Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

VivaCell-MTS announces the completion of renovation works of Dilijan
Art School

2008-11-28 12:43:00

ArmInfo. VivaCell-MTS, a subsidiary of Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (NYSE:
MBT), announces the completion of renovation works of Dilijan Art
School.

As the Company’s press service told ArmInfo, the school renovation
included the stage, rest rooms, rooftop, as well as the facade of the
building. On top of that, a heating system was installed. This project
was accomplished thanks to the VivaCell-MTS’ AMD 33.2 million of social
investment.

Dilijan Art School after Honored Art worker, painter Hovhannes
Sharambeyan, has not seen any renovation since the date of its
foundation in 1970. VivaCell-MTS extended hand for support out of the
belief that this will revive this long forgotten school. And now, after
undergoing total interior and exterior renovation, the school marks its
new beginning. "By encouraging our children to embrace art, we preserve
our self-identity by means of engaging in arts, and we pass on our
heritage to the younger generation. We can’t be indifferent to the
annoying fact that many young Armenians are now at the risk of
forgetting their heritage and culture", – VivaCell-MTS General Manager
Ralph Yirikian noted.

The rejuvenated educational institution will from now on carry out its
traditional mission using modern approaches. It will care for the
preservation and development of national traditions in the sphere of
decorative-applied arts and fine arts. The school will again host the
disintegrated hobby and creative groups.

No doubt, nowadays the rebirth of this kind of educational institution
is of paramount importance for all communities of Armenia, and this was
the major argument for VivaCell-MTS to invest in the Art School in
Dilijan, a small town of hospitable people surrounded by wonderful
forests.

Hürriyet, Turkey
Nov 27 2008

Armenian diaspora piles pressure on Obama over 1915 incidents

The Armenian diaspora is set to pile pressure on U.S. president-elect
Barack Obama to recognize the "genocide" claims over the 1915
incidents, as Turkish officials plan counter-measures.

Hurriyet reported on Thursday the diaspora organizations in the
U.S. had prepared a comprehensive plan to have Obama define the 1915
incidents as "genocide" in a speech due to be delivered on April 24
and to have U.S. Congress approve legislation formally recognizing the
Armenian claims.

Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million of
their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in Turkey in 1915.

Around 300,000 Armenians, along with at least as many Turks, died in
civil strife that emerged when Armenians took up arms, backed by
Russia, for independence in eastern Anatolia in 1915. Armenia claims
the incidents that occurred during the civil strife were systematic
"genocide".

Turkey has offered to form a joint commission to investigate the
claims and reveal the truth behind the turmoil of 1915 and to open all
official archives, but Armenia has continually dragged its feet on
accepting the offer.

NEW LEGISLATIVE PUSH IN FEBRUARY

The diaspora organizations are planning a renewed attempt in
U.S. Congress for a legislation that recognizes the 1915 incidents as
"genocide" in February, Hurriyet reported.

The report said Armenian organizations are also trying to block the
appointment to the new Obama administration of politicians who
disagree with the Armenian claims.

The newly elected president had pledged to recognize the claims during
his campaign to woo voters of Armenian-origin.

However the possibility of Armenian organizations succeeding is seen
as low given the fact that Obama is not the first president to have
pledged to recognize the claims but refrained from doing so after
taking office.

A Turkish official told Hurriyet that Ankara would take all the
necessary steps to prevent these efforts from achieving their
aim. "They cannot do this easily… We even can stop the U.S. from
utilizing Turkish capabilities in its operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan," the official was quoted as saying by Hurriyet.

Officials also say Turkey would be in a key position as Obama is set
to change his country’s foreign policy especially in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Therefore Obama would not want to have problems with
Turkey, they add.

The possible appointment of Hillary Clinton to Secretary of State is
also considered by officials as positive for Turkey.

UPCOMING CONGRESS HOLDS PROMISE, HURDLES FOR VALLEY LAWMAKERS
By Michael Doyle

McClatchy Washington Bureau
html
Nov 26 2008
DC

WASHINGTON — San Joaquin Valley lawmakers are maneuvering amid
the fallout from the November election. They’re adapting their 2009
agendas to fit a new president, a reconfigured Congress and a chaotic
economy. They face a complicated political environment filled with
high hurdles, fresh openings and no guarantees of success.

"Nothing happens around here without obstacles," noted Rep. George
Radanovich, R-Mariposa.

Valley conservatives, including Radanovich, hope once more to revise
the Endangered Species Act on behalf of farmers and ranchers. This a
long shot, as similar efforts have collapsed since 1995. All Valley
lawmakers want to see an official Armenian genocide commemoration. That
has a chance, given President-elect Barack Obama’s stated support. And
every lawmaker has at least one pet project they want to pursue.

"With the new president-elect, it’s going to create an opportunity
for federal support for high-speed rail," Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno,
said when asked for his new year’s agenda.

High-speed rail illustrates how the post-election shakeout hits
on Capitol Hill and at home. It’s a longstanding love for Costa,
buttressed by California voters’ recent approval of a $10 billion
bond measure for what’s ultimately foreseen as an 800-mile, $45
billion project.

Congress, with more Democrats coming on board and with Obama’s
blessing, will now craft an ambitious economic stimulus package. Costa
wants high-speed rail funding included, and Obama sounds like he
could be sympathetic.

"Why aren’t we building high speed rail in America … putting people
back to work, saving on energy?" Obama said, encouragingly, while
campaigning in Michigan in September. "Why aren’t we doing that?"

The economic stimulus bill appears likely to total roughly $500
billion, providing lawmakers myriad opportunities to shovel in
other local projects as well. It will face conservative opposition
— Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, is already warning against a bill
"that’s just a grab bag" — but it also enjoys considerable legislative
momentum.

The economic stimulus bill, moreover, will be only one mark in the
new 111th Congress.

Within a few weeks of Congress returning on Jan. 3, for instance,
lawmakers anticipate the Senate will approve a massive public lands
bill that includes legislation to restore the San Joaquin River.

The bill will fund channel improvements and other work needed to
get water flowing below Friant Dam next year, with salmon being
reintroduced by 2013. Even opponents of the ambitious river restoration
bill now concede it’s likely to pass.

"That’s going to be done shortly, unless something happens between
now and January," Nunes predicted unhappily.

Another big San Joaquin Valley water push is expected in January,
when Costa said he and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein will introduce
a bill targeting irrigation drainage on the Valley’s west side.

This complicated and inevitably controversial bill would turn the San
Luis Reservoir over to the Westlands Water District and forgive the
district’s multimillion-dollar debt to U.S. taxpayers. In exchange, the
water district would assume the expensive responsibility of cleaning up
the drainage. A bill like this could take a very long time to complete.

In still other cases, national priorities will be felt locally. Nunes,
for instance, anticipates a lot of work on health care, as a member
of the powerful House committee that oversees much of the industry.

Personnel shifts will shape agendas, though not necessarily in
predictable ways.

Obama never campaigned in the Valley, and neither Costa nor Rep. Dennis
Cardoza, D-Merced, endorsed him early when it might have incited the
most reciprocal loyalty. On the other hand, the Valley can claim some
hooks into Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.

Emanuel formerly served as political director for the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee under Merced County native Tony
Coelho. That was 22 years ago, so the thread may be slight, but Valley
representatives could still tug on it.

"He really learned politics in Tony’s shop," Cardoza noted. "He
understands the Valley."

The new White House liaison to Congress, Phil Schiliro, has a more
immediate California connection, through several decades of working
for Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles. Cardoza was only half joking
when he said he knows at least the White House will now be returning
phone calls.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein expects to become the new chair of
the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, but none of the Valley’s
House members anticipate making committee changes or gaining new
chairmanships in the new Congress.

"I don’t think my role is going to change all that much," Cardoza
said, though "the speaker (of the House) has indicated there are some
projects she would like me to pursue."

Agendas, moreover, will be shaped by what others do. In a Capitol
Hill coup, Los Angeles Democrat Henry Waxman gained chairmanship
of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee. Waxman is an
aggressive regulator of industry.

"It signifies a turn to the left on issues of global warming and
energy," Radanovich predicted.

POLITICIAN: "IF TURKEY SEES NO TERRITORIAL DEMANDS ARE SET…GENOCIDE WILL BE RECOGNIZED"

Panorama.am
18:13 26/11/2008

"If we don’t know what we want when rising Genocide problem, how the
Turkish could know?" said politician Ervand Bozoyan, talking about
the issue whether Turkey will recognize Armenian Genocide. In this
regard Turkey has fears, and they accept the fact that thousands
people were died but they don’t use the term Genocide, being afraid
of its legal aftermaths.

According to the politician economic, political, journalistic, cultural
dialogue should be established among us. "If they understand that we
have put no territorial demands before them, I guess, that sooner or
later they will recognize Genocide," said the politician.

THE PARTY’S OVER FOR CHEATING ORGANISER: COURT BATTLE EXPOSES OVERCHARGING AT 800,000 EVENT AT ELTON JOHN’S HOME
by Rajeev Syal

The Observer
November 23, 2008
England

THE EXTRAVAGANT spending of Britain’s rich and famous has been
revealed in the High Court, where the organiser of some of Britain’s
most lavish parties was shown to be a cheat who regularly overcharged
his stellar list of clients.

Matthew James had become one of Britain’s most famous fixers with a
series of outlandish events. He sent giraffes and zebras to wander
among guests at a garden party thrown by Elton John, recreated an
airport to celebrate Kevin Spacey’s term at the Old Vic, and held
an open-air dinner for Stella McCartney in a forest lit with 2,000
candles.

But his award-winning company, DNA Productions (Europe), has been wound
up after a High Court battle over the cost of an £ 800,000 party in
the grounds of John’s mansion. The judge ruled that the company had
grossly overcharged one client and routinely concealed the true costs
of events to others.

James came to prominence in 2001 after organising the White Tie
and Tiara Ball in the grounds of John’s 37-acre pile in Windsor,
Berkshire. Over four years, he organised the annual charity event
attended by guests including Puff Daddy, Michael Caine and Ronnie Wood
with a variety of glittering themes. At one, based on an 18th-century
Fragonard painting of a girl on a swing, staff wore powdered wigs and
Swarovski created a secret crystal garden in the woods. In 2005 James
entertained hundreds of guests with a menagerie of safari animals.

His company went bust after he was ordered to pay £ 100,000 to
Armenian-born property tycoon Rafi Manoukian by the High Court. Mr
Justice Evans-Lombe found that James had launched a ‘campaign of
concealment’ over the cost of a joint birthday and christening party
that was held by Manoukian at John’s home. Guests, including David
and Victoria Beckham, dined in an £ 80,000 marquee.

Manoukian, who with his brother Bob is believed to be worth more than
£ 250m, had expected DNA to charge a 12.5 per cent management fee
and take commissions from suppliers of up to £ 16,000 for the lavish
party. But when he received the full £ 827,761 bill, he believed that
the company had been unfair in raising costs and had failed to pass
on discounts offered by suppliers.

His suspicions were confirmed when an assistant at DNA accidentally
sent a list detailing the real costs of supplies and services to
his office. Manoukian, 52, refused to pay the full bill. James took
his case to the High Court demanding an outstanding payment of over
£ 200,000.

Documents emerged in court showing the full scale of the
‘impropriety’. James and a former employee of DNA admitted that
the company had a policy of concealing suppliers’ discounts from
all their clients. Evidence showed that James had taken at least £
50,000 in discounts from Manoukian’s party which he had not passed
on to his client.

One email, from James’s assistant and event producer Victoria Smith
to a supplier, said: ‘When you do quote, could you also just include
10 per cent commission to us hidden in the quote? We have to show
the client all our invoices which is why we need the written quote
and also the commission included.’

In another email to a supplier, Smith wrote: ‘As discussed, attached
is a breakdown of how I need your quote laid out in order to show
Manoukian – so we can then get deposit [sic] from him! Where the
costs are higher, it’s because we have marked them up – your quote
should still show these as I have quoted to Manoukian but allowing
for a bit more commission for DNA. Does that make sense?!’

