ARMENIA OLD MAN THREW HIMSELF UNDER TRAIN
August 08, 2013 | 17:46
YEREVAN. – An old man committed suicide in Armenia throwing himself
under the train.
The Police received an alert from the hospital where 78-year-old
Pargev Baghdasaryan was taken with traumatic brain injury. He died
in hospital later in the day.
An investigation is underway.
News from Armenia – NEWS.am
From: Baghdasarian
ATP PROGRAM PROMOTES ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND ACTIVISM
Published: Friday August 09, 2013
ATP operates environmental education centers near its tree nurseries
in Margahovit and Karin villages.
Related Articles ATP opens Center for Environmental Studies in Lori
ATP drafts U.S., Armenian officials for tree-planting efforts
YEREVAN – The quality of irrigation water in Aghtsk, the condition
of the public park in Margahovit, and the cleanup of the grounds of
Isahakyan Park in Gyumri were some of the topics presented by students
at a workshop hosted by Armenia Tree Project (ATP).
High school students from Aghtsk, Margahovit, and Gyumri participated
in a poster presentation on June 10 at ATP’s Michael and Virginia
Center for Environmental Studies. The event was part of a collaborative
program between ATP and Armenia’s National Institute of Education
(NIE) on the integration of environmental education in the social
sciences curriculum.
“The goal of the program was to introduce environmental education
to these students and to create a generation that is not only aware
of current environmental issues, but is concerned enough to learn
specific skills to solve the issues,” explained Karine Harutyunyan,
social sciences specialist from the NIE. “We hope such projects
will contribute to the formation of socially active and responsible
citizens.”
Student groups in grades 8-10 were instructed to identify a local
environmental problem and conduct independent research on the issue
including a study of relevant legislation and regulations. The students
recommended solutions and addressed their findings to responsible
officials and organizations for implementation.
The exercise was based on articles in Armenia’s Constitution that
address the right to live in a healthy environment and the Aarhus
Convention which guarantees public access to information about the
environment.
Environmental education has been one of ATP’s core programs since
the 2005 publication of the “Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree” teacher’s
manual. A second edition of the manual was published in cooperation
with the NIE in 2010 and already more than 1,200 teachers from all
regions of Armenia have been trained on its use in the classroom.
ATP operates education centers near its tree nurseries in Margahovit
and Karin villages, where local and diasporan students visit for
lessons andoutdoor field-based learning. Nearly 1,400 students
including young schoolchildren and university students visited the
Michael and Virginia Ohanian Environmental Educational Center in
Karin Village last year.
The Michael and Virginia Ohanian Center for Environmental Studies was
inaugurated in Margahovit in 2012 and has already hosted more than
200 visitors. The center is run by biology teacher, Gayane Margaryan,
who supervises several student eco clubs that meet there regularly.
Elementary and high school students are members of the eco clubs,
where they discuss environmental challenges, do hands-on work at the
ATP center, and learn environmentally friendly methods of gardening.
Earlier this year, ATP partnered with the Italian CISP charitable
organization (International Committee for the Development of People)
on teacher training focused on the Lori region. ATP trained teachers on
the use of the “Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree” manual and “Participatory
and Innovative Pedagogical Tools for Education on Environmental Health”
prepared by the French Histoires Recyclables NGO.
A total of 125 teachers have already been trained, and the program
will continue this fall. “It is of major importance for ATP to conduct
environmental training in these regions as there has been widespread
deforestation caused by logging and other environmental challenges,”
explained program manager Alla Sahakyan.
“Teachers seem to appreciate this opportunity as it demonstrates
innovative methods and introduces new insights for environmental
education. International organizations are interested in our trainings,
and we’re excited about our first training with CISP,” continued
Sahakyan. “We express our gratitude to CISP for their charitable
mission throughout the world. When organizations having similar
interests cooperate in their activities, it leads to even greater
impact and encouraging results.”
ATP’s mission is to assist the Armenian people in using trees
to improve their standard of living and protect the environment,
guided by the desire to promote self-sufficiency, aid those with the
fewest resources first, and conserve the indigenous ecosystem. ATP’s
three major programs are tree planting, environmental education,
and sustainable development initiatives. For more information, please
visit the website
From: Baghdasarian
PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA SUMMER INTERN TESTIMONIAL
Hamlet Tamazian
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
What it means to be a student has been a question that I have asked myself
from early on in my life. When I was younger, I thought it meant going to
school and doing my homework; as I grew up I realized more and more that
learning takes place more outside of classrooms than inside. I grew up in
Yerevan, Armenia where I had family to guide me through the early stages of
my personal and academic development. Upon graduation, I had to accept
moving away from them and starting the next chapter of my life in Malibu,
California where I attend Pepperdine University and study International
Business and Conflict Management. Moving away from home meant having to
learn quickly and adapt to changes on my feet. However, no matter how
prepared you are on your own and how well you perform in school, being a
student at higher levels of education has also come to mean being an
intern. Internships have become the main source of practical experience for
students, and finding a well-rounded, educational internship is even more
difficult. In my own search I looked for opportunities where I could learn
about fields related to my areas of study; where I could benefit from the
people I work with and the location of my office; where my tasks would
involve issues I care about; where the things I learn can create a platform
of applicable skills that I will use for the rest of my life; and why not,
an internship where I can better connect with people from my community.
After completing the Terjenian-Thomas Summer Internship in Washington, D.C.
at the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly), I can say that I found
these things and much, much more.
Flying out to D.C., I didn’t know what to expect from the largest,
independent Armenian-American advocacy organization, I just knew that the
city I’d live in would be enough for me to justify my trip. I was excited
to live in our nation’s capital, arguably the center of the political
world. I was proud that I would walk on the same streets and visit the same
sites that so many important people have in America’s history. Yet, I never
thought that I’d have the privilege to meet and have conversations with
important political figures. The Assembly internship’s Capitol Idea’s and
Lecture Series programs allowed us to sit down and meet with Senator
Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ),
Ed Royce (R-CA), Jeff Denham (R-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), and Frank Wolf
(R-VA). We also met and discussed Armenian and other issues with staff
members of the Armenia and Caucasus Desk at the Department of State and the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Meeting such high ranking officials has
provided me and the other interns a window through which to see our
government and the way it functions in a more professional light.
Additionally, we had opportunities to raise issues and ask questions
regarding ourselves and our respective communities, a privilege most
students do not get to enjoy. Our meetings with individuals have been
supplemented by tours of important government buildings such as the State
Department, World Bank, the U.S. Treasury and the Library of Congress.
On a more domestic front, the other interns and I had opportunities to meet
prominent members of the Armenian community. This group included leaders
such as Armenian specialist at the Library of Congress Dr. Levon Avdoyan;
Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies Mark Krikorian;
Legate of the Eastern Armenian Diocese of America Archbishop Vicken
Aykazian; Program Manager at U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs
and Border Protection Noris Balabanian; Director at U.S.-Russia Civil
Society Partnership Program at the Eurasia Foundation Laurens Ayvazian;
Attorney at U.S. Department of Justice Aram Gavoor; Founder, President, and
CEO of the Armenian American Cultural Association, Inc. Rita Balian, and
many others. Discussing their views on Armenian issues and the future of
our people was a thrilling, invigorating, and motivating experience.
Meeting individuals of our nation who have worked hard and succeeded in a
variety of our world’s current competitive fields convinces more than
anything else, that we are a capable people. With so many opportunities
available in this great nation, what better place is there for us to reach
our fullest potential?
With this in mind, I have been working at the Assembly for nearly two
months now in different capacities. First, I was assigned to work with the
Assembly’s Executive Director Bryan Ardouny and the Central and Eastern
European Coalition (CEEC), a conglomerate of Eastern European advocacy
groups that together raise awareness of issues regarding the region. At the
CEEC I studied the current needs and political environments of the region,
and ultimately helped organize a foreign policy forum regarding the
benefits of promoting Trans-Atlantic trade between Central and Eastern
European countries and the U.S. Alongside my CEEC projects, I worked with
the Assembly’s Communications Director Taniel Koushakjian and my fellow
intern Robert Avakian on various projects. Mainly, our projects regarded
attending hearings and briefings at think-tanks and on Capitol HIll, using
social media effectively, analyzing and writing policy papers, and keeping
Congress and the Armenian-American community up-to-date on a variety of
issues. No matter where or with whom I worked throughout my time here, I am
happy that all of my experiences gave me new skills which will be useful
later in life.
As I my last week approached and I prepared to leave, I take with me all
the things I have learned from my workplace, but more importantly, I will
take with me priceless memories from my two months in our nation’s capital.
Perhaps as valuable as the skills one acquires in D.C. are the connections
one makes. These connections appear in forms of casual acquaintances,
professional relationships, high-ranking individuals, and most importantly
personal friendships. Friendships we made during an experience as unique as
this internship promise to be fruitful and long-lasting. Having assembled a
diverse group of like-minded American-Armenians, the Armenian Assembly of
America created bridges connecting over a dozen other interns from around
the world. Coming from all corners of the U.S.A., Canada, Armenia, and even
Nagorno-Karabakh, groups like ours have the potential to express a united
voice of the Armenian people. It is my great hope that such initiatives
continue, and the friendships within our group only strengthen. From here
on, as every student must, we will take the lessons we learned in this
internship and use them to pave the way of our future endeavors. I am
happy to say that my time here was very well spent and I thank the Armenian
Assembly of America for providing this life altering experience to me and
the entire 2013 class.
