Author: Babajanian Karo

Armenian Defense Minister: army’s future impossible without knowledge

October 6, 2012 – 18:59 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, Armenian
Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan awarded October 5 a number of
teachers, representatives of the military leadership and servicemen.

Congratulating teachers on their professional holiday, Minister
Ohanyan highly assessed their role in educating the young generation,
stressing the necessity for protecting the homeland.

`Armed forces fulfill large-scale activities, ranging from military
training courses to maneuvers,’ he said, deeming army’s future
impossible without knowledge.

Minister Ohanyan further hailed the various programs Armenian
ministries of defense and education implement.

Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan, in turn, noted that
military service and education bear a complementary nature due to
their successful cooperation.

Upon completion of the event, Minister Ohanyan awarded a number of
teachers and soldiers with medals and presents for their contribution
to the patriotic education of the young generation, defense ministry’s
press service reported.

Minister: Armenian health ministry intends to increase medical
personnel’s salaries

YEREVAN, October 5. /ARKA/. Armenia’s health ministry intends to raise
medical personnel salaries through optimization of healthcare system,
Health Minister Derenik Dumanyan said Friday at a news conference.

`Now some 14,000 doctors and 18,000 nurses are working in our system,’
he said. `I think the main problem there is personnel’s salaries.’

The minister said that some physicians earn AMD 60,000 to 70,000 every
moth, and nurses’ monthly salaries range between AMD 30,000 and
40,000.

That is why provincial medical personnel are in dire straits.

Dumanyan said it is necessary to carry out optimization of the
country’s healthcare system to use premises of some medical centers
more effectively.

Explaining this, he said that some medical establishments occupy
enormous spaces for servicing less than a dozen patients, and this
leads to additional expenses.

The ministry, he said, has already discussed the matter with
provincial authorities and intends to embark on the optimization in
the beginning of the next year.

`The saved money will be targeted for increasing medical personnel’s
salaries,’ Dumanyan said. -0-

Ivanishvili’s explanation not convincing to Levon Shirinyan

16:22 06.10.2012
Alisa Gevorgyan
`Radiolur’

`The national interest won in Georgian elections. The elite did not
allow dissidence and divergence from the Western direction of
development,’ political scientist Levon Shirinyan said, commenting on
the victory of the Georgian Dream in the parliamentary elections and
the latest political developments in that country.

According to Shirinyan, Georgia is adopting the German direction of
development, which Georgia has been in fond of ever since tsarist
times. `In 1910s Georgia was in secret deals with German imperialists
and they have always preferred the German model of government,’ he
added. The political scientist considers that Bidzina Ivanishvili is
coming to give new breath to that German model.

Shirinyan is almost confident that the changes in Georgia will bring
about difficulties in Armenian-Russian relations. According to
Shirinyan, it’s our task to explain to Russians that Georgians will
never change their political preferences. `No Saakashvili, no
Ivanishvili will ever divert the view of the Georgian people from the
West to Russia. We must be extremely cautious in order not to suffer
as a result of the Georgian-Russian flirt,’ the political scientist
said. He does not share the opinion of those who see signs of
democracy in the Georgian elite.

Levon Shirinyan is not satisfied with Bidzina Ivanishvili’s
explanations regarding his statement about the Armenians of Georgia.

Ivanishvili said in an interview with the Russian The New Times that
he wonders why Armenians live in Georgia. `I’m surprised. The
Motherland of Armenians is just next door. For me it is
incomprehensible. I have lived in France, in the United States, but
I’ve always seen my village, my soil in my dreams,’ leader of the
Georgian dream said.

In response to the noise raised by the Armenian side, Ivanishvili left
a note on his Facebook page, saying that the Russian paper published
only part of his answer, which completely changed the essence of what
he had said.

`I said I admire the ability of Armenians and Jews, who are citizens
of the world and manage to succeed wherever they are. Unfortunately,
we – Georgians – did not manage to create a strong Diapsora anywhere.’

Bidzina Ivanishvili

The comments are not convincing to Levon Shirinyan. He considers that
the migration of Armenians from Georgia is unavoidable.

Jack Kevorkian artwork dispute settled

October 6, 2012 – 15:50 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Art by suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian will be
shared by his niece and a Boston-area art gallery, ending an ownership
dispute, his executor said, according to UPI.

