Author: Antonian Lara

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
August 13, 2007

Commentary: Armenian eatery courts Worcester lawyers, judges

Shiraz 259 Park Ave. Worcester(508) 767-1639 Lunch, Monday through
Saturday

I ask a Worcester attorney to recommend a restaurant that his
downtown colleagues might patronize at lunchtime. When he directs me
toward Shiraz, an Armenian eatery, I am a bit surprised. After all,
the restaurant is nearly a mile and a half from the old (albeit soon
to be demolished) Worcester courthouse complex and is definitely not
within easy walking distance by car-crazy Worcester standards.

Also, there’s a Middle Eastern restaurant that serves nearly
identical fare right by the courthouse on Highland Street, making
Shiraz seem anything but convenient to courthouse regulars.

But sure enough, the lively luncheon crowd at Shiraz includes an
entire table of Probate & Family Court judges, one of the attorneys
in our party tells us. Nearby are two public safety officials, we are
told. Behind them, says another fellow diner, members of the history
department of Worcester State College are rubbing shoulders with
blue-collar workers.

We suspect that these patrons are at Shiraz more for its food than
for its anything-but-elegant decor. Each of the several dozen place
settings is set with a paper placemat, which is covered with
advertisements from local businesses that inform visitors they are
being served by the Kochian family.

Our waitress quickly takes our orders and promises us the soup that
comes with each luncheon special would be served shortly.
Unfortunately, the wait is seemingly interminable for what should be
the easiest course of the meal to deliver.

When the lentil soup finally arrives, it proves to be worth the wait.
Each bowl is loaded down with hearty lentils and flavored with a
spritz of lemon.

After observing several other patrons enjoying basketfuls of pita
bread along with their soup, we ask for the same and, again, endure
an unnecessarily lengthy wait for a restaurant staple that should not
have been overlooked in the first place.

Still, the tasty soup and bread are helping us forget the service
hiccups. Provided by a nearby bakery, the pita is chewier and much
fresher than one normally finds when that sort of bread is served.

Thankfully, the entrees soon follow. One attorney has ordered a Greek
salad with chicken ($7.25), which he praises as being flavorful and
fresh. Another lawyer has a wrap that combines grape leaves with
hummus ($6.50); he likes the tangy lemon taste that the hummus adds
to the sandwich.

Another member of our party has no complaints about a wrap that mixes
chicken with tabouleh ($6.50), a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine,
and also includes bulgur, parsley, mint, herbs and lemon juice.

A fattoush salad with tuna ($6) containing fresh mint, olive oil,
lemon juice and toasted pita chips can only be described as heavenly;
it is topped with a generous scoop of tuna salad. It was among the
most refreshing salads this writer has sampled.

After we complete our entrees, we determine that dessert is out of
the question. A few in our party have to return to the courthouse for
afternoon sessions, their lunch "hour" having been extended by the
service glitches at Shiraz.

Although not for those in a hurry or for those seeking to dazzle
clients with the trappings of an upscale restaurant, Shiraz proves
itself well worth the trek up the street for those seeking a hearty,
healthy lunch.

WATERTOWN PULLS OUT OF NO PLACE FOR HATE PROGRAM

Bostonist, MA
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Aug 16 2007

Watertown has been the site of an intense debate over whether or not
to halt its participation in the "No Place for Hate" program. The
Anti-Defamation League is a sponsor of the program, which helps
communities fight hate crimes. The "No Place for Hate" program sounds
like a good thing – who doesn’t want to stop hate crimes?

Unfortunately, to many Watertown residents, the Anti-Defamation
League is indeed a place for hate. Many Armenian Americans live in
Watertown, and the Armenian Library and Museum of America is right
on Main Street. The fact that the Anti-Defamation League will not
acknowledge the Armenian genocide, when Ottoman Turks slaughtered
up to 1.5 million Armenians in 1915, was not going to go over well
in Watertown.

