Author: Boshkezenian Garik

Tacy, Israel
INDIA PLANS TO CAPTURE 10% OF THE US$6-7 BILLION CIS
JEWELRY MARKET
21 September 2006
India’s Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) recently
led an 8-member delegation representing leading manufacturers from
different sectors such as diamond, colored gemstones, silver and
jewelry to CIS Nations including Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan,
Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
The key objective of the visit was to strengthen bilateral trade
between the gem and jewelry industry in India and those countries. The
delegation explored the potential of the gem and jewelry market in
the CIS nations, analyzed the possibility of sourcing raw materials,
supplying cut and polished diamonds as well as gold jewelry, and also
discussed cross participation in jewelry exhibitions.
“The gem and jewelry delegation visit to CIS nations was a very first
sector specific delegation and the initiative was very successful. The
total market size across the CIS countries along with Russia is
estimated at US$6 to US$7 billion with Ukraine providing the maximum
growth potential. GJEPC plans to capture 10 percent of this market in
the next 2-3 years through various aggressive initiatives,” explains
Sanjay Kothari, Convener-PMBD, GJEPC.
As for future courses of action, the GJEPC will promote the import
of polished Russian diamonds through the CIS countries, and intends
to focus on the supply of loose diamonds and colored gemstones in
the CIS nations having a good market.
In order to enjoy more duty benefits while importing jewelry to Russia,
GJEPC plans to encourage exporters to export semi-finished jewelry
to the CIS countries and set up small manufacturing units in CIS
countries where the semi-finished jewelry can then be converted to
finished jewelry. Indian jewelry manufacturers also plan to undertake
an exchange program of jewelry designers in order to understand the
trends prevalent in the CIS nations.
Investment in the mining sector for colored gemstones and silver is
being contemplated as a means to alleviate India’s sourcing problems.

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
Caucasus Reporting Service
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Georgia: The Last Collective Farm
Land reform may be the last straw for Georgia’s
Dukhobor community.
By Olesya Vartanian in Gorelovka
It is only six in the morning, but there is already a commotion
outside the house of tractor driver Oleg.
Amid angry shouts and obscenities, local residents are vying to be
the first to get his three-strong crew and old machinery to mow the
hay on their plots.
“They are all flocking in and all of them want to have their hay
mown immediately,” grumbles Oleg. “We are working at night too,
but we still have no time to please everyone.”
This harvest-time rush is something new for the Russian village of
Gorelovka in Georgia’s southern Samtskhe-Javakheti region, near the
border with Armenia.
It is a result of the land reform, which started in Georgia in 1992,
but reached Gorelovka only this summer.
Only after the haymaking had begun did villagers find out they were
entitled to land of their own. However, the news upset many villagers,
who don’t want to see their collective farm – the only one in Georgia
left over from Soviet times – broken up.
Gorelovka is home to a community of Dukhobors, ethnic Russians
practicing a rare form of Orthodox Christianity, who were exiled from
Russia to the Caucasus in the middle of the 19th century for their
pacifist views and doctrinal beliefs.
Fifteen years ago Dukhobors lived in eight villages in this region,
but today their community, once nearly 7,000 strong, has shrunk to
only a few hundred. (See ‘Special Report: Last Days of the Georgian
Dukhobors, CRS 254, September 3, 2004).
Their Dukhoborets agricultural cooperative, which the Russians still
call by its old Communist name, a collective farm, was founded by the
Dukhobor community in 1997 to succeed Gorelovka’s Lenin collective
farm.
It remained faithful to traditions of Soviet-style collective farming.
Only Dukhobors could use the lands of the farm, even though ethnic
Russians account for only half of Gorelovka’s population, with
Armenians and Georgians forming the other half. Ethnic Armenians
and Georgians, who came to live in the village in the Nineties, when
Dukhobors started to leave, were not allowed to work in Dukhoborets
but still had to buy hay for their cows from the farm.
As in Communist times, the collective farm provided each Dukhobor
family with a small plot of land. The crops were divided up between
the family and the cooperative, which was the only employer for the
Russians and paid its workforce quite well by Georgian standards at
around 150 laris (80 US dollars) a month.
The land distribution commission of the local administration has now
started to hand out land around Gorelovka. This summer, they stripped
the cooperative of almost 5,000 hectares, which was distributed among
all the local Armenians, Russians and Georgians, leaving Dukhoborets
with only 600 hectares.
“We gave between six and 15 hectares to each Dukhobor family,” said
the head of the local administration Azat Yegoyan. “This is quite a
lot for one family.”
The head of the land commission, Askanas Markosian, said no
particular criteria had been applied when the plots were being
distributed. Precedence was given to local farmers, “as they feed
the state and have people working for them.”
