Category: News

Lansing State Journal, MI
july 8 2004
Eastside property values outpace rest of Lansing
Development has been a boon to diverse area

ROD SANFORD/Lansing State Journal
Rehabbing the east side: David Muylle works on a property Wednesday
on Regent Street on the city’s east side. Muylle has rehabilitated
six homes during his 20 years as an eastside resident. His family, he
says, has a commitment to the neighborhood.

Sources: City of Lansing; Boys Training School plan implementation
committee

By Tom Lambert
Lansing State Journal
A bulldozer pushes earth aside at the former site of the Boys
Training School, clearing the way for an upscale condominium
development.
Two new restaurants take root along a busy stretch of Michigan Avenue
and another expands.
And a resident transforms a former drug house into a family home.
These are just three of many signs of steady progress on Lansing’s
east side, a culturally diverse area bordered by Saginaw Highway,
U.S. 127, Interstate 496 and Pennsylvania Avenue.
The changes have driven up housing values, helped shape a positive
perception of the area and given many residents a feeling of
ownership.
“We are progressing here every year,” Rufus Galvan, an eastside
resident of 22 years, said while doing yard work. “And I think we got
to this point because just about everybody takes pride in taking care
of their property. That goes a long way.”
>From 1990 to 2003, homes in the 25 neighborhoods that comprise the
east side have jumped in value an average of 98.1 percent, according
to a city analysis. That compares with an 89.8 percent increase for
the rest of Lansing.
The $28 million housing project at the former Boys Training School
will establish a collection of 177 condominiums called East Village,
said Rick Kibbey, chairman of the Boys Training School plan
implementation committee.
The condos will cost $130,000 to $200,000, depending on whether they
are flats, townhouses or single homes.
Buyers may start moving into some of the homes by next summer, but
the entire project won’t be completed until 2009.
High demand expected
The homes will go on the market at the end of the year and Kibbey
expects demand to be strong, especially since the east side is
already a destination for young families because of its central
location.
“You are five minutes from Michigan State University and downtown and
you can hop on your bike and are five minutes from a ride in the
woods,” he said.
A lot of little things are adding up to make the east side a better
place to live, residents say. Those include the House of Kabobs,
Irene’s Diner and the expanded Lopez Bakery, Deli and Cafe.
For years, Elmira and Gennady Gevorkyan have wanted to open a
restaurant in honor of their Armenian homeland.
They finally got that opportunity, along with Elmira’s cousin Arsen
Sarkisov, on May 10 with the opening of the House of Kabobs.
“We are living our dream,” Elmira Gevorkyan said of the restaurant
that features shish kebabs, salads and other Armenian foods.
“We are already having regular customers come in once or twice a
week. It’s been a good decision to open here so far.”
Just down the street, Suchart and Irene Sivavajchaipong opened
Irene’s Diner on May 5, serving food that includes Thai and Mexican
dishes.
Lopez Bakery, which serves traditional Mexican food, is adding three
lofts on the second floor of the building, and a DolEnx – Mexico’s
answer to Western Union – will open within the next three weeks.
Rehabbing homes
Another person doing his part to enhance the east side is David
Muylle. He has rehabilitated six homes during his 20 years on the
east side. He has pumped $60,000 into his latest project, 124 Regent
St., which was an eyesore.
He bought the home after seeing people go in and out buying drugs
while he worked nearby.
“My initial reaction was let the city close it down,” he said. “But
the more I thought about it, I figured why not buy it and do
something positive with it.
“We’ve committed ourselves to staying on the east side,” said Muylle,
who may move into the home along with his wife, Carrie, and sons
Austin, 5, and Andrew, 9. “We aren’t just neighbors here. There is a
certain attitude about overcoming any obstacles in our way.”
Nancy Parsons, president of Eastside Neighborhood Organization, said
she believes the work on the east side gives prospective home buyers
confidence.
She points to the Michigan Avenue corridor improvements made in the
past year using a $100,000 grant from the Capital Region Community
Foundation that subsequently attracted more than $300,000 in private
investment.
Fixing up
Moriarty’s Pub used $2,500 for a new awning, Theio’s restaurant got
$2,700 for a new patio, and Ambs Message Center received $5,000 for a
new front.
“It’s impacting the whole city,” Parsons said. “Yes, it benefits us
moreso, but overall it shows the whole city is growing, which is a
good sign for our future.”
David Wiener, executive assistant to Mayor Tony Benavides, said there
is no doubt the east side is flourishing.
“They are a model for neighborhood development work for the whole
city,” he said.
By the numbers
98.1% -The average increase in home values on Lansing’s east side
from 1990 to 2003
89.8% -The average increase in home values for the rest of the city
during that time
$28 million -Cost to build 177 condominiums at the former Boys
Training School site
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Assa Irada, Azerbaijan
July 8 2004
EU Commissioner: South Caucasus’s Integration into EU Possible after
Settlement of Karabakh Conflict
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was a focus of a Wednesday meeting of
the Milli Majlis (parliament) Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov with the
European Union (EU) commissioner on expansion Yanez Potocnik, who
arrived in Baku on Tuesday evening.
Alasgarov said that he backed the resolution of the conflict based on
the principles of territorial integrity of countries and the
inviolability of their borders.
Touching upon international organizations’ suggestions that
Azerbaijan reach common agreement on the settlement of the conflict,
Alasgarov expressed his surprise at this.
`How can Azerbaijan reach common agreement with Armenia, which is an
aggressor and doesn’t intend to withdraw from the occupied lands of
Azerbaijan?’ he stressed.
Speaker also condemned the visits by some international diplomats to
Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia without the prior permission from Baku.
Potocnik, in turn, noted that the successful integration of the South
Caucasus region into the European Union was possible only after the
peaceful solution of the Karabakh conflict. He underlined that the EU
was ready to carry out rehabilitation operations in Nagorno-Karabakh
after the resolution of the conflict.
The EU commissioner stressed that the EU special envoy on South
Caucasus Heikki Talvitie was ready to assist the OSCE Minsk Group in
settling the conflict.
Touching upon cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan, Potocnik
said that the report on Azerbaijan prepared at the first stage of the
`European Neighborhood Policy’ program is scheduled to be delivered
in spring of 2005. He noted that it was necessary to pay more
attention to eradication of poverty and corruption and the
development of democracy, along with reforms in various areas of
economy. Potocnik said that the EU would render financial assistance
to Azerbaijan in this respect.
Receiving Potocnik the same day, Prime Minister Artur Rasizada said
that Azerbaijan had fulfilled all commitments for the country’s
admission to the EU soon. Speaking about economic reforms, Rasizada
stressed that Azerbaijan was the only country in the South Caucasus
region to fulfill the commitments on repayment of the EU-allocated
loans.