The Watertown city council, including the infamous Marilyn Devaney,
voted unanimously last night to get out of the No Place for Hate
program. However, the town wants to keep fighting hate crimes –
without the help of the Anti-Defamation League.

According to Chris Helms at the Watertown TAB, the city council
meeting was "packed" with people. Andy Tarsy, the regional director
for the Anti-Defamation League, tried to defend the group’s position
and met with "hisses and boos and cat calls."

The TAB notes that the "No Place for Hate" sign outside Town Hall has
already been taken down. Some residents of other towns participating
in the No Place for Hate program, like Arlington, want to follow in
Watertown’s footsteps.

As H20Town points out, the ADL’s refusal to recognize the genocide
is a "bizarre and disappointing stance for an organization formed to
protect the rights of Jewish people from bigotry." The ADL clearly
has a lot to work out, only they won’t be doing it in Watertown.

AKCAM: I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO SCARED

BÝA, Turkey
posted Aug 16 2007

Historian Taner Akcam, of Minnesota University, is receiving death
threats because he terms the events of 1915 a genocide. He has
described the threats as a threat to the freedom of expression.

Prof. Dr. Taner Akcam of the history department at Minnesota University
has declared that he fears for his life since receiving death threats
per email.

In his academic work, he has consistently described the events of
1915 a "genocide".

Persecution by newspaper

Researching the source of the threats, Akcam has found a person with
the assumed name "Holdwater".

The "Hurriyet" newspaper reported on this, saying that Akcam was
"targeting a person who was opposing his Armenian theses". The
newspaper has published a string of news items on Akcam.

Akcam told bianet over the Internet that "Hurriyet" did not give him
the opportunity to have a say. The same reporters who claim that he is
"making himself scarce" had no problems contacting him when a bridge
collapsed in Minnesota recently.

"Very frightened"

What frightens Akcam is the connection between the email threats and
the "Hurriyet"’s campaign and the fact that the newspaper was able to
claim in its headlines that he was "making himself scarce". "I have
overcome much danger, but I don’t remember being this scared", he said.

"When they created that headline, they did not call anywhere. They did
not attempt to find me. This is a very frightening situation for me",
he continued.

He added that he could not but find mysterious similarities with the
lynch campaign against journalist Hrant Dink before his murder.

On 11 June, Akcam received an anonymous email, saying, "Today we
have started the struggle against you and those creatures you call
friends. If we do not get results, we will use alternative measures.

For the peace and truth in the world it is better if sewer germs
like you are eradicated…Tomorrow will be much more difficult for
you…Pray that the devil takes you at once, or you will experience
hell on earth…

The message continued, "You think you know who ‘Holdwater’ is. From
now on, the world will be full of millions of Holdwaters. One day you
and your Armenian blood brothers will drown in a sea of Holdwaters…"

"You will find out who I am"

The message ended, "Who am I? That you will find out, Taner, you will
find out."

Akcam has drawn attention to frightening similarities between the
language of the email threat and the newspaper publications. The
publications started ten days after he received the message.

Akcam argues that the "Hurriyet" newspaper has ignored the most basic
principles of journalism in its publications.

In a statement on 16 July, he had said: "Again, intellectuals and
activists brave enough to question the state’s official history
are being warned. This shameful campaign does not only threaten
me, my family and my colleagues. It makes light of the freedom of
expression."

–Boundary_(ID_WrrNw69STU53V ayRW/wp3A)–

ARONIAN EDGES OUT ANAND TO LIFT 960 CHESS TITLE

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August 17, 2007
Mainz, Germany

Viswanathan Anand fought back hard but Armenian Levon Aronian proved
to be too good, beating the Indian Grandmaster in tiebreaker in a
thrilling final to clinch the Chess 960 World Championships.

Playing this variant of the game for the first time where the position
of the pieces at the start is set randomly for each game, Anand fought
from behind to level the scores 2-2 after the rapid games.

Aronian, however, produced a scintillating performance in the shoot-out
to score 1.5-0.5 to lift the title at Mainz on Thursday.