The judge said: ‘Matthew James accepted it was DNA’s practice
to conceal from its clients that it was receiving commissions or
discounts from some of its suppliers in addition to an event management
fee. . . It was Matthew James’s evidence that DNA’s practice was not
to record offers of commission or discounts from suppliers in writing,
as far as possible, and correspondence referring to such offers or
their payment was routinely deleted from DNA’s books and records.’

The judgment revealed that DNA went into voluntary liquidation last
June with debts of £ 389,892. The company’s staff have also been laid
off. James could not be contacted last week.

–Boundary_(ID_fJHRaboL4m4hRh4tCkMBEw)–

BAKU WILL NEVER BE CONTENT WITH YEREVAN’S CONCESSIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2008 16:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ If Azerbaijan wants resolution of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict it should abide by a policy envisaging ‘concession
for concession’. However, Baku has not matured for it yet, director
of the Armenian Genocide museum said.

"Baku wants more and more concessions from Yerevan but it’s obvious
that it will never be satisfied," Hayk Demoyan told a news conference
in Yerevan today.

When commenting on Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Bacacan’s statement
that Turkey and Azerbaijan can normalize relations with Armenia,
Mr Demoyan said, "I hope Ankara understood that time doesn’t work
for reconciliation."

"We have a good chance to normalize relations and we should not miss
it," Ali Bacacan was quoted by a Turkish news agency as saying.

IRAN, ARMENIA SIGN 10 AGREEMENTS ON SECURITY, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION

armradio.am
24.11.2008 11:47

Secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia Arthur
Baghdasaryan told reporters on Monday that Iran, Armenia inked ten
agreements on security, political and economic cooperation, IRNA
agency reported.

In a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Saeed Jalili, Baghdasaryan
said that his talks with the Iranian officials have been fruitful.

Referring to his talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as promising,
Baghdasaryan said that the two sides conferred on issues of mutual
interest.

He also expressed pleasure with his acquaintance with Iran’s Secretary
of the Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili as a professional
man.

The Armenian official said that Iran and Armenia are two friendly
countries determined to boost mutual ties in security, political and
economic fields as well as legal cooperation.

He extended his invitation to Jalili to visit Armenia.

Meanwhile, Jalili said that Tehran and Yerevan enjoy longstanding
historical and friendly ties; therefore, they can develop those ties.

He added that the two countries would promote mutual relations and
hold consultations on international and regional cooperation as well.

Jalili said that the two sides’ talks focused on paving the way for
cooperation based on mutual interest.

Baghdasaryan arrived in Tehran on Sunday and was accorded formal
welcome by his Iranian counterpart.

Iranian Students News Agency ISNA, Iran
Nov 23 2008

Bullies’ failure speeds up global developments: President

TEHRAN, Nov. 23 (ISNA)-The ground has been prepared for acceleration
of regional and global developments by failure of bullying policies,
stated Iran’s President on Sunday.

Meeting with the Secretary of Armenian National Security Council,
Arthur Baghdasaryan, in Tehran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said `failure of
policies and interventions of bullying powers have paved the way for
speed up of regional and global developments.’

He then emphasized that it is necessary to increase mutual cooperation
of regional countries including Iran and Armenia in order to preserve
security and employ the situation in favor of nations.

Baghdasaryan on his part noted that Iran is influential in
establishing security and peace in the region while emphasizing Iran’s
partnership in significant domains of Caucasus is necessary.

Armenia seeks to promote ties with Iran in different spheres including
economy, politic, security and defense, he added.

ARPA INSTITUTE
18106 Miranda St., Tarzana CA 91356
Phone/Fax (818) 881-0010
Presents: Lecture/Seminar
Subject: "Whitewashed, `Whiteness’ in American History, with a special
focus on Middle-Easterners"
By: John Tehranian
Thursday December 11, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
Merdinian Auditorium, 13330 Riverside Dr, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Directions: On the 101 FY Exit on Woodman, Go North and Turn Right on
Riverside Dr.
Abstract: Throughout American history, racial classifications have
wielded exceptional influence. For example, until 1952, federal law
provided naturalization rights only to individuals who were white or
black, but nothing `in-between.’ During the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries, a wave of new immigration from non-Anglo-Saxon
countries arrived on our shores. As a result, the American legal
system was forced to confront the task of defining what or who
constituted the white race for the purposes of naturalization.
Litigation over the concept of whiteness resulted, yielding
life-altering consequences. While the trials often grew senseless,
with judges delving into the depths of antiquity, reconstructing
history, and spouting rigid ideologies in order to justify their
rulings, the reification of whiteness had a profound impact on shaping
the immigrant experience in the United States.
Armenians played a central role in these cases. And the Armenian
struggle for naturalization rights and `white’ recognition is critical
to understanding the processes at play in the social construction of
race. By drawing upon these cases, Tehranian’s talk assesses the
historical and contemporary relevance of whiteness in American
society, with a particular eye towards the war on terrorism and the
debate over immigration, assimilation, and our national identity,
especially after 9/11. Specifically, he discusses the peculiar
problems of race that continue to plague us and how they affect
Armenian and Middle-Eastern Americans. He also addresses the unusual
Catch-22 facing Middle-Eastern Americans: Although considered white by
law, and therefore ineligible for any policies benefiting minorities,
they have faced rising degrees of discrimination over time’a fact
highlighted by recent targeted immigration policies, racial profiling,
a war on terrorism with a decided racialist bent, and growing rates of
job discrimination and hate crime.
John Tehranian is a Professor of Law and Director of the Entertainment
Law Program at Chapman University School of Law. He has previously
served as Professor of Law at the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney
College of Law, and as Visiting Professor of Law at Loyola Law
School. A graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School, he is
the author of numerous works on race, civil rights, and constitutional
law. A frequent commentator on legal issues for the broadcast and
print media, Tehranian has appeared on such television programs as
ABC’s Nightline and has been quoted as an expert on legal issues in
such publications as The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, Financial
Times, Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter and Christian Science
Monitor. He has also served as an expert witness in numerous
intellectual property and civil rights infringement suits and is an
experienced entertainment and intellectual property litigator, having
represented prominent Hollywood, publishing, new media and technology
clients at O’Melveny & Myers LLP and Turner Green Afrasiabi & Arledge
LLP.
Tehranian’s scholarship focuses on the interface between law and
culture, with a particular focus on issues of intellectual property,
entertainment and race. He is the author of the book Whitewashed:
America’s Invisible Middle Eastern Minority (New York University
Press, 2008), an analysis of the social and legal construction of race
and the malleable concept of whiteness through history, and the
forthcoming book Infringement Nation (2010), an examination of
copyright pervasiveness and reform in the digital age.
For information, please call Dr. Hagop Panossian at (818) 881-0010 or
e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected].

FRENCH MEPS ADVISED NOT TO DEAL WITH HISTORY

Today’s Zaman
Nov 20 2008
Turkey

A report drawn up by a committee of academics has concluded that the
French legislature should not make decisions concerning historical
issues or the content of history textbooks, Turkey’s NTV news channel
said yesterday.

The committee was established in March by the French National Assembly,
the lower house of the French Parliament, which in October 2006 adopted
a bill that made it a crime to deny that Ottoman Turks committed
"genocide" against Anatolian Armenians during World War I, despite
Ankara’s protests and a warning that this would "poison" the deeply
rooted relations between the two countries.

Having been approved by the national assembly, the genocide bill
is still pending before the senate, the upper house of the French
Parliament.

The report said if the parliament needed to make decisions on
historical issues, then these decisions should only be binding for
the parliament itself, not for the state. However, the report also
advised that previously adopted laws on historical subjects be left
as they are.

The bill adopted in 2006 mandates up to three years in jail for
those who dispute claims that Armenians were subjected to genocide
during World War I. It has angered Turkey, which categorically denies
the genocide charges and says the killings came when the Armenians
revolted against the Ottoman Empire in collaboration with the invading
Russian army.