MGM: 95-Year-Old Billionaire Casino Magnate Kerkorian May Increase S

MGM: 95-Year-Old Billionaire Casino Magnate Kerkorian May Increase Stake

Forbes
3/14/2013

By Abram Brown, Forbes Staff

Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian says he may add to his stake in MGM
Resorts, the company which he founded more than four decades ago.

Kerkorian, 95, could boost his position to 25% from 18.6% through his
investment company Tracinda, a new SEC filing shows. Kerkorian would
be able to make the purchase during the next trading window set by
MGM, which starts three days after its next quarterly report. His
stake is currently 91.2 million shares, worth roughly $1.2 billion at
today’s price of $13.48 a share.

Kerkorian stepped down as a director in June 2011, leaving it fully in
the hands of CEO Jim Murren. Since then, the stock has lost 13%, and
MGM swung to a $1.8 billion loss in 2012 from a $3.1 billion profit a
year earlier. MGM’s iconic properties on the Las Vegas Strip=80`the
Bellagio, the Mirage and the MGM Grand-have lost their luster, and
growth plans in China stalled.

MGM in January finally won approval from Macau to build a second, $2.5
billion casino in the Cotai Strip, the new center of Macau
gaming. Next, MGM needs the Chinese government’s permission to
proceed. Obtaining immediate access to the gambling enclave is
crucial. Growth is slowing, and access to labor and gaming tables is
limited. Las Vegas Sands built its Venetian Macao casino-resort in
Cotai and Wynn Resorts has received approval to break ground there,
too.

The Macau project will be MGM’s first since 2009, when it put $9.2
billion into the City Center development in Las Vegas. (Dubai World,
an investment arm of the Dubai government, partnered with MGM.)
Problems immediately besieged City Center. It added 2,400 luxury
condos to a badly struggling city, and its 5,900 new hotel rooms came
when millions fewer of Americas are visiting. MGM has subsequently
slashed prices at several hotel-resorts within City Center.

This is why an increased investment by Kerkorian sent shares up 8%
today. Kerkorian’s interest in MGM is a signal that he sees promise in
the company’s future.

Kerkorian, a soft-spoken, slight man, built his $3.3 billion fortune
through a whirl of deals. He’s held and dealt major stakes in casinos,
airlines, automobile companies and film studios. Kerkorian, a World
War II pilot, a boxer and an eighth grade dropout, hung out his
shingle in Las Vegas in 1962 with a small land stake. He late opened
the MGM Grand after he bought the studio.

Kerkorian recently broke off an engagement to Rodney Dangerfield’s
widow, then broke off another engagement with Lu Beard, a longtime
friend and widow of an Oklahoma oil baron. Clearly age has dulled
little about Kerkorian.

Reach Abram Brown at [email protected].

Rima Makaryan is student of the month

Rima Makaryan is student of the month

The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California)
Thursday, March 14, 2013

by Extra.Credit

Rima Makaryan of Santa Rosa French-American Charter School is Santa
Rosa City Schools student of the month for March.

The fifth grader was born in Armenia and her family immigrated to
California in 2010 and Makaryan enrolled at Doyle Park Elementary
School as a third grader.

Makaryan speaks Armenian fluently and speaks Russian as well. When the
French language school opened on the former Doyle Park campus,
Makaryan enrolled and began learning French as well.

An accomplished artist, Makaryan loves to paint and has had her
artwork published in Kid Scoop. She loves to play basketball and hopes
to play competitively next year. She also enjoys hip hop dancing and
riding her bike around Spring Lake with her dad and younger brother,
Arno.

School officials describe Makaryan as a conscientious student who
exhibits enthusiasm and is a great role model for her peers.

Crossroads E-Newsletter – March 14, 2013

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apost. Church of America and Canada
H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
Prelate, Easter Prelacy and Canada
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
Web:

March 14, 2013

CATHOLICOS ARAM CONGRATULATES POPE FRANCIS

His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, sent a
message of congratulations to His Holiness Pope Francis shortly after
his election yesterday. Catholicos Aram, with `profound spiritual joy
and in the spirit of Christian love and fellowship,’ expressed the
hope that at these challenging times facing the Roman Catholic Church,
his election will bring new hope towards the Church’s mission and
witness. The Catholicos also expressed the hope that `the simplicity
of His Holiness’ life, his particular emphasis on the `church of
poor,’ and firm commitment to the pastoral outreach of the church will
generate a new vitality for the Catholic Church’s evangelistic
engagement.’

Referring to the ecumenical involvement of the Catholic Church,
Catholicos Aram expressed the hope that it will `acquire even broader
articulation on global, regional, and local levels,’ and the

ecumenical collaboration that is deeply rooted in the history between
the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia and the Church of Rome will
continue =80=9Cwith renewed impetus.’

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected the 266th
pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church yesterday by the conclave of 115
cardinals eligible to vote.

NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON SATURDAY

Archbishop Oshagan will preside over the New England Regional
Conference for members of the Boards of Trustees, Pastors, and
delegates to the National Representative Assembly, this Saturday,
March 16. The conference is being hosted by St. Gregory Church, North
Andover, Massachusetts.

The Prelate as well as the Vicar, Bishop Anoushavan, and members of
the Prelacy’s Religious and Executive Councils will attend the
conference that will start at 10 am and conclude at 4 pm. Eight
parishes in the New England area have been invited to participate in
the annual conference and encouraged to ask questions and gain better
understanding of each other and to find ways to work together.

PRELATE WILL TRAVEL TO MONTREAL

Archbishop Oshagan will travel to Montreal where from March 17 to 22,
he will join with Rev. Dr. Manuel Jinbashian in a week-long Bible
translation session.

MUSICAL ARMENIA 2013

The 30th Musical Armenia concert will take place Friday, April 19, 8
pm, at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Featured
artists are: Narine Ojakhyan (soprano) and Nune Melikian (violin).

Tickets ($25) may be purchased through the box office at 212-247-7800,
or through the Prelacy at 212-689-7810.

YOUNG ADULTS JOIN TO AID SYRIAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY
WITH BENEFIT CONCERT ON APRIL 6

According to the United Nations this week the number of Syrian
refugees passed the one million mark. In an op-ed article in the New
York Times
on March 5, Antonio Guterres, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees,
called it `A milestone in human tragedy.’ Our large and vibrant
Armenian community in Syria is part of that human tragedy.

Determined to help, young adults from the metropolitan area joined
forces in a Pan Armenian Youth Alliance and have organized a benefit
concert for the Syrian Armenian community. The entire metro area
community is supporting this benefit concert that will feature four
Armenian dance groups and more than 16 artists. The event will take
place on Saturday, April 6 at
7 pm, at Felician College, 262 South Main Street, Lodi, New Jersey.

The concert is under the auspices of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern Diocese), the Armenian Apostolic Church of America (Eastern
Prelacy), and is sponsored by the following organizations: ACYOA,
AGBU, AMAA, ARS, AYF, Columbia University Armenian Students, Fordham
University Armenian Club, Hamazkayin, Homenetmen, Hovnanian School
Alumni, Hye Doon, Knights of
Vartan, Rutgers Armenian Students Association, and Tekeyan Cultural
Association.

Dance groups participating include Hamazkayin Dance Group, Yeraz Dance
Ensemble, Antranig Dance Ensemble, and Akhtamar Dance Ensemble.

Artists participating include: Jaq Hagopian, Garo Gomidas, Eduardo
Diamante, Nishan Tchaghatsbanian, Antoinette Kassas, Alyne Corrigan,
Rubik Vardanyan, Vicken Makoushian, Samvel Nerisyan, Armine Vardanyan,
Anoosh Barclay, Hasmik Mekhanedjian, Karine Ojakhyan, Anahit Zakaryan,
Karine Poghosyan, and Diana Vasilyan. Appo Jabarian will serve as the
Master of Ceremonies, along with remarks by Garbis Kazanjian, and
poetry recitation by Karine Kocharyan.

Tickets that are priced at $35 and $50 can be purchased by contacting
the following individuals:

Talar Ardzivian, (631) 807-7398
Anahid Kaprielian, (551) 427-8765
Lori Pilibosian, (248) 321-2043
Maral Kaprielian, (201) 289-6486
George Khorozian, (201) 390-5678
Hagop Hagopian, (201) 736-1078
Or through the Prelacy office by email ([email protected]) or
telephone (212-689-7810, Ext. 26).

PRELACY LENTEN PROGRAM CONTINUES

The fifth of a six-part Lenten Program took place last night, March
13, at St. Illuminator’s Armenian Cathedral, presided over by His
Grace Bishop Anoushavan, Vicar General. The lecturer was Christian
Education Coordinator of the Eastern Diocese, Elise Antreassian, who
spoke on =80=9CMothers as Midwives: Raising Children of Faith.’

Mrs. Antreassian spoke about how mothers metaphorically act as
midwives helping their children go from one reality to another, moving
from one
stage of development to the next. Faith is also developmental, a
series of
transitions, she said, moving through stages. She briefly explained
the characteristics of the different stages of faith development, from
early childhood to adulthood. She then focused on childhood and
offered practical suggestions on what mothers can do to facilitate
faith development in their children.

Next Wednesday, March 20, the last lecture of the series will be
presented by Maggie Kouyoumdjian, Sts. Vartanantz Sunday School
Director of Ridgefield, New Jersey; she will speak on `Lessons from
Famous Mothers from the Bible – A Brief Reflection.’

The Lenten program is sponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious
Education Council (AREC), the Prelacy Ladies Guild (PLG), and the
Ladies’ Guild of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral.

Elise Antreassian, the fifth lecturer in the Prelacy’s Lenten series,
spoke about how mothers attend to the growth of their children from
infancy to adulthood including faith development.

SEMINAR EXPLORES THE EUCHARIST

On Saturday, March 9, Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC)
director Dn. Shant Kazanjian conducted a 4-hour seminar for Sunday
School teachers from New York and New Jersey. The event was hosted by
St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City and began with a Sunrise
Service (Arevakal) at the church led by Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian
(pastor of the Cathedral) and Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian (pastor of
Sts. Vartanantz Church in Ridgefield, New Jersey), assisted by deacons
Shant Kazanjian and Vahan Kouyoumdjian, M.D. The seminar explored the
Eucharist (Soorp Badarak), beginning with a historical and scriptural
overview of the liturgy (in general and Armenian) followed by an
exploration into each part. Dn. Shant used a video of
a typical service to analyze and explain what is done during each part
and
its meaning.

Dn. Shant Kazanjian explains the parts of the Liturgy to seminar
participants.

Participants in Seminar on the Liturgy that took place last Saturday.

SEMINAR IN PHILADELPHIA WILL EXPLORE THE EUCHARIST

At the invitation of Rev. Fr. Nerses Manoogian, Pastor, and Board of
Trustees of St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Prelacy’s Director of Christian
Education, Dn. Shant Kazanjian, will conduct a seminar on the Soorp
Badarak, this
Saturday, March 16, from 10:00am – 3:00pm.

The seminar is free and open to the public. Registration is
required. For registration and information, please contact the church
office at (215) 482-9200 or at [email protected].

