LERNIK HAKOBIAN APPOINTED NKR MINISTER OF CULTURE AND YOUTH ISSUES
Noyan Tapan
Au g 8, 2008
STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 8, NOYAN TAPAN. By the August 7 decree of the
NKR president Bako Sahakian, Lernik Hakobian was appointed minister
of culture and youth issues of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, NT was
informed by the NKR Presidential Staff’s Main Information Department.
NY Hyortik AYF Chapter
69-23 47th Ave.
Woodside, NY 11377
(718) 651-1530
[email protected]
July 30, 2008
For Immediate Release
New York AYF Hosts Annual Summer Bar Party, Proceeds Benefit ARS
Sponsor-A-Child Program
NEW YORK – On July 26, the New York Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Hyortik
chapter brought to together youth from all corners of the Armenian community
for its annual summer bar party. Armenians from New York, New Jersey and as
far away as Boston and Philadelphia, packed a room at Latitude Bar in
Manhattan where they danced all night to the music of DJ Ash.
Attendees talked, mingled and danced under the large Armenian flag centering
the room as they watch photos and video projected on TVs in the bar
depicting the activities of the New York AYF, the AYF Eastern Region, and
AYFers around the world. "Our members had a great time at the Annual AYF
Summer Bar Party this past weekend. We can always count on the New York AYF
to saturate Armenian celebrations with wholesome happiness, excitement, and
pride in our heritage. It is with great joy that I partake in AYF events.
Keep us posted!" said Columbia University Armenian Club president Shaunte
Baboumian.
The Hyortiks donated a portion of the event proceeds to the ARS
Sponsor-A-Child Program. Established in 1992, the program provides financial
support to children whose parents were killed in the devastating 1988
earthquake in Gyumri, Armenia and in the Artaskh struggle for
self-determination. Over 7,000 children have been assisted by generous
sponsors who annual contribute $130 per child, per year.
HEATED RACES IN TENNESSEE DRAW NATIONAL COVERAGE
Memphis Commercial Appeal
ug/07/heated-races-draw-national-coverage/
Aug 7 2008
TN
When polls opened at 7 a.m. in precincts throughout Shelby County,
coverage of the State and Federal Primary and County General Election
had extended to national newspapers and websites closely following
Greater Memphis’s two contested Congressional elections.
Much of the coverage focused on the 9th Congressional District
Democratic Primary, where incumbent Steve Cohen was in a rematch of
sorts with corporate lawyer Nikki Tinker in a heated campaign that
pushed to a boil in the hours before polls opened. State Rep. Joe
Towns Jr. is also on the ballot, as are two others.
The New York Times ran a 700-word story in its A section. A
well-followed Washington Post blog had this headline on a lengthy
writeup: "Tennessee Primary Gets Nasty". National political
publications like The Hill, CQ and Politico.com gave extended coverage
to the race. Cohen won the 2006 Democratic primary with 31 percent
of the vote to Tinker’s 25 percent of the vote and won the general
election to succeed 30 years of Harold Fords serving the district.
It was Politico.com that first reported, on Wednesday, that the
pro-choice feminist political action committee EMILY’s List was
distancing itself from Tinker because of two ads her campaign put
out in the campaign’s final days attacking Cohen.
"We were shocked," said the group’s director, Ellen Malcolm,
according to Politico.com. "We believe the ads are offensive and
divisive. EMILY’s List does not condone or support these types of
attacks."
MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann also weighed in Wednesday, naming Tinker as
his show’s featured "Worst Person In The World."
"It has no place from a Democratic candidate, nor a Republican
candidate, nor a white candidate, nor a black candidate. It is
shameful," he said of the ads.
In one ad, Tinker’s campaign raised the issue of Cohen’s 2005 Center
City Commission vote against removing the statue and remains of Nathan
Bedford Forrest from a park near the Medical Center. Using images of
the Ku Klux Klan wearing robes and hoods and burning crosses, the ad
attempted to paint Cohen as a pandering hypocrite whose 3-year-old
vote should be weighed against his success last week in pushing
Congress to approve a resolution apologizing for slavery.
The other ad, first seen Wednesday, featured the voice of a little
girl reciting the prayer "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" and attacked
Cohen for his 1997 State Senate vote against a bill the ad claims was
meant to protect the right of students to pray in school. Cohen is
white and Jewish in a Congressional district that is mostly Christian
and 60-percent black.
Cohen pushed back hard against both ads, with his campaign organizing
a press conference Saturday featuring local black leaders defending
Cohen’s three decades of liberal public service and successes as a
first-term Congressman advocating for African-Americans in his district
(60 percent of 9th District voters are African-American). Cohen has
said he felt that voting to remove the statue and remains would have
been a mistake because it would have unnecessarily stirred racial
tensions.
Cohen said Wednesday he is not opposed to prayer in schools but
objected to that bill because he considered it meaningless and an
attempt by legislators to pander to voters.
Tinker has not responded to numerous requests for comment since the
release of the first ad last Friday.
The Washington Post quoted Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman,
who closely follows House races, as saying: "The final ads of this
race seem more like a Hail Mary than a long, well-thought out plan
of attack."
Wasserman added that "usually ads as immediately acerbic as these do
not play well."
Cohen’s press conference, at his Overton Park home, got off to a
rocky start when the Congressman’s campaign staff refused to allow
a documentary cameraman to participate. The staff told the man,
an Armenian-American activist named Peter Musurlian, that only
invited local media were allowed into Cohen’s house. Cohen eventually
intervened by saying he would grant an interview outside.
When Musurlian retreated to the door, Cohen grabbed his forearms with
both hands and shoved him out. "Outta here," he said.
Musurlian, from Glendale, Calif., said he is in town producing a
documentary on the race. Armenian-Americans from around the country
have donated between $25,000 and $30,000 to Tinker. Cohen has angered
Armenian-Americans because of his opposition to a Congressional
resolution that would condemn Turkey for a genocide against Armenians
as the Ottoman Empire disintegrated during and after World War 1.
Cohen said his opposition is related to a request received from
Gen. David Petraus while on a trip to Baghdad not to pass the
resolution because it would result in Turkey cutting off aid to the
American forces in Iraq and could harm American troops. That stance
is in agreement with all U.S. presidents going back to Jimmy Carter
and many former secretary of states.
Whether that incident will have an impact is yet unkown. Polls close
at 7 p.m.
The 7th Congressional District Republican primary between
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and challenger Tom Leatherwood, Shelby
County’s register of deeds and a former state senator has revolved
basically around charges and counter-charges the two have lobbed at
each other. Leatherwood first attacked the incumbent for becoming part
of a Republican majority that "squandered" its power by failing to
accomplish many of its conservative goals and then lost its majority
after several ethical lapses.
He repeatedly hammered away at her on media reports that her
daughter pocketed over $325,000 in commissions as a paid fundraiser
for Blackburn’s campaign, and Blackburn’s son-in-law’s Washington
lobbying career that grossed him nearly $1 million in fees since
Blackburn took office in 2003.
The Blackburn campaign insisted that daughter Mary Morgan Ketchel’s
commissions are not out of line and that Blackburn never discusses
issues with her son in law, Paul Ketchel III, that he is lobbying on.
Blackburn returned fire with a barrage of campaign mailers that
Leatherwood says are "outright lies," with considerable evidence to
back up his claim.
Blackburn’s mail pieces all revolve around the claim that in a
Clarksville speech June 3, he said he supported the 2007 federal
legislation to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program,
or S-CHIP. The mailers cite a June 4 Commercial Appeal article as
the basis for the charges.
But the article contains no such assertion; in fact, it quoted
Leatherwood as telling the Montgomery County audience that opposed
illegal immigration. And he never said he supported S-CHIP.
Instead, he used the June 3 speech to attack what he called the
"hypocrisy" of Blackburn’s vote against expanded funding for the
Regional Medical Center at Memphis while voting for earmarked funding
for the Houston zoo. Leatherwood said — when asked by a reporter after
that speech which vote on funding for The Med he was referring to —
that it was the S-CHIP bill.
Blackburn defended the mail piece Tuesday. "It was a legitimate issue.
Leatherwood stayed close to his home base this morning, campaigning
in Bartlett. Around lunchtime, he was greeting voters at the Bartlett
Elementary School precinct while seeking shelter from the sporadic
showers. Like many precincts around Shelby County, the turnout was
light where Leatherwood was campaigning.
"We have two more cars coming up," Leatherwood said by
telephone. "We’re having a bit of a flurry here."
A light turnout is not to the challenger’s favor in his effort
to unseat Blackburn of Brentwood, who is seeking her fourth term
representing the district that stretches from the outskirts of
Nashville to the outer edges of Shelby County. Leatherwood said
earlier this week, he needed a strong showing in West Tennessee and
a heavy swaying of undecided voters to his side of the ballot if he
was to have a chance.
"I would have preferred the heavier turnout," Leatherwood said. "I’m
hearing from people working other polls for me that it’s been kind
of a mix. There’s been steady traffic in places like Collierville
and Germantown, but still not heavy."
GEORGIA TO START WAR AGAINST SOUTH OSSETIA BY SEPTEMBER
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.08.2008 16:34 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Georgia will start war against South Ossetia by
September, said Eduard Kokoyty, the South Ossetian President.
"We have irrefutable evidence that large-scale operations will
be launched by September. Saakashvili’s plan is being developed,"
he said, RIA Novosti reports.
ISRAEL, U.S. EXACTING DATE OF ATTACK ON IRAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.08.2008 16:57 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Al-Siyassa Kuwaiti daily quoted sources in Washington
as saying that the date of an Israeli and American attack on Lebanon
and Iran is approaching.
According to the sources, preparations for the attack were coordinated
during recent frequent visits by senior Israeli officials to the U.S.,
and that Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi has got a green light
from President Bush to carry out an extensive air and ground attack
against Hezbollah. The sources added that this attack, which could be
in late September or early October, would be a prelude to an expected
attack on Iran in November or December.
It was also reported that the Israelis informed the Bush administration
about the transfer of surface-to-air missiles from Iran to Hezbollah,
that the missiles had already been positioned in the Beq’a Valley
and at the foot of Mt. Lebanon, and that all Hezbollah missiles were
deployed in extensive areas of the country.
Also according to the sources, Syria was refraining from arming
Hezbollah with similar missiles that it and Iran received several
months ago from Russia. They said that in recent talks in Turkey
between Israeli and Syrian representatives, Syria had received
guarantees that it would not be attacked, and at the same time the
Syrian representatives announced the removal of a surface-to-air
missile network from the western mountain chain bordering Lebanon,
placed there out of fear of an Israeli aerial attack.
Kayhan Iranian daily, which is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei, stated that the frequent trips by senior Israeli officials
to Washington attest to Israel’s fear of concessions being made by
the U.S. in light of Iran’s increasing demands, and that these trips
were unplanned and not routine, MIGnews reports.
AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:
PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
AGBU Camp Antranig Opens in Armenia
On July 24, 2008, the AGBU Camp Antranig, which will cater to Armenian
scouts from around the world, officially opened in the forests near
Lermontovo village, between the cities of Vanadzor and Dilijian, in
the Lori region of Armenia. Executive Director of the Armenian Youth
Association (AYA) of Lebanon Kevork Santourian is the director of the
new scout camp.
The opening ceremony, which was widely covered by the Armenian media,
was attended by a number of dignitaries, including Lori Governor Aram
Kocharian; Bishop Sepuh Chuldjian, Primate of the Gugark Diocese of
the Armenian Apostolic Church; Bishop Ararat Galtakchian, Grand Sexton
of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin; Simon Ter-Simonian, President of the
Republic of Armenia’s Humanitarian Aid Committee; Ashot Kirakossian,
Director of the Armenian Social Investment Fund; Ashot Ghazarian, AGBU
Armenian Representation Director; Hovig Yeordekian, AGBU Armenian
Representation Deputy Director; and other Lori region officials.
The event began with a procession of scouts and was followed by
Santourian’s welcome speech. After declaring the opening of the first
scout camp in Armenia as a historic occasion, he thanked all those who
contributed to the success of the camp. Bishop Chuldjian also took
part in the opening and conducted a blessing ceremony for the
facility. Bishop Galtakchian passed on the blessing of His Holiness
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.
Lori governor Aram Kocharian and AGBU representative Ashot Ghazarian
also welcomed the scouts and talked about the symbolism of the camp,
which seeks to unite scouts of Armenian heritage around the world
through camping. In addition to the educational activities organized
in the camp, the facility will also organize trips to historic
landmarks throughout Armenia for visiting scouts.
During his visit to Armenia in the fall of 2007, Berge Setrakian,
President of Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), laid the
foundations for the first scout camp in Armenia, among other national
programs of AGBU. For that purpose, AGBU purchased private land in the
village of Lermontovo in the northern Lori region of Armenia, which is
renowned for its natural beauty. The planning, preparation and
construction was able to be completed in a very short period of time.
Three hundred scouts are expected to attend the two sessions, which
run from July 22-August 5, and August 8-22, 2008. This year’s visiting
scouts hail from cities across the region, including Aleppo, Baghdad,
Damascus, Kamishli, Tehran and various Lebanese locales (Antelias,
Beirut, Zahlé).
Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually serving some
400,000 Armenians on six continents.
ARMENIAN DEPARTMENT TO OPEN AT TURKISH UNIVERSITY
arminfo
2008-08-04 13:17:00
ArmInfo. The Turkish High Certifying Commission granted permission
to the university of Nevshehir city to open the Armenian Language and
Literature Department after coordinating it with the Turkish Foreign
Ministry. The permission was granted at the request of professor
Metin Hulagu, the dean of the Literature faculty of this university,
Trend agency reports referring to Habertimi information agency.
According to the professor, the establishment of this department
will enable to improve bilateral relations and to cover the country’s
demand in relevant specialists. Taking into consideration the lack of
teachers, the Nevshehir University has appealed for assistance to II
Mesrob, the ecclesiastical head of the Armenian community in Turkey. He
did not exclude the possibility to invite teachers form Armenia.
Earlier, professor Metin Hulagu, visited Armenia, where he established
relations with teachers of the Yerevan University. Admittance
of students to the Armenian Language and Literature Department
of the Nevshehir University will begin in 2009 school-year. At
present the Armenian language is taught in the Bogazichi Istanbul
University. Nevshehir city is located in the central Turkey, where
the world-known Kappadokiya tourist centre is situated. The university
in Nevhshehir city was established on 17 May 2007.
August 1, 2008
Press Release
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
PRELATE TO PRESIDE OVER DIVINE LITURGY AT
HOLY CROSS CATHEDRAL IN MONTEBELLO
On Sunday, August 3rd, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
Prelate, will preside over Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon at Holy
Cross Cathedral in Montebello.
During Divine Liturgy, the Prelate will bestow Rev. Fr. Ashod
Kambourian with the honor of bearing a pectoral cross for his service.
PRELATE REPRESENTED AT ABMDR ANNUAL BANQUET
The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry’s "Match for Life 2008"
banquet will take place on the evening of Sunday, August 3rd, at the
Glendale Hilton.
Rev. Fr. Razmig Khatchadourian will attend and convey the Prelate’s
blessings.
PRELATE TO PARTICIPATE IN UAF BOARD MEETING
On the morning of Saturday, August 2nd, the Prelate will participate
in the United Armenia Fund board meeting, which will be held at the UAF
office in Glendale.
During the meeting, the most recent endeavors of the UAF will be
assessed and future activities will be discussed and drafted.
PRELATE WELCOMES UNITED NATIONS RESIDENT COORDINATOR CONSUELO VIDAL TO THE
PRELACY
On the morning of Wednesday, July 30th, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh
Mardirossian, Prelate, welcomed to the Prelacy United Nations Resident
Coordinator and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Mrs.
Consuelo Vidal. Mrs. Vidal was accompanied by former Consul General of
Armenia in Los Angeles Mr. Armen Bayburtian, who is currently a senior
advisor on Armenian issues in the United Nations, and UNDP director Mrs.
Narine Sahakyan. Prelacy Christian Education Department Co-Director Very
Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian was also in attendance.
Mrs. Vidal reported to the Prelate on the UN development programs in
Armenia aimed at improving finance, education, environment, health, and
various other sectors. She also reported that the United Nations began
operating in Armenia in 1993 and that she herself has visited many
communities in the Diaspora, including Lebanon and specifically the
Catholicosate of Cilicia, given that Armenians living in these communities
have close ties to the homeland and have the means to offers assistance to
Armenia. She noted that the specific department of the United Nations of
which she is a part of visits with non-Armenian Diaspora communities as well
to learn of their experiences.
The Prelate highly commended the efforts of the guests and
reaffirmed that our community is always ready to contribute to the progress
of Armenia.
Mr. Bayburtian congratulated the Prelate on the achievements of the
Prelacy such as the successful realization of the headquarters, and conveyed
his well wishes for success in future endeavors.
The meeting concluded with an exchange of mementos, following which
the guests were given a tour of the headquarters to become familiarized with
the various departments.
PRELATE WELCOMES NEW ACTING CONSUL GENERAL OF LEBANON THE HONORABLE HOUSSAM
DIAB
On the afternoon of Wednesday, July 30th, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh
Mardirossian, Prelate, welcomed to the Prelacy the new Acting Consul General
of Lebanon the Honorable Houssam Diab. Participating in the meeting were
Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian and Executive Council members Mr. Garo
Eshgian and Mr. Khatchig Yeretzian.
Given that it was the Acting Consul’s first visit to the Prelacy,
the Prelate familiarized him with the endeavors and mission of the Prelacy.
He emphasized the decades-long friendship between the Prelacy and the
Lebanese Consulate, highlighting the fact that Lebanon has one of the
largest Armenian communities in the Diaspora and that the Catholicosate of
Cilicia was welcomed in Lebanon in the aftermath of the Genocide.
The Acting Consul spoke highly of the Armenian people as a whole and
specifically of the community in Lebanon who have contributed positively to
the economy, culture, and society in general, and asserted that the
collaboration between the Consulate General and the Prelacy will continue
for years to come.
PRELATE WELCOMES A DELEGATION FROM
HOMENETMEN REGIONAL EXECUTIVE
On the evening of Tuesday, July 29th, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh
Mardirossian, Prelate, welcomed to the Prelacy Regional Executive members of
Homenetmen Western Region. The delegation was headed by Chairman Mr. Steve
Artinian. Religious Council Chair Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian and
Executive Council Vice-Chair Mr. Garo Avakian and member Mr. Nerses
Melkonian also participated in the meeting.
At the start of the meeting, the members of the delegation
congratulated the Prelate on his re-election, for which the Prelate
expressed thanks and appreciation. The Prelate and guests went on to
discuss the endeavors of Homenetmen, such as the new campsite which is
anticipated to become an important center for the youth and the larger
Homenetmen family, and those that involve collaboration with the Prelacy.
The Prelate commended all the members of Homenetmen for their dedication to
the community and congratulated them on what was yet another successful
Navasartian games.
PRELATE PRESIDES OVER DIVINE LITURGY AND LISBON 5 REQUIEM SERVICE AT ST.
MARY’S CHURCH IN GLENDALE
On Sunday, July 27th, the Prelate presided over Divine Liturgy,
delivered the sermon, and presided over requiem service for the memory of
the Lisbon 5 at St. Mary’s Church in Glendale.
In the afternoon, the Prelate participated in a community gathering
and commemoration of the Lisbon 5 at "Armenag Der Bedrossian" Hall. Among
the guests in attendance were the parish pastors, Central Executive Council
member Mr. Khajag Dikijiam, Executive Council member Mr. Garo Eshgian, ARF
Bureau member Dr. Viken Hovsepian, ARF Central Committee representative Mr.
Avedik Izmirlian and members, delegates, Board of Trustees, and
representatives from sister organizations.
The commemoration was comprised of a speech by keynote speaker Mr.
Hovan Tashjian as well as an artistic program, and came to a close with the
Prelate’s message and benediction.
JAVAKHK EVENTS SHATTERED ILLUSIONS ABOUT ‘DEMOCRATIC AND EUROPEANIZED GEORGIA’
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.08.2008 14:40 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ With the recent violence in Javakhk, Georgian
military and policing branch of government has demonstrated that the
country can’t become a member of western military and political blocs,
an Armenian expert said.
"The events in Javakhk shattered illusions about a ‘democratic and
Europeanized Georgia’. Illegal intrusion into the houses and arrests as
well as illegal detainment of elderly relations of Armenian activists
create an impression that Georgia has become a medieval principality
with no law and civil rights and where the local princes have full
control over the residents," Eduard Abrahamyan, expert at Mitq
analytical center told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.
"Akhalkalaki police chief Samvel Petrosyan acts as "prince"
here. He actually ruined his part, incurring displeasure of the
Georgian authorities and angering the Armenian population. The
republic’s leadership will never excuse blunders in the process of
neutralization of Armenian activists. Petrosyan will apparently be
replaced by a young mercenary official who will spare no effort to
subdue the freedom-loving Armenians of Javakhk. The recent events
are the start of Georgian lawlessness and forcible assimilation of
Javakheti Armenians," he said.
"Due to complete lack of information, the Armenian population of
Javakhk sometimes invents various versions of Gurgen Shirinyan’s
escape, the only fighter against Georgian illegal actions, who has
become a hero for the Javakheti youth. Under the circumstances, Armenia
should take the only outlet to the Black Sea under its political,
economic and public control," Abrahamyan said.
SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF OSCE CHAIRMAN: "NAGORNO KARABAKH STATUS SHOULD BE DEFINED IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN"
Today.Az
s/politics/46758.html
July 31 2008
Azerbaijan
"We consider that Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be settled in the
framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan", said special
representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office Heikki Talvitie at a
press conference by results of the visit to Azerbaijan.
He noted that Nagorno Karabakh status should be settled on the basis
of self-determination principle.
He also specified that the status of Nagorno Karabakh should be
defined in the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
The OSCE representative noted that the fact of contacts between
officials of Azerbaijan and Armenia is rejoicing.
"Definite principles are being discussed at the moment. We hope that
direct relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be set after the
presidential elections in Azerbaijan and the same principles will be
discussed’, said Talvitie.