Azer News, Azerbaijan
July 8 2004
UNHCR to consider appeals of Armenian detainees

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will consider the issue
of granting refugee status to two Armenian nationals, who came to
Baku on April 7 and are being kept at the Ministry of National
Security, and their extradition to a third country.
Ali Hasanov, Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the State
Committee on Refugees (SCR), told a news conference on Saturday that
the two Armenians recently appealed to the SCR to be granted refugee
status and the Constitutional Court, ministries of Foreign and
Internal Affairs, Justice and National Security are tackling the
issue.
Hasanov said that on the government’s instructions the Armenian
nationals’ legal status had been determined and a relevant document
submitted to the Foreign Ministry, which, in turn, will forward it to
the UNHCR for further consideration.

Azer News, Azerbaijan
July 8 2004
Azeri, Armenian defense ministers meeting anticipated

Azerbaijani and Armenian defense ministers Safar Abiyev and Serj
Sarkisian are expected to meet shortly to discuss the recently
frequent ceasefire breaches.
Russia’s RIA-Novosti news agency quoted Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian as saying that the meeting of the two defense
ministers might take place shortly. Oskanian said that the issue of
frequent ceasefire breaches on the frontline was discussed during his
meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in Prague
on June 21. The two countries’ defense ministers were sent an appeal
to hold bilateral meetings to discuss the settlement of the Upper
Garabagh conflict.
The number of the dead and injured from both conflicting sides
increased as a result of the frequent ceasefire breaches in June.

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
July 8 2004
Minsk Group Co-chairs to Visit Region
Co-chairs of the Minsk group of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are planning to visit the region late
this week, ANS reported on Thursday.
The co-chairs, Yuri Merzlyakov of Russia, Stephen Mann of the United
States and Anri Jackolen of France will first arrive in the Armenian
capital of Yereven on July 10.
Then the mediators will visit Baku and Khankendi (Stepanakert), the
central town of Azerbaijan’s occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Interfax
July 8 2004
Armenian NPP to shut down for overhaul on July 23
Yerevan. (Interfax) – The Armenian nuclear power plant, operated by
ZAO Inter UES of Russia, will shut down for an overhaul and refueling
on July 23 and not, as planned, on July 15, Armenian State Atomic
Energy Oversight head Ashot Martirosian told Interfax.
The decision was made because the plant is currently low on fuel.
The plant was originally scheduled to shut down on July 15, “but the
plant reduced capacity because of high waters from the spring
flooding and the diversion of water resources to generate
electricity,” Martirosian said.
The work will last 65 days, during which, after the nuclear fuel is
loaded, an overhaul is planned for the reactor and two operating
turbines of the second generating unit. One-third of the new fuel
consignment, some 100 cassettes, will be loaded and paid for by
Russia. This should be sufficient for the plant to work until summer
2005, Martirosian said.
The Armenian NPP generated 1.9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity
in 2003, 36% of total electricity generation in Armenia.
ZAO Inter UES of Russia, which exports and imports electricity to
Russia and other countries, took over management of the plant in
September 2003. Inter UES is a subsidiary of Unified Energy System
(UES) of Russia, with 60% of the shares, and state-run enterprise
Rosenergoatom, with 40%.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BBC News
July 8 2004
Musharraf seeks Azerbaijan deals

By Chloe Arnold
BBC correspondent in Baku

Musharraf will be looking for agreements on oil and gas
The president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, is beginning a two-day
visit to the oil-rich former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan on
Thursday.
The countries have signed military accords in the past, and the visit
is likely to result in closer ties between the two mainly Muslim
nations.
The leaders of Azerbaijan and Pakistan make unusual partners.
Historically, the two countries have had little to do with each
other. But General Musharraf’s visit will put the seal on a
burgeoning relationship.
Oil and gas deals
In the past year, the two countries have already signed a defence
co-operation deal under which Pakistan is helping to train officers
from Azerbaijan.
This week’s visit, the first by a Pakistani leader to Azerbaijan, is
expected to produce further accords on economic co-operation, which
would enable Pakistan to buy oil and gas from Azerbaijan’s vast
offshore fields.
With its eight million population, Azerbaijan is tiny compared to
Pakistan, home to more than 150 million people.
But officials from the two countries say they have much in common.
Both have a majority Muslim population, and both have big issues to
resolve with their neighbours. Pakistan is in conflict with India
over Kashmir, while Azerbaijan is in dispute with Armenia over the
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
A spokesman for Pakistan’s embassy in Azerbaijan said General
Musharraf’s visit was an opportunity for the two partners to deepen
their friendship.

Art Museum Network News
July 8 2004
Art from the Byzantine Empire Examined in New Getty Exhibition
Tuesday, September 14, 2004 – Sunday, December 5, 2004
J. Paul Getty Museum

“Saint Luke.” New Testament, Byzantine, 1133. Tempera colors, gold
leaf, gold paint, and ink on parchment. Collection: The J. Paul Getty
Museum.
LOS ANGELES, (amnnews.com) – The widespread influence of the
Byzantine Empire on neighboring countries and the enduring legacy of
its art are explored in the new Getty exhibition “Byzantium and the
West,” at the Getty Center, September 14 – December 5, 2004. The
exhibition features manuscripts that showcase the distinctive
brilliance of Byzantine art and highlight the manner in which
different cultures reacted to the artistic heritage of the Empire
over time.
Drawn primarily from the Getty’s rich collection, the works on view
include bound manuscripts, leaves, and a painting, all dating from
the 11th through 17th centuries. Among these are several loans from
other West Coast collections. The exhibition explores the striking
naturalism and courtly splendor that distinguishes Byzantine art, and
examines the diverse ways in which the highly admired style was
emulated by three of Byzantium’s closest neighbors: Germany, Italy,
and Armenia.
The Byzantine Empire, which lasted from 330 until 1453, inherited the
territories and cultural traditions of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Drawing upon the art of classical Greece and Rome, Byzantine artists
continued the naturalistic tradition in their depictions of the human
form. One hallmark of their style was to arrange the folds of
garments to suggest the body underneath the garments. Byzantine art
was also known for its rich visual brilliance. Strongly influenced by
the sumptuous ceremony of the emperor’s court, artists from the
Empire illuminated their manuscripts with bright gold and other
precious materials. The geometric patterns and lush decorations they
used were partly based on motifs found in Byzantine metalwork and
jewelry of the period.
Trade, intermarriage, and military expeditions facilitated the
exchange of ideas and goods between Byzantium and the West.
Paintings, illuminated books, and silk textiles from the Empire were
among the luxury items given away as diplomatic gifts. As rulers in
Western Europe established their centers of power, they looked to
Byzantine models for symbols of imperial greatness. They adopted
Byzantine religious imagery, and artists in the region incorporated
Byzantine themes and styles into their work, reinterpreting and
adapting them to suit their own culture and the interests of their
patrons.
In Germany, the intermarriage of the imperial family with Byzantine
aristocrats in the 900s intensified the connection between the two
peoples. German artists adapted poses from Byzantine art, used bright
patterns inspired by silks from the Empire, and often followed the
naturalistic tradition of depicting Christ as vulnerable and human
rather than as a triumphant figure, much to the disapproval of the
Western Church. They also depicted their subjects dressed in exotic
robes. A German miniature of the Annunciation, created around 1240,
shows the Virgin dressed in a Byzantine costume called a “maphorion,”
with a veil that covers the head and shoulders and a star on her
forehead. In the drapery of the archangel Gabriel, the German artist
also incorporates the bright highlights and angular folds of
Byzantine illumination, but in a departure, he does not follow the
tradition of hinting at the body underneath.
Parts of Italy were once within the boundaries of the Empire, and
strong ties persisted through commercial and military activity,
especially with the beginning of the Crusades around 1095, which
brought about the greatest interaction between Byzantium and the
West. As more people became familiar with the landscape of the Holy
Land, Western artists began to respond to this expanded worldview. An
Italian manuscript created in the late 1200s follows the Byzantine
tradition and sets the Nativity within a mountainous landscape with
the Holy Family taking shelter in a cave, rather than resting in a
stable as described in the Bible. Italian artists also borrowed
imagery, such as the Virgin’s swoon, which is known from a small
number of examples in Byzantine manuscripts of the 1000s, but
flourished in the West only after 1250.
Armenia, the closest eastern neighbor to the Empire, remained an
independent Christian state but looked to the Byzantine Orthodox
Church for inspiration. In an Armenian manuscript, Saint Mark is
shown in the Byzantine manner as a Gospel writer who is bearded and
seated at a lectern. The background of gold is also adopted from the
Byzantine tradition and suggests a heavenly setting for the figure.
The Armenian artist, however, includes more elaborate architectural
details and a distinctive sun, which suggest a natural setting.
Armenian artists also incorporated Islamic art forms into their work.
Years of contact with the Byzantine Empire, Western Crusaders, and
Islamic neighbors allowed Armenian artists to choose selectively from
different artistic traditions, resulting in the development of a
distinct style that reflected the exchange and integration of many
cultural sources.
When the Byzantine Empire ended with the fall of its capital,
Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), to the Ottoman Turks in 1453,
its artistic traditions continued and were sometimes entwined with
innovations of the Italian Renaissance, especially in areas such as
Venetian-ruled Crete. Byzantine scholars who took refuge in Italy
after the fall of the Empire contributed to the sustaining power of
its art and culture, and Constantinople continued to be imagined as
the seat of Christian splendor. Western artists, however, began to
visualize Byzantine courtly splendor in familiar terms. Rather than
depicting the Byzantine emperor in the gold and jewels of an Eastern