Auctions will soon be held to sell off the rest of the land.
Most local officials see the collective farm as an unwanted remnant of
Soviet times, which leaders of the Dukhobor community were exploiting
skilfully to avoid sharing lands with migrant Armenians and Georgians.
But the Dukhobors have been reluctant to give up their common farm
and few of them understand what it will mean to have private property.
Dukhobors say the farm is far more than an agricultural enterprise,
but something that preserves their communal traditions.
“Since time immemorial Dukhobors have been living as a commune,”
explained Lyubov Demina. “People here don’t want to readjust to a new
way of life. All the other collective farms in the area were abolished,
but we reorganised ours. We did this because we thought that we would
live as long as our communal way of life did.”
Like all other Dukhobor families in Gorelovka, Olga Medvedeva’s
family still lives in a small peasant’s hut that resembles a Russian
19th-century home.
Whitewashed on the outside, the walls of the house are made of
dung bricks. The light coming in through small windows rests on
patterned embroideries, tapestries and a Russian stove that smells
of smouldering coals.
Having washed her hands in the wash-stand, Olga cuts newly-baked
bread and puts the generous slices on an old wooden table.
She said she worked milking cows in Gorelovka’s collective farm for
20 years. This year her family was given 10 hectares of land, around
the same amount as they had from the collective farm.
“A lot of people used to work on the collective farm, and if a family
had a milkmaid and tractor driver, it was a well-off,” she said with
sadness in her voice.
Tatyana Chuchmayeva, head of the Dukhobor community, said that 470
local Dukhobors had sent applications to the Russian government to
move to Russia. They are being promised free transport, housing and
benefits for six months.
“Gorelovka’s Dukhobors are now waiting for the beginning of next year,
when the State Duma will start considering resettlement projects from
provinces, and then they will know exactly where they will be moved,”
said Chuchmayeva.
Olga Medvedeva’s family is among the applicants for participation in
the program.
“If everyone goes, I won’t stay here either,” she said. “But it will
be a pity, because I’ve spent my whole life here.”
Olesya Vartanian is a journalist for Southern Gates newspaper,
founded by IWPR in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region.

OSKANYAN: PROSPECTS OF DISPATCHING ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS TO LEBANON UNDER DISCUSSION NOW
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 14 2006
YEREVAN, September 14. /ARKA – Novosti-Armenia/. Armenian Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan said Thursday that the prospects of
dispatching Armenian peacekeepers to Lebanon are under discussion now,
but the final decision depends on some factors.
In his words, Armenia has received official proposals from some
countries to take part in the peacekeeping mission. These offers are
under discussions now, he said, but there are some questions in need
to be clarified before making decision.
“Such mission shouldn’t be an end in itself. Our presence there
should pursue certain goal. When this goal is become clear, Armenia
will make a final decision”, Oskanyan said.
He said that, yet before the last Israeli strike against Lebanon,
the latter asked Armenia to send a mine-sniffing crew to the country.
The minister didn’t rule out that Armenia would take part in
mine-clearing work in Lebanon later, when the situation gets under
control.
Oskanyan also said that Armenian community in Lebanon urged Armenian
authorities to dispatch peacekeepers to the troubled country.
“We take into consideration the community’s view and maintain constant
contacts with it, but there are some other circumstances we should
take into account. I’m convinced the right decision will be eventually
made”, the minister said.

EDUCATION NOTES
Dallas Morning News, TX
12:00 AM CDT on Monday, September 18, 2006
OF NOTE
UNT Foundation receives $1 million gift: G. Brint Ryan of Dallas, a
University of North Texas accounting graduate who founded Ryan & Co. –
America’s largest independent state and local tax consulting firm –
has donated $1 million to the UNT Foundation. The gift will create a
permanent endowment fund that is expected to generate approximately
$40,000 a year in discretionary spending for the accounting department
in UNT’s College of Business Administration. Prior to his $1 million
donation, Mr. Ryan gave gifts totaling more than $74,000 to the
university and the accounting department.
West End center to be announced: El Centro College will announce plans
to remodel the Paramount building at 301 N. Market St. in the Dallas
West End at 10 a.m.
Friday. The building will house the college’s Center for Allied
Health and Nursing. Plans call for immediate demolition of most of
the building’s internal structure to construct a new state-of-the-art
health and nursing facility that will serve the needs of El Centro
nursing programs and 12 of its 13 allied health programs. The college
expects construction to be completed in time to open the remodeled
building in fall 2007. El Centro, the flagship college of the Dallas
County Community College District, is at 801 Main St., about a block
south of the Paramount building, which dates to 1924.
Grant to help teacher hopefuls: Aspiring teachers can now receive
monetary assistance to meet their career goals, thanks to a new Fort
Worth Independent School District program funded by the U.S. Department
of Education. The Transition to Teaching grant represents about $1.6
million in tuition and tuition support. The district will work with
Texas Woman’s University to administer the program over the next
five years.
Individuals who take advantage of this program must make a commitment
to teach in the Fort Worth school district for a period of time after
completing the program. For more information, contact Birdie Avant
at 817-871-2237.
DCCCD open house this week: The Dallas County Community College
District will host a design and construction open house for interested
area builders, construction firms, architects and contractors from 4 to
6 p.m. Wednesday at 1505 S. Lamar St., Suite 1015, in Dallas. Business
people will learn more about phase II and phase III projects in the
DCCCD bond program, which was approved by voters in May 2004, and
upcoming bond projects. Refreshments will be served, and complimentary
parking is available. For more information about location and parking
or to make a reservation, contact Dee Crawford at 972-860-7903.
THINGS TO DO
Parent program scheduled: “911 for Parents … Stop Fighting, Whining &
Back-Talk” is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Terrell
Performing Arts Center and is being hosted by Terrell High School. It
is free for parents. “We’re going to teach parents, grandparents
and child-care providers how to effectively manage everything from
the little guys in the family to the teenagers,” said Diana Day,
a child behavior expert.
Media panel set Wednesday: The University of Texas at Arlington will
host a panel of media experts to talk about free speech and the media
from noon to 1 p.m.
Wednesday in the sixth-floor parlor of UT Arlington’s Central Library,
702 Planetarium Place. This event, “Power of the Press,” is free and
open to the public.
For information, contact Robert Wright, UT Arlington director of public
affairs, at 817-272-5364 or visit http://
ACHIEVERS
DISD social studies teacher Carolyn Reitz has been chosen for the
2006 Armenia School Connectivity Program. Ms. Reitz, who teaches at
Booker T.
Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, was one
of 25 educators nationwide selected for the program.
IN DISD
Student holiday this week: Friday is a staff development day for DISD
teachers and a holiday for students.

The Daily Telegraph (LONDON)
September 16, 2006 Saturday
The man of pleasure, the aristocrat and the belly-dancer
by Jane Stevenson
The Ruby in her Navel
by Barry Unsworth
336pp, Hamish Hamilton, pounds 17.99
T pounds 15.99 (plus pounds 1.25 p&p) 0870 428 4112
This lushly written novel is set in one of the most extraordinary
cultures ever to have existed, 12th-century Sicily. When the Normans,
those austere Christian descendants of the Vikings, went native in
the Mediterranean, they created a dazzlingly sophisticated hybrid
civilisation. Barry Unsworth’s evocation of this exquisite world of
perfumed silk, mosaics and tinkling fountains is a brilliant example
of the historical novelist’s art. Every detail carries conviction
but, far more importantly, what is going on in Thurstan Beauchamps’s
head is also perfectly realised. He is a product of a world in which
loyalty is a central virtue, knighthood is not a joke and the code of
courtly love still rules. He finds himself poised between two women,
the Norman aristocrat he has worshipped since childhood, and an
independent-minded Armenian belly-dancer; spiritual versus fleshly
love.
Or so he thinks. I do not want to give away the twists and turns of
this eminently well-plotted story, but in the course of the
narrative, all his faiths are tested, including his beliefs about
women. The novel is entirely successful as a romance, or a story
about growing up and growing out of unexamined assumptions. But
beneath the surface, some serious ideas are moving. Thurstan is the
king’s Purveyor of Pleasures. It is his job to find new sources of
entertainment and bring them to Palermo: a job that lends itself to
being combined with espionage and undercover activity. He works under
Yusuf ibn Mansur in the finance department, or diwan of control, for
Norman Sicily is a mixed culture of Normans, Byzantines, Arabs and
Jews.
In the 12th century, Western and Eastern Christendom had a heritage
of mutual suspicion, which arose partly from ideology and politics,
partly from fundamental cultural differences but, beyond that, Norman
Sicily was an experiment in Christian and Muslim coexistence. For
various reasons, Thurstan’s world was an irritant to both Eastern and
Western emperors, an experiment that many people wanted to see fail.
This was the era of the crusades, and King Roger’s realm was a direct
affront to the Christian fundamentalists from the West, who insisted
that Christians and Arabs were inescapably opposed, and any attempt
at dialogue was not only doomed, but damned.
There are lessons here for our own time, but Unsworth is not in the
business of big statements. He addresses the problem of a genuinely
multicultural society with subtlety, and asks the crucial question:
can people whose cultural heritage is completely different ever
really trust one another? Trust, not love, is at the heart of this
novel. Thurstan is trusted by Yusuf, and proud to be so trusted, but
Yusuf’s mind proceeds along different tracks from Thurstan’s; they
understand one another up to a point, but only by a continuous effort
of imagination, and there is much that Thurstan sees only when it is
too late. Content to serve his king, he fails to see the depths of
treachery and bad faith that surround the court at Palermo.
