews Friday.

Delgado said she had a business meeting with a customer and had told
officials from the Armenian committee early on she couldn t make it.

Hernandez said he was called into meet with a vendor when one of his
employees called in sick.

Gallarzo said he had a parent-teacher meeting at his school where he s
a principal.

During the forum, incumbents Art Barajas and Bill Molinari and
challenger Vivian Romero said it s time to be more positive.

Barajas said when he was elected he heard concerns that Montebello was
going to go bankrupt.

Here we are, and Montebello is still functioning, he said. We have
(development) opportunities. We shouldn t be scaring (potential
developers) by telling them negative things that aren t true.

However, challenger Anna Arriola, said she s not convinced Montebello
is doing well.

I m running for City Council because I don t like the way things are
running, Arriola said. I ll try to change things and move the city
forward.

Arriola said she s concerned about increasing pension costs, what will
happen with the Taylor Ranch property and some of the lawsuits facing
the city.

It s important that we put an end to the negativity that has permeated
the community the last three years, said Molinari. It s hurt the city
s image and made it difficult to bring in new businesses.

Romero also called for a more positive image as well as some other changes.

We should relax some of our ordinances, she said. We should think
about opening City Hall on Fridays. I d like Montebello to become like
South Pasadena. I go to Trader Joe s in Whittier. I d like to see a
Trader Joe s come to Montebello.

The three, who were no-shows, haven t been as positive.

In their ballot statements, they all called for a forensic audit on
all city accounts and criticized a recent water rate increase of 50
percent this year and 25 percent next year.

Council members, who supported the increase, said rates hadn t been
increased since 2004. In addition, the city serves only 1,647
customers. It includes the area south of Slauson Avenue as well as
portions of the north end of town, including the Shops at Montebello.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Global Times, China
Sept 28 2013

Armenian president visits Chinese embassy

Xinhua | 2013-9-28 21:25:19

By Agencies Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on sinaweiboShare
on linkedinMore Sharing Services E-mail Print

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited the Chinese embassy here
Saturday to express congratulation for the upcoming 64th anniversary
of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

The president congratulated the Chinese people and Chinese President
Xi Jinping in particular on the Oct. 1 occasion and expressed his
satisfaction with Armenian-Chinese political and economic relations.

He stressed China’s importance to Armenian foreign policy both in the
region and worldwide, and took the opportunity to invite Xi to his
country.

Chinese ambassador Tian Changchun said China was proud of its
relationship with Armenia, which he described as China’s most reliable
partner in the region.

Armenia and China forged diplomatic relations on April 6, 1992.

eTurboNews
Sept 28 2013

Shortage of experts undermines development of tourism in Armenia

Sep 27, 2013

YEREVAN, Armenia – Robert Minasyan, the head of the Armenian Tourism
Institute, a branch of the Russian International Tourism Academy,
speaking Friday at a news conference dedicated to the World Tourism
Day, pointed out the shortage of specialists as one of the factors
hobbling development of tourism in Armenia.

`Today the tourism area is badly in need of specialists with new
approaches to enhancement of attractiveness of a tourism product that
is up to the present tourist demand,’ he said adding that especially
provinces are in want of such specialists.

Lia Bakhshinyan, the head of the Guild of Armenian Guides, who spoke
at the same news conference, said that tourists travel to Armenia to
have an active rest and see sites of historic and culture legacy.

Therefore it is necessary to create comfortable conditions for long
tourist routes, she said.
`First of all, inexpensive three- or four-star hotels with appropriate
services should be opened in provinces for accommodating tourists,’
she said. `Besides, very often tourists in Armenia have to do without
toilets while traveling, since there are no toilets along tourist
routs.’

Bakhshinyan also singled out bad roads among factors hampering
development of tourism in Armenia.

However, in conclusion, the experts said that it would be wrong to
omit some achievement reached in development of tourist
infrastructures and the country’s tourist capacity.

In June, Armenia ranked fifth among top 10 countries to travel to in
2013, according to Globe Sports portal.

For compiling this rating, a group of professional travelers have
captured what’s happening on the travel scene focusing on destinations
they think will be `hot – or at least should be.’
Armenia was rated within a category of `adventurous places for those
who are going above and beyond, seeking out the best travel.’

According to the National Statistical Service of Armenia, the country
hosted 128,237 tourists in Jan-March 2013 – 22.9% year-on-year growth.

Some 137,128 people have departed from Armenia for the first three
months of this year for tourist purposes – 14.2% year-on-year growth.
As many as 843,330 tourists visited Armenia in 2012.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress