Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

PACE Head Hopes For Clean Referendum In Armenia
Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep.
Aug 18 2005
The freedom and fairness of the upcoming constitutional referendum
in Armenia is of “utmost importance” to the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE), its president, Rene van der Linden,
said on Wednesday.
In an interview with RFE/RL given ahead of his trip to Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia, van der Linden stressed that the Armenian
authorities’ handling of the vote, expected to be held in November,
will be “a real test for the country’s democratic credibility.”
“They have to show that they are a full-fledged member of the Council
of Europe,” he said. “They have to show the international community
and the Council of Europe in particular that they are able to fulfill
their commitments. It’s one of the key elements in the discussions
between the PACE and Armenia, and I hope that we can have a result
which is also in line with the requirements of the Council of Europe.”
Constitutional reform was one of the conditions for Armenia’s
entry to the Strasbourg-based pan-European organization in 2001. Its
advisory body, the Venice Commission, has endorsed a revised package of
constitutional amendments drafted by President Robert Kocharian and his
governing coalition, urging Armenians to back it at the referendum. The
European Union and the United States have also called for their
passage, saying that it would facilitate Armenia’s democratization.
Van der Linden would not say if he will promote those amendments during
his visit to Yerevan which begins on Thursday and involves talks with
President Robert Kocharian, parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian
and leaders of the Armenian opposition. He said he expects a “tough
discussion” with opposition leaders.
Most of them are unlikely to endorse the proposed constitutional
changes, saying that they are not significant enough. They also
argue that an amended constitution would not automatically increase
the likelihood of free and fair elections in Armenia. The West, they
say, should therefore concentrate on ensuring a proper enforcement
of Armenia’s existing laws that provide for democratic elections and
guarantee human rights.
“It’s really important for me to hear all the arguments,” van der
Linden said. “They as well as the government have to know that we
are very keen on conditions for free and fair elections and the
fulfillment of the electoral law and the constitution.”
To pass, the draft amendments have to be backed by a majority of
referendum participants that make up at least one third of Armenia’s
2.4 million eligible voters. Some opposition leaders claim that the
authorities can not secure sufficient voter support for the reform
without massive vote rigging.

ARMENIAN BUSINESS DELEGATION HOLDS MEETINGS IN AJARIA
BATUMI, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS: An Armenian delegation of businessmen
headed by Volodya Badalian, the co-chairman of the Armenian-Georgian
Business Association, who is also a member of parliament, is in the
Ajarian Autonomous Republic of Georgia meeting with local high-ranked
officials to discuss issues of mutual interests.
The delegation met with the head of the Ajarian tourism and resorts
department Temur Zoidze who spoke about tourism development in
Ajaria. He particularly said that this year they are expecting 60,000
tourists while last year their number reached only 14,000. During
May-June 6,500 Armenians have already visited Ajaria; last year their
number was 1,200.
It is expected that this year 15,000 Armenians will leave for Ajaria
to spend their holidays there. “We will do everything to continue
presenting Ajarian tourism potential in Armenia,” said T. Zoidze.
This year on the Ajarian border near the Choloki settlement a tourism
information center was opened which is the only one in Georgia. The
center provides information about hotels, places of interests
etc. Zoidze said in 2006 5 high-class hotels will function in Ajaria,
the roads will continue to be reconstructed, the infrastructures
will be improved and this will give an opportunity to receive 150,000
tourists in 2006, 15,000 of which from Armenia.
During the meeting with Ajarian finance and economy minister Kakha
Shavadze the latter underscored the amendments made this year in the
tax legislation aimed to give an impetus to further development of
tourism and economy in Ajaria. As to the turnover between Armenia and
Ajaria, the minister said its amount is increasing and added that the
amount of products transported to Armenia from Turkey through Batumi
is also increasing.
On his part, Badalian said that “Ajarian government is interested
in the expansion of ties between the two countries and integration
of economies as well as in making mutual investments. The
Armenian-Georgian Business Association created last year is working
on these issues,” said he. Badalian is also expected to meet today
with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Ajarian prime minister
Levan Varshalomidze.

