Category: News

The Boston Globe

George Nersessian; ex-store owner had passion for writing

By Casey Farrar, Globe Correspondent
4/5/2004

For nearly four decades, George Nersessian of Chestnut Hill owned five local
retail stores. When he retired in the late 1980s, he pursued an interest in
writing and wrote two books — one in English and one in Armenian.

Mr. Nersessian, former owner of The Plaza Men’s Stores and author of “For
Love and Honor,” a story of his parents’ survival during the Armenian
genocide in 1915 and his experience in a German labor camp during World War
II, died Friday at Boston Medical Center of congestive heart failure. He was
85.

Born in Orestias, Greece, to Armenian parents, Mr. Nersessian spoke Armenian
and Greek. A standout soccer player, he joined the Greek national soccer
team and had planned to go to the Olympics when Greece was invaded by
Germany during World War II.

With his Olympic dreams dashed, Mr. Nersessian remained in Nazi-occupied
Greece until he was captured and taken to Stuttgart, Germany, to work in a
factory.

“The Germans were on the streets in these open two-seater cars . . .
patrolling the streets of Salonik, gathering the youth to take them to
Germany,” his wife, B. Betty (Maranjian), said yesterday. “George had a lot
of Jewish friends, and he went looking for them because he was devastated,
but he was grabbed up and put in a line to go to work in a factory with many
other Greek youth.”

Mr. Nersessian went to a factory called Salamander in Germany, where he
stitched boots for German officers until his release after the war, his wife
said.

In 1950, Mr. Nersessian, along with his sister, mother, and two brothers,
moved to the United States. He learned English — his fifth language after
picking up German and Turkish during World War II — while running a small
dry cleaning business in Dorchester, his daughter Sonya said.

He met his wife at a picnic in Massachusetts on Independence Day in 1953,
and the two married five months later.

They had two daughters, Sonya and Seta, and opened their first of five
retail stores in Dedham in 1959. The company expanded to three branches in
Dedham, one in Hanover, and one in Watertown.

After a heart attack in the late 1980s, Mr. Nersessian decided to retire
from the retail industry. He had his first short story published shortly
afterward, in the Navasart Literary Journal, a monthly magazine out of
California that was printed in Armenian.

“He had wanted to continue his education in Greece after high school, but
the war and all these events happened, so he never got to go,” Sonya said
yesterday.

Mr. Nersessian eventually began writing fictional short stories for the
monthly journal, and in 1991 published his family memoir in English. Four
years later, he released a book of collected short stories written in
Armenian.

Mr. Nersessian made frequent trips to Armenia with his wife. In 1998, he
funded the renovation of the only Armenian Apostolic Church in the city of
Ichevan, about 60 miles from the capital city of Yerevan. The Nersessian
family attended the church’s consecration ceremony. Former president of the
Dedham Rotary Club, Mr. Nersessian was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow by
Rotary International, and in 1998 he was named Man of the Year of the
Knights of Vartan.

In addition to his wife and two daughters, Mr. Nersessian leaves a sister,
Sarui; and four grandchildren.

Funeral services are private.

© Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.

A1 Plus | 15:44:49 | 05-04-2004 | Politics |

MATENADARAN SURROUNDED BY POLICE

>From early morning the police surrounded Yerevan’s Matenadaran museum in a
bid to bar Artashes Geghamyan, National Unity leader and MP, from installing
microphones there and prevent him from holding the meeting with his
constituents scheduled for Monday.{BR}

Almost all roads to connected provinces with Armenian capital are closed for
the same reason.

—

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1 Plus | 20:55:36 | 05-04-2004 | Politics |

LAW ENFORCEMENT INSTITUTION IMPOSES ORDER IN OWN WAY

Opposition bloc Justice released the list of those illegally arrested,
beaten or disturbed recently.

68 underwent police harassment – 41 of them are Armenian People Party
members, 17 are from Republic party, 7 are Justice’s supporters and 2
Democratic Party members – are listed here.

Besides, 47 activists of National Unity have been arrested. Total amount of
the law enforcement victims is 115.

—

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Posted on Mon, Apr. 05, 2004

The Charlotte Observer, N.C., 25-Year Job Column

By Carol Smith, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune
Business News

Apr. 5 – EDWARD AZARIAN: Born Jan. 29, 1939, of Armenian immigrant
parents who escaped from Turkish Armenia during the genocide of 1915.
Has been with Clariant 31 years

THE ORGANIZATION: Clariant is a major producer of specialty chemicals
for uses ranging from clothing to cars, cosmetics to computers and
everything in between.

THE JOB: Accounting manager. My primary duties include the processing of
payments to Clariant suppliers.

OTHER COMPANIES: Principally with other Swiss companies including
Hoffmann LaRoche and Lonza.

AN ANECDOTE: A couple of years ago, I no sooner arrived in Las Vegas on
vacation than I received a message from one of my co-workers to call
ASAP because there was a problem. A product cost had been overstated by
some $20 million because an employee used a unit cost of $40 a pound
rather than 40 cents a pound. My co-worker recognized that the situation
was serious and she also knew, even though I was on vacation, that I was
available to help her deal with it.

I made a call to a programmer at 5 a.m. Las Vegas time to instruct him
to place an inventory hold on the product so that we could correct the
error before any product activity occurred. All turned out well because
we worked quickly and as a team and, to this day, she says she never
would have known how to handle this without the training and knowledge I
had shared with her.

BEST ADVICE: The best advice I received was from my Armenian parents.
They reminded me that as an Armenian, I should perform all tasks given
to me (no matter how mediocre) to the best of my ability.

MEMORABLE TIME OFF: Attending an auction to purchase some stamps for my
collection.

SURPRISING FACT: As a teenager, I raised chickens, sheep, pigs and even
had a Black Angus steer that I named “Sputnik,” having purchased him the
day of the first Russian space launch.

For submission information, contact Carol Smith:
[email protected]

—–

To see more of The Charlotte Observer, or to subscribe to the newspaper,
go to

(c) 2004, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Distributed by Knight
Ridder/Tribune Business News. CLN, RHHVF, LONN,

PRAVDA, 18:45 2004-04-05

Opposition members arrested in Armenia

Opposition activists are being rounded up in Armenia, according to the press
secretary of the opposition bloc Justice, Ruzanna Hatchatrian. As reported
by a Rosbalt correspondent, she said more than 10 members of opposition
parties were arrested Sunday night and Monday morning in Yerevan and
surrounding regions. In addition, another 40 people were summoned to the
procurator’s office for questioning. Among those arrested was the press
secretary of the party Anrapetutiun (Republic), Suren Sureniants.

“Incredible how fixated they are on Turkey”
By our editor Hans Moll

NRC Handelsblad (Dutch newspaper)
April 3, 2004

Journalist Mehmet Ülger on Turkish nationalism

AMSTERDAM, APRIL 3. Many Turkish organizations are subsidised, however,
they do not promote integration. This is what Turkish-Dutch journalist
Mehmet Ülger says.

“Left-wing Netherlands protects right-wing immigrants”, says Mehmet Ülger.
He smiles but he does not really understand it. Last week an ‘updated
edition’ of “A Search for Turkish Extreme Right, Gray Wolves”, which he had
written with Stella Braam in 1997, was published.

[…]

Actively misleading the Dutch is often not even necessary. Ülger describes a
mosque in which, for those who understand, all kinds of symbols are hung
that refer to the Ottoman Empire and the last caliphate. To a Dutch person
this has no meaning, not only because he does not know the symbols, but also
because he is not a nationalist. Nationalism is a loaded concept in the
Netherlands that equals xenophobia and borders racism. “The Dutch hardly
have an idea of how deeply nationalism plays a role among Turks,” says
Ülger. He refers to the Austrian politician Haider who is depicted as a
nationalist and far-rightist in the Western media. But according to him,
Haider’s ideals pale before those of the Turkish MHP, the mother party of
the Gray Wolves. He refers to a meeting held last month in The Hague where
the president of the youth branch of the MHP, Alisan Satilmis, was a guest
of honor. “Satilmis led a demonstration against the showing of a movie in
Turkey about the Armenian genocide.” Recognizing that genocide means the
same as treason among nationalist Turks.

[…]

Ülger does not want his photograph in the newspaper. He is working
undercover again.

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
April 5 2004

Town Center site in limbo
Tenants are left to wonder about their futures after another project
is pulled.

DOWNTOWN GLENDALE — For merchants in the 15.5-acre Town Center
project site, another developer losing interest in building a new
retail development is business as usual.

“It’s been an ongoing situation for 20 years,” said Robert Kann, vice
president of Scotty’s & Sons, a hardware store in the area for more
than 40 years. “It seems like every five to seven years, you get all
sorts of people out here with a roll of tape, with official-looking
vests, but then nothing happens.”

Developer Rick Caruso pulled out of the project at Tuesday’s City
Council meeting, citing his frustration with what he called a
procedural issue. Three City Council members would not go along with
an amendment to the city charter that would have allowed a change in
zoning requirements to permit Caruso to build.

Nothing will continue to happen, at least until the Redevelopment
Agency gives some direction on what to do next with the languishing
and blighted property, which, if approved, would have been filled
within two years with a Crate & Barrel, Cheesecake Factory, a
multiplex theater and a host of other upscale tenants.

But as a city relocation plan has come to a halt, everyone from
property owners to tenants are in limbo. The city had been buying
land in the area — $34 million so far — and moving tenants to other
parts of the city.

“I’m concerned now that if they don’t do anything with the property,
what kind of tenant is going to come in and rent?” asked property
owner Ken Kevorkian, who owns property on the site on Orange and
Harvard streets. “There isn’t any foot traffic in the area now. The
whole property has been under an umbrella of possible condemnation,
and I can’t get a good tenant in there. Subsequently, my rent is half
of what it is in other places. If they are not going to develop, it’s
like a blight on the area.”

Complicating matters is that some of the remaining tenants cannot be
relocated until a property on the project site is purchased by the
city for demolition. And property owners are holding out for the best
deal they can from the city, particularly after the city paid $5
million for the Armenian Society of Los Angeles building at 221 S.
Brand Blvd. and relocation to its new site at 117 S. Louise St.

Kevorkian said the city offered him $1 million, but he did not take
the deal.

“When they offered me $1 million, comparatively speaking, that was
nothing,” he said.

Some are happy right where they are.

“We’re making a bit of money here, why get another location?” said
Roger Licup, a manager at Big 5 Sporting Goods. “Market-wise, we’re
doing OK down here. You are not going to get the good value somewhere
else. People know we are here.”

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
April 5 2004

Azeri journalists will rally in Turkey

Azeri journalists will protest in Turkey against alleged opening of
the Turkish-Armenian border tomorrow, according to ANS.
The reporters will call the Turkish government to resist outside
pressures into opening the border with Armenia. They will also state
the regional threats that might emerge following the border opening.
The protest rally will start in bordering with Armenia Turkish
territories and then will move to the capital city Ankara.

Local people will join journalists to peacefully express their
objections, ANS said.

Albany Times Union, NY
April 5 2004

Spending talks going to school

The failure by the “three men” to go into a room and come out with an
on-time budget for the 20th year in a row dashed the hopes of an
early summer vacation of not a few legislative staffers (and
lawmakers). Some gloomily predicted the budget battle among Gov.
George Pataki, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority
Leader Joseph Bruno could again drag out until as late as July.

But several sources who ought to know insist it may not. With the
exception of education, they say, the framework of the budget
agreement is essentially done.

One lawmaker joked that saying the budget is all-but-done — minus
education — is like saying you’ve undertaken an enormous spring
cleaning and managed to make everything sparkle with the exception of
a pile of … well, something, in the corner.

With the Legislature on break, staffers continue to discuss the
logjam — how to address a court-ordered reform of the way the state
funds public schools. Reporters trying to get Pataki to answer
questions have always faced obstacles — limited availability,
evasive answers, news conferences cut short. But at a news conference
Monday, a new problem arose: a question limit.

Pataki and Frank Zarb, head of a commission the governor created to
address last year’s court order to improve funding for New York City
schools and provide children a “sound, basic education,” were
fielding dozens of questions on the report by the commission.

Then one wire service reporter had the audacity to ask a follow-up
question.

“You’ve asked a lot of questions already,” said Pataki Communications
Director Lisa Dewald Stoll (who didn’t seem bothered by multiple
questions from any other reporter).

Asked later if there was a new question quota, Pataki spokesman Kevin
Quinn responded: “It’s sad that our press office would need enforce
common courtesies that every child learns at an early age, which is
to share and take turns,” he said. “Our ‘kinder, gentler’ press
office encourages manners.”

Whether Pataki’s press office got that memo, however, wasn’t
immediately apparent the next day. Two aides double-teamed several
reporters whose coverage of the Zarb report, they contended, did
Pataki wrong. In all fairness, they did take turns berating the
reporters on speakerphone.

One Capitol observer last week was astounded at the openness of state
government. OK, he’s from Armenia.

Nver Sargsyan said that in his country, the public must stand
outdoors behind gates when their elected and appointed government
leaders discuss policy and financing.

Sargsyan, 27, a coordinator for International Executive Service Corp.
staying briefly in the area, was outside Pataki’s guarded chambers
when the governor emerged to take a few questions about his
discussions with Silver and Bruno.

“Compared to Armenia, it’s very open, even though he talks and then
he left,” Sargsyan said.

Armenia’s national budget, he added, is usually three or four months
late, and things like worker salaries don’t necessarily get funded.

Contributors: Capitol bureau reporters Elizabeth Benjamin, Erin
Duggan and James M. Odato.

Got a tip? Call 454-5424 or e-mail jjochnowitz@times union.com.

Interfax
April 5 2004

Germany to loan Armenia 4.7 mln euros for power station

Yerevan. (Interfax) – The German government is to allocate a 4.7
million euro loan to Armenia for an upgrade of the Alaverdi-2 power
station, from which electricity is delivered to Georgia.

German Ambassador to Armenia Hans Wulf Bartels and Armenian Finance
Minister Vardan Khachatrian signed the loan agreement on Monday.

The loan will be disbursed through KfW of Germany for 12 years at 5%
annually with a two-year grace period, Khachatrian said at a
briefing.

The upgrade will increase the reliability of the power station and
equip it with modern European equipment as well as increasing its
capacity, he said.