Author: Emil Lazarian

Zaman, Turkey
May 21 2006
Is There a ‘Seldon Plan’ we do not Know About?
MEHMET KAMIS
05.20.2006 Saturday – ISTANBUL 00:31
Today, I would like to tell you about a novelist and his book. Isaac
Asimov who died on April 6, 1992 is known as one of the greatest
science fiction writers of our age.
Asimov, born as the child of a Jewish family in Russia, migrated to
USA when he was three. He grew up in New York and started writing
science fiction stories before he is 20. The Foundation series, among
his several works big and small, are considered among the most
important works in the field of science fiction.
In his Foundation series, Asimov talks about an imaginary and distant
future. Events taking place tens of thousands of years later are told
in these series called a kind of history of the Knights of the Temple
as they come to the agenda at times. Differently from the common
sci-fi works, there are no aliens or strange creatures around. The
human being went to space and gradually spread all over the galaxy. A
big empire is founded and the whole galaxy is under the sovereignty
of this empire. Asimov finds himself a hero at this point. A young
mathematician, Hari Seldon, puts forward an interesting thesis he
will later call `psychohistory.’
This thesis asserts that the future course of human events can be
calculated with a very complex mathematics formula and can be changed
through interventions if necessary. The formula does not work on
human beings one by one but gives perfect results on huge masses of
people. As Seldon applies the data of the era he lives in to the
formula, a very interesting result emerges. Bad times await humanity.
The empire will collapse and an era of barbarism to last for
thousands of years will replace it. Seldon realizes he will not be
able to stop the fall of this empire but the revival of humanity can
be possible in a much shorter time with proper interventions.
Seldon prepares a plan he believes will be for the benefit of
humanity. He deceives the administrators and sends a group of
scientists to a deserted planet at the border of the galaxy in order
to set up the Foundation with an apparent mission of preparing an
encyclopedia. He also convenes another group as the real protectors
of the plan under the title Second Foundation, in an unknown place he
calls Star’s End. The real mission the First Foundation is not aware
of is that of establishing the empire again in the future. As for the
Second Foundation, it is made up of leaders who know about the Plan
and will protect and make it operate after Seldon dies. Though the
First Foundation seems to rise, the Real Masters are the Second
Foundation members behind the scenes.
The Second Foundation we can also call social engineers constantly
controls the First Foundation and makes necessary adjustments for
them to live in accordance with the Seldon Plan. The plan is based on
the principle of leaving a single choice for human beings pressured
by crises inside and outside the country and their following this
single way compulsorily. The Second Foundation is always vigilant in
order for the plan to function. It produces proper crises when
necessary and never lets the First Foundation act on its own. It
continuously reduces the choices and makes sure others remain loyal
to the big plan. Those who have read the series may ask why I do not
mention the Mule or R. Daniel. If I mentioned them, then I would have
done wrong to those who have not read the series, however, I intended
to do so but this column does not have enough space for them, either.
While narrating the Seldon Plan, I said that the basic spirit is
leaving one single choice for humanity pressured by domestic and
foreign crises. Now, I have a look at the very recent history…
Foreign troubles on the one hand…The events taking place in
neighboring Iraq, developments within the framework of Iran, our
European Union membership process, France’s efforts to enact the
so-called Armenian Genocide law…It is possible to extend the list.
Domestic troubles on the other hand…The tension in Semdinli, the
Counter-Terrorism Act and the debates that ensued, pressure imposed
on the sanctities of different groups in the society, tension at
universities, the sudden economic fluctuation in the past week and
the treacherous attack on the Council of State yesterday…It is
possible to extend the links of this chain, too. I wonder if there is
a Second Foundation and are we forced to follow a certain way within
the framework of a pre-determined plan unawarely? No, it cannot be
possible!
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The New York Times
May 21, 2006 Sunday
Late Edition – Final
Caviar Dreams
By Christopher S. Stewart
It’s 1:30 in the morning, and reality is really starting to blur.
Inside the sprawling 19th-century mansion that was once the home of a
Russian trade mogul and now houses the club XIII, scantily clad women
in razor heels and would-be oil oligarchs in fancy suits groove to
house music in shattered rainbow light. Tomorrow is so far away from
this glitzed-out place.
