Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Crimean Tatars against recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Ukraine

15:22 15.06.2013

The Armenian Genocide bill introduced in the Ukrainian Parliament has
irritated Mustafa Dzhemilev, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean
Tatar People and a member of the Batkivshchyna Party.

`Even if the bill passes the Parliament, I don’t believe the President
will have enough will to sign it,’ Dzhemilev said, Yerkramas newspaper
of Armenians of Russia reports.

According to him, the preparation of the given document is an
inconsiderate and unsound step. `The number of Turkic nations in
Ukraine is much greater than that of Armenians. The authors of the
bill should be aware of the consequences it’s adoption could lead to,’
the MP said, adding that Ukraine’s relations with Azerbaijan, Turkey
and other Turkic nations could spoil.

Polemika.com.ua quotes Dzhemilev as saying that he will talk to Arsen
Avakov, one of the co-authors of the bill, who is a member of the
Batkivshchyna Party.

`I will tell him that this step is unacceptable. If the faction
supports the decision, I will withdraw from it. At the same time,
we’ll tell other MPs that the step will be a blow to Ukraine’s foreign
policy,’ he said.

The MP added that should the Armenian Genocide bill be adopted, it
could lead to the mass protests of Turkic-speaking nations of Ukraine.

The bill on the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1922 perpetrated at the
hands of the Ottoman Empire was introduced in the Ukrainian Supreme
Rada. The document has been authored by member of the Batkivshchyna
Party Arsen Avakov, members of the Party of Regions Vilen Shatvoryan
and Never Mkhitaryan.

From: Baghdasarian

New York Times
June 15 2013

My Father, the Stranger

By DIANA MARKOSIAN
Published: June 15, 2013

I KNOCKED on the door of a stranger.

I had traveled halfway around the world to see him.

My father.

I was 7 years old when I last saw him. Nearly 15 years later, I stood
in the courtyard of his home in Armenia. My brother remembered where
our father lived. It was the same gray, decaying Soviet-era building
my parents lived in after they married.

You could say that I had come home. But that wasn’t how it felt.

I have few memories of my father. I remember us dancing together and
him giving me my first doll. I also remember him leaving. He liked to
leave. He was good at it. Sometimes he would be gone for months at a
time, and then unexpectedly he would be back.

Until, one day, it was our turn to leave.

My mother woke me up and told me to pack my belongings. I remember her
gripping my hand as we made our way to the airport in Moscow. She said
we were going on a trip. The next day, we arrived at our new home,
California.

We hardly ever spoke of my father. I had no pictures of him, and over
time forgot what he looked like.

When I would ask my mother about him, she would look at me,
disappointed: `Forget him. He’s gone,’ she’d say.

But he wasn’t. He was still there, in our old home. The inside
resembled a museum, the walls covered with my grandfather’s oil
paintings and faded family pictures. Each one revealed glimpses of my
father’s presence in my life. My parents looked so happy, so in love.
All I ever knew was my mother’s anger and disappointment toward him.

I felt robbed of a relationship with a father, and somehow I wanted to
make up for the lost years. For nearly a year, I lived with him.
Often, we spent our mornings together, my father sitting across the
table from me, telling me stories as if we were old friends.

I had forgotten so much about him – the shape of his face, the sound
of his voice, the way he laughed. It felt special to be near my father
– and yet often he was consumed, with his writing, with his own
father, and with his new family; not too long ago, he had another
child, a little girl who lives with her mother. He doesn’t live with
her. He visits.

I should have been happy for him, but when I watched him play with his
daughter, it felt like a bruise someone kept pressing. I wanted to
escape, but instead I photographed them together. In some moments, he
would open up, reveal more of his personality, allowing me to enter
his life. I often didn’t know how to behave around him. Sometimes he
would watch me brush my hair or reach to embrace me. When he did, I
would pull away. I didn’t know what he was to me, and more important,
what I was to him.

My father shared his poetry with me. His words told me what he
couldn’t otherwise. There’s pain there I understand. A longing for
more. That is something we share.

Slowly I am piecing together a picture of a familiar stranger. In some
ways, he is no less absent to me than when I was a child. But through
these images, I now have a glimpse of a man who should have been my
father.

Diana Markosian is a documentary photographer and writer based in Myanmar.

From: Baghdasarian

Armenian government to study open letter sent by Syunik villagers

June 15, 2013 | 18:24

YEREVAN. – Armenian government is aware of the open letter sent by
Syunik villagers and will give instructions to deal with the matter,
representative from the Cabinet press service told Armenian
News-NEWS.am.

In a letter, farmers said they had information that the government
intended to help the villagers and provide fertilizers and diesel for
lower prices. However, local authorities supplied their relatives and
friends with cheap diesel.

Talking to the agency correspondent, one of the village heads
categorically dismissed the reports, noting that he provided diesel at
the price set by the government and is responsible for his actions.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

Catholicos Aram I met Lebanese President

17:15, 15 June, 2013

ANTILLAS, JUNE 15, ARMENPRESS: Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia
Aram I on June 15 met the president of Republic of Lebanon
Michel Suleiman. `Armenpress’ was informed from Antillas that at the
meeting was also present a delegation consisting of 30 diocese
leaders.

His Holiness Catholicos made his valuation to the President in the
process of highlighting the role and presence of the authorities in
international communities with the help of his periodic visits. Those
visits strengthen the relations and cooperation of Lebanon and
Lebanese people from abroad.

Talking about the situation in Middle East the Catholicos expressed
his concern on its negative influence on the region as well as on
Lebanon.

The president of the Republic expressed his gladness for the valuation
of the His Holiness Catholicos stressing the importance of
relations with external world for Lebanon and the priority of
internalunity. He also gave a high estimation to Armenian Lebanese
people
and their role in the development of the country.

From: Baghdasarian

`Lost and Found’ Seeks to Reunite Audiences with Armenian Culture

Arts | June 13, 2013 12:58 pm
By Gabriella Gage

Mirror-Spectator Staff

WATERTOWN – The creators of the recently released `Lost and Found in
Armenia’ say they wanted to create more than just a film about
Armenians – they wanted to showcase current Armenian talent and
culture in the arts.

The film is the story of Bill (Jamie Kennedy), an American tourist and
son of a US Senator who vacations in Turkey trying to mend his broken
heart. After a strange parasailing accident, Bill unknowingly finds
himself in a small village in Armenia where he is accused of being a
Turkish spy. In a comedic series of events, Bill meets a beautiful
Armenian girl (Angela Sarafyan) who helps him navigate his plight.

The film’s producer, Valerie McCaffrey grew up in Fresno’s Armenian
community and her mother hails from Lowell, Mass. Prior to her work as
a producer, McCaffrey studied theater at the University of Hawaii
before graduating from California State University, Long Beach. She
worked for eight years a casting director for Universal Studios and
then as the vice president of casting at New Line Cinema. Her film
credits include films such as `American History X,’ and she is
credited with discovering actors such as Jeremy Renner and Ellen Page.

The initial idea for the film began with actor Vachik Mangassarian,
who plays Josef in the film. After hearing the story concept,
McCaffrey said she was `sold.’

`I loved the whole thing,’ she recalled. McCaffrey, together with
director Gor Kirakosian, worked to develop a sizzle reel for the film
to show potential investors and cast. From the buzz created by the
sizzle reel they were able to find the funding for the film, with much
of the investments coming from Armenia.

Fellow producer Maral Djerejian worked tirelessly with their team to
create a film that would appeal to a variety of audiences.

McCaffrey cast the film, in addition to developing the script and
helping to find investors. `We wanted an American actor [for Bill] who
would be perfect for bridging the audiences. I immediately thought of
Jamie,’ said McCaffrey.

The team shot on location throughout villages in Armenia for six
weeks. They also filmed in San Diego for a week and a few days in Los
Angeles.

`We employed a lot of people [in Armenia.] We were able to use the
money invested by Armenia and put it back into the country when
filming.’

Four languages were spoken on set, including Georgian.

`Everybody worked as a family to get this done,’ she said.

A few Turkish actors also participated in the film production. `This
is one of the first times Turkish and Armenian actors have worked
together on a film,’ noted McCaffrey.

McCaffrey was proud to focus on the current artistic achievements of
talented Armenian actors and bring them to the attention of American
audiences. `There are so many talented Armenian actors who are devoted
to their art, but there aren’t enough roles for them there,’ said
McCaffrey.

This film does not focus on the Armenian Genocide or tragic events in
Armenia’s history, but instead, is a light-hearted take on current
Armenian culture. One goal was to create a fun and accessible way for
those not familiar with the Armenian worldwide community to learn
about the culture and heritage. `It’s [the film] is about who we are
as a people,’ said McCaffrey. `We see a lot of our own family members
and people we know in these characters,’ she added. `This American
character falls in love with Armenia and Armenian culture,’ said
McCaffrey, adding that she hopes that it is a sentiment audiences will
share with `Bill.’

For lead actress Sarafyan, the film was also a homecoming. `Angela had
left Armenia at age 4. She came back to her homeland to shoot this
film. It was an emotional experience for her and we were so lucky to
have her as a part of it.’

According to McCaffrey, the film has sold out several screenings
including its weekend opening in Glendale. `The audience response has
been great so far. People are just loving it,’ she said.

The film is currently playing at the following theaters: Pacific
Theaters Americana, Glendale; Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills,
Calif.; Laemmle Town Center, Encino, Calif.; AMC Burbank 8, Burbank,
Calif.; Sierra Vista 16, Fresno/Clovis, Calif.; AMC Methuen, Methuen,
Mass.; AMC Forum, Detroit, Mich.; AMC Hamilton 24, Hamilton, NJ and
AMC Rio, Washington DC.

From: Baghdasarian

Center of American Studies may be opened in Yerevan State University

19:31, 14 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS: Minister of education and science of
Armenia Armen Ashotyan hosted the delegation headed by ambassador
extraordinary and plenipotentiary of USA to Armenia John Heffern.
`Armenpress’ was informed from the ministry of education and science
that several educational issues have been discussed during the
meeting.

Interlocutors reverberated to expansion and development of
inter-university cooperation. There was also reverberation to the idea
of creating a center of American studies in Yerevan State University.

The other issue discussed during the meeting referred to international
accreditation of Universities. Minister Ashotyan informed the
ambassador that Yerevan State Medical University after M. Heratsi has
gained recognition by Medical Council of California according to which
students who have learnt in Armenian will have opportunity to apply
for training certificate.

American side also reverberated to the issue of business education in
Armenia and opportunities of its development. On this issue Ashotyan
mentioned that such education is comparably expensive service.

At the end of the meeting issues relating to economic education,
informational technologies and other educational issues were
discussed.

From: Baghdasarian

Hovannisian: There will be new murders if Mr. Liska not jailed

Saturday,
June 15

`If Mister Liska (Aysor.am: the nickname of former Syunuk governor
Suren Khachatrian) is not jailed, there will be new murders,’ Heritage
Party leader Raffi Hovannisian said at the meeting with their party’s
supporters today. In his words, impunity engenders new crimes.

He spoke about the report of Control Chamber. `No one should be
surprised at the Control Chamber’s updated reports and disclosures, of
which we were aware log ago,’ Hovannisian noted. According to him, the
public punishment and imprisonment of a few officials will not solve
the problem as `higher-ranking officials should bear responsibility’.

At the meeting, Raffi Hovannisian enumerated a number of pressing
problems in Armenia such as issues of Karabakh war veterans,
servicemen in the army, Armavir hailstorm-hit farmers, the Proshian
village murder, Nairit Plants staff’s wage arrears, the problem of
Yerevan’s Closed Market, and so on.

