TOTAL’S SELL DECREASES 30 PERCENT AFTER THE ARMENIAN BILL
Ummuhan Sumbul, JTW
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Oct 17 2006
Ummuhan SUMBUL (JTW), ANKARA – The passing of the controversial
Armenian claims denial bill in the French parliament has prompted
strong reactions in Turkish business circles. The French company
Total Oil has been the target of the boycott. The Company informed
the journalists that the sell has decreased about 30 percent in a week.
Several businessmen and companies announced they would suspend business
partnerships with French companies. The number of Turkish markets
which do not sell French products has radically increased yesterday.
Associations Continue to Call for Greater Boycott
Some French companies operating in Turkey include Total, Elf,
Carrefour, Danone, Tefal, Michelin, Renault, Peugeot, Citroen, Lacoste,
L’Oreal, Lancome, Christian Dior, Onduline, Lafarge, Chryso, Air
France, BIC, Cartier, Sheaffer, Le coq sportif, Alcatel, AXA, Gunes
Insurance, Basak Insurance, Basak Emeklilik Societe General Bank,
Turkish Economy Bank, Sanofi and Servier.
Consumer Union yesterday called all Turkish consumers inside and
abroad not to buy French products. However the Union also warned the
Turkish consumers not to boycott the French-Turkish companies which
have great investment in Turkey. The CarrefourSa Market Company
therefore was removed from the boycott list. “CarrefourSa invest
great in Turkey and create emploment here. If we boycott CarrefourSa,
it means we would boycott Turkish businesmen and workers” one of the
Union representative said.
Armenians claim that the communal clashes in 1915 was genocide, while
Turkish Government has never accepted these claims. Turkey says the
Armenians died due to the communal clashes, bad weather conditions,
war curcumstances, famine and epidemic diseases. Turkish historains
also say that more than 520,000 Muslim Ottoman citizens were massacred
by the armed Armenian groups. Armenia now does not recognise Turkey’s
and Azerbaijan’s national borders and occupies almost 20 percent of
Azeri territories.
17 October 2006
TUSIAD: Let us Reply with Reforms
TUSIAD called the French bill “a big mistake.”
“A proper reply to be given to France would be to accelerate
political reforms to include freedom of expression particularly and
proceed toward our goal of full [EU] membership as a country holding
memberships talks with the European Union,” the association stated.
TOBB: They won’t be Invited for Bids
Rifat Hisarciklioglu, chairman for the Turkish Union of Chambers and
Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), said public administrations in Turkey would
not invite French companies to bids after the passing of the bill.
“The French National Parliament made a mistake. Responsibility for
this process falls on it,” Hisarciklioglu said. The TOBB chairman
thinks France failed in the test of law and conscience and described
the developments as a black page in its history.

RF DUMA WORKING GROUP TO VISIT RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES IN ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.10.2006 14:34 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Russian State Duma working group led by deputy
chair of the defense committee Mikhail Babich will visit the Russian
military bases in Armenia October 17-20. The Babich administration said
the delegation includes defense committee member Nikolay Bezborodov,
members of the committee on CIS Affairs Konstantin Zatulin and Vasiliy
Teterin and the RF Defense Ministry’s representatives. The delegation
members will meet with the administration of military units of the
Russian Armed Forces in Armenia and attend the military base in Gyumri
and the aviation base in the Erebuni airdrome, reports Interfax.

PASADENA POLICE CHIEF GETS HONOR FROM ARMENIANS
Pasadena Star-News, CA
Oct 17 2006
PASADENA – The Pasadena Police Department’s efforts to raise funds
for equipment for the Yerevan Police Department has earned the police
chief an Armenian National Service Medal, officials said Monday.
Pasadena Chief Bernard Melekian is the second person outside of
Armenia to receive the medal.
The award was presented to Melekian during a Pasadena Armenian Peoples’
Advisory Committee fundraising gala earlier this month.
Yerevan police Chief Nerses Nazaryan, acting on behalf of the commander
of the Armenian National Police, presented the award.
“The award was truly a surprise and an honor,” Melekian said, crediting
the Pasadena Armenian group with building bridges between the Pasadena
Police Department and the Armenian community.
“My grandparents and my father, who were survivors of the genocide,
always felt they owed a great deal to this country and to Pasadena.
It was an honor to be involved with a project that helped give
something of value to Armenia,” he said.
PAPAC raised nearly $80,000 for the Yerevan Police Department.
“Yerevan is the capital city of Armenia. I had the pleasure to visit
that city in 2000 and was appalled at the deficiency of equipment
that a modern department needs to do its job,” Melekian said.

“I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH” (video)
A1+
[08:14 pm] 17 October, 2006
The songs of Varduhi Vardanyan will always sound for his relatives
and friends despite the car crash which put an end to her life. Those
who were present at her last concert in Martouni will always remember
her words, “I love you very much”.
Let us remind you that on October 15 on Sevan highway Varduhi
Vardanyan’s car got out of the road and turned over. As a result of
the accident the singer died on the spot.
We are representing you a part of the video of her last concert. In
order to watch it, press the button “video” (540 kb)
The video was given by TV Company “Zangak” of Martouni.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SHEN YANG AND ZAVEN ANDRIASIAN WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONS
Chessbase News, Germany
Oct 17 2006
17.10.2006 Both are seventeen and have won the girls’ and the open
section of the World Under 20 World Championship that was held in
Yerevan, Armenia, from October 2nd to 17th 2006. Shen Yang was just
a couple of tiebreak points ahead of one of the greatest talents in
chess today, Hou Yifan, who is just twelve! Report and games.
Junior World Championships in Yerevan
For our younger readers: a “demo board” is a large wooden or vinyl
chessboard attached upright to the wall or supported by a stand. The
pieces attach to the board with magnets, or are cleverly inserted
into slits at the bottom of the squares. Sometimes, when the boards
are very large (as in the above pictures) rods are used to move the
pieces. The transmission of the moves from the game to the board is
done by non-electronic means – a human agent is used instead.
World Junior Championship top finishers The open section was won
by 17-year-old Armenian super-talent Zaven Andriasian, who last
year won the Boys’ Under 16 section of the Youth Championships in
Herceg Novi. Zaven started as the 29th seed in this event. Second was
19-year-old IM Nikita Vitiugov of Russia, who was the fourth highest
rated player in the tournament.
Photos & score table
id=3432
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THEY DEMAND TO MAKE A FAIR DECISION
A1+
[12:39 pm] 18 October, 2006
The advocates of soldiers Razmik Sargsyan, Musa Serobyan and Arayik
Zalyan turned to Court of Cassation on June 9, 2006, but the Court has
not yet made a decision. According to the advocates, it contradicts
the European convention on Human rights, the RA Criminal Code and
the Constitution.
The advocates sent an application to the Court of Cassation to
investigate the case within the defined period of time. Many RA
citizens, public and political figures and NGOs have also sent an
open letter to the Court demanding to make a fair decision.
At present Razmik Sargsyan is in the hospital of Noubarashen prison
with tuberculosis. According to his doctor, Razmik’s situation is
not dangerous.

OUR WEAPON IS FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Oktay Eksi
Hurriyet, Turkey
Oct 17 2006
Has France really surprised us, or has it shown us that the
“freedom-loving” France whose image we have carried for years in
our minds is not the real thing, replaced instead by this fanatic,
anti-freedom of expression, “one truth,” despotic country we now
face? It seems that we have seen the king naked for the first time.
And because of this, we are surprised.
France doesn’t see what an embarassment it is to tell people “If
you say that the Armenian genocide didn’t happen, you get 5 years
in prison and up to 45 Euro in fines.” What they are saying is,
“even if you know another truth, you may not express it.” What an
embarassment this is to civilization.
Look, we are not even saying “There was no slaughter of Armenians.”
We do not believe that there was, but we are not going to get into
this subject right now. We are right now just looking at this incident
from the perspective of freedom of expression, and maintaining from
this moment that this bill-if accepted, which it most likely will
be-will not only be a great shame for France, but for the entire EU.