Garey Tchagleysean, the club’s American owner, raises a Champagne
glass to his lips, loving what he sees. Standing at the edge of the
convulsing dance floor, he sports a blue suit with knife-sharp
creases in the pants, to go with the sinister smile permanently
plastered on his very round face. It’s Saturday. Supermodel
look-alikes in black sell $500 bottles of vodka, while outside a
babushka in a kiosk peddles shots for a buck and change. ”People
come to get lost,” Tchagleysean hollers over a thumping bass, as two
model types in bikinis gyrate on pedestals above us.
When Tchagleysean opened XIII in 1998, its outrageousness and glamour
immediately drew comparisons to Studio 54. Since then, Tchagleysean
has been behind some of the most extravagant and talked-about parties
in Moscow, a city that, after almost half a century behind the Iron
Curtain, is still new to hedonism.
Tchagleysean, who speaks in a sort of lazy California surfer drawl,
describes the XIII crowd as ”royals,” by which he means hip and
moneyed Muscovites. Moscow may boast the second highest billionaire
count in the world (New York ranks first), but much of the city
subsists on about $480 a month. ”We don’t just let anyone in,” he
says. ”You’re either part of this party or you’re not.”
Models, mobsters, diplomats, tennis starlets, aspiring oligarchs,
leggy molls — they all make their way here at some point. And it’s
this combustible convergence that, even after closing for two years
of renovations and reopening last spring, makes the place feel less
like New York in the 1970’s than like Chicago in the 20’s: glitz,
guns and truckloads of green. ”We have to watch out for the guns,”
Tchagleysean admits. ”It’s necessary. Because of what’s going on in
this country.”
David Morales, a New York-based D.J., has played XIII several times.
”Garey’s the man — the man,” he enthuses. ”What he has is not
some lounge place happening for five minutes. People go there dressed
to the nines — and dance. It’s dangerous!”
Tonight, the club is celebrating Tchagleysean’s 39th birthday —
which is actually not for another month, but who’s counting? ”I felt
like having a birthday party,” he says. Tchagleysean is making the
rounds, kissing cheeks, bear-hugging.
”When people are around me, they’re feeling cool,” he boasts.
Outside, late-model luxury cars and S.U.V.’s, most with private
drivers, are double-parked. A sleek crowd is waiting on the front
steps for the linebacker-size security guys in polar jackets to let
them through the social divide of the velvet rope. Plebeian or cool?
Tonight’s theme is the Scorpion, for Tchagleysean’s assumed
astrological sign. And everything is draped in shimmering gold, like
a movie set for ”Dune.” Women in shiny scorpion masks roam the
mansion’s two floors. On the winding marble stairwell, fey-looking
actors in gold gowns and headdresses pray over burning candles and
incense while a woman in translucent wings and stiletto heels swings
overhead.
XIII is all about theater. One night, it might be ”The Nutcracker”;
another, Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel ”The Master and Margarita”; and
another, the orgy scene from Stanley Kubrick’s movie ”Eyes Wide
Shut,” complete with some actors dressed in black cloaks and others
naked but for their feather masks. For gangster night, Tchagleysean
hauled in vintage cars from the 30’s and dressed actors in period
costumes with toy machine guns. ”People are always asking me, ‘What
are you going to do next?”’ he says.
Tchagleysean is short and stocky, and when he moves, his thick
shoulders roll like a wrestler setting up for a match. Born in
Armenia, he is an American citizen and got his start after high
school in Southern California, promoting parties in the 1980’s at the
Roxy and Vertigo in Los Angeles. When the L.A. scene dimmed, he
headed to Moscow, first as a tourist and then as an itinerant
lunch-truck owner who served up hamburgers and hot dogs.
He set up the promotion company Organized Kaos and then opened Papa
John’s (now known simply as Papa’s), a restaurant at the city’s
center with a music space downstairs. Minutes before the Russian
economy tanked in 1998, he bought the decrepit yellow two-story
mansion across the street, built sometime in the 19th century by one
of Russia’s richest merchant families. XIII was named for its
address, 13 Myasnitskaya Ulitsa. ”I also liked the idea of the
number 13, a kind of secret society,” he says.
When he opened the club, he charged entry fees upward of $40, which
were then unheard of. And unlike in the egalitarian days of
Communism, there was a highly selective door policy, which persists
today. Tchagleysean offered weekly masquerades and sometimes brought
in real circus performers. Props were borrowed from the national
opera house or local movie studios. Major D.J. acts like Fatboy Slim,
Paul Oakenfold and Sasha & Digweed came to XIII before they played
any other spot in Russia, he says.
The dance floor, half the size of a basketball court, is lighted by a
cascading crystal chandelier. At each end are swishy V.I.P. rooms
with leather banquettes. After long nights in the summer, the party
usually spills out onto the balconies. When Tchagleysean decided that
it was time to close the place down in 2003, people were stunned. But
after extensive renovations, he reopened last May, and unveiled his
new idea: burlesque nights.
Almost every month, Tchagleysean brings in burlesque and cabaret
stars, mainly from Britain, with names like Lucifire, Empress Stah
and Kittie Klaw. Shows feature whips, chains, leather and fire.
Tchagleysean describes it as a sexual revolution, where anything
goes. ”I’m teaching the city about new things,” he says with a
laugh.
It’s close to 4 a.m. now. In a V.I.P. banquette, a guy is laid out on
his girlfriend’s lap, completely intoxicated. A new D.J. is just
coming on, the third of the night.
”What we do here is illegal,” one reveler with a girl on his arm
says to me.
”What?”
He nods toward the crowded dance floor, the nearly naked girls in
cages, the pretty ballerinas twirling on the pedestals. He laughs.
”You can’t do
this in America,” he says, getting up real close to my ear, as if
he’s about to tell a secret. ”You understand?
We’re having fun.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

President Kocharyan will not suggest his candidacy for the third term,
Garnik Isagulyan says

ArmRadio.am
20.05.2006 15:25
President Robert Kocharyan will not suggest his candidacy for the
third term, Adviser to the Presidnet on National Security Garnik
Isagulyan said today in a press conference. Mr. Isagulyan did not
reject, but indirectly excluded the opportunity of Robert Kocharyan’s
occupying the Prime Minister’s position.
As for Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan’s candidacy, Garnik Isagulyan
said he is the most prepared politician in Armenia now, who will
secure the maintenance of the current political line.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

37th World Chess Olympic Games to start in Turin

ArmRadio.am
20.05.2006 12:10
The 37th World Chess Olympic Games will start today in Turin, which
will be attended also by Armenian chess players. The Armenian men’s
chess team ranks the third in the world. Our major rivals are the
Russian chess players.
The Armenian men’steam comprises Grand Masters Levon Aronyan, Vladimir
Hakobyan, aren Asryan, Smbat Lputyan, Artashes Minasyan and Gabriel
Sargsyan. The women’s team comprises Lilit Lazarian, Elina
Danielyan, Nelli Aghinyan and Siranush Andreasyan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

`Museum night’ in Armenia.

ArmRadio.am
20.05.2006 12:17
`Museum night’ action has been declared today in Armenia. From 5 pm. to 1
a.m. thematic events accompanied with musical programs will be organized in
all state museums.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 18 2006
RA PRESIDENT DISCUSSES WITH GOVERNOR OF ARARAT REGION LIQUIDATION OF
CONSEQUENCES OF SPRING FLOODS
YEREVAN, May 19. /ARKA/. On May 18, the RA President Robert Kocharyan
discussed with the Governor of Ararat region Alik Sargsyan issues
referring to state support in liquidation of consequences of spring
floods.
According to the Press-Service of the RA President, Kocharyan
assigned Sargsyan to render assistance to peasants, who suffered as a
result of inundated lands and damaged gardens.
Interlocutors also discussed current work in social-economic,
cultural and educational spheres in 2006. S.P. –0–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“SHEN-CONCERN” CJSC INTENDS TO ATTRACT CREDIT FROM EUROBANK TO SUM OF
$5-6 MLN Yerevan, May 20. ArmInfo. The “Shen-Concern” CJSC intends to
attract credit from the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development to the sum of $5-6 mln to build a plant in Armenia for
plasterboard production, the Concern’s President Samvel Beglaryan told
ArmInfo.
According to him, plasterboard is not produced in Armenia at present
and is imported mainly from Iran and partially from Russia. According
to Beglaryan’s assessments, Armenia imports about 1-1,5 mln sq.m of
plasterboard per year to the sum of $5 mln. To organize this
production, “Shen” intends to start development of a plaster deposit
in Armenia. As to Beglaryan’s estimations, the Eurobank’s credit means
will be enough to operate the quarry and to build a plant. This
project will be probably considered at the Eurobank’s general meeting
of shareholders to be held in London June 20-26, 2006. Then the
project will be discussed at the regular annual meeting of the “Shen”
shareholders in Yerevan on July 9. According to the President of
“Shen”, the year 2005 was successful for the Company in the whole, as
compared to the previous year. Thus, according to preliminary
estimations, the volumes of sales increased by 20-25% or by $300-400
thsd. as compared to 2004.
Besides, Samvel beglarian stated that “Shen-Concern” has attracted
1.250 million euros to construction of a new plant producing color
cement blocks in Yerevan. The plan will be unique in the South
Caucasus, he said.
He said the concern gained the sum invested in the construction from a
deal with the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development. Specifically, EBRD acquired 24% of the enterprise’s
shares for 850,000 euros at the end of 2004, and another 15% shares
for 400,000 euros in 2005, hereby becoming the holder of 36% stake in
“Shen-Concern.” The plant was put into operation in March 2006. The
production capacity of the plant is 13,000 standard cement blocks per
8-hour shift. The plant capacity fully satisfies the needs of the
internal market, Beglaryan says. The plant can produce 17 types of
cement products, specifically, borders for highways and streets, color
blocks etc. He assures that European special hydraulic-press
technology, which is unique in the South Caucasus, is used in the
production of the cement blocks. It secures high atmosphere resistance
and durability. The new plant has 30 employees, but the growing
production will lead to opening of new jobs. The average monthly wages
is some 100,000 AMD. At present the plant uses 40% of its capacities
because of some technical problems with adjustment, however, these
problems will be settled in a month, Beglaryan believes.
According to Beglarian, the “Shen-Concern” CJSC intends to expand its
presence in the Georgian market of building materials in 2006.
According to him, it has been two year already as the “Shen”-produced
paints, which are distinguished by high quality compared to the
now-used Turkish analogues, are supplied to the Georgian market. The
Concern is going to supply colored concrete blocks and borders to
Georgia since 2006. Beglaryan noted that the Georgia’s deputy Minister
for Economic Development, Genrikh Mouradyan, has recently visited
Yerevan and the newly-built “Shen” plant for concrete blocks
production. Mouradyan came interested in the Armenian production as
large-scale road-building is carried out in Georgia. A preliminary
agreement was reached during the visit concerning delivery of the
whole assortment of the plant’s production to the Georgian market. The
management of “Shen” will visit Georgia in the midst of July, 2006, to
sign contracts. The transport scheme of supplies and the price policy
are discussed at present. Other more distant countries are also
interested in the Armenian products. Delivery proposals came from
Rumania and the United Arab Emirates, in particular, Beglaryan said.
To be noted, the “Shen-Concern” CJSC was created in 1995. Thirty-six
percents of the Concerns’ shares belong to the EBRD, the rest part –
to the Armenia’s residents. The Concern owns a network of firm shops,
where 114 employees are engaged.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri students urge Tehran to sever ties with Armenia

Azerbaijani news agency APA, Baku
20 May 06
Baku, 20 May: The students of Zanjan University who staged a protest against
the publication of a cartoon insulting Azeris in Iran newspaper today urged
Tehran to sever ties with Armenia, the Baku bureau of the National Revival
Movement of Southern Azerbaijan has told APA.
The protesters, who demanded the restoration of their national rights, said
they view the cartoon as Iran’s official position. They urged Azeri students
to stage protests in all of southern Azerbaijan [northern Iran].
Unidentified people attacked the editorial office of Iran newspaper and
tried to set it on fire yesterday evening.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Critics’ Forum
Visual Arts
Joanne Julian: Concerning the Spiritual in Art
By Adriana Tchalian
The title of my article, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, comes from
a book written by twentieth-century Modernist Wassily Kandinsky on
the subject of art and spirituality (1910). He, along with others
such as Piet Mondrian, was strongly influenced by religious and
spiritual subjects of his times, and as a result created art that
reflected this awareness. Compared to the charismatic, angst-ridden
artists of today, these early twentieth-century Modernists were sage
and poet in one, creating works that reflected their inner life
rather than generating “art for art’s sake” or imbuing their work
with social or political purpose.