“HAY CONSULT” IMPLEMENTS STUDY OF MOTIVES OF MIGRATION AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE
YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, NOYAN TAPAN. Studies of motives of migration
among Armenian young people, which are held by the “Hay Consult”
Consulting Fund, will finish on October 1. As Gagik Makarian, the
Executive Director of the fund informed the Noyan Tapan correspondent,
the works are financed by the UN and the Government of Holland,
the total value of the program made 6300 dollars. According to
G.Makarian, such a study has been imlemented in Armenia for the first
time as young people’s movement not only out of Armenia but also in
the country has been studied. It was mentioned that results of the
study will give an opportunity the make clear those curcimstances
which support activization of the processes of migration. According
to G.Makarian, with the goal to solve the problems found out, “Hay
Consult” considers possible its cooperation with corresponding state
structures, Armenian banks allocating small credits, and international
financing organizations.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung
11. August 2005
Ist Leugnung des Armeniermords rassistisch?
von Auswärtige Autoren
Ein Beitrag zur Debatte um die Türkei und den Genozid
Von Georg Kreis, Präsident der Eidgenössischen Kommission gegen
Rassismus
Die Kontroverse um die Benennung der Massaker an Armeniern (1915) als
Völkermord belastet nicht zuletzt die Beziehungen der Schweiz zur
Türkei. Im folgenden Beitrag wird bezweifelt, dass die Leugnung des
Genozids im Sinn des Strafrechts rassistisch sei.
In jüngster Zeit ist die Frage erörtert worden, ob die öffentliche
Leugnung des Genozids an den Armeniern von 1915 nicht – analog zur
Leugnung des Holocaust – von Staates wegen verfolgt werden müsse,
weil der Strafrechtsartikel 261&&obis allgemein das Leugnen von
“Völkermord und anderen Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit” unter
Strafe stellt. Wie die Gerichte und zuvor die für die
Tatbestandsabklärung zuständigen Behörden mit der Frage umgehen, ist
ihre Sache. Es wäre aber sonderbar, wenn man von Gerichten heutzutage
erwarten würde, dass sie die Leugnung des Genozids an den Armeniern
grundsätzlich anders beurteilen sollten, als dies durch das
Kreisgericht Bern-Laupen am 14. September 2001 geschehen ist, weil
der Nationalrat Ende 2003 diesen Genozid im Sinne eines politischen
Wertebekenntnisses “anerkannt” und verurteilt hat. Wegen der
herrschenden Gewaltenteilung sollte die politische Interpretation der
Legislative für die Judikative nicht massgebend sein. Anderseits ist
die Einschätzung nicht ganz den Staatsanwaltschaften und Gerichten zu
überlassen. Im Sinne eines gesamtgesellschaftlichen
Verständigungsprozesses kann man auch aus historischer und
gesellschaftspolitischer Sicht dazu eine Meinung haben und aus dieser
Sicht vor einer voreiligen Gleichsetzung von Genozid-Leugnungen
warnen. Denn nur Gleiches soll gleich behandelt werden.
Kein richterlicher Schutz für Geschichte
Einleuchtend bemerkt der Strafrechtler Marcel Niggli in seinem
Kommentar zu StGB 261&&obis (1996), dass das Leugnen nur strafbar
ist, wenn es sich beim geleugneten Vorkommnis tatsächlich um
Völkermord handelt. Liegt der fragliche Tatbestand weit in der
Vergangenheit zurück, könnte sich ein Richter sagen, dass er nicht
zum Historiker werden will, wie dieser nicht Richter sein soll.&&o Es
geht hier aber nicht um die Frage, ob der Genozid stattgefunden hat.
Dies dürfte erwiesen sein, auch wenn es von offizieller türkischer
Seite noch bestritten wird. Es kann in diesem Fall nicht um den
Schutz historischer Wahrheit gehen. Geschichtsverständnis bedarf
keiner richterlichen Bekräftigung. Es geht auch nicht um die Frage,
ob Genozide politisch zu verurteilen sind. Hingegen geht es darum, ob
das Leugnen und Verharmlosen eines historisch feststehenden
Völkermords, derart automatisch, “ohne Frage”, unter die
Strafbestimmung zu stellen ist, wie dies Niggli, gestützt auf den
Wortlaut des Gesetzes, annimmt.
Schutz vor Diffamierung
Wichtig ist es, sich über die Funktion der Strafbestimmung klar zu
werden. Es könnte darum gehen, indirekt vor analogen Exzessen zu
schützen. Wie weit hat aber das Bestreiten eines vor 90 Jahren
erfolgten Völkermords heute begünstigende oder ermunternde Wirkung
oder strebt diese gar an? Doch ist in jedem Fall ein Nichtanerkennen
der rassistischen Essenz eines historischen Vorgangs per se ebenfalls
rassistisch? Auch wenn es sich beim Genozid an den Armeniern um ein
sehr gravierendes Vorkommnis handelt, dürfte heute dessen richtige
Beurteilung im Hinblick auf die Wiederholungsgefahr nicht derart
wichtig sein, dass man von Staates wegen die Beurteilungsfreiheit
einschränken müsste.
