Author: nina hovnanian

Protesters Decry Obama’s Validation of Armenia Vote

Protesters decry Obama’s congratulatory letter to Sarkisian (photo from hetq.am)

YEREVAN – Demonstrators protested at the US Embassy in Armenia voicing
their anger at President Barack Obama’s congratulatory message to
Serzh Sarkisian, saying the US had no right to validate an election
that was fraudulent.

On Saturday, Sarkisian received a congratulatory letter from Obama,
and immediately posted it on the presidential Web site.

Below is the text of Obama’s letter:

Dear Mr. President:

I would like to congratulate you on your reelection as President of
the Republic of Armenia. I look forward to continuing our work
together as we both begin our second terms.

As we move ahead, I would like to build on the strong ties between our
countries and peoples, and to further expand our partnership. We
remain strongly committed to Armenia’s development and look to your
leadership to promote continued improvements in democracy and the
economic reforms that will present opportunities to both the people of
Armenia and the Americans looking to invest in a valued partner with
significant potential. We will continue to strongly support progress
in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, which requires meaningful
movement toward a settlement that provides lasting peace and security.
We also want to continue our work to promote the eventual
normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations.

Your reelection presents opportunities to advance the relationship
between our two countries and to build your legacy as a leader who
solidifies Armenia’s reforms and furthers the cause of peace for your
people and the people of your region.

You can be assured that the United States, as Armenia’s enduring
friend and partner, stands with you in working to achieve these worthy
goals.

Why raise a child bilingual? Parents on language, culture, and roots

Multi-American: How immigrants are redefining ‘American’ in Southern
California

89.3 KPCC (Southern California Public Radio)
March
4th, 2013

By Amy Lieu and Leslie Berestein Rojas

Bilingual education for English learners, as it was once known in
California, ended by law in the late 1990s. But in the years since,
the popularity of a different kind of bilingual education, known as
dual language immersion, has grown exponentially.

Unlike traditional bilingual education, it isn’t primarily designed to
teach English to English learners. Rather, dual immersion is designed
to teach school-age children to become fluent in a language other than
English, whether it’s the parents’ native language or a new language
that isn’t spoken in the home.

Dual language immersion programs have increased five-fold since the
early 1990s in California; more than 300 schools in the state now have
programs in languages that include Spanish, Armenian, German, Italian,
French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese. The programs
typically start in kindergarten, with native-speaker and non-native
speaker children combined in one classroom.

Some immigrant parents see these programs as a way to pass along not
just language, but also culture, traditions, and what can best be
described as a special way of relating that can be lost in
translation.

But it’s tricky. Aside from being competitive, dual immersion programs
are optional and typically parent-driven. Some newer immigrant
families aren’t necessarily aware of them, or prefer that their kids
go into English-only classes. And while many experts tout these
programs’ success, some families haven’t had the results they hoped
for.

Below, a handful of parents who attended a recent KPCC forum on
bilingual learning share stories about why they chose dual immersion
for their kids. Most are immigrants; all wanted to pass along their
heritage, with language as the primary vehicle. They talk about
communicating with grandparents, holidays with special meaning, a
certain sense of pride. If you grew up bilingual, or are trying to
pass along the culture you grew up with to your kids, you’ll relate.

The forum was led by KPCC reporter Deepa Fernandes, who in January
reported an informative three-part series on bilingual learning and
its science; the videos were produced by intern Amy Lieu.

Hugo Enciso is a native Spanish speaker with roots in Mexico. His son
is in the dual immersion program at Niemes Elementary School in
Cerritos. For him, language and culture are inextricably tied.

Katja Jahn is an immigrant from Germany who wants to pass her culture
along to her son. She’s on the board of trustees at Goethe
International Charter School in Marina del Rey, which her son attends.

Josefina Vargas grew up in the U.S. as an ESL (English as a Second
Language) student. She says learning in Spanish made it harder for her
to learn English, so she was at first hesitant to enroll her
kindergartner in dual immersion at the Los Angeles Leadership Academy.

