Author: Emil Lazarian

DUKAKIS TAKES UP HER BEST – AND MOST IMPORTANT – CAMPAIGN
Toledo Blade, OH
Sept 24 2006
You haven’t heard from Kitty Dukakis for a long time. Not that she’s
disappeared. The wife of the 1988 Democratic presidential nominee has
been toiling quietly, doing good works, helping to resettle refugees
and to rekindle the American conscience. But Mrs. Dukakis is being
quiet no longer, and she has something to tell us all.
Not that she suffers from depression. A lot of people knew that, were
aware of it for decades, and Mrs. Dukakis herself long has admitted
to resorting to pills, and to alcohol, even to nail polish remover
and hair spray, to soften her hurt and to get through the day, and
then to get through the night. For even during the day, even during
the good days, there were parts of her life that were a nightmare.
The thing she has to tell us is that she’s found some comfort – not in
amphetamines (which she took for two decades, hiding her desperation
even from her husband), nor from rubbing alcohol, nor even from more
conventional spirits – and has found her voice. She’s aiming to take
the stigma away from depression, and from its treatments.
The comfort comes from electroconvulsive therapy, a once-dreaded
procedure that involves applying a very brief burst of electric
stimulus to the brain. This therapy has been around for more than
six decades, and so has the concern about short- and medium-term
memory loss – so much so that the National Mental Health Association
characterizes ECT, as it is often called, as “the most controversial
psychiatric treatment.”
But today, because of modern anesthesia techniques, ECT is far more
conventional and effective. “This is a procedure that can change
peoples’ lives,” says Paul J. Friday, a clinical psychologist at the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
It wasn’t always that way, of course. Early movies showed grim,
unruly psychiatric patients in holding cells enduring a treatment
that was just short of torture.
“Where we are right now is very scientifically driven, much more
appropriate,” says Dr. Friday, “and I have several patients who
without it would probably have committed suicide.”
Mrs. Dukakis now feels better, so very much better, and she’s become
something of a campaigner for the benefits of ECT and a warrior
against stubborn stereotypes about depression. For Mrs. Dukakis,
who joined her husband Michael on four gubernatorial campaigns and
one presidential campaign, this is the last, best campaign.
And maybe the most important. This campaign includes television
appearances, a book (written with Larry Tye and carrying the title
Shock), and an evangelical zeal. And, Kitty being Kitty – a harmless
phrase today but one that once meant waves of trepidation for her
family and for aides in the Massachusetts State House and on the
campaign plane – there are anecdotes galore.
Here’s one she likes: “The other day I was having my nails done. A
woman came up to me whom I had seen in town many, many times. She heard
I had a book coming out. When she left, another woman sidled up to me,
whispering, saying that her son had depression and was reluctant to
tell anybody. That kind of summarizes what goes on.
There is such a stigma. My effort is to destigmatize it. I remember
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. We have to get away from that.”
Mrs. Dukakis first became aware of depression in 1982, when her
husband was trying to retake the governor’s office he had lost in
a humiliating primary defeat to the late Edward J. King in 1978 –
an event Mrs. Dukakis so regularly referred to as “a public death”
that the phrase has become inextricably linked to the episode.
She stopped taking diet pills in the middle of that campaign, still
regarded as one of the most bruising in the state’s history, and fell
into depression.
“I went through cycles,” she says. “Anti-depressants didn’t work,
or worked for a very short period of time, and toward the end of the
cycles I would start to drink, I was so desperate. There was a deep,
dark hole.”
She lived in that dark hole for years, though not, remarkably, during
the 1988 presidential campaign, when Gov. Dukakis emerged from the
Democratic field, received his party’s nomination at a triumphant
convention in Atlanta, and approached the general election with a
big lead over Vice President George H.W. Bush .
“The excitement of the campaign and the learning of the campaign
were enough of a stimulus to hold me off,” she says. “Then there
was a letdown. But my depression was not based on some reality in
my life, like losing the campaign. I was exhausted, of course, and
disappointed, but I would have been depressed anyway. It would have
come every eight or nine months because it always did.”
Katharine Dickson Dukakis, who is approaching her 70th birthday, was
one of the founders of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, has
been active in refugee affairs, and has been deeply involved in efforts
with Armenian Americans to cast light on the horrors of genocide.
But her legacy may be the forthrightness with which she has attacked
depression and shared her experiences.
“I noticed that when I started telling people they would look at me
and be horribly uncomfortable,” she says. “But I tell people I have
– had – a mental-health problem that was very serious, that my life
wasn’t worth living, just wasn’t, it was so horrible. I don’t want
to talk about this in whispers. It is painful enough to go through
depression and then to be embarrassed or reluctant to ever say anything
to anybody when you are feeling better.”
Re-read that paragraph and I guarantee one phrase will stick out,
the one about having a life that wasn’t worth living. Mrs. Dukakis has
disproved that, and, Republican or Democrat, we’re the beneficiaries.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION SHOULD NOT BE DECIDED BASED ONLY ON POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY – OSKANYAN
Regnum, Russia –
Sept 24 2006
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vardan Oskanyan attended
Sep 22-23 the 10th Bertelsman Forum in Berlin. He participated in
discussions on the Balkans and the Black Sea at which presidents
of Bulgaria, Romania, and Azerbaijan were also present, as well as
the prime minister of Montenegro. The Armenian FM confirmed during
a discussion that successful EU policy of the new neighborhood,
effective approach to conflict resolution and integrity of the Black
Sea region are a “regional litmus test” for Europe.
Oskanyan warned that one cannot deprive peoples of the right to
self-determination based only on political expediency. “If the world
was guided by the fear of creating new precedents, a half of the world
countries would have never come to exist. At the same time, we need
clear criteria, of which the main principle would be to define if
the country has the moral authority to exist,” Vardan Oskanyan stated.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Prime Minister of France Dominique de
Villepin, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, and
Prime Minister of Belgium Guy Verhofstadt addressed the guests at the
Forum’s opening. The forum was attended by more than 100 politicians,
including German former Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and ex
US State Secretary Henry Kissinger. The forum was designed to discuss
“Europe’s strategic responses.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EVERYONE’S A WINNER, BUT PIANIST HAMASYAN TAKES TOP MONK PRIZE
Matt Schudel, Washington Post Staff Writer
The Washington Post
September 19, 2006 Tuesday
Final Edition
For a music that usually flies beneath the radar of public notice,
jazz has had some rare visibility in Washington this past week,
and even a touch of glamour.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of the Thelonious Monk Institute
of Jazz, festivities began Thursday with a White House celebration
of America’s indigenous musical art that included an East Room
performance taped for PBS. It even had President Bush bobbing his
head to spirited versions of “Kansas City” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing
(If It Ain’t Got That Swing).”
On Saturday, 12 pianists faced off in the semifinals of the annual
Monk competition at the National Museum of American History’s Baird
Auditorium. And Sunday night at a sold-out Eisenhower Theater at the
Kennedy Center, three finalists competed for $35,000 in scholarships
and the exposure that goes with winning what has become, without
question, the most prestigious jazz competition in the world.
The annual contest, which rotates from one instrument to another each
year, has launched the careers of such young jazz stars as Joshua
Redman, Jane Monheit, Jacky Terrasson, Lisa Henry and Gretchen Parlato,
all of whom performed before and after last night’s competition.
There was other star power on hand as well, from presenters Quincy
Jones, Phylicia Rashad and Billy Dee Williams. But amid the celebratory
back-patting, there was a larger lesson to be learned than just
having a jazzy good time. The Monk Institute has a genuinely global
educational mission, which was embodied in this year’s 12 piano
semifinalists — who hailed from different countries.
The annual composition prize went to a Hungarian, Kalman Olah.
“The philosophy of jazz represents tolerance, teamwork and inclusion,”
said Thelonious Monk Jr., who helped found the Washington-based
institute in 1986 and is its board chairman. “That’s what America is
about. The music reflects that.”
For Monk, the institute is a way of “taking care of my father’s
legacy.”
His father, of course, was one of the guiding spirits of modern jazz,
a fiercely original composer and pianist who didn’t have megawatt
jazz competitions or college jazz programs to advance his career.
Instead, he came of age when jazz knowledge was passed from hand to
hand and, sometimes, from father to son.
“That music was part of my DNA,” said Thelonious Jr., 56, in a
pre-competition interview. After playing drums with his father in
the 1970s, the younger Monk had a career in R&B and rock music before
putting down his sticks in the mid-1980s.
Somewhat to his surprise, after founding the institute, he began to
reconnect with his jazz past, became absorbed in his father’s music
and formed a sizzling sextet that is one of the premier hard-bop
groups in jazz today.
He also settled into a role as the loquacious frontman for the Monk
Institute.
“I realized I could talk about this music,” he said, “because my
father had taken me everywhere and because he was like the oracle of
Delphi. I said, man, that’s a little gift. And gift is only a gift
if you use it.”
In 20 years, the Monk Institute has grown into a $5 million entity
that, against all odds, has put jazz into elementary and high school
curricula across the country. It sponsors a two-year fellowship
program for young musicians at the University of Southern California.
And, with his powers of persuasion, the younger Monk has helped bring
such distinguished musicians as Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Wayne
Shorter — all of whom performed at the White House and at Sunday
night’s post-competition Kennedy Center jam — to schools from Miami
to Alaska, and overseas from Egypt to Vietnam.
“We’ve been very instrumental in changing the paradigm in jazz
education,” Monk says. “The Monk Institute is about re-creating that
interface between the older musician and the younger musician.”
Which brings us back to Sunday night’s slickly produced finale,
underwritten by General Motors and Northrop Grumman. With Hancock,
Andrew Hill, Danilo Perez, Renee Rosnes, Billy Taylor and Randy Weston
judging the piano competition, the three young finalists added their
voices to a century-old jazz tradition.
The clear audience favorite was a Dutch-born Californian, Gerald
Clayton, who deftly combined the second movement of Beethoven’s
“Pathetique” Sonata with John Lewis’s “Django.”
But the judges were more impressed with Armenian-born Tigran Hamasyan,
who offered rhythmically dynamic readings of Ray Noble’s “Cherokee”
and Miles Davis’s “Solar” to take the top prize of $20,000. Clayton
won second place, and American Aaron Parks came in third.
Whether any of these pianists develops into a star remains to be
seen. But after 20 years of career-making competitions, the Monk
Institute can rightfully lay claim to being biggest buzzmaker in the
jazz world.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY ILLUSTRATES DEEP CULTURAL DIVIDE
by Rebeca Chapa
San Antonio Express-News
September 21, 2006 Thursday
State&Metro Edition
Today, in a Turkish courtroom, writer Elif Shafak will go on trial
for “insulting Turkishness” through the use of dialogue in her latest
novel, “The Bastard of Istanbul.”
In the book, whose English version will be released next year, a
fictional character refers to the historical killings of more than
a million Armenians as “genocide.”
“I am the grandchild of genocide survivors who lost all their relatives
to the hands of Turkish butchers in 1915, but I myself have been
brainwashed to deny the genocide because I was raised by some Turk
named Mustapha!” one of her characters says.
The death of 1.5 million Armenians nearly a century ago has been a
long-standing gash in Turkey’s history. Armenians portray the event
as genocide while Turkish nationalists call the deaths the unintended
casualties of war.
Shafak, a French-born Turkish citizen, is a professor of Turkish
studies at the University of Arizona. The writer, who bore a child
on Saturday, is expected to appear in the Istanbul courtroom today.
If convicted, she could face up to three years in prison for violating
Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code.
Keep in mind, these are fictional characters saying made-up dialogue.
Shafak’s trial comes less than a year after another highly publicized
Turkish trial, that of writer Orhan Pamuk. In an interview, Pamuk
said that Armenians and Kurds were killed “in these lands and nobody
but me dares talk about it.”
For his outspoken statements, Pamuk was subjected to regular harassment
during his trial. Charges against him were dropped early this year,
but the assault on expression continues to be worrisome.
More than 60 cases have been brought against writers and artists
in Turkey, including a case against a newspaper editor for writing
articles about the Armenian diaspora.
Politically, Turkey is walking a fine line as it seeks entry to the
European Union. Cases such as Shafak’s could seriously threaten its
admission. In July, Olli Rehn, the EU’s commissioner for enlargement,
issued a statement urging Turkey to amend Article 301 in order to
guarantee freedom of expression, a criterion for admission.
Ironically, the law cuts both ways.
Supporters believe it limits dissemination of a controversial past,
thereby avoiding a negative perception as Turkey bucks for entry.
Opponents say the law’s very existence indicates oppression in Turkey,
which is equally harmful to admission.
Despite a growing aversion to respectful dialogue and a tendency toward
staunch stances in this country, freedom of expression remains a
cornerstone of our democracy. To that end, the United States should
simultaneously encourage Turkish authorities to reconsider the
restrictive 2005 law and support its conditional entry into the EU.
It may be diplomatically difficult.
The U.S.-Turkey alliance has soured since 2003, when Turkey denied the
use of its territories as a launching pad for attacks on neighboring
Iraq. Chaos is now brewing along that border, as the Kurdistan Workers’
Party, or PKK, has long invaded southeastern Turkey from bases in Iraq.
The group, classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU
and the United States, has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy for more
than 20 years. With tensions in Iraq already high, the United States
has warned the Turkish government not to overstep its boundaries in
fighting the PKK.
With the war in Iraq in its fourth year, we are increasingly reminded
of the dilemma in assuming that a Western vision of democracy —
whatever the motivation — can be stenciled onto a different country
with different people who share a different history.
Both Shafak’s trial and the ongoing Turkish conflict are reminders
of the historical and cultural elements of the broader war in the
Middle East.

TURKISH FM AT UN: “NK CONFLICT MUST BE RESOLVED WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN”
Today, Azerbaijan
/Turkish Daily News/
Sept 24 2006
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul pressed for a seat on the U.N. Security
Council, saying it was “long overdue” and warranted given Turkey’s
front-line role in securing peace in Lebanon.
It was a position likely to be disputed by longtime rival Greece,
and by the Greek-Cypriot administered southern Cyprus.
Gul’s call before the U.N. General Assembly comes as Turkey has stepped
up its profile in international politics. Turkey was the first Muslim
country to commit troops to a U.N. peacekeeping force being deployed
in Lebanon as part of a cease-fire agreement that ended a monthlong
war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.
“From the very start, Turkey has followed an active diplomacy, and
took its place at the forefront of the international efforts to end
the bloodshed,” Gul said. “We believe that, in the spirit of equitable
rotation, our turn to be represented is long overdue.”
Echoing comments by other delegations, Gul said the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict is the center of the problems in the Middle East, and called
for a revival of the peace process in the region.
Gul indicated that Turkey supports the U.N. Security Council’s
resolution No. 1701. “Despite some ongoing problems, the resolution
is a positive step for regional peace and stability,” said the Turkish
foreign minister.
“Progress toward peace in the Middle East will have a positive impact
on other global problems,” noted Gul.
He stressed that the Iraq issue is very important. “There is an urgent
need to establish an Iraq where ethnic warfare is over and democracy
is erected,” said Gul.
Gul stated that terrorism continues to claim the lives of innocent
people in the world. “Turkey has no tolerance for applying double
standards in the fight against terrorism,” commented Gul.
Referring to the Caucasus, Gul stated that the problem of Nagorno
Karabakh must be resolved within the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan.
Gul reiterated that Turkey will continue to assist the political
process and rebuilding of Afghanistan.
Gul’s comments reflect Turkey’s desire to raise its international
profile as it strives to join the European Union — a process that
has met with resistance from a number of EU members, in large part
over Turkey’s human rights record.
Turkey opened membership talks in October 2005, but its refusal to
recognize EU-member southern Cyprus or open its ports to Greek Cypriot
ships and airplanes has also led to speculation that the European
Commission, the EU’s executive body, could recommend suspending
membership negotiations.
The main point of contention is Ankara’s unwillingness to implement
a Turkey-EU customs agreement that requires it to open Turkish ports
to southern Cyprus — which would imply recognition by Turkey of the
Greek Cypriot-led government of Cyprus. The customs requirement is
part of a deal on the free exchange of goods with all EU members.
Defending the government’s position on Cyprus, Gul said Turkey’s
January proposal for the lifting of all trade restrictions “remained
on the table.”
Cyprus has been divided between a Greek Cypriot south and a
Turkish-Cypriot north since 1974, when Turkey intervened in the island
after an Athens-backed coup by supporters of union with Greece.
But Gul also protested that the isolation of Turkish Cypriots is
unfair, arguing that “in this day and age, living under unjustly
imposed restrictions defies all reason.”
Gul indicated that “the Turkish Cypriots voted for the Annan Plan in
the island. Turkish Cypriots expect a solution within the framework
of the Annan plan in order to bring lasting and comprehensive solution
in the island. It is high time for the Turkish Cypriots to unite with
global economy.”
Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos said Wednesday that the
tiniest EU member wants Turkey to become a European democracy, but
will insist that Ankara first deliver on its promise to the European
Union and recognize southern Cyprus.
Speaking shortly after Gul, the foreign minister of Greece expressed
regret that the Cyprus problem remained unresolved.
“Our goal remains an agreed solution between the two communities,
without arbitration and tight timetables, which will be approved
subsequently by referenda,” Dora Bakoyannis said.
Pressing Turkey’s case for the Security Council seat, Gul said his
country was “emerging as a major donor country” and called it an
“anomaly” that it had not served on the council since 1961.
He mentioned initiatives such as the “Alliance of Civilizations” in
which Turkey has participated in an effort to promote intercultural
understanding and correct a “rift in cultural perceptions” surrounding
events in the Middle East. The Alliance is a U.N.-sponsored group
that promotes understanding between Western and Islamic states.
“Having consolidated our place among the largest economies of the
world, we want to enrich and improve our relations with the more
distant regions,” which include Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean,
East Asia and the Pacific,” Gul said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BBC News
Sept 22 2006
Writer’s trial a key moment for Turkey
By Sarah Rainsford
BBC News, Istanbul
Elif Shafak has called for a change in the law
Turkish police were on duty outside Beyoglu court from early morning.
Riot police lined up at the main gates complete with plastic shields
and gas masks.
The courtroom itself was sectioned off behind a row of tall temporary
fencing.
High security, for the trial of a novelist.
Elif Shafak stood accused of “insulting Turkishness”. The charge
related to her latest novel The Bastard of Istanbul.
The novel centres on two families – one Turkish, one Armenian – and
includes discussion of the mass killing of Armenians in the dying
days of the Ottoman Empire.
Armenia insists Turkey recognise that as genocide.
Empathy
The author says her novel examines issues of memory and amnesia.
She had hoped it might promote empathy between nations.
If Article 301 will be interpreted in this way, nobody can write
novels in Turkey anymore – no-one can make movies any more
Novelist Elif Shafak
Turks welcome verdict
Instead she was charged under Article 301 of the penal code – which
holds a possible prison sentence of three years.
“In our culture no-one can brand their ancestors murderers or accuse
them of genocide,” Kemal Kerincsiz insisted ahead of the trial.
He is one of the nationalist lawyers who filed the initial complaint
against the novel.
“Maybe in the West they’re more tolerant, but here we can’t accept
those comments as criticism.”
In the passages singled out by the lawyers as insulting, Armenian
characters refer to the Turks as butchers and as ignorant – they talk
of massacre and deportation.
The nationalists called that dangerous propaganda.
‘Relieved’
Elif Shafak gave birth at the weekend, so she was not in court to
defend herself.
In the event, her testimony was not required.
Scuffles broke out outside the court
The trial was over in less than 40 minutes – the judge acquitted the
writer in her absence, and threw the case out of court.
“I just talked to Elif on the phone – she was so happy and relieved,”
her husband Eyup told journalists immediately after the hearing.
But the nationalist lawyers did not stay around to hear the verdict.
They stormed out of court, shouting that the judge was working under
political pressure.
“It was obvious he was going to acquit Shafak,” one of the group
fumed in the car park.
“He didn’t even listen to the accused or the complainant. The judge’s
ruling is predictable – so we have pulled out.”
As the nationalists emerged, they came face to face with left-wing
supporters of Elif Shafak and free speech.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder against fascism,” a crowd of around 50
people shouted, amid short spontaneous busts of applause.
Riot police ran in, as a shouting match quickly descended into
scuffles.
Warning
Elif Safak is the latest in a long line of Turkish writers to go on
trial here.
The Armenian issue has been at the heart of many cases.
Others have focused on insults to the military, the judiciary or to
the founder of modern Turkey.
This is the first time an author has been accused of insult in a work
of fiction.
“If Article 301 will be interpreted in this way nobody can write
novels in Turkey anymore, no-one can make movies any more,” Elif
Safak warned, shortly before her case came to court.
“Then the words of a character could be used as evidence against the
author or the film director. So I think it is extremely important to
defend the autonomy of art and of literature.”
EU observers who were at the trial welcomed the acquittal as the
right decision – but called on the government to go further now, and
abolish Article 301 altogether.
EU test
Turkey faces a highly critical progress report from the EU in
November, with a crisis looming over the divided island of Cyprus in
particular.
We do not deserve this law
Elif Safak
So writers’ trials like this one have become symbolic of Turkey’s
commitment to the membership process itself.
“The Turkish government has a majority in parliament. This is an
issue where they could act,” MEP Joost Lagendijk said after the trial
in Istanbul.
“If they don’t, it makes it much harder to find a compromise on
Cyprus as well.
“So this has an influence much wider than only freedom of speech.
“It can influence the negotiation process positively if something
happens, and negatively if nothing does.”
Pressure for change
The case against Elif Shafak may well mark a turning point.
Perhaps prompted by the apparent absurdity of a trial for a work of
fiction, Turkey’s prime minister gave his first ever hint on Thursday
that some kind of change to the law might be possible.
Pressure for change is mounting steadily here at home now, as well as
in Brussels.
“Many people warned the government that Article 301 would cause
problems, but they turned a blind eye.
“Now it’s a major stumbling block to our EU entry,” Elif Safak
explained, frustrated.
“But even more important than that – we do not deserve this law.
“This is not the law that should be applied to our own citizens and
we need to do something about it.
“The question is does the government have the will or the courage to
take that step?”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ContraCosta Times, CA
Sept 23 2006
He wins, but can he take a punch?
Richmond’s Morgan is 3-0, and opponents can’t seem to touch him
Boxing
Richmond’s Aaron Morgan has had three professional bouts now, and
trainer Ralph McCoy still can’t tell if he can take a punch.
That’s because Morgan (3-0) hasn’t let anyone get close to his chin.
Morgan’s latest victory came on Sept. 8 in Modesto as he won a
unanimous decision over Manuel Garcia, who is now 4-4-1. McCoy
scheduled the bout knowing that Garcia had a reputation as a big
puncher.
It all figured to be part of Morgan’s education. McCoy thought he
would find out how Morgan would react to a big punch.
“They were feeling each other out and Aaron burst out with a flurry
of punches,” McCoy said. “He hit Garcia with a four- or five-punch
combination that set the tone. The guy got upset and he started
winging, throwing bombs.”
McCoy thought he was about to see Morgan have to respond to a big
punch. “He couldn’t catch Aaron all night long,” McCoy said with a
laugh. “I thought Aaron would stop him in the third round, but the
guy was tough.”
Although McCoy didn’t get exactly what he expected, he was pleased
with his student’s performance. “Aaron had to show some boxing
expertise and he did. He kept his jab out there and he threw
excellent combinations.
“He also was rolling with the punches and that took the guy’s power
off. One time he got butted, and that bothered him more than
anything.”
McCoy is looking for future opponents and he hopes to send Morgan out
two or three more times this year if possible. “We’re looking at a
couple of opponents right now,” McCoy said. “Andy Nance (a former
highly rated boxer) is helping me quite a bit with the selection of
opponents. We are looking for someone with a little more experience.”
The plan for Morgan has been to keep him busy while presenting him
with different styles. “We want to get him eight or nine wins, then
we will start looking at tougher opponents,” McCoy said. “We are
trying to avoid rushing him too much. He wants to take on the world
right now, but you don’t want to schedule someone with too much
experience. He can’t do it quite yet, so we’re trying to avoid the
big bangers. I still don’t know whether he can take a big punch.”
McCoy has handled boxers such as former USBA junior middleweight
champ Art Serwano and California light heavyweight champ Bomani
Parker.
“Aaron learns quicker than any fighter I’ve ever trained,” McCoy
said. “Within a day, he gets things down pat.”
According to McCoy, Morgan likes to study pros in his weight class on
television. “I have to hold him back,” McCoy said with a laugh. “He
says, ‘I can beat that guy.’
“He is only 20 so I keep telling him, ‘Aaron, you have to look at the
big picture.’ As long as we have our eye on the big picture and we go
accordingly, it will be OK.”
McCoy had been training Morgan at the Bay Area Boxing Gym in Rodeo.
However, that facility has closed. They have been working with
Concord trainer Karl Sharrock’s stable of fighters, at the Vallejo
PAL and at the Cal boxing club.
Besides Morgan, McCoy is working with 125-pounder David Springer, a
23-year-old amateur. He also has been helping the Golden Bears. “I
love working with the Cal boxers,” McCoy said. “It’s great working
with college kids.”
Shot at title
Castro Valley’s Glenn Donair (16-2-1) gets a shot at the IBF
flyweight title when he faces champion Vic Darchinyan (26-0) on Oct.
7 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Darchinyan won the title in 2004 and has defended it three times.
Darchinyan was born in Armenia and now lives in Sydney, Australia.
Donair won the NABA flyweight title on May 5 with a 12-round decision
over Cesar Lopez (18-3) in Concho, Okla.
The bout will be held on the undercard of the Diego Corrales-Joel
Casamayor bout. Corrales won a split decision over Casamayor on March
6, 2004.
Pro scene
Donair’s brother, Nonito Donair, will also fight on the Oct. 7
against an opponent yet to be named. Nonito Donair is 15-1 as a super
flyweight and is coming off a TKO over Jose Luis Cardenas on July 29
in Santa Ynez. … Eric “Butterbean” Esch continues to fight despite
losing three of his last four bouts. Now 74-7-4, Esch faces Ed White
(11-12) on Saturday in Belterre, Ind.
— Jay Heater
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 23 2006
Ilham Aliyev: “Creation of two Armenian states is impossible and
poses a threat to Europe”
[ 23 Sen. 2006 12:55 ]
“South Caucasus plays a vital part for Europe. Particularly, delivery
of Caspian energy recourses to European market is of great
importance.
But, Nagorno Garabagh conflict in the region is a big obstacle to the
relationship between Europe and South Caucasus, Azerbaijan’s
President Ilham Aliyev told Bertelsmann Forum 2006 in Berlin.
