Author: Andres-Papazian

SPARKS FLY IN GCC ELECTRONICS CLASS
By Megan O’Neil, [email protected]

Glendale News Press
,0,3660647.story
Nov 2 2010
CA

Students prepare for careers as engineers, electrical contractors.

It’s Thursday night in the Glendale Community College electronics
lab, and professor Patrick Shahnazarian is trying to get his students
current on their currents.

He has tasked them with designing a circuit with specific voltage
levels in different branches, achieved by adding resistors of varying
strengths at different junctures in the circuit.

“I like electricity because it [requires] a little bit of logic,
and I like challenging myself,” said 21-year-old student Beno Manokian.

The course, Principles of Electricity and Electronics, is the first
step for Glendale Community College students interested in careers
in contracting, electrical engineering and physics.

“We start to understand the concept of electricity, and then we move
forward with electronics,” Shahnazarian said. “And we provide a base
for them to advance in the engineering or electrical engineering field,
or to go on to technical fields.”

There is no math requirement, and students start from scratch. But
within a matter of weeks, they have memorized necessary theorems,
such as Thevenin’s Theorem and Norton’s Theorem, critical to solving
many of the problems related to linear electrical networks.

Some students are seasoned professionals trying to learn a new skill.

Sarkis Anderyazian, 47, worked as an electrician in Armenia before
moving to the United States two years ago. He said he was focused on
relearning all the technical language in English.

Abe Barakat, 60, said he enrolled for “self knowledge.”

“I started out as an electrical engineer in college, and then I became
an accountant,” Barakat said. “I decided to go back and pick up some
of this stuff. I am a continuing student. I am always taking a class.”

Other students are recent high school graduates with an eye on degrees
in engineering.

“I am an ambitious engineering student who believes that
interdisciplinary study is necessary to be innovative. You have to
learn all forms of engineering,” said Samuel Sampson, 18. “You have
to know programming; you have to know electronics; you have to know
mechanics. You have to know all of it because it all interacts.”

Shahnazarian, a physicist and a quality control manager at a machine
shop, said studying electricity and electronics overlaps with other
disciplines. If students are weak in math, they are sent to the math
department to build up their skills, Shahnazarian said.

And if a physics student needs more hands-on experience, they are
sent to the electronics department.

“We try to work closely with all the departments: physics, architecture
and math departments,” Shahnazarian said.

In a first-world country, most experience with electricity is limited
to flipping a light switch, Shahnazarian said. But in his class,
students get to explore how electricity, and electrically powered
devices, work.

Recently, students were enthralled with a lesson about the basic
principles of DC and AC motors, Shahnazarian said.

For some students, one of the more fascinating aspects of the class
was magnetism, or the ability for the currents to interact without
ever touching.

From: A. Papazian

WESGG TALKS TO BENITA
By Duncan ‘Thorin’ Shields

SK Gaming

Nov 2 2010

SK Gaming female’s Benita talked to WESgg about her experiences in SK,
winning events and how she became a CS player.

Ukrainian website WESgg.com has interviewed SK Gaming female player
Benita ‘bENITA’ Novshadian and kindly provided the English language
version of it for publication on SK Gaming.

You’re playing for SK for two years. What were the most things to
remember during this period?

My favorite memory of being a part of the SK organization was seeing
my flight information. I love to travel and on top of just traveling
alone, I would travel to achieve what I was most passionate about.

Without the SK organization, I would have never had the opportunity
to achieve my dream.

What do you think, why in the female teams changes in the line-up
are less common than in male?

There are simply not enough female players. As soon as a female team
comes up with their five players, they need to learn to set aside
their differences and play the game as a team.

What are the main differences between male and female CS? Is it real
to unite both?

I honestly don’t see a “main difference” between male and female
CS. I do not see an advantage that a male has that a female does
not have. Counter-Strike is a video game that both men and women
can equally succeed at. As a whole, the male CS has more competition,
more prizes, and more tournaments. Although the male tournaments do
not restrict females, there simply isn’t a team with five females
who are successful enough to compete in those tournaments. At home,
I always attend local tournaments with males and it is a lot of fun. I
definitely feel a different vibe when it comes to playing with males.

Which male team you sympathize the most? Would you like to play in
same team with those guys?