Taina Franke is a parent of two sons, the oldest of whom attends the
Goethe International Charter School. She talks about her own father’s
struggles with language when his family moved from his native Finland
to Germany.

Crowded field competes in Tuesday’s election for Los Angeles’ 13th
council district seat

89.3 KPCC (Southern California Public Radio)
March 4th, 2013, 6:00am

By Frank Stoltze

In her mailbox and on her doorstep, Echo Park resident Lucia Chappelle
has been inundated.

`It’s crazy,’ the freelance writer says, standing outside a
market. `I’ve got three or four people knocking on my door every day.’

Such is life when you live in a city council district where 12
candidates are on the ballot.

Chappelle, 60, says she votes in every city election, but still hasn’t
decided who will get her support this time. `It’s just really
difficult to engage,’ she said.

When voters in Los Angeles go to the polls Tuesday, residents of the
13th city council district may have the most difficult choice. A dozen
candidates are seeking to succeed Eric Garcetti, who is running for
mayor. Based in Hollywood, the district can serve as a launching pad,
as Garcetti demonstrates. The district also includes Silver Lake,
Atwater Village and Glassell Park.

`It’s one of the key districts in the city,’ says Jaime Regalado, the
retired director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal
State LA.

For one thing, the area is one of the few in L.A. that’s grown
economically over the past few years. Developer money has poured into
the district, along with trendy restaurants and boutiques.

`It’s become a booming district,’ Regalado says. `Its political
importance has become magnified because of that.’

That may be why four of the top candidates moved into the district
within the past couple of years – critics say to take advantage of
what they knew would be an open seat.

Gentrification has brought thousands of young, new residents, and
pushed out thousands who couldn’t afford soaring rents. But it remains
a tale of two districts, Regalado says, with wealthy and poor living
nearly side-by-side. The 13th is also perhaps the most diverse in the
city, says the district’s former Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, who
served in the 1990s.

`It’s Armenian, it’s Thai, it’s Persian, it’s Polish, it’s Russian,
and obviously it’s Latino, but not solely Mexican,” Goldberg
says. “There are a lot of Central Americans.’

The candidates reflect that diversity. `I was born in Seoul, South
Korea,’ Emile Mack told a recent candidates forum. Mack is a chief
deputy with the L.A. Fire Department.

=80=9CWhen I was three years old, I was very fortunate to be adopted
by an African American couple and brought here,’ Mack said.

Another candidate, Alex De O’Campo, senior director for a charitable
foundation, described growing up with his Filipino immigrant parents
and six siblings.

`Dinners usually consisted of two cans of sardines, a bowl of rice,”
he said.

De O’Campo, Mack, and labor activist John Choi are seeking to become
only the second Asian American elected to the L.A. city council. The
first was Mike Woo, who represented the same district in the 1980’s.

The race is the most expensive council contest in the city, with Choi
topping the money list. Between his own fundraising and labor union
money, he’ll benefit from nearly $500,000 in spending.

De O’Campo, Mack, and former deputy mayor Matt Szabo trail him in
fundraising. A third tier in the cash category includes former
Garcetti aide Mitch O’Farrell, who’s won the LA Times endorsement.

But money is less important than face-to-face contact, argues former
councilwoman Goldberg.

“In my first campaign for city council, I think we had 120 coffees
during the primary,’ she says.

And with a crowded field, a candidate with deep but not necessarily
broad support could win a spot in the expected runoff, says Fernando
Guerra of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount
University.

`I can easily see the top two people getting under 20 percent,’ Guerra
says. That might amount to less than 6,000 votes.

Outside Trader Joes in Silver Lake, residents expressed interest in a
wide variety of issues, from more bike lanes to concerns over a
proposed condominium project in Elysian Park.

`Street violence,’ Chappelle said. `We’ve had homophobic attacks in
our neighborhood, in a neighborhood where we have lots and lots of
LGBT people.’

`Roads, terrible roads here, its Third World,’ Bruce Stewart
complained. Interestingly, none in a small survey of people listed
the city’s projected budget deficit, which nears $1 billion dollars
over the next four years.

