Author: Badalian Vardan

STUDENT ON SHORT LIST OF ART CONTEST
By Angela Hokanson

Glendale News Press
08/03/11/education/gnp-visual11.txt
March 11 2008
CA

Competition seeks to cultivate, inspire youngsters through education
and scholarships.

Artist Caroline Sirounian with her painting "Misterious" at Glendale
High School Monday. (Alex Collins/News-Press)

Caroline Sirounian’s favorite thing to paint is an interesting
personality. Not a person or a figure, necessarily, but the character
behind that person, the qualities that make up who they are.

The results of her efforts are often surrealistic scenes, with
humanlike figures morphing into animals and other creatures.

"I’ve always been interested in drawing people and capturing their
personalities," explained Caroline, a 17-year-old senior at Glendale
High School.

Her artistic talents have been recognized by the Music Center of
Los Angeles, which in late February named Caroline as one of 30
semifinalists in the 2008 Music Center Spotlight Awards Visual Arts
competition.

The competition seeks to cultivate young artists through arts education
and arts scholarships. Nearly 1,000 high school students from around
Southern California submitted two-dimensional artwork to this year’s
visual arts competition, according to the Music Center.

This weekend, Caroline’s work, and that of each of the semifinalists,
will be on display at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena.

And the top two winners from among the semifinalists will be announced
in late April at an awards gala in Los Angeles.

Caroline has been drawing as long as she can remember. advertisement

As a child, she would watch television and then re-create images she
saw on paper using pencil and markers.

As she got older, she tried to imitate works of art she saw in history
books. When she was 11, she started taking twice-weekly art classes
at Magic Brush Art Studio in Glendale, lessons that helped her develop
her evolving artistic talents, she said.

There, under the guidance of art instructor Edward Manukyan, she was
encouraged to create whatever came to her. Today, it’s her imagination
that reigns when she is doing a painting or a drawing, Caroline said.

"I have a really big imagination and that’s about 99% of what I do,"
she said. She enjoys drawing with pencil, because with that tool,
the artist has to be precise and every error shows, she said.

"With a pencil you have a really fine tip, and every stroke makes a
difference," she said.

She also enjoys working with oil paints, for the way that the paint
feels on the brush, she said.

The painting that Caroline submitted to the first round of the Music
Center’s competition was one called "Enigma," which she did in Scarlett
Lowe’s commercial/multimedia design class at Glendale High.

That painting shows Caroline’s face, with overlapping images of
dragons, unicorns, lions and trees.

The symbols are supposed to be enigmatic, Caroline said, and represent
different facets of her identity.

The background of the portrait, which consists of brightly colored
circles, represents her changing moods, Caroline said.

Caroline has the technical skill to execute her ideas and the
creativity to develop unique works, said Lowe, who encouraged her to
apply to the Music Center’s competition.

"She has the skill to express what she wants to express," Lowe said.

Lowe has taught art for 15 years, and said Caroline may be the most
talented student she’s had in all that time.

"She’s able to take what she feels inside and express it," Lowe said.

Caroline plans to study art in college; she is applying to the Florence
Academy of Art, which has campuses in Italy and Sweden.

DAWNS ON FREEDOM SQUARE ARE PEACEFUL
by Anna Chakharyan

Haykakan Zhamanak
Feb 26 2008
Armenia

[Yerevan’s] Freedom Square has been full for the past six days: people
are spending there not only days but also nights. It is already the
sixth day participants in the pan-national movement, led by the first
Armenian president [Levon Ter-Petrosyan], have been welcoming sunrise
on Freedom Square. It is worth mentioning that nothing can make people
leave the square: neither the obstructions created by the authorities
nor the cold weather.

[Passage omitted: reported arrests of opposition supporters;
Ter-Petrosyan criticizes the authorities]

Silent position of international community, praise for Karabakh leader

As for the almost silent position of the international community
regarding our domestic political situation, the first president
noted in this connection: "I don’t want to say anything bad about
foreigners, but as a sound, reasonable personality, I can come to a
conclusion today: the West doesn’t care about our democracy, the West
is not sincere in its intentions to establish democracy in Armenia,
it needs a weak, illegal, oppressive regime in order to always have
control over it, it doesn’t need democratic, intelligent authorities
which will speak to them on equal terms.

"I apologize to both the observers and the organizations they
represent, but I have the right, as a politician, as a political
official, as the first Armenian president, as a sound and rational
personality to make such a conclusion, and those who praise freedom
of speech have to respect my opinion."

Levon Ter-Petrosyan also spoke about the role of the authorities of the
[unrecognized] Nagornyy Karabakh republic [NKR] in the presidential
election. "I want to compliment the newly-elected NKR president Bako
Sahakyan’s position. He took an extremely dignified position, he did
not allow Karabakh people to interfere in our domestic affairs, and
unlike in 2003 and 2004, when during Arkadiy Ghukasyan’s presidency
special troops and criminal elements were brought from Karabakh here,
who were mostly responsible for the 12 April events in 2004. To
the honour of Bako Sahakyan I should say that he has displayed the
position of a distinguished state official."

War veterans’ position

During the Sunday [24 February] rally, the vice-president of the
Yerkrapah Union (Union of Land Defending Volunteers), [MP] Myasnik
Malkhasyan, made a statement about the recently spread news that they
had allegedly quit the pan-national movement.

"The news is circulating that some members have left the Yerkapah
Union. Indeed, there are some members serving in the army, generals
and colonels, who, I am positive, signed the text of the statement
without reading, but who are with us in their hearts and minds. I
know them all: they simply put those generals and colonels in a
difficult situation and obliged them to sign a document which they
haven’t even read.

"I must read a line from there and you will be assured what the matter
is. It says – In the 19 February presidential election some members
of the Yerkrapah Union, violating the union’s regulations and without
an appropriate administrative decision, started the activities that
are not admissible for land defenders, which are unacceptable and
a disgrace for the union’s essence and authority, which hinder
the further consolidation and development of our newly-created
independent state. They are using dishonest political goals, whereas
the administration of the Yerkrapah Union does not take measures to
prevent this.

"So, who is a disgrace: those who are standing next to the people
who want to establish justice and truth in our country or those who
want to oppose people’s will? All the warriors who have a soul and
love their fatherland must be next to their people," Malkhasyan said.

[Passage omitted: Ter-Petrosyan said they will file a suit with
Constitutional Court on the outcome of the election; former Prime
Minister Hrant Bagratyan’s speech at the rally]

Appeal for nation-wide demo

Leader of the [opposition] Republic party Aram Sargsyan told the
demonstrators that during [Prime Minister and President-elect] Serzh
Sargsyan’s rally in Ashtarak the previous day, some of the people who
were brought to the rally using known methods, at the end of the rally
put the white flags of the [ruling] Republican party on the ground
and started chanting "Le-von, Le-von [Ter-Petrosyan]". And today
Serzh Sargsyan again plans to organize a rally on Republic Square,
obviously bringing people to the rally using the same methods. Aram
Sargsyan stated: "Serzh Sargsyan wants to show to the world that he
has supporters too. Consequently, we tomorrow (editorial comment –
today) declare a nation-wide rally".

Aram Sargsyan appealed to everybody to come to Freedom Square today
and everybody bring one more person. "If they want to show something
to the world, we have more things to show." [Passage omitted: other
speakers’ speeches; Ter-Petrosyan recalls people’s movement in 1988;
anticipates victory of the opposition]

COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS VISITS YEREVAN TO ADVOCATE HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION AFTER POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE

arminfo
2008-03-11 12:17:00

ArmInfo. In the aftermath of the post-election violence in Armenia,
the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg,
will carry out a three-day visit in Yerevan to meet with the highest
national authorities in order to favour an effective protection of
fundamental human rights.

ArmInfo. Armenian Police put the parliamentarians Sasun Mikaelyan
and Khachatur Sukiasyan and the editor of Haykakan Zhamanak daily
Nikol Pashinyan on the wanted list. Police urge citizens having any
information on the above persons to contact them by the following
phone numbers: 52- 02-02, 53-02-02, 56-02-02 or to apply to police
office. Police press-service reports the wanted persons are accused of
organizing and holding public meetings violating the legal order, as
well as of illegal purchasing and keeping of weapons and ammunition,
violence actions to power representatives and mass clashes on March
1 in Yerevan.

MOLDOVA GOING TO QUIT GUAM?

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.03.2008 14:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Joining GUAM, Moldova expected economic
benefits. Unification, as a counterbalance in political games, is
unpromising, Moldova’s President Vladimir Voronin told Kommersant
daily.

"Membership in any organization should be efficient.

Absence of benefit generates absence of interest, which, for its part,
makes membership a burden. The future of GUAM is rather vague while
Moldova is the country to serve as a counterbalance," Mr Voronin
emphasized.

He reminded that construction of Odessa-Brody oil pipeline of in
focus at GUAM summits. "But I was surprised to see that the route
of the pipe bypasses Moldova. Furthermore, the idea of forming a
peacekeeping contingent is too odd. In response to my question "why do
we need it", I was told: "we all have conflicts on our territories." I
do not understand why we should form our own contingent if there are
internationally recognized peacekeeping forces. Thanks God, the idea
went broke owing to our refusal to sign the document," he said.

