Ararat basketball club becomes Champion of Iran
30.01.2010 16:19 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ararat Tehran BC has become champion of Iran for the
second year running. The team won Iranian Super League Champion’s
title after the 93:63 victory over Isfahan’s Fulade Mobarakeh.
The Iranian Basketball Championship kicked off in September 2009,
bringing together 14 teams.
Following its recent victory, Armenian team qualifies for the Eastern
Asian Cup due in the Iranian town of Arbil.
ARMENIA AND THE CUP OF PATIENCE OF THE WEST
James Hakobyan
Lragir.am
29/01/10
While Iran and Armenia announce about the start of a new phase in
their relations and pay mutual visits on the level of the resigned
president and the acting foreign minister, the U.S. Senate adopts a law
draft with which the U.S. president is allowed to take up punishment
measurements against the Iranian leadership and exporters of oil goods.
Interestingly, on the agenda of the Armenian and Iranian partnership,
projects which are connected with oil goods are also present. As
it is known, an oil terminal, a factory of oil recycling are being
discussed to be built in Armenia.
Of course, it is unreal to think that the U.S. toughens punishment
measurements proceeding from the discussion of cooperation between
Armenia and Iran. But these aspects of partnership are quite possible
to appear under the "punishing" look of the U.S. So, the Armenian
-Iranian oil relations are not ruled out to arouse questions about
Armenia in the U.S.
Usually, the West perceives the cooperation between Armenia and Iran
quite well considering the fact that Armenia is surrounded or half
surrounded and the situation does not let but to cooperate with Iran.
But on the other hand, the cooperation between Armenia and Iran does
not have the scale which would worry the West. What will happen with
the West perception if the scale increases is to be only supposed.
The point is that Russians are always engaged in the Armenian and
Iranian projects. And this means that the scale already increases. On
the one hand, the participation of Russia means a guarantee of
protection, on the other hand, it means enhancement of the political
significance of those relations which may make the West to look at
the Armenian and Iranian relations otherwise.
Recently, the U.S. administration started talking about the cup of
patience on Iran’s nuclear program. Could Armenia fill this cup? It
is unlikely, but if the Armenian-Iranian relations receive a rapid
development, and the involvement of Russia also increases, the bowl
can be filled out and "spilled" on Armenia.
So, the Armenian side should establish links with Iran as possible
without the "protectorate" of Russia
EDWARD ABRAHAMYAN: ARMENIA’S MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX IS IN POOR STATE
PanARMENIAN.Net
29.01.2010 17:19 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s military-industrial complex is in a rather
poor state, says Edward Abrahamyan, leader of the Neo-Conservative
Movement.
"The development of this sphere may seriously contribute to Armenia’s
economic growth preventing brain drains from the country," he told
a news conference in Yerevan.
At that, he noted that there are a great number of relevant specialists
in Armenia who are either unemployed or offer their innovative projects
to foreign organizations at very low costs.
"By promoting the development of the sphere, we will also resolve the
armament problem of Armenian army," he said, stressing the importance
of the state’s involvement in the process.
ACTIVIST, HISTORIAN HOWARD ZINN DIES AT 87
By Robert J. Lopez
Asbarez
Los Angeles Times
Jan 28th, 2010
Howard Zinn, a professor, author and social activist who inspired a
generation on the American left and whose book "A People’s History of
the United States" sold more than 1 million copies and redefined the
historical role of working-class people as agents of political change,
died Wednesday. He was 87.
Zinn apparently had a heart attack in Santa Monica, where he was
visiting friends and scheduled to speak, said his daughter, Myla
Kabat-Zinn. He lived in Auburndale, Mass.
Zinn’s political views were shaped, in part, by his experiences as
a bombardier for the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
"My father cared about so many important issues," Kabat-Zinn said
in a telephone interview Wednesday. "I think the one he was really
most eloquent about is that he thought there was no such thing as a
just war."
Indeed, in a 2001 opinion piece published in The Times, Zinn wrote
about being horrified by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and equally
horrified by the response of U.S. political leaders, who called
for retaliation.
"They have learned nothing, absolutely nothing, from the history of
the 20th century, from a hundred years of retaliation, vengeance,
war, a hundred years of terrorism and counter-terrorism, of violence
met with violence in an unending cycle of stupidity," he wrote.
"A People’s History" was published in 1980 and had an initial printing
of 5,000 copies. But largely through word of mouth, the book attracted
a major following and reached 1 million sales in 2003.
The work, which hails ordinary Americans such as farmers and union
activists as heroes, accused Christopher Columbus of genocide and
criticized early U.S. leaders as proponents of the status quo. "A
People’s History" has been taught in high schools and colleges across
the nation.
The book was the basis for a History Channel documentary called
"The People Speak" that aired in the fall.
The executive producer was actor Matt Damon, who was raised in Boston
near Zinn.
"From the moment we had any influence in this town, we’ve been trying
to get this project off the ground," Damon told reporters in July. "It
demonstrates how everyday citizens have changed the course of history."
Zinn was born in 1922 to a working-class family in Brooklyn, N.Y. He
was one of four sons whose father worked as a waiter, window cleaner
and pushcart peddler.
In his 1994 memoir, "You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train," Zinn
recalled that his parents used discount coupons to buy the complete
works of Charles Dickens. The novelist "aroused in me tumultuous
emotions" about wealth, class and poverty, Zinn wrote.
Zinn received his doctorate from Columbia University.
He was a professor emeritus at Boston University, where he was a
familiar speaker at Vietnam War protests. He also taught at a number
of institutions, including Brooklyn College, the University of Paris
and Spelman College in Atlanta in the late 1950s and early ’60s as
the civil rights movement was taking hold in the South.
Former California state Sen. Tom Hayden recalled meeting Zinn while
he was at Spelman, then an all-black women’s school.
"He was basically integrating himself into the world of black
students," Hayden said Wednesday.
Hayden said Zinn became actively involved in the movement as an
advisor and leader. The two later protested the war in Vietnam and
worked on other social justice issues, Hayden said.
"He had a profound influence on raising the significance of social
movements as the real forces of social change in our country,"
Hayden said. "He gave us our heritage and he gave us a pride in
that heritage."
Zinn was scheduled to speak Feb. 4 at the Santa Monica Museum of Art
for an event titled "A Collection of Ideas . . . the People Speak."
On its web page, the museum said that it was "deeply saddened" by
Zinn’s death and that the event would go on as a tribute to Zinn’s
life as a social activist.
Paramedics responded to a 911 call about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and took
Zinn to Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead,
said Santa Monica Police Sgt. Jay Trisler.
Zinn was in a hotel when rescuers arrived, according to his daughter.
In addition to his daughter, Zinn is survived by his son, Jeff Zinn,
and five grandchildren, according to his family. His wife Roslyn died
in 2008.
Asbarez: Zinn also spoke and wrote about man’s inhumanity to man and
how the Holocaust provided an opportunity to apply the lessons of the
Holocaust to other such horrors, including the Armenian Genocide. He
has signed letters and spoke about the importance of the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide. The piece below illustrates his theory and
approach to addressing the horror of Genocide.
AZERBAIJAN SAYS NO ROLE FOR KARABAKH ARMENIANS IN TALKS AT PRESENT
Elkhan Polukhov
APA
Wed 27 January 2010 | 07:30 GMT
The involvement of the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh in the
talks process is out of the question, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry
has said.
"Armenian newspapers aim to calm the Armenian domestic audience when
they report that the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh will
join the negotiating process after the meeting of the Azerbaijani,
Russian and Armenian presidents in Sochi," Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry
spokesman Elkhan Polukhov told journalists yesterday.
He said that only the parties to the conflict – Armenia and Azerbaijan
– were participating in the negotiating process.
"Of course, the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh will join at
some stage of the negotiations, but it is out of the question at
present because it would be incorrect and unacceptable to involve
in the negotiating process a non-party to the conflict when the
principle of ‘Nothing will be agreed until everything is agreed’
is still applied."
The Armenian media reported that the preamble to a Karabakh settlement,
agreed by the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders in Sochi on Monday,
refers to the participation of Karabakh in future talks.
PERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND SAYS GOODBYE TO BELOVED TRAILBLAZER ALBERT GAYZAGIAN
Watertown TAB & Press
Jan 26, 2010
Courtesy of Perkins School for the Blind
Albert Gayzagian, 80, died Jan. 18, 2010. Here he is on the Perkins
School for the Blind with a Braille reader and his sight dog.
By Perkins School for the Blind Wicked Local Watertown
Posted Jan 26, 2010 @ 06:54 PM WATERTOWN –
tion/x985824204/Perkins-School-for-the-Blind-says- goodbye-to-beloved-trailblazer-Albert-Gayzagian
L ast Monday morning, distinguished Watertown resident Albert
Gayzagian,80, died. He was an alumnus of Perkins School for the
Blind and Watertown High School, a Perkins trustee since 1976, alumni
association leader, and mentor to the school leadership.
Perkins President Steven Rothstein said of Gayzagian, "A great friend,
Al was a remarkable trailblazer. He was a role model for so many others
and created opportunities for many in our society. Al was talking about
adaptive technology more than a decade ago, and until just recently,
he was still advising Perkins Products on new developments."
Al is survived by his children, Cindy and Michael.
Al attended Perkins from 1931 through the eighth grade, then
transferred and earned a diploma from Watertown High School. A Phi
Beta Kappa at Harvard, he obtained a bachelor’s and a master’s in
English. He tried in vain to get a job commensurate with his skills and
talents, and then sought any job at all. Three years after graduating
from Harvard, Al applied for work at John Hancock Insurance. They
gave him a job transcribing Dictaphone tapes.
In 39 years at John Hancock, he rose from typist to senior financial
officer. In a 2008 Forbes.com article, Al noted, "Here I was, the
Harvard grad, graduating with honors, and the best I could do was
an entry-level typist… Some people figured that’s demeaning. In
one sense maybe it is. But I figured, if I could get in the door,
I could show them what I could do." He retired in 1991.
Al and his late wife Betty, also a Perkins alumna, became the first
Massachusetts blind couple to adopt a sighted child. They adopted two
children, Cindy and Michael, both African- American, and they had to
take the State of Massachusetts to court to do it.
Al wrote books on computers, received numerous awards, and held
leadership roles in many civic organizations.
Classmates and colleagues recall Al’s spunk, independence and jovial
nature. When Al became president of the Perkins Alumni Association,
it was he who persuaded the school’s director to allow a cocktail
party during the annual alumni weekend – a first!
Besides being a valued executive leader in his professional life,
Al never tired in his leadership on behalf of the blindness community.
Not only did he serve Perkins in many ways, but he was also member
of the boards of MAB (formerly Mass Association for the Blind) and
National Braille Press and was active in the Bay State Council of
the Blind. He served Watertown in many capacities as well in his
involvement in other civic organizations.
Al fought a brave battle and maintained his positive spirit through
the past months of medical challenges.
During a recent visit from Perkins staffers at the Wingate at Brighton
Rehab Center, Al told tales of his school days and revisited memories
of skating on Perkins Pond. Just last April he shared the following
anecdote: "The pond was a place that gave us such a sense of freedom
whether in the boat or on the frozen water. It was a great time to
enhance my skating skills, though it never would have bothered Bobby
Orr. It’s almost an iconic kind of thing. People have to believe that
the kids [who are blind] can handle this kind of stuff."
The wake and the memorial service was held at his church, Armenian
Memorial Church, on Jan. 21.
PARENTS OF THOSE KILLED DURING MARCH 1 EVENTS TRUST ONLY REPRESENTATIVE OF HERITAGE FACTION
Noyan Tapan
Jan 25, 2010
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The relatives of those killed during
the March 1-2, 2008 events in Yerevan, as well as representatives of
Heritage Party staged a protest in support of "Heritage" parliamentary
faction’s member Zaruhi Postanjian. The protest took place outside
the PACE Office in Armenia on January 25.
To recap, by instructions of the speaker of the RA National Assembly,
a change was made in the membership of the Armenian delegation in
the PACE: representative of "Heritage" opposition faction Zaruhi
Postanjian was replaced with secretary of "Orinats Yerkir" faction
(part of the political coalition) Artsruni Aghajanian.
In the words of the parents of the March 1 events’ victims, "deputy Z.
Postanjian is the person defending their interests in the PACE, and
only she can be consistent" so that the "killers" of their sons will
be revealed and punished.
New head of HSBC Bank Armenia intends to continue cooperation with
country’s all organizations
YEREVAN, January 22. /ARKA/. On Thursday, Astrid Clifford, who will
succeed Tim Slater, chief executive officer of HSBC, on February 1,
expressed hope for continuation of cooperation with all the
organizations of Armenia.
At the reception held by HSBC Bank Armenia, she thanked the bank for a
warm welcome and said the first meetings in Armenia made a good
impression on her.
She said that 2009 was a hard year to Armenia and the entire world,
but the bank keeps developing successfully.
Tim Slater, welcoming his successor, said Astrid Clifford has 19-year
experience of working at HSBC banks in nine countries.
He hopes that the bank in Armenia will develop successfully under her
management.
Slater thanked the bank’s personnel for work and the Armenia’s central
bank of and government for support. He said he would leave the country
for Argentina, where 70,000 Armenian live.That is why he hopes he will
feel at home there.
He said he would bring with him not only pleasant memories from
Armenia, but also Armenian wife.
Vache Gabrielyan, deputy chairman of the Central bank of Armenia, who
spoke at the reception as well, congratulated Clifford on her
appointment and wished her a good luck in office.
Astrid Clifford has been with HSBC Group for 19 years as an
International Manager. During this time she has worked in nine
countries, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Oman, Dubai, India, USA, Jersey
and the UK, holding various executive posts in most areas of banking,
including Retail, Commercial, Operations, Audit, HR and Training.
Before coming to Armenia, Astrid Clifford was Regional Head of
Insurance for HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, based in Dubai. She holds
an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a Masters in Economics from
the London School of Economics.
Tim Slater, who has held a variety of posts during his 25 year career
with HSBC Group, will take up a new role in Buenos Aires as Chief Risk
Officer of HSBC Bank Argentina S.A.
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is
headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from
around 8,500 offices in 86 countries and territories in Europe, the
Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With
assets of US$2,422 billion at 30 June 2009, HSBC is one of the world’s
largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed
worldwide as `the world’s local bank’. -0-
Armenian ministry of foreign affairs hopes that Armenian-Turkish
protocols will be ratified
YEREVAN, January 22. /ARKA/. Edward Nalbandyan, Armenian Minister of
Foreign Affairs hopes that Armenian-Turkish protocols will be
ratified. `As for ratification of protocols in Armenian National
Assembly, it is in the frames of Parliament’s competence’, said
Nalbandyan.
Armenian-Turkish border was closed since 1993 by the official
initiative of Ankara. Complicated relations between two countries were
due to the fact that Ankara supported Azerbaijan in Karabakh problem
and also an acute reaction of Turkey on the process of international
recognition of Armenian Genocide of 1915 in Ottoman Empire.
Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Turkey Edward Nalbandyan
and Ahmed Davutoghlu signed `Protocol on establishment of diplomatic
relations’ and `Protocol on development of mutual relations» on
October 10, Saturday, in Zurich. Then these documents should be
approved by the parliaments of both countries. G.K. – 0–
RA MFA: BREAKTHROUGH NOT EXPECTED IN KARABAKH PROCESS IN NEAR FUTURE
PanARMENIAN.Net
22.01.2010 14:12 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The process of resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict is underway. Armenia is hopeful that the positive dynamics
fixed in 2009 will be maintained during the current year, RA top
diplomat said.
"6 meetings were mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs and 3
meetings took place on the initiative of the Russian President in
2009. Nevertheless, artificial acceleration or slowdown will hardly
help the process," Edward Nalbandian said when responding to a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter’s question during a news conference on Friday.
"It’s hard to forecast the developments of 2010 but if Baku
demonstrates a more constructive approach, certain progress is
possible. However, it’s too early to speak of any breakthrough in
the process," Minister Nalbandian said.
The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out in
1988 as result of the ethnic cleansing the latter launched in the
final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from
1991 to 1994. Since the ceasefire in 1994, sealed by Armenia, Nagorno
Karabakh and Azerbaijan, most of Nagorno Karabakh and several regions
of Azerbaijan around it (the security zone) remain under the control
of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks
mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.
The OSCE Minsk Group was created in 1992 by the Conference on Security
and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE, now Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)) to encourage a peaceful, negotiated
resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
The Minsk Group is headed by a Co-Chairmanship consisting of France,
Russia and the United States. Furthermore, the Minsk Group also
includes the following participating States: Belarus, Germany, Italy,
Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Turkey as well as Armenia
and Azerbaijan. Current Co-chairmen of the Minsk Group are: Ambassador
Bernard Fassier of France, Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov of the Russian
Federation and Ambassador Robert Bradtke of the United States.
The main objectives of the Minsk Process are as follows: Providing
an appropriate framework for conflict resolution in the way of
assuring the negotiation process supported by the Minsk Group;
Obtaining conclusion by the Parties of an agreement on the cessation
of the armed conflict in order to permit the convening of the Minsk
Conference; Promoting the peace process by deploying OSCE multinational
peacekeeping forces.
The Minsk Process can be considered to be successfully concluded if
the objectives referred to above are fully met.