One Trader Joes worker and Echo Park resident threw up his hands as he
struggled to name one candidate. He reflected the overwhelmingly
number of choices in this district, as well as a general disinterest
in city elections, compared to presidential contests.

`The other day I got a huge stack of brochures, literally all in one
day from a bunch of people I’ve never heard of,’ Roman Rose said. `I
threw them all out. It’s just like a pizza flyer to me.’

How is the factual possession of the property proved?

Mon, 03/04/2013 – 16:18
Under the law

If the citizen did not apply for inheritance within 6 month period
after the death of the relative, would he/she lose it?

Hasmik Harutyunyan
Centre area notary

– The RA legislation provides two ways of inheritance; first one is
when the heir applies to the last place of residence of the decease or
to the Notary within 6 month period after the death of the relative
and the second one is the actual acceptance, when the citizen takes
actual steps. This is possession, control, management. How is it
proved?

For that the Notary requests the factual documents: the payment
receipts for utilities, property tax and other payments. Or the person
should be registered in the place, which should have been inherited.

In other words, we have an opportunity to formulate inheritance after
six-month period, but the circumstances of the actual possession must
be proved.

Otherwise, the inheritance is done by court.

Author:
Factinfo
– See more at:

Changes in hypothecary crediting programme revealed soon

Thursday, 28 February 2013 18:38

In 2012 the Artsakh Investment Fund continued the process of partial
funding of the annual interest rates of hypothecary credits allocated
within the framework of the state financial assistance programme of
housing purchase or repair by hypothecary crediting.

Within this framework in 2012 the number of families assisted by the
fund increased by 324 which were provided loans at an amount of AMD
2.3 mlrd by banks. In five years 1524 families were given financial
assistance for housing construction, purchase or repair. They were
provided a bank amount of AMD 9.9 mlrd in tote, AMD 925.5 mln of which
was subsidized by the Investment Fund.

By the initiative of the NKR government the Artsakh Investment Fund
carried out some research work towards bringing the hypothecary
crediting purchase of flats to more affordable terms. They worked out
some possible variants. Without revealing the details Artak Mirzoyan
noted that soon the changes would become known to the public and
assured that they would be for the citizens’ benefit.

The fund also implements housing construction programmes and plans to
acquire the newly built housing stock in Stepanakert. And this housing
stock will enable to make the new flats more affordable excluding any
deals with foreign currency.

Who will answer for pollution of rivers?

01:08 PM | TODAY | SOCIAL

The basin of the Debed River is not famous for the purity of its
waters. Our clean mountain rivers are currently polluted with heavy
metals and toxic compounds. Lori region residents use this water to
irrigate their gardens and fields. The cattle drinks this water, which
results in heavy metals getting into dairy products and vegetables
grown in the fields and finally get into human organism.

Under the data of the Environmental Impact Monitoring Center, Deved,
Pambak, Dzoraget, Martsaget and Akhtaka Rivers are polluted with
aluminum, vanadium, chrome, zinc, copper and iron. While the section
of Akhtala River mouth is so polluted with manganese, copper and zinc
that they exceed the maximum permissible concentration, 200.7, 247.6
and 395 times, respectively. The concentration of aluminum in this
section of the river exceeds MPC by 14.7 times, while the
concentration of one of the most toxic elements, cadmium, exceeds MPC
by 7.4 times.

It should be noted that the main cause of the river pollution with
heavy metals is mining industry. The representatives of mining
industry in Lori Region are Akhtala Ore Processing Combine, Alaverdi
Copper Smelting Plant, “Teghout” CJSC and “Sagamar” CJSC, EcoLur NGO
reports.

APA, Azerbaijan
March 4 2013

Nagorno Karabakh separatists announce Khojaly airport will not be
opened unless security is ensured

[ 04 March 2013 18:32 ]

Baku. Victoria Dementeva – APA. Armenia has given up its initiative to
restore flights in Khojaly airport, APA reports.

`Foreign minister of the separatist regime’ Karen Mirzoyan told
Armenian journalists that the flights from Khojaly airport will not be
resumed unless their technical security is fully ensured.