TWO SOLDIERS KILLED IN EXCHANGE OF FIRE ON KARABAKH FRONT LINE

Day.Az
March 10 2008
Azerbaijan

An Azerbaijani army soldier and an Armenian soldier were killed in
an exchange of fire on the Nagornyy Karabakh front line on 9 March,
the Baku-based website Day.az has reported quoting the Azerbaijani
Defence Ministry press service.

Private Ramin Ismayilov was killed in the cease-fire violation in
Fuzuli District, another Azerbaijani private Ulvi Ismayilov was
wounded in the shooting, the report said. An Armenian soldier was
killed with retaliatory fire, the website added.

CONDITIONS OF STATE OF EMERGENCY IN YEREVAN MELLOWED A LITTLE

arminfo
2008-03-10 12:53:00

ArmInfo. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has mellowed a little
conditions of the state of emergency in Yerevan introduced on 1 March.

As press-secretary of the president Viktor Sogomonyan told
journalists today, stemming from the fact that no breaking of the
state of emergency regime has been fixed Yerevan since 1 March and
for returning of the country and population to ordinary life Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan signed a decree according to which points
6 and 7 of the decree on state of emergency have lost their force.

To recall, according to above mentioned points, activity of the
parties and other public organizations which hinder liquidation of
the reasons of the state of emergency introduction.

Viktor Sogomonyan added that at present in the president’s
administration they are working with specialists to find other legal
solution of the point regarding mass media activity so that to mellow
the established level of limits.

Panorama.am

15:30 08/03/2008

POLICE CHIEF MET JOHN PRESCOTT

The RA police Chief General Hayk Harutyunyan received
John Prescott, the Chairman of the PACE Ad-hoc
Committee to Observe the Presidential elections in
Armenia.

According to the police press and public relations
department, the head of the police presented all the
circumstances and detailed information about the
organized disorder in 1-2 March and assured that the
legal bodies carried out everything to prevent the
incidents. He added that the aggressive electoral
campaign conducted by Levon Ter-Petrosyan had the
impacts on the social life.

Note that John Prescott thanked for presenting in
detailed and objective information, and asked to
transfer his condolence to the family of murdered
police officer in the day of March 1 disorder. He said
that their mission has already reconfirmed the report
of the description of the elections, and added that
unfortunately some political forces get use of what
suits to them. Prescott signified that the decision
which should be made by the Constitutional Court is
also very important.

Source: Panorama.am

LEVON ARONIAN SHARES 3-4th PLACES WITH 7 POINTS BEFORE FINAL TOUR OF
LINARES TOURNAMENT

LINARES, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. One tour still remains until the end of
the International Chess Super Tournament, which is being held in the
city of Linares, Spain. The games of the penultimate, 13th tour were
held on March 6. Levon Aronian drew the game with Magnus Carlsen
(Norway).

Viswanathan Anand (India) is at the top of the tournament table with 8
points. Magnus Carlsen follows him with 7.5 points. Levon Aronian and
Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) share the 3-4th places with 7 points each.
Peter Leko (Hungary) is the competitor of L. Aronian in the last 14th
tour.

Verdict of Constitutional Court on claims by presidential candidates to
be passed on Mar 8

2008-03-07 19:09:00

ArmInfo. The verdict of the Constitutional Court of Armenia on the
claims by presidential candidates Levon Ter-Petrossyan and Tigran
Karapetyan will be passed on Mar 8, reports the press service of the CC.

To remind, the hearings were started on Mar 4. Today, the judges
recessed for deliberations. The law says that the verdict should be
passed no later than Mar 8 midnight.

KARABAKH CONFLICT NOT TO BE SOLVED THROUGH WAR – ARMENIAN LEADER

Mediamax
March 4 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 4 March: Armenian prime minister and president-elect Serzh
Sargsyan stated in Yerevan today that he rulesout the possibility of
resolution of the Karabakh conflict by means of a war.

Mediamax reports that, speaking at a briefing in Yerevan, Serzh
Sargsyan stated: "I am optimistic and I amconfident that the problem
will be solved exclusively peacefully".

At that, the prime minister stated that today on the contact line
of the Nagornyy Karabakh and Azerbaijan armedforces a skirmish took
place, as a result of which the Azerbaijani side managed for a short
period of time to occupy oneof the Armenian positions.

However, Serzh Sargsyan stated, at present the given position is
returned under the control of the Armenian forces,and the enemy
retreated, leaving many dead.