ruler, for example, they might show him in the ermine-lined cloak and
crown common to European kings, this time adapting imagery from the
West to Byzantine subjects.
# # #
About the Getty: The J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural
and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that
features the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the
Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Grant Program. The J.
Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs are based at the Getty Center in
Los Angeles.
Visiting the Getty Center: The Getty Center is open Tuesday through
Thursday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday
from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed Mondays and major holidays.
Admission to the Getty Center is always free. Parking is available
for a fee; no reservation required. Reservations are required for
event seating and groups of 15 or more. Please call 310-440-7300
(English or Spanish) for reservations and information. The TTY line
for callers who are deaf or hearing impaired is 310-440-7305.
Additional information is available on the Getty Web site at
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GEO.TV
July 8 2004
President Musharraf arrives in Azerbaijan
BAKU: President Pervez Musharraf arrived in the oil-rich former
Soviet republic of Azerbaijan Thursday at the start of a two-day
visit which officials said would cement a growing friendship between
the two Muslim nations.
Pakistan is keen to sell its military hardware to Azerbaijan while
the south Asian state wants to get its hands on Azerbaijan’s sizeable
oil and gas resources.
After landing near Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, Musharraf, who was
accompanied by Pakistan’s first lady Begum Sehba Musharraf, was due
to have talks with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and then ink a series
of agreements.
The Azeri leader told reporters on Wednesday that his country
“attaches great importance to the visit of Pakistan’s president… I
hope (it) will give a new impetus to our relations and lift them onto
a new level.”
The visit was taking place amid tight security. An army general who
came to power in a bloodless coup five years ago, Musharraf has been
the target of several assassination attempts at home.
Azerbaijan is a tiny state of eight million people bordering Iran and
Russia, which in recent years has emerged as a steadfast ally to
Pakistan.
The two countries are united by a common fight against their
neighbours: Pakistan in its conflict with India over Kashmir and
Azerbaijan in a 15-year-old dispute with Armenia over the enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pakistani and Azeri diplomats have an informal pact to back each
other when their conflicts come up for discussion in international
forums like the United Nations.
They are also members of the exclusive club of Muslim states which
have sided with the United States in its fight against international
terrorism, offering logistical and military support to US-led
operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan were first forged by
Musharraf’s predecessor Nawaz Sharif when he visited Baku in 1995.
The late Azeri head of state Heidar Aliyev — the father of the
current president — made a return visit to Islamabad the following
year.
The two sides concluded a military pact last year. Details are
sketchy, though it is known that Azeri officers are training in
military academies in Pakistan.
Ahead of Musharraf’s visit, an advance party headed by Pakistan’s
Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Chaudhry Nauriz Shakoor
Khan has been in Azerbaijan thrashing out agreements with Azeri
officials.
“Azerbaijan has always supported Pakistan on the Kashmir problem,”
the minister said Wednesday, speaking through an interpreter. “During
the visit…the (two) presidents will sign agreements on friendship
and cooperation.”
That cooperation is likely to include deals on oil and defence, he
said. “If Azerbaijan has spare oil and gas and Pakistan has demand
for them then we can buy them,” said Khan. “We can also offer
Azerbaijan military technology.
Khan said other agreements would pave the way for Pakistani
businessmen to invest in Azerbaijan’s agriculture and tourism
sectors, and that Urdu — Pakistan’s official language — would soon
be taught at Baku State University.
Musharraf is scheduled to fly out of Azerbaijan on Saturday morning.
On Friday he is due to address a special session of the Azeri
parliament, go on walkabout around Baku and attend a concert in his
honour at the State Philarmonic Hall.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
July 8 2004
ONE-ON-ONE MEETING OF PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN AND PRESIDENT OF
PAKISTAN
[July 08, 2004, 18:56:59]
Private meeting of the President of Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev
and President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf was held at the President
Palace, on 8 July.
In the course of meeting, heads of state expressed their satisfaction
with the existing mutually beneficial relations founded by the
nationwide leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev. It was stated that the
bilateral relations are developing in numerous fields. President of
Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev with a great pleasure stressed persistent and
fair position of the Pakistani state related to the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict.
In the meeting, discussed were issues of enhancing bilateral
relations, prospects of cooperation in the international
organizations, problems of international and regional safety and
others.
The meeting passed in an atmosphere of friendly and mutual
understanding