In the playoff for third place, Etienne Bacrot of France who mauled
Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan 3-1.

Anand lost the first game of the four game match after spoiling a
promising position against Aronian who played with white.

After a lot of manoeuvring the players arrived at a chess-like
position where Anand had little to worry about. However, for once,
the Indian ace was under pressure on the clock which eventually had
a telling effect.

After drawing the next two games Anand took the match to tiebreaker
that Aronian won eventually.

"I am happy to retain my title for the second time. It was a tough
match and Anand played well but he committed many mistakes in the
first game and lost," Aronian said.

It will be time for some normal chess again as Anand will start his
campaign for the 10th overall title in Chess Classics Rapid.

WEALTH GAP
by Rovshan Ismayilov

Transitions Online, Czech Republic
Aug 15 2007

Much of Azerbaijan is left behind as Baku flourishes. From EurasiaNet.

BAKU, Azerbaijan | Two separate worlds uneasily coexist within
Azerbaijan. One is Baku, the country’s oil boom capital, a metropolis
increasingly slick with skyscrapers, ritzy clubs and high-end
boutiques. But travel not too far outside this city of 2.9 million,
and the picture suddenly changes.

Azerbaijan’s regions – especially in rural areas – are trapped by
the twin troubles of unemployment and underdeveloped transportation.

Monthly salaries (about $120 to $150) are less than half what they
average in Baku, according to official statistics. Driving a private
taxi is one of the most common jobs for local males.

An irregular rate of economic development drives the disparity. Jobs
for qualified specialists may be hard to come by in Baku, but
opportunities for ordinary workers in construction, restaurants and
retail abound. While official data do not exist, young people are
increasingly coming to Baku for university, and then staying in the
capital for work afterwards.

"As a result, we have an abnormal economic misbalance when up to 90
percent of the country’s GDP is being produced by Baku, while the
rest of the country produces about 10 percent," says Rasim Huseynov,
a Baku-based independent economic expert.

A man dances at the Le Mirage nightclub in Baku. Photo by Rena Effendi
for EurasiaNet

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY

The growing economic gap can be seen most vividly in lifestyle
differences. Baku is packed with bars, nightclubs and discotheques,
bowling clubs and entertainment centers attended equally by men and
women. By contrast, not a single nightclub or discotheque exists
outside of Azerbaijan’s capital.

"It is boring to live in the village," complained 17-year-old Mobil
Mammadov, a resident of Asrik near the Armenian border. "There’s no
Internet, newspapers are not delivered. We can only watch the state
television channel, which is not interesting at all."

Entertainment for young people in Mammadov’s village amounts
to "Futprognoz," a take-off on the computerized betting system
Totalizator, which can be accessed in towns throughout the South
Caucasus.

Mammadov’s dream is for an Internet cafe to come to his village – the
closest one is 25 kilometers away in the regional center of Tovuz. "I
heard about the Internet from friends who use it in Baku," he said.

"It seems exciting."

A whopping 77 percent of Azerbaijan’s estimated 700,000 to 800,000
Internet users live in Baku, with only six percent living outside of
major regional cities, according to Osman Gunduz, head of the Internet
Forum of Azerbaijan. The government has launched a program to diversify
computer access by providing what Communications Minister Ali Abbasov
terms "preferential prices" for the machines, but its impact on the
regions is not yet known.

Economic expert Huseynov, however, cautions that focusing on the
obvious disparities between town and country in Azerbaijan can distort
the picture.

"It is wrong to allege that the oil boom did not touch the provinces
at all," he said. "The economy is growing throughout the country,
major infrastructure in regions is improved, new industrial facilities,
and hotels are being opened there, tourism is developing."

PLAN FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT

The State Program on Social and Economic Development of Regions,
introduced in 2004, aims to address these imbalances by promoting
the economy’s non-oil-dependent sectors. Huseynov and other experts
see the program’s main value as introducing competition between local
government heads.