ANEC DIRECTOR WILL BE IN PROVIDENCE

Dr. Vartan Matiossian, Director of the Armenian National Education
Committee (ANEC), will visit the parish of Sts. Vartanantz Church,
Providence, Rhode Island, this weekend. On Saturday he will present a
three-part seminar for the teachers of the parish’s Mourad Saturday
School. The three areas covered in the seminar are: The `Secret World’
of the Armenian Language; Lesson Plans Utilizing the Historical Atlas
of Armenia; Teaching Armenian as a Second Language.

On Sunday, following the Divine Liturgy, Dr. Matiossian will make a
presentation for the general public about the newly published
Historical Atlas of Armenia at Sts. Vartanantz Church’s Aramian
Auditorium.

POPULAR ENSEMBLE PERFORMS AT ST. SARKIS CHURCH

The popular The Way We Were Ensemble presented its new musical,
=80=9CThe Hye Legion,’ at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York,
last Sunday afternoon. The Ensemble presents the story of the Armenian
Legion in World War I (Gamavoor) with song and dance.

The Armenian Legion, part of the French Foreign Legion, came into
existence in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide to fight with the
French
and British forces in the Middle East. The Armenians were promised
autonomy in the region of Cilicia (southern Turkey), an area occupied
by France. Thousands of Armenians from various social, political, and
economic groups banded together to fight with the British and French
armies and to work toward (they thought) the goal of an autonomous
Armenia in Cilicia.

Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian and Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian with the
members of The Way We Were Ensemble at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston,
New York.

BIBLE READINGS

Bible readings for Sunday, March 17, Sixth Sunday of Lent, Advent,
are: Isaiah 66:1-24; Colossians 2:8-3:17; Matthew 22:34-23:39.

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they
gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to
test him. Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He
said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and
first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this
question: What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he? They said
to him, The son of David. He said to them, How is it then that David
by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at
my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet? If David thus
calls him Lord,
how can he be his son? No one was able to give him an answer, nor from
that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, The scribes and
the Pharisees sit on Moses seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you
and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what
they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on
the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a
finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for
they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love
to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the
synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to
have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for
you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your
father on earth, for you have one Father, the one in heaven. Nor are
you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the
Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt
themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be
exalted. (Matthew 22:34-23:12)

For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings click here
().

SUNDAY OF ADVENT

This Sunday, March 25, is the sixth and final Sunday of Great Lent,
known as Sunday of Advent (Galstyan Kiraki). On Advent Sunday we are
asked to ponder the mystery of the first coming of Christ and
especially his second coming which is a fundamental tenet of our
Christian faith, and which is mentioned in the prayers read this
Sunday. Christ came to the world for the salvation of humankind. We
are told to be ready at all times because He
will come again for the judgment of sinners, and when the righteous
will become worthy of entering the Kingdom of God. `Then people will
see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. He
will send out his angels and gather his elect from the four winds,
from the ends of the
earth to the ends of heaven.’ (Mark 13:26-27)

Advent Sunday has its own special hymn, which proclaims that the
apostles knew the mystery of the advent of Christ. The story of the
expulsion
from paradise is repeated and an appeal is made to Christ to ask the
Heavenly Father to establish peace on earth. Sunday of Advent is in
preparation of the following Sunday, Palm Sunday, which is the
celebration of the glorious entry of our Lord into Jerusalem and the
beginning of Holy Week.

The terrible manifestation of your glory which will be in your second
coming David foresaw and announced beforehand by the Holy Spirit’s
inspiration, God will come openly, fire will burn before him. Then, O
Jesus, spare us, have compassion, O Christ, and have mercy.

Mother of God unwedded, bride of heaven on earth, when in the sight
of light you sit at the right hand of your only-begotten beseech him
for us to deliver us from the awful flame, to number us with the
righteous that we also may sing glory with the heavenly ones.
(Canon for the Sixth Sunday of Great Lent from the Liturgical Canons
of the Armenian Church)

ST. GREGORY’S COMMITMENT TO THE PIT

During Great Lent, saint days are commemorated only on
Saturdays. During the remainder of the year saints can be honored on
Mondays, Tuesdays,
Thursdays, or Saturdays. Never on Wednesdays or Fridays, these being
fasting days.

This Saturday, March 17, the Armenian Church celebrates one of the
three days in its liturgical calendar devoted to St. Gregory the
Illuminator, the patron saint of the Armenian Church. The three days
are: Entrance into the Pit; Emergence from the Pit; and Discovery of
his remains. This Saturday is the commemoration of his commitment to
the Deep Pit (Khor Virab).

Gregory maintained his faith and refused to renounce Christ. As a
result he endured many tortures and his final punishment was
banishment into
a deep pit where he remained for a period of thirteen or more
years. Miraculously he survived, thanks to his faith and a woman
(identity unknown) who
lowered food and water into the pit.

The Monastery of Khor Virab is a popular destination for tourists and
pilgrims who visit Armenia. The monastery was built on the exact
location where St. Gregory was imprisoned. The pit is accessible and
it is possible for visitors to climb down the ladder (27 steep steps)
into the pit. The church, named Sourp Astvatsatsin, dates to the 17th
century. The area is one of the most beautiful in Armenia and provides
stunning views of Ararat. The area surrounding Khor Virab is the site
of the ancient Armenian capital,
Artashat, founded by King Artashes I about 180 BC.

Come, let us exalt on this day the spreader of the spiritual light to
us who sat in darkness, the holy patriarch Gregory. Come, you children
instructed by him, exalt on this day the distributor to the sons of
Torgom of the undefiled gifts of the Holy Spirit who gave us a new
birth as sons of the light. Come, you children instructed by him,
exalt on this day the interpreter of the divine word in the land of
Armenia. On this day the Church and her
children sing with the angels, on this day of memory of the
enlightener ascribing glory to God in the highest.

(Canon to St. Gregory the Illuminator, Commitment to the Pit, from the
Liturgical Canons of the Armenian Church)

PILGRIMAGE DAY IN ANTELIAS

This Sunday, March 17, is a day of pilgrimage at the Holy See of
Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, in honor of the Armenian Church’s patron
saint, St. Gregory the Illuminator. Thousands of pilgrims come to the
Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator for the Liturgy and
impressive procession of the relics of St. Gregory housed in a golden
arm.

CATHOLICOS RECEIVES VICE PRIME MINISTER

His Holiness Aram I received Arthur Aghabekian, the Vice Prime
Minister of Karabagh at the Catholicosate last Tueday. During the
meeting the Vice Prime Minister briefed His Holiness on the current
efforts of the government of Nagorno Karabagh to build-up the young
country. They also discussed future plans.

His Holiness expressed his appreciation for the achievements of the
government in the areas of politics, economics, and social affairs,
and congratulated the President, Bako Sahakian, for his
leadership. The Catholicos assured Mr. Aghabekian that the
Catholicosate of Cilicia would be part of
the young country’s journey.

ENTHRONEMENT OF ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH

Archbishop Avak Assadourian and Bishop Ashod Menatsakanian from the
Holy See of Etchmiadzin and Archbishops Gorun Babian and Nareg
Alemezian from the Holy See of Cilicia represented the Armenian Church
at the enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Abuna Mathias in Addis
Ababa.

During the ceremony, Archbishop Gorun presented the message of Aram
I. His Holiness described the long historical relationship between the
two
sister churches and particularly the recent close relations with the
late Patriarch Abuna Paulos. The Catholicos said he looked forward to
working with the new patriarch with that same spirit.

INTENSIVE COURSES IN WESTERN ARMENIAN

After a series of consultations on the usage of the Western Armenian
language, His Holiness Aram I nominated a committee of specialists to
study its current usage in the Diaspora. The committee, in cooperation
with the Catholicosate’s Armenian Studies department established the
first
six-month intensive course that began in January and continues to May
2013. The course is being taught by specialists and includes studies
in diction, language structure, and grammar, writing, speech, and
current mistakes.

All of the previous `This Week in Armenian History’ entries are now on
the Prelacy’s web page. Go to
() and click on the icon.

Birth of Alexander Tamanian (March 16, 1878)

Alexander Tamanian was the founder of Armenian modern architecture.
His vision for Yerevan was going to turn the village-like capital of
Armenia in the 1920s into a modern city.

Tamanian was born in Krasnodar (Northern Caucasus). He graduated from
the Arts Academy of St. Petersburg in 1904. His first work was the
reconstruction of the Armenian church of St. Catherine in
St. Petersburg in 1904-1906. Following the excavations of Nikolai Marr
in Ani, he projected the museum of Ani in 1908, which was not
realized.

He would develop a very successful career as architect in Russia. His
blueprints for different building in various cities of Russia from
1907-1913 (the house of Scherbatov in Moscow, in 1911-1913, won the
golden medal of the City Duma) applied the forms of classicism and
Russian architecture of the eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries. He was elected full member of the Russian Art Academy in
1914 and became president of the Council of the Russian Art Academy,
with status of vice-president of the Academy, in 1917.

The independence of Armenia in 1918 opened a new page in his life. He
moved to Yerevan in 1919 to serve his country. He designed the
coat-of-arms of the Republic, together with painter Hakob Kojoyan,
which was restored as Armenia’s national coat of arms in
1992. Following the sovietization of Armenia, he left for Iran in 1921
and accepted the invitation of the Soviet Armenian government to
return in 1923.

Thereafter, and until his death on February 11, 1936 in Yerevan, he
developed a very active professional life. In 1923 he was designated
deputy chairman of the State Planning Committee. He became chairman of
the Committee for Conservation of Monuments in 1924.

In the same year, he created the master plan of the city of Yerevan,
which signaled the beginning of Soviet city construction in
Armenia. It was conceived for a city of 150,000 inhabitants (Yerevan
had 25,000 at the time of the first Republic) and became the basis for
the subsequent blueprints of the city. In 1934 he started the project
for `Great Yerevan’ (500,000 inhabitants), which remained unfinished.

He also designed the plans for various cities between 1925 and 1933,
including Gumri, Vagharshapat, Stepanakert, Gavar, and Hrazdan among
others. He designed and built in Yerevan the morgue of the Medical
Institute (1926-1933), the astronomical observatory (1930-1933), the
National Library (1932-1938), and others, and his talent as a great
architect was recognized particularly with his master plan of Yerevan,
and the buildings of the Government House (1932-1941, State Prize of
the USSR in 1942) and the Opera and
Ballet Theater and Concert Hall (1926-1953).

These two buildings predetermined and conditioned the architectonical
solutions for the most important urban points of Yerevan: the ensemble
of the Republic Square (State Prize of Armenia in 1970), the area
adjacent to the Opera Theater (the blueprint won the Great Golden
Medal of the World Exhibition of 1937 in Paris), and the construction
of the Northern Avenue, recently executed. Tamanian’s creations
reinterpreted the principles of classical Armenian architecture with
new quality, and opened new ways to develop their traditions in what
has been called the `Tamanian School.’ In 1936, Poet Yeghishe Charents
wrote his poem `Vision of Death,’ the third one with this title, in
memory of the recently deceased architect. He started with the
following lines:

`He saw a solar city…

As a sundial, drawn upon the blue side of pure marble,

here is the map of the city.

Avenues, streets, extending in circles,

and in the center, a granite altar reaching to the sky.’

NEW PROJECT TO DOCUMENT GENOCIDE
Libra-6 Productions, Inc., a USA based not-for-profit organization
that pursues humanitarian values through theater, art, and cultural
events, recently announced a new project, `Testimonies-the Voices of
the People.’ Descendants of the Armenian genocide are invited to
submit
the true experiences of their ancestors’ ordeals during the Armenian
Genocide. The accounts that are accepted will be published in a series
of volumes. Submissions should be between 250 to 3,750 words. For
additional
information click here ().

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET OUR ONGOING RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THE ARMENIAN
COMMUNITY
IN SYRIA WHERE CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT.
THE NEED IS REAL.
THE NEED IS GREAT.

DONATIONS TO THE FUND FOR SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF CAN BE MADE ON LINE.
TO DONATE NOW CLICK HERE () AND
SELECT SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF IN THE MENU.

The Fund for Syrian Armenian Relief is a joint effort of: Armenian
Apostolic Church of America (Eastern Prelacy); Armenian Catholic
Eparchy; Armenian
Evangelical Union of North America; Armenian Relief Society (Eastern
USA, Inc.); Armenian Revolutionary Federation.

SPRING
Spring begins next Wednesday, March 20.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

March 15-St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, `Liturgy, Education
& Tradition Series.’ The Disciples of Jesus: Judas, Peter & John, A
Meditation by Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis
Church. Fellowship Hour by the Yeraz Dance Ensemble. Vespers 6:30 pm,
Lecture 7:30 pm; Q&A 8:00 pm; Fellowship 8:15 pm.

March 16-Annual New England Regional Conference for pastors, boards of
trustees, and NRA delegates, hosted by St. Gregory Church, North
Andover, Massachusetts, beginning at 10 am and concluding at 4 pm.

March 16-Exploring the Eucharist (Soorp Badarak), one-day seminar,
10 am to 3 pm, at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church,
Philadelphia. Speaker: Dn. Shant Kazanjian, director of the Armenian
Religious Education Council (AREC). Free and open to the
public. Registration required: 215-482-9200,
[email protected].

March 22-St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, `Liturgy, Education
& Tradition Series.’ What Does it Mean to be a Good Samaritan in the
21st Century? A lecture by Professor Marilyn Martone, Ph.D.,
St. John’s University. Fellowship Hour by the Young Adults
Group. Vespers 6:30 pm, Lecture 7:30 pm; Q&A 8:00 pm; Fellowship 8:15
pm.

April 2-International Children’s Book Day at the Armenian Library &
Museum of America (ALMA), 65 Main Street, Watertown, Massachusetts,
with author Lucine Kasbarian and book review editor Wilda Williams,
7:30
pm. Suggested donation: $5. Copies of Lucine Kasbarian’s books will be
available for purchase. For information: Caroline Ly, Programs Manager
([email protected]).

April 6-Pan Armenian Youth Alliance presents `Syrian Armenian Benefit
Concert,’ under the auspices of the Armenian Apostolic Church of
America and the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
and sponsorship of ACYOA, AGBU, AMAA, AYF, Columbia ASA, Fordham
Armenian Club, Hamazkayin, Homenetmen, Hovnanian Alumni, Hye Doon,
Knights of Vartan, Rutgers ASA, Tekeyan. Featuring, Hamazkayin Dance
Group, Yeraz Dance Ensemble, Antranig Dance Ensemble, Akhtamar Dance
Ensemble, Jaq Hagopian, Garo Gomidas, Eduardo Diamante, Nishan
Tchaghasbanian, Antoinette Kassas, Alyne Corrigan, and
others. Felician College, 262 South Main Street, Lodi, New
Jersey. Tickets $35 and $50.

April 13-Second Annual Benefit Dance sponsored by the Armenian
Churches of Worcester County. Proceeds benefit worthy Armenian
charities, including the Armenian community in Syria. The host
churches are: Armenian Church of the Martyrs; Armenian Church of Our
Savior; Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church; Soorp Asdvadzadzin
Armenian Apostolic Church.

April 14-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, Annual
Membership Meeting, immediately after the Divine Liturgy.

April 17-28-Online Charity Auction by Armenian Relief Society Eastern
USA, to benefit worldwide programs of the ARS Eastern USA. To bid on
auction items or make online donations visit

() or contact committee at
[email protected].

April 19-The 30th Musical Armenia concert, Weill Recital Hall at
Carnegie Hall, 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, New York City. Featured
artists: Narine Ojakhyan, soprano and Nune Melikiian,
violin. Sponsored by the Eastern Prelacy and the Prelacy Ladies Guild.

April 21-98th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in Times Square
(43rd and Broadway, New York), 2 to 4 pm, organized by the
Mid-Atlantic chapters of the Knights and Daughters of Vartan, and
co-sponsored by the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian
Assembly of America, Armenian National Committee of America, Armenian
Council of America, and the Armenian Democratic
League-Ramgavars. Participating organizations: Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America, Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of
America, Armenian Missionary Association of America, Armenian Catholic
Eparchy for U.S. and Canada, the Mid-Atlantic Armenian Church Youth
Organization of America, Armenian Youth Federation, Armenian youth
organizations, and Armenian university and college clubs.

May 7-`Treasured Objects,’ an illustrated interactive lecture by
Dr. Susan Pattie, at Graduate Center at the City University of New
York Middle East and Middle Eastern American Center, 365 Fifth Avenue,
New York City, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Copies of her most recent book,
`Treasured Objects: Armenian Life in the Ottoman Empire,’ coauthored
with colleagues at the Armenian Institute in London, will be available
for purchase. For information: [email protected].

May 12-St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, Mother’s Day
celebration organized by the Senior Citizens Committee.

May 16, 17, 18-National Representative Assembly hosted by Soorp Khatch
Church, Bethesda, Maryland.

June 30-July 7-27th Annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute, at St. Mary
of Providence Center, Elverson, Pennsylvania, sponsored by the
Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Cou8ncil (AREC). For
information contact the AREC office3 by email
([email protected]) or phone (212-689-7810).

July 4-11-4th Annual Summer Camp for Orphans will take place in
Dzaghgztazor, Armenia, sponsored by the Eastern Prelacy. Orphans ages
13 to 16 who are enrolled in the Prelacy’s Orphan Sponsorship program
are eligible to attend to learn about the Armenian Church and
history. The week
long program includes Bible study and prayers and meditation combined
with
summer fun activities and fellowship with other campers. For more
information contact Archpriest Fr. Aram Stepanian by email
([email protected]) or by phone (508-865-2454).

Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacy’s web
site.

To ensure the timely arrival of Crossroads in your electronic mailbox,
add
[email protected] to your address book.

Items in Crossroads can be reproduced without permission. Please
credit Crossroads as the source.

Parishes of the Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about
their major events to be included in the calendar. Send to:
[email protected]

http://www.armenianprelacy.org/
http://e2.ma/click/wdx7c/4f4cee/43ioz
http://e2.ma/click/wdx7c/4f4cee/kwjoz
http://e2.ma/click/wdx7c/4f4cee/0okoz
http://e2.ma/click/wdx7c/4f4cee/ghloz
http://e2.ma/click/wdx7c/4f4cee/w9loz
www.armenianprelacy.org
www.biddingforgood.com/arseastusa

Azerbaijani Activist Detained Over Illegal Weapons Charges

AZERBAIJANI ACTIVIST DETAINED OVER ILLEGAL WEAPONS CHARGES

17:54 ~U 15.03.13

A court in Baku has ordered that a member of the Nida citizens’
movement be held for up to three-months in pretrial detention,
RFE/RL reported.

Rashad Hasanov and an employee of the US-based National Democratic
Institute, Ruslan Asad, were detained on March 14.

Asad was later released. Hasanov’s lawyer, Asabali Mustafayev, told
RFE/RL on March 15 that his client is facing charges of illegal weapons
possession and faces up to eight years in prison if found guilty.

Three other Nida activists were arrested for alleged possession of
illegal drugs and weapons before a March 10 protest over the noncombat
deaths of conscripts in the Azerbaijani army.

Police violently dispersed the demonstration. The Nida organization
has described the detentions of Hasanov and its other activists as
being politically motivated.

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/03/15/azeri-activists/

Armenia’s Ministry Of Sport And Youth Affairs Said To Hold Employmen

ARMENIA’S MINISTRY OF SPORT AND YOUTH AFFAIRS SAID TO HOLD EMPLOYMENT TRAININGS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE CAPITAL

YEREVAN, March 15. / ARKA /. Armenia’s ministry of sport and youth
affairs will conduct trainings in several Armenian provinces in
autumn as part of a program to help young people outside the capital
to obtain new skills, David Hayrapetian, head of the ministry’s center
to implement youth projects, told ARKA.

“The goal of the program is to help young people in regions get new
skills. We have already carried out similar activities, including
trainings, in some regions of Armenia, more exactly in Tavush and Lori,
which attracted about 80 young people,” Hayrapetyan said.

According to him, this year the ministry intends to expand this project
and invite experts from different countries, who will teach the young
participants how to communicate with employers.

“Initially, we conducted only job fairs, but in 2012 we added also
training courses. We intend to conduct also a round table with the
participation of experts from CIS “, he said.

“Of course, there are employment problems for young people in the
capital as well, but in the regions the program is more important,”
he said.

According to Hayrapetyan, the ministry may cooperate in this matter
with Russian Rossotrudnichestvo, a state agency promoting Russia’s
cultural ties with the rest of the world. -0-

Raffi Hovannisian Managed To Awaken Armenian People – Ashot Manuchar

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN MANAGED TO AWAKEN ARMENIAN PEOPLE – ASHOT MANUCHARYAN

NEWS.AM
March 15, 2013 | 14:29

YEREVAN.- We must confess that Raffi Hovannisian managed once again
to awaken our people, former member of the Karabakh committee Ashot
Manucharyan told reporters on Friday.

“People are in a desperate state, there was an increase of migration,
people left the country. It seemed that the process will continue.

But, an important task was performed, in which, of course, we must
emphasize the positive role of Raffi Hovannisian. His not very
tough position, as well as the chosen form of activity helped him,”
Manucharyan said.

According to him, today we have a country in the next stage of
awakening. He is confident that the existing dynamic situation promises
great prospects.

Stimulating Domestic Investments Will Reduce Armenia’S Dependence On

STIMULATING DOMESTIC INVESTMENTS WILL REDUCE ARMENIA’S DEPENDENCE ON EXTERNAL FACTORS: EXPERTS SAYS

YEREVAN, March 15. / ARKA /. Stimulating domestic investments in
the economy will reduce Armenia’s dependence on external factors and
global economic turmoil, Tatul Manaseryan, head of a local think-tank
called Alternative, said to a news conference today.

“I am convinced that it is necessary to eliminate the dependence on
foreign investment, especially from the countries which pursue their
political interests in Armenia. Those countries that pursue long-term
economic interests, prefer Armenia, for example, to Asian countries,”
he said.

Manaseryan said the focus should be on promotion of enhanced
domestic investment, because no one can guarantee continuous foreign
investments.

He said because of heavy dependence on the world economic situation
Armenia last year registered a significant decline in foreign
investments.

According to the National Statistical Service of Armenia, total foreign
investment in the real sector of the economy in January-September
2012, when compared to January-September 2011, decreased by 35.2%
to $391.1 million. -0-

YSU Responds To Instructor’s Allegations He Was Let Go Due To "Polit

YSU RESPONDS TO INSTRUCTOR’S ALLEGATIONS HE WAS LET GO DUE TO “POLITICS”

15:15, March 15, 2013

Responding to allegations made by Ararat Mirzoyan now circulating
on the pages of Facebook, that his work contract with Yerevan State
University (YSU) hadn’t been renewed because he criticized the school
administration, in particular YSU Rector Assistant Gevorg Melkonyan,
for his uncalled for behaviour on February 27, the university has
issued a statement claiming that Mirzoyan’s original contract was
for 27 hours of instruction.

YSU says that Mirzoyan’s contract with the school expired on December
30, 2012.

Thus, YSU maintains that in 2013 Mirzoyan was no longer considered
an instructor at the school.

YSU thus argues that Mirzoyan has circulated false information on his
Facebook page that he wasn’t offered an extension of his work contract.

YSU also claims that the correspondence course Mirzoyan was teaching
to cultural studies students is usually filled by in-house staff and
not by instructors paid on a per-hour basis.

YSU, in its statement, says that the correspondence course in Masters
Cultural Studies will be taught by Profesor L. Chougaszyan, a permanent
member of the teaching staff that conducts the same course on campus.

http://hetq.am/eng/news/24482/ysu-responds-to-instructors-allegations-he-was-let-go-due-to-politics.html

Murder Of Talaat Pasha And Raffi Hovannisian’s Rally

MURDER OF TALAAT PASHA AND RAFFI HOVANNISIAN’S RALLY

2013-03-15 13:42:45

On March 15, 1921 Soghomon Tehlirian shot the former Minister of
Internal Affairs of Turkey, Talaat Pasha in Berlin. In 1921 Berlin
court acquitted Tehlirian. The operation was called “Nemesis”,
sponsored by Armen Garo and Shahan Natalie. IX Congress of the Dashnak
Party, held in autumn in 1919, decided to give sentences of executed
Young Turk leaders. 650 names of performers and supporters of Genocide
were considered, 41 main culprits were chosen.

Soghomon Tehlirian- (April 2, 1897 – May 23, 1960) was an Ottoman
Armenian known for assassinating the former Grand Vizir Talaat Pasha
in Berlin in the presence of many witnesses on March 15, 1921 as
an act of vengeance for Talaat’s role in orchestrating the Armenian
Genocide. It was a part of the Dashnak Party’s Operation Nemesis.

Soghomon Tehlirian was born in the village of Nerkin Bagarij in
the Erzurum villayet of Western Armenia. He received his primary
education in his birthplace and afterwards graduated in the Getronagan
(Central) Lyceum of Constantinople. After graduation, he returned to
his native Erzincan. In June of 1915, the Turkish local police ordered
the evacuation and deportation of all the Armenians in Erzincan. He
along with his mother, three sisters, his sister’s husband, his two
brothers, and a two year old niece were forced to be deported. After
marching for several hours, they heard gunfire coming and Turkish
troops suddenly descended on the deportees. His mother was immediately
shot dead. His sisters were dragged behind the bushes and raped. Next
he watched a man cleave his brothers skull in front of him and then
something smashed Tehlirian’s head and he was knocked unconscious.

After he awoke from unconsciousness, he escaped to Tbilisi where
he joined the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He eventually
participated in General Antranik’s voluntary military detachments. In
1921 he joined the Operation Nemesis covert assassination operation.

The trial examined not only Tehlirian’s actions but also Tehlirian’s
conviction that Talaat Pasha was the main author of the Armenian
deportation and mass killings. The defense attorneys made no attempt
to deny the fact that Tehlirian had killed a man, and instead focused
on the influence of the Armenian Genocide on Tehlirian’s mental state.

It took the jury slightly over an hour to render a verdict of “not
guilty” on grounds of temporary insanity.

To note, today at 17:00 ex-presidential candidate and leader of the
“Heritage” party Raffi Hovhannisyan will hold his rally at Liberty
Square. On the eve of Raffi Hovannisian in his speech said that he has
chosen this day, as Soghomon Tehliryan made his heroic act on March 15.

http://lurer.com/?p=84847&l=en

The Visions & Illusions Of The Station

THE VISIONS & ILLUSIONS OF THE STATION
Tigran Paskevichyan

14:45, March 15, 2013

An interview with Fresno painter Hazel-Takouhie Antaramian

After WWII and until the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia
resembled a large waiting room in a station, in which “travellers”
would come and go. Others just waited for their time to depart. They
were people in search of a Homeland, oftentimes not noticing or
comprehending its true nature. The constant clashes between the vision
of the Promised Land and the crude Soviet system, between the fixations
of a fringe region of the Russian Empire and imported (essentially
Western) culture, forced the travelers to decide to return, without
ever leaving the station. During a fifty year period, tens of thousands
of families entered and then exited the country in such fashion.

The Antaramians are one such family. The father was born in the U.S.

state of Wisconsin, the mother, in the French city of Lyon, and the
daughter, Hazel-Takouhie, in Yerevan, the capital of Soviet Armenia.

When Hazel was just five, the Antaramian family left Armenia. The
move raised a number of thoughts in the young girl’s mind. Fifty
years later, these thoughts have become the basis for an art project
conceived by the painter Hazel Antaramian-Hofman. The project fuses
memories and oral histories, photos and documents and, of course,
colors and images drawn from early childhood scenes.

On March 21, at the Fresno Armenian Museum, Hazel Antaramian-Hofman
will showcase her audio-visual project “Repatriation and Deception:
Post World War II Soviet Armenia”. It will be made available on
her website.

The topics concerning Armenian Genocide and survival of the people
is more actual in Diaspora nowadays. Why did you decide to choose
repatriation topic?

I would say that I did not choose the repatriation topic, but that the
topic chose me. It is the reason of my existence both literally and
figurative. I was born in Soviet Armenia to two post-WWII repatriates,
whose families came from the United States and France respectively. My
family eventually left Soviet Armenia in 1965. We were considered
among the first families to leave the country. Later while living
in the United States, I would hear stories about life in Armenia
during the 50s and 60s without ever realizing the significance of the
repatriation. The names that I now see in archival research papers
and newspaper articles were the names that I heard while growing
up. When repatriate friends who were still in Armenia began leaving in
the early 1970s, I would hear my family say such things as “Did you
know that ‘so-and-so’ got out?” Going back to my current work on the
repatriation-Armenians who “repatriated” after WWII were part of the
largest campaign organized by the Soviet government and, I believe,
among the most troubling, it was a history that I wanted to document.

It was my history. So after having completed my graduate degree in
art at Fresno State University, in December of 2011, I began to search
for ways that I could manifest the sentiment I have long had for the
repatriates. I am now doing this with my paintings and drawings, my
writing, and my personal devotion to the repatriates for the sacrifices
they made, which I strongly feel led to the advancement of Armenia.

Being an artist, how will you combine fine art and documentary?

The inspiration for my paintings and drawings come from the stories
and images of surviving repatriates. So you could say that the
repatriation story is my “muse.” My documentation process entailed
casual visits with repatriates. Then when I began my website a few
months ago, I realized that I needed to share the stories and images
that I collected since it was an integral part of Armenia’s modern
social and ethnographic history. My website is a work in progress; I
hope to continue to add to it as well as to link to other sites that
address this history. I consider my artwork as an interpretive and
visceral response to what had happened during this time in Armenian
history. Along with my love to paint and draw, I love to write. So
my research and interviews became the basis for my essays on the topic.

In your opinion why most of the Armenian repatriates of 1946-49 left
their fatherland?

I found that for each family there were nuances for wanting to return
during this time in history. But the overwhelming reason that masked
these nuances was one of Armenian sentimentality and belonging. For
those who made the decision to go, there was a romantic notion
of living within the aura of Mount Ararat, the land where their
ancestors perished. It was also important for the repatriates to be
living among the people who spoke their language, and understood their
traditions and customs. One of the American-Armenian repatriates who I
interviewed last year told me that at the time of the repatriation she
was in her early 20s, and that she did not want to leave the United
States. She reluctantly attended a repatriation “propaganda” meeting
in the Catskills in New York with her father. After seeing tears in
the eyes of a man who she characterized as a typical dispassionate
Armenian father once the film about returning to the “fatherland” was
over, she changed her mind. She did not want to further rip apart the
Armenian family fabric as the genocide had done to her parents. Such
propaganda movies were commonly shown by repatriation committees
in Armenian Diaspora communities. The imagery depicted in the films
played upon emotions and a sense of nationalism, particularly affecting
those who remembered life as Western Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

4. The topic of demographic problems is much spoken in Armenia
nowadays. Do you think it’ll be possible to arrange new repatriation
and what do we need for it first of all?

I have visited Armenian twice since I left as a child in 1965, the
first time in 2006 as a tourist with my son, and the second time
in 2012 as a researcher. In 2006, I had some emotional moments as
I stood in places I only remembered from family photographs. But
after talking to the locals and touring Yerevan on foot, I did
notice shifts in demographics. Later in 2012, I experienced seeing
more dramatic changes in the country, perhaps a continual push toward
Westernization. Armenia is a beautiful country and conceivably many of
its attributes could attract Armenians from the Diaspora, either as
visitors or “repatriates.” But it is highly unlikely that a massive
repatriation can be organized again like the one after WWII, unless
for imperiled Armenians living in the Diaspora, such as in Syria or
other parts of the Middle East. Many Armenians in Europe and the United
States no longer see their lives in these countries as disenfranchised.

The ease with which one can travel to the country also makes it
unlikely. If they “come back,” it is a decision based on individual
aspirations. And for Armenia to attract citizens from the outside, it
needs to address many of its internal problems, including government
corruption and unethical business practices; health and environmental
issues; and long-term economic opportunities for its people, before
entertaining the idea of inviting permanent newcomers. From an artist’s
perspective, I would love to see an intensified “beautification”
effort of Yerevan, and a meaningful preservation of Armenia’s
natural landscape and cultural history. I hope that my work on the
history of the repatriation, via my writing and artwork, initiates
a dialogue about the idea of repatriation and how the government
of Armenia addresses it. Now that an apology has been issued by
the Armenian government to the repatriates from the late 1940s, the
Minister of the Diaspora should take steps to officially recognize the
contributions made by the repatriates to Armenia-maybe an annual day
of commemoration? How many Armenians in the Republic of Armenia really
comprehend the history associated with the late 40s repatriation,
or the background of those Armenians who in masses dispersed to all
corners of the world at the end of the 19th century and the beginning
of the 20th century? Along with the recognition of the genocide, I
believe we need to acknowledge those who “repatriated,” to Armenia,
in particular, those who gave up their lives in the process.

http://hetq.am/eng/news/24481/the-visions-&-illusions-of-the-station.html