Attorney Mayer Morganroth, executor of Kevorkian’s estate, confirmed
an agreement had been reached between the estate and the Armenian
Library and Museum of Watertown, Mass.

Kevorkian, who died at 83 in 2011, entrusted the collection of 17
paintings, many containing disturbing and grotesque images and some
believed to include his own blood as a painting medium, to the museum
in 1999, before he was sentenced to prison for assisting in a suicide.
The collection has been valued at more than $2 million.

Morgenroth filed suit in Oakland County, Mich., Circuit Court last
year, seeking the return of the artwork. The lawsuit was dismissed
after the museum countersued in federal court, claiming it owned the
artwork, court documents said.

The agreement provides for the museum to keep four works and the
remainder to be retained by the estate for Kevorkian’s niece, Ava
Janus of Troy, Mich., Morganroth said.

Village School Children Amazed Adults with their Knowledge of
Historical Monuments

15:38, October 5, 2012

Thematic training seminars for school-aged children continue to take
place at Yerevan City Hall’s Erebuni Historical and Archaeological
Museum-Reserve within the framework of the European Union’s Eastern
Partnership Culture Programme “Regional Cooperation for the
Development of Cultural Heritage” implemented in Georgia, Ukraine, and
Armenia.

Participating in the seminars yesterday were 17 students from the
public school in the town of Akunk in Kotayk province who were
visiting the Erebuni archaeological site for the first time.

They were striking in their knowledge of monuments in the history of
Armenia and particularly their village. Many described the
conversations heard from their elders – about the artifacts uncovered
from near the village; even expressing the opinion that during ancient
times there was most likely a cyclopean fortress in the vicinity of
the village. One of the students described how her mother and
grandmother baked lavash (Armenian flatbread) at home and pass that
culture onto the youth.

Seminar participants confessed it was their first time visiting the
site and the Erebuni Fortres left an unforgettable impression on them.
At the end of the seminar, the teachers assured us that they would try
to pass on the knowledge acquired through the seminar to the other
students of the school by holding open classes.

[photo caption] Erebuni Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve

Bohjalian to Receive Arts and Letters Award at ANCA-WR Banquet

ASBAREZ
Friday, October 5th, 2012

Bohjalian presents “The Sandcastle Girls” on Capitol Hill

GLENDALE – Critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Chris
Bohjalian will be honored with the ANCA-Western Region Arts and
Letters Award at its Annual Banquet on October 28 at the Beverly
Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Bohjalian’s latest book, The
Sandcastle Girls, was launched in Los Angeles this summer at a
luncheon organized by the ANCA-WR and went on to debut at #7 on the
New York Times bestseller list. It also appeared on the Publishers’
Weekly, USA Today, and national Independent Bookstore bestseller
lists.

`I hoped that `The Sandcastle Girls’ would educate people to the
reality of the Armenian Genocide, but I never expected the groundswell
of interest from readers across the United States who were unfamiliar
with our story. Likewise, I have been overwhelmed by the support of
the Armenian community – here and around the world. This particular
honor leaves me humbled and moved – and deeply and profoundly
grateful,’ remarked Bohjalian after learning of the award.

Bohjalian, who has penned fourteen novels, including four other New
York Times bestsellers, has called The Sandcastle Girls `the most
important book he will ever write.’ His novel, Midwives, was a number
one New York Times bestseller and was turned into a movie, in addition
to two others, `Secrets of Eden’ and `Past the Bleachers.’

`Mr. Bohjalian deftly uses his extraordinary writing talent to tell
the story of the Armenian Genocide in The Sandcastle Girls, making a
significant contribution to the rich literature on this historical
tragedy,’ said ANCA-WR Co-Chair Chris Guldjian. `The Arts and Letters
Award, which Mr. Bohjalian is receiving, recognizes the immense impact
this work has had, and will undoubtedly continue to have, on the
American public.’

In July of this year, hundreds of attendees from the Los Angeles area
welcomed Bohjalian as he was joined by the ANCA Grassroots Film and
the Arts Committee, The Genocide Education Project and Doubleday Books
in launching the national tour for his latest novel `The Sandcastle
Girls.’ Similar events were held by the ANCA in San Francisco, New
Jersey, and on Capitol Hill.

The 2012 ANCA-WR Annual Banquet will also feature Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid receiving the Freedom Award, Dr. Rubina Peroomian
receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Rev. Joseph D. Matossian
receiving the Khrimian Hayrig Award, and Varant Melkonian receiving
the Legacy Award. The Banquet is the premiere gathering of the
Armenian American community and will take place on Sunday, October 28
at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. To reserve seats,
visit ancawr.org/banquet. For all other inquiries, please call
818-533-8587.

PARIS
Conférence-débat : Le mouvement citoyen en Arménie

Etat actuel et perspectives du mouvement citoyen en Arménie. Une
conférence débat autour de M. Garékine Chugasezian, membre fondateur
du mouvement Sardarabat et du mouvement Vahé Avédyan (tué lors de
l’agression dans le restaurant Arsnakar).

samedi 13 octobre à 20h30 sur la Péniche Anako

La rencontre est organisée par l’Association de soutien aux mouvements
civiques en Arménie.
Entrée libre

samedi 6 octobre 2012,
Ara ©armenews.com

CINEMA
Charles Aznavour invité d’honneur au 10e Festival du cinéma arménien «
Viské Dziran » ?

Le directeur du festival du film arménien « Voské Dziran » (Abricot
d’Or), Haroutioun Khatchatrian a rencontré Charles Aznavour le 30
septembre à Genève. Lors de l’entretien, Charles Aznavour aurait
accepté la proposition des organisateurs de « Voské Dziran » pour
devenir le président d’honneur lors du 10e festival l’an prochain.
Haroutioun Khatchatrian a par ailleurs rencontré à Genève la
vice-consule d’Arménie en Suisse Satenig Abkarian. Cette dernière lui
aurait transmis une lettre de reconnaissance de « Voské Dziran » par
la B.I.D. (Business Initiative Direction) qui reconnait ainsi le
festival arménien du cinéma parmi les manifestations internationales
de qualité liées au cinéma. Chaque année, « Voské Dziran » gagne en
qualité et popularité faisant du Festival arménien du film d’Erévan
l’un des rendez-vous internationaux du cinéma.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 6 octobre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

Turkey should follow common sense – Swiss MP

news.am
October 05, 2012 | 20:44

YEREVAN. – Armenian Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan received on
Friday a delegation headed by the Switzerland-Armenia Parliamentary
Group Co-chairs Ueli Leuenberger and Dominique de Buman. They
discussed issues of mutual interest and extradition of Azeri killer
Safarov by Hungary to Azerbaijan and Armenia-Turkey relations,
parliamentary press service informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The Parliament speaker thanked the Swiss MPs for their visit to
Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] and assessed high the level of political
dialogue and developed relations in the recent years.

The co-chairs touched upon the Swiss parliament’s pro-Armenian
activity, including the recognition of the Armenian genocide in 2003
by the Swiss Parliament and opening of the Swiss Embassy in Armenia.
Buman stressed that the delegation is impressed with the visit to
Artsakh, where they could see and feel life and reality of free
people.

Leuenberger stressed that the extradition of Azeri killer Safarov by
Hungary and Azerbaijani President’s actions following it are
inadmissible for them. As for the Armenia-Turkey relations, Turkey
should follow the common sense, the MP claimed.

Moon-Shaped Ice-Cream Sandwich Balls: Coming to a Freezer Near You
By Molly Oswaks, Oct 3, 2012 8:30 PM

The only thing better than ice cream is ice cream with a gimmick. And
since ice cream trucks are all actually sort of drugs vans in disguise
(right?), and those Pikachu-faced Popsicles aren’t even that tasty,
please direct your attention to this new and very wonderful upgrade,
coming straight from the guys who know how to make ice cream best:
Häagen-Dazs.

Coming just in time for the holiday season (although… who wants to eat
ice cream when it’s snowing? Eh, whatever), these crater-pocked lunar
bombes contain a delicious layering of nuts, biscuits, caramels and
merigues – depending on which flavor/color moon you choose.

They were designed by the London-based Doshi Levien, who, according to
Dezeen, “were inspired by Georges Méliès’ 1902 silent film Le Voyage
dans la Lune, Armenian surrealist Léon Tutundjian’s relief work of
1929, a childhood Bollywood song, and the near-spherical shapes of
early ice cream bombes.”