When the novel opens, Thurstan sees the royal household as something
that has risen above the petty strivings of ordinary mortals. To him,
King Roger is a remote and glorious figure. By the time his story
comes to an end, he has looked the king in the eye, and has come to
understand that the strife between nations is larger and more cruel
than that between factions within a society, but not intrinsically
different.
In an attempt to balance his various loyalties, Thurstan is driven to
commit gross injustice and to betray one of the people he holds most
dear. Ultimately, he has no choice but to walk away from everything
he has ever valued – though in the process, he must make another leap
of faith, in an unexpected direction. Love, trust and honour exist,
he finds; but not where he has been taught to look for them.

Associated Press Worldstream
September 13, 2006 Wednesday
SoCal heirs of Armenians file lawsuit against German banks
LOS ANGELES
Heirs of Armenians killed nearly a century ago in the Turkish Ottoman
Empire can proceed with a lawsuit against two German banks they claim
owe them millions of dollars.
Federal Judge Margaret M. Morrow’s ruling on Monday allows the
class-action suit to move ahead. No trial date was set.
Deutsche Bank A.G. and Dresdner Bank A.G. were sued in January. Seven
Armenians living in Southern California are seeking unspecified
millions of dollars for assets such as gold, cash and jewelry that
they claim were deposited by thousands of their ancestors at the
banks’ Turkish branches or otherwise looted by the Ottoman Turkish
government and later transferred to European banks.
The suit is the latest bid by Armenians in the United States to
recover assets they believe belonged to some 1.5 million Armenians
who perished in a genocide beginning in 1915.
Litigation brought against New York Life Insurance Co. by Armenian
descendants led to a $20 million settlement; French life insurer AXA
has agreed to pay $17 million to settle a separate class-action
claim. Both lawsuits made similar allegations.

Arminfo, Yerevan, in Russian
13 Sep 06
ARMENIA, BULGARIA SIGN MILITARY ACCORD
Yerevan, 13 September: The Armenian and Bulgarian defence ministers
have signed a document on further development of bilateral
cooperation in the military sphere.
Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan and his Bulgarian opposite
number, Veselin Bliznakov, signed the document at their meeting on 11
September, the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry told
Arminfo.
The Armenian and Bulgarian defence ministers discussed developing and
deepening of defence cooperation. The ministers agreed to cooperate
in conducting democratic supervision over the armed forces, forming
military budgets and ensuring transparency in defence planning, as
well as in the sphere of drawing up the military doctrine and
blueprint for national security. The ministers also agreed to
exchange expertise and re-train Armenian representatives at Bulgarian
military schools.
Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov received the Armenian delegation
led by the defence minister on the same day. The Armenian delegation
also visited the Bulgarian National Assembly and was received by
Deputy Speaker Petur Beron and members of the parliamentary standing
commission on defence.
In addition, meetings of working groups on defence planning and
logistics were held within the framework of cooperation between the
defence ministries of Armenia and Bulgaria.

FINALLY A BOOK ABOUT … AN ARCHITECT’S CULT
Maclean’s, Canada
September 11, 2006 / September 18, 2006
Frank Lloyd Wright was more than an influential architect: with his
third wife he headed an exclusive community of live-in apprentices that
behaved not unlike a cult. The Fellowship recounts how the imperious
Wright, aided by his aggressive wife and a weird Greek-Armenian mystic,
created some of his greatest buildings such as Fallingbrook and the
Guggenheim, while manipulating the romantic and even sexual lives of
his live-in apprentices.

THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHAMPION
Info Tennis, France
Sept 8 2006
Bill Simons, Publisher and Editor of Inside Tennis, recently sat
down with Andre Agassi for what would turn out to be an interview
for the ages. In this candid interview, Agassi discusses his upcoming
retirement as well as his evolution from flashy player, to humanitarian
to father.
INSIDE TENNIS: So how are you feeling about saying goodbye?
ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I’m looking forward to this summer. I feel every
bit as good about my decision as the days have passed. But, obviously,
there’s a certain sadness to it and bittersweet feelings.
You sort of want it to last forever, but you know it can’t.
IT: Arguably, no other athlete has changed so markedly over the
years. When all is said and done, what are the two or three keys
about transformation, about changing yourself? Is it about listening
to yourself? Facing fears? The willingness to change?
AA: For me, it’s always been about the process – the battle, not the
destination. Whether it’s trying to figure out my tennis or something
else, it’s about everyday actuality and appreciating that life happens
in between your plans. That’s where the joy is for me.