Der Sinn des Leugnungsverbots liegt in einem klar erkennbaren Punkt:
Die Strafrechtsbestimmung will eine Variante rassistischer
Diffamierung und insbesondere eine Variante antisemitischer
Propaganda verbieten. Die Leugnung des Holocaust wurde unter Strafe
gestellt, weil dieses Leugnen antisemitisch ist und weil öffentliches
Bekunden von Antisemitismus verboten ist. Die Auschwitz-Leugner oder
Negationisten, wie man sie auch nennt, leugnen nämlich nicht nur die
historische Tatsache, das rund sechs Millionen Juden grösstenteils
systematisch umgebracht worden sind, um sie über die “Endlösung”
auszurotten. Sie werfen den Opfern und ihren Nachkommen vor, mit der
Fabrikation dieser “Legende” politischen und pekuniären Gewinn
erzielen zu wollen, dies gemäss stereotypen antisemitischen
Zuschreibungen von Macht- und Geldgier und Ausbeutung anderer. Die
Botschaft zum neuen Strafgesetzartikel (2. März 1992) hält denn auch
ausdrücklich fest, dass der Schutz des “Andenkens Verstorbener” im
Hinblick auf die “Auschwitz-Lüge” angestrebt werde, weil diese eine
eigene Form “rassistischer Propaganda” sei.
Die Raison d’être des Verbots des Auschwitz-Leugnens liegt also
weniger im Schutz des Angedenkens selbst oder gar im Schutze
historischer Wahrheit als im Schutz vor der skizzierten Diffamierung.
Nun muss man sich fragen, ob im Falle des Armenier-Genozids analoge
Verhältnisse herrschen. Unbestritten ist, dass die Leugnung des
Armenier-Genozids die armenischen Nachfahren besonders verletzt, dass
die armenische Gemeinschaft, ähnlich wie die Juden in einer grösseren
Diaspora auf der Welt zerstreut, ein kollektives Trauma in sich
trägt, dass die Anerkennung für sie ein wichtiger Teil der ihr
zustehenden Satisfaktion ist und dass, sie der Lüge zu bezichtigen,
beleidigend ist.
“Judenfreundliches Privileg”?
Zu fragen ist: Gibt es im Fall der Armenier eine historische und, wie
im Falle des Hasses auf Juden, sich als unheilvoller “Selbstläufer”
in der Geschichte reproduzierende antiarmenische, rassistische
Ideologie, die über die Leugnung des Armenier-Genozids genährt würde,
aber nicht genährt werden sollte? Nach dem Stand unserer Kenntnisse
gibt es sie nicht. Dass die Beurteilung nicht in beiden Fällen gleich
ausfällt, erklärt sich aus der Tatsache, dass die jüdische Minderheit
das unglückliche “Privileg” hat, auch in diesem Fall speziell
rassistisch diffamiert zu werden.
Es ist verständlich, dass man antirassistische Normen nicht als
Schutz einzig für Juden ernst nehmen darf. Juden sind oder wären die
Ersten, die eine derartige “Privilegierung” ablehnten. Es besteht
aber in den europäischen Gesellschaften aus Rücksicht auf die
historische Schuld die Neigung, gegenüber antijüdischer Diffamierung
besonders sensibel zu sein. Die muslimische Minderheit etwa, der
gegenüber Europa nicht in dieser Weise schuldig geworden ist, kommt
nicht in gleichem Masse in den Genuss einer solchen Sensibilität. Die
Konsequenz eines solchen Vergleichs sollte nicht darin bestehen, dass
die Mehrheitsgesellschaft ihre Sensibilität für antijüdische
Diffamierung abbaut, sondern darin, dass sie sie gegenüber
rassistischer und religiöser Diffamierung anderer Minderheiten
ausbaut. Bloss: Die Leugnung des Genozids an den Armeniern ist wohl
kein taugliches Objekt, um die Gleichbehandlung einzufordern und
durchzuexerzieren.
–Boundary_(ID_BSvMy3ggb42bJJNP0a/HQA)–

Cyprus plane crash victims “frozen solid”
By Brian Williams and Karolos Grohmann | August 15, 2005
Reuters, UK
Aug 15 2005
ATHENS (Reuters) – Most of the bodies recovered from a Cypriot plane
that crashed near Athens with 121 people on board were frozen solid,
a Greek official said, suggesting the airliner was a flying tomb
before it plunged to earth.
As accident investigators combed the crash site for clues, aviation
experts were baffled at what appeared to have been a catastrophic
failure of cabin pressure or oxygen supply in freezing temperatures
at 35,000 feet — nearly 10 km (6 miles) up, higher than Mount Everest.
One expert said reports of extreme cold suggested there was no air
circulating in the cabin.
“Autopsy on passengers so far shows the bodies were frozen solid,
including some whose skin was charred by flames from the crash,”
the Defense Ministry source, with access to the investigation, told
Reuters on Monday.
The Helios Airways Boeing 737 was carrying 115 passengers and six
crew when it crashed 40 km (25 miles) north of Athens on Sunday.
There were no survivors.
Rescue workers recovered the body of the pilot, a German identified
as Martin Hans Gurgen, and said they had found the plane’s black box
flight recorders, including the one that records pilot conversations,
and would send them to France for analysis.
The recovery of the black boxes is crucial to determining the cause
of the worst air disaster in Greece and the worst involving a Cypriot
airline.
Greek TV reported on Sunday that the pilot had told air traffic
controllers the plane was experiencing problems with its air
conditioning system shortly before contact was lost.
A passenger list released by Cyprus’ Transport Ministry showed a family
of four Armenians living in Cyprus, 12 Greeks and 104 Cypriots were
killed in the crash. There were 17 children under the age of 16 on
board, the youngest aged 4.
Relatives of some victims were on their way from Cyprus to the crash
site to start the grim task of trying to identify loved ones.
At Larnaca airport in Cyprus, from where the doomed plane took off,
crew and passengers on Monday refused to board an aircraft belonging
to Helios Airways, the state-run Cyprus News Agency reported.
About 100 passengers due to fly from Larnaca to Sofia demanded to
travel on planes of other airlines. “First the crew refused to board,
then the passengers,” the agency said.
But a Helios spokeswoman denied a Cyprus Transport Ministry statement
that its planes had been grounded.
The Mediterranean island of Cyprus started three days of mourning with
flags at half mast in a long weekend holiday that is the busiest of
the summer for Greeks and Cypriots.
TERRORISM RULED OUT
The plane was on a flight from Larnaca to Prague with a stop in
Athens. Greek authorities ruled out any hijacking or terrorism links
to the crash.
The flight was declared “renegade” when it entered Greek air space and
failed to make radio contact. Two F-16 air force jets were scrambled
to investigate and reported that the co-pilot was slumped in the
cockpit and the pilot was not visible.
Defense Ministry officials said 90 minutes elapsed between the alert
being raised and the plane crashing at 12:03 p.m.
Greek government spokesman Theodore Roussopoulos said the F-16 pilots
reported that with the pilots out of action there may have been a
last-gasp effort by others on the plane to bring it back under control.
“The F-16s saw two individuals in the cockpit seemingly trying to
regain control of the airplane,” Roussoupoulos said. It was not known
if they were passengers or other crew.
“The F-16s also saw oxygen masks down when they got close to the
aircraft. The aircraft was making continuous right-hand turns to show
it had lost radio contact.”
A passenger on the doomed plane said in an SMS text to his cousin in
Athens: “The pilot has turned blue. Cousin farewell, we’re freezing.”
Kieran Daly, editor of Air Transport Intelligence, told Reuters:
“When he talks about being extremely cold, that really suggests that
there was possibly no air circulating in the cabin at all.”
Other questions included how the plane appeared to fly for so long
with the pilots unconscious or dead. Media speculated it was on auto
pilot and crashed when it ran out of fuel after being in the air for
twice the scheduled flight time.
The Defense Ministry said it suspected the plane’s oxygen supply or
pressurization system may have malfunctioned, which could have led
to death within seconds for all on board.
Loss of cabin pressure was identified as the probable cause of other
similar but smaller-scale air crashes in recent years.
Golfer Payne Stewart and five others were killed when their Learjet
aircraft crashed in the United States in 1999 after flying for more
than four hours without radio contact.

Asbury Park Press, NJ
Aug 15 2005
Bonding with their culture
Church picnic helps people keep in touch with Armenian roots
BY DAN KAPLAN, COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU
LONG BRANCH – Virginia Kondakjian and two of her sisters haven’t seen
each other since Christmas, so they decided to reunite at an event
that would signify their family history.
Middletown resident Kondakjian and sisters Mary Bedrosian of Tinton
Falls and Margaret Jeffrey of Lakewood joined an estimated 600 others
Sunday afternoon at St. Stepanos Armenian Church’s 18th Annual Picnic,
a fund-raiser for the house of worship in the Elberon section.
“We came here to keep our roots,” said Kondakjian, a church member
whose parents were born in Armenia. “Too many cultures are losing
their roots. The essence of culture should be deep in family ties.”
The event coincides with two important religious occurrences in
Armenia: The Feast of the Assumption of St. Mary and the Blessing of
the Grapes, said the church’s pastor, the Rev. Mamigon Kiledjian. In
the latter observance, he said, Armenians wait to eat the first
harvest of grapes until they are sanctified by clergy.
Sunday’s feast was indeed that, with dozens of homemade Armenian
dishes on the picnic menu. Popular choices included shish, luleh and
chicken kebabs and pilaf, a rice and egg noodle combination made with
chicken broth and butter.
For dessert, there was pakhlava, a flaky dough filled with nuts and
topped with syrup, and khadayif, a thin pastry layered with nuts and
cheese and also topped with syrup.
Church volunteers began preparing the food weeks ago, organizers said.
“Some philosophers, they think you can teach the culture through the
food,” Kiledjian said. “We are trying to do that.”
For most, the event gave them the chance to eat food they normally
can’t find. Carol Brown of Lake Como and her sister, Janice Werner
of Neptune, grew up eating their mother’s Armenian home cooking.
Now, with their mother having passed away, they anxiously anticipate
the annual picnic. It also gives them a chance to expose their young
adopted children to the culture.
“We got used to the taste of the food,” Brown said.
The event, which included native music and children’s games, drew
Armenian-Americans from all parts of the state.
Silvia Papagian, 46, of Harrington Park, Bergen County, said “it’s
very rare” to find Armenian fare. The only places that serve it are
“just at the picnics and some restaurants.”
Her aunt, Rose Koseyan, 77, of Belmar, said the picnic is a chance
to bond.
“We get together and we have our food and our music,” she said.
The entrees cost $13, and side orders and appetizers mostly cost $2.50
each. Desserts ranged from $1 to $2. Money raised – expected to be
between $5,000 and $10,000 – goes toward the church, organizers said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
August 11, 2005
CROSSROADS August 11, 2005
STEERING COMMITTEE CONTINUES ITS
PLANNING FOR VISIT OF ARAM I AND
THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SEMINARY
The summer months, especially August, are traditionally at a slower
pace. Not so for the members of the Steering Committee charged with planning
the upcoming visit of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia. This past Tuesday, August 9, the committee met under the presidency
of the Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan, and the chairmanship of Dr. George
Dermksian. Each member has been entrusted with specific duties.
His Holiness will arrive in New York on Wednesday, October 19 and
participate in various activities in commemoration of the 75th anniversary
of the Cilician Seminary at Antelias, which is the main focus of the
Catholicos’s visit.
During his visit to the Eastern Prelacy, His Holiness will visit New
York, New Jersey, Washington, DC, Boston, and Chicago. He will also attend
and participate in two symposiums. The first symposium in New York,
sponsored by the Prelacy and the World Council of Churches, will take place
Saturday, October 22 and will focus on ecumenical challenges. The second,
sponsored jointly by the Prelacy and Harvard University, will take place at
Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, October 29 and 30 and will be devoted to
the 1600th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian alphabet.
The reestablishment of the Seminary in Antelias is in itself a
fascinating story. The See of Cilicia, which had served the Armenian people
from the 12th to the early part of the 20th century in Cilicia, was forced
to leave its ancient Seat in Sis, the capital city of the Armenian Kingdom
of Cilicia, following the forced emigration of the Armenians in Cilicia
during the years 1920 and 1921. Many of the Armenians leaving Cilicia
relocated in Syria and Lebanon and the Catholicate followed its people.
After nine years of wandering in Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus, the Holy See
was reestablished in Antelias, Lebanon, in 1930. The site had previously
been an orphanage where thousands of Armenian orphans were cared for by the
Near East Relief from 1920 to 1928. Thus, the former orphanage became an
ecclesiastical and educational center. The Armenian people, having lost
hundreds of priests as victims of the genocide, and having now been
dispersed all over the world, desperately needed leaders in their religious,
national and cultural life.
The fruit of the Cilician Seminary in Antelias has made a worldwide
impact through the services rendered by its graduates to the church and
nation. Its 75th anniversary is an occasion to celebrate its many successes
and assure its future growth and continued service.
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WILL BE IN NEW JERSEY THIS SUNDAY
This Sunday, August 14, Archbishop Oshagan will be at Sts. Vartanantz
Church in Ridgefield, New Jersey, where he will preside over the Divine
Liturgy, deliver the sermon, and officiate over the Blessing of Grapes
ceremony.
NEW BOOKS PUBLISHED BY CATHOLICOSATE
The Holy See of Cilicia recently announced the publications of new
books.
In its continuous attempts to present the Armenian literary heritage, the
Catholicosate recently published the fourth and fifth volumes of ancient
Armenian literature, Madenakirk Hayots. The series was established two years
ago through the initiative of His Holiness Aram I, and through the support
of the Armenian Affairs Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation of
Lisbon.
The latest volumes include the works of Armenian writers of the 7th
century. The fourth volume included the works of writers from Abraham
Aghpatanetsi to Anania Shiragatsi; the fifth volume includes works of
writers from Ananoun to Sahag Tsoroporetsi. Each work is preceded by
explanatory notes on the work and biographical information about the author.
Another new publication, History of Religion, is the work of Puzant
Yeghiayan who was a long-time professor and dean at the Seminary in
Antelias. The work of the late beloved educator was edited by V. Rev. Fr.
Krikor Chiftjian. In his Introduction he acknowledges a debt of gratitude to
one of his students, Meguerditch Ourfalian (the late Archbishop Dajad) who
had taken detailed notes of all his lectures, thus providing the nucleus for
this work. The 665-page book presents the evolution of religion in detail.
Yet another new publication is The Sources of Mesrobian Characters by
Dr. Armenag Yeghiayan. This volume has been published on the occasion of the
1600th anniversary of the invention of the Armenian alphabet.
For information on these as well as other books contact the Prelacy
Bookstore, [email protected] or 212-689-7810. You can also visit the
Prelacy web site for a list of publications:
MEETING OF INTELLECTUALS IN ANTELIAS
A gathering of intellectuals began today, August 11 and will continue to
August 13, in Antelias, Lebanon. The meeting was organized under the
initiative and patronage of His Holiness Aram I. Intellectuals from Armenia
and the Diaspora are participating and will discuss contemporary
educational, cultural, economic, political and other issues within the
context of Armenia-Diaspora cooperation.
His Holiness delivered the opening remarks of the three-day meeting. A
summary of each session will be distributed to the press.
19TH ANNUAL ST. GREGORY OF DATEV INSTITUTE
The 19th annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program concluded
very successfully with the participation of 75 students from fourteen
parishes. The Institute is sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education
Council (AREC) and has become a recognized premiere youth program. To read
the full press release and view photographs from this year’s summer program
go to:
ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
AND THE BLESSING OF THE GRAPES
This Sunday, April 14, the Armenian Church celebrates the Assumption of
the Virgin Mary (Verapokhoumn Sourb Astvadzatzni) and the Blessing of the
Grapes.
According to tradition, Mary, mother of Christ, died and was buried by
the apostles. The apostle Bartholomew, who was not present at her funeral,
on hearing the news, wished to visit the grave, but when the gravestone was
lifted they were surprised to find that the body had disappeared. It was
believed that Christ had come and taken His mother to the Heavenly Kingdom.
Based on this event the Church Fathers established the Feast of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is one of the five tabernacle
feast days in the Armenian Church. It is celebrated on the Sunday closest to
August 15. Traditionally it includes a week of fasting and a memorial day
the following day (Monday).
After the Divine Liturgy celebrating the Assumption, the Blessing of the
Grapes takes place. There is no relationship between the Feast of the Virgin
Mary and the Blessing of Grapes. Similar to other feast days, the Feast of
the Virgin Mary coincides with a pagan era festivity, which has been
incorporated into the church calendar.
First the hymn Park Sourp Khatcheet is sung, passages are read from the
Bible, followed by a prayer composed by Catholicos Nerses Shnorhali
specifically for this occasion. After the prayer, the grapes are blessed
three times with Orhnestsee Bahbanestsee and then distributed to the
faithful.
The Blessing of the Grapes ceremony is dedicated to the fruitfulness of
the earth. Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world, and
according to biblical history, Noah planted a vineyard after disembarking
from the Ark. (Genesis, Chapter 9). And, of course, the wine of the Divine
Liturgy is derived from grapes.
“Bless, O Lord, the grape plants and vineyards from which these grapes are
taken and presented to the holy church, and make them bountiful and
fruitful; let them be like good and fertile land, protect the vineyards from
all kinds of misfortunes and destruction which come from above because of
our sins, from hail, from cold, from hot winds, and from destructive
insects, so that we may enjoy that which You have created in this world for
our enjoyment and for Your glory, and grant that we may be worthy to eat and
drink with You from the bounty of Your most fruitful vine at the table of
Your Father’s Kingdom, according to the just promise which You made, to the
honor and glory of Your coexisting Trinity, the Father, the Son and the most
Holy Spirit to whom is due glory, power and honor, now and forever. Amen.
>From prayer for the Blessing of the Grapes, written by Catholicos Nerses
Shnorhali
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Azerbaijan says Armenia funding opposition
ISN, Switzerland
Aug 5 2005
ISN SECURITY WATCH (Friday, 5 August: 16.40 GMT) – Police in Baku late
on Thursday arrested the leader of an Azerbaijani political youth
group for allegedly taking money from Armenian security agents and
plotting anti-government acts. Prosecutors identified the suspect as
Ruslan Bashirli, of the opposition youth party Yeni Fikir. They said
he was arrested after another group member, Osman Alimuradov, notified
prosecutors that Bashirli had held a secret meeting with the Armenian
agents in Georgia in July. The National Front of Azerbaijan opposition
party called the arrest “an act of repression against the youth union”.

The White House Bulletin:
Vanity Fair Says FBI Wiretaps Mentioned Claims Of Bribes To Hastert
August 4, 2005 Thursday
— Bulletin exclusive from U.S. News
An article on Sibel Edmonds, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
translator turned whistleblower who is suing the Department of Justice,
reveals some new details of the wiretaps she translated that allegedly
involved conversations by members of Turkish associations and the
Turkish Consulate in Chicago mentioning bribes to House Speaker Dennis
Hastert (R-IL). The article is in the September issue of Vanity Fair
that is just now hitting newsstands. The article says the wiretaps
recorded members of Turkish groups claiming they had arranged for
tens of thousands of dollars to be paid to Hastert’s campaign fund in
small checks under $200, so they wouldn’t have to be itemized in public
campaign filings. Hastert’s voice was never heard in the recordings,
however, and his office denies knowing anything about this.
The article says that the wiretap recordings contained repeated
reference to Hastert’s flip-flop in 2000 on the decision to designate
the killings of Armenians in Turkey between 1915 and 1923 a genocide.
At first he supported the idea, but later he withdrew the proposal.
Hastert explained that he changed his mind because President Bill
Clinton was concerned about the resolution harming U.S. interests
abroad. But in the Chicago wiretaps, according to Vanity Fair, “a
senior official at the Turkish Consulate is said to have claimed in
one recording that the price for Hastert to withdraw the resolution
would have been at least $500,000.” The article cautions, however,
that “the reported content of the Chicago wiretaps may well have
been sheer bravado, and there is no evidence that any payment was
ever made to Hastert or his campaign.”
Edmonds told U.S. News and the Bulletin that she and other
whistleblowers from the FBI, Central Intelligence Agency, National
Security Agency, and Department of Homeland Security, are so fed up
with lack of congressional oversight on intelligence and national
security that they plan to launch an advertising campaign targeting
government officials who have allegedly endangered national security.
The newspaper ads, which could be launched as early two months from
now, would name officials, their titles, their salaries, where they
work and their alleged or documented wrongdoing, says Edmonds. The
campaign would be funded by private donations, like the recently
formed advocacy group she heads, the National Security Whistleblowers
Coalition.

LA City Beat, CA
Aug 4 2005
Walk on the Wild Side
Bootlegs reveal a lot about your neighborhood … and you
~ By DONNELL ALEXANDER ~
Illustration by Sean Tejaratchi
I am not nearly as cool as people tend to think I am. For instance,
I roll worse blunts than that chick with the stupid-long Korean nails.
I don’t know where the after-party is later on tonight (so stop asking,
motherfucker). And, as of this writing, I have not been involved in
a threesome.
Which is why I engage bootleg discs. I need to get out more, but
there’s so much to see and so little time. Like a Grateful Dead taper
from back in the day, I watch my DVDs – and listen to the odd CD –
for that ambient information encasing the putative object of art.
Up on Flickr.com there’s a “Crappy Bootleg DVD Covers” photo show.
It’s meant to make fun, but I find the material awesome. Independent
of the gross factual inaccuracies – Spike Lee directed The Passion?
“Jackson Pollack is the greatest living fainter?” And this on the Harry
Potter box? – there’s genius in the anime cover art interpretation for
the film A.I. Plus, that contrived sidelong nude is the Carrie-Anne
Moss scene that might have saved The Matrix Reloaded.
It’s inadvertent genius of this sort that makes me follow bootlegs,
especially in tangible Los Angeles. Like the speakeasies that are
popping up more around the cool parts of town – and that I’m only
cool enough to occasionally hit – bootlegs speak to a life that’s
beyond regulation and ineffably real.
I actually spent money on my first and last bootlegs in Brooklyn,
during the summer of 2001. The CDs? Missy Elliott’s joint, house-music
collection NYC Underground, Vol. 3, and a release that presently eludes
me. My son, then four, and I were outside a kids’ bowling party in
Sunset Park, waiting on a car. I knew it was morally sketchy, so that’s
why I made the move: For the thrill. I might not ever do it again.