TODAY, 16:28
Aysor.am

From: Baghdasarian

A unique treatment for chronic diseases invented by Dr. Simon Allen
who is originally Armenian

15:38 15/06/2013 » HEALTH

For a long time people have been trying to understand the causes of
chronic diseases and whether there is a real way of eliminating them.
Thus people have tried Western and Eastern medicines, folk means and
even spiritual healing. Unfortunately, however, all modern mainstream
and alternative therapies turn out to be powerless in beating chronic
diseases. So is there any way to get rid of internal chronic diseases?

Dr. Simon Allen, from the UK, has discovered a remarkable insight into
how internal chronic diseases originate and develop, and has created
the Origin of Diseases theory.

Backed by decades of research, experiments and observation, he has
concluded that there is a single cause of all chronic diseases: it is
a spontaneous growth of capillaries in response to a continuous
irritating factor. It is known that the capillaries are tiny vessels
that carry blood to all cells, feeding, cleansing, and renewing them.
So why does their growth play such an important role? The answer is
straightforward: in essence, an increased number of capillaries means
an increase in the mass of an organ’s tissue that begins to put
pressure on the surrounding body tissue, causing a disease.

Thus, Dr. Allen has identified a specific mechanism of the development
of chronic diseases. Capillaries respond to different irritating
factors (such as pain, stress, infection and others) by constricting,
which leads to the deficiency of blood in the stressed tissue of the
organ, and consequently to the lowering of the temperature locally as
well as the lack of nutrients. The lowering of the temperature locally
eventually becomes a new irritating factor. In order to increase blood
flow to heat the stressed tissue, the expansion of the capillary
network follows. This process of spontaneous capillary growth produces
excess tissue in the affected organ. This tissue growth increases the
pressure inside the organ and damages its proper functioning, causing
a chronic disease.

It turns out that all chronic disease have a single cause! On the
basis of this theory, Dr. Allen has created a new outstanding method
of treatment of all internal chronic diseases, termed the
Thermobalancing therapy. Dr Allen’s therapy of the 21st century can
improve the heart muscle condition, can terminate the benign growth of
the prostate gland and even reduce its size, dissolve kidney stones
and relieve back pain. It is noteworthy that the therapy does not
require any drugs or surgical procedures. Dr. Allen’s Devices treat
with the natural thermo-elements, which are completely harmless to
humans.

Most importantly, Dr. Allen’s Devices and the Thermobalancing therapy
they enable aim at not only easing the symptoms but at treating the
cause of diseases at the capillary level. This is the key reason for
the remarkable effectiveness of this natural treatment.
These wonderful devices are easy to wear, widely affordable, and do
not impede the day-to-day activities of their users. The energy
accumulated by the thermo-elements treats organs and body areas to
which they are applied. The Devices are available online worldwide at

Let’s review two of Dr. Allen’s Devices:

1. Dr. Allen’s heart disease treatment device consists of the
thermo-element and two T-shirts (to be worn interchangeably). The
T-shirts are made of a soft cotton fabric, and hold the thermo-element
tightly in the correct place. The pocket is located on the inside of
the T-shirt so that the thermo-element is in close contact with the
body area in projection of the left ventricle and the apex of the
heart. It is the most vulnerable part of the heart when coronary heart
disease is concerned. The thermo-element needs to fit the body
properly; otherwise the therapeutic effect will not be seen. The
device should be worn during the day and at night – wearing it while
asleep has a positive healing impact. This set is usually sufficient
for at least half a year, or more. Usually it lasts long enough for
the improvement of the heart muscle to take place. Some patients get
used to it and keep wearing it for longer. This is absolutely fine, as
the Thermobalancing therapy is harmless.

2. Dr. Allen’s Device for the treatment of chronic prostatitis and
benign prostatic hyperplasia has demonstrated high effectiveness.
The belt holding the thermo-element covers the tailbone, and is made
from soft neoprene. This fabric is elastic, widely used in aqua sports
and fits the body comfortably. The users don’t even notice that they
are receiving a powerful treatment. Men become amazed when the pain
and other symptoms gradually disappear. Some men feel relief and stop
wearing the device too soon. This is a mistake because the disease –
triggered by the poor circulation at the capillary level -stays longer
than the symptoms. Therefore the users are advised to keep wearing the
device for at least 3 months after the disturbing symptoms have eased.
That’s it!

