The California Courier Online, August 10, 2017
1 – Commentary
Glendale Armenians Should
Teach a Lesson
To Americana Shopping Mall Executives
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher,
The California
Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2 – Commentary
Ethnic
Minorities Gain a Voice in Armenian Parliament
3 – Anesthesia
Physician Joins Medical Mission
To Armenia,
Recording 6 ‘Firsts’ in Care
4 – ANCA Welcomes Cong.
Valadao’s
Leadership on De-Mining in Artsakh
5 – Former Notre Dame Coach
Ara
Parseghian Dies at 94
6 – Don Boyajian Announces Candidacy to Congress
7 – Young
Armenian Chess Players
Dominate
‘Match of the Century’
8 – Armenia’s
Men and Women’s U16
Teams
Become FIBA Champions
9 – Armenians
to Serve in Key
Posts
in Lebanese Government
10-
Kradjian Momjian Named San
Francisco
‘Teacher of the Year’
11- Americana at Brand Rejects
Genocide
Documentary Billboard
12- Mkhitaryan
Nominated for UEFA
Europa
League Player of the Season
13- US
Sanctions
On Russia May
Affect
Armenia
*******************************************
1 – Commentary
Glendale Armenians Should
Teach a Lesson
To Americana Shopping Mall Executives
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier,
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Three years ago, on the eve
of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, Americana shopping mall officials
in Glendale, illegally and in an arrogant manner, banned the sale of Armenian
Genocide-related T-shirts by three young Armenians who had signed a contract,
disclosed their merchandise in advance, and paid the rent for a cart on the
property.
Afterwards, ominously, Doris
Nesheiwat, Senior Director of Specialty Leasing at Americana, in an email, warned the young
Armenians: “Anything genocide themed, sweat shirts, t-shirts, phone covers and
anything that has a genocide theme needs to come off the cart completely
please.”
After I exposed Americana’s scandalous and unwarranted behavior in a
column, and complaints from the local Armenian community, Americana issued a half-hearted apology by
describing the ugly incident as a “misunderstanding,” and allowed the young
Armenians to sell their T-shirts.
The Armenian community which
numbers close to 100,000 — half of Glendale’s population — and a big portion
of Americana’s shoppers, needs to know in a definitive way what is causing
Americana executives to repeatedly take positions against publicizing the
Armenian Genocide. Being smart businessmen, they must realize that it is
counter-productive to antagonize the majority of their customers by taking
offensive positions on the Armenian Genocide.
In recent weeks, Americana executives once again took a hostile position by
refusing to provide advertising space on their billboard for an Armenian
Genocide documentary, “Architects of Denial,” produced by Hollywood
celebrities Dean Cain and Montel Williams.
This time again, Americana officials came
up with a nonsensical and offensive reason for rejecting the paid ad. Americana’s outdoor media agency, Outfront Media, told the
documentary producers that Americana
executives feel, without having seen the documentary, it is “too
political.” This is outrageous! A documentary on the Armenian Genocide cannot
be labelled as “too political.” This is a human rights issue which has nothing
to do with politics!
When I learned that Julie
Jauregui, Americana’s
General Manager, was the one who used the term “too political” in
rejecting the ad, I called her asking for an explanation. In response, I
received an e-mail from Emily Davis, responsible for Americana’s Public Relations and
Communications, stating: “We have strict standards for our advertisements
and we carefully review all content. This did not comply with the advertising
guidelines for our portfolio properties throughout Southern
California.”
This carefully crafted
statement is completely meaningless! Thus, I wrote back to Emily Davis,
wondering how could the advertising for this documentary “not comply” with Americana’s “strict standards for advertisements,” when in
fact, Americana’s
executives had neither seen the documentary nor the text of the billboard ad
before rejecting it. The only information Americana
officials knew was that this ad was for an Armenian Genocide documentary. I
asked Davis if she implied that the topic of the
Armenian Genocide itself violates Americana’s
“strict standards for advertisement.” After mulling over her reply for
three days and consulting her senior colleagues, Davis responded that they are sticking to
their previous answer!
Reaching a dead-end with Americana, I had no choice
but to take the matter to the Glendale City Council last week, where four of
the five Council members are Armenians. This fact alone, well-known to
Americana executives, was another serious miscalculation by them, since they
are legally obligated to adhere to scores of agreements they have signed with
the City in return for generous subsidies and lavishly advantageous lease
considerations. Any deviation from these legal obligations could force the City
to take decisive action against Americana
to enforce the signed agreements.
In my public remarks to the
City Council, I urged the City to arrange a meeting with Americana executives and local Armenian
community leaders to resolve this issue. Otherwise, the community would have no
choice but to resort to protests and boycotts. Joining me in addressing the
City Council was Margarita Baghdasaryan, Community Outreach Director, the
Armenian National Committee of America, Glendale Chapter.
The City Council members
were naturally sympathetic to our presentations and promised to intervene by
arranging a meeting with Americana
executives. The purpose of the meeting is not only to straighten out this
latest wrong-headed decision, but get to the bottom of what is behind the
repeated rejections of Armenian Genocide materials by Americana officials. We need to settle this
issue once and for all! We cannot continue to deal with genocide-related
objections raised by Americana
periodically. We need to know what is the root cause of this repeated
insensitive and insulting behavior of Americana
officials. If they continue to take a hostile position on the Armenian Genocide
issue, maybe hitting them in the pocket book through protests and boycotts, as
well as City Council enforcement, would bring Americana executives to their senses!
*******************************************************************************************************
2 – Commentary
Ethnic Minorities Gain a Voice in Armenian
Parliament
Armenia
is the most ethnically homogeneous of all the post-Soviet states. But it has
become a pioneer in the Caucasus by being the
first country in the region to offer guaranteed parliamentary representation to
its minority communities.
Following April’s elections, Armenia
now has four ethnic minority MPs – one each from the country’s Yezidi,
Assyrian, Kurdish, and Russian communities – in its 105-seat parliament.
But the process by which they were elected, which required them to ally
with one of Armenia’s existing political parties, raises doubts about the
extent to which they can effectively represent minority interests.
The four new minority deputies are: Arsen Mikhaylov, the long-time president of
the Assyrian community organization “Atour”; Yezidi representative Rustam
Makhmudyan; the Kurdish community leader Knyaz Hasanov; and Tatyana Mikaelyan,
a former bank manager born in Tatarstan, representing the Russian community.
Hasanov even chaired the new parliament’s inaugural session under a tradition
giving the oldest member that honor.
They were chosen under a provision in the new constitution, adopted
in 2015, that sets aside four seats in parliament for
minority representatives nominated by parties. Three of the new deputies
represent the governing Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), and Mikaelyan the
Prosperous Armenia bloc of oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan.
Prior to this year, Armenia
had only ever had two non-Armenian MPs: the current speaker of parliament, Edik
Sharmazanov, is of Pontic Greek descent and an ethnic Georgian, Nana
Togoshvili, served in the 1990s.
The fact that the representatives are selected through a party list “to my mind,
restricts their role as ethnic representatives,” said Hranush Kharatyan, an
ethnographer and former presidential advisor on national minorities, in an
interview with EurasiaNet.org. “It seems to me that representatives of specific
minority communities should be elected without party obligations.”
But, she added, “whether it’s good or bad, only time will tell.”
The four minorities represent tiny portions of Armenia’s official population of
slightly over 3 million. According to the 2011 census, the Yezidis number about
35,000; Russians about 12,000; Assyrians about 3,000; and Kurds 2,000.
Throughout the Soviet period, Azeris comprised Armenia’s largest ethnic minority,
with over 160,000 members, according to the 1979 census. But the overwhelming
majority fled the country between 1988 and 1991, amid the outbreak of the
conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Minority groups today have varying political agendas. Russians are mainly
urban, and for the most part, are integrated into Armenian society. Yezidis, by
contrast, are more isolated and often semi-nomadic, creating challenges in
education. The Yezidis and Assyrians also have sought to call attention to the
plight of their co-ethnics, who are among the most vulnerable victims in the wars
in Iraq and Syria.
Makhmudyan has said that one of his priorities is to officially recognize the
massacres of Yezidis in the Middle East as
genocide.
Some in Armenia’s
opposition have suggested that the new minority representatives are serving as
a means for the Republicans to cement their grip on power. Hasanov, in an interview with
Sputnik Armenia, said that
the Republican endorsement helped the party among Armenia’s Kurds. “The RPA included
us in their list as candidates, and we tried to get representatives of our
community to give their votes to the RPA,” he said, adding that “of course in
our association there are also people with opposition views.”
The question of representation aside, it is a common phenomenon that small
minorities in Armenia
side with governing parties, believing that such affiliation is the easiest and
safest way to protect their interests.
Meanwhile, some analysts contend that the numbers of Armenia’s minorities are too small
to have tangible electoral clout independent of existing parties. The electoral
threshold to gain representation in parliament is 5 percent, or about 100,000
voters – far higher than the combined total of all Armenia’s ethnic minorities, noted
director of the Yerevan-based Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan.
“Without some quota, there’s very little chance that any minority deputy would
enter parliament,” he said.
“It’s of course true that national minorities mostly vote for the
incumbent party, and I realize that’s not the case in Europe,” said Vartan Ascatryan, Armenia’s presidential advisor on
national minorities, in an interview with EurasiaNet.org. “But here in Armenia,
they require the support of the ruling party to help resolve all kinds of
social and economic problems.”
No other Caucasus country has ethnic quotas
for parliament. Georgia, the most ethnically mixed of the three countries in
the South Caucasus, now has its most
diverse parliament: with 11 out of 150 seats held by ethnic
minorities, including Armenians, Azeris, Ossetians, Abkhaz, and Yezidis. Azerbaijan
has a handful of MPs representing the Talysh and Lezgin communities, as well as
an informal practice of always having at least one Russian and one Jewish
member of parliament.
The separatist entity of Abkhazia is one of the most ethnically diverse parts
of the Caucasus, but ethnic Abkhaz – by most
counts a minority in the territory – dominate its government. Currently, the de
facto 35-member parliament has only three minorities, all Armenians, under an
informal “gentleman’s agreement,” whereby parties nominate
minority candidates in districts where they predominate.
“I think there’ll be a certain resonance
throughout the Caucasus region,” Ascatryan said of Armenia’s new minority quotas. “It
could be an example to other countries — if such a monoethnic country as Armenia
can manage to extend this right to its minorities, then others certainly can.”
Maxim
Edwards is a writer and commissioning editor at openDemocracy Russia (oDR).
****************************************************************************************************
3 – Anesthesia
Physician Joins Medical Mission
To Armenia,
Recording 6 ‘Firsts’ in Care
ORANGE, Calif. (PRWEB) – In late May, Allied
Anesthesia physician Dr. Armen Chalian was part of an outreach team of 32
doctors, nurses and social workers that delivered care to 750 patients and
performed 58 surgeries in Yerevan,
Armenia. The
two-week mission resulted in six medical “firsts” in that country and was
conducted under the auspices of Arpan
Global Charities, a philanthropic medical organization with
outreaches in more than 14 countries. The multidisciplinary team comprised
professionals from St. Joseph Hospital of Orange, Calif., and Children’s
Hospital of Orange County (CHOC).
Medical “Firsts”
During the mission, the team performed and
recorded six medical procedures never done in Armenia. Dr. Chalian said, “We
recorded everything as part of a program to ensure that Armenian physicians
could continue these techniques in the future.”
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for decortication and lung
resection was among the first-time procedures.
The team also introduced techniques for
postoperative pain management, such as ultrasound-guided blocks and the ON-Q
pain relief system, a pump catheter pain relief method that reduces the need
for opioid drugs and that can improve patient outcomes. Other firsts included
laparoscopic gynecologic, urinary incontinence and several pediatric
laparoscopic surgeries.
Dr. Chalian said that, aside from the obvious
goals of treating patients and delivering equipment in Armenia, the medical team sought to
establish long-term relationships with health care professionals in the
country. “Part of our goal was to create programs, such as sister hospital
networks, to make sure the medical advances introduced could be maintained by
appropriately trained clinicians in Armenia.”
The Team
From St.
Joseph Hospital,
the team included Drs. Brian Palafox, Paul Beck, Bedros Kojian and Armen
Chalian, and Medical Social Worker Marjorie MacDonald. The CHOC team included
Drs. Sudeep Kukreja and Mary Zupanc, Registered Nurse Specialists Kristine
Golden and Cindy Baker-Fox, and residents Drs. Hillary Zieve, Sneha Kemkar,
Kindra Lindrith, Jacob Khoubian and Stephanie Lee.
The volunteers brought thousands of dollars in
medical equipment and supplies from the United States, including sutures,
medications, laparoscopic surgical supplies and pulse oximeters with
transcutaneous hemoglobin capabilities. The team was interviewed on local
television and was featured in local and online media services.
Dr. Chalian said, “We made several inroads
toward shaping the future of Armenia’s
health care system—things like establishing care team protocols and checklists,
the importance of ‘skin-to-skin’ newborn bonding and lactation programs. We
also emphasized important social health issues like advocating protective care
services for women and children.”