And the product was fine; at the very least I cemented an affinity
for house music. Most value was peripheral – the art of the deal and
the presentation of the discs. (I love the look of faded cover art in
a digital age.) Purchasing bootlegs feels less risky than purchasing
drugs or other stolen goods. The objects themselves are transgressive,
but, let’s face it, no one feels at risk for purchasing them. It’s
strictly self-policing that keeps me out of the game.
Nowadays I watch and I listen, but don’t buy. The Gangs of New York
DVD that recently graced my pad has not been consumed. I fetishize
it anyway.
Were it not for this DVD, I might not recognize Thai writing. (Thai
subtitles and Dolby audio are primary to the disc; English, Malaysian,
and “Chinese” are other subtitle options.) If not for this disc, I’d
have continued to think all those businesses in the west portal of my
East Hollywood neighborhood were Armenian. One might call this copy
of Gangs of New York perfect were it not for its promise of “Bouns”
where one might expect bonus material. (If “Bouns” is Thai for nothing,
well, the section has bouns up the ass.)
About a year ago, Baby Mama Deux hit me off with Bad Santa, Peter
Pan, Big Fish, 28 Grams, and a title that presently eludes me. One
of Deux’s 10-year-old students sold her the DVDs for $20 while she
shopped in the Garment District, a fact that created some conflicted
feelings about contributing to an illegal activity. But at least,
she reasoned, the problem child was showing some initiative, and it
wasn’t crack that he proffered.
One can get anything in the Garment District.
Bad Santa was really excellent, a horrible copy but somehow true
to the grimy narrative and in a way preferable to Badder Santa, a
DVD release which in my opinion dragged. But Peter Pan was such an
impressionistic smear of imagery that my then-seven-year-old could
not watch it; his entire appreciation of the myth was tainted. And
as a result I developed a policy against watching any knockoff copy
from which I have any expectation of artistic excellence.
One exception: I did watch Spider-Man 2 in bootleg form while staying
at a Sacramento pad in the summer of ’04. Again and again I tried to
walk past the big screen. But the bootleg was so pristine, its audio
so absolutely clear, I just had to stay and watch the film that was
that week’s biggest hit. Spider-Man 2’s Italian titles gave away the
secret to its fine pedigree. “Made in America” has iffy connotations,
even in the realm of knockoff DVDs.
But Fahrenheit 9/11? Absolutely no watchy. The DVD’s muffled sound
and silhouettes getting popcorn were repellent. Kill Bill Vol. 2?
Still haven’t seen it. I did take in Hollywood sequels and early
Roc-A-Fella releases and decided that Soul Plane is the ultimate
bootleg film: a guilty pleasure atop a guilty pleasure.
One might find fault with my policy. Isn’t it clear, one might ask,
that I’m depriving the slumping biz of much needed income by watching
secondhand bootlegs rather than subscribing to Netflix? Well, the
biz ain’t trying half as hard as I am to control quality, with its
sequels and TV-show remakes and lowbrow spring fare. Therefore, my
standards are a lot more about my tastes than concern for the film
industry. One who doesn’t accept this can kiss my natural black ass.
Of greater importance in my moral universe is remaining part of the
citizenry’s off-the-books library, its unofficial pass-around that
allows anyone to see the town. Or the nation. Or the world.
It’s a beautiful thing, the notion of immigrants from Thailand using
bootlegs to learn an honest American history. The crime is one with
a built-in bouns.
Shit, I used to be a real wild kid. On certain weeknights when I
lived in NYC, I’d party until the Manhattan clubs and bars closed,
then shuffle into my sports-mag gig at 4 a.m. I’d write until near
9, when the ad staff began leaking in. In the bathroom, I’d roll
up a bag of funk – delivered to me in that very same john, natch –
then start making my way up the island. Up through Times Square, past
the delis on the Upper West Side, I did the watcher part of writing,
my gig – in my mind – to the core. Then the A-train dragged me back
to downtown Brooklyn, for coffee and a couple of cannoli and a smoke
in the alley and a matinee at the neighborhood arthouse.
A half-decade later, and things just aren’t the same. There are now
many children to provide for, not to mention a role model to be. So,
when my older son and I scooter past the East Hollywood bootleg man
with his wares laid out on a blanket, we look at the titles and I
tell the boy how the product came to be. I tell him not just about
the Italian Spider-Man, but also the muddled Fahrenheit 9/11. And,
sure, he wonders why we can’t buy Willy Wonka and Episode III. I
explain the desire away, and we don’t buy. I’m older now. I got
responsibilities yo.