Mirzoyan did not announce exact date for the opening of airport: `I
can not say exact date. Restoration of the airport entered the final
stage last year. Our goal is to avoid man-made hazards as much as
possible. We consider that the airport should ensure maximum safety of
the passengers. Airport’s normal operation will be resumed after all
terms are ensured.’

APA, Azerbaijan
March 4 2013

Azerbaijan’s ambassador to US calls on Jewish community not to
demonstrate pro-Armenian position

[ 04 March 2013 12:35 ]

American Israel Public Affairs Committee discussed the relations with Azerbaijan

Washington. N. Kazimova – APA. `I call on the members of the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to address the congressmen
representing their states and not to fall under the influence of
pro-Armenian lobby groups,’ said Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the US
Elin Suleymanov addressing the AIPAC annual meeting, APA’s Washington
correspondent reports.

`Azerbaijan fulfils commitments undertaken in the relations with
Israel. We would like the AIPAC members representing Israel’s
interests in the US and the politicians, who are close to us, not to
demonstrate pro-Armenian or anti-Azerbaijani positions.’

As an example, the ambassador noted the attempts made by congressman
Berman, who is supported by AIPAC members, to prevent the delivery of
naval equipments produced by the US to Azerbaijan. Though, Azerbaijan
has no sea border with Armenia, congressman Berman claims that
Azerbaijan can use the above-mentioned equipments against Armenia. He
also mentioned that due to attempts of senator Menendez the US failed
to appoint ambassador to Azerbaijan for year and a half.

Charles Perkins supported this call and noted that it is important to
mention these issues at the meetings with US Congressmen.

Ultimate-Guitar.Com
March 4 2013

Tony Iommi Writes Armenian Eurovision Song

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has written the Armenian entry to
this year’s Eurovision song content, it has been revealed.

The song “Lonely Planet” performed by Dorians, which you can hear in
the player below, was selected in a national Armenian vote, and will
appear in the live Eurovision semifinals on May 14 and 16, with the
final to follow on May 18.

UG plus: remove banner

Iommi’s role as a songwriter alongside lyricist Vardan Zadoyan has
been kept secret until now.

Iommi has apparently spent a lot of time in Armenia after falling in
love with the country, according to Blabbermouth who report that Iommi
has dedicated a lot of work alongside friend and Deep Purple singer
Ian Gillan in the country, which is still recovering from a
devastating earthquake in 1988.

Meanwhile, Iommi and the rest of Black Sabbath are putting the final
touches to their long-awaited new album “13”, due in June.

You can hear the song “Lonely Planet” being performed by Dorians here:

Independent European Daily Express, UK
March 4 2013

In Arms in a Forgotten War

Monday, March 4, 2013 – 10:44Inter Press Service

STEPANAKERT (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Caucasus), Mar 04 (IPS) – A
Soviet-era 4×4 snores down the muddy road to the frontline. It’s
another foggy day in the flatlands east of the borders of the tiny and
once autonomous region Nagorno-Karabakh, sandwiched between Armenia
and Azerbaijan.

The capital, Stepanakert (population 50,000), is 30 kilometres west.
Azerbaijan capital Baku is 400 km east and Armenian capital Yerevan
350 km west. The region is populated by Armenians.

Agdam town here is in ruins. Once home to 30,000 people, it was minced
in the conflict between Armenians and Azeris in days of the Soviet
Union. In 1936 dictator Joseph Stalin gave the region to Azerbaijan
republic of then Soviet Union. Following its break-up, people in the
region demanded greater autonomy from Azerbaijan. At the time,
Armenians were 75 percent of the 190,000 population living in the
11,500 square kilometres region, deep in the Caucasus range, 2,400 km
south of Moscow.

They accused Baku of `Azerization’, and wanted to join the newly
independent Armenia. When eventually they proclaimed an independent
Nagorno-Kharabakh Republic (NKR), Azerbaijan sent in its tanks.