IT: You’ve told us that tennis is such a great teacher. Does it teach
you patience, discipline, a willingness to go to plan B?
AA: You’re out there by yourself and have to figure a way to get
the most out of yourself regardless of how good you are. Some days
you’re at 100 percent and produce your best. Other days, you can’t,
but you have to realize that getting 100 percent out of an 80 percent
day is a major accomplishment. It’s about always trying to find a way
of getting the most out of yourself. It’s discipline, problem solving,
perseverance, patience.
IT: Was your best fighting result on court in ’99 in the French Open
final, when you were down two sets to Andrei Medvedev?
AA: For sure, because I was paralyzed out there. I was nervous.
Seeing how I started and how I finished, it was probably the greatest
example of problem solving because I was fighting myself first. Then,
once I started to loosen up, I still had to deal with him and being
two sets to love down.
IT: That win was even more important than your first Grand Slam –
Wimbledon ’92 – after seven years of futility in the majors.
AA: There was just so much more on the line, from where I was
personally at the time, coming off a difficult time in my life [his
divorce with Brooke Shields]. Plus, clay was never my best surface.
It was the last of the four Grand Slams that I won. It was the pressure
and what was on the line for me personally and professionally which
brought out the worst and the best of me all in one match.
IT: And as a kid you were more than feisty. What do you think that
young teenage persona would think of Andre Agassi the family man,
the community man, the reflective guy who talks with such insight?
AA: All those qualities were in that teenager. So I hope he would’ve
recognized a lot of it. I’m not sure if that’s the case, but I always
cared about a lot of things. I just never knew how to communicate,
never understood or really accepted responsibility for myself, and
that’s a growing process. I don’t know if any of us would recognize
ourselves when we were 17 or 18 years old.
IT: I sure wouldn’t have. Where do you think you picked up the stand-up
quality of accountability, where you take responsibility for all your
actions in word and deed?
AA: It’s been a hard evolution. I always had a certain level of desire
to face the truth. I just grew into a lot more than my little world.
IT: Always a desire to face the truth? So what about facing the truth
this spring when you were struggling with your body and knew the end
was near?
AA: This year was the toughest part of this whole process. The
decision to retire wasn’t as difficult or emotional a decision as
I anticipated. But the process to get there was uncomfortable and
frustrating. It’s so easy to question yourself at 36, to second guess,
to be unsure. And at the same time, you’re pulling a lot of people
along with you, your family and coaches and years of hard work, so you
just don’t want to get out there and feel ordinary. So it was a real
struggle this year, missing Australia, plus that two good days/two bad
days rhythm that I had for months. But the time off and skipping the
clay allowed me to get my arms around it. I managed to hold it off as
long as I could. I held off on more injections until after Wimbledon,
and it became pretty clear how I wanted everything to go from there.
IT: So you’re happy?
AA: Yes, absolutely. Parts of it were tough. I don’t feel like
there’s any real heavy drama to this process outside of the emotion of
feeling very connected to a lot of people that I won’t be around as
much. That’s why it’s good I live in Vegas. It gives people a reason
to say, “I’ll go to Vegas. Hey, Andre is there.” They’ll [come to]
say hello. [The time] after the U.S. Open and early this year was very
difficult on me. I tore all the ligaments in my ankle and couldn’t
compete, move or train the way I wanted… I got behind the eight
ball. The process of fighting to still have a competitive year was
quite frustrating. I was in torment because you never like being
ordinary out there. You’re not used to it. You’re not comfortable.
But I don’t regret any decisions I’ve made. I know it’s the right
time for me. There’s just too much to do out there.
IT: You’ve said that when you’re operating on your instincts, you
don’t trust yourself. Why’s that? Do you think you didn’t have a
chance in terms of your life as a young kid and then going off to
Nick’s academy, then finding yourself – plunk – right on the circuit
that you just didn’t have the chance to work with your instincts?
AA: I’m the kind of guy who feels something and then has to understand
it down the road. I’m not one of those who thinks something and then
puts it into practice and ends up feeling connected to it. I’m very
reactive. My heart leads my head in many cases. Experience has taught
me that I can’t always trust what I feel. That’s one of the things I
love and hate about myself. It has its good points and its difficult
ones. It’s been a lot of tough lessons, but it’s been very fulfilling.
IT: And then there’s your concern over order on the court. The ball
boy has to be exactly here, the balls have to be exactly there, etc.
Is that because you want your world to be set so you can go out there
and perform or …
AA: Strangely, I’m highly sensitive to what’s around me in many cases
and in some cases, I’m clueless. When it comes to the parameters of
the playing arena, I’m just very aware of where everybody is, and I
just prefer to keep the focus.