In fact, ever since Paleolithic man began sketching crude renderings
of animals on the ceilings of the Lascaux caves (France, 13,000 BC),
art has become an expression or a reflection of one’s creed – for
these renderings were not meant for decorative or social purposes
but rather as some type of ritualistic magic. Assuming that one
agrees that art has a purpose – whether cultural, political, or
otherwise – and is not merely “art for art’s sake,” empty of meaning
or purpose, it is clear that the most significant role of art has
been the expression of one’s religious or spiritual creed. The
centrality of the spiritual in art is undeniable, be it in the art
of India or the art of the Italian Renaissance, the interior of an
ancient cave or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, or to offer a
more contemporary example, the open-air ceiling of James Turrell’s
Roden Crater, an extinct crater that has been excavated to function
as an open-air observatory just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona.
And although some contemporary western artists do not offer much by
way of the spiritual in art, even they are keenly aware of its
absence. As art critic and historian Suzi Gablik writes, “the real
crisis of Modernism, as many people have claimed, is the pervasive
spiritual crisis of Western civilization: the absence of a system of
beliefs that justifies allegiance to any entity beyond the self.”
Galib goes on to say that even twentieth-century Abstract
Expressionists were closet spiritualists, quietly revering the early
Modernists’ efforts to distill their spiritual explorations into
fine art.
Having made this argument about art and spirituality, then, how do
we apply it to contemporary Armenian art? Enter the likes of Joanne
Julian, a Los Angeles-based Armenian artist who is a virtual unknown
in the Armenian diasporan community, yet one whose work is well-
recognized amongst mainstream art circles.
There is nothing intrinsically Armenian about Julian’s graphite and
ink drawings. The critic Robert McDonald describes her work as
possessing “the discipline and spirit of Taoist painting.” It is
this proclivity towards things spiritual that is the driving essence
behind her work. Having traveled throughout Asia, Julian has
cultivated an extensive Asian visual vocabulary, which is reflected
in the simplicity and beauty of her drawings – immense brushstrokes,
reminiscent of Asian calligraphy, are set against the glistening
sheen of the graphite, forming an exquisite contrast of color,
texture and shape.
In February of this year, Julian, along with William Amundson and
Robin Dare, participated in an exhibition – Drawn to Scale – at the
Spokane Falls Community College Art Gallery in Washington. The
exhibit was co-curated by Louise Lewis, gallery director and
professor of art history at California State University, Northridge.
According to Lewis, “The juxtaposition of a delicately drawn silver
braid entwined within a vibrant circle of crimson or gold suggests
an unusually exuberant Zen exercise, ironically made more intimate
by the all-enveloping scale. In Horizontal Braid, the intricately
drawn tress stretches within the bottom portion of nearly 3′ high
gold and circle, provocatively inviting the viewer to contemplate
the secrets within the circle.”

The presence of someone of Julian’s talent in both the Armenian
diasporan and American contexts suggests that the yearning for the
spiritual is alive and well, even among the most avant-garde artists
in our communities. In an earlier article, I had posed the question
of whether or not there was an Asian aesthetic in Armenian visual
art. It appears as if Joanne Julian’s work more than answers that
call, while transcending the limits of even that description in the
process.
All Rights Reserved: Critics Forum, 2006
Adriana Tchalian holds a Masters degree in Art History and has
managed several art galleries in Los Angeles.
You can reach her or any of the other contributors to Critics’ Forum
at [email protected]. This and all other articles published
in this series are available online at To
sign up for a weekly electronic version of new articles, go to
Critics’ Forum is a group created to
discuss issues relating to Armenian art and culture in the Diaspora.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Telegraph, United Kingdom
May 20 2006
You need friends to win in Eurovision
By Ed West
(Filed: 20/05/2006)
The latest act in the Yugoslav drama plays out tomorrow when tiny
Montenegro votes on independence from Serbia. And while Croatia’s
tragic schism with the Serbs was provoked by football rivalry, the
final nail in the federation’s coffin is karaoke.
These old allies, who fought together against Croats, Albanians and
Nato, are on the point of rupture over their joint representative at
the Eurovision Song Contest, held tonight in Athens. In the Serbian
version of A Song For Europe, Montenegrin judges were accused of
tactically voting for compatriots No Name ahead of Serbian favourites
Flamingoes, leading to uproar from a hostile Belgrade crowd and the
terrified Montenegrin boy band being escorted out by security.
