ARA AYVAZIAN APPOINTED RA AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO FINLAND, DENMARK, NORWAY AND SWEDEN
Noyan Tapan
Aug 10 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 10, NOYAN TAPAN. RA President Robert Kocharian signed
decrees on August 10 on pluralistically appointing Ara Ayvazian the
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of
Armenia to the Republic of Finland, Denmark, Norway, the Kingdom
of Sweden (residence in Yerevan). The RA President’s Press Office
informs about it.

15 ENTRANTS, WON IN INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIADS, ADDRESS TO REPUBLICAN ENTRANCE COMMISSION FOR ENTERING HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION WITHOUT ENTRANCE EXAMS
Noyan Tapan
Aug 10 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 10, NOYAN TAPAN. 15 entrants, won in international
olympiads, addressed to the Republican Entrance Commission (REC)
on exams this year.
As Lilit Galstian, the REC responsible for press informed the Noyan
Tapan correspondent, according to the acting order, winners of
international olympiads may enter the intitution of higher education
they prefer, without entrance exams. According to L.Galstian,
the issue of 2 of those entrants has already been discussed at the
sitting of the commission. They were winners of the “Mendeleyev”
international olympiad and entered the higher educational institution
they preferred. L.Galstian mentioned that other 13 entrants’ issue
will be decided during the sitting to take place soon.

PRESS RELEASE
WESTERN DIOCESE
3325 North Glenoaks Blvd. Burbank, CA 91504
Tel: (818) 558-7474 Fax: (818) 558-6333
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Diocesan News
—————–
RETIREMENT DINNER FOR G. STEVE SIMONIAN
August 3, 2006
His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western
Diocese, conducted the Invocation during a dinner celebrating the
retirement of G. Steve Simonian, Chief of the LA County District
Attorney Bureau of Investigation.
( ws/story.php?id=133)
ACTIVITIES BY VERY REV. FR. DAJAD YARDEMIAN
August, 2006
Within the ecclesiastic, religious and cultural realm, Very
Rev. Fr. Dajad Dz. V. Yardemian, aside from his daily responsibilities
and Sunday Divine Liturgies and Sermons, as the Vicar General of the
Diocese also participates in several projects and events within the
Armenian community of Los Angeles, as well as the community at large
(cultural, interfaith and interreligious), officially representing the
Western Diocese and the Primate.
( ry.php?id=132)
DIOCESAN SUMMER CAMP BEGINS FINAL SESSION
Primate Blesses Plaques
His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western
Diocese, visited the Camp on Monday and Tuesday, August 7-8, 2006. At
the camp His Eminence met with the youth and engaged in one-on-one
dialogues. On Monday His Eminence conducted a blessing ceremony of two
commemorative plaques, in the name of John Hovhannes Vartan Kertchoyan
and Vartkes Barsam.
( y.php?id=134)
PRIMATEÂ’S VISIT TO FRESNO, TURLOCK
Blessing of the Grapes
On Sunday, August 9, 2006 His Eminence celebrated Divine Liturgy at
the California Armenian Home in Fresno and conducted the ceremony of
the Blessing of Grapes.In the afternoon the Primate was present at
Divine Liturgy at Holy Cross Armenian Church in Turlock, during which
he honored Mr. and Mrs. Daniel and Patricia Aydenian for their many
years of service.
( ry.php?id=135)
DIVINE LITURGY IN YETTEM
Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
On Sunday, August 13, 2006, the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin
Mary, His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate, will
celebrate Divine Liturgy and conduct the ceremony of the Blessing of
Grapes at St. Mary Armenian Church in Yettem.
( y.php?id=136)
NEW ACTIVITIES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Activites of Dioecse Expand
The Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America has
initiated various projects in the field of religious education in
order to cater to the spiritual needs of our faithful.The projects
include the preparation of religion textbooks, various The television
programs, and Bible study.
( .php?id=137)
ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF CANADA
New Location for Liturgy
We would like to inform the faithful that the structure located at
4476 Foothill Blvd. which we were renting has been sold and as such
Divine Liturgy will no longer be held at that location. Upon the
arrangements of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate,
beginning Sunday, August 6 we invite you to attend Divine Liturgy at
the Lanterman Auditorium in La Canada.
( y.php?id=138)
PRIMATE MAKES A PLEA TO AID VICTIMS OF LEBANON WAR
Fundraising Efforts Continue
His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western
Diocese would hereby like to make a plea to the faithful of the
Diocese to contribute and extend a helping hand to those affected by
the war in Lebanon. We urge the Armenian-American community in
California and throughout the Western United States to show solidarity
with the Armenian community of Lebanon – one of the largest Armenian
communities remaining in the Middle East.
( php?id=139)
EVENING OF APPRECIATION
Dedicated to the AGBU
An evening of appreciation will be held at the the Western Diocese
dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the AGBU, on October 22, 2006 at
5:00 p.m. ( =140)
Upcoming Events
—————–
8/6: Summer Camp – Session 3
( .php?id=24)
============================
The Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, providing
spiritual guidance and leadership to the Armenian Apostolic community,
is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization comprised of 47
churches in 16 western states. It was established in 1898 as the
Diocese of the Armenian Church encompassing the entire United States
and Canada. In 1927 the Western Diocese was formed to exclusivly serve
the western United States.