Between 1992 and 1993, 70 percent of NKR was conquered by Azeri
forces. Armenians counter-attacked, retook almost all the lost ground,
pushed on, and cut into Azeri territory a buffer zone a few kilometres
deep. Azeris kept control of a small northern province.

The war cost 30,000 lives and led to a million refugees, almost
equally divided between the two sides. The war officially never ended
and the armies are still there, on the same 1994 ceasefire line.

`No photos here, please,’ the lieutenant from the NKR Defence Force,
as the army is officially called, tells us on our way to the ceasefire
line. He salutes his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Arzvik, a
solidly built 45-year-old man with green eyes, two gold teeth and a
hunting rifle.

`You’re lucky. With today’s fog, there won’t be any snipers,’ says
Arzvik. `Yesterday our soldiers got shot twice but our adversary
missed the mark. No snipers today, but keep your head down anyway.’

He points to a road ahead. `This leads to Baku. But we stay here as we
have for the last 19 years, since the ceasefire. We are not interested
in conquering Azeri land. We’ll keep our positions as long as
necessary and not one day more.’

The trenches remind one of those in World War I: mud walls covered
with chunks of cement, and a small concrete post where soldiers sleep
after their night sentry duty. Ak-47s and other weapons stand in one
corner, next to a stove with a kettle. Wires with empty cans tied to
them run along the outer perimeter. `If they come, we hear them,’ says
Arzvik. `We have more modern devices, but these are actually very
effective.’

`Conscripts stay in the army two years,’ Arzvik says. `But if we are
attacked, everyone in NKR will take up arms. Just like we did in
1991.’

The soldiers, barely out of their teens, seem efficient: guns cleaned,
ammunition ready, warm winter uniforms and new boots. It is clear that
most of them would rather be looking for a job or studying. They are
the first generation of a republic of 150,000 citizens, with its own
parliament, president, visas and ministries – that no one has
recognised.

The economy relies on Armenian diaspora money, without any foreign
direct investment or aid. The only way in and out is a mountain road
thru Armenia along the Tamerlan Pass, 2,500 metres high. Local
authorities want to reopen the only airport in the region on the
outskirts of Stepanakert, closed since 1992. But Azerbaijan has
threatened to shoot down any plane landing in NKR.

A lot of workers move to Armenia to find better wages. The local
average monthly wage is around 200 dollars.

International NGOs are all but absent, with the exception of The Halo
Trust, a British NGO engaged in demining. Since the end of the war in
1994, more than 350 people have been killed or injured by mines or
cluster munitions. The Halo Trust estimates it will take another five
years to complete clearing operations. In the last two years, its
local staff has been reduced by half, from 280 to 140 people.

Peace-building attempts by the Minsk Group, a diplomatic task force
created in 1992 by The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) co-chaired by the U.S., France and Russia stalled in
2011. Russian president then and now Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev
brokered a meeting between Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in Kazan in Russia. The summit
failed, prompting a further round of cross-blame.

Stranded in a political limbo, people from NKR are rebuilding capital
Stepanakert and their villages in the mountains, where the scars of
war are still deep. In the confrontation between the two battling
neighbours, they have neither the advantages of the quickly
transforming EU-oriented Armenian economy, nor the benefits of the oil
bonanza of Azerbaijan.

The conflict has become irrelevant to the world. When it started at
the end of the 1980s, it was used and watched as a detonator for
Soviet collapse. The U.S. Congress in 1989 and the EU Parliament in
1993 approved resolutions supporting Nagorno-Karabakh people’s right
to self-determination. Once the Soviet Union fell apart, few gave a
thought to these people.

This could be a crucial year. On Feb. 18 Armenians re-elected Serzh
Sargsyan as president of their republic of 3.5 million citizens, with
some doubts over the fairness of the electoral process. He wants to
settle the issue by `creative’ confidence building steps.

Baku, meanwhile, is using its oil wealth to court international
support for its claims. Aliyev, facing elections in October this year,
could be tempted by national pride card to harness more support from
an increasingly dissatisfied 10 million citizens. This could translate
into a more offensive attitude on the Azeri side of the frozen
frontline manned by Arzvik and his young soldiers.