Available online at:
You can read more about the Armenian Assembly of America Terjenian-Thomas
Summer Internship Program in Washington, D.C. on the Assembly intern blog:
From: Baghdasarian
HAMO SAHYAN’S 4 VOLUMES TO BE PUBLISHED ADVANCING POET’S ANNIVERSARY
12:13, 9 August, 2013
YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. On the initiative of “Hamo Sahyan
Scientific-Cultural Centre” NGO four volumes of Hamo Sahyan’s works
will be published advancing the 100th anniversary of the prominent
author.
The publication will be ready by April, 2014.
In a conversation with”Armenpress” the Chairman of “Hamo Sahyan
Scientific-Cultural Centre” NGO, Doctor of Philology Shchors Davtyan
noted that the publication of the four volumes is realized in
association with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia.
Among other things the Chairman of “Hamo Sahyan Scientific-Cultural
Centre” NGO, Doctor of Philology Shchors Davtyan emphasized: “All the
significant works by the poet will be enclosed in those four volumes.
Each of the volumes will contain handwriting of the poet and about
15-20 photos.”
Hamo Sahyan was born on April 14, 1914, in Lor village of the Syunik
Province. Sahyan was a prominent Armenian poet and translator. He
graduated from the Pedagogical institute in 1939. In 1941 he returned
to Yerevan, then served in the Soviet Navy during World War II.[1]
He worked in “Avangard” and “Vozni” newspapers, edited “Grakan tert”.
The first collection of his poems was published in 1946. Sahyan
was awarded by the State Prize of Armenia for his “Sezam, batsvir”
(1972) book. Hamo Sahyan passed away on July 17, 1993, in Yerevan.
From: Baghdasarian
PETITION AGAINST LEVON TER-PETROSYAN: COMMENTS VAHAGN KHACHATRYAN
August 8 2013
“I, the citizen of the Republic of Armenia, join the lawsuit against
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, that in 1995 he falsifying the constitutional
referendum took the power from the people.” In these days, the petition
of such content is conducted among the citizens. In the conversation
with member of ANC Vahagn Khachatryan, Aravot.am inquired as to how
he assesses the implementation of petition, and what steps they are
going to undertake. Mr. Khachatryan replied: “The authority is looking
for ways to divert people’s attention. Instead of giving answers to
questions regarding offshore scandal, price rise, gas price, the
authority is recalling stories to make people forget about those
talks.” The statement, under which RA citizens must sign, states:
“In 1995, pursuant to decision of RA National Assembly, the draft
of the Constitution introducing the authoritarian state management
system was put to referendum. It contradicted democratic principles
of checks and balances in the government, as well as Articles 1 and
2 of the Constitution, which are undeniable and unchangeable, which
in spite of all illegitimacies remained unchanged.
According to this draft, the entire management of the state is
centralized in the hands of RA President and the majority of the
National Assembly, to some extent. RA citizens were deprived of
their right to initiate a referendum, which was stipulated by the
Declaration of the Republic of Armenia, and in 1991 was prescribed
in the form of the law and approved by the Supreme Council.” On
this occasion, Mr. Khachatryan clarified: “Everything took place
within the framework of legality, public, and within the framework
of current legislation of that time. The authority does not have good
expectations from September to the end of the year, plus the worsening
of economic situation, deterioration of economic conditions in Russia,
which will affect the economy of Armenia. This step is very typical of
the authority, without its intervention, no one would demonstrate such
initiative.” The text of the statement also says: “The loss of faith
towards the future resulted in enormous scale of emigration for us.
The year following the seizure of the power, in 1996, a frank
confession was made that even if 100% of citizens make another
decision, we will not hand in the government. Until now, all elections
and referendums have been held without fraud. 18 years have passed
since those events, but so far no one has responded.” We asked V.
Khachatryan why L. Ter-Petrosyan should bear the responsibility. He
answered: “It is not by chance. In fact, L. Ter-Petrosyan is a
unique person that can unite people around him to return the power
to people, constitutionally. It was not also accidental of making
Nagorno Karabakh reportage public, when they were trying to mitigate
the role of Ter-Petrosyan in Nagorno Karabakh war, and to equate it
to even zero. In all cases, the government has always tried to keep
Levon Ter-Petrosyan in the shade, but they failed, especially in
recent times. They are also trying to solve the issue of remaining
in the history, which is failed, too.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
Read more at:
From: Baghdasarian
4 CHILD BEGGARS RECORDED IN ARMENIA THIS YEAR
August 09, 2013 | 11:54
YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Police have a record of five minors that are
engaged in beggary.
Police representative, Police Colonel Nelli Duryan stated the aforesaid
during a press conference on Friday.
She stressed that the problem of beggary is at the focus of the law
enforcement, and the latter is taking numerous actions to put an end
to this matter in Armenia.
Also, four cases of parent-, or relative-provoked child beggary
were recorded in the first seven months of this year, and respective
criminal proceedings were instituted.
Duryan also stressed that the social factor is not a reason for being
engaged in beggary, or committing theft.
“Perhaps they earn more [money] this way than by working with personal
sweat,” she added.
News from Armenia – NEWS.am
From: Baghdasarian
JUVENILE CRIME RATE INCREASES IN ARMENIA
News from Armenia – NEWS.am
August 09, 2013 | 11:35
YEREVAN. – The student violations in schools and in other education
institutions in Armenia have dropped in the first six months of
this year.
Police representative, Police Colonel Nelli Duryan noted the
aforementioned during a press conference on Friday.
She added, however, that there is a growth in the number of crimes
committed by minors, as compared to the year past.
But Duryan stressed that even though there is a growth in the number,
there is a drop in the number of persons involved in crimes.
In her words, the majority of the juvenile crimes in Armenia are
thefts, which are followed by bodily injuries.
In addition, the number of severe crimes committed by minors has
reduced, as compared to last year.
Nelli Duryan also informed that fifteen minors are currently serving
sentences in Armenia for having committed severe crimes.
From: Baghdasarian
FIRST TIME IN ARMENIA – VIVACELL-MTS IMPLEMENTS A VIDEO KIOSK INSTALLATION PROJECT IN CULTURAL SITES
08-08-2013 17:01:29 | | Science and Technology
Today VivaCell-MTS launched a video kiosk in the Monastic Complex
Khor Virap. For the first time in Armenia such a kiosk was installed
near St. Gayane Chapel, in Holy Edchmiadzin. The project is aimed at
facilitating the Armenian historical monument awareness in the world
and improving the positions of Armenia as a touristic destination.
The video device is placed in front of the St. Gevorg Chapel.
Underneath the chapel is a deep pit, where Gregory the Illuminator
was imprisoned. The video kiosk gives visitors a tool to shoot a
one-minute long video and send it to close ones and friends via
e-mail for AMD 500. The location of the device allows having the
church on the background of the video. The message contains a link to
information about the monument, so that the recipient of the video
can both see the greeting and familiarize oneself with the history
of the historical site. The device also offers an opportunity to send
the message in English, Armenian, or Russian.
“Video kiosk is the easiest and fastest way to capture and share online
the memorable moments and impressions with family and friends, who are
far away, through a video message. Thanks to this reliable solution and
high-speed internet provided by VivaCell-MTS, visitors to historical
and cultural sites are provided with a convenient means to collect and
store memories. Overall, the video kiosk project is another means to
help position Armenia as a comfortable touristic destination. This
solution will also help create emotional bones between our sacred
land and our guests,” told VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.
More video devices are planned to be installed near the historical and
cultural monuments located on the territory of Armenia in the future.
The complete information about the historical and cultural monuments
is provided by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin.
– Science and Technology News from Armenia and Diaspora – Noyan Tapan –
See more at:
From: Baghdasarian
LA POLICE ANTI-EMEUTE A EMPECHE LES MILITANTS FAISANT SIT-IN DEVANT LA MAIRIE D’INSTALLER UNE TENTE
ARMENIE
Le sit-in d’un groupe de militants, depuis une semaine, devant la
mairie de Erevan, continue de retenir l’attention de la presse.
Rappelons que les manifestants reclament la destitution des deux
responsables du domaine des transports en commun de la capitale,
ainsi qu’une indemnisation des habitants qui ont paye, cinq jours
durant, un tarif plus eleve. Jeudi ceux-ci ont essaye d’installer des
tentes devant la mairie de Erevan, ce qui a suscite une rixe entre
manifestants et policiers. Un des militants, Arguichti Kivirian,
journaliste connu, a ete conduit dans un commissariat, puis relâche
trois heures après. Hayots Achkhar remarque que les manifestants,
très calmes au debut, semblent devenir de plus en plus agressifs dans
leurs actions. / Rapporte par l’ensemble de la presse
Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 2 août 2013
vendredi 9 août 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com
From: Baghdasarian
AIR ARMENIA VA LANCER DES VOLS A DESTINATION DE LA RUSSIE
ARMENIE
Prochainement Air Armenia CJSC fera son premier vol de passagers
Erevan-Moscou-Erevan a indique son PDG Arsen Avetisyan.
Selon lui, il y a trois semaines, le Departement general de l’Aviation
Civile d’Armenie a fourni a Air Armenia une licence d’un an pour
effectuer des vols vers Moscou, Sotchi, Samara, Rostov-sur-Don,
Krasnodar et Saint-Petersbourg. Deux avions A-320 seront exploites.
Le premier vol devrait avoir lieu le 18 août.
Il a ajoute que les deux avions de passagers ont ete loues. Le bail
s’elève a 3,2 millions de dollars.
vendredi 9 août 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com
From: Baghdasarian