"MERHA-BAREV" EXHIBITION OPENS IN ISTANBUL
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Dec 07 2006
ISTANBUL, DECEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The exhibition
entitled "Merha-Barev," where works of 5 Armenian and 5 Turk
photographers are presented, opened in Istanbul. To recap, the
exhibition with the same title was held in autumn in Yerevan as
well. According to Marmara, the goal of the exhibition is to present
everyday life of one another to the Armenian and Turkish society.
COLLECTIVE OF CHAMBER MUSIC THEATER DEMANDS RESTORING DISMISSED DIRECTOR LEVON ABRAHAMIAN
Noyan Tapan
Dec 07 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Former Director of Chamber Music
Theater, Levon Abrahamian is going to apply to the court one of these
days to litigate the decision of RA Minister of Culture and Youth
Affairs Hasmik Poghosian, according to which he was dismissed from
work on November 29. As L.Abrahamian said at the December 6 press
conference, it is a week he has been demanding that the Ministry
present him the motivation for dimissing him, but in vain.
In his words, during tete-a-tete talks with him Hasmik Poghosian
said that he was dismissed on the basis of complaint by theater’s
Art Director Armen Meliksetian whom L.Abrahamian had dismissed
from work. "I have dismissed Armen Meliksetian for violating labor
regulations for many times. And before this Armen Meliksetian had
received four written observations: he did not present the repertoire
of the new theater season, took on some people to work illegally and
hampered execution of the director’s decisions," Levon Abrahamian
declared.
At the same time, he expressed bewilderment that "director is dismissed
because one person’s complaint and the same Minister does not wish
to listen to the collective’s voice and does not wish to read the
application-complaint signed by 43 employees, with which they demand to
restore the director of their theater." Seven directors were changed
in the theater during eight years.
"Were all of them so bad that they were not able to work with Armen
Meliksetian?" L.Abrahamian asked and added: "the theater has no
repertoire, has no exact schedule. Meliksetian gave theater’s rehearsal
rooms for rent and did not transfer the money to the cash-box. The
has committed many financial violations." To recap, conflicts between
directors and the art director of the Chamber Music Theater go on
for several years. As many of employees estimate, the theater has
suffered from Armen Meliksetian’s ambitions and presumption.
Currently they support former Director Levon Abrahamian and closed the
door before the new acting director sent by the Minsitry representative
on December 6.
YEREVAN PHYSICAL TRAINING INSTITUTE PREPARES 141 RESCUERS IN 14 YEARS
Noyan Tapan
Dec 07 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Students of the Armenian State
Istitute of Physical Training of Yerevan also actively took part in
rescue works of the disaster zone during the Spitak earthquake. And
a profession with the name "Rescuing" opened in the department of
applied types of sport of the institute in 1992. As Professor Aghvan
Chatinian, the USSR honourary rescuer, honourary trainer stated in the
interview to the Noyan Tapan correspondent, the department gave 141
graduates during the past 14 years. They at present work at the Rescue
Service, force structures, bodyguarding sphere, etc. He at the same
time mentioned that the results are satisfying, but the institute
has no possibility to get rescue instruments and hold practical
trainings. The "Spitak" rescue center, where the institute students
hold their educational practice, assists the higher educational
institution in this issue.
ORDER OF STATE REGISTRATION OF WASTES ESTABLISHED
Noyan Tapan
Dec 06 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The order of state registration
of wastes was established at the December 7 sitting of RA
government. Noyan Tapan was informed about it from RA government
Information and Public Relations Department. It was mentioned at
the sitting that the main goal of state registration of wastes is to
create an information bank on volumes of wastes’ emergence, which is
necessary for creating and running a state cadastre of wastes.
Creation of information bank will contribute to management of the
sphere of wastes’ use, setting of state rate, exercising of nature
protection control, working out of programs of measures aimed at
decreasing volumes of emergence of wastes.
lituRGY DEDICATED TO MEMORY OF 1988 SPITAK EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS TO BE
CELEBRATED AT AKHALKALAK SURB KHACH CHURCH
Eternal Liturgy dedicated to memory of the 1988 Spitak earthquake
victims is celebrated at the Akhalkalak Surb Khach Church on
December 7. The requiem recemony will be held at the end of the Surb
Liturgy. Javakh-Info states about it. The Samtskhe-Javakh General
Eparchic Vicariate calls on Armenians of Javakhk to take part on
December 7 in the Surb Liturgy to honour with their presence and
prayer memory of innocent victims.
SELF-IMMOLATION ATTEMPT IN FRONT OF RESIDENCY OF ARMENIAN PRESIDENT
Yerevan, December 7. ArmInfo. A family of Yezids committed an
attempt of self- immolation in front of the residency of the Armenian
President.
Chairman of the Union of Yezids of Armenia Aziz Tamoyan told ArmInfo
that an action of protest was held in front of the residency Thursday
against the ineffective investigation of the murder of Kyaram Avdalyan,
a member of Yezid community, resident of Zovuni village, Kotayk
region. In the course of the protest action, the wife of the murdered
Gyulizar Amaryan and her three children committed a self-immolation
attempt. Fortunately, the fire-brigade arrived on the spot timely and
prevented the tragedy. At present, the family is in the burn center.
The relatives of the murdered believe the investigation too slow.
They accuse a group of fellow-villagers of the murder.
TIGRAN TOROSIAN: "WE HAVE NO ACTING ANTHEM AT THE MOMENT"
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN. "We have no acting anthem at the
moment," RA National Assembly Speaker Tigran Torosian stated at the
December 7 sitting. According to the constitutional amendments adopted
in 2005, the deadline for carrying out the demand to define the
state anthem by the law was December 5. In the NA Speaker’s words,
the only way out from the created situation is the possible uniting
and adoption of the draft "On the RA Anthem" of the ARF faction put on
the agenda for discussing in the 1st sitting and of the Government’s
draft of the same name already adopted in the 1st reading, but remained
out of the agenda to be discussed in the 2nd reading. T.Torosian stated
that this issue is at present being discussed with the government
representatives. Otherwise, in his words, the draft authored by
the Government may be discussed only at the special sitting of the
Parliament on convening which there is no initiative yet. To recap,
the main principle different of the 2 drafts is that by the ARF draft
"Mer Hayrenik" (Our Fatherland) acted till now is defined the anthem,
and according to the transitional principles of the Government’s draft,
it is envisaged to leave the latter in force till defining the text
and music of the anthem by the law.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
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IN DENIAL
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Even when I behaved like an idiot I thought I was being smart, and I thought I was being smart because I was in denial. And I am in denial today at this very moment when I think my words may change someone’s mind.
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To be in denial is an easy concept to understand but difficult to detect in oneself. Censorship is a symptom of denial that masquerades as dedication, respect, and love of truth. If you say 2 plus 2 makes 4, and I say it makes 22, you don’t feel threatened. You may even smile. That’s because when truth is on your side, you don’t feel threatened by lies. But if you believe in an ideology or religion and someone questions its validity, you are tempted to punch him in the nose because you are afraid to be exposed as a jackass who has been betting on the wrong horse.
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Tribes, nations, empires, and civilizations can be in denial as surely as megalomaniacs (which means being in denial of one’s mediocrity). I have a Jewish friend who is as close to me as a brother that I never had. We have exchanged hundreds perhaps even thousands of letters and e-mails. But whenever I question the validity of Jews being God’s Chosen People he refuses to talk to me for months.
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The USSR was harsh on its dissidents not because it valued truth over lies but because it saw truth as a threat. How could a few words by (in their official estimation) harmless eccentrics and misfits in need of psychiatric care shake the foundations of a mighty empire?
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To believe in propaganda amounts to saying all propagandists are liars except ours, who are men of honor and butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths, or anywhere else for that matter.
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The aim of propaganda is to legitimize, promote, and reinforce a state of denial, but since everyone, except perhaps a handful of individuals who have mastered the demanding art of thinking for themselves, subscribes to a propaganda line, being in denial is considered a perfectly normal and healthy condition.
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Under normal conditions murder is a capital offense, but in time of war soldiers are brainwashed by propagandists to believe that 2 plus 2 makes 22 and if anyone dares to disagree, he will be accused of treason, which happens to be a capital offense too. There you have it, another case of Catch-22.
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I think it was Aldous Huxley who once observed that our planet is the insane asylum of the galaxy. If you reject or question the truth in this observation, it may be because you happen to be in denial.
#
Friday, December 08, 2006
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ON BELIEF SYSTEMS AND
RELATED ATROCITIES
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It is an undeniable fact that some of our most cherished ideas about God and Country, or religion and patriotism, were instilled in us at a time when we had not yet mastered the demanding art of thinking for ourselves, and as such they should be rejected as “prejudicial” and “hearsay” because not to do so would mean allowing geography to determine our belief system. It is another undeniable fact that geography or mountains, valleys, and flatlands do not and cannot think. It follows; to allow an unthinking factor to define our thinking is not just wrong but absurd. And yet, this is what the overwhelming majority of mankind does. Result, intolerance, conflicts, wars, massacres, and atrocities with no end in sight; or, to put it more bluntly, lies in the name of truth, and the Kingdom of the Devil instead of the City of God.
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Having seen this clearly, the eminent historian Arnold J. Toynbee concluded his monumental STUDY OF HISTORY with an appeal to mankind to reconcile all known religions into a single universal religion by granting equal status to all scriptures, prophets, and messianic figures. Needless to add, he was labeled a mystic, a prophet of mumbo jumbo, and a utopian daydreamer.
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Was Toynbee a utopian mystic or a realist and pragmatist? He was, I believe, both. He was a realist in so far as he saw that what moves tribes, nations, empires, and civilizations is a belief system rather than self-interest, and as long as there are conflicting belief systems there cannot be lasting peace. He was a utopian mystic in so far as he thought man, as a reasonable being would be more than willing to give up his arrogant, not to say, groundless belief that he had a monopoly on truth for whose sake he would rather see the world go down in flames rather than to live in perpetual peace and prosperity.
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Saturday, December 09, 2006
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HUBRIS AND NEMESIS
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Ignorance of the law, including the moral law, especially the moral law, is no excuse. If you commit a transgression you can’t plead not guilty by reason of ignorance or unawareness. When the Greeks were defeated, humiliated, and enslaved by such “barbarians” as Macedonians, Romans, and Turks, it may not have occurred to them that their hubris in assuming to be the most civilized nation on earth may have provoked the retaliation of Nemesis. Have these catastrophes of millennial duration taught the Greeks a lesson? I don’t think so. Even in their present bastardized condition, they think, as the offspring of the greatest people on earth, they have every right to brag about their many contributions to world civilization.
To justify their hubris of considering themselves the Chosen, some learned Jews explain that they don’t mean it as an enviable privilege but, on the contrary, as a heavy burden and a thankless responsibility. But I agree with Toynbee: no matter how you slice it, baloney is baloney. Greeks, Jews, Brits, Nazis, Armenians: they are chosen by no one but themselves and no amount of sophistry can cover up or justify their arrogance. Which is why I shiver with disgust when I hear an Armenian bragging about how smart we are, how many languages we speak, how successful we have been in surviving where many others perished, first nation this, and first nation that. Why would anyone brag about being slaughtered by “bloodthirsty savages”? And smart in what? Selling Oriental rugs? It seems our need to brag is such that when we run out of positives, we brag about negatives.
How smart are we when we say the best and only way to solve our many problems is to sit on our collective ass for two or three generations until our problems solve themselves. Human problems do not solve themselves. It takes hard work and sometimes even blood, sweat, and tears. An average idiot with the minimum of political awareness knows this. But leave it to smart Armenians to pretend ignorance and unawareness.