**********************************************************************************************
4 – ANCA Welcomes Cong. Valadao’s
Leadership on De-Mining in Artsakh
WASHINGTON,
DC – Armenian Americans from across California’s Central Valley and
around the United States join with anti-landmine advocates in praising the work
of Congressman David Valadao (R-CA) – a nationally respected figure on the
influential House Appropriations Committee – for his leadership in seeking
support for the completion of a decade-long, life-saving U.S. campaign to
protect the families of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) from mines and other deadly
unexploded ordnance, reported the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA).
Congressman Valadao has been a leading voice in
the U.S. House behind bipartisan efforts to ensure that the Fiscal Year 2018
foreign aid bill prioritizes continued support for the HALO Trust, a
non-governmental organization that has, since 2006, destroyed 8,733
anti-personnel landmines, 2,584 anti-tank landmines, 180,858 small arms
ammunition, 12,423 cluster bombs, and 48,572 other explosives. This heroic work
has saved countless lives, avoided untold suffering, cleared vast areas for farming,
and – more broadly – contributed meaningfully to regional stability and the
prospects for a durable and democratic peace.
“I value my partnership with the Armenian
National Committee of America on this life-saving, peace-making
initiative,” said Congressman Valadao. “De-mining saves lives
and prevents life-altering injuries, providing economic opportunities to family
farmers to work their land free from the fear of mine-related threats, and,
longer-term, creating the conditions for a negotiated peace between Artsakh and
Azerbaijan.”
“We are fortunate that Armenians Americans
from across the San Joaquin Valley are represented in Washington, DC by such a
strong and effective legislative leader, one who both cares deeply about the
folks back home and has a proven track record of delivering results for them in
our nation’s capital,” said the ANCA Central California’s Sevag Tateosian.
“We are encouraged by Congressman Valadao’s strong leadership and
look forward to continuing to energetically back his bipartisan efforts on
Artsakh aid and all our policy priorities.”
The ANCA spearheaded the bipartisan
Congressional launch of the U.S.
aid program to Artsakh in the FY98 foreign aid bill and has actively supported
transformative projects providing maternal healthcare, clean drinking water,
and mine clearance.
The 21st District of California represented by
Congressman Valadao is centered in the San Joaquin Valley,
home to tens of thousands of Armenian Americans, including many leaders in the
region’s thriving agriculture sector.
***************************************************************************************************
5 – Former
Notre Dame Coach
Ara
Parseghian Dies at 94
By Ralph D. Russo
Associated Press
Ara Parseghian reached the pinnacle of his
profession at Notre Dame and endured the most painful personal losses as a
father and grandfather.
He walked away from coaching at the age of 51
after winning two national championships, but never really left the Fighting
Irish. He built a legacy through philanthropy that he hoped would be far more
meaningful than any of his many victories.
Parseghian died August 2 at his home in Granger,
Indiana, where he lived with Katie Parseghian, his wife of 68 years. He was 94.
Parseghian had recently returned home after
spending more than a week in a nursing care facility in South Bend, Indiana.
He was treated for an infection in his surgically repaired hip, and was still
receiving round-the-clock care at home.
“Among his many accomplishments, we will
remember him above all as a teacher, leader and mentor who brought out the very
best in his players, on and off the field,” Notre Dame President Rev. John
Jenkins said in statement. “He continued to demonstrate that leadership by
raising millions of research dollars seeking a cure for the terrible disease
that took the lives of three of his grandchildren. Whenever we asked for Ara’s
help at Notre Dame, he was there.”
Parseghian took over at Notre Dame in 1964 when
the Fighting Irish were down. They hadn’t had a winning season in five years
and had gone 2-7 in 1963. He quickly restored the Golden Dome’s luster and led
the Irish to national titles in 1966 and 1973. He abruptly retired after the
1974 season, saying he was worn out and ready for a change. Despite offers from
other colleges and NFL teams he never returned to coaching.
“When you find any successful coach there’s
always a portion of the players who didn’t like him. From the top All-American
to the guy who never got to see the field, everybody loved Ara,” former
Notre Dame quarterback Terry Hanratty said. “That’s a really great human
being.”
Parseghian didn’t just revive Notre Dame
football. He made Fighting Irish fans believe in the program again. He began
his tenure in South Bend
with an impromptu pep rally that drew 2,000 students to the steps of a
residence hall and eventually persuaded Notre Dame to end its longstanding
policy against playing in bowl games.
Parseghian was so beloved by students that when
the weather turned bad, chants of “Ara, stop the rain!” or “Ara,
stop the snow” cascaded down from the grandstands.
“As a student, I enjoyed the thrill of
being on campus for Ara’s last three years as head coach, including the 1973
championship, and saw firsthand the profound impact that he had on my
classmates who played for him,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack
Swarbrick said in a statement. “When I returned many years later as athletics
director, Ara was unfailingly generous with his time, and his counsel proved to
be invaluable.”
After stepping down, Parseghian went into
television and spent more than a decade calling games on ABC and CBS.
In 1994, his family was hit with devastating
news. Three of his son Mike’s children were found to have Niemann-Pick disease
type C. Parseghian helped create the Ara Parseghian Medical Foundation in
response.
He already had been active in the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society after his daughter, Karan, was diagnosed decades
earlier.
The Parseghians lost three grandchildren between
the ages of 9-16 to Niemann-Pick disease from 1997-2005. The foundation has
raised more than $45 million for research on the disease.
In 2014, Parseghian’s daughter, Karan Burke,
died at 61.
He received an honorary doctorate from Notre
Dame in 1997. In 1980, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
In 2007, Notre Dame unveiled a statue of Parseghian outside Notre Dame Stadium.
Parseghian was born in Akron, Ohio,
and served in the Navy.
Later in life, Parseghian spent his winters in Florida and the rest of the year in the South Bend area, watching the Irish closely.
Parseghian is survived by wife Katie, son
Michael and daughter Kristan.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to
the Ara Parseghian Medical
Research Fund at Notre Dame.
*****************************************************************************************************
6 – Don
Boyajian Announces Candidacy to Congress
GLENS FALLS, NY — Don Boyajian, a lawyer who recently moved from Saratoga County
to Cambridge, in Washington County,
announced his candidacy for Congress on last week, becoming the fifth candidate
seeking the Democratic nomination in the 21st Congressional District in 2018.
“We’re interested in coming up with real
solutions to help our communities,” Boyajian said in an interview at The
Post-Star on Tuesday. “My whole life, I’ve felt like our region has got
the short end of the stick.”
Boyajian, a trout fisherman and bluegrass
musician in his spare time, said he has a keen understanding of the 12-county
congressional district, both from a lifestyle and policy perspective.
As a student at Colgate
University and Cornell
Law School,
he did research on affordable housing in the Adirondacks and on invasive
species in Lake Champlain.
He focused on agricultural, natural resources
and energy issues as an aide to former Rep. Michael McMahon, D-Staten Island,
and was an environmental policy adviser to former state Attorney General Andrew
Cuomo, who now is New York’s
governor.
“We need a representative that has fight and
grit — that is key — and someone that is on the ground in the district,” he
said.
Boyajian joins a spirited field of candidates
shaping up early for the 2018 race.
*****************************************************************************************************
7 – Young
Armenian Chess Players
Dominate
‘Match of the Century’
ST.
LOUIS—Armenian under-17 and under-14 chess players
dominated the “The Match of the Century,” a chess tournament organized by
world-renowned Grandmaster Garry Kasparov, which pitted the “World Team” versus
the U.S. Team.
The World Team, headed by 16-year-old Hayk
Martirosyan, won the match, beating the US team 19 to 13. The US Team, on
the other hand, was also led by an Armenian, Samuel Sevyan.
“The Match of the Century” organized by Garry
Kasparov is won by the World team against the US team, Sputnik reports.
Martirosyan and Sevyan played against each other
twice. Sevyan won the first match, while Martrosyan won the second, ushering
his team to overall victory in the competition.
The victory was celebrated at the Hall of Fame
of the Saint-Louis Chess Club.
**************************************************************************************************
8 – Armenia’s
Men and Women’s U16
Teams
Become FIBA Champions
ANDORRA LA VELLA, Andorra–Team Armenia, which
dominated from the first day of the FIBA European Championships and, and
finished the tournament with six wins in as many games won the gold, a day
after beating Azerbaijan 88-76 in the U16 (under 16) competition, reported the
International Basketball Federation, commonly known as FIBA. Armenia’s Women’s U16 team also won the
championship when it beat Malta
63-44.
On Sunday, Armenia U18 beat Gibraltar
88-70 triumph to claim not only their first gold at the event, but also their
first-ever medal at the FIBA U16 European Championship, Division C.
Georgii Shakhnazarov led the way in the final
with 27 points, connecting on 4-of-10 from three-point range. Aleksey Chizhenok
had a higher player efficiency rating, a game-high 38, with his 20 points on
9-of-14 from the field, 18 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. David Karamyan
scored 17 points, Nikita Galtsev was the leading rebounder with 20 points, and
he also had 10 points in the Final, FIBA reported.
Armenia’s
Anna Aslanian was named the MVP of the women’s U16 Championships
On Saturday, Armenia
beat Azerbaijan
in the U16 competition with a score of 88-76
Anna Aslanian of the Armenia’s
U16 team secured her the most valuable player honors, paving the way for Armenia’s 63-44 win over Malta in the 2017 FIBA U16 Women’s
European Championship Division C finals.
Aslanian took home the trophy after averaging
17.4 points, 16.2 rebounds, 3.6 block,s and 3.6 assists per game for the gold
medal winner, Armenia.
She scored in double-digits in every single game, including a monster
performance in Armenia’s win
in the final versus Malta
on July 29, with 22 points, 31 rebounds, and 12 blocks.
The entire team from Malta had six blocks throughout the
Championship. Aslanian saved twice as many just for the Final outing, finishing
the game with 22 points, 31 rebounds, 12 blocks and sevan assists. She almost
singlehandedly outrebounded Malta,
who had 39 rebounds.
Aslanian’s performance gave her a 57 player
efficiency rating, and she had a nice supporting cast in Kristina Melikyan and
Ani Hovhannisyan. Melikyan collected 17 points, Hovhannisyan had 16, as Armenia played superb defense in the second half
and held Malta
to just 19 points after the break.
Joining Aslanian in the All-Star Five in the
tournament are Mariam Okropiridze, Agnesa Rrahmani, Mireya Benitez Lopez, and
Michela Zammit Cordina.
********************************************************************************************************
9 – Armenians
to Serve in Key
Posts
In Lebanese Government
BEIRUT
(Aztag Daily) — In filling posts, the Lebanese government has assigned three
Armenians to key domestic and foreign posts.
Houry Der-Sakisian was appointed Lebanon’s
Comptroller General.
On the diplomatic front, Ara Khatchadourian was
appointed Lebanon’s
Ambassador to Colombia.
Prior to this, Khatchadourian served as the chief of staff of Lebanon’s embassy in Johannesburg, South Africa.
At the same time, Lebanon’s
Ambassador to Kazakhstan,
Vasken Kavalian, having completed his diplomatic tour, returned to Lebanon. He will retain his
ambassadorial rank and is awaiting an appointment in the near future.
For the first time, the Lebanese-Armenian
community has two members within the foreign ministry serving as ambassadors.
********************************************************************************************************
10- Kradjian
Momjian Named San
Francisco
‘Teacher of the Year’
SAN FRANCISCO
(Asbarez) – Betty Kradjian Momjian, a 6th grade Math and Science teacher at San Francisco’s A P
Giannini middle-school was awarded “San Francisco 2016-17 Teacher of the Year”
from the city’s Mayor Ed Lee’s Office, Asbarez reports.
Five K-12 teachers were awarded out of more than
three hundred nominations, just one for a middle-school. She received
congratulatory certificates from San
Francisco’s Mayor, City Supervisors, Assessor, State
Senate, and even Federal Congress, signed by Nancy Pelosi.
Betty started teaching in LAUSD’s John Muir Elementary school in Glendale, CA
and moved to the Bay Area after marriage. She is a member of San
Jose’s ARS Agnouni chapter, and regularly consults with KZV Armenian
School’s principal, where
her two children attended. Betty is a graduate of Holy Martyrs
Ferrahian High
School and Cal State Northridge.
She also won San Francisco Super Teacher of the
year for 2016-17, awarded by Carmen Chu, the City Assessor’s Office. This award
was given after interviewing students for the teacher with the most positive
impact on them.
****************************************************************************************************
11- Americana at Brand Rejects
Genocide
Documentary Billboard
GLENDALE—It was brought to the attention of the
Armenian National Committee of America, Glendale Chapter that the producers of
“Architects of Denial,” a documentary film about the Armenian Genocide, were
unsuccessful in purchasing billboard space at the Americana at Brand on the
premise that the content was “too political.”
