Author: Zargarian Hambik

ASTROPHYSICS: STUDY RESULTS FROM A.L. GYULBUDAHGIAN ET AL PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS INTO ASTROPHYSICS

Science Letter
December 16, 2008

"Recent studies of the star formation region BBW 36 and associated
molecular clouds are presented. The (CO)-C-12 (1-0) observations,
carried out with the 15-m SEST (Swedish-ESO) telescope (Cerro La Silla,
Chile), revealed the existence of cloud a, connected with BBW 36 and
of cloud b, having elongation in SE-NW direction," scientists writing
in the journal Astrophysics report (see also Astrophysics).

"A red-shifted molecular outflow with velocity similar to+5 km/s
(with respect to cloud a), having a direction parallel to the line of
sight, was also observed. VLA observations showed the presence of a
source VLA 2 at 3.6 cm with an elongation in the N-S direction. It is
suggested that the VLA 2 source coincides with a dust disc (surrounding
the object BBW 36). The star 3, which is one of the YSOs in the
star-forming region BBW 36 and is connected with a bright comma-like
nebula, can be the source of the molecular outflow. The star 3 has
very high IR colors and is associated with an IRAS point source IRAS
07280-1829, which has IR colors, typical for an IRAS point source,
connected with a water maser. On the 2MASS K image of BBW 36 we can
see the existence of a bright nebula; a group of stars is embedded
in that nebula, and among these stars there are stars with dust discs
(or envelopes)," wrote A.L. Gyulbudahgian and colleagues.

The researchers concluded: "On the 2MASS K image several spiral jets
are also present, some of them with a condensation at the end."

Gyulbudahgian and colleagues published their study in
Astrophysics (STAR-FORMING REGION BBW 36 IN PUPPIS. Astrophysics,
2008;51(3):394-402).

Additional information can be obtained by contacting
A.L. Gyulbudahgian, VA Ambartsumian Byurakan Astrophysics Observ,
Byurakan, Armenia.

The publisher of the journal Astrophysics can be contacted at:
Springer, Plenum Publishers, 233 Spring St., New York, NY 10013, USA.

ARE KINDERGARTENS CORRUPTED TOO?

A1+
[12:46 pm] 16 December, 2008

Kindergartens nationwide are collecting money from parents. In many
districts, kindergartens are still heated with radiators or wood. That
is why parents are obliged to make payments and this is the issue
facing residents of the Malatia-Sebastia district.

"They installed a wood heater to heat the rooms and made us each pay
3,000 drams," complained a couple of residents of the district. "As
if collecting 2,000 drams wasn’t enough, now they want money for
the winter. I paid 10,000 drams for my kids alone. If we don’t pay,
they tell us that the rest of the students are paying too," said one
of the parents.

Parents say that they are ready to pay more money as long as they
don’t face this issue each winter.

Economist of the education department of the Malatia-Sebastia district
council Gayane Antonyan told "A1+" that only 7 of the 23 kindergartens
of district are heated.

"The other kindergartens will be gasified by 2012. Until then,
directors of kindergartens are forced to provide wood or radiators,"
said Antonyan.

The district council workers had no idea about this.

"If the kindergarten can’t provide the necessary heating, it is forced
to close its doors in January and February. That happens anyway,
because parents refuse to take their children to the kindergarten. As
for collecting money, I have not received any alarm," said Gayane
Antonyan.

Meanwhile, during our visits to the kindergartens, many directors
assured us that the district head, the district council administration
and the head of the education department know that kindergartens are
heated with wood and radiators.

"They came and saw that we are using firewood and even praised us. They
weren’t the ones who bought the wood for us, so they know how we got
it," they said and added that even in the case of heating parents
will be forced to make payments for the gas.

"The directors are left with all the expenses. We provide the service
and the parents must pay us for that," said director of the #169
kindergarten Gayane Sargsyan.

"We have signed an agreement with the parents for the collecting
money," said Sargsyan. However, parents denied that to "A1+".

The aldermen of the Malatia-Sebastia district council have fixed
5,000 drams for food at the kindergarten, while the minimum price
for food in kindergartens is 6,000-7,000 drams. In addition to that,
directors collect 1,000 or 2,000 drams from parents to take care of
communal expenses.

ON FOOD AND PRESENTS

Most of the parents complained about the quality of nutrition. "They
don’t put up the menus and when we ask the children what they ate,
they say rice with water," they said. Kindergarten directors said
that it is hard to get high-calorie food with 230 drams a day. In an
interview with "A1+

The parents refused to give out their names with the fear that
their teachers would treat them badly. But they did say that the
kindergartens always collect money for carpets and curtains every year.

Last year, the kindergarten collected 15,000 drams from parents to
purchase robes for the graduating class and the robes stayed in the
kindergarten after that. According to the parents, money is collected
"more often" especially when the holidays come around when the parent
committee "activists" collect money to buy presents for the teachers.

UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAMS OF 2009 IN TESTING SYSTEM

Panorama.am
13:57 16/12/2008

Finally the dream of school graduates and those who are going to
pass university entrance exams comes true. Instead of 4 joint exams,
in 2009 all the entrance exams will be organized in joint testing
system. In a few days all the schools of Armenia will receive the
examples and exam guides. This year Chemistry, Physics, Biology,
Geography, History subjects are added to the joint testing system.

"Painting, Rhetoric, Music and Oral Exams are not included in the
joint testing system," said the Deputy Minister of Education and
Science Bagrat Esayan.

The Deputy Minister of Education said that the applications are
received from January 15 up to March 15.

HEAD OF CIVIL SERVICE COUNCIL OF ARMENIA: FIGHTING CORRUPTION WITHOUT COOPERATION WITH PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS IMPOSSIBLE

ArmInfo
2008-12-15 15:30:00

ArmInfo. Fighting corruption without cooperation with public
organizations is impossible, Manvel Badalyan, Chairman of the Armenian
Civil Service Council, said at the final conference helld under the
Anti-Corruption Conference ‘The Role of Government, Non-Governmental
Organizations and Media in the Fight against Corruption’ Monday.

He said the activity of government structures must be open, transparent
and accessible to public organizations and media. ‘I must say without
false modesty that the activity of the Civil Service is transparent. We
have never closed doors either against media or public organizations. A
present 5 public organizations are monitoring our activity and we
welcome this and call on public sector and media for new initiatives.

There is a stereotype in public that a journalist inquiring something
searches for something bad, whereas we ask for your inquiry to reveal
our lacks and omissions’, Badalyan said. He is confident in sooner
counteracting of all the corruption risks of government machine.

From: Sebouh Z Tashjian <[email protected]>
Subject: Armenian, Bulgarian presidents underscore necessity of business ties

AZG Armenian Daily #232, 13/12/2008

Armenia-Bulgaria

ARMENIAN AND BULGARIAN PRESIDENTS UNDERSCORE NECESSITY OF PROMOTING
BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP

Within the framework of the official visit to Bulgaria President of
Armenia Serzh Sargsian and his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Purvanov
participated December 10 in a concert of Bulgarian and Armenian
distinguished art figures in Sofiaâ??s "Bulgaria" concert
hall, Armenpress reported.

Late in the evening in the residence of President of Bulgaria an
official dinner was served in honor of the first official visit of
Armenian President Serzh Sargsian to the Republic of Bulgaria.

According to the Presidential press service, next morning the two
presidents participated in the opening of Armenian-Bulgarian business
forum where they expressed satisfaction over the high level of
political dialogue between the two states, once again stressed the
necessity of promoting business partnership and expressed readiness to
support all the initiatives. Within the frameworks of
Armenian-Bulgarian business forum a number of bilateral documents have
been signed.

The presidents of the two countries also participated in the
exhibition of collages of Sergey Parajanov which kicked off in
Bulgariaâ??s Foreign Art National Gallery.

President Serzh Sargsian wrapped up his official visit to Bulgaria
with the visit to the Armenian Embassy in Sofia and meeting with the
diplomatic staff after which he arrived back in Yerevan.

CSTO CHIEF WARNS OF DETERIORATING SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN

RIA Novosti
13:54 | 12/ 12/ 2008

MOSCOW, December 12 (RIA Novosti) – The current trend in Afghanistan
is that the situation is deteriorating, the head of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization said on Friday.

"The trend is for deterioration in the situation in Afghanistan,
Taliban militants have almost restored their units and systems of
rule, they control a significant part of the territory and all this
is taking place against the background of an unstable situation in
Pakistan," Nikolai Bordyuzha said.

Southern Afghanistan is the stronghold of the radical Taliban movement
which was ousted by the U.S.-led coalition from government in the
2001 campaign.

The Taliban have intensified attacks on Afghan and foreign troops
this year.

Bordyuzha said that efforts introduced by the antiterrorism coalition
forces in Afghanistan "unfortunately have not yielded the desired
results," adding that the CSTO is ready to continue cooperation with
NATO-led forces in the country.

The CSTO is a security grouping comprising the former Soviet republics
of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan,
and Tajikistan.

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has about 53,000
troops in Afghanistan under a UN mandate to help give security support
to the Afghan government and stop the flow of drugs from the country.

Despite the recent deterioration of relations with NATO, Russia
continues to support the military alliance’s operations in Afghanistan,
and has said it shares NATO’s concerns over the worsening security
situation in the country.

NO CHANGES ENVISAGED IN INVESTMENT PROGRAMS TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN SOUTH CAUCASUS RAILWAYS

Noyan Tapan

Dec 12, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Although the financial crisis has
had an impact on the operation of the Russian railway, no changes,
including staff reduction, are envisaged in the investment programs to
be implemented in South Caucasus Railways company. The deputy chairman
of Russian Railways company Georgy Kornilov said this at the December
12 meeting with the RA minister of transport and communication Gurgen
Sargsyan.

G. Sargsyan informed G. Kornilov and the newly-appointed director of
South Caucasus Railways Shevket Shaydulin that a new unit is being
created in the ministry. This unit will implement monitoring and
control the investment making process.

ORANGE COUNTY EYE SURGEON TEACHES EYE TRANSPLANT PROCEDURE IN FORMER SOVIET UNION, HELPS TO ESTABLISH ARMENIA’S FIRST EYE TISSUE BANK

International Business Times
hid=889889
Dec 10 2008
NY

LAGUNA HILLS, CA — (Marketwire) — 12/10/08 — Dr. John Hovanesian
of Orange County-basedHarvard Eye Associatesvisited the Republic of
Armenia in mid-November to establish the country’sfirst eye tissue
bank and to teach local cornea specialists the surgicaltechnique for
Descemet-stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK). As a volunteer
ofthe Armenian EyeCare Project,the physician also performed numerous
surgeries for the country’sunderserved.

Dr.Hovanesian worked with a team of local surgeons headed by
AnnaHovakimyan in Yerevan — Armenia’s capital. Hovakimyan’s
fellowship wassponsored by Armenian EyeCare, an Orange County-based
nonprofitorganization started by Harvard Eye Associates founder
RogerOhanesian in 1992.

The relatively new DSEK technique allows surgeons to remove a
much smaller portion of thepatient’s cornea compared with older
methods of transplantation. Theequipment — valued at $100,000 —
was underwritten by Armenian EyeCareboard members, Harvard Eye
Associates, Baush and Lomb, Moria Inc. and otherlocal supporters of
the project. Dr. Hovanesian traveled to Armenia at hisown expense.

Because there are so many chemical injuries and similar types of
eyeproblems in Armenia, the Armenian EyeCare paved the way for a
local tissuebank in Armenia shortly after the fall of the Soviet
Union. After thelegal support system was established several years
later, Armenian EyeCaresponsored an Armenian surgeon to complete a
fellowship in eye banking.

"The procedure has a steep learning curve," Dr. Hovanesian said,
"but theresults are well worth the effort, especially for Armenia’s
populationsuffering from a clouded cornea from injury or disease." He
said thatdistance and poverty often make it difficult for patients
to get to thecapital city for follow-up care after a traditional
full-thickness cornealtransplant. DSEK, which is associated with
a significantly lowerpost-operative burden of care compared with a
full-thickness cornealtransplant, was a perfect fit.

Dr. Hovanesian performed several surgeries over the course of his
four-dayvisit last month, but a sixteen year-old girl named Ani
Krikorian touchedhim most deeply. Ani (Dr. Hovanesian has a two-year
old named Ani) had achemical injury with household bleach to both eyes
at age two and has nothad vision for much of her life. Dr. Hovanesian
performed the DSEKprocedure on Ani last month and the results so far
point to full recoveryand restoration of vision.

Eurasia Partnership Foundation
Isabella Sargsyan Communications Officer
56 Zarobyan Street
Yerevan 0009, Armenia
Tel.: (374.10) 58.60.95 x 303
Fax: (374.10) 58.60.96
Skype: bekaisa

Armenians in Turkey 100 Years Ago book presentation in Yerevan

Yerevan, Armenia – Renowned Turkish journalist and historian Osman Koker
presented his book Armenians in Turkey 100 Years Ago at the Small Auditorium
of the American University of Armenia at 18:30 on Thursday, December 11,
2008. The presentation was made possible by the American University of
Armenia’s Extension Programs, Anadolu Kultur and the Eurasia Partnership
Foundation (EPF).

The book, named Armenians in Turkey 100 Years Ago: postcards from the
collection of Orlando Carlo Calumeno was issued in Turkey in 2005. The book
contains century-old Ottoman post-cards depicting different aspects of the
peaceful and, in many cases, prosperous life of the Armenian community in
the former Ottoman Empire. Through 500 postcards from the period, the album
endeavors to show, city by city and with supporting figures, how omnipresent
Armenian communities were across the Ottoman territory and their role in
society. In parallel with the book, an exhibition of the postcards called
"Sireli Yeðpayris" (My Dear Brother) was held in Istanbul and a number of
other European cities.

"In Turkey, the history of one people – the Turks – has always been taught,
as if there had never been any other people on the territory. When we speak
of Armenians, they are not described as an integral group in society but as
a source of problems. It’s to fill this void that I have decided to publish
a book." – says Mr. Koker in an interview with Agence France-Presse.

Osman Koker is founder and editor-in-chief of Birzamanlar Publications,
publishing books about Turkey’s multicultural heritage, and its vanishing.
He was born in Maraþ, and has worked for many years as a correspondent,
editor, and publisher. His work has focused on the publication of historical
subjects; between the years of 1997-2001, he was the editor of "Toplumsal
Tarih" (Social History), published by Tarih Vakfi (Foundation of History).
Throughout Turkey and in various other countries, he has made presentations
on the history of the Armenian people in Turkey.

RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN AGREE TO STRENGTHEN ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS

RIA Novosti
15:19 | 09/ 12/ 2008

MOSCOW, December 9 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian and Kazakh drug agencies
have signed a protocol to strengthen joint efforts in combating drug
trafficking on the border between the two countries, the Russian
Federal Drug Control Service said on Tuesday.

Narcotics trafficking is an acute problem for Central Asian countries
due to the flow of illegal drugs from neighboring Afghanistan,
the world’s largest opium and heroin producer. The drugs are then
smuggled via Russia’s Urals region onto Western Europe.

Russia and Kazakhstan are both members of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization, which also comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

The members of the CSTO held a successful anti-drug operation between
November 17 and 24, during which a total of 18 metric tons of drugs
were seized.

Russia’s law enforcement and security services seized over 29 metric
tons of drugs in January-September and detected 198,000 drug-related
crimes.