With typical Balkan bloody-mindedness, the Serbians withdrew
altogether, and neither country got to appear. To add insult to
injury, their place was allotted to the best semi-finalist… Croatia.
Controversy has been a staple of Eurovision, established 50 years ago
by the European Broadcasting Union in the spirit of fostering
European unity. And while the British treat Eurovision as a joke, for
Europe’s small nations it is their moment in the sun. After wins for
Estonia in 2001, Latvia in 2002 and Ukraine in 2004, tomorrow Armenia
arrives on the big stage, and nationalist controversy is already
rampant. Neighbouring Azerbaijan is none too happy that Armenian
entrant André has listed his place of birth as “Republic of Nagorno
Karabakh”. An Armenian MP has also complained that the song,
containing Turkish words, is not “Armenian enough”.
But really, instead of trying to absorb Nagorno, Armenia’s government
should establish it as a separate state, thereby creating a voting
buddy. That’s the way Eurovision works: a Cypriot entry could simply
walk on stage and belch, and still be sure of 12 votes from the
Greeks.
Various research papers have identified patterns of voting blocs,
including the Viking, Slavic and Balkan groups and even an
impressive-sounding Spanish-Andorran alliance. Lordi, Finland’s entry
and the contest’s first-ever death-metal band, may not do for all
tastes, but they can be confident the Swedes will help out, as they
did for most of Finland’s previous attempts, including Chirpy Chirp,
the mysterious Pump Pump and the bizarre, accordion-led reggae
interpretation Reggae OK.
Likewise, seven-times winner Ireland can always rely on a generous
score from the UK, almost as if it were a clause in the 1921 Treaty.
And Germany often favours its eastern neighbours with guilt points
(there probably is a German word for it), while everyone in Europe
gives generously to Israel’s interesting renditions. (No one is
exactly sure why Israel is even in Eurovision, save for the suspicion
that it would not do well in a Middle Eastovision, least of all with
a trans-sexual diva like Dana International.)
So if Eurovision is all about friends, what about Le Royaume-Uni? As
with the Common Market and European Football Championships, Britain
failed to enter the first Eurovision, which subsequently developed a
French feel. Indeed, we have long suspected that the whole thing is a
continental carve-up.
Back in 1988, Scott Fitzgerald was way ahead of his Swiss rival with
just two votes to go, but failed to get any reward from the Yugoslav
or French panels. The following day on radio phone-ins many callers
claimed that communist Yugoslavia had favoured neutral Switzerland
over Nato Britain, while no explanation was needed for the French
decision.
And with ever greater eastern participation, Britain has declined
from annual favourite to third-rate mediocrity, the low point coming
in 2003 when Jemini’s Cry Baby left the UK pointless, although
everyone was too busy focusing on Russian teen lesbians Tatu, who
finished third behind a Turkish “oriental-style rap” and a Belgian
entry sung in an imaginary language (an good way to settle the
Flemish-Walloon conflict).
The Belgians could do this because the restriction on singing in a
foreign language, designed to protect national culture but in reality
a Canute-style Francophone struggle against Americanisation, was
dropped in 1999. It worked: Poland was first to break the Old Europe
stranglehold by singing in the language of rock and roll, and came
second on its debut.
At the other end of the scale, the Swiss had one of their worst
results when they performed a number in the country’s tiny Rhaeto
Romantic tongue.
In retrospect, the greatest tragedy of Eurovision was that it gave
the world the “Swiss” representative Celine Dion. (French-Canadian
Dion is not the only foreigner to have triumphed: in 1980 and 1987
Ireland won with Australian Johnny Logan, while Estonia’s winner was
a West Indian who could not speak a word of the language, and remains
the only black singer to ever win Eurovision.)
So how can Britain take back the title? Or – a better question – do
we in fact want Daz Sampson’s Teenage Life to bring the prize back to
Blighty? With the expense involved in hosting Eurovision, winning has
become something of a white elephant. In one episode of Father Ted,
the Irish judges deliberately choose an abysmal dirge by Craggy
Island’s finest to lose for Ireland.
This trick was strongly rumoured to have actually happened in 1979,
when the Spanish judges gave maximum points to main rivals Israel. So
do not fear if we are left without friends in Europe; in the long
term it will cost us less.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress