Author: Hunanian Jack

CBA ISSUES "SAGITTARIUS" GOLD AND SILVER COMMEMORATIVE COINS

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
has issued "Sagittarius" gold and silver commemorative coins under the
international numismatic program "The Signs of the Zodiac".

According to the CBA PR service, the coat of arms of the Republic of
Armenia is depicted in the center of the obverse of the gold and silver
coins, below which the nominal value is inscribed in a circle in
Armenian and English: "10 000 Drams" on the gold coin and "100 Drams"
on the silver coin. The year of the issue is inscribed above the coat
of arms: "2008". All this is encircled by a striped line. There is a
second striped circle between this line and the edge of the coin. The
surface between the two circles is divided into 12 equal parts, with
each of the 12 signs of the zodiac being depicted on each part. There
is an inscription "Republic of Armenia" in a circle near the edge: on
the top – in Armenian, on the bottom – in English.

An image of Sagittarius is depicted in the center of the reverse of the
gold and silver coins. Below on the right the symbol of this sign of
the zodiac is presented. There is a star made of yellow zirconium above
the image on the reverse of the silver coin. All this is encircled by a
striped line. The name of the constellation is inscribed between the
circle and the edge: on the top – in Latin, on the bottom – in Russian.

The commemorative coins were designed by U. Walerzak and minted at the
Mint of Poland.

The nominal value of the gold coin is 10,00 drams, alloy: gold (900),
weight: 8.6 grams, diameter: 22mm, quantity: up to 10,000.

The nominal value of the silver coin is 100 drams, alloy: silver (925),
weight: 28.28 grams, diameter: 38.61 mm, quantity: 12,000.

BELLEVILLE OFFERS ‘OLD PARIS CHARM’
By Emma Vandore

Times and Transcript
September 20th, 2008
Canada

The area is located on the east side of the city and is the birthplace
of Edith Piaf

PARIS – Tourists looking for old Paris charm and a taste of "La Vie
en Rose" should head to Belleville, a largely overlooked part of the
city and the birthplace of Edith Piaf.

Only five Metro stops away from Paris’ town hall, Belleville has
retained much of its working-class identity and still bubbles with
concert halls, theatres and bars — some of which Piaf once sang in.

Add to the mix successive waves of immigrants and young creative types
out drinking, eating and carousing, and you get a funky atmosphere
similar to New York’s East Village.

It offers much for the visitor, not least a panoramic view over
Paris that rivals Montmartre — but is blissfully free of peddlers
and hawkers.

Yet few tourists stray farther than Pere Lachaise cemetery, burial
place for celebrities including Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison and Piaf
herself. Even the success of "La Vie en Rose," which won actress
Marion Cotillard a best-actress Academy Award and rekindled interest
in Piaf’s life, isn’t drawing the masses to the neighborhood.

"It’s an area that hasn’t yet been discovered by tourists," said
Sophie Millot, a culture official from Paris’ 20th arrondissement,
or district, on the east side of the city where much of Belleville
lies. "At the moment, it’s Parisians who are starting to explore."

Since Piaf’s time, Belleville has suffered from a bad reputation,
cemented by the 1952 film "Casque d’Or" (Golden Helmet), inspired by
the true story of rival bands of Belleville thugs.

Near the site of a violent fight depicted in the film, Cyril
Aouizerate, a philosopher-come-nightclub owner, has built a 172-room
Philippe Starck-designed hotel called Mamashelter, which opened in
September. He says the district is no more dangerous than other parts
of Paris.

"People who come here like the cosmopolitan feel," Aouizerate said
as he puffed on a cigarette.

Be prepared, though, for scruffier streets than the sparkling avenues
and boulevards of central Paris.

Once a hilltop village with a "belle vue" or beautiful view of Paris
— from which the name is likely derived — Belleville was annexed
to Paris in 1860 when city planner Baron Haussmann attempted to
quash the locals’ rebellious spirit cutting the village down the
middle and splitting its administrative centre. The man responsible
for Paris’ wide boulevards left the streets of Belleville largely
untouched. Crooked roads that still wind their way around plots of
land set out in the Middle Ages are part of the district’s charm.

According to legend, Piaf was born as Edith Giovanna Gassion on
the pavement outside 72 rue de Belleville in the depth of winter —
attested to by a plaque outside the door.

Overwhelmed by contractions, her mother, cafe singer Annetta Giovanna
Maillard, huddled in the doorway while Piaf’s acrobat father went
to call for an ambulance. On his way Louis Alphonse Gassion stopped
in at various cafes and bars to celebrate, leaving two policemen to
help deliver Edith on the sidewalk.

The reality, however, is more banal. Piaf’s birth certificate
states that she was born at the Hospital Tenon. It is on display
at the Edith Piaf museum, two rooms of memorabilia in a Belleville
apartment belonging to Bernard Marchois, the author of several Piaf
biographies. He first met Piaf five years before her death when,
as a young boy, he listened to her singing at her apartment in the
upmarket 16th arrondissement.

The souvenirs include gold and platinum records, photos, letters and
even a life-sized teddy bear, a gift from husband Theo Sarapo. Also on
show is her famous little black dress, handbags, a pair of open-toed
shoes and boxing gloves belonging to the love of her life, Marcel
Cerdan.

Piaf’s memorable voice, which Marlene Dietrich called "the soul of
Paris," still haunts many of Belleville’s concert halls, even if the
music has changed and several have closed.

A sign outside the Nouveau Palais de Belleville, an enormous Chinese
restaurant at 46 rue de Belleville, hails the Theatre National de
Belleville which once stood in its place. Piaf is no longer on the
menu — instead you can enjoy frogs legs with ginger.

Farther down the rue de Belleville, at No. 8, stands Aux Folies. Sip
a beer on the terrace and imagine Piaf singing in the discount
supermarket next door, where the cabaret Folies-Belleville used
to stand.

Descending even farther, to 105 rue du Faubourg du Temple, you find
a former Piaf haunt, La Java, still a concert hall which now offers
pop rock and electro break drum.

Echoes of Piaf can also be found on rue Rebeval, where her maternal
grandmother lived, and rue Orfila, rue des Panoyaux or rue Ramponeau,
where it is claimed she lodged on her return to Paris after several
years in Normandy with her paternal grandmother, who ran a brothel.

Not far from her grave in the Pere Lachaise cemetery, a statue
depicting her early years as a street singer stands in the square
that bears her name. Locals and fans frequent the bar Edith Piaf,
behind the statue.

Like Piaf, whose mother came from Italian and Kabyle Berber (Algerian)
stock, many Belleville residents point to a multiethnic heritage.

In the past two centuries, the village has welcomed newcomers who have
fed its anarchistic spirit. The first came from Paris when Haussmann
cleared out inner-city slums, boosting Belleville’s population from
3,000 to 70,000 in the 45 years before annexation to the capital.

In the Paris Commune of 1871, when workers took control of the city
for several months, the Versailles army met the toughest resistance
in Belleville where, after four days of bloody street fighting,
the last barricades fell.

In the 20th century, Belleville welcomed Ottoman Armenians around
1918, German Jews in 1933 and Spaniards fleeing civil war in 1939. Many
Algerians and Tunisians arrived in the early 1960s, followed by Eastern
Europeans and Africans in the 1980s. The most recent newcomers come
from China.

A nonprofit organization called Ca se visite! offers guided tours
to the district in French and English, which include opportunities
to meet local residents, many of whom are artists attracted by the
neighbourhood’s cheaper rents and chaotic charm.

"I went to the Eiffel Tower yesterday and I felt like a tourist,"
said Lucia Lazzeri, an Italian musician, during a recent tour. "Here,
I feel like I’m tasting living history."

US SUPPORTS ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT

Panorama.am
20:10 19/09/2008

The Government of the US will provide 2.709mln USD support to the
Armenian Government for the implementation of some projects. Today
Mr. Josef Pannington and Aghvan Hovsepyan have signed a decree on
drug supervision and cooperation in legal officers’ field.

Mr. Aghvan Hovsepyan said that the financial support will be invested
in the development of the current field taking into account violations,
migration, consultancy, trafficking, etc.

