Russian TV to broadcast `Monasteries of Armenia’ documentary
news.am
May 21, 2011 | 16:30
Russian `My planet’ TV channel will show the third part of documentary
`Armenia: Hidden behind the clouds’, Monasteries of Armenia, the press
service of Armenian Embassy in Moscow informed ArmenianNews-NEWS.am.
The premiere will be held on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Moscow time. The
film was shot on the initiative of Armenian Embassy in Russia.
From Ararat to Zion Armenian documentary screened in Tokyo
May 21, 2011 – 16:40 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –
On May 19, ICU International Christian University in Tokyo hosted a
screening of From Ararat to Zion documentary.
The screening was organized by the Armenian Embassy in Japan within
the framework of Christianity Week university-hosted annual event.
The university management, professors and students as well as the
diplomatic corps, the head of Israel representation, Armenia-Japan
friendship group members attended the event, Armenian Foreign Ministry
press service reported.
The event aimed at increasing the awareness of the role of the
Armenian church in Chistianity.
Toast to Karabakh with Borders of 1994
YEGHISHEH METSARENTS
Story from Lragir.am News:
Published: 13:26:53 – 21/05/2011
The U.S. President Barack Obama stated that the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict must be solved to create a demilitarized Palestinian state
with the IsraelI border before 1967.
It is hard to tell when the Obama administration will reach this goal
or if it will ever reach it or not. After all, Obama will stay in
office for 5 to 6 years at best, given he is elected for the second
term. The conflict lasting for decades may not be easy to solve in 5
or 6 years.
However, significant is the signal which Obama sends to the world, to
the sides of similar conflicts. In this sense, it is interesting to
know what borders the internationally recognized Karabakh will have,
the borders before 1994 or after 1994.
A lot depends on Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh, of course. For
instance, when the government of Armenia and the main political
opposition speak in favor of changing, narrowing the borders after
1994, the international community will hardly resist to the desire of
the Armenian political establishment, and one day a U.S. president may
announce that a demilitarized Karabakh state must be established with
the Azerbaijani border of 1988.
We tend to think that the statements of great powers on us depend on
their caprice, or their worldview, desires, perceptions, or at least
their interests which underlie all the rest.
Based on this thinking, there is an approach that whatever we do or
say, the world powers will do what they want. And it seems that the
small states benefit from this arrangement.
In reality, the small states benefit when their feeling of being
`doomed’ is not already incorporated in their genetic code, when they
believe that the interests of the great powers are shaped in the
result of the behavior of the small states, otherwise in the world
there would be ten to twenty states instead of the present 200 and
more.
It’s Armenia’s turn to take action – Erdogan
14:08 – 21.05.11
Turkey has lent its hand to Armenia for reconciliation, and it’s now
Armenia’s turn to take action, the Turkish prime minister has said.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the statement yesterday at a meeting with
his voters in the town of Kars, the the Turkish news agency Dogan
reported.
“As regards brotherhood, we have always been brothers with Azerbaijan
and Nakhichevan. As for peace, we have lent our hand to Armenia for
reconciliation. And now it is that country’s turn to take action,”
Erdogan was quoted as saying.
In the course of his visit to Kars, Erdogan attended the inauguration
of an industrial college named after former Azerbaijani President
Heydar Aliyev. The Turkish-Azerbaijani relations and the construction
of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway were discussed at the meeting.
According to Turkish media, several people chanted anti-government
slogans at the demonstration with the premier. The police reportedly
arrived in no time and arrested 10 individuals.
Tert.am
Behind the career: Hrant Jamgochian
Sunday, May 22, 7:45 PM
Hrant Jamgochian
Position: The new executive director of Dialysis Patient Citizens, a
membership organization for dialysis and pre-dialysis patients based
in the District.
With grandparents who survived the Armenian genocide, Hrant Jamgochian
was inspired to speak out against wrongdoing at an early age. He dove
heavily into advocacy, whether concerning the environment, human
rights or mental health. He discovered a passion for health while at
the American Psychological Association and is now advocating for
dialysis patients.
What makes you a skilled advocate?
Taking the facts and putting a human face on the issue to show the
human cost and impact while at the same time having the actuarial
analysis. This was often through mobilizing members to share their
personal stories. When I was at the American Psychological
Association, the members shared their personal stories about how they
were denied access. It really resonated with policymakers and built
momentum in the long run.
What is the biggest challenge about being an advocate?
Patience. Unfortunately it takes a long time to make the kind of
changes that have that broad impact on people’s lives. By no means
does that mean for any advocate to give up. It should only encourage
one to continue. I’ve heard people say that advocacy is cumulative.
You must keep pushing ahead with persistence and perseverance
Can you give an example of this?
At APA, we really helped move the bar on federal mental health parity
legislation, getting almost 70 cosponsors in the Senate, but we
weren’t able to pass it. I helped to generate dozens upon dozens of
letters to the editor, wrote editorials, sent tens of thousands of
letters to congressional offices, worked with state affiliates to pass
mental health parity legislation in numerous states. The whole journey
took more than 10 years until there was victory. There was definitely
frustration. But look how long it took to pass the Civil Rights Act.
Often the right things are not easy but you have to keep pushing
ahead.
Which advocate has been most inspirational to your career?
Senator Ted Kennedy because he fought tirelessly, working in a
bipartisan matter, to improve the quality of life for all Americans.
He inspired me to never give up and to keep pushing. If I could do a
fraction of what he was able to accomplish, I would consider myself a
lucky individual.
– Interview with Vanessa Small
Rwanda General guilty of genocide
18:03 – 17.05.11
Former Rwandan army chief Augustin Bizimungu has been sentenced to 30
years in prison for his role in the 1994 genocide.
According to the BBC News, the UN war crimes tribunal for Rwanda also
convicted ex-paramilitary police chief Augustin Ndindiliyimana but
released him for time already served.
Two other senior generals were each sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in the
100-day genocide.
Bizimungu and Ndindiliyimana are two of the most senior figures to be
sentenced by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR),
established in Arusha in neighbouring Tanzania to try the ringleaders
behind the killings.
“It is a welcome decision by the ICTR. In its own circumstances, that
is a big sentence, even if many people would think he [Bizimungu]
deserved the highest,” Martin Ngoga, Rwanda’s chief prosecutor, told
Reuters news agency.
The court ruled that Bizimungu, who was arrested in Angola in 2002,
had complete control over the men he commanded in 1994, AFP news
agency said.
Ndindiliyimana, however, was said to have only had “limited control”
over his forces and was described as being opposed to the killing.
Having already spent 11 years in jail following his arrest in Belgium
in 2000, Ndindiliyimana was released.
Both men were found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Bizimungu appeared unmoved when he was handed his sentence. The
59-year-old was accused of going to the homes of militants and
ordering them to kill all those from the Tutsi ethnic group – people
he referred to as cockroaches.
He was said to have promised weapons, as well as fuel to burn houses.
Major Francois-Xavier Nzuwonemeye, the former commander of a
reconnaissance battalion, and his second-in-command, Capt Innocent
Sagahutu, were meanwhile each given 20-year sentences for crimes
against humanity.
They were accused of ordering the murder of Prime Minister Agathe
Uwilingiyimana.
Eight Belgian peacekeepers who were protecting the prime minister were
also killed, triggering the withdrawal of the UN force from Rwanda.
Rwanda’s genocide was sparked by the death of former President Juvenal
Habyarimana who was killed when his plane was shot down close to the
capital, Kigali, on 6 April 1994.
Within hours of the attack, certain members of the government
organised Hutu militias across the country to systematically kill
Tutsis, resulting in more than three months of violence.
The Hutu government blamed Tutsi RPF rebels for killing Habyarimana
but RPF leader Paul Kagame, now Rwanda’s president, says the plane was
shot down to provide a pretext for the premeditated slaughter.
Many thousands of lower-ranking people accused of involvement in the
genocide have been put on trial in Rwanda, either in formal courts or
in a traditional system known as “gacaca”.
Tert.am
The Words of Serzh and the Actions of Sashik
Story from Lragir.am News:
Published: 10:51:59 – 17/05/2011
President Serzh Sargsyan’s brother, Member of Parliament Sashik
Sargsyan, Republican, was again involved in a scandal. He behaved
inappropriately and shouted abuse at the reporter. The reporter has
published the recording. The reporter merely asked him a question
about his likelihood to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
`We raise the benchmark not only for the activities of the party and
the results thereof but also the members of the party and their
activities. Each of us, every Republican is responsible for his or her
action and inaction. He or she is accountable not only to the party
but also to the country. Moreover, he or she is responsible not only
for his or her behavior but also the behavior of their subordinates
and the members of their families,’ Serzh Sargsyan stated in his
speech on December 18, 2010 during the event on the 20th anniversary
of the Republican Party.
How is Serzh Sargsyan going to account for the behavior of the member
of his family, his brother? Will he make sure the member of parliament
is held responsible for insulting the reporter? Or will it be the way
it was with the scandal involving Ruben Hairapetyan, another member of
the extended government `family’? Ruben Hairapetyan was said to be
`excited’ when he shouted abuse at the reporter, and he got away with
it.
What is the value of Serzh Sargsyan’s speeches on European values,
tolerance, accountability? How will the society, the citizen believe
in these speeches if they are not going to apply to such cases?
PRESS RELEASE
16 May, 2011
Ararat and Masis Ararat Armenian Cemeteries
Contact: Frank H. Balekian, Jr.
Administrator, Ararat Cemetery Improvement Association
1925 West Belmont
Fresno, California 93728-2625
Tel: 559.292.2415
Mob: 559.930.2142
Fax: 559.486.2415
Email: [email protected]
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA ARMENIAN CHURCH CLERGY TO CONDUCT MEMORIAL DAY
ARMENIAN HOKEHANKIST MEMORIAL SERVICES AT ARARAT AND MASIS ARARAT
ARMENIAN CEMETERIES
The Armenian Church Clergy from the Armenian Churches of the Greater San
Joaquin Valley will conduct Armenian Hokehankist Memorial Services, Monday,
May 30, 2011, at the Ararat and Masis Ararat Armenian Cemeteries of Fresno,
California.
The first Hokehankist Memorial Service will take place at 10:00 a.m. at the
Armenian Martyrs Memorial near the Yazijian Memorial Building Administration
Office in the Ararat Armenian Cemetery, 1925 West Belmont Avenue, Fresno,
California. A second Hokehankist Memorial Service will follow at
approximately 10:30 a.m. at the Soghomon Tehlirian Monument in the nearby
Masis Ararat Armenian Cemetery, 250 North Hughes Avenue. The Armenian
Community of the Greater San Joaquin Valley and the general public are
invited to attend and participate.
The Hokehankist Memorial Services will remember the men and women fallen
while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, the
several generations of departed members of the American-Armenian Community
of Central California, and those 1.5 million Martyred Armenians of the
Armenian Genocide of 1915.
Additional information is available by calling the Administration Office of
the Ararat and Masis Ararat Armenian Cemeteries at [559] 292.2415.
Hotel Rwanda Blu-ray Review
By Ian White
The Film
Published: 2011-05-22 – 04:45:12Blu-ray Disc and DVD : Blu-ray Disc Reviews
If there was any lesson learned from the Holocaust (although I’m not
entirely sure that all of its lessons were truly internalized), it was
that mankind can no longer remain silent in the presence of genocide.
The world was deadly silent during the Holocaust and not a finger was
lifted to combat the genocides in Armenia, Cambodia, Liberia, Tibet,
Syria, China, and many others.
The world showed a perplexing amount of interest in Bosnia, yet could
have cared less when 800,000 people were slaughtered in Rwanda under
the watchful eye of the United Nations. The massacre of Rwanda’s Tutsi
population was intentionally swept under the rug by France, the U.N.,
and the United States and it was only because of media pressure did
the world act — even though it was far too late. Hotel Rwanda (in a
manner similar to Schindler’s List) does not attempt to explain the
Rwandan genocide, but instead how one man, Paul Rusesabagina, decided
to save as many people as he could.
Don Cheadle has proven on more than one occasion that he’s a very fine
actor (Boogie Nights, Devil in a Blue Dress, Picket Fences), but a
different side of him emerged in Hotel Rwanda. He became Paul
Rusesabagina on many levels, and the film ultimately succeeds because
Cheadle figures out how not to preach; his character simply reacts to
the utter horror that surrounds him and his family and does something
quite unnatural — he gets involved even though he knows he’s likely
to pay the ultimate price. We would all like to think that there is a
“Rusesabagina” or “Schindler” inside of us; as I walked through
Schindler’s former factory in Krakow in 1995, I wondered to myself “if
only there had been 10,000 more Oskar Schindlers.”
Rusesabagina’s actions saved over 1,200 people (who he hid inside the
hotel he managed) and it is a startling tale to watch unfold, but as I
watched the film, it kept gnawing at me that something was amiss. The
film is certainly powerful, but the story seems like it was toned down
to not rattle the powers that be. I hate to use the term “whitewash”,
but director Terry George could have been even more explicit with the
violence and I don’t think it would have diluted the story one bit.
Spielberg got away with it (although he also didn’t go as far as he
could — based on my conversations with my grandparents who survived
Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen) and George could have as well. An
excellent film that could have been even more powerful and
illuminating — although watching the events in Libya, Syria,
Afghanistan, and Darfur, it’s obvious that mankind hasn’t learned a
damn thing.
The Picture
MGM has been “hit or miss” with some of its recent catalog Blu-ray
releases, but Hotel Rwanda might be the best of the bunch with
spectacularly deep blacks, fantastic color, and one of the sharpest
looking images I’ve seen on a Blu-ray release this year. The film’s
organic film-like structure looks exceptionally clean and crisp. The
1080p transfer (which is offered in the film’s original 2.35:1 aspect
ratio) has no visible noise or compression artifacts and offers a
tremendous amount of detail. Reference quality in every respect. Nice
job MGM. Too bad The Manchurian Candidate didn’t look as good as this.
The Sound
For a film that is dialogue-heavy, I was quite surprised by the DTS-HD
Master Audio 5.1 mix; it offers an intense use of the surround and LFE
channels. Dialogue is strong and evenly balanced, and the entire mix
is quite immersive. The surround channels are frequently called upon;
gunfire, screaming crowds, and a lot of ambient effects. My subwoofer
(which has been quiet of late with some of the MGM releases) erupted
during some sequences and scared the hell out of my guests. The score
which includes tracks from Wyclef Jean and the Afro Celt Music System
is first-rate stuff and beautifully recorded. A very impressive
surround experience to say the least.
The Extras
MGM has done a good job with the bonus material, but there really
isn’t anything on the Blu-ray that wasn’t offered on the DVD release
from 2005. The commentaries feature a mixture of guests; Don Cheadle,
Wyclef Jean (who composed some of the music for the score), director
Terry George, and the real-life Paul Rusesabagina. Rusesabagina is the
most interesting as he’s the only one who can really provide any
first-hand knowledge of the events in Rwanda. He’s an amazing man with
a great story to tell.
The feaurette about the making of the film isn’t a studio fluff piece,
but a rather terrifying telling of the genocide from the real Paul
Rusesabagina. The second featurette about his return to Rwanda is
brief, but still quite fascinating as he has the chance to interact
with some of the Hotel des Milles Collines employees.
Final Thoughts
Hotel Rwanda may not pack the same punch as The Killing Fields, but
this tale of heroism in the face of untold barbarity and genocide was
one of the best films of 2004 and was unfortunately lost in the
shuffle of Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby and Scorsese’s The Aviator.
There is no excuse now to avoid this film because the Blu-ray transfer
is exceptional on all levels and well worthy of a place in your film
collection. And the price is right to boot. Highly recommended.
Product Details:
¢Actors: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix
¢Director: Terry George
¢Format: Widescreen, Subtitled, Dubbed
¢Video Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
¢Video Resolution: 1080p/24
¢Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
¢Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0, French
Dolby Digital 5.1
¢Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
¢Region: Region Free
¢Rating: PG-13
¢Number of Discs: 1
¢Studio: MGM
¢Running Time: 121 Minutes
¢DVD Release Date: May 10, 20111
¢MSRP: $19.99
¢Extras:
– ¦Commentaries – Don Cheadle, Wyclef Jean, Paul Rusesabagina, Terry George
– ¦Message for Peace (SD, 27:56)
– ¦Return to Rwanda (SD, 14:32)
– ¦Theatrical Trailer
Where to Buy:
¢Hotel Rwanda Blu-ray (Amazon.com)
Overall
Video
Audio
Movie
Extras
Charles Aznavour is 87
May 22, 2011 – 13:55 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –
May 22 marks 87th birth anniversary of Armenian French singer Charles
Aznavour. He is the author of around 1,000 songs. Besides, he starred
in 60 films and sold around 100mln discs. According to a joint poll
conducted by TIME and CNN (1998), Aznavour is recognized as the best
pop singer of the 20th century. Since May 5, 2009, Aznavour has been
Armenia’s Ambassador to Switzerland and permanent representatives to
the UN headquarters.
Musicians, artists and community leaders from across the globe
gathered to pay tribute to one of the world’s greatest musicians and
entertainers – Charles Aznavour – in a star-studded event in New York
on May 20.
The evening served as an opportunity to highlight not only Aznavour’s
talents, but his decades-long service to Armenia on the eve of the
republic’s 20th anniversary of independence.
Presenting the award to Aznavour was famous actress and singer Liza
Minnelli. Seeing Aznavour perform on stage for the first time was
`magnetic’ for Minnelli. `The minute he walked onstage, I stopped
breathing,’ she said.
The event featured guest of honor, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian. The evening’s proceeds will benefit the disadvantaged
elderly people of Armenia, including the Vanadzor Old Age Home in
Armenia.