California Courier Online, March 1, 2018

The California
Courier Online, March 1, 2018

1 –        Commentary

            Pres.
Erdogan, a Menace to the World,

            Should be
Stopped Before It’s Too Late       
            By Harut Sassounian

            Publisher, The California Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2 –        California
Courier Editor Serge Samoniantz Has Died

3 –        Documentary on Master Jeweler Sevan

            Bıçakçı
Makes World Premiere in Washington

4 –        The Country Breeding Generation of Chess
Whiz Kids

            By Emma
Levine

5 –        Kef Time Keghi III Benefits

            Kindergarten
in Nor Keghi

            By Mitch
Kehetian

6 –        The Italian Scholar Who Teaches Classical
Armenian in Venice

7-         Armenian Cuisine at Saudi Arabia’s

            Lusin
Restaurant Eclipses Competition

            By Shaistha
Khan

8 –        Armenian Led Start-up, I-Fourth, is Solving

            Global
Environmental and Social Problems

9-         Armenians Wait for Cornea Transplants in Armenia

10-       ‘Icon Hunter’ Fights Against Christian Art
Smuggling

            By Florence Avakian

11 –      Daughters
of Vartan San Diego
Co-Sponsors

            Dr. Taner
Akçam’s Lecture on His New Book

12 –      UC Berkeley
Reopens Krouzian Seminar

            Room after
Disappearance a Decade Ago

            By
Francesca Munsayac

 

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1 –        Commentary

            Pres.
Erdogan, a Menace to the World,

            Should be
Stopped Before It’s Too Late                

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher, The California Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become a major
danger to his own nation as well as many others. His actions and statements in
recent years should seriously worry his neighbors and the entire world.

The last tyrant ignored by the international community was
the genocidal butcher Adolf Hitler who unleashed World War II, invading scores
of countries and killing millions of people. Regrettably, Western leaders have
tried to appease Erdogan, thereby creating a monster! Strangely, some in the
Islamic world treat him with respect, while many Western countries consider Turkey as one
of their key allies. To make matters worse, Russia is also trying to win
Erdogan over, to distance him from the West and NATO.

A vivid example of Erdogan’s unfit mental state is his
recent bizarre public statement posted on the Turkish President’s website,
titled: “Turkey
is the Standard-Bearer of the Global Fight for Justice.”

No one in their right mind would make such a deceptive
statement. Turkey
is the last country in the world to be described as “the standard bearer of the
global fight for justice.” With hundreds of journalists and tens of thousands
of professors, lawyers, judges, and public employees in jail, how can Pres.
Erdogan make such a false claim? Besides the current injustices perpetrated on
the Turkish people, Erdogan also denies massive past injustices such as the
genocide against Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians.

Earlier this month, during a speech at the AK Party’s
Eskisehir Provincial Congress, Pres. Erdogan shamelessly announced: “Turkey
is also the standard-bearer of the global fight for justice. Turkey is a
safe haven for the oppressed and a nightmare for the oppressors.” If Turkey is such a ‘safe haven,’ why so many Turks
are trying to escape from the country and seeking asylum in Europe?
Why is the Turkish government issuing arrest warrants for the escapees and
pressuring European countries to extradite Turkish journalists, intellectuals
and human rights activists?

Appointing himself as a world leader, Erdogan has cast a
wide net, meddling in the internal affairs of many countries, near and far: “Turkey is the hope for our Crimean brothers and
sisters, the oppressed of Turkestan [Turkic people in Central Asia] and our
friends from Caucasia, Sarajevo and Africa.” Erdogan goes on to affirm: “If we stumble,
Al-Quds [Jerusalem] will fall, Palestine,
Rakhine [region in Myanmar]
and Somalia
will fall.”

Several days after Erdogan’s pompous speech, Turkish
opposition journalist Uzay Bulut wrote a critical commentary in The Washington
Times, titled: “Turkey’s
violence-tinged foreign policy.”

Uzay reminded readers that “the Ottoman Empire’s occupation
of vast lands and Islam’s flag of conquest still influence Turkey’s
foreign policy, including its invasions and ethnic cleansings.”

The prominent Turkish commentator specifically cited
Erdogan’s interventionist policies in Northern Syria (Afrin) and Cyprus. Uzay
mentioned that Turkey,
having illegally occupied Northern Cyprus since 1974, now threatens what
remains of the Republic
of Cyprus. Erdogan
declared: “Cyprus’
courage will only last ‘until they see our army, our ships and our planes.’” Turkey has ignored dozens of UN Security Council
resolutions asking for the withdrawal of its troops from Northern
Cyprus.

Erdogan also warned the European companies that are
exploring gas fields in Eastern Mediterranean, in the territorial waters of the
Republic of Cyprus. Uzay wrote that earlier this
month “Turkish warships blocked a rig belonging to the Italian energy firm ENI
from reaching Cypriot waters to start exploring for gas.”

Erdogan admitted his expansionist policies drawing parallels
between Afrin, Cyprus
and the Greek islands of the Aegean which are
frequent targets of Turkish threats and demands. Erdogan brazenly declared:
“Whatever Afrin is to us, our rights in the Aegean and Cyprus are the
same. Do not ever think that the natural gas exploration in the waters of Cyprus and the opportunistic attempts in the Aegean Sea drop off from our radar.”

 Going to more
extremes, Yigit Bulut, one of Erdogan’s principal advisers, boastfully
threatened Greece
over the islet of Imia, which Turks call ‘Kardak.’ He warned: “Athens
will face the wrath of Turkey
worse than that in Afrin. We will break the arms and legs of officials of the [Greek]
Prime Minister and any minister who dares to step on the Kardak islet in the Aegean. There is not an armed force in this region that
could contend against the Turkish armed forces. So, everyone will know their
place. All imperialists will accept that the people in this land are Turks and
the nation in this land is Islamic ummah [nation] and they will kiss the hand
that they cannot bend.”

Commentator Uzay reported that Erdogan himself threatened Cyprus with yet another military invasion: “Just
as we disrupt the plots [in Syria]
through Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Olive Branch, and soon in
Manbij and other regions, we can and we will disrupt the plots of those who
engage in miscalculations on our southern border. Our warships and air force
are keeping an eye on the area in order to intervene in any way whenever
required.”

Turkey’s
neighbors should be aware that Erdogan is intending to recover the Ottoman
territories. He openly threatened: “Those who think that we’ve erased from our
hearts the lands from which we withdrew in tears a hundred years ago are
wrong.”

At the end of his article, Uzay rightly pointed out that the
Western countries are mostly responsible for Erdogan’s out of control behavior:
“The global inaction in response to Turkish aggression encourages Mr. Erdogan,
the president of a so-called “ally” of the West, to threaten Cyprus with yet
another military assault…. What enables him to get away with his intimidating
rhetoric and ongoing hostility is the apparent weakness and confusion of the
West in the face of violent Turkish supremacism.” **************************************************************************************************

2-         California Courier
Editor Serge Samoniantz Has Died

LOS ANGELES—The California Courier family mourns the loss of
our editor Serge Samoniantz,who died on Monday, February 26. Serge served as
editor of the Courier for the last 30 years, having taken the helm of the
publication in 1988.

Serge was born in 1943 in Marseilles, France,
where he lived until age 9. His family moved to San Paolo,
Brazil, in 1952 and then to Massachusetts in 1961.
He joined the Armenian Youth Federation and then the ARF Keri Gomideh in 1966,
after moving to Montebello,
California.

In 1964, Serge enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was
honorably discharged as sergeant in 1970. After completing his military
service, Serge attended California State University
at Los Angeles,
graduating with a degree in History. He later received a Certificate from UCLA
in Public Relations.

Starting in 1973, Serge assumed the editorship of the
English edition of Asbarez for seven years. He then served as Executive
Director of the Armenian National Committee – Western Region (ANC), from 1983
to 1984. He then resumed his previous post as the English editor of Asbarez
from 1985 to 1988.  In 1985, Serge and
California Courier publisher Harut Sassounian were part of the ANC delegation
to Geneva,
successfully lobbying for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the
United Nations. In 1988, Sassounian enlisted Serge as the editor of the
Courier.

“He is a consummate journalist and a top notch professional.
It has been a great honor and pleasure for me to work with him both as a close
friend and colleague for a quarter century,” said Sassounian in 2013.

Serge was a quiet, self-effacing man, and a tireless worker
who personified the qualities of servant leadership. He was a lifelong activist
in various social and political issues, and a staunch defender of the Armenian
Cause. He will be greatly missed – and his unwavering dedication to Armenian
journalism for the past 35 years leaves an indelible mark on our community and
nation.

He is survived by his wife, Mariam Samoniantz; and his son,
Raffi and Nano Samoniantz; and his grandchildren, Emilly and Sebouh.

A memorial gathering celebrating Serge Samoniantz will be
held on Sunday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at the Montebello Armenian
Center, 420 Washington Boulevard.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Asbarez and Hai Tahd. Checks
may be payable to Armenian Media Network, 1203 North Vermont Avenue, Los
Angeles, CA 90029. ***************************************************************************************************

3 –        Documentary
on Master Jeweler Sevan

            Bıçakçı
Makes World Premiere in Washington

WASHINGTON,
DC – (Anadolu Agency) – “Sevan
the Craftsman: Breathing Istanbul Into Jewels” is a documentary that tells the
story of Sevan Bıçakçı, a master jeweler of Armenian descent who was once
proclaimed the “king of rings.” The film premiered at the Carnegie Institution
for Science as part of the DC Independent Films Festival in Washington.

Produced and directed by Ümran Safter, the documentary charts
the progress of Bıçakçı, from his apprenticeship at the age of 12 in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar
to stardom as renowned artisan 33 years later.

Bıçakçı’s sources of inspiration were closely related to Istanbul: The Bosphorus,
seagulls, the Maiden’s Tower, mosques and churches. He incorporates these
scenes into the rings he created.

In the film, nearly 40 people including Bıçakçı’s family,
close friends, his masters in the Grand Bazaar, collectors and academics speak
about Bıçakçı’s art.

The documentary was shot in Istanbul,
London and New York
with, contributions from Turkey’s
Culture and Tourism Ministry.

The film highlights the artist’s rise from abject poverty to
a creator of art worth millions, an iconic figure eagerly sought by the world’s
rich, famous and powerful.

The film also talks about the disappearing master-apprentice
tradition, the changing city of Istanbul,
the city’s multicultural history and the richness created by its diverse
peoples.

*********************************************************************************************

4 –        The Country Breeding Generation of Chess
Whiz Kids

            By Emma
Levine

LONDON (BBC NEWS) – Since
2011, all children in Armenia
from six to eight years old have had compulsory chess lessons. For one boy it’s
paying off, reports Emma Levine.

I was trapped. Surrounded on all sides, and there was no
escape. The king’s capture was imminent – and my bishop was of no use this
time. “Shakh yev mat,” Mikhael announced triumphantly. Check mate –
and my victor was just 11 years old.

It wasn’t surprising – a few days earlier Mikhael had been
crowned the national schools’ chess champion, adding to his other trophies.

He’d been playing since he was five.

“I learned from my father and grandfather – and then,
weekly lessons in school,” he told me in the family’s apartment in Yerevan

One of his heroes is compatriot Levon Aronian. This
charismatic 35-year-old, one of Armenia’s many grandmasters, was once number
two in the world – a superstar and national hero in a country not accustomed to
sporting success.

Mikhael’s mum, Nara,
proudly shows me her son’s trophies and medals.

“Mikhael wants to be a world champion. He watches
international games to perfect his chess,” she told me over tiny cups of
soorj – strong Armenian coffee. “We don’t put pressure on him – it’s what
he loves doing and that’s the most important thing.”

Nara
travels with her son to all his tournaments, including going abroad.

“I can’t beat him any more!” his older brother,
Khachatur, tells me ruefully.

“Mikhael has this amazing knack of getting inside an
opponent. If he gets beaten he’ll analyze their moves and their game, and knows
instinctively how to beat them next time. “And,” he adds, “he
memorizes every game, and recreates it on the board.”

“The child is constantly making strategic decisions,
assessing the situation before making a move – I think this is a great benefit
for society,” says Smbat Lputian, President of the Armenian Chess
Academy.

Mikhael’s perseverance is paying off. He’s racing up the
national chess rankings for youth players. In a couple of years he could be one
of the world’s youngest-ever grandmasters.

Since 2011, all children in Armenia from six to eight years old
have compulsory chess lessons. It’s the first country in the world to include
it on the national curriculum.

To see more young stars I head to Chess House on a packed
marshrutka – or minibus.

Yerevan has an ancient
history – it’s actually 28 years older than Rome. But there’s little evidence of that
now. The marshrutka weaves through Republic Square, which is encircled by
elegant 20th-Century government buildings and museums built from pink volcanic
tufa stone.

But in construction-mad Yerevan, you’re never far away from a crane
or deafening drill. Recent years have seen the government reneging on its
promise to protect historic buildings – embarking instead on urban development
on a mammoth scale.

I jump off the marshrutka at Circular Park,
a leafy respite.

Here, I join a handful of spectators watching several
elderly men perch at rickety wooden tables, playing chess with their pals. I
head past them to Chess House and the real hub of activity – upstairs in the
main hall, rows of long tables are lined with chess sets, with about 200
children deep in play.

The room is silent, the children’s behaviour impeccable,
with no tantrums or raised voices. All look utterly immersed in the games –
which last up to two hours – their faces wearing the serious expressions of
professionals. The children record every move in their notebooks.

But when 10-year-old Davit makes a blunder, there are tears
– and then a motherly arm around his shoulder from Maria, one of the
supervisors. “They are just children, after all!” she says, smiling.

Downstairs in the waiting area, scores of parents,
grandmothers and a few uncles wait patiently for the children to emerge from
the hall, once their matches are over. You can feel tension mounting as each
one walks slowly down the carpeted steps to greet their mum. Win lose, or draw,
each gets a hug.

In the main entrance is a bust of Tigran Petrosian, the
chess world champion from 1963 to 1969.

“Armenia
has always enjoyed a strong link with chess, but Tigran’s victories were the
revolution for us,” explained Smbat Lputian, president of the Armenian Chess Academy.
He shows me around the academy, a smart three-storey building in dazzling
white, in a neighborhood otherwise dominated by Soviet-era grey apartment
blocks.

“Since our independence from the USSR in 1991,
we have made fantastic progress,” he says proudly. With a population of a
little over three million, Armenia
has one of the highest numbers of chess grandmasters, per capita, in the world.

Lputian was the driving force behind making chess mandatory
in schools, with the support of the Armenian President, Serzh Sargsyan.

“So what was the main reason?” I asked him.

“The most important quality of chess is that it’s a
fair game, so young children start learning a game which is clean and
honorable, and it teaches them good behaviour. The child is constantly making
strategic decisions – assessing the situation before making a move.” He
paused. “I think this is a great benefit for society as a whole.”

Armenia
now has more than 3,000 qualified trained chess teachers in its schools. Many
other countries want to follow suit, according to Lputian. He tells me
excitedly about a new chess scientific research institute, due to open in Yerevan later this year,
where scientists and psychologists will research the impact of chess in the
learning process.

Through their dedication, Mikhael and thousands more
children here have helped put Armenia
on the chess-playing map. And at least I can console myself that I was beaten
by a potential grandmaster.

***************************************************************************************************

5 –        Kef Time Keghi III Benefits

            Kindergarten
in Nor Keghi

            By Mitch
Kehetian

DETROIT – A project to
benefit school children of Nor Keghi in Armenia
was launched into motion just days after four years of spirited community work
to fund school classroom renovations was achieved this past December by the Nor
Keghi Association, an organization of Detroit Armenians who trace their DNA
roots to old Keghi province in Turkish occupied Western
Armenia.

The project’s successful funding goal was topped at Kef Time
Keghi III as more than 300 Armenians dined on the legendary staple Pagharch
grain meal Keghetzis in the ancestral homeland survived on during the freezing
winter months that swept through the mountainous Keghi region.

An elated Richard Norsigian, President of the Nor Keghi
Association, said, “We topped our fund-raising goal because the Keghetzi
community and friends from all four Metro Detroit Armenian Churches as well as
compatriots from throughout the United States joined our effort,” adding
“the Association’s Board remained dedicated to achieve success – and we
did.”

The attending clergy from the four Churches opened the
evening program with a prayer of blessing for the project’s success.

The initial project was to renovate the Multipurpose Room at
the Arakelyan Kindergarten in Nor Keghi, Armenia, for use by the students as
well as by the parents and community for various activities.

The renovation also includes the immediate order of new
auditorium type chairs, audiovisual equipment, and a piano.  The renovated Multipurpose Room will serve
the needs of the current 30 students and the 30 additional kindergarten age
children now waiting for enrollment.

Norsigian visited Nor Keghi last fall to confer with local
and state officials on the needs for the school improvements. He said other
improvements in the project also include hallways, doors, and stairwell
repairs.

In addition, the Nor Keghi Association’s funded project will
be monitored until its completion by the highly respected Paros Foundation,
which is headquartered in Berkeley, California, and maintains field offices in Armenia.

Norsigian also praised local and state officials in Armenia for
welcoming the support of the project by “Armenians with a DNA link to
historic Keghi and now embracing Nor Keghi.”

The naming of Nor Keghi formally known as Pazmavan was
proclaimed on Feb. 12, 1962.

As Kef Time Keghi III was winding down after an evening of
singing and dancing, the 28 Detroit Armenian musicians who had donated their
services and had been taking turns to provide music throughout the night at St.
John Armenian Church Cultural Hall all took to the stage together to put on a
musical show that rocked the hall as throngs of young celebrants cheered while
taking pictures with their cell phones.

In saluting the musicians who dedicated their participation,
Norsigian said “The closing with all the musicians on stage and the
cheering crowd easily topped any Super Bowl half time show. Abreek Detroit musicians.
We thank you. The children of Nor Keghi thank you.”

A review meeting to determine the Nor Keghi Association’s
future role in Armenia
will be held at a later date by its Board.

Whatever that course of direction, the words of the
legendary William Saroyan rang loud and clear at Kef Time Keghi III.  In a salute to Armenians for their survival
after the Genocide, Saroyan etched an everlasting tribute in which he said …
“Go ahead, burn their homes and churches, send them into the hot burning
desert to die but whenever two of them meet again see if they won’t pray and
sing again.”

They did at Kef Time Keghi III.

*****************************************************************************************************

6 –    The Italian
Scholar Who Teaches Classical Armenian in Venice

VENICE, Italy (PanArmenian.net) – As а native speaker of
Armenian, it’s hard to imagine that people are capable of mastering your
language so well that they can perfectly speak, write and express themselves in
Armenian.

Conversing with Benedetta Contin, an Italian scholar who has
put her heart and soul into learning the Armenian language, I was amazed at her
ability to convey her thoughts in such beautiful Western Armenian. Benedetta
currently teaches old Armenian in Mekhitarist Congregation in Venice where Lord George Gordon Byron came in
1816 and immediately became fascinated by the beauty of the Armenian culture
and language.

While the Armenian version of the interview was unchanged to
give a better understanding of Benedetta’s proficiency and devotion, here is a
short walk through her thoughts about the Armenian language, its peculiarities
and beauty.

The Peculiarities of

Learning Armenian

“The wish to master the Armenian language crawled up to me
little by little, especially after I visited Armenia,” Benedetta said.. “And it
became a kind of challenge for me to absorb everything that had anything to do
with this sweet and at the same time bitter language, from Grabar (Classical
Armenian, also known as Old Armenian or Liturgical Armenian – the oldest attested
form of the language – Ed.) to the two types of modern Armenian (Eastern and
Western – Ed.), from Mesrobian to Soviet orthography. The Armenian language
resembles the soil of Armenia,
its accent, phonetics and harmony reflecting the mysterious colors of fertile
and enticing nature. In a word, how can a person in love explain what their
object of love is? This can’t be conveyed in words.

The Choice of Armenian Language and the Road to Mastering it

“I started studying Greek, Latin and Sanskrit at the oldest
university of Europe in Padua,
which is also my birthplace, but I wasn’t that enthusiastic,” she continued.
“And then I realized I am more interested in Oriental languages and cultures
than the Greek world which I had learned a lot about while attending the
lyceum. So I decided to move to the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and
registered myself at the department of Oriental languages there. Venice became
a real discovery for me like it did for Abbot Mkhitar three centuries ago
(Mkhitar Sebastatsi – an Armenian Catholic monk, as well as prominent scholar
and theologian who founded the Mekhitarist Order, which has been based on San
Lazzaro island near Venice since 1717 – Ed.). I had the great honor to learn
from Father Boghos Lévon Zékiyan, a prominent Armenologist and Archbishop of
the Mekhitarist Congregation. A new horizon of the Armenian culture,
civilization and worldview thus opened before me, at the same time helping to
better understand of my Venetian heritage and identity.

“My husband is Armenian,” Benedetta explained,  “and we speak both Armenian and Italian with
our three children as it’s very important for them to not just speak Armenian
but to also realize that they belong to two exquisite cultures that have given
wonderful pieces and infinite beauty to the humanity. They should be proud of
and cherish such a historic background.

I speak the Venetian dialect of Armenian so my diction is a
bit accented, but Armenians are usually very polite and haven’t told me
anything so far. No matter what, I am proud of what I know.

“I currently work for the Foundation for Religious Sciences
John XXIII (Fondazione per le Scienze Religiose Giovanni XXIII) in Bologna where I was asked
to prepare a volume about the Armenian Church Conventions for Brepols, a famous
international publishing house. Also, I teach Grabar to the newcomers of the
Mekhitarist Congregation on San Lazzaro island. At the same time, I am the
deputy president of Padus-Araxes Cultural Association and the deputy head of
the Summer Intensive Course of Armenian Language and Culture in Venice. My area of study
focuses on the history and background of Armenian thought and philosophy.

“My dissertation titled “David the Invincible and the School
of Alexandria: Research on the formation of the epistemological vocabulary of
Greek and Armenian works” has just been published in French with the support of
the Orientalia Christiana Analecta of the Vatican (Benedetta Contin, “David
l’Arménien et l’Ecole d’Alexandrie. Recherches sur la formation du vocabulaire épistémologique
des oeuvres grecques et arméniennes”, Orientalia Christiana Analecta, Roma
2017)

*************************************************************************************************

7-         Armenian Cuisine at Saudi Arabia’s

            Lusin
Restaurant Eclipses Competition

            By Shaistha
Khan

DAMMAM (Saudi Arabia)
: In recent years, Turkey
and Armenia
have been locked in a culinary squabble over who “owns” what.

 UNESCO’s 2011
decision to declare keskek — a ceremonial wheat and meat porridge — an
intangible cultural heritage of Turkey
has angered the Armenians. They claim keskek is, in fact, their centuries-old
porridge known as harissa.

Lavash, the unleavened flatbread, made it on to UNESCO’s
list as an “_expression_ of Armenian culture,” protesters in Turkey, Azerbaijan,
Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
asserted that lavash does not originate or belong solely to Armenia.
Similarly, did The lamadjo originate in Armenia, or do the Turkish make the
most authentic lahmacun?

The debate continues between Armenians and the Turks or the
Azerbaijanis, one thing is for sure: Saudis cannot get enough of Armenian
cuisine and its assimilation into Levantine cooking. Reputedly the first
Armenian restaurant in Saudi Arabia,
Lusin — with three branches in the country; Riyadh, Jeddah and now Alkhobar — bears
testament to that popularity.

When owners Mira Foods Company found Saudi tourists
frequenting Armenian restaurants in Jordan
and Lebanon, they decided to
bring Armenian fine dining to Saudi
Arabia in 2009. Lusin, the Armenian word for
“moon,” is a product of transporting the culture and cuisine of Armenia to Saudi Arabia.

Lusin’s restaurants can best be described as present-day
Armenian, with modern elements like sleek light fixtures and a modish ambience
coexisting alongside a rich heritage. The walls are tiled with the pink tuff
stone found in the Yerevan region of Armenia. It is
a peculiar shade of pink that is reminiscent of the Pink City,
but it gives the interior the feel of an upscale restaurant.

Common in California, New York and Paris,
Armenian food is now gaining traction in London
and the Arab world. Typical to Armenian cuisine is the use of fresh and
seasonal produce like pomegranates, apricots, prunes, apples, pears, grapes,
eggplants, pumpkins, walnuts, pine nuts, herbs, and also cracked wheat, meat,
and dairy products.

Developed by Armenian culinary expert and author Anahid
Doniguian, the menu at Lusin is as close to Armenian heritage as you can get.
To start our fine dining experience, freshly baked lavash bread was served with
a creamy walnut dip. Soon after, we were given a rich pumpkin soup and crisp,
fiery potatoes.

Not to be missed are Lusin’s signature eggplant rolls:
Chargrilled eggplant slices rolled and stuffed with a cream and walnut paste
and pomegranate seeds, lending it a tangy flavor that complements the velvety
texture and smoky flavor of the eggplant.

Moving on to the hot entrees, we tried the Lusin kibbeh,
made of bulgur and meat and garnished with pine nuts and pomegranate molasses.
The sujuc rolls — dried beef sausage baked into soft dough — are like nothing
you will have tasted before.

“As Armenian winters are hard, natives are known to prepare
food during the summer and store it in pots or in the cellar to survive the
winter. It is said that Armenians can throw a winter wedding banquet without
having to visit a supermarket,” Doniguian explains.

From the mains, we tried the house favorite, cherry kebab —
spiced kebab served with a cherry puree — which makes for an interesting mix of
sweet and sour flavors. However, the star of the evening was the gapama. “The
traditional Armenian gapama is a wedding dish, usually presented to the
newlyweds by a group of young boys and girls in a dance,” Doniguian says.

Here, in an elaborate process, a pumpkin is stuffed with
rice, meat, herbs and nuts, and baked in a tanour for four hours. The result is
a succulent pumpkin, sliced to reveal a hearty rice and meat dish soaked with
juices from the sweet pumpkin.

For dessert, we tried the rose ice-cream topped with cotton
candy and the traditional Armenian maamoul stuffed with cheese, cardamom and
nuts, and doused with sugar syrup. In between sinful bites of the maamoul, we
were sure to sip from shots of orange blossom tea.

Lusin promises to be a fine-dining experience, but it offers
much more: Authentic Armenian food, a cultural experience and, most
importantly, a glimpse of the renowned Armenian hospitality.