I don’t quite feel any sort of sympathy for any team but I definitely
don’t mind playing with guys! 🙂

How do guys react to the fact that you’re a professional player in
Counter-Strike?

My brother is definitely my #1 fan. He always loves to brag about
me with his friends just because of the reactions. Majority of the
guys find it hard to believe. When I am telling somebody that is
clueless about the competition in eSports, they think it is literlly
the coolest thing ever. When I tell somebody that used to play CS,
they are in awe that I am still playing this game. Regardless, the guys
are always really interested to hear the stories that I have to share.

Do you have Armenian roots?

Haha yes. I am half armenian and half persian. I understand more than
I speak armenian.

There is a rumor that you’re used to playing with cheats. Is it true?

..what?! No.

Each team sometimes have conflicts. On what ground conflicts arise
in female teams.

I guess from my past experience I can say that most conflicts arise
due to mistakes that are being made ingame. When disagreement comes
upon the girls, all hell breaks loose! Haha no just kidding! But that
is definitely where tension builds up the most.

Who is the best female player in your opinion now?

I will never forget Arbalet Female Cup in Kiev, Ukraine grand finals
vs Fnatic girls. I think it was double or triple overtime where zAAz
was hitting the most insane headshots on me on de_nuke. I don’t know
if that answers the question but umm… I don’t really have an exact
answer 🙂

You are the ESWC winner. Tell us about your impressions after winning
the title.

It was so unreal to me. I met ali, the leader of SK Ladies, when I was
11-12 years old and was told that I wasn’t old enough to compete. I
joined SK when I was 15 years old hoping to gain a lot of experience
for upcoming tournaments. I was practically put on “hold” until I
was old enough to play at the ESWC tournament. When I turned 16, I
was beyond excited to attend the tournament. In 2009, ESWC announced
bankrupcy and I was beyond devastated. Keeping my hopes up, I still
came online and played a lot. Finally in 2010, my dream came true. I
went to Paris, I played on stage, and I am now an ESWC Champion.

Playing over 105+ hours of CS prior to the tournament was worth it.

This spring SK visited Kiev. Tell us about your impressions of Arbalet
Cup Female.

Best damn tournament I’ve ever been to in my life! The computers,
monitors, and staff was excellent. The lan center was SO amazing. The
bathroom was the hut on de_nuke! How freaking awesome is that?!

Arbalet Cup was my first female international appearance so I feel
like I was underestimated by the other girls. It was definitely the
best performance I’ve ever had on lan.

Was it easy to take it?

Prior to the actual tournament date, there was a volcano explosion
that STRONGLY affected my team. Jso was stuck in Germany for about a
week. We didn’t even know if we were going to be able to go to the new
dates of the tournament that was announced. If I remember correctly,
my team and I didn’t even play CS at all until we arrived in Kiev.

What do you think about Ukraine? Was it your first visit? How did
you spend your lifetime there?

It was my first time in Ukraine and it was okay. I was either at the
lan center or in the hotel. I don’t really remember even having an
appetite. I didn’t eat anything special and my only focus was just
to take the cash prize home.

What other championships do you remember the most and why?

My only “major” championships have been Arbalet Cup 2010 and ESWC
2010. Winning local tournaments in California has been fun times as
well 🙂

What is the most beautiful city you have visited thanks progaming?

Paris and Chicago.

How is female e-sports in the USA?

Almost completely dead.

Which teams do you practice? Did you beat top men’s teams?

Around tournament times, our practices are really really intense. At
home, we played strictly teams that are in ESEA-Main or Invite. At
Gamegune Mexico, we got 12 rounds on EG and almost had an amazing
comeback. Top teams in the USA was the best practice for us. Most
even enjoyed playing us because we tried harder than teams that were
actually in their current league.

Famous American player Evolution in one interview said that people
are afraid to look like “nerds” in USA. Do you agree with him?

Firstly, I would just like to say evolution is awesome. Hi Scott!! 🙂
I guess I somewhat agree with his quote but in my case, I am not
afraid at all! As nerdy as this sounds, the close friends that I’ve
made through this game, the community, and the game itself has shaped
me into the person that I am today. My friends and family enjoy the
fact that I am a complete video game geek. As for others, I can see
where people can be afraid to look like “nerds” but it really isn’t
that much of a big deal!

