Author: Virabian Jhanna

TENDER FOR "EUROVISION-2009" LAUNCHED

Panorama.am
13:55 15/01/2009

The Public TV of Armenia announced the tender for the participation
in "Eurovision-2009" song contest, reports the Public TV to
Panorama.am. The representative of the Public TV refused to tell how
many applications they have already received and what famous names
are there.

This year the final decision will be made by SMS voting most probably
in February.

To remind that "Eurovision-2009" international song contest will be
held in Moscow, from 1-16 May.

A380 VORTEX PROBLEMS?

IAG Blog
ex-problems.html
Jan 16 2009
CA

This is what is reported on a professional pilot site "An Armavia
Airbus A320-200, flight U8-968 from Sochi (Russia) to Yerevan
(Armenia), was enroute about 30nm north of Tiblisi (Georgia), when
the airplane encountered severe clear air turbulence, which caused the
autopilot to disconnect and threw the airplane into steep banks three
times. The crew managed to regain control of the airplane and completed
the flight without further incident. No injuries have been reported.

Armavia reported, that their aircraft was cruising 1000 feet below
an Emirates Airbus A380-800 registration A6-EDB flight EK-201 enroute
from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to New York,NY (USA) and suspects,
that the turbulence was caused by wake vortices created by the A380."

Now the word is that 4NM separation traffic behind a widebody and 6NM
for traffic behind a 380 is the rule. After the quote above there
are two more that are eye opening. "I’ve encountered this during
the cruise too, 2000′ below an A340 (we were in a 737-8), mod to
severe turbulence, a/pilot kicked out, extreme banking, pretty scary
stuff! A quick call to atc allowed us a change in direction out of
the wake, problem solved!" and "I’ve flown at right angles 4000′
beneath the course of an A380 on test so probably light, and had
severe turbulence. There is definitely something different about the
A380’s wake."

Take a look at the plane – its wings are massive. REALLY massive. Look
at that wing in the picture above. The wing is really much bigger
(by comparison to a 747) than the plane seems to need. Surely that
wing must be generating huge amounts of dirty air at cruise.

AZERBAIJAN SUMMONS RUSSIAN ENVOY OVER ALLEGED ARMS SUPPLY TO ARMENIA

Day.Az
Jan 12 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku, 12 January: The Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Vasiliy
Istratov, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on 12 January in
connection with reports that Russia has given weapons worth 800m
dollars to Armenia free of charge, Day.az has learnt from the ministry
press service.

Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov met Istratov and asked him about
the validity of the reports.

Istratov said in turn that the Russian side would clarify the issue.

Armen Haroutiunian denies existence of a deal on some post between him
and authorities

YE REVAN, JANUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian at the
court sitting break on the "case of the seven" on January 9 refuted the
information published in press, according to which if he helps the
authorities to avoid PACE sanctions, he will be offered the post of the
RA Justice Minister or Prosecutor General. According to him, the
information that he will be appointed an Ambassador soon does not
correspond to reality, either. According to A. Haroutiunian,
Ombudsman’s post in general should not be subordinated to Prosecutor
General’s or Justice Minister’s posts.

He also said that he treats calmly the January 8 letter of several
dozens of arrested opposition activists, in which the latters demanded
his resignation. "Ombudsman’s opinion should not always completely
coincide with opposition’s or authorities’ political position," A.
Haroutiunian said.

I TOLD YOU CRIMSON DYNAMO WOULD BE THE NEXT IRON MAN VILLAIN

2SNAPS.TV

Ja n 8 2009
CA

Way back in September I listed the possible villains for for an Iron
Man sequel, and who did I pick as the most likely one? Crimson Dynamo,
and I was right. What does this mean? I have achieved super-loser
status!

Variety.com reports that Mickey Rourke is "up for the role of the
Russian arms dealer, the Crimson Dynamo, in Iron Man 2." Rourke would
join other ex-fuck-up Robert Downey Jr, making the Iron Man franchise
the place for second chances and revived careers.

Now I only need my wish for Sharon Stone to play Catwoman to come
true and my 2009 will be set!

Here is what Wikipedia says about the original Crimson Dynamo. There
were 12 of them lmao!

The first Crimson Dynamo was also the creator of the armor:
Professor Anton Vanko. A Soviet scientist of Armenian birth with a
PhD, Vanko was the world’s foremost expert on electricity. He built
a suit that was wired up to perform electric miracles, making him a
human dynamo. The Crimson Dynamo battle-suit allowed him to control
electricity in all of its forms, allowing him to fire devastating
bolts of electricity. It also allowed him to fly.

Vanko was a vain and cocky man, but he redeemed himself in the end. In
their first encounter, the Crimson Dynamo battled Iron Man. After being
tricked by Iron Man (who made him believe that his Soviet handlers
were going to kill him though earlier Vanko’s superior implied he was
going to kill Vanko, anyway), Vanko defected to the U.S. and went to
work for Tony Stark as one of his chief scientists. Soon the Soviets
came to kill him for real. They sent their top agent, the Black Widow,
and her one-time partner, Boris Turgenev, the latter of whom stole the
armor and became the second Crimson Dynamo. Vanko died saving Iron
Man by firing an unstable experimental laser light pistol at Boris,
killing himself as well.

Examiner, CA
Jan 5 2009

Elenas Greek Armenian Cuisine is inexpensive and delicious!
January 4, 8:12 PM

by Eric Forsberg, LA Ethnic Eats Examiner

Hungry for hummus? Craving a kabob? Got to get a gyros? You can devour
all these and more, even on a budget, at Elenas Greek Armenian Cuisine
in Glendale.

Founded around 30 years ago by a family of Armenians who were raised
in Greece, the cuisine at Elenas is a pleasant mix of Middle Eastern
food like tabule and falafel, Greek dishes like stuffed grape leaves
and feta cheese, and standard Armenian fare such as lula kabob (tubes
of spiced ground beef) and grilled meats like lamb, chicken, and
quail.

Don’t expect an elegant dining experience at this charming but simple
location. Elenas appears to be a semi-open-air structure with walls
made of removable plastic tarps and a floor that could almost be a
patio. In fact, that’s what it almost seems like, someone’s front yard
converted into a little shelter off the kitchen. It is actually quite
fun if you like that sort of thing, although a slight bit chilly on
the coldest nights. It is brightly lit with wooden chairs, plastic
table cloths, pictures on the wall and Armenian television usually
playing in the background. But all this adds to the charm and the
place is often crowded. That’s because everything is made fresh on the
premises except for the gyros which is shipped in from a greek fellow
who makes it fresh.

Every table has salt and sumac next to the napkins, and the first
thing you get when you sit down is a plate of delicious Armenian
pickled cabbage similar to pink, slightly spicy sauerkraut. It’s
good. Then comes the bread basket, filled with something that the
owner calls `pita’, but it is like no other pita that I have ever
had. The round pita sheets are as large as a pizza crust and almost at
thin, cut into quarters and served with a little dish of homemade
spread composed of olive oil and raw garlic cloves crushed into a
paste. Then comes the menu, which has dozens of items that are
shockingly inexpensive. You can eat a hearty combo plate, with lentil
soup or Greek salad, rice, grilled tomatoes and peppers, and some kind
of meat kabob starting at about $7.75. If you really want to splurge
on the most expensive lamb chop dish they have it will set you back
about $12.99. And lunch is even cheaper with a huge lula kabob rolled
sandwich going for around 4 bucks.

For a fun night out that won’t break the bank, Elanas Greek Armenian
Cusine is a great place to go. This exmaminer has been there many
times and I’ve never been disappointed.

Ethnic Eats 1-10 quality rating
TASTE ` 8
AUTHENTICITY ` 9
AMBIANCE ` 5
VALUE ` 10

miner~y2009m1d4-Elenas-Greek-Armenian-Cuisine-is-i nexpensive-and-delicious

Negative outlook for Armenian banking system

ss_and_Finance/13375
January 02, 2009

The fundamental credit outlook for the Armenian financial institutions
is negative, reflecting the operating environment’s potential
volatility and lingering political tensions, Moody’s Investors Service
in its new Banking System Outlook.
"Given that the Armenian banking sector is still at an early stage of
development, its banks have not been exposed to US sub-prime risk,
failed western banks or other international risky asset classes and,
during 2007 and 2008, were able to weather the international credit
crisis relatively unscathed. Nonetheless, local banks remain reliant on
international institutional funding to finance domestic lending and,
subsequent to the disruption in international credit markets,
particularly in Q4 2008, were faced with increasing spreads for
whatever little funding they could access," explained Stathis
Kyriakides, author of the report.
Moody’s negative outlook reflects concerns over potentially rising
asset quality problems as a result of the projected slowdown of the
domestic economy and, equally importantly, of the economies of
Armenia’s main trading partners during 2009.
Concerns over asset quality (which is currently still very good) are
compounded by the unseasoned nature of loan portfolios (and the
consequent potential for accelerated deterioration under less
favourable market conditions) in Moody’s view and borrowers’
potentially unhedged foreign currency positions translating into
currency-induced credit risk for banks.
Moody’s cautions that operational risk also remains heightened for
banks in Armenia, among other reasons as a result of the country’s
developing technical infrastructure, as does political risk, as shown
by the events surrounding the general election in March 2008. In
particular, the controversy over the result and the subsequent riots
and state of emergency highlight the still material political risks in
the country.
"Nonetheless, Moody’s notes that as the climax of the turmoil during
March 2008 was short-lived, customers maintained their confidence and
the banking sector was largely unaffected," said Kyriakides.
Moody’s said that the sector benefits from high levels of aggregate
capitalisation (although this varies significantly between financial
institutions) and high but declining liquidity (both of which are
shields against deteriorating market conditions), and still good
prospects for growth for banks with access to capital funds as the
level of financial intermediation (despite increasing) remains low and
demand for credit reportedly is higher than supply.
Going forward, and depending on the extent of any economic slowdown,
Moody’s expects the better positioned banks with strong capitalisation
and good domestic franchises to be able to successfully steer
themselves through any difficulties, while there may be an acceleration
of market consolidation.

, Turkey
Jan 1 2009

Turkey wins UN seat in 2008 after intensive diplomatic drive

Turkey was elected non-permanent member to UN Security Council (UNSC)
for 2009-2010 period.

Thursday, 01 January 2009 12:38

Turkey put its candidacy for non-permanent seat in 2003; it won the
highest number of votes (151) in "Western European & Others Group" in
the elections held on October 17. Austria won 133 votes, and Iceland
received 87 votes in the elections.

Turkey and Austria became non-permanent members of UN Security Council
for two years. Turkey will begin its mission on January 1, 2009.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said that international community
extended strong support to Turkey. Noting that Turkey contributed to
peace efforts, stability and security in the world, Babacan said,
"Turkey, as a responsible member of international community within the
scope of UNSC, will continue its contributions both in its region and
in the world."

Turkey’s full solution for Cyprus solution

A delegation led by President Abdullah Gul and including Foreign
Minister Ali Babacan represented Turkey in the high-level meetings of
the 63rd term UN General Assembly on September 22-26.

Gul and Babacan kept Turkey’s support demand for UNSC elections high
on the agenda.

Speaking at the UN on September 23, Gul said that Turkey extended full
support to diplomatic efforts to find a political solution in Cyprus,
adding that the solution would be to set up a new partnership state
based on two founder states having equal status.

Holding a bilateral talk with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Gul
said that Turkey gave full support to President Mehmet Ali Talat of
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) as well as negotiation
process. Ban Ki-moon, in return, thanked Turkey’s continuous support
to the negotiation process in the island.

On September 27, Babacan held a very important tripartite meeting with
Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian and Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Cyprus

Cyprus was an important agenda item for Turkey in the UN in 2008. Four
years after Greek Cypriots rejected Annan Plan, talks resumed between
TRNC and Greek Cypriot administration under supervision of UN.

UN Secretary General Ban, in his report in June, welcomed the recent
developments in Cyprus; and said that opportunity window was open for
the solution of Cyprus problem.

The Council, which discussed the report of Ban, extended the mission
term of UN Peacekeeping Forces in Cyprus for six months.

Ban appointed Australia’s former foreign minister Alexander Downer as
his new special adviser to Cyprus on July 11. Ban and UNSC welcomed
the decision to resume comprehensive talks in the island on September
3.

In his last Cyprus report released on December 2, Ban said that talks
in Cyprus were going well.

Events on UN agenda

-In a world list released on February 29 and showing the
representation rate of women at parliament, Turkey ranked the 89th
among 142 countries with a 9.1 percent rate.

-On March 19, Baki Ilkin, Turkey’s permanent representative to UN,
said that international cooperation was necessary in fight against
terrorism in UNSC.

-On May 21, Ban thanked Turkey and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan for the mediation role in peace talks between Israel and
Syria.

-On July 11, UNSC condemned the attack which was staged in front of
U.S. Consulate General building in Istanbul.

-On November 13, Ban participated in the banquet which was hosted by
Erdogan to thank UN permanent representatives for Turkey’s being
elected non-permanent member to UNSC. Ban said that Turkey was a very
active partner of UN, and added that Turkey’s election meant
recognition of Turkey’s constructive leadership in many regions of the
world.

AA

IPR Strategic Business Information Database
January 1, 2009

MOODY’S REPORTS: NEGATIVE OUTLOOK FOR ARMENIAN BANKING SYSTEM

The fundamental credit outlook for the Armenian financial institutions
is negative, reflecting the operating environment’s potential
volatility and lingering political tensions, says Moody’s Investors
Service in its new Banking System Outlook on Armenia. Moody’s negative
outlook for the Armenian banking system expresses the rating agency’s
view on the likely future direction of fundamental credit conditions
in the industry over the next 12 to 18 months. It does not represent a
projection of rating upgrades versus downgrades.

"Given that the Armenian banking sector is still at an early stage of
development, its banks have not been exposed to US sub-prime risk,
failed western banks or other international risky asset classes and,
during 2007 and 2008, were able to weather the international credit
crisis relatively unscathed. Nonetheless, local banks remain reliant
on international institutional funding to finance domestic lending
and, subsequent to the disruption in international credit markets,
particularly in Q4 2008, were faced with increasing spreads for
whatever little funding they could access," explains Stathis
Kyriakides, a Moody’s Assistant Vice President and author of the
report. Moody’s negative outlook reflects concerns over potentially
rising asset quality problems as a result of the projected slowdown of
the domestic economy and, equally importantly, of the economies of
Armenia’s main trading partners during 2009. Concerns over asset
quality (which is currently still very good) are compounded by the
unseasoned nature of loan portfolios (and the consequent potential for
accelerated deterioration under less favourable market conditions) in
Moody’s view and borrowers’ potentially unhedged foreign currency
positions translating into currency-induced credit risk for
banks. Moody’s cautions that operational risk also remains heightened
for banks in Armenia, among other reasons as a result of the country’s
developing technical infrastructure, as does political risk, as shown
by the events surrounding the general election in March 2008. In
particular, the controversy over the result and the subsequent riots
and state of emergency highlight the still material political risks in
the country. "Nonetheless, Moody’s notes that as the climax of the
turmoil during March 2008 was short-lived, customers maintained their
confidence and the banking sector was largely unaffected," says
Mr. Kyriakides. Moody’s recognises that the sector benefits from high
levels of aggregate capitalisation (although this varies significantly
between financial institutions) and high but declining liquidity (both
of which are shields against deteriorating market conditions), and
still good prospects for growth for banks with access to capital funds
as the level of financial intermediation (despite increasing) remains
low and demand for credit reportedly is higher than supply. Going
forward, and depending on the extent of any economic slowdown, Moody’s
expects the better positioned banks with strong capitalization and
good domestic franchises to be able to successfully steer themselves
through any difficulties, while there may be an acceleration of market
consolidation.

MUCH MORE THAN A BALL

Friday December 26 – Nicosia – Gibrahayer e-magazine – With two star
singers from Armenia and Lebanon, Arsen Grigoryan and Manoug Minassian
entertained more than 350 participants of the AYMA annual Christmas
Ball, which was another hit. Under the rhythmic tunes of Seto
Baghdassarian and his wife Shakeh, the dancing and singing was
prolonged until 3:00 am.
There was also time for special requests. A special one from
Cyprus Parliament President Marios Garoyian who asked for "Miasnoutian
Bar" – a favourite tune he probably picked up from his latest visit to
Armenia. The crowd joined in… with fists flying.
But the star guests still had not had their say. Minister of
Finance Charilaos Stavrakis – under whose auspices the Ball was taking
place – took the floor to announce a 5,000 euro contribution to AYMA.
But that wasn’t the statement of the evening either. In his
speech Minister Stavrakis said "We now know the Armenian community of
Cyprus better, through your compatriot Marios Garoyian as President of
the House of Parliament… and we all wonder what is next… [meaning
the Presidency of the Republic]", an innuendo that collected the uproar
and applause of the crowd.
But that wasn’t all. Two more contributions towards the
construction fund of AYMA totalling 35,000 euros were also announced.
But the evening was all about dancing and singing and there was
plenty of both. After everyone had had enough of kocharis, zeypetikos
and cheek-to-cheek dancing, it was time for everyone to remember the
good men of our nation who made most of our national accomplishments
possible.
These songs were dedicated to the very brave and the very few,
as Greek Cypriot superstar Michalis Hadjiyiannis sings …