************************************************************************************************

8 –        Armenian Led Start-up, I-Fourth, is Solving

            Global
Environmental and Social Problems

By Vahram Ayvazyan

Recently, a new start-up called I-Fourth has been gaining
attention globally.  I-Fourth has
designed a new invention, the HyperGenerator, which has the capacity to
revolutionize and improve the lives of many across the globe.  I-Fourth’s team is what makes this possible,
being comprised of a number of passionate, talented young people who aspire to
make a difference in the world.

The driving force of the team is Armenian scholar and
entrepreneur Vahram Ayvazyan, who has a prestigious background in international
politics and is a well-published genocide scholar.  He has traveled extensively through much of
Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and both North and South
America promoting advocacy on environmental issues and human
rights.  It was during these travels that
Vahram met the other co-founders of I-Fourth, David Orozco, Felipe Garcia, and
Sebastian Medina in Manizales,
Colombia where
I-Fourth was born.

David Orozco, known as the technology ninja of I-Fourth, is
the key mind behind the scientific developments.  Felipe Garcia has an analytical mind and is
the leader of I-Fourth’s business section. 
Sebastian Medina is a leader in all things social, being heavily active
in his community.  They have further
brought on Edgar Ayvazyan, Vahram’s cousin, who is involved in marketing and
economics, Samira Oulaillah a French-Moroccan journalist who works in
I-Fourth’s communication sector, Eduardo Amaya Vergara, who works on the
engineering components, and Tashina Picard, an American biologist who is
director of research.  All together
I-Fourth’s team is multidisciplinary and global minded, demonstrating
I-Fourth’s motto “think globally, act locally.”

I-Fourth’s new device, the HyperGenerator, is the first of
its kind to offer the generation of drinking water and clean energy, air
purification, and the collection of invaluable ecological data all in one
device.  The invention has the potential
to radically improve the lives of people all across the globe through its
four-fold function: 1) to generate clean water (500-700 liters per day,
depending on air humidity) as nearly two-thirds of the population experiences
water shortages and every 90 seconds a child dies of a water related illness as
a lack of access to clean water; 2) to generate clean air to fight the problem
of pollution, which is the fourth largest threat to human health globally; 3)
to create clean energy so the nearly 17% of the global population that lacks
it, particularly in the developing world, may have access to it; and 4) to collect
invaluable environmental data, which can inform us of ecological and health
conditions in addition to providing advanced warning of tsunamis and
earthquakes.

I-Fourth’s name represents, in Spanish, the four “I”s, that
is: Innovation (Innovación), Research (Investigación), Integration
(Integración) and Investment (Inversión). 
I-Fourth is committed to solving global problems by bringing the latest
scientific developments to everyone, including those who typically are unable
to access such developments.  The
generator will develop smarter cities and communities as well as improve the
lives of those in remote or underdeveloped rural areas.   I-Fourth, with Vahram Ayvazyan’s keen
leadership and the passion of the team, has the potential to make radical changes
in the world and pioneer new developments in technology, impacting the world
for the better.  *****************************************************************************************************

9 –    Armenians Wait
for Cornea Transplants in Armenia

NEWPORT BEACH, CA -A little over one year ago, the medical community in Armenia began
to see a major increase in corneal disease and the number of Armenians
requiring transplants to regain their eyesight.

Sadly, the majority of these Armenians — more than 100 on
the waiting list for corneal transplants — were blind or their sight was
severely impaired because they could not afford the cost of the transplant
surgery — $800. 

By American standards, $800 is a small sum to regain your
sight, but accessibility — financially and geographically — of eye care in Armenia is
extremely limited and disproportionately affects the poor and those living in
remote regions.

Just four towns outside of Yerevan provide secondary and advanced eye
care. Most surgeries are available only in the capital. There are more than 300
ophthalmologists in Armenia,
yet only one-third of them practice throughout the regions. This is just the
opposite of the population distribution in Armenia
where one-third of the three million people live in Yerevan and two thirds live in the outlying
regions. As well, only a few ophthalmologists in Armenia are surgically trained and
none perform corneal transplants. This means patients must travel to Yerevan for the
procedure.

To compound the situation only 30 percent of those who
require corneal transplants are eligible for government assistance when a
cornea becomes available. Because these people are unable to afford the cost of
the transplant or the travel expenses to Armenia’s capital city, they
receive no care and remain blind or severely sight-impaired.

The Armenian EyeCare Project is not permitted by the
government to provide surgery for those who do not fall within the government’s
poverty guidelines and as a consequence many are left blind. “We have almost
everything needed to provide patients with maximum care,” said Dr. Anna
Hovakimyan, who performs the cornea transplants at the Corneal Uveitis Clinic
in the Malayan Ophthalmological
Center in Yerevan. “We have the knowledge and all the
capabilities to help these people.” Yet, while the desire and the ability to
help these Armenians are there, patients need donors to sponsor their
surgeries.

This is why the Armenian EyeCare Project has established a
Corneal Transplant Program, asking donors to sponsor transplants for those who
are on the waiting list in Armenia — a cost of $800 for one procedure.

The organization has been fortunate to partner with two
tissue banks — SightLife and the Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration — the latter
thanks to Paul Kayaian, an AECP donor who is on the board of directors at the
Eye-Bank. The tissue banks have generously agreed to donate corneas on an
ongoing basis, which ensures that a lack of corneas will never be the cause of
blindness for those in need of a transplant in Armenia.