You started playing CS in a fairly early age. How did this happen
at first?

I was introduced to CS at the age of 9. I didn’t have a computer at
the time and my brother would never let me use his computer. While
he was at school, I would sneak onto his computer and play in public
servers. When he would get home, I would make it seem like I never
touched the computer and then I would always intentionally hang out
in his room. I would sit on his bed and play Nintendo64 and watch
him play CS at the same time. Finally I got my own computer when I
was about 10 years old.

Who was pushed you to play? What was your first team?

Nobody really encouraged me to play at the time. I just instantly fell
in love with the game and had formed a habit to play everyday. My
very first team was with Jordan ‘n0thing’ Gilbert. He was like 12
years old and he would always make fun of me 🙁

Why did you choice the destiny of the cyber-sportsman? What attracts
you to it?

The competition attracts me the most. I didn’t start playing this game
knowing I was going to become a professional player. I just played
because it was fun and overtime, my passion for it grew. I started to
become really competitive and very determined. I was hungry for the
wins. I studied and played the game a lot. Now that I am older, the
community is great and it has so much to offer. I’ve met such amazing
people and I’ve had opportunities that not many people could ever have.

What do you study?

I am currently in 12th grade and finishing up on college applications.

How parents react to the hobby of own daughter?

Ever since day one, my parents have been completely supportive of me.

They didn’t think it was anything serious though until the very first
time I traveled. At the age of 15, 5 years after playing this game
as an everyday hobby, my mom and dad accepted it in a serious matter.

What was the reaction of them when you brought home the first money
earned by playing CS?

The first time I brought home A LOT of money from CS, I got very lucky
because tournaments rarely pay out in cash. Arbalet instantly gave
us the prize money in U.S. Dollars after the closing ceremony. My
brother was beyond proud of me. It was super awesome. My parents
were simply just glad that after all these years and time spent,
something good has come out of it.

What would you advise to young girls who have interests in cs?

When I started playing in 2002, the game was at its full potential.

The community, the competition, and the prizes involved was fully
alive. I would not recommend anybody to start playing CS now in 2010.

I would say that it’s a waste of time.

Can you remember the funniest story related to your esports career?

I can’t exactly pinpoint a funny story but I remember back when I
was about 13 years old, none of my school friends believed that I
played CS. The boys at my school underestimated me really really bad
so I started to play them 1v1 for 5 dollars. I would beat them so
hard that the next day at school they would hand me money without
saying anything.

Have you some hobbies besides CS?

I don’t have much hobbies besides CS. I love to play other games like
Guitar Hero, HoN, LoL, and other random PS3/Xbox 360 games. I also
love to listen to music, read, and travel.

Thank you very much for your answers! Can you tell something to our
readers, please?

Gaming has made such a big impact on my life and if I could go back,
I wouldn’t change one thing. Just wanted to say thank you to my brother
for supporting every decision I have made and for being my #1 fan!

From: A. Papazian

‘NOTHING CAN NEGATIVELY AFFECT TURKISH-AZERBAIJANI BROTHERHOOD’

news.az
Nov 2 2010
Azerbaijan

“Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, as far as I can see, are bound to
continue, grow and intensify in new global, political, economic and
cultural order.

There will be a continuation of solidarity with respect to primary
foreign policy objectives,” stated H.E. Unal Cevikoz, Ambassador of
Turkey to the UK. The comments were made during a meeting entitled
Azerbaijan and Turkey: Redefining the Parameters of the Relationship on
25 October in the Burton Room of the Institute of Directors, London,
during an event organised by The European Azerbaijan Society.

The Society says that speaking before a capacity audience of 80
delegates from business, international diplomacy, NGOs and friends
of Azerbaijan, Ambassador Cevikoz spoke about the existing bilateral
relations.

Confining himself to charting the relationship from the early 20th
Century, he explained how the Caucasus Islamic Army, commanded by
Nuri Pasha, fought to liberate the city in 1918. This led to the
establishment of the first democratic, independent Azerbaijani
republic.

The Ambassador then described the linguistic, religious and cultural
links between the two countries, recalling that Heydar Aliyev, former
Azerbaijani President, considered the relationship to be represented
by the phrase: “single nation, two states.”

Ambassador Cevikoz referred to the post-independence relationship
as having three phases – an emotional period, reuniting two Turkic
nations (1991-93); a decade when strategic partnerships were developed
(1993-2003); and the maturity era (since 2003).

With regard to the ‘strategic decade’, the Ambassador explained
that the understanding between President Heydar Aliyev and the
former Turkish President Suleyman Demirel was “a relationship
between equals.” He also commented that: “Turkey has also been an
ardent supporter of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, defending
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution in accordance with these norms.”

Ambassador Cevikoz concluded with a consideration of relations
since 2003, explaining that the 9/11 terrorist attacks have forced
the Caucasus off the news agenda, and hence the Nagorno-Karabakh
situation had been allowed to stagnate. However, Azerbaijan is now
viewed as playing an essential geopolitical role regarding the Afghan
struggle, with the US elevating it to a position on the world stage. He
also explained that Azerbaijani-Turkish trade volume, including the
operations of the BTC pipeline, had increased from $250m to $1bn
during 2001-09.

His Excellency stressed that the Turkish-Armenian protocols,
signed last year, had no lasting impact on the two Turkic nations’
relationship, commenting: “I will simply underline that, nothing
can negatively affect the Turkish-Azerbaijani brotherhood and
understanding.” He went on to illustrate this fact by citing the
Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Mutual Assistance, signed
between President Aliyev and Turkish President Gul in August;
energy agreements ratified by the Turkish BOTAS and Azerbaijani SOCAR
companies; and the recent strategic agreement signed during the Summit
of Turkic-speaking Countries.

This thought-provoking presentation led to a lively question-and-answer
session, with questions being posed by Dennis Sammut, LINKS; Craig
Oliphant, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Harold Formstone, former
UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan; and Lord Kilclooney, amongst others.

From: A. Papazian

CONFLICT NEVER TO BE SETTLED IF ENTRUSTED TO SUPERPOWERS

news.az
Nov 2 2010
Azerbaijan

Joshua Walker News.Az interviews Dr. Joshua Walker, Assistant Professor
at the University of Richmond. What do you think about the place
of the South Caucasus in the geopolitics in the post-Soviet and
Caspian regions?

As for the South Caucasus, I find it difficult to speak about it as
about one region, considering the split between the countries here
and numerous problems. The South Caucasus was viewed as an arena of
the geopolitical fighting of leading superpowers not at random.

What can you say about Azerbaijan’s role in this region?

I view Azerbaijan as a complete regional leader. There is a sufficient
potential for this. I, as a specialist on Turkey, consider Azerbaijan
to be an important factor for implementation of the new role of
Turkish policy in the region.

In addition, the energy component, the implementation of such
large-scale projects as BTC and BTE are making Azerbaijan an
independent player in the region. Certainly, the republic is not a
superpower, but it has a sufficient potential to play its game along
with superpowers.

What do you think about the current state of affairs in the resolution
of the Karabakh conflict?

If the conflict settlement is entrusted only to superpowers-the United
States and Russia-it will never be settled. But I see Azerbaijan’s
determination to settle this problem. Like they say in my country,
“When there is a will, there is a way”.

Do you think the conflict will be settled soon?

I do not expect the conflict settlement in the next few months, but if
we speak of the long-term period, I am sure that the conflict will be
solved. The current situation should not be preserved, the dynamics
of regional development does not leave chances for preservation of
status quo and this must force superpowers to act.

What can you, as the specialist in Turkish policy, say about the
effectiveness of the Baku-Ankara format in the resolution of regional
problems, be it the opening of borders with Armenia or the Karabakh
conflict?

I believe the Azerbaijani-Turkish strategic alliance has a great
potential. Unfortunately, we have not seen any achievements in the
resolution of these problems in the past year, but the current level
of understanding of mutual problems between Baku and Ankara allows
viewing the future with optimism.

I think the key issue is the opening of border with Armenia, since in
case of opening the border Armenia will become dependent on Turkey.

But this has not occurred and the sides continue focusing on issues
of history.

Dr. Joshua Walker, Assistant Professor at the University of Richmond,
postdoctoral fellow at the Crown Center for Middle Eastern Studies at
Brandeis University and a fellow at the German Marshall Fund based in
Washington, Founding editor of Yale Journal for International Affairs.

From: A. Papazian

TUF 12: SAKO CHIVITCHIAN ON MANNY GAMBURYAN’S ADVICE, DANE SAYERS AND WILD CARD
By Elliot Olshansky

Bleacher Report

Nov 2 2010

Last week on the Ultimate Fighter, Team Koscheck enjoyed a “psychotic
episode.”

In the last preliminary fight, “The Armenian Psycho,” Sako Chivitchian,
gave Team Koscheck its second win of the prelim round, defeating
Team GSP’s Dane “Red Horse” Sayers by unanimous decision after two
rounds. Coming from the same Hayabustan Studio that produced TUF 5
finalist Manvel “The Anvil” Gamburyan, Chivitchian struggled with
the surprising Sayers but showed effective ground-and-pound in his
win over Team GSP’s last pick.

Late last week, Chivitchian spoke with UltimateFighter.com and
Bleacher Report.

Just for starters, we don’t see many judoka in the UFC, relative to
the wrestlers, jiu-jitsu practitioners and kickboxers. Why do you
think that is?

Judo is a very good base to have in MMA, but because it is a stand-up
gi sport, I believe wrestlers have a little bit more advantage because
you fight without a gi, and you wrestle without a gi. Not every judo
fighter can adapt or transfer their judo game to an MMA fight. There’s
Olympic judo champions and world judo champions that come to MMA and
can’t even use any of their judo. But then, you have guys like Karo
Parisyan and myself, we come from the same camp.

We have a system where we’ve been doing judo and sambo and grappling
all mixed together, so we can transfer our judo game much better
into an MMA fight and make it work. Also, a lot of the judo fighters
that go to MMA are from Japan, because in the United States, judo
is not the most popular sport. Wrestling is much more popular than
judo. You don’t have high school judo or college judo. Judo is more of
a private sport. You’ve got to go to a club and join a club team and
be part of it. That’s why there’s not so much judo in the UFC. But,
if you watch a DREAM fight, you see a lot more Japanese judo guys,
because that’s where it’s most popular.

You mention the camp that you come from and Karo Parisyan. Manny
Gamburyan’s also in your camp, right?

Yeah, Karo Parisyan, Manny Gamburyan, myself and Sevak Magakian,
we’re all from the same camp, under Gokor Chivitchian, who’s actually
my uncle. He comes from world-class judo, world-class sambo and
submission wrestling and everything. He’s the one who trained all of
us since we were seven or eight-years-old.

So, when you were getting ready to be on the show, having someone in
your camp who’d already been through it, as Manny had, did he give
you a good idea of what to expect in the time you were spending out
in Vegas?

I’ve been close with Manny almost 20 years, childhood buddies, we
grew up together. When he went on The Ultimate Fighter, and he came
back and told me the whole experience that he went through, I knew it
was going to be tough. He told me how tough it was mentally, being in
that house and being isolated from the real world, no contact. But as
much as I knew, and as much as I tried to prepare myself when I went,
you’re not going to be able to know exactly how it is.

I remember him telling me I would think about it and think, “Whatever.

I’m going to be strong. I’m going to get through it.” But it was a
mental battle. It was one of the toughest things I did, but it was
one of the best experiences at the same time. That was one of the
things Manny told me: “It’s going to be one of the toughest things
that you will ever do in your life, but it’s going to be one of the
best experiences.” That was exactly right.

You mention being cut off from the outside world, but the one thing
that you had that not too many guys who have gone on the show have
had, was as close a friend as you have in Sevak. Did you get a sense
of how much of a difference that made?

Oh, yeah. I think that we were blessed for having the opportunity to
be in this together. I did appreciate every moment of having him there
and try to use that as some sort of advantage. Being away from your
friends and family, I’m a very family-oriented person, so just having
him next to me gave me the sense of having somebody from home. I felt
like I was at home. Seeing him every day kind of reminded me of home
and my family and friends, kept me mentally sane and gave me a little
bit of motivation and confidence, which I truly appreciated.

Now, in the fight right before yours, Sevak lost to Jonathan Brookins.

Because you two were both representing the same camp, did Sevak losing
his fight put any more pressure on you to win your fight?

It definitely put a lot of pressure on me. I was pretty pissed,
pretty sad that he lost. I would have loved that we both won that
round going into the quarterfinals, but since he lost, I felt like,
“You know what? I have a little bit more to prove than just fighting
for myself. I can’t let my camp down. I can’t let Team Koscheck
down. I felt a lot more pressure, especially being the last fight
and us being down five to one in the preliminary round.

Koscheck told me we couldn’t have only one guy going into the
quarterfinals, but I’m the type of person who tries to stay mentally
focused. I’ve been through a lot of competition in judo, world class
competition since I was a kid and I perform well under pressure. I
think it brings the best out of me, so that’s what happened in that
fight, and why I was able to pull off a win.

Now, the fight itself, one of the things I noticed is that Dane was
actually trying a lot of the different trips and things like that. It
looks like he spent some of the time trying to beat you at your own
game. How much of a surprise was that?

It was a huge surprise. I will admit that I went into the fight
a bit underestimating Red Horse, Dane Sayers’ wrestling game and
his strength. I was under the perception that I was going to have
easier takedowns on him. A lot of people don’t know this, but Dane
Sayers used to be a light heavyweight. I don’t usually underestimate
fighters, but I did underestimate his wrestling game a little bit,
and he did surprise me when he was trying to do trips on me, but thank
God he didn’t score the takedown, and I was able to get takedowns on
him. He was much tougher than I expected, and he has a lot of heart,
but at the same time, I have a lot of heart, and I wanted that more,
and that’s why I made sure I got a unanimous decision.

The other thing I was wondering about was the early part of the fight,
where Dane got the guillotine choke on you. One of the things that
I’ve seen people talking about is changing the way that MMA is judged,
and one of the things that they suggest is that if you can get a
choke on somebody but you don’t submit him, it should be looked at
the same way as if you knock the guy down but don’t get the knockout
or TKO. Do you think they should do that when they’re judging fights?

You know, when it comes to the judging part, I’m a fighter. I’m the
type of fighter, when I go in to fight, my main goal is to finish
the fight, but if that’s the case where they would consider that and
count that, then obviously, I think some guys’ game plans would be a
bit different, and they’d be more cautious about how they shoot for
the takedowns and stuff like that.

I knew when Dane went for my neck that I have a pretty good guillotine
defense, so when he went for it, I already had my hand in there and I
had his wrist. I felt pretty safe, and I felt him going on his back,
so I took that time for him to go on his back so I can be in his guard
when I get my neck out and have top position to score some points
on the ground and pound. He did have my head, but he didn’t have my
throat. But like you say, that’s something that they might change in
the future. If they did, I would have to add that into my game plan.

Now the last thing is, I know there’s been a lot of talk in the
reaction to the show since it aired, there’s been a lot of people
talking about the wild card, whether it should have been Dane or
whether it should have been Marc Stevens or whoever else. Between
fighting Dane and being in practice with all the other guys who were
up for the wild card, you’re the only one who has some experience with
all of the guys who were up for the wild card. If Dana had come to you
and said, “You’ve sparred with these five guys and you fought Dane,
so who are the two best,” what would you have told him?

No. 1, I thought the guy who truly deserved to be in the wild card
position-and a lot of the guys agreed on both the yellow and red
team-was Aaron Wilkinson. Aaron Wilkinson was a big underdog. He
fought the No. 1 pick of GSP’s team, and a lot of people think that
it was a very close two rounds, and the judges could have gave him
the first two rounds. We all agreed that he deserved that one spot.

After that, it was Stevens and Dane, and after my fight, they said that
Dane’s nose was probably fractured or broken. They don’t talk about
that on the show, but that’s one thing I remember GSP and Koscheck
saying. So, between Sevak, Marc Stevens and Andy Main and Jeff, I
thought Sevak was the most talented, and I wanted him to get the pick,
but Sevak-this is another thing they didn’t mention-had hurt his ribs
before the Jonathan Brookins fight during practice with Nam Phan. So
he was out of the picture, and that kind of left Marc Stevens. I guess
he looked best on paper, so I think that’s why Koscheck went with him.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS FOREIGN JOURNALISTS

news.am
Nov 2 2010
Armenia

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian presented main directions
and priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy to foreign journalists.

At the request of European reporters, Nalbandian presented Armenia’s
policy in European course, the recent developments in the Karabakh
peace process, as well as Armenia’s relations with other countries,
RA Foreign Office press service informed NEWS.am. Nalbandian also
referred to Armenia’s approaches to regional issues.

Over 30 representatives of European media outlets attended the meeting.

From: A. Papazian

CAN HOUSING KEEP CHRISTIANS IN MIDDLE EAST?

AOL News

Nov 2 2010
JERUSALEM

Only days after a special Vatican Synod on the Middle East ended a
week of deliberation about the rapidly shrinking Christian communities
in the Arab world and Israel, Christians faced a massacre in Baghdad
and renewed troubles in Jerusalem.

Fifty-eight people including a priest were reported dead Sunday after
Iraqi troops stormed the Catholic Sayidat al-Najat church in Baghdad
where gunmen linked with al-Qaida had taken dozens of hostages and
begun killing them. It was just the latest bout of the anti-Christian
violence that has sparked a massive wave of emigration from the
troubled country in recent years.

In Jerusalem, it remained unclear what caused a blaze early Friday
morning that swept through the Alliance Church on Prophets Street,
next door to the Jewish ultra-orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim.

The use of the church by evangelical and Jewish messianic groups
aroused suspicions that the fire could have been started deliberately,
but Jerusalem police said their initial investigation did not appear
to suggest arson.

Decades of discrimination, poverty and occasional violence have taken
their toll on the Christians of the Middle East. Tens of thousands have
left the region in recent years. Reversing the decline of the rapidly
shrinking Christian communities in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and
the Holy Land were high on the agenda of last week’s Vatican Synod.

While the problem of violence in Iraq and elsewhere seems intractable
for many Christians, in the Holy Land, church officials have hit on
a novel solution: real estate.

Churches in Jerusalem and the West Bank, alarmed by the rapid rate of
Christian emigration and the creeping loss of some church-owned land
to Palestinian gangsters, have initiated a major building program to
provide affordable housing to Christian families.

A 2006 survey carried out by Sabeel, a Christian think-tank in
Jerusalem, showed that the 2005 Christian population of 160,000
in Israel and the West Bank had barely grown since 1945 due to
massive emigration caused by continuous warfare, occupation and
discrimination. More Palestinian Christians now live in Chile than in
the Holy Land, where Christians account for less than 2 percent of the
population. In cities like Bethlehem and Ramallah, which a generation
ago had Christian majorities, they are now outnumbered by Muslims.

“There is a glaring shortage of houses in Jerusalem, at least
at affordable prices,” said Father Ibrahim Faltas, bursar of the
Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. “We really want to help halt
Christian emigration by making these houses available. Having a space
of one’s own and a house of one’s own is an encouragement to put down
roots and stay in this land.”

The Custody owns 500 homes in the Old City of Jerusalem and more
than 200 outside the walls. A recent ceremony handing over the keys
to 68 apartments in 20 three-floor buildings of three- to six-room
apartments near Jerusalem went on until 5 a.m.

“It was a magnificent night,” said the Custos, Pierbattista Pizzaballa,
lamenting only that there was a waiting list of 700 families who had
hoped to receive one of the 68 homes.

The Custody project “Jerusalem: Stones of the Memory” has completed 100
refurbishments since 2007 at a cost of about $2 million. It has another
320 housing units in the pipeline at an estimated cost of about $10
million. Similar projects have been initiated by the Armenian, Lutheran
and Orthodox churches in Jerusalem, Bethany, Bethlehem and Ramallah.

“The real danger is that immigration has become the easy solution for
all problems, a trend followed by the young and in many circumstances
endorsed and encouraged by the older generation,” notes the Arab
Orthodox Charitable Society in Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem. “Beit
Sahour, home to the largest Greek Orthodox community in the Holy Land,
is at stake of losing its strong Christian identity, preserved by
the community against all odds thus far. Bethlehem and Beit Jala
have succumbed long ago to the temptation of immigration and lost
their Christian majority.” The society has its own building project,
“Dwellings for Newly Married Young Couples.”

Monsignor William Shomali, auxiliary bishop at the Latin Patriarchate
of Jerusalem, chairs a monthly gathering of Catholic church and
charitable affiliates to monitor developments in the Catholic
community. Among the projects under construction are 80 apartments
in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Safafa being built
with the legal and technical assistance of the Patriarchate.

