Author: Jagharian Tania

National Public Radio (NPR)
SHOW: Weekend Edition
October 25, 2008 Saturday

Scholars Explore Lasting Judeo-Persian Culture

SCOTT SIMON, host:

Iran’s contempt for the state of Israel is perhaps the most strident
in the world. Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
Enhanced Coverage LinkingMahmoud Ahmadinejad, -Search using:
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once described Israel as a rotten, dried tree that will be annihilated
in one storm. Yet Iran has the largest Jewish population of any Muslim
country and a history that links the two nations. Centuries ago, when
the country was part of Babylonia, rabbis debated legal matters with
peers who practiced Zoroastrianism, the dominant faith in the
region. Today, Jews have an elected deputy in Iran’s parliament, and
they’re recognized as a religious minority under the country’s Islamic
constitution.

Next weekend, scholars will meet to further explore the history of
these men and women and their ancestors. "Iranian Jewry: From Past to
Present" is a conference hosted by the University of Maryland and the
Library of Congress. We’re joined by two professors who’ve helped
organize the event. Hayim Lapin is director of the Jewish studies
program at the University. Thanks very much for being with us.

Dr. HAYIM LAPIN (Director, Center for Jewish Studies, University of
Maryland): Thank you for having me.

SIMON: And Ahmad Karimi is director of Persian studies. Thank you very
much for being with us.

Dr. AHMAD KARIMI (Director, Center for Persian Studies, University of
Maryland): Thank you so much.

SIMON: And gentlemen, how far back does a Jewish community go anyway?

Dr. KARIMI: The best dating dates it about 27 centuries ago in the
Babylonian age. By the time Cyrus the Great invades Babylon, which is
near Baghdad today, he issues a proclamation that Iran is very proud
of, in which he recognizes the human rights of all the colonized
people as well as their freedom to practice their faith.

SIMON: Why have this conference now? What’s the urgency?

Dr. LAPIN: Less urgency than opportunity. Ahmad and I both are the
heads of programs that have an interest in expanding knowledge of a
long and rich culture. This is a diaspora community that has an
identity as Persian. They may be alienated from the present government
and the present state, the present republic, but Iranian Jews
frequently understand themselves as belonging in a Persian world.

SIMON: Professor Karimi, your background is in Persian literature. I
want to ask you about a phrase we noticed: The imagination, a
political agency.

Dr. KARIMI: Well, yeah, we have this scholarly jargon. But the process
of modernity affected not only the Muslim majority but all religious
minorities too. And so the Armenians and Jews, they were not as
anchored and steeped in the Muslim tradition as the majority, and so
they quickly rose to the position of agents of change. And this
imaginary of Iranian agents’ movement from the subjects of a king to
citizens of a country was aided by Armenians, kinds of Christians, and
Jews of Iran.

And so they it was who as a group went much more often than the Muslim
majority to places of education in Europe, such as, for example,
Istanbul, to Paris, London, Austria, and got back doctors and
engineers, and started the process of integrating into society. So the
way Iranian modernity was imagined was through the agency of
non-Muslim minorities, including Jews.

SIMON: I know that there are religious groups in Iran that are
discriminated against plenty. To what degree is the Jewish community
tolerated, merely tolerated, or accepted?

Dr. LAPIN: I would say for the most part tolerated. Occasionally there
are accusations within Iran at members of the Jewish community. The
most recent had to do with accusations of espionage for the state of
Israel. But by and large, the community is tolerated.

SIMON: I don’t want people to get the impression that this conference
is just a group of scholars, however distinguished, yammering away on
the topic. There is also some music. Izra Malakov’s Bukharian Jewish
Folklore Ensemble is going to have a concert. Let’s listen to a little
of their music.

(Soundbite of song by Izra Malakov’s Bukharian Jewish Folklore
Ensemble)

SIMON: What is the song about?

Dr. KARIMI: This is a wedding song. It started, like, congratulating
the groom and the bride. The dialect is Central Asian Persian. There
are some efforts to minimize the use of Persian. So music, because
it’s committed to memory, and especially in the diaspora places such
as New York where these performances are held, are preserved and
mingled with local musical tradition.

SIMON: Gentlemen, thank you both very much. Ahmad Karimi is director
of the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute Center for Persian
Studies. Hayim Lapin is director of the Meyerhoff Center for Jewish
Studies. They’re both professors at the University of Maryland in
College Park, and the school is co-hosting the conference November 1st
to 3rd.

Technology News Focus
October 22, 2008

Impeva Labs Joins Worldwide Focus on Armenian High Technology at
ArmTech ’08

Impeva Labs, Inc., the leading supplier of continuous global asset
visibility (tracking, tracing, monitoring and security), announced its
participation in ArmTech Congress ’08, to be held October 4-5, 2008,
at the Fairmont Hotel in Yerevan, Armenia. The company has a key
software engineering and technology development team in the Republic
of Armenia and has contributed to the event through the activities of
key executives – including Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Tony Moroyan, who will deliver a keynote address. The Republic of
Armenia has adopted ArmTech ’08 as the official high technology
industry event of Armenia, and plenary speakers will include His
Excellency Tigran Sargsyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia,
and other high level officials from the Armenian government;
executives from operating corporations in Armenia; university
representatives; and counterparts from the U.S. and other
countries. For more information about ArmTech ’08 and Armenian
Technology Congress, please visit

"Impeva Labs’ extensive participation in ArmTech ’08 reflects our deep
commitment to Armenia as a center for world-class technology
development and its rising status as a destination for investment and
expansion," said Tony Moroyan, Chairman and CEO of Impeva
Labs. "Building on the success of the inaugural ArmTech ’07 in Silicon
Valley, we are eager to support this year’s conference in Armenia, and
confident that attendees will gain essential insights and information,
deepen their appreciation of the technology resources of Armenia, and
make valuable worldwide connections."

THE JAMESTOWN FOUNDATION HOLDS A DISCUSSION ON "ARE TURKISH-ARMENIAN RELATIONS ABOUT TO TAKE OFF?"

The Washington Daybook
October 15, 2008

LOCATION: The Jamestown Foundation, 1111 16 Street NW, Suite 320,
Washington, D.C.

CONTACT: 202-483-8888 [Note: RSVP required to [email protected]
with your name and affiliation.]

PARTICIPANTS: Jamestown Foundation President Glen Howard; European
Stability Initiative Senior Analyst Diba Nigar Goksel; Armen Kharazian,
Washington-based security consultant on the South Caucasus; and
Paul Goble, director of research and publications at the Azerbaijan
Diplomatic Academy in Baku

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION URGES GOVERNMENT TO "MITIGATE" EFFECTS OF WORLD CRISIS

Mediamax
October 16, 2008 Thursday
Armenia

Yerevan, 16 October: Oppositional Armenian National Congress (ANC) made
a statement, in which it demanded from the government taking measures
"to mitigate the consequences of the global financial crisis". Mediamax
reports that the statement of ANC, headed by Ex-President of Armenia
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, reads that "by its inaction and absence of
corresponding measures, the government contributes to deepening of
the approaching crisis and shocks".

The opposition demanded from the government realizing a number of
measures, among which:

"CB [Central Bank] should introduce a ban for construction recrediting
by commercial banks and a 100 per cent reservation of such credits";

"The government and the CB should announce about ruling out any
limitations, related to return of deposits, at least, in cases,
when the term of the deposit has not expired";

"The government and CB should guarantee 100 per cent return of
shares, issued by ‘ArmRosGazprom’ and ‘Vallex Group’ Companies by
means of IPOs. At the same time, they should ban realization of new
IPOs without the government’s participation;

"CB should lift all limitations concerning money transfers systems";

"CB should take upon itself the responsibility to secure in the course
of the coming 6 months the exchange rate of the national currency
within the limits, established together with the government".

KEENE STATE GENOCIDE AWARENESS LECTURE: ‘GENOCIDES IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE’

Targeted News Service
October 20, 2008 Monday 7:47 AM EST

Keene State College issued the following news release:

Professor Donald Bloxham will give Keene State College Cohen Center for
Holocaust Studies’ 2nd Annual Genocide Awareness Lecture: "Genocides
in Comparative Perspective: Does the Holocaust Fit?" on Monday,
October 27. The lecture is free and open to the public and will
start at 7:30 p.m. in the Mabel Brown Room of Keene State College’s
L. P. Young Student Center.

An expert in Holocaust and genocide studies, with focused work on
the Armenian genocide, Bloxham is professor of modern history at
the University of Edinburgh and has authored nearly 50 articles and
book chapters. He is co-editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of
Genocide and serves on the editorial board of the journals Holocaust
Studies, Patterns of Prejudice, and the Journal of Genocide Research.

Professor Bloxham was the 2007-08 J. B. and Maurice C. Shapiro
Senior Scholar-in-Residence at the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum, where he completed his forthcoming book, The Final Solution:
A Genocide and Its Contexts. He is the recipient of the 2007 Raphael
Lemkin Award for genocide scholarship.

The Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies, recognized as a "center of
excellence" by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, has a strong
collection of print and media resources, holds a biennial residential
summer institute for educators, and supports a minor in Holocaust
studies at Keene State College.

One of the nation’s oldest Holocaust resource centers, it is a
nonsectarian organization dedicated to teaching the lessons of the
Holocaust. It fulfills founder Dr. Charles Hildebrandt’s charge,
"to remember … and to teach," through annual community programming
and educational outreach activities.

For a schedule of workshops, in-service training, classroom
presentations, and individual curriculum consultations, visit
For more information, contact Margaret Barney,
[email protected], or call the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies
at 603-358-2490.

RICE PROMISED TO SUPPORT ARMENIA’S DAMAGES AFTER RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN WAR

Panorama.am
21:33 22/10/2008

In the aftermath of Russian-Georgian war Armenia fixed 670 million
dollars damage, which is expressed in lost revenues, postponed
investments, announced Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan in
National Assembly, answering to independent deputy Viktor Dallakyan’s
question whether the Prime Minister discussed it during his visit to
America about the possible compensation of the damage.

"The position of the President of Armenia and the Government is that
the international bodies should discuss the current question lying
under the interest of regional countries and not one state, and that
the damages should be compensated, or financial and technical support
should be provided," said the Prime Minister.

According to the Prime Minister the current problem has been discussed
with Dick Chainy and Condoleezza Rice, as well as in World Monetary
Fund.

"We are going to get that support, and first it will be a technical
one. C. Rice has promised that to us. We have certain agreements with
World Bank and World Monetary Fund," he said.

ERIC ARMIT’S WORLD VIEW
by Eric Armit

BritishBoxing.net
Oct 22nd 2008
UK

This is a changing world and in many ways for the better. When I was
a lad there were certain things that had a stigma attached to them
which are accepted today. Some of those were social (illegitimacy,
homosexuality) but some were sporting (being an East Fife supporter).

For instance, in boxing there was a huge stigma associated with
being a southpaw. It may sound impossible now, but I can assure you
that any southpaw entering a gym in the late 1950’s or early 1960’s
could expect one of three things to happen. He would be thrown out,
he would be given a bucket and mop, as that was all he was useful for,
or he would be converted to what we described as "orthodox".

After having a tough time with Kenny Lane in a title defence "Old
Bones" Joe Brown vowed never to fight another southpaw and Sugar
Ray Robinson once declared that all southpaws should be strangled
at birth. In those days southpaws were avoided, very few received
title shots and very few won world titles. For instance a 1977 list
of southpaw world champions numbered only 22 in the history of boxing
up to that date. Boy, have things changed.

Recently two southpaws – Chad Dawson and Antonio Tarver – fought for
the IBF light-heavyweight title. Almost every division has a southpaw
champion or former champion. Working through the divisions we have
Ruslan Chagaev, Sultan Ibragimov, Wayne Braithwaite, Firat Arslan,
Joe Calzaghe, Lucien Bute, Raul Marquez, Cory Spinks, Daniel Santos,
Sergiy Dzinziruk, Paul Williams, Zab Judah, Carlos Quintana, Manny
Pacquiao, Joel Casamayor, David Diaz, Edwin Valero, Steve Luevano,
Steve Molitor, Juan Manuel Lopez, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Gerry Penalosa,
Hozumi Hasegawa, Cristian Mijares, Vic Darchinyan, Omar Narvaez and
Ivan Calderon. All champions or former champions.

I don’t remember any "southpaw liberation parades" or any
non-discrimination legislation, but suddenly southpaws seemed to be
outing themselves shamelessly and now they are everywhere. I can even
see the PC police banning the use of the word "orthodox" as it would
suggest that being a southpaw was somehow abnormal. I guess I will
have to learn to live with this changing world.

When is this sport going to stop marching backwards? Vitali Klitschko
returns at the age of 37 and regains the WBC heavyweight title and then
43-year-old Bernard Hopkins beats Kelly Pavlik. Two of the biggest
attractions in the next few weeks will feature the 39-year-old Roy
Jones (Junior!) against 36-year-old Joe Calzaghe and in the other
we have a 35-year-old Oscar De La Hoya, still the sports major money
spinner.

What I want to know is "Where have All The Young Men Gone". At least
Canada has a good selection of young prospects coming along (none
of them southpaws), and in Montreal on October 4 four of them came
through with inside the distance wins. In the main event Antonin
Decarie retained his NABO welterweight title with a twelfth round
stoppage of Hector Munoz. Not a big puncher, the WBO’s No 7 had
Munoz down twice and halted the American with 18 seconds to go. The
25-year-old has 20 wins. At light-welterweight Dierry Jean made it 15
wins by putting Mexican Fabian Luque down three times for a second
round stoppage. Luque was halted in four by Martin Gethin in Las
Vegas in December. Welterweight Phil LoGreco moved to 16 wins as he
kayoed Jose Corona in the first round and light-middleweight David
Lemieux put Lance Moody down for the count in round one with a body
shot. Lemieux, only 19, is making waves as he now has eleven straight,
all inside the distance and only one going beyond round two.

On the same night, but down in Hermosillo, Mexico, southpaw flyweight
Hernan "Tyson" Marquez moved to 21 wins as he halted Carlos Rodriguez
in one round. Fifteen have come inside the distance but the opposition
has been somewhere between awful and worse.

Another Mexican to watch is welterweight Norberto "Demonio"
Gonzalez. In Monterrey on October 10 he outpointed useful Antonio
Arras to go to 16 wins, twelve inside the distance. The 27-year-old
was a top amateur winning a silver medal in the Central American
Games. Alejandro Sanabria is another good Mexican prospect . The
21-year-old super-featherweight moved to 17 wins as he kayoed Daniel
Aguillon in the twelfth round of their fight for the WBC Fecarbox title
in Polanco on October 15. Unfortunately, Aguillon did not recover. He
was rushed to a hospital and underwent an operation. Whilst he is
alive at the time of writing, the doctors have declared him brain
dead, but the family are hoping for a miracle and have not agreed to
his life-support system being turned off.

Both Gennady Martirosyan and Attila Kovacs had scored wins over Steve
Conway and had good records, so it was an interesting match-up in
their October 4 middleweight fight in Vyborg, Russia. Armenian-born
Russian Martirosyan came out on top with a points win after ten rounds
to improve his record to 14 wins in 15 fights. Hungarian Kovacs
was unbeaten in his last 22 going in, but the 34-year-old "Viper"
is now 24-2. The experienced Azeri cruiserweight Ali Ismailov scored
a good win in the other ten round bout on the show as he decisioned
the 22-year-old American Max Alexander.

Unfortunately most of the 34-year-old Ali’s experience came in a long
amateur career and he is 14-1-1 as a pro with the loss being to world
rated Vadim Tokarev in his fifth fight. Alexander lost to Sam Soliman
and Brian Vera in the Contender series but he drew with Rob Calloway
in his last fight and is 14-3-2.

Senegalese-born super-middleweight Muhamed Ali N’Diaye won the vacant
Italian title with a close points victory over Roberto Cocco in
Pontedera on October 10. Both fighters are relative novices. N’Diaye
has a 14-1 record and Cocco lost for the second time against just
nine wins. N’Diaye won a silver medal for Senegal in the African
championships as an amateur.

Veteran southpaw Kevin Kelley is just too old at 41 to keep up
with the youngsters. In Tucson on October 10 he had the skill but
not the strength and pace to match prospect David Rodela and lost
on points over eight rounds. The former WBC featherweight champion
has lost two of his last three, but is probably not ready to hang up
his gloves yet. Rodela, a super-featherweight from Oxnard, the same
town as Fernando Vargas, is 11-1-2 and unbeaten in his last ten. He
won a gold medal in the United States championships, a silver in the
National Golden Gloves and United States Juniors, but lost in a US
v England match to Steve Bell in 2001.

Four bouts came up with very mixed results on a show in Bloemfontein
on October 10. Two went the full twelve rounds and two ended in the
first round. At super-middleweight William Gare retained his WBF
title with a points win over Czech Jindrich Velecky. It was Gare’s
second defence and he boxed well. He is 34 and has a 24-14 record,
losing here to Steve Roberts for the WBF light-middleweight title in
2001. Jindrich falls to 14-5.

An excellent match-up saw Kaiser Mabuza retain his WBA Pan African
welterweight title and win the South African title as he took a
majority verdict over Sam Malinga. After a bit of a rocky period,
Mabuza is unbeaten in his last five in a 16-6-3 record. Malinga,
who stopped Colin Lynes and Ted Bami here, falls to 20-5-1. A fight
for the vacant WBA Pan African cruiserweight title was a farce as
South African champion Thabiso Mchunu kayoed Marciano Commey in the
first round. Mchunu now has five wins. Commey, who turned pro as a
welterweight in 1990 has won two of his last eleven, but the WBA do
not care.

The other first round win was scored by Bongani "Cyclone" Mwelase
who halted 38-year-old Juan Carlos Villarreal to win the vacant
WBF title. Southpaw Mwelase , the South African champion is a tall,
loose-limbed banger who has twelve wins, eleven inside the distance,
but he needs to work on finding a defence. Villarreal lost to Shea
Neary for the WBU light-middleweight title in 1998.

The former Commonwealth welterweight champion Ali Nuumbembe kept
himself in the picture as he beat German Daniel Kaefer on a fifth
round retirement in their fight in Windhoek on October 17. It was Ali’s
second win since losing his title to Craig Watson and takes his record
to 20-3-1. On the same show Bethuel Ushona, who beat Ali back in 2004,
outpointed Zimbabwean Mordechai Donga over six rounds. Ushona has 15
wins but was largely inactive in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

In Argentina Cesar Cuenca moved to 34 wins and one no contest as
he beat Ariel Burgos on a disqualification in the ninth round of
their fight in Chaco on October 18 and retained his Argentinian
light-welterweight title. Burgos was way behind when he blatantly
butted Cuenca and was thrown out. Only four of Cesar’s fights
have failed to go the distance. One was a no contest, one was a
technical verdict, one was, shockingly, a real stoppage and this
disqualification. Never mind a paper bag, Cesar could not punch his
way through wet toilet paper.

It has been a bad few weeks for French prospects . Ali Chebah saw
his 27 win streak snapped when he lost to Reyes Sanchez in Mexico
and now middleweight hope "Brigadier" Julien Marie Sainte has gone
the same way. On October 18 in Vireux-Wallerand Sainte was halted in
four rounds by the modest Venezuelan Jairo Alvarez and lost for the
first time after 17 wins. It looked easy on paper as Alvarez had lost
six of his previous seven, but who knows with these South Americans?

SQUARE OF RUSSIA IN YEREVAN SYMBOL OF LOYALTY TO ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP

ARKA
Oct 21, 2008

YEREVAN, October 21. /ARKA/. Square of Russia in Yerevan will be not
only a promenade for Yerevan residents and guests, but also a symbol of
loyalty to Armenian-Russian friendship for the benefit of both nations,
RA President Serge Sargsyan stated at the opening ceremony on Tuesday.

"Today is a momentous day – we are opening Square of Russia at
the very heart of Yerevan in Russian President’s presence. This is
one more reminder of the deep roots of our peoples’ ties," stated
Armenia’s President.

The opening ceremony was attended by RF President Dmitry Medvedev,
high-ranking officials and numerous citizens.

The RA President stressed the Russian people’s unique contribution to
"the treasury of world civilization," and the Armenian and Russian
flags fluttering over the square are a symbol of "not only our
alliance, but also of common culture and history."

"Square of Russia is a harmonious architectural space between the
Yerevan Municipality and the House of Moscow," S. Sargsyan said.

Armenia’s President pointed out the symbolic fact that the "Erevan
fortress was located nearby, which is evidence of the scale of
Armenian-Russian relations."

"It is over this fortress that the Russian flag was first hoisted
on October 1, 1827. It was there the Russian garrison under General
Paskevich was stationed, and Alexander Griboyedov’s immortal comedy
‘Wit Works Woe’ was first staged in the author’s presence.

Today this square is becoming another symbol of loyalty to our peoples’
centuries-old traditional friendship and spiritual affinity, just
like the famous St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square in Moscow, one
of the side-chapels of which is named after Grigory the Illuminator,"
stated Armenia’s leader.

President Sargsyan also pointed out that Armenian-Russian friendship
have always been strong during the whole history despite all the
hardships.

"Moreover, it has become stronger, taking on new sense," he said.

Square of Russia is a 200-meter-long section of Arshishti St., divided
by a lawn, with the Yerevan Municipality and Museum of Yerevan on
the one side and House of Moscow on the other.

ISSUES RELATED TO ANTI-TERRORISM DISCUSSED

A1+
[02:10 pm] 22 October, 2008

On October 22 Serzh Sargsyan received the delegation of participants
of the Council of heads of security and special service bodies of
CIS countries.

Assessing such meetings as extremely useful and fruitful, Mr. Sargsyan
emphasised their importance from the perspective of exchange of
information and experience, elaboration and implementation of joint
actions against menaces. In his words, the world is rapidly changing,
new realities and challenges come forth, which simultaneously
lead to the change of the requirements posed to special service
bodies. According to Serzh Sargsyan, the regular contacts of security
bodies contribute to the elaboration and implementation of measures
corresponding to existing challenges. President of the CIS Council
of heads of security and special service bodies, Head of the Federal
Security Service of Russia, General Alexander Bortnikov presented
the issues discussed during the 25th sitting of the Council. It was
noted that most issues referred to the combat against terrorism and
aimed at ensuring coordinated actions and a high level of cooperation.

Serzh Sargsyan said the Council of heads of security and special
service bodies is one of the most active and effective bodies of the
Commonwealth of Independent States.

ARMENIA SILENT ON RETURN TO AZERBAIJAN OF DISTRICTS AROUND KARABAKH
by Naira Hayrumyan

Kavkazskiy Uzel
October 8, 2008 Wednesday
Russia

7 October: The government of Nagornyy Karabakh is not going to agree to
the return of the seven districts around the former Nagornyy Karabakh
Autonomous Region. Azerbaijan demands this as the first stage of the
settlement [of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict].

The Armenian government, for its part, is not making statements that
would show that it does not intend to return the territories around
the former NKAR, which currently fall under the jurisdiction of the
Nagornyy Karabakh republic – in exchange for including Armenia into
regional communication projects. Both Turkish and US diplomats have
"leaked" reports to that effect, however, Armenian officials are not
refuting these rumours.

The issue of Nor-Shahumyan [Armenian name for Kalbacar] district
(former Kalbacar) was very roughly discussed at a recent session of the
Karabakh government. Members of the government were very discontented
with the work carried out there and called for the speeding up of the
post-war rehabilitation of the region. Kalbacar District is among the
seven districts around the former NKAR that mediators say are to be
returned to Azerbaijan.

Currently a national programme on settling areas around the former
NCAR is being developed, and up to 1bn drams [about 3.3m dollars]
has been allocated to it from the NKR state budget (1 dollar = 300
drams). Social facilities and homes are being built for the people,
mainly refugees from Azerbaijan, who have moved into the area, and
the construction is also being funded by the Armenian diaspora.

A pan-Armenian conference of influential Armenian parties and
charity foundations took place in Berddzor [Armenian name for Lacin]
(Kashatagh, former Lacin District) and a long-term development
programme of the district was approved at it. Currently design work
is being carried out as part of a number of large-scale construction
projects.

The NKR constitution, adopted in 2006, imposes the jurisdiction of
the republic of Nagornyy Karabakh over all the territories under
its control.