“Europe should play decisive part in the settlement of the conflict
and work for a peace accord in the region”. He said energy security
for Europe is a demand of time and in this respect, Azerbaijan is
ready to act as a reliable partner of Europe. He said Azerbaijan has
joined New Neighborhood Policy and integration into the west is
priority of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy.
Azerbaijani President mentioned Baku’s stance on the Nagorno Garabagh
issue once again.
“Armenian is the only state in the world without national minorities.
In this regard, creation of two Armenian states is impossible and is
not in line with international norms and principles and poses a
threat to future Europe” he stated.
Rumanian President Traian Basescu supported the position of
Azerbaijan and drew attention to the fact that defence of the rights
of ethnic minorities mustn’t violate the territorial integrity of a
country.
“Ideas not in accordance with European standards will not be
effective. Every ethnic minority can’t establish its own state. There
exists an experience of authority; the conflicts have to be settled
on these principles”.
Azerbaijani President also answered questions on global energy,
Azerbaijan’s oil and gas policy, BTC and other projects, and
international issues.
The forum is being attended by presidents, premiers, parliament
speakers and foreign ministers of some 20 countries.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU Commission President Manuel
Barroso, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, Belgian Prime
Minister Guy Verhofstadt and Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc
Gyurcsany told the forum that the principal aim of this meeting is to
exchange views on the future of Europe.
It was said at the forum that resolution of frozen conflicts,
elimination of obstacles to economic growth is very necessary. Issues
on countries wanting to be admitted to the EU, relations with OIC
member-states, energy security of Europe, scientific research
programs, economic and political projects, reforms in education
sphere, creation of new universities, happenings in Near East and
other hotspots etc. were also discussed at the forum.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev also met with Speaker of
Georgian Parliament Mrs. Nino Burjanadze and former US secretary of
department of state Henry Kissinger in Berlin.
The International forum is ending today. /APA/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Sept 23 2006
Demand on Recognition of Armenian Genocide by Armenia Might fall Out
of EU’s Document
Source: Trend
Author: A.Alasgarov
23.09.2006
Next Tuesday, 26 September, the European parliament is to consider a
document on the cooperation with Turkey.
Trend Special Correspondent in Ankara reports the draft document was
proposed to include the European Union’s (EU) demand for Turkey on
the recognition of the Armenian genocide as one of terms for this
country’s admission to the EU. However, the issue is expected to fall
out of the document under pressures of Turkey and opponents of this
item.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 22 2006
Aliyev: Azerbaijan key to European energy security
AssA-Irada 23/09/2006 01:07
“Azerbaijan has turned into a major oil producer and this is of great
importance for European energy security,” President Ilham Aliyev told
the International Bertelsmann Forum in Berlin, Germany on Friday.
Aliyev said his country is ready to play the role of a reliable energy
partner of Europe.
The president regarded the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh
conflict as a serious hurdle for the integration of the South Caucasus
region and pointed to the importance of European states’ efforts in
solving the long-standing dispute.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered opening remarks at the
forum. She pointed to the possibility of Turkey’s becoming a member
of the European Union within the next 10 years.
The participants have discussed the future of the 25-member union
and economic cooperation among EU states.
President Aliyev was previously expected to hold a tete-a-tete meeting
with the German Chancellor. However, Merkel postponed all of her
meetings after a train crash in Germany.
Along with Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Poland and Romania are represented
at the two-day forum by their presidents. The event is also attended
by the parliament speakers of France and Georgia, the Armenian foreign
minister, as well as the heads of the EU and the Council of Europe.
Forums of this kind are organized by Carl Bertelsmann Foundation once
in two years in an effort to hold dialogue on the future of Europe
among political, economic and cultural circles and media outlets. The
last such event, “European alternatives – changes and prospects for
expanding Europe”, was held in Berlin in 2004 and drew over 30 leaders
and prime ministers, parliament speakers and ministers from 22 European
states, as well as representatives of the United States and Israel.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress