MORE CASES OF LIMB FRACTURE
A1+
[01:51 pm] 15 January, 2007
According to hospital records, the number of the cases of limb fracture
has risen by 30-50% this year.
The main reason is the icy conditions of pavements which have not
been cleaned. Although the municipality claims that salt and sand
have been stored in order to take care of the roads, nothing is done
in order to clean the pavements.
Medical center "Nairi" informed that the fractures are mainly simple,
without compilations.
IRAQI ARMENIANS SEEK REFUGE IN NORTHERN PARTS OF THE COUNTRY
Armenpress
Jan 09 2006
YEREVAN, JANUARY 9, ARMENPRESS: Armenians of Iraq, concentrated largely
in Baghdad are fleeing their homes to seek refuge in a formerly
Armenian-populated village of Hadresk near the border with Turkey
and Syria. The village was depopulated during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Paruyr Hakobian, chairman of the Iraqi Armenian National Council, was
quoted by RFE/RL as saying that some 70 Armenian families expressed
strong desire to move to this village.
He said other Armenians are moving to the Kurdish-populated regions
in the northern parts of the country which are safer.
"The town of Erbil in the north had once only few Armenians families,
now there are about 70 Armenian families there," Hakobian said, adding
that these families moved to Erbil from Baghdad and Mosul. He said
these families even asked the National Council to send an Armenian
priest.
There are no exact figures about how many Armenians fled Iraq since
the U.S. invasion of the country, but Paruyr Hakobian estimates that
some 2,500 of them have left the country.
He said the Armenian community has always maintained neutrality in
disputes between Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis. "The first thing we want
for Iraq is peace,’ he said.
US PRESIDENT INTRODUCED HOAGLAND’S CANDIDATURE FOR POST OF ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR AGAIN
Regnum, Russia
Jan 10 2006
US President George Bush repeatedly introduced Richard Hoagland’s
candidature to the post of US ambassador to Armenia, the Associated
Press reports.
It is worth mentioning, Armenian society was extremely negative about
Richard Hoagland’s candidature after the diplomat presumed statements
denying the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. But,
despite protests of Armenian society including several NGOs, Richard
Hoagland’s candidature proposed by the president was considered and
accepted. New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez said on it that many,
particularly, the US president avoid giving assessment to the villainy
perpetuated in the beginning of last century in Turkey as genocide,
and Hoagland’s appointment can be a step backwards, which is not in
interests of Armenia of the Armenian Diaspora. After the elections to
the Congress in the end of last year, the Senate in accordance with
its regulations returned Hoagland’s candidature to the president that
was blocked earlier. At the same time, Senators Robert Menendez and
Harry Reid called upon the president to introduce another candidate.
Earlier, U.S. Charge d’Affaires Anthony F. Godfrey announced at a
news conference on November 8 that "despite the fact that Armenian
society was negative about Richard Hoagland’s candidature approved
for the position of the US Ambassador to Armenia, the US government
does not consider any other candidature for the post."
CELEBRATING AGE OLD CHRISTMAS
Nazret.com, MD
Jan 8 2007
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Christmas is the celebration of the birth of
Jesus Christ and is celebrated in different ways in various parts
of the world. But the style of celebrating Christmas in the western
world seems to have become dominant as the rest of the world mimics
the commercialized theme of Western Christmas.
Setting up Christmas trees, dressing up as Santa Clause and hanging up
green socks for presents have become an integrated part of Christmas
celebration in Ethiopia .
How did Christmas come to be celebrated in Ethiopia , why do we put
up trees and dress like Santa and other questions cross through the
minds of many Ethiopians who still want to preserve the traditional
way of celebrating this holiday.
Capital talked to Professor Richard Pankhurst, a celebrated historian
who shared his own views of how the western world has a strong
influence on Christmas celebrations around the world, among other
issues.
Capital – When would you say the custom of celebrating Christmas
began in Ethiopia ?
Professor Richard Pankhurst – We believe that Ethiopia turned to
Christianity during the time of the Apostles, certainly we can prove
it came at the start of the 4th century when the cross of Christ
appeared in Axum . This means that Ethiopia could have celebrated
Christmas from the beginning, meaning that it was an age old custom.
It is believed that Ethiopia turned to Christianity during the time
of Emperor Ezana because we see coins of Ezana with the moon and sun
where he used to worship the gods that came from Arabia, but we also
saw coins of Ezana with the cross, meaning that he converted Ethiopia
to Christianity.
Do you know why there is a difference between the way Ethiopia and the
rest of the world celebrate Christmas, especially in the date and year?
The difference is nothing but a different way of using the calendar
than the western world. But it is not just Ethiopia that celebrates
Christmas differently from the rest of the world Churches in the
Eastern horizon also celebrate Christmas on the same day as Ethiopia
. The Coptic church of Egypt , churches in Russia , Romania and other
Eastern countries. These countries celebrate Christmas and Easter
on the same days because they have the same way of counting the days
that lead up to the two holidays.
Considering the fact that Ethiopia heard of Jesus Christ at about the
same time as the western world, would it mean that the difference in
calendars came before or after Christ?
Ethiopia would actually have heard about Christ before many countries
because Christianity came here very early. Because the Armenians were
the first to adopt the Christian churches and Ethiopia is the second
with a few years difference between them, meaning that the difference
in date has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ.
Being an age old culture, do you think that it is the most celebrated
holiday in such a religious country like Ethiopia ?
Though an age old celebration in Ethiopia , Christmas is not all
that important than holidays such as Meskel and Timket where they
are celebrated in a much more colorful and enlightened spirit.
If you also see what goes on during the Christmas celebrations,
the game of Gena is the most interesting thing. Though it is the
most important part of the traditional culture, it is a game that is
falling out, but is still seen in some parts of the country.
Why do you consider Timket or Meksel to be more important holidays
than Christmas? What historical or traditional relationship do you
see as to how the holidays are celebrated?
I don’t mean to say that it is a less important holiday, but there
is more activity during those holidays. If you look at the Easter
celebration, there is this big feast following the big fasting period
that is taken seriously by the Christians. More spectacular things
are seen during the Timket celebrations and of course Meskel. There is
nothing to indicate about a religious difference in the celebrations,
but the fact that Meskel comes following a long rainy period could
have had a climatic influence on the traditional celebration.
Speaking of the game of Gena, how do you think it started and why is
it being forgotten these days? What exactly does the game have to do
with the celebration of Christmas?
The simple reason is that life is changing. For example, in the old
days the nobility used to play Centourage or the traditional chess,
but now it is all forgotten. People might play the modern type of
chess, but as for the traditional one it is literally dead, as only a
few people did. I was studying about this game and few people in this
generation have even heard of it or that it was played by nobility.
It is the same with Gena, as it is not being widely played these
days. Gena was not a game of the nobility. As a matter of fact,
it was a game of the public, but its popularity is gone. As for its
relationship with Christmas, there is no relationship between the
game and the holiday, it is just that the game was played around the
Christmas season.
The reason for the game not being passed down to this generation is
that the younger generation is developing new interests as this is an
age of new computer games and other, more intersting games. I am not
saying that newer games are not important, but the old ones are also
important, especially in the case of Centourage. It is amazing how few
people know about it. This game probably came from China and moved to
India and on to Arabia and then to Ethiopia and in time, it developed
in one way and after moving to Europe, it developed in a different way.
If the game of Gena was to be brought back in a more developed and
sophisticated way, do you think that this generation’s imagination
could be ignited?
I think that it would be worth trying and that it would go a long
way in helping preserve the culture. Looking at Gena as it is, it
might not be attractive, but put in a more modern way, it could be
as exciting as football, though I am not a huge fan of football.
What do you feel when thinking of Christmas these days? Do you see
changes in the way Ethiopian Christmas is celebrated due to western
influence?
Now-a-days, Christmas has become so much more about giving presents
than playing Gena here in Ethiopia as it is following the culture of
the western world. In the countryside, Christmas is still celebrated
as the birth of Jesus Christ, but in the towns it is changing. What
you have in the west is that the celebration of Christmas used to be
in December only, now opening of shops for Christmas has moved up to
November and October, to get the maximum sales period. The holiday
has become commercialy orientated.
But one has to understand that culture changes everywhere in the world
as people change and this is exactly what is hapenning. One has to be
proud of what he/she has and in that case, one has to perpetuate and
preserve what one can so that when change comes, even though people
are getting interested in new games the old Ethiopian games are still
preserved. A simple example is the amazing development of football
which is not traditional in Ethiopia , but people still watch that
game with fascination.
Putting up Christmas trees and dressing up as Santa Clause has become
synonymous with celebrating Christmas here in Ethiopia . Is it our
culture to incorporate Christmas trees and Santa for the holiday?
It is definitely not Ethiopian culture. Even in the west, it is
not their culture, they took it from Germany . When Queen Victoria
‘s husband was in Germany , he saw a Christmas tree and he brought
the culture to his homeland and that is how it spread and besides,
it is not as old as the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, it
is not even close. It is also the same with Christmas cards as it is
relatively new. Though it is not the culture of Ethiopia , there are
many beautiful Ethiopian Christmas cards that show Ethiopian scenes
made by Ethiopian artists, and though not traditional, Ethiopian
Christmas cards are something to be proud of.
Talking about the Christmas trees, I believe that they are wasteful
traditions, down to the cutting of trees for the purpose. It would
be better to use plastic ones because every year more and more people
build these trees and more and more of these trees are cut down without
any replacement, trees are very important in terms of preserving soil
and the environment as well. Looking at Christmas trees in terms of
celebrating the holiday, there is nothing Christian about them and they
are pagan in the sense that they have nothing to do with Christianity.
Christmas these days has become more of commerce in the western
world and it is a simple example of how commercialized, capitalized
and globalized the world is becoming and when the whole world becomes
globalized it will have the same kind of people all over the world and
we don’t want that. We need to preserve our heritages and traditions
so that we will have a sense of who we are.
pia_celebrating_age_old_christmas&more=1&c =1&tb=1&pb=1
Turkey’s military satellite program: a model for emerging regional powers
by Taylor Dinerman
_ 74/1_
()
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Turkey’s air force is planning to spend at least $200 million to
buy and launch an electro-optical reconnaissance satellite with
a resolution of 80 centimeters. They hope to have it in orbit and
operational by 2011. They are apparently not going to impose the
onerous "local content requirements" that have recently bedeviled so
many Turkish military procurement programs. This suggests that this
is being treated as a priority and the Turkish military is not going
to allow local industrial politics to get in the way of their need
for broad, persistent, and sovereign regional observation.
As a NATO member Turkey has some access to information from US
satellites, and they can also buy imagery on the open market from
Spot Image, DigitalGlobe, or others. In spite of this, they want to
have their own satellite and later they will surely want to have
an all-weather radar imaging system and multi- and hyperspectral
capability. Turkey is in a geopolitically rough neighborhood, and their
need to be able to keep track of what is happening throughout the
region is all too obvious. Space-based observation is one important
way that they can keep track of activities in places like Armenia,
Iraq, or the Aegean Sea, where Turkey’s national security interests
are at stake.
The lack of "local content requirements" suggests that this is being
treated as a priority and the Turkish military is not going to allow
local industrial politics to get in the way of their need for broad,
persistent, and sovereign regional observation.
For $200 million Turkey may be able to buy a satellite with the
resolution they want. However, it may not work as well as expected,
because for that price they cannot expect to buy sophisticated
pointing, maneuvering, and field-of-view technology. Effective
space-based reconnaissance, even for a medium-sized power, depends
on a minimum level of space situational awareness. Not only do they
need to know exactly where their satellite is at all times, they need
to also be able to precisely control where its sensors are pointing.
There is also the problem of communicating with the satellite. Imagery
requires a lot of bandwidth: the bigger the antenna and the more
powerful the transmitter, the easier it will be for the Turks to
download the data. This adds to the system’s complexity and expense,
and also requires one or more large ground stations. Since they will
be using it for regional monitoring they do not need the expensive
relay systems used by the US and other global powers.
They may find, though, that it will be difficult to gather timely
imagery from places like Afghanistan or Central Asia, where Turkey
has significant interests.
Turksat, a government-owned civilian corporation, owns and operates
three Alcatel-built satellites (with a fourth under construction) that
provide direct broadcast and other communications services to Turkey
and Central Asia. This has given the Turkic-speaking peoples of that
geopolitically sensitive region access to the Turkish media and helps
Ankara compete for cultural, economic, and political influence against
the other major regional powers such as Russia, Iran, Pakistan, India,
and China. The military reconnaissance program, as currently defined,
will probably not give their government much, if any, information from
these countries, but will instead concentrate on taking pictures of
nations that directly border on Turkey.
More and more nations understand that the one place from which they
can legitimately spy on their neighbors is low Earth orbit (LEO) and
they rarely hesitate to do so. No nation in a zone of conflict–or
potential conflict–can escape the need for situational awareness,
and only observation satellites supply that need. From this fact two
things follow. One is that without a highly trained and experienced
team of imagery interpreters an expensive satellite’s information is
useless. Any nation that buys a satellite without insuring that it
has at least as much money to spend on people as it does on hardware
is wasting its money and probably deluding itself as well.
For the last four years Turkey has been sending a number of experts
to the European Union Satellite Centre in Torrejon, Spain. There
they received training in satellite imagery interpretation and
management. By the time the first Turkish imaging satellite is
launched in 2011 Turkey will have a good-sized cadre of experts. Since
Turkey is already buying imagery from commercial sources, they are
building the imagery archive that is indispensable for any nation
that wants to make real use of satellite reconnaissance. This program
is obviously pragmatic and well thought out. The prestige of owning
such a spacecraft is a minor consideration compared to the overall
practical need for information.
A second issue that a nation such as Turkey has to take into account is
that, with more and more observation satellites up there, nations and
organizations will find themselves making ever greater efforts to hide
their activities underground or under the anti-satellite surveillance
systems know as "roofs" . This limitation does not mean that satellites
are useless: the same problem existed when the only eyes in the sky
were propeller-driven aircraft with " wet" film cameras. It does mean
that satellites, and the men and women who examine their pictures, are
going to be engaged in an eternal game of hide-and-seek. All-weather
radar imagery and multi- and hyperspectral data will help to defeat
some types of camouflage, but for Turkey to think that a satellite by
itself provides them with a sure and reliable source of information
on their region is to open the door to dangerous surprises.
Any nation that buys a satellite without insuring that it has at
least as much money to spend on people as it does on hardware is
wasting its money and probably deluding itself as well.
The bright hopes of the early 1990s that Turkey would be able to
provide a bridge between the newly independent nations of Central
Asia and the West have long since evaporated. The neighborhood
from the Balkans through to Chinese Turkistan and, of course, Iraq
is over-endowed with angry, violent, and well-armed groups and
governments. Turkey’s armed forces are engaged in a low-level war
against the terrorist PKK, they are committed on a small scale to the
NATO force in Afghanistan and have to cope with dangerous dictatorships
in Syria and Iran as well as with the complex struggles ongoing in
the Caucasus.
Under these strategic circumstances, Turkey’s decision to acquire an
independent satellite surveillance capability is a wise one. They do
not intend to waste their resources on a techno-nationalist prestige
program: the situation is too serious for that. Someday, no doubt, the
Turks will be able to build their own satellites. For the moment they
are using the "smart buyer" approach. If they stay on this track they
will be a model for other medium-sized nations who need the regional
situational awareness that only a LEO-based spacecraft can provide.
Taylor Dinerman is an author and journalist based in New York City.
ICRC REGULARLY VISITING THE AZERI CAPTIVE
ArmRadio.am
27.12.2006 13:56
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is regularly
visiting Azeri servicemen Samid Mamedov, who yielded himself prisoner
on December 24, to see the conditions in which he is kept and attitude
towards him. The Armenian Office of the Committee told "Armenpress"
that the ICRC upholds the dialogue between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
sides, and the return of the captive will be organized only at the
request of both sides and the soldier’s will.
Let us remind that the serviceman of the Azeri armed forces Samid
Mamedov explains his deed with the fact that he was often teased and
beaten by Officers. Investigation is underway.
TEMPERATURE TO FALL BY 8-10 DEGREES IN ARMENIA UNTIL DECEMBER 29
Noyan Tapan
Dec 27 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. In the period of late December 26
to the night of December 28, the weather in Armenia will be under the
influence of a cyclone from the south-west. Snow and blizzard are
forecast in the territory of Armenia, and on December 27 the wind
is expected to strengthen up to 25-30 meters a second in Shirak,
Lori and Tavush. NT was informed fron the Rescue Service of the RA
Ministry of Territorial Administration that most precipitations will
occur in Hrazdan – Fontan – Aparan- Gyumri – Ashotsk – Sevan – Jermuk
areas. From the evening of December 27 to the night of December 29,
the temperature will gradually fall by 8-10 degrees. On December 29,
the temperature will be 25-30 degrees below zero in Shirak and 20-25
degrees below zero in the mountainous regions of Kotayk, Gegharkunik
and Aragatsotn, in Lori marz and the Ararat Valley.
ARMENIANS OF NAGORNO KARABAKH ARE CONCURRENT PART OF THE WHOLE ARMENIAN NATION
PanARMENIAN.Net
21.12.2006 16:48 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Nagorno Karabakh for centuries long has been part of
Armenia but at the Karabakh was declared a disputed territory, said Ara
Abramian the head of CAR (Council of Armenians of Russia) during an
interview to The Novoye Russkoye Slovo. "Its population emphatically
was trying to realize the right for self-determination. The Armenians
of Nagorno Karabakh are concurrent part of the whole Armenian
nation. Currently again the issue of recognizing the NKR as a separate
Armenian state is put. And all the opposite arguments against this
idea as if ‘the economic gravitation of Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh
is towards Baku’ are already part of the past. I want to say directly:
the idea to refuse from reuniting with the Armenians of the Nagorno
Karabakh is the political compromise to Azerbaijan, after which
Armenians will never go," stressed Ara Abramian.
PRESS OFFICE
Department of Communications
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 160; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
December 20, 2006
___________________
YOUTH TURN OUT TO FOCUS ON FUTURE OF ACYOA
Thirty young people from four parishes from four different states gathered
at the St. Mary Church of Washington, D.C., to discuss and strengthen their
personal faith and to focus on the future of the Armenian Church Youth
Organization of America (ACYOA).
It was the second regional conference sponsored by the ACYOA this winter on
Saturday, December 2, 2006, that brought together young faithful from the
St. James Church of Richmond, VA; the St. Thomas Church of Tenafly, NJ; the
Holy Trinity Church of Cheltenham, PA; and the host parish, the St. Mary
Church of Washington, DC.
WANTS AND NEEDS
One session of the day-long conference, titled "Why do I need the Church?,"
was conducted by Lucia Seyranyan, a marriage and family therapist for the
Department of the Navy working in Washington, D.C. During the interactive
session, which included small group work as well as individual reflection,
participants focused on needs and wants of individuals and how it relates to
the church.
"We all have needs and wants," Seyranyan said. "The question each of us
must ask ourselves is which one is motivating our relationship with God and,
by extension, the church."
Participants identified ways the church fulfills an individual’s wants and
needs. They discussed whether or not these needs could be met by other
institutions, concluding that while many of our needs can be met elsewhere,
our need for salvation can only be met by the church.
CHRISTIAN HABITS
Participants also explored the daily habits of Christians during a session
titled "What is a Christian: The Habits of a Disciple," which was led by
Daron Bolat, youth director at the St. Mary Church.
After consulting a dictionary, participants discovered that the definition
of a Christian and the definition of a disciple are one and the same. They
were then challenged to make a list of what Christians do and compare it to
a list of what Christ did. This, Bolat said, is what we are called as
Christians to do — to imitate Christ in our actions and service to others.
"Do not rely upon the vain hope of the foolish, who say the true faith alone
is enough to save a Christian from suffering and make him worthy of the
kingdom," Bolat said quoting St. Nersess Shnorhali."
TOUGH QUESTIONS
Fr. Vertanes Kalayjian, pastor of the St. Mary Church, participated in the
whole day of discussions, and led one of the last sessions of the day: "Hot
Topics," a question and answer session where participants were able to ask
him questions about the church openly and anonymously.
LOOKING AHEAD
During the second half of the day, participants joined ACYOA Central Council
members — attending the session at St. Mary was ACYOA Chair Greg Andonian,
Secretary Sarine Zenian, Program Coordinator Talin Hitik, and ACYOA
Executive Secretary Nancy Basmajian — in exploring the future of the
organization.
In an effort to be more effective in reaching out to young adults, the ACYOA
Central Council has been working on a survey to gather information from its
members. One of the first questions asked during the session was "What is
the purpose of the ACYOA?" The Central Council was very heartened with
responses that included: "to bring Armenian Church youth to Christ," "to
teach youth what it is to be Armenian," "to provide experiences in
leadership and fellowship" and "to give youth a voice in the Church."
Other areas discussed were how the Central Council can communicate more
effectively with its members and how it can promote the growth of the
organization and its programming efforts.
"The conference was an over all great success because the Central Council
was able to collect a lot of feedback about the organization, what the
members want, and how to better serve the youth of the Armenian Church,"
Andonian said. "Some great ideas were shared. There is a very clear and
strong direction that the ACYOA is moving in. These think-tank sessions
provide the essential element for the growth of our organization."
— 12/20/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Daron Bolat, youth director at the St. Mary Church of
Washington, D.C., leads a session discussing the habits of Christians during
the ACYOA Mid-Atlantic regional conference on December 2, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Participants in the ACYOA Mid-Atlantic regional
conference discuss the needs met by participation in church life.
# # #
GEORGIA GOT RID OF RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN
by Vladimir Novikov
Source: Kommersant, December 15, 2006, p. 10
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
December 18, 2006 Monday
THE LAST TRAIN OF THE TBILISI GARRISON OF THE GROUP OF RUSSIAN FORCES
IN TRANSCAUCASIA LEFT GEORGIA; On December 18, the last train with
property and armament of the Tbilisi garrison of the group of Russian
forces in Transcaucasia departed from Vaziani suburb of Tbilisi to
Armenia, to the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri.
On December 18, the last train with property and armament of the
Tbilisi garrison of the group of Russian forces in Transcaucasia
departed from Vaziani suburb of Tbilisi to Armenia, to the 102nd
Russian military base in Gyumri. General of the Army Alexander Baranov,
Commander of the North Caucasian Military District, reported that
overall 8 covered and 16 open platforms with vehicles and armament
were sent to Armenia. On December 19, it is planned to send to Gyumri
two automotive columns consisting of 12 vehicles each.
Personnel of the Tbilisi garrison will be evacuated from Georgia next
week. General Baranov sums up, "Thus, by the end of 2006, there will
not be a single Russian serviceman left in the Tbilisi garrison. Our
task is to withdraw troops from the Tbilisi garrison by the end of
the year."
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov made a decision on early
withdrawal of the Tbilisi garrison from Georgia back in October,
after the scandal with detention of several Russian officers accused
of espionage in Tbilisi and Batumi. Meanwhile, in accordance with the
agreement "On procedure for functioning and withdrawal of Russian
forces from Georgia" signed by deputy defense ministers of Russia
and Georgia in Sochi on March 31, the Tbilisi garrison had to leave
Georgia later than other Russian units, or by December 31, 2008.
After departure of the train there will not be a single Russian
serviceman left in Tbilisi except for the security of the empty
building of the Russian Embassy that Russian diplomats have left after
the incident in October. A group of 13 senior officers is being formed
from the former servicemen of the Tbilisi garrison and officers of
the staff of the group of Russian forces in Transcaucasia. This group
will go to Batumi and Akhalkalaki to manage closing the bases located
there (it is planned to withdraw the Batumi base the end of 2007,
and the base in Akhalkalaki by December 31, 2008).
Now the Georgian party is waiting for handing of real estate of the
group of Russian forces in Transcaucasia over to it. It includes
a huge building of the staff and adjacent territory with area of
several hectares.