Author: Kalantarian Kevo

MILENA AND NAREK ARE THE MOST POPULAR NAMES IN ARMENIA

armradio.am
03.08.2007 15:58

7,056 girls and 8,039 boys wee born in Armenia in January-May of the
current year.

According to statistics, more frequently girls are named Milena (323),
Ani (266), Mariam (237), Elen (217), Anahit (210), Anna (187), Mary
(184), Lilit (159), Mane (135) and Gayane (134).

Boys are often named Narek (349), David (339), Hayk (263), Erik
(237), Gor (223), Arman (205), Armen (173), Arthur (168), Samvel
(161) and Vahe (150).

Armenian National Committee of Canada

Comité National Arménien du Canada

130 Albert St., Suite/Bureau 1007

Ottawa, ON

KIP 5G4

Tel./Tél. (613) 235-2622 Fax/Téléc. (613) 238-2622

E-mail/courriel:national.office@anc-cana da.com

Press Release

July 31, 2007
Contact: Kevork Manguelian

ANCC and the Canadian Centre for Genocide Education Hold
4th National Genocide Education Institute

Toronto–The Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) and the Canadian
Centre for Genocide Education held the 4th national teachers’ summer
institute at the Armenian Community Centre of Toronto from July 23 to 27.

The five-day training session was an overwhelming success with teachers
travelling from all over Canada to attend the educational gathering. 40
teachers attended the Institute.

The Genocide Institute is designed to encourage teachers to instruct
students the lessons of genocide–the importance of tolerance, upholding
human rights, helping others in need–and to help prepare them to
effectively communicate these lessons to their students.

The institute’s morning portion was designed to introduce teachers to the
history of four case studies of Genocide. In the afternoon segment teachers
participated in classroom implementation, resources, multimedia
presentation, and group activity.

On the opening day Dr. Gerry Caplan and educator Dr. Barabra Coloroso talked
about the overall theme of genocide, the history of the UN Charter on
Genocide, the causes of genocide, its devastating effects on victims, its
social, religious, and political implications, its denial, and the
complicity of some governments, the perpetrators’ bully mentality, and
finally, the confidence of genocide perpetrators that you would be granted
impunity.

On Tuesday July 24, the main topic was the Armenian Genocide. Prof. Alan
Whitehorn and Dr. Isabel Kaprielian-Churchill presented the various aspects
of the Armenian Genocide. A number of teachers said that they were baffled
by the Turkish government’s denial of the Armenian Genocide against such
overwhelming documentation, evidence, and the verdicts of historians.

On Wednesday, Prof. Roman Serbyn and Valentina Kuryliw instructed the
gathering on the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933.

Thursday was allocated to the Holocaust. Prof. Gerald Tulchinsky and Sylvia
Bereskin brought to the attention of the teachers new details about the
horrors of the Holocaust. That evening Prof. Abdulkerim Ousman talked about
the latest developments in Darfur.

The genocide studies gathering came to a close on Friday with discussions on
the Rwandan Genocide. Major Brent Beardsley, Shyrna Gilbert and Leo Kabalisa
took the teachers on a painful journey of discovery about the latest
genocide of our times.

During the Monday July 23 banquet, the lead speakers were Drs. Caplan and
Coloroso. The latter observed that it is only a short walk from hate to
genocide. Representatives of partner communities also delivered messages
from their groups and expressed their confidence in the continued success of
the institute.

Aris Babikian, executive director of ANCC, saluted the "teachers’ dedication
and commitment to this noble cause." He added: "Your sense of mission and
duty to make Canada and the world a better place through education and by
sensitizing future generations and our country’s future leaders is greatly
appreciate not only by Genocide and Holocaust victim nations but everyone
around the globe."

The ANCC representative acknowledged "it is incumbent upon us [victim
nations and teachers] to work together to educate and to empower the next
generation of Canadians and world leaders with moral values which will guide
them to eradicate the plague of genocide and prevent other races and nations
from experiencing what we have suffered from."

Rich Hitchens, founder and president of the Canadian Centre for Genocide
Education, observed "it is a straight walk from the Armenian Genocide to
Darfur today. Each successive genocidal regime had learned from its
predecessors that the world would do little to nothing to intervene, to
prevent, to stop, or punish genocide. No one cared about the Armenians, as
Hitler observed, and so, in turn, no one cared about those to follow,
including Ukrainians, Jews, Cambodians, Bosnians, and Rwandans. What other
lesson could the regime in Sudan have learned other than that it was free to
pursue genocide with impunity."

Orest Steciw from the League of Ukrainian Canadians, Prof. Wsevolod W.
Isajiw of the Ukrainian Canadian Research & Documentation Centre, and MP
Peggy Nash also addressed the Monday evening gathering.

A silent auction featuring cultural pieces from the homelands of various
partners was held at the banquet.

The Genocide Institute was offered for the first time in London, Ont., in
2004, with the sole participation of teachers from the London area. In 2005,
teachers from across Southwestern Ontario participated in the second annual
Genocide Institute. Because of the success of the Genocide Institute, the
program was expanded in 2006 to include teachers from across the country.

One of the attributes that makes the Genocide Institute special is that it
is a partnership of a number of organizations representing victim groups of
genocide. Armenians, Jews, Rwandans, and Ukrainians have joined together in
common cause to encourage teachers to teach about the lessons of genocide.

The ANCC became a partner in the Genocide Institute in 2006. Meanwhile, the
Armenian Community Centre graciously donated its facilities and hosted the
Institute.

-30-

The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances the concerns of
the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of issues.

Regional Chapters/Sections régionales

Montréal – Laval – Ottawa – Toronto – Hamilton – Cambridge – St.
Catharines – Windsor – Vancouver

AZERBAIJAN PROBES ILLEGAL ARMS SALES BY ALBANIA TO ARMENIA

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
July 31 2007

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said on Monday he
has sent letters to both the Albanian capital of Tirana and the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) concerning illegal arms
sales to Armenia by Albania, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Last week it emerged that Turkey turned back an Albanian ship
transporting heavy weaponry bound for Armenia at the Bosporus.

"Officials in Ankara have refused transit to a sizable consignment of
weapons and ammunition bound for Armenia. The ship was turned back
at the Bosporus along with its cargo," Albanian Prime Minister Sali
Berisha was then quoted as saying in the Azerbaijani media. Noting
that the letter sent to Tirana was not meant to protest the Albanian
officials, Mamedyarov said Baku asked Tirana for an explanation and
information on the issue.

The Azerbaijani minister said his country has also appealed to
OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ýhsanoðlu and the head of the
organization’s Foreign Ministers’ Council, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister
Khurshid Kasuri, concerning the same issue as Albania and Azerbaijan
are both members of the organization. In the letters Baku stressed
that arms sales to Armenia were in violation of the UN’s related
resolutions and brought to mind the fact that a territory inside
Azerbaijan has still been under Armenian occupation, referring to
the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

"As you know, over 800,000 Azerbaijanis became refugees as a result of
Armenian aggression and ethnic cleansing. According to OIC resolutions,
in order to prevent Armenia from continuing aggression and enlarging
the conflict, the organization member states should not sell military
supplies and weapons to Armenia and should not allow their countries
to be used as transit countries. This fact contradicts norms and
principles of international law. Baku is against war and regards
selling military supplies and weapons to Armenia as an act against
Azerbaijan," the letter was quoted as saying by the Azerbaijani media.

–Boundary_(ID_o6ILktThuCspoFS7+vls9Q)–

"HERITAGE" PARTY LEADER, U.S. CO-CHAIR OF OSCE MG DISCUSS LARGE SPECTER OF ISSUES

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 30 2007

YEREVAN, July 30. /ARKA/. "Heritage" Party leader Raffi Hovannisian
met today with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and
Eurasia Matthew Bryza, who is visiting Armenia as the US co-chair of
the OSCE Minsk Group.

The Party’s press service reported that Hovannisian and Bryza touched
upon the issues of Armenia’s foreign and home policy, Armenian-American
relations, peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict, and discussed
regional developments

The "Heritage" is a national-liberal party founded in 2002. The Party
has about 5ths members.

In May, the Party participated in the parliamentary elections for
the first time and obtained seven deputy seats.

A GHOST BATTLESHIP FOR ARMENIA: YEREVAN DENIES EXISTENCE OF MILITARY CONTACTS WITH TIRANA
by Yury Simonyan, translated by Pavel Pushkin

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
July 30, 2007 Monday

Armenia denies information about an attempt to buy a large batch of
armament from albania; Turkey denied the transit of a large batch of
armament and ammunition for Armenia to Albania, reported BBC Monitoring
European in IndustryWatch with reference to Albanian Gazeta Shqiptare.

Turkey denied the transit of a large batch of armament and ammunition
for Armenia to Albania, reported BBC Monitoring European in
IndustryWatch with reference to Albanian Gazeta Shqiptare.

The text published by the IndustryWatch website quotes the words of
Prime Minister of Albania, Sali Berish, that Turkey forced an Albanian
ship with armament to turn back. Berish said, "One of our ships with
60 containers filled mostly with heavy artillery and ammunition was
heading from the port of Durres to Istanbul." He pointed out that the
problematic relations of Turkey and Armenia resulted in a situation
when the ship had to return and unload the armament in Durres.

The publication also quotes a top-ranking representative of Albanian
company MEIKO specializing in armament trade as saying that Albania
does not care about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, "All procedures
of sale were in order and complied with the law. Now we are considering
the possibility of using other routes."

According to description of the deal, a representative of the Defense
Ministry of Armenia contacted the Defense Ministry of Albania and
expressed readiness to pay for a large batch of armament including
air defense guns with calibers from 75 mm to 122 mm. However, the
operation was ruined by Turkish authorities.

Colonel Seiran Shakhsuvaryan, press secretary of the Defense Ministry
of Armenia, announced, "The Defense Ministry of Armenia did not
sign any deals for the armament purchase of Albania. We consider
the published information as another Turkish-Azerbaijani provocation
against Armenia."

Any private paramilitary organizations of Armenia could not turn to
Tirana for weapons either. Lieutenant Colonel Musheg Kroyan, deputy
director of the PR department of the police of Armenia, commented,
"All trading operations with combat weapons are conducted only through
the Defense Ministry. According to the law, private security companies
have a right to buy and use pump and pneumatic small arms that can
be bought in local stores and this is under control."

Artvin Bagramyan, official spokesperson for the national security
council of Armenia, commended laconically, "Gibberish!" A top-ranking
representative of this organization pointed at the absurd nature of
the publication, "Our strategic partner is Russia, who produces the
best armament in the world. The Armenian army is armed with Russian
weapons. Why do we need to order weapons in Muslim Albania and to
deliver it via Turkey-whose relations with our country we do not even
need to speak of–and not, say, deliver the weapons via the ports of
Russia or by a direct air flight?!"

Most likely, the Foreign Ministry of Armenia will not leave the
scandal with "Albanian armament" without comment. The Foreign Ministry
simultaneously denied other rumors regarding the instruction received
from international organizations regarding significant excess of
armament in Armenia. Officials of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia
said, "To date, not a single delegation inspecting Armenia under
the CFE registered the volumes of armament exceeding international
agreements. This information that has nothing in common with reality."

Russia leads race for North Pole oil

The Arctic’s untapped resources include huge reserves of fuel and
minerals. Now Moscow has raised tensions by dispatching an expedition
to annex a vast expanse of the ocean.

Jamie Doward, Robin McKie and Tom Parfitt
Sunday July 29, 2007
The Observer

In the darkest depths of the Arctic Ocean a new Cold War is brewing.
American and British nuclear submarines lurk in the shadows, preparing
for company.
‘Why has Britain been sending submarines into Arctic waters?’ asked Rob
Huebert, associate director of the Centre for Military and Strategic
Studies in Calgary. ‘Because it wants to retain its capability to deal
with the Russian threat.’

Such talk is redolent of a Le Carré novel. But the battle between the
West and Russia over who owns the Arctic has been building for years.
Last week it entered a new phase when Russia announced it was sending a
miniature submarine, equipped with a team of explorers, to claim a
chunk of the Arctic Ocean the size of Western Europe.

The stakes are high. The ocean is home to vast oil and mineral reserves
as well as massive shoals of fish and strategically important shipping
lanes. ‘It could get very ugly,’ Huebert said. ‘Nobody knows how much
oil and gas is down there. Shell, for example, is quite pessimistic,
but the likes of Exxon are quite gung-ho. I’ve seen some people make
the case that up to 18 per cent of the world’s oil reserves are there –
that’s getting into Saudi Arabia’s league.’
To symbolise its claim, Russia will plant its flag on the sea bed
before taking samples it believes will prove the Lomonosov Ridge, which
runs underneath the Arctic Ocean, is an extension of the Siberian
continental shelf and therefore Russian territory.

The expedition is led by Artur Chilingarov, Russia’s most famous
explorer. A sturdy 68-year-old with a sweeping salt-and-pepper beard,
last week he could be seen pacing the decks of his ship, the Akademik
Fyodorov, followed by a posse of state television journalists who filed
breathless accounts of the groundbreaking voyage.

‘The Arctic is Russian,’ Chilingarov told the media scrum. ‘We must
prove the North Pole is an extension of the Russian coastal shelf. Of
course, [the expedition] is important in terms of science, but also in
terms of geopolitics as well.’

There has never been a manned journey to the sea bed of the North Pole.
‘Who knows, we may even discover some as yet unknown organism,’ said
Valery Kuznetsov, head of the expedition’s oceanography team.

In 2001, Russia made a similar claim to the Arctic Ocean but its
evidence was disputed. An official panel of experts backed by the UN
has been established to consider claims and Russia is determined to
prove its case. A UN convention dictates that countries bordering the
Arctic Ocean can exploit resources within a 200-nautical-mile economic
zone of their territory. But this can be extended if a country can, as
the Russians are attempting, prove the continental shelf beneath the
ocean is connected to their land.

So far the US has refused to engage in the debate over extending
exploitation rights, a policy throwback to the Eighties when the Reagan
administration feared such an action would see large parts of the
Arctic handed over to the Soviets.

Meanwhile, Canada and Denmark, through its sovereignty over Greenland,
claim that the Lomonosov Ridge is connected to their territories and
therefore the ocean is effectively their property. In a sign of how
tense the situation is becoming, the Canadian government recently
placed a C$7bn (£3.25bn) order for new naval patrol vessels, a move
that Prime Minister Stephen Harper said was designed to ‘defend its
sovereignty over the Arctic’.

But the battle for the Arctic is fast becoming a global issue. Melting
ice has meant the opening up of the North West Passage to commercial
shipping is now possible in the summer months and, given rising
temperatures, a possibility all year round in the future. The opening
up of the passage can shorten the distance ships have to travel between
Europe and Asia by up to 2,000 nautical miles over the established
trade route through the Panama Canal.

Given the area’s geopolitical importance, it is no surprise Britain is
closely monitoring the situation as part of its commitment to Nato.
‘Britain has been sending Trafalgar SSN-class submarines to the Arctic
since 1986 because it wants to retain its under-ice capability,’ said
Huebert, who predicted it would not be long before their sonar
registers the presence of an old foe. ‘The Russians are rebuilding
their navy,’ Huebert said. ‘They’ve just launched a submarine for the
first time since 1987 and they’ve placed orders for three more.’

Soaring oil prices have created a new urgency among the countries
competing to make their claim. When oil prices were low it was
considered uneconomic to tap into the Arctic Ocean’s reserves. But with
China and India now desperate for energy, oil prices are spiralling.
Experts say oil prices of around $70 a barrel makes drilling in the
Arctic a viable proposition. In 2004, a joint Swedish and Russian
venture proved it was possible to drill into the ocean’s floor from a
rig secured by three ships.

Nor is oil the only resource that is ripe for exploitation in the
thawing north. There are also large mineral deposits and coal beds in
the Arctic, for example. In addition, there is the prospect of opening
up vast new fish reserves as ice cover disappears over the Arctic
Ocean. For several years, British research vessels from Dunstaffnage
Marine Research Station, near Oban, have been studying these stocks.

‘There is strong evidence that there are still good reserves of fish
such as cod and capelin in some regions of the Arctic,’ said Prof
Graham Shimmield, Dunstaffnage’s director. ‘However, these are probably
the world’s last refuges. We should restrain ourselves from catching
them on an industrial scale until we learn more about how strong they
are. It remains to be seen whether that will happen, however.’

The rush to exploit the Arctic worries other scientists. They point out
that the region is important because the effects of climate change are
more pronounced here, and arrive earlier, than in any other part of the
world. When things go wrong, they are first noticed in the Arctic. But
if oil companies and mining firms start pumping out carbon dioxide and
other waste as they open up the region, the pristine conditions that
have helped scientists make past observations will be destroyed,
obscuring our view of our dangerously warming world.

This problem is already an issue in the archipelago of Svalbard where
European scientists are studying glacier retreat, carbon emissions and
other effects of pollution, but are having their work hampered by the
emissions from coal mines dug by the Russians.

Tensions are already running high in the Arctic, it would seem.
Nevertheless, hopes remain that a diplomatic conclusion can be achieved
to resolve what has been dubbed the ‘battle for the North Pole’.

‘We must wake up to the fact that the Arctic is going to become a much
busier area,’ Huebert said. ‘And try to produce a solution that will
provide an equitable, fair and safe division of resources. We cannot
just proceed with the old unilateral approach.’

Observers point to the Antarctic Treaty, which severely limits the
exploitation of the land mass around the South Pole. No waste disposal,
no mining, no introduction of animal species and no commercial work
have been allowed on the continent for more than 40 years. Some
diplomats have suggested that a similar set of rules could be agreed
for the Arctic. Such a plan is unlikely to succeed, however. ‘Countries
agreed to the Antarctic Treaty as a way to save money,’ said a senior
UK official. ‘The South Pole is an expensive place to exploit and it
was realised that if everyone agreed not to touch it, they could all
rest easy about pouring millions into the area. This is not the issue
with the Arctic. It is becoming easier and easier to exploit. Nations
aren’t going to give up on these rich pickings.

Hence the Russian expedition – although this has not gone totally
smoothly so far. Last week the Akademik Fyodorov was forced to send out
a distress signal and then drifted for several hours because of an
engine failure. It has since made good progress towards the pole and
the first research dives from the ship are expected to take place
tomorrow.

During its journey last week a mysterious aircraft appeared above the
Akademik Fyodorov, causing a ripple of excitement among the journalists
on board. Russian media widely reported the aircraft to be a Nato spy
plane. It may have been paranoia but in the frozen waters around the
North Pole one thing is certain: the days of the Cold War are back.

ACCORDING TO CLU CHAIRMAN, OPPOSITION DOES NOT CONSOLIDATE DUE TO NOT-EXACT PRESENTATION OF DEMANDS BY SOCIETY

Noyan Tapan
Jul 27, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. "Armenia needs radical changes,
and the challenges existing today in the region require a serious
approach." Hrant Khachatrian, the Chairman of the Constitutional Law
Union, stated at the July 27 press conference. In his words, CLU is
going to play a serious role in the processes aimed at these changes.

Evaluating opposition’s chances in the 2008 presidential elections,
H. Khachatrian gave assurance that the problem of opposition’s common
candidate should be solved by the people, because, as experience
showed, politicians "have serious faults" in this issue. At the same
time the CLU Chairman said that the idea of opposition’s unification
fails not due to party leaders’ ambitions, but due to non-exact
presentation of demands by society.

H. Khachatrian also said that every election costs a pretty penny
both for the people and the opposition parties. "Spending almost all
their financial resources, the latters at the same time sustain cadre
losses for well-known reasons," he said.

The CLU Chairman considered improbable the nomination of the
candidature of the first RA President, Levon Ter-Petrosian for the
forthcoming presidential elections, as the latter, according to him,
has no guarantees of winning.

TREADING THE TORTUOUS PATH TO MODERN TURKEY
James Button

The Age, Australia
ding-the-tortuous-path-to-modern-turkey/2007/07/27 /1185339258049.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2
Jul y 28 2007

LAST year Turkish journalist Ipek Calislar published a biography
of Latife Usakizade, wife of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the
nation. Her book was a runaway hit, selling 90,000 copies, a huge
figure in Turkey.

But in a country that reveres Ataturk’s memory, where children
begin the school day by chanting, "O great Ataturk", an anecdote in
Calislar’s book led to her prosecution for "insulting Ataturk". It
might also have endangered her safety.

Calislar, 60, has been a journalist for 35 years. After the 1971
military coup she was jailed for 2½ years for belonging to a left-wing
group. She was tortured. Last year she faced jail again, and yet
she believes, with some reservations, that her country is on the
right path.

Her story says much about modern Turkey: its human rights abuses and
its rising nationalism, mixed with the hope that it is moving towards
full democracy, as last Sunday’s election tentatively suggests. Her
story also shows that in Turkey, the past is never past.

The offending episode in her book took place in 1923. Mutinous
soldiers had surrounded the Ankara home of Mustafa Kemal, leader of
the infant Turkish state (later he would be named Ataturk: father of
the Turks). The troops planned to kill him.

After negotiation, they agreed to free the women and children
hostages. Usakizade had an idea. She made her husband put on her
chador – the head-to-foot Muslim garment, disguising the face –
and leave the house with her sister.

Meanwhile, Usakizade dressed in his uniform and paced up and down on
boxes she placed under the window. Seeing the silhouette, the soldiers
assumed Kemal was still in the house. He returned with reinforcements
and Turkey’s course was set.

The story, which Calislar heard from the daughter of Usakizade’s
sister, had never been told. Calislar wrote it respectfully – she
believes Ataturk’s escape was sensible, not cowardly – but Turkish
nationalists were outraged.

"The idea that the father of today’s secular state a) did not laugh
at death, b) dressed in women’s clothing and c) religious drag at
that, was too much," writes American journalist Andrew Finkel, who
has lived in Istanbul for 20 years.

In August last year, an architect petitioned to have Calislar
prosecuted for "insulting Ataturk", an offence that carries a four-year
jail term. Under Turkish law, the prosecutor had to open a case. After
two hearings, the judge threw it out, saying it was an argument for
historians, not lawyers.

The matter might have ended there, were it not for the murder
in January of Calislar’s friend, Hrant Dink, editor of the
Armenian-Turkish newspaper Agos. Dink was a hero of the human rights
movement. Passionate about Armenian-Turkish reconciliation, he wrote
that Turkey had to accept complicity in the mass killings of Armenians
in 1915.

Turkey denies the massacres and says any deaths were a result of
the First World War. It is an incendiary issue, over which some are
prepared to kill.

Determined to qualify for entry to the European Union, the Government
has sought to protect free speech. Leading human rights advocate
Baskin Oran says that while Turkey is still a repressive state, the
huge reforms of the 2004 penal code mean that "we have done in three
years what Europe did in 300."

Yet nationalists in the judiciary and linked to the military are bent
on keeping Turkey out of the EU. They have been able to damage Turkey’s
bid by obtaining prosecutions under the code’s infamous article 301,
which prescribes the offence of "insulting Turkishness" and a penalty
up to three years’ jail.

At least 65 people have been charged under the law, notably Nobel
Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk, for discussing the Armenian
massacres (he was acquitted on a technicality).

Three times, Dink was prosecuted under article 301 for his writings
on Armenians. He was convicted in 2005, but received a suspended
sentence. A prosecutor was pressing charges a third time when a
17-year-old ultra-nationalist from eastern Turkey shot Dink outside
his newspaper office in Istanbul.

At his funeral procession, a 100,000-strong crowd filled an Istanbul
boulevard. Mourners walked past the Agos office with placards saying:
"We are all Hrant Dink. We are all Armenians." Calislar, who was there,
says that from that day on, many things in Turkey changed.

For a start, never had so many Turks publicly acknowledged the
oppression of Armenians. The Government hinted it would look at
amending article 301, though to date it has done nothing.

The human rights movement, alarmed at the nationalist threat, pushed
two of its leaders to run for parliament. One, Ufuk Uras, was elected
this week.

The murder spurred police to offer protection to Calislar and other
writers. For five months she spent every waking moment with a policeman
by her side. Last month she changed her mind. "It was too boring,"
she says. "I couldn’t live a normal life."

We are sitting on a terrace above the Bosphorus, near Istanbul. The
gracious villas and well-dressed citizens speak of a wealthy, Western
nation, not the sort of place where you might be killed for an article
or a book. But appearances can deceive, she says.

Why, she asks, did police allow themselves to be photographed beside
Dink’s killer, holding a Turkish flag? Why is there no repeal of
article 301, even though it is widely believed that such prosecutions
inflame nationalist sentiment and provoke murder? Why does Turkey
still struggle to come to terms with its history?

She and Dink were on a similar mission: to recover the truth about
Turkey’s past. In her case, it was to give a proper place to Latife
Usakizade, whom official Turkish history scorns and trivialises as
a bossy, shrewish woman but whom she sees as a feminist heroine.

Ataturk met Usakizade during the war of independence, when his troops
used her family’s house. Educated in France, she was independently
minded, the "perfect suffragette". It was brains that attracted
Ataturk, Calislar says. "They had a very modern marriage."

He took her on his trips around Turkey. He listened to her argue
for women’s rights: she persuaded him to allow women to stand for
parliament, something she hoped to do.

Yet the marriage lasted just 2½ years, before quarrels and animosity
led him to peremptorily divorce her. Neither remarried, though he had
other female partners. She lived alone, refusing to speak of her time
with Ataturk.

The belated telling of her story has been a revelation in Turkey.

Women "keep thanking me for writing something they never knew", says
Calislar. "I hope Latife is happy in her grave, because she had a very
sad life. She had no children. She was still in love with Ataturk,
but she could not be with him."

On Sunday, Turks elected 49 women, 8 per cent of all MPs and double the
previous proportion. Nine are Kurds, a highly disadvantaged minority.

Women still have a long way to go. A recent international study ranked
Turkey 105th out of 115 countries in tackling gender inequality. But
Sunday’s result suggests they are on the road. Latife Usakizade,
and Hrant Dink, might have smiled.

–Boundary_(ID_0uQhgMq3ueoBAGphmH2HWA)–

The Armenian Weekly On-Line

80 Bigelow Avenue

Watertown MA 02472 USA

(617) 926-3974

[email protected]

http://www. armenianweekly.com

The Armenian Weekly; Volume 73, No. 30; July 28, 2007

Community:

1. ‘HYE Fusion’ Jazz Concert at ALMA

By Andy Turpin

2. Al Donigian Was One of a Kind
By Tom Vartabedian

3. Pontiactzis Give ‘Welcome Back, Joe’ Luncheon for Dr. Kevorkian
By Betty Apigian Kessel

4. Journalism 101: How to Survive a Day of Interviews on the Hill
By Dzovak Kazandjian

5. Midwest Junior Summer Olympics: Expectations Exceeded

***

1. ‘HYE Fusion’ Jazz Concert at ALMA

By Andy Turpin

WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)-On July 20, the Armenian Library and Museum of
America (ALMA) presented a jazz concert titled "HYE Fusion." Players
included Harry Bedrossian (keyboard), Malcolm Barsamian (guitar, oud,
alto sax) and Charles Dermenjian (percussion).

An unconventional and creative detour from the musical repertoire that
usually accompanies traditional Armenian instrumental playing, many of
the songs were well-known jazz standards from the 1950s and 60s such as
"The Girl From Ipanema" (Tom Jobim; V. Moraes), made famous by singer
Astrud Gilberto; "My Funny Valentine" (R. Rodgers; L. Hart) made famous
by Chet Baker; and in particular a haunting opening version of "Black
Orpheus" (Luiz Bonfa).

"Black Orpheus" was wildly popular when it first appeared in the 1959
film of the same name that portrayed the classical story of Orpheus and
Eurydice set in favella Brazil. The song and film single handedly
catapulted the rise of samba culture in the U.S. and has become a cult
pop icon piece ever since. Played within an Armenian scheme, the
instruments and song melded to form an otherworldly mix of melancholic
sensuality the likes of which were resounding and memorable.

The most notable piece of the evening, however, was a rendition of Dave
Brubeck’s legendary hit "Take Five." Bedrossion said: "It’s the old
‘Take Five’ which was actually first played as a tune while the
musicians were on their break from normal playing, but we added four
[measures]. So it’s ‘Take Five plus Four.’"

Played on the oud, the song takes on a whole new vibrancy and direction
of its own and is almost unrecognizable to the listener if not cognizant
to the title. But it overflowed with a newfound mystique that could only
have been coaxed when fused with the oud’s elicited eastern melodies and
rifts.

Also worth mention was a song composed by the musicians themselves. The
song, titled "Bulgarian Bebop," received an enthusiastic reaction from
the audience.

————————————— ————————————————-

2. Al Donigian Was One of a Kind
By Tom Vartabedian

No, this isn’t another story about John Baronian and his passion for
Tufts University, not that he doesn’t deserve another feather in his
cap. After all, any guy who has an athletic complex named after him and
has attracted scores of Armenian-Americans to his campus deserves
continued applause. Instead, this is a piece about John’s best friend.
Wherever you saw Baronian, you would usually find Al Donigian, whether
it was some gridiron dinner, baseball reception, AYF Olympics, even
Armenia.

The two did take a trip there together last September and it couldn’t
have happened at a better time. Al Donigian recently died of heart
failure while vacationing with Baronian on Cape Cod.

While in Armenia, Donigian was able to meet the young girl he had
sponsored for years, making sure she had a good education and decent
clothes on her back. Up to this point, they had corresponded by mail.

"He made it a point to seek her out and lit up like a Christmas tree
when they met," recalled Baronian. "This was always Al’s dream."

I would catch them at a lecture or a picnic, a dance or concert. When
one coughed, the other sneezed.

Due to Baronian’s frail health, Al was always at his beckoning call.
Whenever he needed a lift, Donigian was always on stand-by, like a true
sentinel. Together, they were attached like Laurel & Hardy, Abbott &
Costello, Martin & Lewis. One without the other would usually pose an
obvious question to Baronian: Where’s Al? One would never entertain a
thought that another valet had intervened, much less a trip to the bar
for a cocktail.

"He was like a brother to me," Baronian tearfully said. "I lost my best
friend. People like Al are rare indeed. He was always full of favors and
went out of his way to make people happy in his quiet, yet humble
manner."

The two were spending a weekend at the Cape with Baronian’s sister. Al
hadn’t been feeling all that well lately and his amigo was concerned. He
invited Donigian, figuring the rest would do him good.

They shared a grand time together, just like always, engaged in their
own conversation. Plans were discussed to attend this year’s AYF
Olympics in New Jersey. As always, Al would drive and John would sit
shotgun.

No matter where they went, it was Baronian who would attract the
audience by virtue of his popularity and Donigian who usually stayed in
the background. When it came time to move elsewhere, on came Donigian to
lend a hand. When it came time to depart the Cape, the two were seated
in a car ready to roll, hoping to beat the traffic home. John told Al to
hold up a bit while he went back inside to take care of some business.

He returned a couple minutes later and told Al to start the engine.
Donigian didn’t respond, his head slumped over the back seat.

"You okay, Al? What’s wrong, Al?" His worst fear suddenly hit home and
Baronian broke down, next to his best friend. It wasn’t supposed to be
like this between permanent buddies.

They called 911, an ambulance arrived, and Donigian was pronounced dead
at the hospital as everyone gasped with disbelief.

One would hardly think that in this moment of anguish and bereavement,
there might be a glimmer of relief.

But there was-and Baronian knew exactly what his friend might be
thinking as he took God’s hand.

With all the strength this octogenarian could muster, he said, "If Al
was going to die, he couldn’t have picked a better time or place."

"What if we had left a few minutes earlier and he was driving on the
road? What if he rammed the car into another and killed someone, perhaps
a child? I could have been at death’s door, too. He had no cancer and
went peacefully."

Al Donigian’s funeral was just the way he would have requested,
surrounded by his Masonic Order and his Armenian friends, led by John
Baronian. They came to pay their last respects to a man who never made
headlines, never gave speeches, never looked for fanfare.

As the Good Book says, "Everyone has two kinds of friends, those who are
around when you need them-and those who are around when they need you."
In Al Donigian’s case, he was the best friend anyone could have-a friend
indeed. Just ask John Baronian.

————————————— ————————————————– —

3. Pontiactzis Give ‘Welcome Back, Joe’ Luncheon for Dr. Kevorkian
By Betty Apigian Kessel

A loyal band of Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s friends from the old neighborhood
in Pontiac, Mich., looked forward to July 11 with great anticipation.
Twenty-seven Armenians who lived near the eastside area of the famous
now unlicensed pathologist met at The Sign of the Beef Carver in Royal
Oak, Mich., to express their happiness at his newfound freedom and to
regale him with stories of their friendship growing up on streets with
the names of Ferry Ave., Prospect, Midway, Jessie, Sanford and Wilson
Ave.

The back room of the restaurant was like a clannish gathering of Hyes
more like a family reunion of Keghetzis, Sepastztis, Vanetzis, all first
generation Armenian-Americans born here of the survivors of the 1915
Armenian genocide. When asked if that black era in Turkish history, the
genocide, had any effect on his eventual involvement in assisted
suicide, Dr. Kevorkian responded with an emphatic, "No, and I have been
asked that question many times!"

We swarmed around him showering our old neighborhood buddy with hugs and
kisses. He was his usual self, attired in a three-piece light blue
summer suit with that same down to earth congenial personality. If you
were looking for signs of bitterness, you would be disappointed. We all
know Jack is our home grown genius, perhaps a bit eccentric, but it was
big time stuff for one of us to be the first to graduate from the
University of Michigan back in those halcyon days of youth. Who would be
the lucky Armenian girl to marry the young doctor? No one. Jack has
remained a bachelor but says he sometimes regrets not having children.

Alice Mavian piped up, "I brought you some sarma, Jack." He jokingly
replied, "How do you know I eat sarma, you know I am very finicky." I
was seated two seats from Jack and took special notice at what his
dining selections were. I spotted roast beef sandwich au jus, baked
potato, raw vegetables, and a green salad. The bread was put aside and
he commented, "I use no dressings or sauces. I eat each item one at a
time." I didn’t see anyone turn down the generous pieces of triple
chocolate cake that became dessert. Yummm.

Dr. Kevorkian on the Armenian language and press

He spoke to us openly and at length. Parole restrictions forbade him
from addressing certain subjects. One of the most interesting comments
he made was that he taught himself over a period of several months to
read the Armenian language paper. His father, Baron Levon, was an avid
subscriber to the Hairenik Daily. Dr. Kevorkian asked, "How many here
read Armenian?" Very few hands were raised. "Every Armenian household
should subscribe to at least one Armenian language newspaper in order to
preserve our nationality. What can save you? The language! Do the right
thing, learn proper Armenian. The presses must stay alive." Bravo Jack!
I felt free at that point to pipe up and say we can’t even get people to
subscribe to an English language paper! His heart and mind are in the
right place.

Dr. Kevorkian: "If you want to be Armenian, you’ve got to learn the
language otherwise you’re going to be lost."

Armenians should not be fearful

He continued, "There is nothing you cannot do. You are capable of doing
anything!" One thing an Armenian should never do is be fearful. We’re
cowards compared to what our parents went through." He talked of the
obstacles that religion has presented to mankind and how he knows
Armenians are proud of declaring they were the first to accept
Christianity as a state religion. He is for stem-cell research. He has
no regrets whatsoever over the path he followed.

He lamented that Wilson Elementary was torn down and that our old
beautiful Tudor design high school was replaced with a modern
monstrosity. "All my schools are gone." And believe me, we had the best.

He recited what the Ninth Amendment was and explained its promise to
Americans about their freedom. He warned us about what Thomas Jefferson
said, that people will become so busy chasing money, they will not
notice their freedoms being eroded and gradually removed. Jack referred
to those who do so as "tyrants and would-be kings." He wrote a book in
prison called The Ninth Amendment, available on the internet at
He considers this his most important book to date.

Everyone in this group calls him "Joe," and Rose Gerjekian explained
that when his father Baron Levon would call for Jack to come home he
would say, "Dzo, oor es?" All the odar neighbors thought he was saying
"Joe" so the nickname stuck.

Zaven Melkonian chided Jack about how as young boys they played war
games together, going as far as designing maps and emblems for the two
warring sides. And how, "He got livid if we invaded his territory and
captured him, and he always had to be the general." Dr. Kevorkian
quipped, "How is that for megalomania?" The same wonderful sense of
humor.

Other Kevorkian comments: "I tried to make a harpsichord without plans
using an aluminum frame but learned a lesson. I pulled the strings too
tight and bent the frame. So I ordered one from New York. Everything I
do is self-taught. I personally do not like opera. I once made a huge
slide rule thinking it could be more precise. That didn’t work either.
I’ve seen a lot of quacks in medicine… I told friends who to see and
who not to see. That’s good advice."

Accompanying Jack to the luncheon was good friend and ally Mrs. Ruth
Holmes, whose husband and family have remained by Jack’s side from the
beginning till now. Upon seeing the roomful of friends that day, tears
were visible in her eyes out of happiness for her friend. The group gave
her a round of applause for her loyalty and support. She is taking
memorabilia of Jack’s to the Armenian Library and Museum of America
(ALMA).

Special thanks for this event to Mrs. Margaret Stephanian and Mrs. Sally
Kabodian who stayed in touch with Mrs. Holmes and arranged the
gathering. The late Zorob Kabodian should be remembered for initiating a
letter writing campaign to the Michigan governor pleading for Jack’s
early release due to health issues. Sally provided an Armenian gift pack
of choreg, khalka, pistachios, nuts, and candies for the object of her
late husband’s efforts.

Margaret, Sally, Vannig Godoshian and I met several weeks before Jack’s
release with a film producer who spent the day interviewing them and
gathering their personal memories of the doctor. At that time, it was
decided that friends would eventually be meeting with the famous doctor,
who began his life in a small American city that gave safe harbor to our
immigrant parents. It’s a bond all Pontiactzis share forever.

Welcome home, Jack. "Dzo, oor es?" no more.

——————————————- ————————————————-

4. Journalism 101: How to Survive a Day of Interviews on the Hill
By Dzovak Kazandjian

In the last installment of Dzovak’s Journal, I wrote that week 4 had
been the most fascinating time I had spent, thus far, in Washington D.C.
The "Leo Sarkisian" interns had the opportunity to attend a roundtable
discussion with Freshman Democrats Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Rep.
Zach Space (D-Ohio) and find out the typical day in the life of a Member
of Congress. The Representatives discussed their daily tasks and took
questions to better paint a picture of the challenges facing newly
elected Representatives.

As great as that was, this week turned out to be even better. I actually
had a first hand look at the typical jammed-pack agenda Members of
Congress have to constantly juggle-prime example being their ability to
make time for a quick video interview before reaching the House floor to
cast their votes.

I accompanied "Armenian Weekly" newspaper editor Khatchig Mouradian on a
series of video interviews with some of the lead sponsors of the
Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106). It was great opportunity to
find out exactly how a journalist operates on Capitol Hill, and where
media-ethnic or otherwise-fits into their schedule. I followed Mouradian
as he questioned three House Members: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Rep.
Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) (my own Congressman) and Congressional Armenian
Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.).

The first interview with Rep. Schiff went without interruption since it
was conducted first thing in the morning, just as the Congressman
arrived to his office. I was responsible of setting up and videotaping
the interview and ensuring that we got a strong product for broadcast
purposes.

Our second interview was actually scheduled with Rep. Anna Eshoo
(D-Calif.). Here is where I got a real feel for how fluid schedules are
on Capitol Hill. We were first set to meet at 1:30 p.m. Her press
secretary called and explained that votes were scheduled for that time
and pushed the rendezvous to 2:30 p.m., only to find out that an
amendment that the Congresswoman had initiated was under attack by
Republican opponents, keeping her on the floor well late into the
afternoon. I had really wanted to meet Rep. Eshoo, who is the only
Member of Congress of Armenian descent, but it will have to be postponed
to a slower legislative day.

We arrived at Rep. Sherman’s office at 3:00pm with plenty of time to set
up a nice background for our interview, only to find that 45 minutes of
votes were called and a leisurely 15-minute interview would have to be
conducted in 5, no make that 3 minutes. The name of the game is
adaptability, with Mouradian condensing 10 questions into 4 and getting
the message out to our viewers.

The last interview ended up even more rushed, as all the day’s votes had
pushed Rep. Pallone’s schedule hopelessly late. But Rep. Pallone always
has time to discuss Armenian American concerns and at 5:45 p.m. we did a
five-minute update about the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106).

Following Mouradian was great exposure into a line of work that I would
eventually like to get into. It also really showed how flexible you have
to be as a journalist if you are working on stories regarding Capitol
Hill. Time is your greatest enemy on the Hill, with schedules turning on
a dime based on votes and all sorts of crises. As frustrating or
difficult as it is at times, it’s also really exhilarating and
definitely something I would like to pursue.

—————————————– ————————————————– ——–

5. Midwest Junior Summer Olympics: Expectations Exceeded

One could say that the Armenian community in Racine is practiced at
throwing regional events. After all, this tiny chapter, with a mere 13
members on its combined Junior/Senior roster, executed an extremely
successful Senior Olympic games (the first in the chapter’s history) in
Milwaukee only nine short months ago. For such a small community,
nestled in a town of 85,000, the expectations were high for their
Midwest Junior Summer Olympics. Where these expectations were not met,
they were exceeded.

The weekend began on Friday night, July 13th with a surprise Junior
activity, a game of capture the flag, complete with water balloons. The
juniors were split into Red, Blue, and Orange teams, each team given a
flag of the corresponding color to defend. Their mission was to capture
the other team’s flags and to unite the yerakooyn, while avoiding being
hit by a water balloon. Nearby in the St. Hagop Armenian Church hall,
parents and Alumni enjoyed heaps of basturma, string cheese, dzyloogs,
hammous, khadayef, pakhlava and more at the Alumni Reception. The
highlight of the night was the raffling off of a bottle of Armenian
Brandy. After three rounds of capture the flag, the juniors were treated
to pizza and soda, before heading to bed to rest up for the day ahead.

The following morning, 60 athletes from the four Midwestern chapters
(Detroit, Chicago, Racine, and Granite City) converged on Hammes field
in Racine for a day of athletic competition, good food, and the family
atmosphere exemplified by the region’s close-knit Armenian community.
Juniors battled injuries and fatigue, glaring sun and stiff wind, urged
on by their coaches and the cheers from parents in the bleachers.
Running and throwing events continued until noon, when opening
ceremonies were held, with speeches by Unger Zohrab Khaligian from the
ARF "Marzbed" gomideh, Ungerouhi Sona Mikaelian from the host Racine AYF
chapter, Ungerouhi Sara Mikaelian from the ARS "Soseh" chapter, Unger
Aram Hovagimian from Central Executive, and Hayr Taniel Garabedian of
the community parish. The games concluded later that afternoon, and
after a medal ceremony, everyone returned to their houses and hotel
rooms to change for the evening’s dance.

Shaking off the weariness of the day, the juniors and their parents
danced into the night, serenaded by the music of the Mideast Band. The
Racine parents provided food, including Danish Kringle, the signature
pastry of the town (available to order online at
). The band took a break at 10pm for the
presentation of chapter specific awards by the Chicago and Detroit
chapters, and for the announcement of the final chapter standings and
the Olympic high scorers by Phil Nigon from AYF Central Junior Council.
After each chapter danced together in celebration, the crowd slowly
thinned out, with eyelids heavy after an eventful and extremely
successful day of events. With another Midwest Junior Olympics in the
books, one thing is for certain: Come next year, Chicago will have a
tough act to follow.

Individual Awards:

The Uncle Herman Award

Presented by the Detroit "Kopernik Tandourjian" chapter, this award
honors the memory of Uncle Herman Torigian, a leader in the Detroit
Armenian community. It is given each year at Junior Summer Olympics to
two juniors, one older (14-16) and one younger (10-13). This year, the
recipients were Ara Markarian and Alex Zazaian.

The Tina Peltekian Award

Presented by the Chicago "Ararat" chapter, this award was established in
memory of Tina Peltekian, who at the age of 11 decided to run in
Olympics despite being stricken with cancer. The winner is chosen based
on sportsmanship and the will to win, two characteristics exemplified by
Tamar Alexanian, who overcame injuries to her knees to run in this
year’s games and won three silver medals.

Final Chapter Standings:

1st Place: Detroit "Kopernik Tandourjian" 196 points

2nd Place: Chicago "Ararat" 163 points

3rd Place: Granite City "Antranig" 25 points

4th Place: Racine "Armen Garo" 2 points

High Scorers:

Younger Girls: Nareneh Safarian (Chicago) and Taleen Shahrigian
(Detroit) 13 points

Younger Boys: Garin Bedian (Chicago) and Haig Changelian (Detroit) 15
points

Older Girls: Sara Dilanjian (Chicago) and Christa Khatcherian (Chicago)
15 points

Older Boys: Alan Dilanjian (Chicago) 15 points

GOVERNMENT APPROVES NATIONAL PLANS OF ACTIONS TO IMPROVE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

ARMENPRESS
Jul 26, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 26, ARMENPRESS: Armenian government has approved
today a national plan of actions and a timetable designed to improve
reproductive health in 2007-2015. The $8.6 million worth program will
be funded by international organizations.

The plan will focus on cutting the number of cancerous diseases
affecting reproductive organs, reducing the number of sexually
transmitted diseases, infertility rate and abortions, as well as on
improving pre-natal care and control.

Deputy health minister Hayk Darbinian told after the government
session that the plan of actions is aimed also to improve demographic
indices, which declined since 1990-s. He said a special focus will
be on encouraging families to have more children.

Armenia’s chief gynecologist Razmik Abrahamian said only 1 percent
of pregnant women give birth to children at domestic conditions. He
said also maternity death rate fell drastically from 1990-s when an
average of 40 cases were reported to 3 cases this year.

He said the so-called secondary infertility rate is very high, caused
largely by abortions and sexually transmitted diseases. Next year a
massive investigation into infertility reasons will be conducted.