IT: I want to talk about generations. Your family story is just
incredible. Your great-grandfather comes from Armenia to make
furniture. Your grandfather goes from Russia on foot with a donkey
over the mountains to Tehran. Your father leaves Tehran and ends up
in Chicago with a few bucks in his pocket. Then you break through
and now you have this incredible family.
AA: I only hear the stories as you hear them. I know my father’s
history, but for me, they are just stories, too. It’s amazing when
I hear it. [But what touches me] is what his life was like in America.
Then I’m amazed. I have two kids now, and my parents had two kids
and a dog and got in a car in Chicago and drove to the West to figure
out where my dad could play tennis twelve months a year, not knowing
whether he was going to work. So he set up shop in a little desert
town called Vegas and took care of two courts at the Tropicana to
teach lessons on one and have his kids play on the other. He held
down two jobs for most of our lives to raise four children. I marvel
at that. I know what it takes just to raise the two we have with a
lot of resources.
IT: You sound like you are at peace with your father, a man who was
very difficult for you.
AA: We’ve been through our moments. As I took his passions upon my
shoulders, it created a lot of confusion and conflict inside me. At
the same time, I realize as I’ve gotten older, just how honest he’s
always been with what he cares about.
IT: What a sense of purpose and work ethic.
AA: Yeah, he’s driven. He still works every day. The man has a fire
in his belly that I admire.
IT: If you had the choice again, would you go to Nick’s academy? Or
maybe scratch it?
AA: Life was going to have a lot of trials and tribulations for
me, whatever road I ended up choosing. No, I needed to go for
this career, and tennis has been a great friend. It’s been a great
relationship. I’ve learned a lot and grown a lot and have a lot as a
result of it. It’s been 20 years of me practicing for tomorrow. I’ve
learned a lot to prepare myself now for the rest of my life.
Hopefully, God willing, my life will be a lot more than the 20 years
in tennis.
IT: All of us make mistakes in our lives. You just make it in the
public square. If the gods from the rewrite desk said, “Hey, you can
go back and change any of your decisions,” whether it was skipping
the Wimbys and the Australian Opens, or winning that 22-point rally
against Pete [on set point in the ’95 U.S. Open final], or passing
on doing the “image is everything” ad campaign, what would you choose?
AA: If I could avoid the mistake while maintaining the lessons learned,
I would rewrite all of them. But if I had to give up what I learned
as a result of them, it’s impossible. It’s been a tough road, but it’s
been well worth it. So if I didn’t have to give up what I’ve learned,
I would go back and rewrite every moment that I made somebody feel
less than they deserve.
IT: And the entertainer George Lopez said, “This guy has gone from
‘image is everything’ to ‘humanity is everything.'”
AA: That comment speaks volumes. It meant a lot to me to hear it.
IT: Your trainer and friend Gil Reyes says the character of any
athlete can be judged not so much when he retires but in ten years
or so afterwards, when you can see what he’s given back. What’s your
vision of the future?
AA: Giving back is something I’ve valued since I was a teen,
something I committed to in my own mind as early as 15. The question
was how and when. I didn’t know what success, what resources I’d
have. But I knew it mattered. For me, it starts with children and
ends with children. That’s a responsibility that falls on everybody’s
shoulders. They’re our future, so I started my foundation 13 years
ago. Now I have dreams of my school becoming the model for how
education can be in our country. Our academy is taking kids one
year to two years behind in education, and we’re bringing them up
to grade level inside a year. We’re nationally recognized for our
achievements. So we’re not just throwing money at a problem; we’re
proving you can change a child’s life by teaching them that there
aren’t shortcuts, by creating a culture. My hope would be to connect
the dots and create a road map on how this can be duplicated all
across our country. That would make me feel good.
IT: You also heard plenty of kudos at Wimbledon. The event is so
much more than a tennis tournament. It’s about tradition, culture,
and how to treat people. What are the things you’ve learned from
going to Wimbledon?
AA: This was a place that first taught me to respect the sport, to
appreciate the opportunity and privilege to play a game for a living.
People work five days a week to play on the weekend. We get to call
it a job. I learned that at Wimbledon – missing it for a few years,
coming back, being embraced, seeing the respect for tennis and the
respect for the competitors, the appreciation. The fans are here
rain or shine. They sit through some tough conditions just to see a
few minutes of play. Whether they’re queuing up outside or sitting
with their umbrellas on Centre Court, it’s quite a love. That’s what
separates Wimbledon from every other event.
IT: Is there anything more touching in sports than that incredible
spectator queue that goes on for a mile or so, for 36 hours or more?
AA: No. It’s real humbling to be driving in and see these people living
there for days to, hopefully, get in to see a little bit of tennis –
most likely on the back courts. It really makes you appreciate.