“Architects of Denial,” which counts Dean Cain
and Montel Willians as its producers, provides a crucial lens into Armenian
Genocide, as well as the denial of these events by the Turkish government and
several other political authorities. Through the retelling of stories from
survivors, “Architects of Denial” bridges the gap between the historical
mass-exterminations and those occurring today.
This issue is deeply concerning to the Armenian
American community, and the decision to deny advertisement space to a film that
attempts to raise awareness of human rights violations is quite perplexing.
As history has shown, the denial of the Armenian
Genocide leads to the continuation of such hateful crimes. This film has the
right to advertise and educate the community about this important subject.
Americana
at Brand’s decision to reject a billboard advertisement of the film on the
grounds that it is “too political” is unacceptable by this community. It is
disappointing to see the management’s betrayal of the Armenian community, the
same one that contributes immensely to the Americana
at Brand through taxpayer dollars and everyday commerce, the same community
that voted to make the Americana
a possibility. A denial of the request to publicize this documentary is a sign
of disdain to the residents of Glendale
and an attempt to censor historical facts.
As citizens of Glendale, it is imperative to take a stand
against the denial of the Armenian Genocide and protect the ones who raise
awareness. Any attempts at suppressing Genocide awareness is distasteful,
offensive, and has no place in Glendale.
Upon learning of the American’s decision, ANCA
Glendale immediately raised its concerns and expressed its disappointment to
the Glendale City Council on August 1. An official letter has been sent asking
the management of Americana
at Brand and its corporate owner, Caruso Affiliated, to reverse their decision.
*****************************************************************************************************
12- Mkhitaryan
Nominated for UEFA
Europa
League Player of the Season
YEREVAN (Arka.am)
– Armenia
international Henrik Mkhitaryan, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have been
nominated for the UEFA Europa League Player of the Season award, after helping
Manchester United to win the trophy.
The inaugural prize will be presented in Monaco later this month when the
ceremony for the group stage draw of the competition – plus the Champions
League – takes place on August 25.
Pogba started every Europa League game in 2016/17 and scored the opening goal
during the 2-0 win over AFC Ajax in the Stockholm
final last May. That helped to earn him a nomination from a panel of judges
that consisted of every manager who was involved in the group stage of the
Europa League, plus journalists.
Mkhitaryan became something of a specialist in Europe throughout his debut season
with United, and his clincher in the final against Ajax was his sixth goal in the tournament.
Ibrahimovic also scored half a dozen goals during the Reds’ successful run to
the trophy in Sweden, before
the striker suffered a season-ending injury in the quarter-final win over Anderlecht at Old Trafford.
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13 – US
Sanctions
On Russia May
Affect
Armenia
WASHINGTON, DC – (News.am) – The new US
sanctions against Russia are
in no way aimed at the neighboring countries of Russia,
including Armenia,
said political analyst John Herbst to Voice of America.
Nevertheless, according to him, the inevitable
decline in Russia’s economy,
which will follow the application of the sanctions, may indirectly impact Armenia
as well. Unfortunately, there might be unpredictable negative consequences on Armenia, Kazakhstan and other EAEU members,
he added.
According to political scientist Gevorg Melikyan, Armenia is too strongly linked with
the Russian economy, the negative impact of the decline of Russian economy
being inevitable. He also noted that this will directly affect Armenia
both in terms of transfers and import. The occurrence should be a sign for Armenia
to diversify its political and economic ties, enhancing the cooperation with
other countries, Melikyan added.
Political scientist Suren Sargsyan is also
confident that although the direct sanctions are imposed on Russia, they will influence Armenia as well. In his words, the
sanctions will not have direct impact on Armenia
but there will be indirect consequences, since Russia
is the number one partner for Armenia.
Michael Rubin, a former analyst of Pentagon and
senior expert of the American Enterprise Institute recalls that the
sanctions mainly relate to the oil industry sphere of Russia and cannot directly harm Armenia.
At the same time, he stressed that the growing tension between US and Russia,
which may turn into a trade war, does not benefit the interests of any country
in the South Caucasus.
Because of the tension, Russia may require that the
countries in the same alliance with it restrict ties with the West. Thus, Russia may demand that its neighbors follow the
policy conducted by it, in which case Armenia will find itself in a
complicated situation.
However, according to the US experts, the influential Armenian community
of the US will try to ensure
that the growing tension with Russia
and the sanction lifted by the US
on that country do not harm Armenia,
especially since they were initially aimed at Russia.
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