And while on the subject of the EU, I would like to draw your
attention to words spoken this week by the EU’s Commissioner in
charge of Expansion, Olli Rehn: “If this French Parliament votes
to accept this bill, I fear it will create a very non-constructive
atmosphere.” Why, I ask, does Olli Rehn, who arrived in Turkey two
weeks ago demanding in no uncertain terms that Ankara remove article
301 from its penal code, water-down his words so blatantly when it
comes to France? Couldn’t he find it in himself somewhere to say
“This bill is completely opposed to freedom of expression”? Or is
the game played differently once a country is already inside the EU?
And by the way, where are the intellectuals who crow so often “Europe
is a union of culture and values”? Where is former President Giscard
d’Estaigne? Why aren’t the columns in Le Monde dealing with this
subject? France is showing that they are no longer of this age,
but have returned to being the French of the age of Inquisition,
the times when Galileo was forbade from saying that the Earth moved
around the Sun.
Don’t think that I am exaggerating. We are obliged to emerge successful
from this fight, which began with the slander about the “Armenian
genocide.” This is because if we don’t, the accusation will never
be removed from our official records. And what this means-as I wrote
yesterday in this space-is that we must direct our side of this fight
very well. As Taha Akyol wrote yesterday in his column, what makes
us strong in this fight is the “freedom of expression” weapon.
But Turkey must be careful, before telling others about the shame
of their infraction against freedom of expression, to clean up its
own shames. Firsy and foremost in this realm comes our very own
Turkish Penal Code, and its article 301, forbidding the “insulting
of Turkishness.”
In the end, as you can see, “freedom of expression” will be our
salvation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EARTHQUAKE IN KARABAKH
A1+
[12:51 pm] 18 October, 2006
Today at about 06:00 a.m. an earthquake took place 20 km from Martakert
on the border line of Karabakh and Azerbaijan. The force of underground
shocks was 4.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Sunday, October 15, 2006
*******************************************
NOTES / COMMENTS
*************************************
Where the power of the few is dependent on the ignorance of the many, ignorance will be subsidized and knowledge censored.
*
To brag is to expose one’s limitations.
*
From ideas I disagree with I have a better chance to learn.
*
The most important thing that a master can say to his disciple is: “If you think of me as your master, I have taught you nothing.”
*
You can’t learn to ride a bike on a mattress.
*
There is more wisdom in silence than in speech. Sermons and speeches are delivered by charlatans to an audience of fools.
*
You cannot step into the same river twice not because the river has changed but because your perceptions run swifter than the fastest current.
*
Overheard on the radio: “A pessimist is a better informed optimist.”
#
Monday, October 16, 2006
*****************************************
THIS HAS BEEN SAID BEFORE
*********************************************
It is said of Confucius that because he was honest he failed in politics. You may now draw your own conclusions.
*
Is there anything I can say that hasn’t been said before at least a thousand times by far better men than myself? And I don’t just mean Greek philosophers, Indian mystics, Jewish rabbis, and German metaphysicians, but our own writers.
*
“I don’t give a damn about the people,” one of our academics once said to me. “I care only about my children!” What if they grow up to be selfish monsters? I didn’t say that. I too can be diplomatic once in a long while, when I set my mind to it.
*
In whatever I write I do not say I am right and you are wrong. What I say and what I have been saying all along is that, since I was wrong most of my life, it is conceivable that in the near or distant future you too may reach the same conclusion. Again, I am not saying or implying this is what will happen. What I am saying is that there is a very remote possibility.
*
When you hear someone speaking of tolerance, be careful not to react with violent hostility.
*
Diogenes (404-323), Greek philosopher: “The smart slave rules his master.”
*
Muhammad (570-632): “Trust in God, but tie your camel.”
They now trust their camel and tie God. But that’s the way it is with men whenever they try to put theory into practice.
*
In YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT TO US: THE TRUTH ABOUT BULLSHIT by Laura Penny (Toronto, 2005), I read: “Bullshit is all about getting away with something, or getting someone to buy something in the broadest possible sense, which means covering arses or kissing them.”
