Author: Toneyan Mark

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

AGBU Camp Nubar Wraps Up 46th Summer with New Director & Record-Breaking
Attendance

On August 15, 2009, after six weeks of traditional and new activities,
fun, and friendships old and new, Camp Nubar finished its 46th season in
the Catskill Mountains located in the scenic Hudson Valley of upstate
New York.

After 16 previous summers as a camper and counselor, Jennifer Omartian
led a highly qualified staff as a first-time director, not only keeping
camp traditions alive, but creating several novel cultural, athletic,
artistic and social activities.

This summer, Camp Nubar also witnessed several new ground improvements,
made possible through funds raised during the Camp’s 45th-anniversary
event in 2008. Over $90,000 was raised for improvements in the camp
drainage systems and roofing. The money also allowed for the purchase of
a new motor boat, kayaks, outdoor ping-pong tables, MacBook Pro
computers (for digital video editing), and digital kilns for ceramic
classes.

Counselors arrived a week before campers did for a special "pre-camp"
training session, which included extensive Red Cross, First Aid, CPR,
and life-saving instruction. Counselors hailed from across the United
States, but also as far afield as Lebanon, Turkey, France, Ireland and
Canada.

The first-session campers, many of whom had traveled from Canada,
arrived at the beginning of July to officially start the summer season.
Three weeks later, the second session began and featured a mid-summer
Open House visitor event, where family, friends and many Camp Nubar
alumni reconnected over Armenian food, dance performances, a waterfront
exhibition and a basketball game played by campers and staff. Camp ended
with a recording-breaking 140 campers for the third session, which
featured the highlights of Color War and a banquet.

New activities this summer included aerobics, advanced photography,
fishing, water polo, Armenian cooking and group fitness. "Dancing with
the Staff," a spin-off of the popular television show "Dancing with the
Stars," added an exciting new twist to the evening activities schedule.
The Canteen, or camp store, featured new improvements, including
healthier snack selections, such as Vitamin Water and granola bars, and
fashionable camp gear.

"Camp Nubar was amazing this year," said camper Brenda Yazujian from
Philadelphia. "There were many new activities added to make our days
even more fun. I wasn’t bored once this summer!"

Traditional camp events like weekend dances, with Luau, Hoe Down and
Hollywood themes, continued to be camper favorites. In addition,
campfires, talent shows, lip syncs, scavenger hunts, capture the flag,
ultimate frisbee, olympics, basketball and tennis tournaments, certified
horseback riding, arts and crafts, ceramics, Armenian history and
language lessons, archery instruction, and sports competitions with
other local camps remained popular daily activities. There were weekly
visits from clergy for religious services, including Rev. Fr. Taniel
Karadjian, Rev. Fr. Bedros Kadehjian, Rev. Fr. Kapriel Mouradjian, Rev.
Fr. Stepanos Doudoukjian, Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan and His
Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern).

A highlight of the summer, known as "Color War," is a competition which
encompasses athletics, team spirit, chariot races, the arts, Armenian
language and dance, trivia, music and choreographed cheers. From the
start of summer, campers and counselors eagerly await the surprise
kick-off of Color War, in which the camp is divided into two teams, blue
and gold, for a fun-filled contest that lasts three days. This year, the
Blue Werewolves, led by generals Arno Isnar and Maral Varolian, and
captains Dan Sahakian and Audrey Demirjian, trumped the Gold Warriors,
led by generals Armen Shamamian and Tamar Merjian, and captains Anthony
Antreasyan and Andrea Afrikian. In true camp tradition, as soon as the
competition ended, blue and gold teams made green peace over a shaving
cream fight and water activities by the waterfront.

"Camp Nubar ’09 was one of the most special things I’ve ever been a part
of," said Daniel Antreasyan, the assistant director. "We had a ton of
talented counselors who made it a priority to make sure the campers got
the most of their experience and that they left wanting more."

For the first time this year, Camp Nubar has created multimedia
materials, including a camp newsletter, cabin photographs, and
slideshow, which are available on the camp website:
Counselors have also started a Twitter account,
, and a Facebook group, which will allow
campers to follow camp updates and happenings all year long.

Founded in 1963, AGBU Camp Nubar is a first-rate modern facility that
has been highly ranked by the American Camp Association, American Red
Cross, and American Academy of Pediatrics. For more information about
AGBU Camp Nubar, please visit , email
[email protected], or call 212-319-6383.

For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit

Tert.am
12:07 05.10.09

Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s Jewish Origins Revealed

A photograph of the Iranian president holding up his identity card
during elections in March 2008 clearly shows his family has Jewish
roots, reported the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph.

A close-up of the document reveals he was previously known as
Sabourjian – a Jewish name meaning cloth weaver.

The short note scrawled on the card suggests his family changed
its name to Ahmadinejad when they converted to embrace Islam after
his birth.

Experts suggested Ahmadinejad’s track record for hate-filled attacks
on Jews could be an overcompensation to hide his past.

Ali Nourizadeh, of the Centre for Arab and Iranian Studies, said:
"This aspect of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s background explains a lot about
him. Every family that converts into a different religion takes a
new identity by condemning their old faith."

Ahmadinejad has regularly levelled bitter criticism at Israel,
questioned its right to exist and denied the Holocaust. A number of
diplomats walked out of a UN meeting last month after the Iranian
president denounced Israel’s ‘genocide, barbarism and racism.’

DIASPORA SHOULD BACK ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH: RA PRESIDENT

News.am
11:26 / 10/05/2009

In the frames of Pan-Armenian tour, RA President Serzh Sargsyan met
with the Diaspora representatives of the Canada and U.S. Eastern
cost in New York. Nagorno-Karabakh Former President and RA
Ambassador-at-Large Arkadi Ghukasyan, the VP of Hayastan fund Board
of Trustees Gagik Harutyunyan, as well as Diaspora Minister Hranush
Hakobyan participated.

Commenting on Armenian-Turkish relations, Sargsyan underlined that
Armenia advances in the establishment of relations with Turkey without
any preconditions. "I consider that we gained maximum for the time
being," he said in response to the statement whether it was possible
to elaborate pro-Armenian document more thoroughly.

Sargsyan stated that after August 2008 war (in South Ossetia) new
situation established in the region that to some extent conduced
to Armenia-Turkey dialogue progress. It was dawned to everyone
what threats unsettled conflicts can fraught, particular to the
security of the peaceful and prosperous future of the nations. RA
President is certain, that Armenia-Turkey reconciliation will
assist the reduction of overall tension in the region and creation
of confidence. Speaking of the border opening consequences, Sargsyan
emphasized the appropriate services carried out research on the issue
and the work in some directions is underway. The President noted it
is impossible to forecast all risks and challenges of the potential
scenario development. Emphasizing that many people voice concern
about the situation, President reminded of the fear expressed in
the period when "we voted for Armenia’s independence." "Back then
many apprehended the Armenia’s future. Same with our struggle for
NKR self-determination, when not all counts were made and fears were
there. However we believed in our objectives and succeeded," Sargsyan
pointed out.

The President finds concerns over Turkey’s economic expansion after
border opening groundless, stating that Armenia has sufficient
techniques and mechanisms, including legislative ones to tackle
these problems.

According to him, the Genocide will not be discussed in the context
of Armenia-Turkey rapprochement. "The only matter of a possible
discussion related to Genocide is how to help Turkish people to be
more impartial towards their history, in particular how to overcome
Genocide consequences," Sargsyan stated.

Regardless of the Protocols’ content, participants were unanimous
that Diaspora should back Artsakh and Armenia. President resumed,
what matters is that we managed to reach a consensus at this critical
moment. "I believe in Armenia’s bright future, as I see the right path
through," Serzh Sargsyan concluded, calling on Diaspora to support
firm steps of the Motherland.

GEORGIA HOSTED MEETING ON BORDER DELIMITATION AND DEMARCATION ISSUES

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.10.2009 20:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Georgia and Armenia should start active dialogue
for coordinating approaches on border delimitation issues, stated
participants of meeting devoted to delimitation and demarcation of
Armenian-Georgian border.

Two countries’ delegations were headed by their Deputy FMs David
Jalangania (Georgia) and Shavarsh Kocharian (Armenia).

According to Georgian Foreign Ministry, "Experts were recommended
to submit concrete proposals, and parties stressed their desire to
start active dialogue for coordinating approaches to undelimited
border sections." Time and place of regular delegation meeting will
be agreed through diplomatic channels later, "Novosti Gruzia" reports.

October 1, 2009

IN MEMORIAM: KEVORK HOVNANIAN

Archbishop Oshagan expressed his deepest condolences to the family of
Kevork Hovnanian, humanitarian,
philanthropist, and business leader, who died on September 24 at New
York Presbyterian Hospital. He was 86.
The Prelate described Mr. Hovnanian as a true gentle man who quietly
supported causes close to his heart
with no expectations of recognition and honors.
"The Armenian Church and nation have lost a true patriot, and the
world has lost a compassionate and
generous benefactor. His name can never be erased from our collective
memory. His image will always remain alive and radiant," the Prelate
said.
Private funeral services took place on Monday, September 28, at
St. Stepanos Church in Elberon, New Jersey,
which Mr. Hovnanian built in honor of his mother. A public memorial
service will take place this Saturday, October 3, at 2 pm at
St. Vartan
Cathedral, New York City.
The Prelate and Religious and Executive Councils extend their
heartfelt sympathy to the entire Hovnanian family, including his
brothers

and sisters, and especially to his wife, Sirvart, their children
Sossi,
Esto, Ara, Lucy, and Nadia and their grandchildren.
May he rest in eternal peace with our Lord whom he served with so much
love and dedication.

PRELATE WILL TRAVEL TO DEARBORN ON SUNDAY

Archbishop Oshagan will travel to Dearborn, Michigan, this Sunday,
October 4. His Eminence will celebrate the Divine Liturgy and deliver
the sermon
at St. Sarkis Church and will preside over the parish’s anniversary
banquet following church services.
PRELATE MEETS WITH ARMENIA’S FOREIGN MINISTER

On Monday evening, Archbishop Oshagan met with Armenia’s Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbantyan at the Prelacy. Also present were Armenia’s
ambassador
to the United States, Tatul Markarian, and the representative to the
United Nations, Karen Nazarian. The dinner meeting focused on the
recent
situation regarding Turkey and Armenia.
PRELATE WILL ATTEND COMMUNITY MEETING WITH PRESIDENT

On Saturday, October 3, Archbishop Oshagan will join other community
leaders in meeting with Armenia’s president, Serzh Sargsyan, who is in
the
United States to meet with leaders to discuss the Armenia-Turkey
protocols.
PRELATE WILL DELIVER INVOCATION AT ACAA EVENT

Archbishop Oshagan will deliver the invocation at the third annual
banquet hosted by the Armenian Cultural Association of America
(Eastern Region),
this Saturday, October 3, at Espace, 635 West 42nd Street, New York
City. U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) will be presented with the
2009
Freedom Award. The 2009 Vahan Cardashian award will go to Mrs. Melanie
Kerneklian and Mr. Bedros Bandazian. Mark Geragos, Esq., is a special
guest.
The MC is David Krikorian, Congressional candidate from Ohio.
VICAR WILL TRAVEL TO OHIO

Bishop Anoushavan will travel to Ohio where this Sunday he will
celebrate the Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon at Holy Cross
Armenian Church,
North Royalton, Ohio.
VICAR WILL ATTEND WCC MEETINGS IN GREECE

Bishop Anoushavan, the Ecumenical Officer of North America, will leave
for Athens, Greece, this Monday where from October 6 to 14 he will be
attending the World Council of Church’s Faith & Order Plenary
Commission, "Called to be the One Church," at the Orthodox Academy of
Crete. As the
representative of the Oriental Orthodox Church he will chair the 9th
session on "Tradition and Traditions."

"LINKED IN" YOUTH WORKSHOP

The Prelacy’s second annual Linked In workshop weekend took place last
weekend from Friday to Sunday, at the Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual
Vineyard,
Charlton, Massachusetts. Forty-one young professionals and college
students from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and
Rhode
Island attended. The weekend was filled with education, spiritual
enrichment, and bonding with peers.

In recognition of the declaration by His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos
of the Holy See of Cilicia, designating 2009 as the "Year of the
Youth," the
workshops focused on the role of the youth in the leadership of the
Armenian Church and spirituality and mission in the lives of the
Armenian
youth.

Presentations were made by Professor Michael Papazian, Associate
Professor of Philosophy at Berry College, Rome, Georgia, regarding the
leadership structure in the Armenian Church and participation by the
youth in that structure; Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian provided an
understanding
of the Armenian Church’s place within the larger Christian community
with a presentation regarding the similarities and differences between
the
Armenian Church and the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. To
help the youth understand how they may use their faith to stand as
pillars of
both the Armenian Church and of their own Armenian families,
Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian spoke about the difficulties faced by
the younger
generations living in today’s society and ways to implement Christian
values in our home lives to counteract those difficulties. Yeretzgin
Margaret Stepanian, focused on both the philanthropic missionary work
the youth may participate in and the

A photo of the participants and lecturers.

A small discussion group.

Bishop Anoushavan and Hagop Khatchadourian, chairman of the Prelacy
Executive Council, with
participants from Rhode Island.

inner mission to strengthen our Christian faith in our daily lives.
Besides the enlightening lectures, the participants engaged in small
group discussion, a Bible study session
conducted by Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian, a spiritual fellowship hour
with sharagans and contemporary Christian songs led by Denise
Borekjian, and
meditations by Ani Nalbandian, Tamar Harutunian, and Jeanette
Nazarian.
Before the Divine Liturgy on Sunday which was celebrated by Rev. Fr.
Stephan Baljian, Bishop Anoushavan
presented a slide presentation on "Bible, Theology and Art in the
Divine Liturgy."

CLERGY MEDITATIONAL RETREAT

For the second year the clergy of the Prelacy came together for a
retreat The retreat began last Sunday evening and continued through
Wednesday,
following the Linked In weekend for young adults at the same location,
Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual Vineyard in Charlton, Massachusetts. The
general
discussion focused on Holy Week. The days were filled with fellowship
as well as prayer services, meditations, and Bible readings.

Clergy at Retreat in a group photo and during
discussion.

MIDWEST REGIONAL CONFERENCE

Last Saturday, St. Sarkis Church in Dearborn, Michigan hosted the
Mid-West Regional Conference. Archbishop Oshagan attended and presided
over
the conference which was successful and well-received. Parishes
participating were: St. Sarkis (Dearborn, MI), All Saints (Glenview,
IL), St.
Gregory the Illuminator (Granite City, IL), St. Paul (Waukegan, IL),
and St. Hagop (Racine, WI).

Presentations were made on the following topics: Spiritual Awakening
by V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Garabedian; Administrative Duties by John
Daghlian;
Sunday School/AREC by Deacon Shant Kazanjian; Armenian One Day School
by Dr. Mary Olson; Role of the Prelacy by Raffi Ourlian, and Board of
Trustees Guidelines by Stephen Hagopian.

"The purpose of the regional conferences is to strengthen parish and
prelacy communication and enhance parish development. This was the
second Mid-West

conference within the past year. The discussions resulted in many good
ideas and good suggestions were presented that the Executive Council
will review and decide on implementation," said Raffi Ourlian,
treasurer
of the Prelacy’s Executive Council.

MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL CONFERENCE IN OCTOBER

The Mid-Atlantic regional conference will be hosted by Sts. Vartanantz
Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, on Saturday, October 10.
TELEPHONE CONVERSATION BETWEEN ARAM I AND PRESIDENT SARGSYAN

His Holiness Aram I and H.E. Serge Sargsyan, the President of the
Republic of Armenia, held a telephone conversation on September
26. The President
will be visiting Lebanon in the coming weeks and will have a private
meeting with His Holiness.

Earlier in the week, His Holiness sent a letter to the President
expressing his concerns about the Turkey-Armenia protocols and urging
the
President to engage the entire Armenian nation in this critical
pan-national issue.
BIRDS NEST ORPHANAGE

The historic orphanage established by Danish missionaries during the
Genocide and later given to the Armenian Church continues to serve the
changing
needs of the community in the Diaspora. Sam Boyadjian was recently
appointed as the new director of the institution.

The Birds Nest is one of two Diasporan Armenian institutions (the
other is in Aleppo, Syria) that provides shelter for children who are
orphaned,
abandoned, or whose parents are unable to care for them. It is an
unending project because it constantly reinvents itself to best serve
the needs of
the children. The board members supervise and monitor the upkeep of
the buildings, the quality of living conditions, and the level of
education
given to the children. The Women’s Guild provides assistance as
volunteers.
GUROIAN KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT ST. VLADIMIR’S SEMINARY SATURDAY

Vigen Guroian, professor of Religious Studies in Orthodox Christianity
at the University of Virginia is the keynote speaker at St. Vladimir’s
Seminary this Saturday, October 3. Dr. Guroian is participating in the
Seminary’s Orthodox Education Day 2009 which is devoted to "God’s
green
earth: Ecology and Theology." Dr. Guroian will speak at 1 pm on the
topic "Ecological blessings from the Garden." He has written two books
on this
subject, Inheriting Paradise: Meditations on Gardening and The
Fragrance of God, both of which are available at the Prelacy’s
bookstore.

St. Vladimir’s is located at 575 Scarsdale Road, Yonkers, New York
10707-1659.
DAILY BIBLE READINGS

Bible readings for today, Thursday, October 1, are: Wisdom 6:11-21;
Jeremiah 17:7-8; Romans 8:18-26; John 16:1-4.

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They
shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by
the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall
stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not
cease to
bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

For listing of the coming week’s Bible readings click here
( y/PDF/dbr2009-10.pdf).
PRINCES SAHAK AND HAMAZASP

Today, Thursday, October 1, the Armenian Church commemorates the lives
of two princes: Sahak and Hamazasp. The two holy princes lived during
the
reign of Emperor Leo and Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople and
during the pontificate of Catholicos Nerses. It was a time of intense
Arab
domination. The governorship had been given to Hamazasp, who was from
the Ardzrouni dynasty. He had two brothers, Sahak and Merouzhan. All
three
were considered brave men and dedicated Christians, but there were
evil forces against them. The Arab leader, Harun, summoned them,
ostensibly in
friendship. Instead, when they came before him, the princes were given
a choice of forsaking their faith in Christ or being tortured to
death.
Merouzhan renounced Christ and was given authority to rule over the
province of Vasbouragan. Sahak and Hamazasp remained steadfast. Both
were
martyred.
72 HOLY DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

This Saturday, October 3, the Armenian Church commemorates the 72 Holy
Disciples of Christ. The reference comes from the Gospel of Luke,
Chapter
10, Verse 1: "After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent
them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself
intended
to go." (Some versions of the Gospel say 72, rather than 70).

The tradition of the church confirms that these disciples remained
true to the Lord and their calling, and spread the Gospel. They were
not random
choices, but rather true disciples whose labors carried the message of
the Lord throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. All of the saints are
remembered individually in the liturgical calendar of the church, but
this day is set aside to remember them collectively. The number 70 is
also
considered to be a reference to Genesis, which he speaks of 70 nations
of the world.
GORKY RETROSPECTIVE AT PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM

The Philadelphia Museum of Art will present a major traveling
retrospective celebrating the extraordinary life and work of Arshile
Gorky
(1904-1948). The first comprehensive survey of the work of this artist
in nearly three decades, Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective will
premier
at the Museum on October 21 and continue there until January 10,
2010. The exhibition will then travel to the Tate Modern, London
(Spring 2010) and
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (Summer 2010).
OCTOBER IS CULTURAL MONTH

October is a special month for Armenians. In the beginning of the
month (October 10) we celebrate the memory of the Translators of the
Holy
Bible.

In a message delivered October 10, 1982, by His Holiness Karekin II,
Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, he noted:

"Translators, in the precise and historical sense of the word, refer
to St. Sahag and St. Mesrob and their immediate disciples of the 5th
century
who translated the Holy Scriptures from Greek into Armenian…. But,
the word translators has acquired a wider sense in our Armenian
understanding; it refers to all such Church Fathers who in the course
of the past centuries made a marked contribution to the growth of
Armenian
culture taken in its entirety. It has become now a symbolic name which
is applied in this broadest sense to all those who translate God’s
Word to
God’s people particularly through their literary activities and
cultural services.

"This is why October has been proclaimed as The Month of Culture
(Meshagouytee Amees). This means that we are called to focus our
thinking on the value of culture in human life within our Armenian
communities around the world."
PRELACY MARKS CULTURAL MONTH WITH
INAUGURATION OF ONLINE COURSE IN ARMENIAN

Next week we will inaugurate an On-Line Course in Modern Western
Armenian which will be available to everyone. The on-line course was
developed by
Dr. Tom Samuelian with partial financial support from the Eastern
Prelacy. It will be accessible through our web page and can be used as
is or
combined with Dr. Samuelian’s pioneering textbook, A Course in Modern
Western Armenian, published by the Prelacy’s Armenian National
Education Committee, which was out of print but is now again available
at the Prelacy’s Bookstore. We will give you full information in next
week’s
Crossroads.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
October 1–Sts. Vartanantz Church (New Jersey), presents 7th annual
Golf Outing at River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey. $175
includes lunch, dinner, golf and contests. Come out and enjoy a great
day and
support the church. For information contact Mark, 201-483-3200.
October 10–Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference for Pastors, Boards of
Trustees, and NRA delegates at Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield,
New Jersey.
October 11–84th anniversary banquet of St. Stephen’s Church, New
Britain/Hartford, Connecticut at Indian Hill Country Club, 111 Golf
Street, Newington, Connecticut, at 12:30 pm. For information contact
the
church office at 860-229-8322.
October 15-18–Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda, Maryland, Food Festival
and Bazaar.
October 16-17–Annual Fall Fair Bazaar, St. Gregory Church, North
Andover, Massachusetts, Jaffarian Hall, 10 am to 8 pm.
October 17–National Association of Ladies Guilds (NALG) annual
conference at the Prelacy offices in New York City. Details will
follow.
October 18–St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia, Intercommunal Cultural
Celebration at Holy Trinity Church, Cheltenham, PA.
November 1–St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia, Sunday School Halloween
Party.
November 6–"On the Road," by Levon Shant, presented The Theater Group
of Hamazkayin, New York, directed by Dr. Herand Markarian. Sponsored
by the Armenian Relief Society Mayr Chapter, this performance is a
benefit for
St. Illuminator’s Armenian Day School. Performance begins at 8:35 pm
at the Armenian Center, 69-23 47th Ave., Woodside, New York. For
tickets
($25)
contact Sonia at 718-961-9550 or Alice at 516-676-6167.
November 6-7–St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia. Food
Festival.
November 6-7–St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 53rd
annual bazaar, 10 am to 9:30 pm at the ACEC, 47 Nichols Avenue,
Watertown. Delicious lamb, losh and chicken kebab, kheyma, kufta and
yalanchi. Meals
served from 11:30 am to 8:30 pm. Armenian pastries, gourmet foods,
arts & crafts, auction, raffles, and more.
November 7–Christmas Holiday Craft Fair, St. Gregory Church, North
Andover, Massachusetts, Jaffarian Hall, 10 am to 4 pm.
November 7 & 8–Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island,
largest Armenian Fest in New England. Saturday from 12 noon to 10
pm. Sunday 12 noon to 8 pm. Rhodes-on-the-Pawtucket, 60 Rhodes Place
(off
Broad
Street), Cranston, Rhode Island. Kebobs and kufta dinners, pastry,
raffles and more. Performance by the Armenian school dance group. Live
Armenian
music * dancing. For information, 401-831-6399.
November 14–Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda, Maryland, 45th anniversary
celebration.
November 20-21–Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Worcester,
Massachusetts,
Fall Fest 2009, Friday, November 20, 5 pm to 8 pm; Saturday, November
21, 10 am to 5 pm. Armenian delicacies and dinners. For information
508-852-2414.
November 20, 21, 22–Sts. Vartanantz Church (Ridgefield, New Jersey)
Annual Bazaar and Food Festival. Saturday night dancing with "Onnik
Dinkjian"; Sunday traditional kavourma dinner.
December 5–Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts,
annual bazaar. Come one, come all.
December 20–St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia. Sunday School
Christmas
Pageant.
December 31–St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia, Seroonian Community
Center New Year’s Eve celebration.
December 31–Sts. Vartanantz Church (Ridgefield, New Jersey), New
Year’s Eve Dinner-Dance. Details to follow.
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] (mailto:[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] (mailto:[email protected])

ARAM KHACHATURIAN MUSEUM TO HOST FAMOUS PIANIST HAYK MELIKYAN’S CONCERT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
01.10.2009 13:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On October 3, Aram Khachaturian museum in Yerevan
will host famous composer Hayk Melikyan’s concert. The program will
feature compositions by Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Skriabin,
Medtner, Shostakovich, Mosolov and Shchedrin.

The program will be presented by international contests and festivals’
laureate, famous pianist Hayk Melikyan.

Hayk Melikyan’s first piano professors were Irina Grishinskaya and
Alexander Gurgenov. Professor Gurgenov’s teaching follows the great
traditions of the Russian piano school, specifically that of Felix
Blumenfeld and Konstantin Igumnov.

>From his very first performances, Hayk Melikyan has attracted the
attention of the musical world by his great technical potential and
the original intellectual meaning he gives to the musical images.

NEW QUALITY STAFF

5361.html
15:06:02 – 30/09/2009

The initiative to establish relations with Turkey which of course
has challenges and dangers, though is to be commanded nevertheless
demands from Armenia serious changes of quality of governance, new
staff with new approaches corresponding to new measurements otherwise
Armenia will not be able to solve the current challenges and problems.

This idea was expressed by the chair of the Public Council Vazgen
Manukyan on September 30 during the meeting between Serge Sargsyan
and the public council. Serge Sargsyan responded to this question
with a very interesting stress. He noted "if we do not have enough
staff to communicate with Turkey, how we are going to communicate
with the U.S. or Europe which are much more powerful that Turkey".

Serge Sargsyan noted that many people naively think that we have many
good friends in the world who are going to point out our mistakes.

LIGHT SIDE OF THE ARK
Kathryn Edwards

Computerworld Australia
01 October, 2009 01:00

It’s time to Do Something! about paper usage by harnessing
technology. Planet Ark founder, Jon Dee on technology and the
environment.

What was your first job?

I actually created my own job. I was 17 [1981], at school and I got
to know the rocker band ‘Yes’. They needed someone to run their fan
club which was a semi-commercial operation, and so I agreed to do
that. I ended up becoming totally hopeless at school because I was
spending all my time organising their magazines and handling all the
fan enquiries and everything else.

The benefit was, as a 17-year-old, that I got to meet Pink Floyd,
Queen, Led Zeppelin and everyone else, so for the geeky kid in the
class it was kind of a promotion. As soon as I left school I carried
on in this position to pay the rent — the only thing is I flunked
my major exams! But since then I’ve either worked for myself or set
up my own organisation, so it was a very useful experience. It was
my first entrepreneurial activity.

While everyone was listening to Human League, I was listening to Pink
Floyd and nothing’s changed!

What was the inspiration behind the Do Something! campaign?

Pat Cash and I first met back in 1990. I had set up an organisation
called ‘Rock Aid Armenia’ to try and raise money for people who had
been affected by the Armenian earthquake. I was living in London at the
time so I called David Gilmore from Pink Floyd and said, "I’m going to
do a remake of Smoke on The Water. Will you be on it?" He said yes,
so I ended up with this line up of Queen, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple,
Black Sabbath — all on the one record.

Actually, in October I’m re-releasing the album globally on iTunes
for the 20th anniversary, and I’m getting some of them back together
to launch it in Armenia in October.

The record was a Top 40 hit in the UK and I ended up doing a remake
n and Roger Daltry from The Who all involved. Straight after that
Pat and I got very drunk one night and we decided to set up Planet
Ark. About a year and a half ago Pat and I felt that we had really
achieved what we wanted to achieve with Planet Ark. It’s a tremendous
success and continues to be so, but we wanted to back to doing what
we were doing when we first met. We started talking about the 20th
anniversary of Rock Aid Armenia and thought we should celebrate it in
some way. Then we started talking about all the other social issues;
Pat is very concerned about depression and mental illness and poverty
is a real issue for me. I just wanted to do something about it.

‘Do Something!’ struck me as a great name for an organisation
about getting people to go out there and do something. Listen to
people’s conversations in pubs, around the dinner table, around the
work environment — so often we ask, "Who’s gonna do something about
it?" and I thought, "What a great name for an organisation that covers
a variety of issues". So Pat and I decided that we would leave Planet
Ark, kind of reluctantly because it was our baby. But we thought
it was time to try something fresh and new, where we do our social
campaigning — as well as carry on with the environmental stuff —
and work a lot more closely with the business community. We’ve raised
close to $1 million since October [2008]. In terms of campaigning,
we’ve gotten off to a great start. It’s been a very exciting ride
over the last year.

How can we better use technology to save the environment?

The potential to significantly reduce our paper use is finally
here. We’ve reached the sweet spot. The cost of the equipment,
the ability to scan documents and recognise what characters are
on the paper, the backup and storage is now so much cheaper and
the bandwidth has increased. The Paper-Less Alliance is something
which I’ve dreamed up for years and I’ve followed the progress of
the hardware, the software and the whole infrastructure behind e are
at a tipping point, where there are plenty of examples of companies
that have put in place systems that have not just reduced the usage
of paper but have made them more efficient and a lot more productive.

What I decided to do in embarking on this Paper-Less Alliance was to
seek out the very best case studies, to show off the companies that
are achieving success and get them to share that with people. That
way, rather than start from scratch, companies could look to others
for inspiration and case studies that they could use in their own
organisation. We wanted to show that saving paper was about saving
money, but more importantly improving your company’s productivity,
efficiency and improving the bottom line in the process. The campaign
itself is not primarily driven on environmental issues; we are driving
it on efficiency and productivity and decreasing your bottom line
issues, and then pointing out that all of this also has a great
benefit to the environment.

What’s your preferred method of communication?

I’m really into electronic media. I’m addicted to Facebook. I’m a
‘Facebook-a-holic’! I’m also a big fan of Evernote. If I had to look
at the way I structure my life, I have a portable USB-powered scanner
and any paper I do get, I instantly scan it and the characters are
recognised on the page. If I end up writing something down on a napkin
while I’m at a restaurant, I can take a picture of it with my phone and
email it to my Evernote account, which syncs to my Evernote software
on my home computer and will read my handwriting. It’s about looking
at how we access information.

I did have a tablet PC but then I found that Vista was too clunky and
just kept falling over. I did too many presentations where Vista just
crashed and I just thought, "That’s it! I’m gonna use Mac".

What type of computer are you using now?

I’m using the MacBook Pro which I bought recently but I’m really
hanging out for the Mac tablet which is supposed to come out this
year. I’m looking forwa d to that because what I did enjoy about my
Windows tablet PCs was the interaction with the pen and hands. What
we’ve seen with the iPhone is what I believe is going to be the way we
interact in the future. Bringing out a tablet PC that has something
akin to the iPhone where you can use your fingers. And that’s when
we’ll see the death of the modern computer as we know it because
it will then become a more natural interface of how we are used to
handling documentation. The high-end monitors that allow you to use
your fingers to move things around are so much more intuitive than
the way we operate at the moment.

I’ve always been fascinated by tablet computing. I had the first
Panasonic tablet PC many, many years ago and I believe that’s the
future of computing. Once you’re able to hand-write notes effectively
and easily onto a screen where you can then manipulate your handwriting
and search — that is when I believe we’ll have the ability to change
the way we use our computers. And I think we’re already seeing at
the moment, all of the companies within the Paper-Less Alliance
campaign really understand that they can save a lot of money and
they’re starting to put a lot of processes in place, for example,
using electronic forms to replace paper. It’s a no-brainer from an
efficiency, productivity, and costs point of view. Electronic storage
is replacing paper-based storage. For example, the Australian National
Audits Office, who contributed to the new Web site, is saving $1.3
million per year by storing stuff electronically.

The Sydney office chairman of Deakins law firm, Nick Abrahams, has
written an opinion piece on our Web site saying that it’s not just
about money saving and accessing old files more quickly, it’s also
about more cost effective compliance.

And then there’s the issue of posting. Australia Post delivers 4.2
billion business related items every year. Now, a lot of that can
now be done electronically, so we’re calling on business as part
of this campaign. Of those 4.2 hat can be sent electronically. The
financial savings for business and the savings to the environment
from that would be enormous. You’re talking, many, many hundreds of
dollars, and you’re talking millions of tones of greenhouse gases
that we can eradicate. I’m really passionate about this dynamic
electronic alternative where you can search through every word on
the document. You can search through your hand-written notes on
restaurant napkins using free software now. Technology has changed
dramatically. The good thing is that rather than it just being me as a
ranting ‘greenie’ with a theory, now we’re seeing many companies saving
millions of dollars by going down this route. With this campaign, I’m
being an evangelist for the paper-free approach by getting together the
best case studies and the best role models, and share that information
with other companies so that they don’t have to learn from scratch.

Over the years, what’s been your most memorable tech moment?

I remember the first time I got my Panasonic Toughbook, I had a pen,
and I was able to handwrite notes on the screen and send an email to
somebody. I remember that whole thing of people ringing me up going
"How did you do that?" It was expensive — it cost me $10,000 —
but what I liked was that you could handwrite a note to somebody,
and it was so much more personal than just emailing them text. That
to me was a special moment. But the thing that was really the
‘eureka moment’ for me was seeing the World Wide Web for the very
first time. I launched the Planet Ark Web site back in 1996 and
it was so far advanced for its time. We had QuickTime videos of
all the television ads I had made with Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman,
Dustin Hoffman and the like. We had a weekly podcast, but it wasn’t
called a podcast then, it was a weekly world environment news update,
playing in the earliest versions of the Real Player.

Before I set that up, I had been shown the Web and I thought, "This
is where it’s heading", where you’re going to have this interface of
multimedia, and whoever has the content, if they do it in the right
way, can really influence change. I find that very exciting.

What’s your focus then for the next 12 months?

Making sure that we build on the huge successes we’ve had in out
first year of Do Something! to get the maximum results possible. The
Paper-Less Alliance campaign really excites me. When I’m 65 and I look
back, the one thing I hope I can say then is that I helped contribute
to the switch from the old business approach of using paper, and to
drive the shift to a more paperless office. It has a lot of benefits
for businesses in terms of efficiency, productivity, compliance,
and improving th ottom line. It also will bring about a massive
environmental difference. So it’s one of those win/win projects. If
you’re a financial director and you don’t implement paper reduction
methods, your organisation needs a new financial director because
you’re not taking your responsibilities properly to maximise your
business’ bottom line.

This article originally appeared in Computerworld Australia’s
August/September print edition.

DIASPORA DOES NOT HAVE LOBBY IN ARMENIA

s15358.html
14:35:24 – 30/09/2009

Active relations between Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora began
immediately after independence. Almost all the country’s leaders
publicly acknowledged the right of the Diaspora to participate
in the construction of the Armenian state in its domestic and
foreign policy. However, in Armenia, no one thought about how to
create mechanisms and institutions for the realization of this
right. Actually, someone probably thought, but only in order to
prevent the creation of such institutions.

In principle, the Armenian Diaspora is devoid of any opportunity to
participate in politics in Armenia. This was clearly evident when
it became clear that there are fundamental differences in positions
of the Diaspora and the Armenian authorities on the Armenian-Turkish
relations. But it is obvious that, in spite of the Pan-Armenian tour
of Serge Sargsyan, Diaspora is unlikely to influence the decisions
of the Armenian authorities, tuned to reconciliation with Turkey by
the huge concessions.

There are only a few planes where the participation of the Diaspora in
Armenian politics is possible. It is the All-Armenian Fund "Armenia",
through which the Diaspora can participate in economic and social
projects, is the Lins Fund – also is not engaged in political projects,
large lobbying organizations that are engaged in Armenian interests
in other countries, particularly in the United States. These are a
series of traditional Armenian parties represented in Armenia, but
funded from abroad. And it is the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs,
established a year ago. There are a couple of organizations and
institutions, through which communication takes place between the
Armenian authorities and the Diaspora.

However, none of them ensures the impact of the Diaspora in the
policy of the Armenian authorities, and not only in matters relating
to the state, but also the interests of most of the Diaspora. In
fact, the Diaspora has a lobby in many countries, but no lobby in
Armenia. There is no institution that could defend the interests
of the Diaspora in Armenia. This interest is entirely dependent on
the whims of government, on their likes and relations with certain
personalities. And not to repeat the well-known definition of "milk
cow", we can say that the Armenian authorities need the Diaspora only
for economic purposes.

In Armenia, there is not even television, funded by the
Diaspora. However, this is understandable – Diaspora has always tried
to bypass the internal political problems in Armenia, even if they
are related to fundamental democratic values. Images of Armenia and,
in particular, Artsakh Diaspora kept as an icon. Every day, wiping the
dust from it, it was perceived as something sacred. I never thought
about the fact that specific levers will be needed to defend their
interests.

And now, Serge Sargsyan decided to hear the opinion of the
Diaspora. Why? It is unlikely to change his decision. Moreover, the
Armenians throughout the world simply cannot influence the policy of
Armenia. Yes, Serge Sargsyan knows their opinions, they may even be
allowed to express negative opinions. But they cannot do anything,
if Serge Sargsyan does not change his position. This should be thought
about in right time. However, the Armenian society does not have levers
of influence on decision-making either. They can listen very carefully,
but will make their own way, and no one can do anything. And they
will show Hrant Vardanyan on TV, who says that his staff is praying
day and night for the border to be open.

TRANS-MEDITERRANEAN BLUES IN FIVE LANGUAGES

rock paper scissors

All About Jazz

Trans-Mediterranean Blues in Five Languages and the Instrumentarium
of Abaji

"I just can’t play a new instrument," laughs Lebanese-born
multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Abaji. "I always fall for
the old broken ones. It’s like one broken heart speaking to another,
and I feel I can transform these old instruments into the sounds I hear
in my head." These sounds and the adapted, revived instruments that
make them reverberate on Origine Orients (Absilone Music; November 10,
2009 ), as Abaji reimagines his lost-and-found trans-Mediterranean
roots and draws on a wildly inventive "instrumentarium," a deep
sense of the global blues, and the five languages and traditions that
shaped him.

For the young Abaji, "Everything was music. When I was ten or
eleven, I got really involved with sounds. Not just the guitar,
but the sounds themselves," the special sonic melting pot of Greek
and Turkish his family spoke at home, the Arabic he used in public,
and the French he used at school. From a musical family – Abaji’s
Armenian grandmother played the oud (lute), his great-grandmother
the kanun (zither), and his six maternal aunts were all passionate
and contentious musicians – Abaji started playing and experimenting
on an inexpensive Chinese-built guitar alone in his Beirut bedroom,
listening to Cat Stevens, Credence Clearwater Revival, and Bob Dylan
while strains of Oum Kaltoum and Turkish music drifted in the window.

However, his musical education began in earnest on his fateful
first day in Paris, where he fled when conflict erupted in Lebanon
in the mid-1970s. "I was saved from war, but war also saved me,"
Abaji reflects.

He had lost paradise, the peculiar mix of languages and the dozens
of musical styles that echoed on the streets of his native land. It
was something the rock-and-blues-loving teenager had never grasped
while still at home. Yet at the same time, he realized that music
was g Brazilian player, soon moving on to voraciously explore dozens
of other instruments. "I went through a whole life of instruments,"
Abaji muses. "I’m still buying instruments. Sometimes friends tell me,
‘Hey, you don’t know how to play those instruments! Why did you buy
them?’ My answer: Because I don’t know how to play them!"

Abaji’s passion for instruments – and he has more than 250 — stems
from his deep desire to take the sounds he began to hear as a young
man and turn them into uniquely vibrant, uniquely personal music. As
he devoured everything from the bouzouki to the Colombian bamboo
saxophone, however, he saw he needed to more than just play them;
he had to reinvent them.

"I always have a sound in mind, and one question: How can I bring it
to life through an instrument? I had to talk to instrument builders
and get them to change things, but I didn’t have a dime to my name,"
Abaji recalls. "I had to find solutions with luthiers that weren’t
so expensive." This frugality-forced creativity breathed new life
into old instruments on their last legs, transforming them into
cross-cultural amalgams.

The result: one-of-a-kind hybrids like the resonant sitar-guitar or an
invention that appears on Origine Orients, the oud-guitar. "It made
perfect sense. I took an old classical guitar headed for the trash,
removed the frets so I could play quarter notes, and doubled the nylon
strings to have the lute effect," Abaji explains. "It was my first
step back into paradise. I’m not Spanish. I’m not Lebanese. I’m a
Mediterranean guy whose ancestors traded along the Silk Road, the
missing link between the two, and the oud-guitar is my double."

Another missing link unites Abaji’s diverse roots and musical visions:
"Everything is related to the blues. People say the blues were born in
Africa, but really, they appeared when humanity was born." For Abaji,
the blues is a worldwide phenomenon, a sonic trade route stretching
from Afghanistan to the US. "The blues are everywhere: Before America,
it came from Afri with Islam," he explains. "People talk of the banjo
coming from Africa. But before that came the rebab from Afghanistan,
the great-grandfather of the banjo."

Abaji has worked to capture his own trans-Mediterranean brand of
the blues, not only by creating new instruments, but by developing
a unique approach in the studio. For Origine Orients, he decided
he needed to record all his songs in a single take playing all the
instruments himself, without overdubs. Abaji turned himself into
a global one-man-band, in part thanks to the acrobatic aplomb and
grace he developed as a tai-chi instructor. He began playing piano
with the Colombian sax ("Origine Orients"), or oud-guitar with stomp
boxes and rattles ("Min Jouwwa"), singing all the while in a deep
voice reminiscent of one of Abaji’s favorite folk-blues performers,
Greg Brown.

On "Desert to Desert," he recounts, "I had the bouzouki on my lap like
a lap steel guitar, with my right hand on the strings. In my left
hand was a Balinese bamboo flute I was using as a bottleneck. That
meant I could also use it as a flute. And while I’m at it, why not
use this as a stick to bang on the daf drum?" Abaji laughs. "After
I recorded the track, I thought I was in deep trouble — that I’d
never be able to reproduce it!"

Along with unexpected instruments and intuitive techniques, Abaji also
intertwines all the languages that have shaped his life: the Turkish
of heated family discussions and secret maternal cursing; the Greek
of parties and celebrations; the French and Arabic of everyday life;
and finally, the Armenian of Abaji’s long-lost roots, a heritage that
he was not aware of until his brother did some genealogical digging.

This rediscovered language forms the heart of the album, and the song
"Menz Baba" emerged from a bluesy exploration of Armenian’s sound and
the life of Abaji’s Armenian grandfather. "When I started working on
this song, I began to write some words in Armenian with help from an
Armenian friend," Abaji notes. "Then she taught me some words. I y
they sing. Because the words sing, not only the voice."

Even after regaining paradise, the search for the ultimate soulful
sound and deep link to the past continues for Abaji. "Sometimes
you are happy because you think you’ve got it, that this is just
the thing. But you always have to improve. In my head, I’m always
searching, opening doors, going left or right. It can be a bit tricky
to live with sometimes," Abaji chuckles. "But I made this album
exactly the way I wanted it, totally and completely, and hopefully
now people can understand my music totally."