The Program’s 2006 report states that 80 percent of the 174,000 new
jobs created in Azerbaijan last year were located outside of Baku. At
the same time, state spending is building new roads, factories,
schools, hospitals, and making some improvements with utilities.

But outside of large regional cities, that situation deteriorates.

Agriculture, the economic mainstay for Azerbaijan’s regions, has
a relatively bleak outlook, one expert argues. Importing food is
now cheaper than growing it domestically, said Inglab Ahmadov,
director of the Public Finance Monitoring Center. "Paradoxically,
our farmers are getting poorer while prices in the agriculture market
are growing," Ahmadov elaborated. "The cost of products increases
with their transportation to market and at the market itself."

That situation contributes to a high rate of unemployment for women
living in the regions. "Women have no jobs in the provinces, so
they have to sit at home," says Saida Hojamanly, chairwoman of the
Bureau of Human Rights Protection, a Baku-based non-governmental
organization. "There are no places except with family and children
where women can apply themselves."

As a result, outlets are few, she continued. "Even in relatively
big regional cities like Mingachevir or Guba there are not a lot
of women walking on the streets, not to mention sitting in cafes or
restaurants. Everything in the regions is designed for men – sport
facilities, cafes, restaurants, chaykhanas (tea houses)."

While Azerbaijani legislation on gender may meet international
standards, the reality falls short in the regions, added Mehriban
Zeynalova, head of Temiz Dunya (Clean World), a support group for
women. "The passivity of the local executive authorities and municipal
governments too is a big problem," she says.

A similar misbalance mars the overall human rights situation in
the provinces, say activists. "The offices of all International
organizations as well as the lion’s share of local human rights
NGOs are located in Baku, so they operate more in the capital,"
says Hajimurad Sadaddinov, president of the Baku-based Azerbaijani
Foundation on Democracy Development and Human Rights. "People’s rights
in the regions are being violated more often and crudely."

Will these two "countries" ever become one? For now, economic expert
Huseynov is skeptical. As long as the energy money continues to flow,
he says, "Baku will remain the center of the country in all senses."

Photo: A woman smokes a nargili pipe at Konti Cafe in Baku. Rena
Effendi for EurasiaNet

Rovshan Ismayilov is a freelance journalist based in Baku. This is
a partner post from EurasiaNet.

WATERTOWN VOTES TO SEVER TIES WITH ANTI DEFAMATION LEAGUE CITING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL

AZG Armenian Daily
16/08/2007

The Watertown, Massachusetts Town Council voted unanimously this
evening to cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League, citing concerns
about ADL National Director Abraham Foxman’s denial of the Armenian
Genocide and opposition to Congressional legislation reaffirming that
crime against humanity, reported the Armenian National Committee of
Eastern Massachusetts (ANCEM).

"The ANCEM applauds the Town Council for stating clearly and
unequivocally that there is no place for Armenian Genocide denial in
Watertown," stated ANCEM chairperson Sharistan Melkonian "We hope that
this action will prompt the ADL and its National Chairman Abe Foxman
to rethink their flawed policies on this issue, recognize the Armenian
Genocide and end their efforts to stop its reaffirmation by Congress."

The proclamation, introduced by Watertown Councillor-At-Large Marilyn
Petitto Devaney, stated: "The Town Council has become aware that
the ADL, denies the facts of the horrific Armenian Genocide, that
occurred from 1915 to 1923, in which the premeditated, systematic and
deliberate murders of more that one and one half million Armenians
from 1915 to 1923 took place, as well as continuing to deprive the
Armenian people of a right to their history – The Town Council can
not continue to join with such an organization."

The proclamation went on to reaffirm Watertown’s commitment to
"celebrate its diversity and continue to honor its tradition of
tolerance and respect for all people for which it has always been
known."Watertown residents spoke poignantly before the capacity
crowd in attendance to express their concerns about local affiliation
with the ADL’s genocide denial policies, moving Town Council members
to take decisive action and encourage other Massachusetts towns to
follow in their footsteps.In her remarks before the Town Council,
ANCEM representative Grace Kulegian stated that "We are confident
that the just resolution of this matter will deepen Watertown’s
commitment to tolerance, strengthen No Place for Hate’s ability to
speak with real moral clarity, and – for the sake of its members and
its own future as an organization – end the ADL’s truly unfortunate
affiliation with genocide denial."

The Watertown – ADL controversy erupted in recent weeks, with Boston
area civil rights advocates, and local Armenian and Jewish American
community members expressing disappointment and outrage at recent
statements by ADL National Director Abe Foxman denying the Armenian
Genocide. Editorials and community letters in the local Watertown Tab
and Boston Globe cast a shadow on the credibility of the anti-racism
program, No Place for Hate, due to its affiliation with the ADL.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO APPROVE 15 MILLION EUROS TO ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT FOR SECONDARY PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION REFORMS

arminfo
2007-08-13 13:16:00

The Council of Europe will allocate 15 million euros to the Government
of Armenia for reforming the secondary professional education sphere,
Head of the Armenian Ministry of Education and Science Department for
Secondary Special Education Samvel Pipoyan said at a press conference,
Monday.

CE program will be implemented in three stages within three
years from 2008 to 2010. The first stage will include fundamental
reconstruction and re-equipment of the professional technical colleges
in Armenia. Then, over 3,500 teachers will be retained. The final
stage of the program provides for elaboration of an educational and
methodical concept meeting European requirements in the sphere.

The concept will reckon with real need in labor force in the labor
market.

Pipoyan said the ministry’s calculations showed that the real
demand for labor force and the data of employment agencies are quite
different.

At present, there are 81 state and 22 private secondary special
educational establishments in Armenia. The number of relevant students
is some 34,000 people. Some 5,000 teachers work in these educational
establishments at average salary of 25,000 drams ($73).

NO HIGHLAND FLING
Soumitra Das reports

Calcutta Telegraph, India
Aug 10 2007

The Scottish Cemetery in Karaya is in need of immediate attention.

Caretaker Vincent Isaac and his little daughter Agnes guided me through
the knee-high tangle of grass and weeds into the heart of the Scottish
Cemetery at 3 Karaya Road. Beyond this point the jungle of parasites,
shrubs and trees in the embrace of creepers was impregnable.

The Scottish Cemetery map in the custody of Isaac shows that almost
every inch of this sprawling ground was covered with masonry (pucca)
graves, but when it comes to grandeur, these are no match for the lofty
monuments which line South Park Street Cemetery. The ones here are
of humble dimensions and in spite of an occasional ornamental cross,
tablet or marble flowers rising above the shrubbery, most are just
plain slabs of unembellished stone.

There is another possibility. Since this cemetery has been lying
neglected for so long, they could have been stripped of richer material
by vandals.

The Scots once dominated business and industry in Calcutta but like
many hardworking people they were known for their parsimony. Which
perhaps explained the lack of marble or any impressive structures in
this necropolis.

As I discovered from the legends on the headstones and the entries
in the ancient register with pages that will crumble into dust in a
few years’ time, those interred here -including many Indians, mostly
Bengalis, besides Scots and Brits – were on the staff of the mills
and factories which had come up in and around Calcutta and Howrah in
the 19th century and early 20th century.

The Church of Scotland cemetery is the property of St Andrew’s church
in Dalhousie Square and is under the management of the kirk session.

The Scottish Cemetery at 3 Karaya Road is encircled by open-air
anywhere-everywhere kerb-side car repair "garages" which create
impediments both for pedestrians and the traffic.

A high wall runs around the ground but this too is not in good repair
and is unable to ward off unwanted elements and vandals.

The arched portal is a brick-and-mortar structure and the name of
the cemetery is written in bold letters on it.

There is no mention anywhere of the date on which it opened to
public. A small plaque on the outer wall of the caretaker’s humble
quarters declared that some "historical tombstones" had been removed
to South Park Street cemetery in 1987. But the caretaker did not have
the list of graves removed, as the plaque declared.