BERNARD FASSIER: WAR IS NOT A WAY OF SOLUTION, ONE SHOULD DRAW CONCLUSION FROM THE TRAGEDY OF NEIGHBORS

Azeri Press Agency
Sept 18 2008
Azerbaijan

Yerevan – APA. The next meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign
Ministers will take place in New York, French co-chair of OSCE Minsk
Group Bernard Fassier told journalists in Yerevan, APA reports quoting
Novosti-Armenia.

The co-chair noted that Mammadyarov-Naldandian meeting had been agreed
with difficulty."The Foreign Ministers have rigid work schedule,
therefore it was difficult to agree on the meeting. We will make
utmost efforts at the meeting in order to create conditions for the
meeting of the two presidents before the presidential elections in
Azerbaijan. The heads of states should specify their work schedule
once more to continue the dialogue started in St. Petersburg," he said.

As regards trilateral meeting of Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan,
Turkey and Armenia within the framework of UN General Assembly,
Fassier said it was beyond his competence. Yet Mr. Fassier said they
praised Turkey’s intention to contribute to the process of settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

"Turkey’s intention to contribute to the process and efforts to
support OSCE Minsk Group’s activity are always desirable. Turkey is the
member of OSCE Minsk Group and the co-chairs report to all the members
several times a year. Turkey is known for its constructive approach
to the process of settlement, but the format of the negotiations
has not changed. Three co-chairs will carry on the negotiations, any
proposal of other members of Minsk Group, as well as Turkey may only
be praised. The co-chairs are very glad that Turkey-Armenia relations
have become normalized," the co-chair said.

Bernard Fassier says the co-chairs visit the region separately because
of their different schedules. "Unfortunately we couldn’t come to the
region together because of heavy working schedule, but it doesn’t mean
that close cooperation between the co-chairs changed. We agreed the
visit to the region with each other. We look forward to hold joint
meeting in New York".

Fassier said he held very constructive meetings in Yerevan and noted
that Armenian leadership was against the changing of OSCE Minsk Group’s
format. "I had very constructive meetings in Yerevan and Khankendi. It
was confirmed at the meetings once again that negotiations held by
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs prevented military operations". Fassier
added that starting the military operations in Nagorno Karabakh would
be suicide for both sides. "Latest developments in the South Caucasus
proved that how the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs were right to state
that military solution of the conflict was unacceptable. The war is
not a way of solution and it would be suicide for both winner and
defeated side, because post-war problems will also need to be solved
jointly. It needs to draw conclusion from the tragedy of neighbors".

BRANCH OF ARMENIA’S STATE ECONOMIC UNIVERSITY OPENED IN YEGHEGNADZOR

ARKA
Sep 18, 2008

YEGHEGNADZOR, September 18. /ARKA/. Yeghegnadzor branch of Armenia’s
State Economic University opened today in the presence of the country’s
Premier Tigran Sargsyan.

The opening of the branch is in tune with the government priority –
balanced development of regions, the Premier said at the opening
ceremony.

Young people should have an opportunity to study in the country’s
regions instead of leaving for the capital.

Yeghegnadzor branch of Armenia’s State Economic University was founded
as per the government decree of December 24 2007.

Fifty-four students (not only locals, but also young people from other
regions of Armenia, from Yerevan and Karabakh) entered the university
branch in 2008/2009 academic year. Currently the university branch
has three departments – finance, international economic relations
and tourism management.

The Armenian Weekly On-Line
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http://www.a rmenianweekly.com

The Armenian Weekly; Volume 74, No. 36, September 13, 2008

Features:

1. An Allegory for Our Times
By Lucine Kasbarian

2. Turkey Beats Armenia 2-0 in Historic Match
Turkish President’s Visit under International Spotlight
By Antranig Dereyan

***

1. An Allegory for Our Times
By Lucine Kasbarian

Imagine a brutal schoolyard bully 10 times your size. For years, he beats
the daylights out of you. He steals your lunch money. He seizes your seat at
the head of the class. He absconds with your homework, presents your
creations as his own, and receives high marks. You try to befriend him, to
reason with him, to protect what is yours-all to no avail. In desperation,
you appeal to the school authorities, only to have the bully call you a
snitch, and worse-a traitor.

To teach you a lesson for speaking out, the bully doubles his beatings.
Crestfallen, you accept that the only vernacular he understands is the
language of the fist. When you fight back to survive, the bully cries foul.
When both of you are called into the principal’s office, the bully complains
that you’ve waged a battle to destroy him; that you made him have to use
force on you. The principal studies the bully’s track record and questions
his qualifications for nomination into the National Elementary Honor
Society. The bully holds you responsible for this setback. Moreover, the
bully argues that your unfounded accusations and violent acts towards him
have given him a bad name and a persecution complex. He launches a campaign
to rewrite his report card. He throws his weight around. He recruits
schoolyard thugs. He bribes and blackmails the teachers and administrators.
Soon, no one notices your diminutive stature, your civility, your bruises,
your malnutrition, or your righteous indignation. Not even eyewitnesses.
Instead, you are viewed as an eyesore, as the one with the problem. In fact,
many begin to say you’ve been delusional and got what you deserved. You are
instructed to reconcile; to kiss and make up with the bully. Meanwhile, the
beatings go unpunished. The lunch money is not returned. The bully keeps
credit for your homework, and maintains your place in the classroom. Your
expressions of suffering insults and offends the bully. It is demanded that
you conceal your wounds, your malnutrition, your heartsickness, and your
longings for your rightful place in the schoolyard.

When the authorities are watching, the bully is polite to you and lauded for
good behavior and restraint. Rumors of his cheating are brushed aside.
Evidence has long been erased. Eyewitnesses change their testimonies.
Eventually, an announcement is made that the facts are unsubstantiated; that
your claims are unfounded. It is you who is bent on tarnishing the bully’s
reputation. It is you who stands in the way of the praise, honors, and
status that the bully feels he deserves. It is you who is being
unreasonable.

If you would simply keep silent and go along, the problems would resolve
themselves. In fact, if you are compliant and subservient enough, you might
be allowed to stay in school and wash chalkboards to earn lunch tokens. The
authorities might even get to congratulate themselves for brokering
reconciliation that some said could not be achieved.
—————————————- ———————————–

2. Turkey Beats Armenia 2-0 in Historic Match
Turkish President’s Visit under International Spotlight
By Antranig Dereyan

Armenia and Turkey have unresolved issues, but on Sept. 6, they let go of
the bitterness and came together for a soccer match-the first ever match
between these sides and the first match on the road to qualification in the
2010World Cup, which will be played in South Africa. (By luck of the draw,
Armenia and Turkey were drawn into the same group, Group 5, which also
contains 2008 European Champions Spain, Belgium, Estonia, and Bosnia and
Herzegovina.)

Even though this was just a soccer game, anything between these two sides,
is anything but. It is always about something more.

Armenian President Serge Sarkisian had made an offer that to this day has
the Armenian community rattled, both in the Homeland and throughout the
diaspora; he invited Turkish President Abdullah Gul to join him in Yerevan
to watch the match in his presidential skybox.

This gesture alone was shocking enough to some; even more shocking, however,
was that Gul accepted and made instant history by making the first ever
visit by a Turkish president to the post-Soviet, independent Armenia.

"I hope that [the visit] will help lift the obstacles that stand in the way
of rapprochement between the two peoples and contribute to regional
friendship and peace," Gul said to the Associated Press. "President
Sarkisian was brave in taking the opportunity of inviting me to this game,"

Gul made his way out of the plane and into his car, but not without
Armenians greeting him on the road with signs, in Armenian and English,
which according to AP read, "We want justice," "Turk admit your guilt," and
"1915 never again."

Putting politics aside and focusing on the actual soccer game though,
Turkey, after having their national athem booed by the sellout crowd of
mostly Armenians, came out strong, building on their impressive run at the
2008 European Cup, where they went all the way to the semi-finals. They ran
fast, hard, and tried to out-power the Armenians, but the Armenians stayed
with them, matching their runs and strong play.

However, as the second half kicked off, it was the Turks who controled and
didn’t look back. The Turks were out to prove that the odd-makers who
predicted them to finish second in Group 5 was no fluke.

In the 60th minute, striker Tuncay Sali (of Middlesborough, the English
Premier League) scored to put the Turks up 1-0, and in the 78th minute,
Semih Senturk (who plays his club soccer for Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce)
doubled Turkey’s tally with a header from a cotner kick that beat Armenia’s
34-year-old goalkeeper Roman Berezovski, of Football Club Khimki of Russia.

>From there, the Turks went on cruise control, stopping Armenia at every
point. Armenia tried to get into the game and score, but Turkey became too
formidable a foe as the final minutes ticked away and it claimed victory,
2-0.

Armenia and Armenians should not be ashamed of this result, however. Armenia
as a team is young, inexperienced, and inconsistant when it comes to World
Cup play. During this match, Armenia’s best scorer, Edgar Manucharyan, was
injured late in the first half and was never able to get into the game. By
the 65th minute, he was subsituted off and Armenia started to look lost
without him on the field. It is no big surprise, then, that Turkey scored
when Manucharyan was injured and eventually off the field completely.

When Manucharyan left, the team was never able to regain the strength it had
shown in the first half.

They never ran through the middle of the field or gained any control around
Turkey’s goalkeeper Volkan Demirel’s six-yard box. (In contrast, most
scoring in this game occurs when the ball is played in the opposing
goalkeeper’s six-yard box.)

Armenia’s wingers were never able to get a good cross or corner kicks in and
when they did, no strikers were in place to take the cross, to have a
scoring chance. Manucharyan ran, got into the path of the crossed ball, and
basically carried the Armenian team on his back, and it showed when he was
non-existent in the second half.

The game showed that Armenia, as a team, still has a long way to go before
they can match up with the likes of a Turkey on the international soccer
stage.

Turkish players play in the best leagues around the world and their club
teams-Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, and Besiktas-are always in competion if not
in the premier European club competions (Champions League and UEFA Cup) year
in and out.

Most of Armenia’s players play in Armenia, and the best teams there-Football
Club Punik and Football Club Yerevan-never make it past the fourth round of
any of Europe’s club competitions.

Armenia’s best scorer, 21-year-old Manucharyan, plays for the Dutch team
Ajax Amsterdam, which is a good team in Dutch soccer; when it comes to
Europe, however, they do not perform well and as a consequence, Manucharyan
never gets to play at the top level in Europe.

The captain of the Armenian team is midfielder Sargis Hovsepyan, 34, who has
only played for two teams outside of Armenia, Zenit St. Petersburg of Russia
and Torpedo-Metallurg of Russia, which is now called Football Club Moscow.
Neither of those teams made it into a European club competition while he was
on the team. Hovsepyan has scored only once for his national team since his
first game in 1998.

Experience in club football (or soccer) converts into success at the
international level. That’s not to say that having vast experience at the
club level makes champions out of any international team-just ask
England-but it helps. Armenia and its players do not have that experience.
Turkey and their players do.

So, do not be overly concerened about Armenia’s poor showing; a combination
of nerves and lack of experience played a big role in this lopsided outcome.

Remember, this is the same Armenian team that tied Portugual and 2004
European champion Greece in back-to-back games last year. They have shown
that they can play great at times, but must do so more consistently.

In time, Armenia, with its young players maturing, learning how to play
together, and acquiring a better work ethic, should be near the top of the
powers of international soccer. Just be patient.

ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING OF DITAVAN VILLAGE TO BE REPAIRED AND FURNISHED ON INITIATIVE OF HAYASTAN ALL-ARMENIAN FUND

Noyan Tapan

Se p 17, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Repairs of the administrative
building of the village of Ditavan in Tavush marz will begin in October
on the initiative of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. According to a press
release submitted to NT, the 56 million dram project is sponsored by
Argentina-based Armen and Nadia Exkerjians. The two-story building
was constructed in the 1960s, it is currently in a poor state and in
need of repairs. The offices of the village administration, a library,
a vet office and computer rooms are located in the building.

The building will be fully repaired and furnished under the project. It
is envisaged finishing the work in April 2009.

SIROUSHO TO CIRCULATE A SONG IN GREEK

Gibrahayer Nicosia
Sep 15, 2008

Gibrahayer Nicosia September 15, 2008 – Armenia’s Eurovision sensation
Sirousho is preparing her new video clip that will feature her new
song in Greek. She disclosed this in last Saturday’s appearance at Dot
Club in Nicosia, while singing a bouquet of her favourite songs and
sampled her new Greek song for the first time to the Cypriot public.

Sirousho’s one night’s stand was short and sweet. She appeared a
little over 40 minutes at Dot Club performing Armenian, Greek and
international songs. Perhaps her very best came out while singing a
Joe Cocker tune.

The Greek music public in Cyprus and Greece who showered her with
top points at this year’s Eurovision song contest and made Kele Kele
a household item, are now anxiously waiting for the new release. So
are her fans in Armenia and the diaspora.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER VIEWS HIS REPLACEMENT AS PREMEDITATED MOVE

Trend News Agency
Sept 17 2008
Azerbaijan

Tigran Torosyan, who resigned as National Assembly Speaker and quitted
his membership in Republican Party of Armenia on Tuesday, says his
step was motivated by confrontation within the party, reported ARKA.

He said he sees no way out of the situation. "I have repeatedly tried
to overcome this confrontation, but failed", Torosyan said at a news
conference on Tuesday.

He told journalists that he was ousted from this position in a
clear breach of competition and moral principles. He said it was a
well-though-out move.

"It is absolutely obvious to me that it was a premeditated action that
pursued one mere purpose. Behind-the-scenes intrigues and unprecedented
four-month propaganda campaign prepared this move", Torosyan said.

Torosyan said that he will quit the party’s faction, but retain his
membership in National Assembly.

He said that his resignation will take force only in five days after
announcement at the next four-day parliamentary session.

On September 6, Republican Party of Armenia put up the candidacy of
former head of presidential staff Hovik Abrahamyan, who took a seat
in National Assembly recently by winning by-election, to the post of
parliament speaker, the press office of the party reports.

The party board considered the reasonability of Parliament Speaker
Tigran Torosyan’s further staying in office and decided to replace
him by the new candidate.

Rumors about the resignation were going around in recent months,
but Torosyan has repeatedly denied them.

In the beginning of this summer, Hovik Abrahamyan filled the seat of
his brother Henrik Abrahamyan, who quitted his membership in National
Assembly for running Artashat Wine Company.

Earlier, Armenian Republican Party’s fellow coalition members –
Prosperous Armenia, Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun
and Orinats Yerkir – said that the speaker replacement is strictly
internal matter of Republican Party.

PHYSICS: STUDIES FROM YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY IN THE AREA OF PHYSICS DESCRIBED

Science Letter
September 16, 2008

According to a study from Yerevan, Armenia, "The Lieb-Mattis theorem
is generalized to an antiferromagnetic spin-ladder model with four-spin
cyclic exchange interaction."

"We prove that for J>2 K, the antiferromagnetic ordering of energy
levels takes place separately in two sectors, which remain symmetric
and antisymmetric under the reflection with respect to the longitudinal
axis of the ladder. We prove also that at the self-dual point J=2 K,
the Lieb-Mattis rule holds in the sectors with fixed number of rung
singlets," wrote T. Hakobyan and colleagues, Yerevan State University
(see also Physics).

The researchers concluded: "In both cases, it agrees with the similar
rule for Haldane chain with appropriate spin number."

Hakobyan and colleagues published the results of their research in
Physical Review B (Antiferromagnetic ordering of energy levels for
a spin ladder with four-spin cyclic exchange: Generalization of the
Lieb-Mattis theorem. Physical Review B, 2008;78(1):2407).

For additional information, contact T. Hakobyan, Yerevan State
University, 1 Alex Manoogian, Yerevan 375025, Armenia.

The publisher of the journal Physical Review B can be contacted
at: American Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, College Pk,
MD 20740-3844, USA.