Crude, my style.
Further down: “Nobody leaves office because they f***ed up; no, they want to spend more time with their families. No mogul says, I do it all for the money, suckers. They blah-dee-blah on about the company, or some magnificent abstract idea the company embodies.”
*
There are poor people because there are wealthy people, in the same way that there are slaves because there are masters. If the wealthy are not ashamed of their wealth it’s because they support publishers, teachers, and preachers all of whom conspire to misrepresent greed as one of the seven cardinal virtues.
#
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
****************************************
MORE ON B.S.
*******************************
In her book, YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT TO US: THE TRUTH ABOUT BULLSHIT (Toronto, 2005), Laura Penny speaks about b.s. as if it were a recent development. She ignores the fact that b.s. existed even in the Golden Age of Greece (5th Century B.C.). Socrates lived (and died) exposing it.
*
One of Laura Penny’s endnotes reads:
“Ben Bagdikian has been studying media consolidation since the early 1980s, and his latest book is THE NEW MEDIA MONOPOLY (Beacon Pres, 2004). He has a Web site at http: /”
*
To the perpetrators, a million deaths is not even a statistic, it is victory. If the Nazis had won, the Holocaust would be remembered today as the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
*
When propaganda is confused with knowledge, it becomes worse than ignorance.
*
“Is it possible to be a writer in this day and age?” a young poet wants to know. My answer: “If you place survival over literature, choose survival.”
*
“Speak truth to power!” Armenian translation: Tell them what they want to hear and if necessary swear on a stack of Bibles.
*
With the connivance of the State, organized religions preach truth but practice lies. To put it more bluntly: when two sets of wheeler-dealers conspire, the result will be war and massacre.
*
When during an argument I quoted Nikol Aghbalian to a fellow Armenian, he said: “I knew Nikol Aghbalian and I don’t think he was a great man.” Why look for greatness in honesty? Is not honesty in an Armenian greater than greatness?
#
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
**********************************************
FROM MY NOTEBOOKS
*************************************
Whenever I read self-help or how-to books I note that I have been breaking all their rules, which can mean only one thing: I must be doing something right.
*
A true disciple surpasses his master because he begins where the master ends.
*
The aim of philosophy is to expose b.s., including the b.s. of philosophers.
*
Know thyself also means to know that the self is invisible, unpredictable, unprintable, and unknowable.
*
A blunder can be either a springboard (if we learn from it) or a cage (if we refuse to acknowledge it).
*
A favorite Armenian technique of counter-argument is to be so shamelessly arrogant and brazenly absurd as to reduce the adversary to a pulp of helpless disgust, hopeless despair, and silence.
*
“Try to be more like Mark Twain,” I have been advised on more than one occasion. “A touch of humor may make your ideas more palatable to the average reader.” And I can imagine friends advising Mark Twain to be more like Emerson if he wanted to be taken seriously.
#

TURKEY : CONSUMERS GIVE COLD SHOULDER TO FRENCH PRODUCTS
Fibre2fashion.com, India
Oct 17 2006
Following French parliament’s decision to pass the Armenian bill,
some Turkish consumers are refusing to buy products manufactured by
the French.
Consumer associations have launched a boycott of French goods while
some chain stores are putting labels on French goods to inform
consumers of their French origin.
Afra Shopping Center, a supermarket chain operating in Konya has
labeled 100 items stating them to be French products.
French store Carrefour, a partnership in Turkey with Sabanci Holdings,
has been receiving fewer customers everyday.
A 30 percent decrease in sales of total oil was observed.
Kiler Retail Chain, with 130 stores in Turkey, has shunned sales
of French products, cancelled its contracts with Danone and French
cosmetics companies and removed other French goods from their shelves.
Clothing company LC Waikiki announced that it wasn’t French as it had
been purchased from French DDKA Company by Tema Textile Corporation
in 1997, hence it is Turkish.
Regular customers of Danone products have been returning them after
learning that Danone was a French company.