The Thermobalancing therapy is an independent method of treatment,
which optimizes internal healing processes in the human body. It is a
natural treatment, which cleanses the organs from inflammation and
excess tissues by improving blood circulation at the capillary level.

Dr. Allen’s Devices impress the users with their effectiveness.
Positive customer feedback comes from all over the world.
The Oxford Innovation Centre has been amazed with the treatment
results of the Thermobalancing therapy, and has recorded several video
interviews with the users explaining their health problems and Dr.
Allen’s Devices have helped them. These videos are posted on Youtube
and on other websites.

21st Century Health, an American TV production company, even recorded
a health show about the advantages of the Thermobalancing therapy,
that was broadcast on various well-known TV channels, such as Fox
Business, CNBC and Bloomberg.
So what is the key to the success of this simple treatment? Well, its
brilliance is in its simplicity!

Source: Panorama.am

From: Baghdasarian

Armenia’s Kapan Municipality intends to refuse from water supply management

June 15, 2013 | 13:06

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Municipality Kapan adopted a decision to pass
drinking water supply and sewerage system under the administration of
ArmWaterCanal CJSC, and free of charge for 25 years.

But no agreement has been signed, and the discussion of this matter
was held at Kapan Municipality on Thursday, EcoLur reports.

As `For Environmental Safety and Developing Democracy’ legal
consultant Artur Ghazaryan told EcoLur, the organization was against
this decision.

`We don’t trust ArmWaterCanal that the company will manage it properly
after getting the complete run of the water. So far, ArmWaterCanal
hasn’t performed the court ruling in cleaning sewerage and eliminating
ecological disaster due to water pollution,’ Ghazaryan said.

There are concerns that ArmWaterCanal plans to get a loan in the
amount of $6 million, from the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD) and the Asian Development Bank, to reconstruct
water supply and sewerage system.

`[But] we can see how the EBRD loans are spent: the company will say
it replaced the whole system, then it will start paying off the loan
and getting super profits at our expense. We have become convinced,
over the course of nine years, that ArmWaterCanal doesn’t perform its
duties, and it’s impermissible to pass our water under its
administration,’ Artur Ghazaryan stated.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

Chechen president says foreign special forces trying to recruit their
soldiers for Syria war

13:46 – 15.06.13

Foreign special services are trying to recruit young people from
Chechnya to fight with the Syrian opposition, Chechen president Ramzan
Kadyrov said, according to the Voice of Russia.

“It is no secret that the so-called opposition in Syria acts under the
guidance of foreign special services. No one even tries to hide it.
Naturally, young people coming to Syria from Russia are a delicacy for
them. One tries to recruit them. And one cannot be sure that such kind
of recruiting will not be then directed against Russia,” Kadyrov said
on Saturday.

There is no ‘sacred war’ in Syria, he said.

“There is an action clearly planned by external forces to overthrow
the regime, destroy the country and liquidate its armed forces,”
Kadyrov said.

“There are several people from Chechnya in Syria,” he said.

“According to our data, five or six nationals of our republic died
there. In the name of what? For the sake of what and who? It would be
better if they stayed at home, helped their parents, raised their
children, work and study,” he said.

“The problem of the former participants in the Syrian events may be
very acute, if one returns from there alive, which is rather doubtful.
It cannot be fully solved by our special services and police.

First of all, one should show on TV what ‘the Syrian opposition’ is,
what it seeks and what its attitude is has to Islam,” Kadyrov said.

“Our Muslim theologians say that there can be no signs of jihad in
Syria. Both parties use weapons. There is a fight for power and
resources. And the opposition is under the power of those who fund it,
ship arms and ammunition, and send military experts,” Kadyrov said.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: Baghdasarian