IT: And what of the U.S. Open, with all its razzmatazz?
AA: New York has taught me how to be a better player and to be
a better person. It’s the toughest environment in our sport. It’s
challenged me to be more of myself. As a result, I’ve grown in places
I wouldn’t have grown in otherwise. In turn, they’ve become my biggest
supporters. That relationship means the world to me.
IT: It must be some charge to go out in front of a full house at Ashe
at night and sense that 44,000 eyeballs are on you.
AA: Oh, yeah. I’ve had many moments, but I can almost guarantee you,
none will be more [incredible] than this year coming up.
IT: How would you assess your U.S. Open years in ’94 and ’99? These
were your two triumphs, and then there was your fabulous run last year.
AA: A lot of ups and downs. I’ve had some real disappointing moments
there [four losses to Sampras], some great triumphs, great single-match
memories that stand out, the feeling of playing there at night.
IT: And one or two matches that pop out?
AA: Well, last year’s against Blake [in the quarters]. There’s nothing
like what I felt out there that night. Playing Connors at night there
when I was a teenager.
IT: Plus, there were all your matches with Sampras.
AA: It was amazing to have that rivalry. He gave me things that I
aspired to. In many cases, he taught me what I wanted to be. And in
many cases, he taught me what I didn’t want to be. It was a rivalry
that existed on so many layers, the way we played the game, the way
we went about our sport… If we woke up as the other one, we’d both
be living in a nightmare.
IT: He would just not want…
AA: Any part of my life, nor me his. It was that way when we were going
to play on Sunday or if we weren’t. We just were complete opposites,
which lent itself to even a more special rivalry.
IT: He had a famous crack, “All I would want from his life was his
plane.” What of his would you like?
AA: His serve.
IT: Probably, Pete and Federer are the two best players you’ve ever
faced. It they’re playing against each other in the U.S. Open deep
into the last set, who emerges?
AA: I’ve been privileged to play them both. It’s a pleasure to
watch Roger when you’re in the thick of it with him, which speaks
volumes for just what he’s able to do on the court, because you’re
not in the mindset of giving somebody unnecessary credit when you’re
competing against him. But what Roger brings to the court, I’ve never
seen before.
IT: Andre, let’s briefly run through the different strokes and tell
me the toughest ones you’ve faced. Is Federer’s forehand…
AA: It’s arguably the best that’s ever been in the game.
IT: Sampras’ serve?
AA: There are others with better serves, but he defended his serve
well and that makes a difference. When you talk about a serve versus
a hold game, you’re talking about two entirely different things.
Wayne Arthurs has one of the most beautiful serves you’ll ever see.
If you gave Pete Wayne Arthurs’ serve, he would have been that much
nastier.
IT: Best backhand: Connors, Guga Kuerten or…
AA: The first person that comes to mind, in terms of the high end
of what their backhand is capable of, is [Marat] Safin. The guy
can cane the ball and hurt you off returns, off stretch balls. And
[David] Nalbandian’s backhand is one of the most controlled shots
that I’ve seen off the double-handed wing. As far as one-handers,
one of the most beautiful to watch was Guga or Tommy Hass, who has
a beautiful one-hander.
IT: And the volley – Edberg?
AA: Just the fundamentals on volleys? Yeah, Edberg. He’s the one you
felt like would miss the least volleys. But then you got a guy like
[Patrick] Rafter who was such an athlete. The way he could cover the
net presented a whole different kind of problem.
IT: And quickness? It used to be Chang. Now it’s Nadal or Hewitt.
AA: No, no. Hewitt’s not in Nadal’s league as far as speed goes. I
would put Nadal up there. You could argue Federer, or you could argue
[German] Bjorn Phau. That might shock you, but he’s lightning.
IT: Mental toughness – Connors, McEnroe or maybe…
AA: You give value to somebody who’s done it for years, but I’ve
never seen anybody treat every point as importantly as Nadal. He
treats every point like that’s the point he wants to win. He doesn’t
care what he has to put himself through. I’ve seen him be down 6-0,
3-0 against Roddick at the U.S. Open that one year, and win a game
and fist pump and mean it.
IT: Few others have seen more changes in tennis. What adjustments did
you have to make since the early days of Connors, McEnroe and Lendl?
AA: The fitness level has only increased over the years. Connors was
5-foot-9. Now you’ve got guys routinely that are 6-foot-3 and above.
It’s rare that you play somebody under that. The physicality has
changed dramatically. Compare Nadal at 20 to me at 20. It’s a sport
that has started to figure out that the stronger and more physical you
are, the more capable you are as an athlete. I was onto that earlier
than most, building my strength and the base that was the foundation
of my game. As a result, I served bigger and was able to handle pace
better so as the game got faster, I could just shorten my swing. I
got smarter with my shots. I’ve had to get more aggressive.
It used to be where I could just run people around until they fell
to the ground. But guys are just too strong now. It’s a different
game than in the past.
IT: So how would Andre of today handle Andre the 20-year-old? Would
it be a pretty fast match?
AA: I want to hope so, but if I can’t rotate or lunge, or if I have
some of the ailments I’ve had the last few years and you stick me on
the wrong day, it could be a pain for Andre – whichever one you’re
talking about. It depends what day I’m having. It’s been a lot of
that for me. But I want to believe that I’ve gotten better over the
years. This year is a bit of an exception. I haven’t found my best,
that’s for sure.
IT: Years from now, when Jaden’s kid comes up to you and says, “Hey,
gramps, what did you contribute most to that game of tennis?” what
would you…
AA: When I first came onto the scene, I was the first person to hit
the ball big off both wings, [to] take the ball early and give it a
good ride if I was in position off both sides. I would love to feel
like I was part of that evolution of the game, that I helped the game
and those around me get better.
IT: Let’s switch and talk about women’s tennis. When you look at
Stephanie’s game…it’s still hard for me to call her Stephanie…
AA: Sure. You don’t have to. Her mom calls her Steffi.
IT: Okay. Steffi had so many weapons. Do you see anyone on the circuit
now who could take her down?
AA: A sport goes through periods where it changes a lot, where athletes
get stronger and better. I haven’t necessarily seen that over the
last seven years in the women’s game. The Williams sisters had a real
opportunity to raise the athleticism and the standard of the game. But,
it just seems that everyone’s been plagued with injury. And Steff has a
game that, to this day, is tough for people to handle. Her backhand was
a low slice, and she had that big forehand, and she moved really well.
IT: Underrated serve, tough competitor.
AA: Yeah, she moved really well. That’s key. You had to be able to
sort of get in on her backhand. That was the most you could hope for.
IT: You’ve had exceptional relationships and marriages with incredible
women: obviously Barbra Streisand, Brooke Shields and Steffi. You’ve
experienced some of the more compelling women of our…
AA: Not just women – people. Barbra is one of the most fascinating
people you’d ever meet.
IT: Because of her intensity, her mind?
AA: Talk about somebody who strives for perfection, who holds a
stronger light on herself than others do. It’s admirable in so many
ways, and it’s also a curse. It’s the simple things in life, though.
It’s not how you think; it’s how you choose to live. Sometimes the
most profound moments come from the simplest of actions. That’s the
beauty of my life now. I get to live with [that quality] every day.
I’m with someone who speaks volumes with how she chooses to live
every moment. It’s a beautiful thing.
IT: You’ve quipped that you feel no more pressure than when you’re
cutting your daughter’s fingernails? The heck with center court or
a final-set tiebreaker.
AA: It’s some of the most pressure when your child is trying to
cough up a piece of fruit that they didn’t quite swallow. Getting
that piece out of their throat is as much pressure as I’ve ever felt.
IT: So, in the end, this tennis career of yours has been a great ride,
hasn’t it?
AA: It’s been an amazing, amazing ride.

CURRENT MID-EAST CONFUSION BRINGS HISTORIANS BACK TO OTTOMANS
Zaman Online, Turkey
Sept 9 2006
The Middle East experienced its most peaceful and glorious years
during the Ottoman Empire.
Lands sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews enjoyed peace and comfort
for nearly 400 years.
However, the region has not experienced such stability and harmony
since the fall of the Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago.
With the recent crises in the Middle East, historians have focused
their attention on the Ottomans.
With the forthcoming 15th Turkish History Congress (TTK) to be held
next week, 750 foreign experts have submitted statements and articles.
Responding to Zaman’s questions, Prof. Yusuf Halacoglu, chair of
the Turkish History Council, said: “That the lands in the Middle
East previously belonged within the domains of the Ottoman Empire
encourages historians to study more.”
Foreign scientists are eager to present their statements on Turkish
history during the 15th TTK.
Only 350 of the statements have been approved in the congress.
The participation demand derived from increasing curiosity about
Turkey and the Ottomans from historians.
Halacoglu remarked that they had to reduce the number of historians
from 750 to 310 due to the limited time.
The chair of TTK noted that the participants know both the Ottoman
Turkish language and contemporary Turkish.
During the congress, the presentations will cover several different
topics, and experts will be able to express their views freely,
Halacoglu stated.
Controversial issues like the Armenians and missionary work will also
be discussed in the congress.
Halacoglu claimed there might also be people backing the Armenian
genocide, and added, “They should base their claims on firm ground
because we have our own information to refute their claims.”