Since the EyeCare Project began its Cornea Transplant
Program in 2016, over 70 patients in Armenia have received corneal
transplants thanks to our donors. Nargiz Keleshyan, 25, had two small children
at home while she waited for her transplant. “I have to solve my vision problem
as soon as possible because my family needs my support and care,” said Nargiz
before her surgery.

The young mother needed a cornea transplant but could not
afford one. Fortunately, she received an early Christmas present and a donor
sponsored her transplant last December. “I feel a huge difference. My vision is
back!” Nargiz says excitedly. “I can’t thank my donor enough for her good will
and generosity.”

Though there are happy endings for over 70 Armenians
receiving transplants many are still on the waiting list for their opportunity
for restored vision and a better life.  

“My biggest fear is to become blind,” says Armine
Grigoryan, 37, holding back tears. The young woman from Hrazdan has had vision
problems for most of her adult life and has lost nearly all sight in her left
eye. She tries to stay positive, using her right eye to perform tasks at work,
but recently her right eye has become blurred as well.

Recently, during a consultation with Dr. Hovakimyan, Armine
received devastating news. If she did not receive a cornea transplant soon she
would go blind. “Dr. Hovakimyan recommended a corneal transplant, a
procedure I cannot afford. However, she told me about the EyeCare Project
program,” said Armine. “To say that I was happy to learn about this
organization is an understatement. I was so excited to know that kind people
would help me restore my vision. I really hope that with the Project’s assistance
I will be able to prevent my blindness and continue to live a life full of
color.”

Armine continues to wait for a sponsor so she can receive
the cornea transplant surgery she so badly needs. If you would like to sponsor
a cornea transplant for Armine or other Armenians on the waiting list, mail a
check to the EyeCare Project at P.O.
Box 5630, Newport Beach, CA 92662;
call the offices at 949-933-4069; or visit
www.eyecareproject.com/product/corneal-transplant-surgery.

The EyeCare Project will send you information on the patient
in Armenia
you have sponsored once their cornea transplant is complete. And for stories of
patients who have already received corneal transplants in Armenia, you
can visit the EyeCare Project’s website at www.eyecareproject.com.

Restoring these people’s sight not only changes their lives,
but also the lives of their families, friends and loved ones as they become
more independent and start contributing to their communities. You can be the
reason someone in Armenia
receives the gift of sight and has the tools they need to lead a productive
life.

***************************************************************************************************

10-       ‘Icon Hunter’ Fights Against Christian Art
Smuggling

            By Florence Avakian

ZOHRAB INFORMATION CENTER, NY—–A nation’s cultural cleansing is a destruction of
its history, a “Rape of its Culture”, stated Tasoula Hadjitofi, on  February 2, to an overflow crowd at the Zohrab Information
Center of the Armenian Diocese, in New York.     

The Greek Cypriot refugee who was born in Famagusta, Cyprus,
now under more than four decades of military occupation by Turkish forces,
related her spine-tingling story of orchestrating one of the most riveting
European art trafficking stings since World War II.     She has meticulously detailed her
engrossing forty-year detective work in her newly released book, The Icon
Hunter.

The art sleuth was introduced by Zohrab Center Executive
Director, the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan who called her book “a memoir of
entry into the international art trafficking of icon antiquities from the
monuments and monasteries of Cyprus,
belonging especially to the Orthodox Christians.” These precious relics, many
which were disfigured and partially destroyed, have now been restored and
returned to Cyprus,
including a priceless 14th century Armenian manuscript gospel.

The author, who has spent the last forty years in this
detective work, used a power point demonstration to illustrate what she called
the “most beautiful island in the Mediterranean — Cyprus.” She emotionally related
how she at the age of 14, and her family were forced to flee in 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied 40 percent of the
island, including her “beloved” home city of Famagusta.

“I woke up to the sound of planes roaring, and bombs
exploding,” she related. “Many of my classmates were raped and killed. During
the invasion, my mother was kneeling and praying for three days.    I saw war through the eyes of a child.
Where was the United Nations.     Where
were the British and the Greeks who had once occupied the island. Where were
the American cowboys.”

She went to England,
working to pay for her studies, and eventually       became a successful entrepreneur, and
started a family. Her life’s work of becoming the “art Sherlock” was just
beginning. During the Turkish occupation of Cyprus, hundreds of churches were
desecrated and destroyed, and thousands of religious icons were stolen, sold or
destroyed. Greek place names were changed.

“In every war, there is the pillaging of history of a
country or region.      Greed, power and
money dominate. It has been so from the earliest times of mankind and it
continues today,” she said. “There is no greater loss than one’s culture,” she
stated with emphasis. “Every penny that I have earned is to be used to chase,
find and retrieve the icons around the world.”

 During her intensive
work, she worked closely with Archbishop Chrysostomos I of the Orthodox Church
of Cyprus, as well as Dutch art dealers, Canadian sellers, and German
detectives and police, at times forced to play “cat and mouse”. She was
targeted by art traffickers.  Fearing for
herself and her family’s life, she finally had to pay for private security. 

The four decades long journey finally all culminated in the
dramatic and climactic arrest of Turkish art trafficker Aydin Dikmen by the
well- known Interpol group in the famous “Munich Case”. Sixty million dollars
of stolen icons and other treasures from Cyprus, and from around the world
were recovered.