The kutcha pathway leading to the graveyard is neat but the tombs look
as if they had been dug up for some nefarious purpose. Stone slabs lie
scattered all over with clumps of grass and weeds growing in between.

I tried to decipher some of the indistinct letters on the tombstones
in the hope of discovering the identity of those interred. I could
read "Apcar" (but aren’t they Armenians, I wondered) and quite
understandably, a sprinkling of surnames beginning with either "Mac"
or "Mc" dating mostly back to mid- or late 19th century.

To the left of the pathway was a clearing where I found the memorials
to two men buried in Ilford cemetery and at Richmond, Surrey. Close
to that was the marble headstone of Niroj Nolini Pyne who died in 1937.

The greenery washed by the occasional spells of rain and under the
glaring sun had turned into a wall of glowing, translucent jade
exuding a strong smell of chlorophyll.

The only grave that seemed well looked after was that of Rev Thomas
Jones, who had created the Khasi alphabet and literature. He died
in 1849.

The ancient register yielded "the quality of trade or profession"
of those buried – manager of jute and flour mills, foreman, engineer,
tea planter, mechanic, ship carpenter, port commissioner employees,
evangelist, stockbroker and to my surprise, "Kiron Shoshi Banerjee,
lady doctor,1922" and "Muriel Webb, telephone operator, 1923."

I could not find the name of Rev Kalicharan Banerjee, who was Pradesh
Congress sabhapati and first registrar of Calcutta University. He
was buried here. Neither could I find out the exact date on which
the cemetery opened. A good guess is some time in the 1830s.

TRADE GROWS BY 11.6% IN ARMENIA IN FIRST HALF OF 2007 ON SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Aug 08 2007

YEREVAN, AUGUST 8, NOYAN TAPAN. Trade turnover amounted to 583 bln
587.7 mln drams (over 1 bln 636 mln USD) in current prices in Armenia
in January-June 2007, growing by 11.6%, in comparable prices, on the
same period of 2006.

According to the RA National Statistical Service, retail trade made
364 bln 570.5 mln drams in current prices in the first half of 2007,
growing by 11.4% in comparable prices on the index of the same period
of 2006.

Services amounted to 244 bln 812.7 mln drams in current prices in
January-June 2007, increasing by 18.5% in comparable prices on the
same period of last year.

OPPOSITIONIST WANTS WEST TO SPONSOR TV CHANNEL AHEAD OF ELECTIONS
By Anna Saghabalian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Aug 8 2007

A veteran opposition member believes international organizations
and embassies of western states in Armenia should request the
local authorities to establish a new television channel that would
propagandize democratic values to Armenian society ahead of next
year’s presidential elections.

At a meeting with journalists on Wednesday Arshak Sadoyan also called
on Armenia’s political parties and nongovernmental organizations
to seek the establishment of such a channel that would further the
democratic processes in the country by "broadcasting the sessions of
the National Assembly and events connected with the government and
political parties."

This failing, Sadoyan suggests that international organizations
should hire at least one hour of airtime on a television channel
with a nationwide coverage to "advocate democratic values before the
presidential elections and enable opposition politicians to present
their views."

The veteran oppositionist, who fared poorly in the last parliamentary
elections, is confident that the Armenian authorities will not reject
this request if international organizations get involved in the process
"officially and financially".

Another oppositionist, Hrant Khachatrian, who leads the opposition
Union for Constitutional Rights (SIM), suggests picking the single
opposition candidate for the presidential race using a western
technique. He believes the primaries, which are widely used in some
western democracies, will help choose the worthiest candidate from
the opposition for next year’s presidential election.

Khachatrian admits that the process will requires additional time
and effort, as well as much more financial resources, but says it
will prove worthwhile in the final analysis.

"My vision is that first an opinion independent of the political
conjuncture and different financial sources should be formed, and this
opinion will have its weight in society," Khachatrian said vaguely,
without giving any details of the proposed measure.