#
A.R.F. Shant Student Association
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 306
Glendale, California 91206
Tel: 818-462-3006
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website:
PRESS RELEASE
December 8, 2006
Los Angeles, CA – On Sunday, December 3rd, about 150 college and high
school students attended a Panel Discussion organized by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Shant Student Association (ARF Shant) at
Hollywood’s Karapetian Hall.
The topic of the panel discussion was the re-integration and
re-development of the occupied Western Armenian territories after
they have been returned by Turkey as a condition of Armenian Genocide
recognition. The experts who participated in the panel discussion
were political scientist and historian Garabet Moumdjian, Ph.D.,
economist and professor Ara Khanjian, Ph.D., and professional civil
engineer Aram Kaloustian P.E.
The panel discussion was moderated by Levon Baronian, founder of
the Confederation of All-Armenian Student Associations (All-ASA)
and administrator of the ExecNet Armenian Network of Student Clubs
(ExecNet). Before introducing the panelists, Mr. Baronian relayed
that the ARF Shant organized this event because it believes that the
time has come to take Hay Dat to the next level and begin planning
for what comes after the imminent recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
The panelists presented interesting facts about Western Armenia and
discussed a broad range of issues pertaining to the challenges faced
in repopulating and revitalizing the region.
Dr. Garabet Moumdjian presented a historical overview of the legitimate
claims that Armenians have over the occupied regions and offered
insight into the geopolitical questions of reunification. Dr. Ara
Khanjian provided vital statistics on the region and offered analysis
on its current economic and demographic realities, particularly as they
relate to the remainder of Turkey and the Republic of Armenia. Mr. Aram
Kaloustian spoke on a variety of infrastructural issues that must be
considered, such as rapid construction of housing, securing sources
of water and energy, and repairing transportation routes.
The audience submitted dozens of written questions during the
discussion, after which the panelists read and answered as many of
the questions as possible within the time allotted. On behalf of the
ARF Shant, Mr. Baronian concluded the panel discussion by thanking the
panelists and audience for making the revolutionary and ground-breaking
event a great success.
The mission of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation "Shant" Student
Association (ARF Shant) is to bring a higher level of political and
cultural awareness to Armenian students within American Universities
and institutions of higher learning. The ARF Shant’s goal is to work
side by side with the Armenian Student Associations and other Armenian
Student organizations to further the Armenian Cause.
AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 8, 2006
Application Deadlines Fast Approaching for 2007 AGBU New York and
Paris Summer Intern Programs
The AGBU New York and Paris Summer Intern Programs (NYSIP and PSIP)
are currently accepting applications for the 2007 summer sessions,
having concluded another successful year in 2006 with 34 interns from
seven countries.
Now in their 20th and 4th seasons respectively, NYSIP and PSIP
provide interns with unique and valuable opportunities to work with
some of the most prestigious institutions in the world. Past
internship placements in New York have included the United Nations,
Columbia University Medical Center, Merrill Lynch and Sports
Illustrated. Internships in Paris have included the Louvre Museum,
Saint Ann Hospital, and Universal Music Mobile.
The New York and Paris Summer Intern Programs consist not only of
professional experience in the workplace, but also cultural and life
lessons for the up-and-coming Armenian youth. Participants take part
in seminars on résumé-writing, interviewing, and job networking tips,
as well as tourist activities in order to take advantage of all that
each city has to offer. The internship programs simultaneously
include community service and other activities that emphasize the
importance of giving back to the Armenian community.
NYSIP was launched in 1987, and was conceptualized by Vartkess and
Rita Balian out of the AGBU Central Office in New York. The Paris
Summer Intern Program was initiated in 2003 by the AGBU France
District Committee. The programs strive to give interns a solid
foundation for returning to their local communities with both
enhanced strength in their Armenian identity and increased direction
for their future careers. NYSIP and PSIP hope participants will
benefit from a closer connection to their cultural identity and
become successful professionals and future leaders in their
communities
Application deadlines are fast approaching; submissions are due
December 14, 2006 for NYSIP and January 12, 2007 for PSIP. Students
interested in receiving information or downloading applications can
contact NYSIP at [email protected] and PSIP at [email protected].
For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please
visit
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