During a Q&A session, she detailed more of the history
of Cyprus, and emotionally
spoke of her return trip  to Cyprus. “I used
my cultural heritage as my right to go home. I walked into the crystal clear
sea to see my city, now destroyed and empty, even though Turkish soldiers were
pointing guns at me. I shed all my 40 years into that water.”

Hadjitofi and her assistant Dr. Marina Mkhitarian have
established the “Walk of Truth” non-governmental organization, in efforts to
continue the work of tracking down and preventing the art smugglers, war
profiteers and terrorists who today are continuing to steal countless
cultural  from artifacts from vulnerable
war-torn countries, including Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and several African
nations.

“The Walk of Truth gives me a platform to continue the idea
that culture can be what connects us, not what divides us. The cultural history
of the world belongs to each of us which is why we must all contribute to
protect it,” she declared with emphasis.

At the reception following her presentation, attendees lined
up to have the author sign her book. All proceeds from the sale of “The Icon
Hunter” will benefit the Walk of Truth NGO which raises awareness and rallies
governments, political figures, museums, and cultural organizations in stopping
art trafficking and protecting cultural heritage in war torn countries and
areas of conflict.

*********************************************************************************************

11-       Daughters of
Vartan San Diego
Co-Sponsors

            Dr. Taner
Akçam’s Lecture on His New Book

SAN DIEGO –  On
January 19h, Daughters of Vartan Talar Chapter of San Diego, Calif.,
co-sponsored the visit of Dr. Taner Akçam, who spoke on “the Smoking Gun of the
Armenian Genocide” at the San Diego Central Library under One Book One San
Diego events.  This was the final event
of the series of the City of San Diego
Library events in honor of Chris Bohjalian’s
award-winning novel, The Sandcastle Girls.

More than 100 members of the Armenian and non-Armenian
community of San Diego
were present at the event to hear  Dr.
Akçam’s first public lecture on this topic. He is one of the first Turkish
scholars to publicly express his conviction that the 1915 Armenian genocide
occurred under the Ottoman Empire.

The event was coordinated by Daughters of Vartan Grand
District Representative Sonia Serpekian. 
Past Grand Matron Lisa Kradjian introduced Dr. Akçam.  The evening included a musical and vocal
performance by Sona Baghdasaryan, a graduate of the Komitas Conservatory in Yerevan.  “The Daughters of Vartan are so honored to
have a scholar of Dr. Akçam’s caliber travel to San Diego, California
to share the story of how he found ‘the smoking gun’ of the Armenian Genocide,”
said Serpekian.  “His tenacity to find
the truth and his mission to share the information with the world is
inspiring.  Generations to come will
benefit from all of his hard work to catalog the many documents he uncovered
written by the leaders of the Ottoman Turkish Empire,” she added.

Turkey
has always denied strategizing and implementing a campaign of terror that is
known as the Armenian Genocide of 1915. There were numerous cases when
historians have acknowledged the genocide but have lacked solid evidence to
prove the extent of the Ottoman Government’s involvement.  After working on this topic for decades, Dr.
Akçam presented his findings in a ground-breaking new book that details
evidence which is being described as “the smoking gun” of the genocide and
demonstrates the Ottoman government’s awareness of, and involvement in the
elimination of the Armenian population over 100 years ago.

Dr. Akcam presents the reproductions of authentic killing
orders signed by Ottoman Interior Minister Talat Pasha and the memoirs of the
Ottoman bureaucrat Naim Efendi, and the role they played in these events. 

Dr. Akçam, who was labeled “the Sherlock Holmes of Armenian
Genocide,” in a New York Times article in April 2017, made this landmark
discovery that removes a cornerstone from the denialist edifice, and further
establishes the historicity of the Armenian Genocide.  “Successive Turkish governments have gone to
great lengths to ensure that evidence of the intent to extinguish the Armenian
people could not be located,” said Akçam. “This finding is ‘an earthquake in the
field of genocide studies.’ Now that these documents have been found, the
Armenian Genocide cannot be refuted.”

Dr. Akçam is a Turkish scholar of the Armenian Genocide and
Professor of History at Clark University in Worcester,
Massachusetts.  He holds the Kaloosdian and Mugar Chair in
Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark’s Strassler
Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies.

An internationally recognized human rights activist, Akçam
is one of the first Turkish intellectuals to acknowledge and openly discuss the
Armenian Genocide.

Akçam has lectured and published extensively, with numerous
books and articles in English, French, German and Turkish.

His book, “The Young Turks’ Crime Against Humanity: The
Armenian Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in the Ottoman Empire” (2012), was
co-winner of the Middle East Studies Association’s Albert Hourani Book Award
and one of ForeignAffairs.com’s “Best Books on the Middle East.”  

In 2012, at the Knights and Daughters of Vartan Grand
Convocation, Dr. Akçam was named the Knights and Daughters of Vartan Man of the
Year.  Among his growing number of
honors, Akçam received the Hrant Dink Spirit of Freedom and Justice Medal from
the Organization of Istanbul Armenians and the Hrant Dink Freedom Award from
the Armenian Bar Association (both in 2015) and was recognized as a Friend of
the Armenians..

He will be presented with the 2018 Outstanding Upstander
Award from the World without Genocide organization in May.

The Daughters of Vartan is an Armenian Sisterhood associated
with the Knights of Vartan. It was organized in 1933 in Philadelphia.

The Daughters of Vartan is an organization of women whose
members are committed to the intellectual, personal and leadership development
of Armenian women and families around the world, while also promoting Armenian
heritage and Christian values through its 19 chapters across the US.