“These people came to us and said, ‘We are homeless. We can not own a
house.’ They were young, either newly married or about to get married,
and they had a problem of housing. It is cheaper to build a housing
project than for everyone to build his own house because of the
land and building license. So they put the project under our care,”
Shomali told AOL News.

Christian families traditionally were not landowners in the villages
that have now become suburbs of Jerusalem, Ramallah and other major
cities. That put them at a disadvantage when the population began to
grow and land prices started rising.

Israeli restrictions on granting building permits to Palestinian
residents of East Jerusalem have exacerbated the problem. Church
figures show that while Palestinians make up 35 percent of the city’s
population, they receive only 7 percent of building licenses granted
each year — a policy that the church describes as “demographic
control.”

Sponsored Links “The Christian families used to live in the Old City
where there was not a lot of space to expand,” Shomali said. “They
were satisfied. They were in houses owned by the Franciscans or
the Greek Orthodox Church. So they didn’t think to buy outside the
Old City when land was less valuable than it is today. Fewer people
thought of it. This is the error committed by our community.”

Jack Amer, 27, is hoping to move to his new home in the Beit Safafa
project with his wife of two years and their infant son in 2012,
thanks to a $150,000 mortgage from the Arab Bank. Amer, a native
of Jerusalem who is now chief accountant at the Latin Patriarchate,
told AOL News that it would have been impossible to raise a mortgage
without the backing of the church.

“No banks can give us the loans that will help us because we have no
guarantees,” Amer said. “The church is helping Arab people to stay
in Jerusalem and to let their sons and daughters stay here also.

“The Patriarch and the priests are taking all their time to help
people stay in this place. We need to stay in Jerusalem. It’s like
you are in a war. You have to protect your rights,” he said.

From: A. Papazian

HRANT BAGRATYAN: ROLE OF LARGE TAXPAYERS DECREASES IN ARMENIA’S BUDGET

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 2, 2010 – 13:18 AMT 09:18 GMT

Armenia’s former prime minister Hrant Bagratyan said that judging
from budget indices, Armenia’s economy is getting centralized,
i.e. the market economy and competition are weakening.

“Taxes paid by Armenia’s large taxpayers over the first nine months
of 2010 increased by 17.7% compared to the same period of last year.

Meanwhile, 19.2% growth was recorded in the budgetary revenues during
the reporting period. It means that the role of large taxpayers
is decreasing, while small and medium enterprises pay more taxes,
what runs counter to the policy declared by the Prime Minister,”
Bagratyan told a press conference.

Besides, the former prime minister believes that the increase in
budgetary revenues should not be considered a growth, as the high
inflation exceeds it. Bagratyan reported that 45-60% increase was
recorded in prices for cheese over several days.

From: A. Papazian

PRESIDENTS DON’T DECREASE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS BY SIGNING DECLARATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 2, 2010 – 15:01 AMT 11:01 GMT

The agreement on swap of POWs and the bodies of the killed will
possibly be implemented, however this doesn’t mean that the will be
no more incidents at the line of contact between the Karabakh and
Azerbaijani armed forces, an Armenian expert said.

“Soldiers at the frontline are not afraid of shooting, as they have
already got accustomed to Azeri aggression,” military psychologist,
member of the public council at the RA Ministry of Defense David
Jamalyan told journalists on November 2.

“With constant ceasefire violations and frequent attacks, Azerbaijan
just tries to spread panic among Armenians. Besides, the latest
developments in the Karabakh process are not favorable for Baku,
which resorts to violence as a tool to express discontent,” he said.

From: A. Papazian

MOSCOW SEEKS TO MONOPOLIZE KARABAKH NEGOTIATION PROCESS

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 2, 2010 – 17:31 AMT 13:31 GMT

Russia’s attempts to monopolize Karabakh conflict settlement pose
serious threat both to Yerevan and Baku, according the head of European
Integration NGO Karen Bekaryan.

“Clearly, Moscow seeks to monopolize Karabakh negotiation process.

However, it has been reasonable in its intention, mostly due to OSCE
MG co-chairs controlling Russia’s attempts,” Bekaryan told a news
conference in Yerevan.

From: A. Papazian