Tonight
Aug 10T-Storms Early
N/A/72°80%
High not valid after 2pm
Fri
Aug 11Sunny
101°/71°10%
Sat
Aug 12Sunny
101°/72°0%
Sun
Aug 13Sunny
100°/70°0%
Mon
Aug 14Sunny
99°/67°0%
Tue
Aug 15Sunny
97°/67°0%
97°F
Wed
Aug 16Mostly Sunny
96°/63°0%
Thu
Aug 17Partly Cloudy
95°/61°0%
Fri
Aug 18Partly Cloudy
92°/61°20%
Sat
Aug 19Partly Cloudy
93°/62°0%
93°F

ART, ART EVERYWHERE…
By Tracy Spicer
Pasadena Weekly, CA
Aug. 9, 2006
…in museums, on the street and even in the most unexpected places
When it comes to art, the San Gabriel Valley is truly blessed. Works
by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and Andy Warhol are practically in
your backyard at the Norton Simon Museum. Cutting-edge, contemporary
artwork can be found in intimate galleries tucked in between cafes and
shops throughout the streets of Old Pasadena. The city is a creative
flagship not only for local artists showcasing their works, but also
for renowned international visionaries.
Art is truly accessible for those in Pasadena as Monica Bonvicini’s
“Not for You” exhibit hits the Shops on Lake Avenue in a retail
space previously occupied by Organized Living. This one-of-a-kind,
site-specific installation (on view until Oct. 1) features Bonvicini’s
extensive and impressive series of work. The Italian-born, Berlin-based
artist addresses issues of space, gender and power through mixed
media, drawings, collages and video installations. “Not for You”
is the second installment of Emi Fontana’s “West of Rome” series,
which takes artists’ projects outside the physical location of her
gallery in Milan. Just be sure to keep an eye out for the sporadically
but purposely placed holes in the drywall floor while perusing the
unusual display of construction harnesses and provocative language
on the walls.
The Pacific Asia Museum is currently housing an exhibit that puts a
contemporary twist on an ancient art form with “From Heart to Hand:
Japanese Modern Prints From the George and Marcia Good Collection,”
which runs through Nov. 12. The 15 post-World War II-era prints
represent a variety of styles and techniques, from the vibrant,
psychedelic Ay-O “Untitled” piece to Joichi Hoshi’s scenic wood
engraving “Three Trees and Red Sky.”
“From Heart to Hand” also features a smaller selection of works by
the founding members of the Sosaku Hanga (Creative Japanese Print
Movement), such as Unichi Hiratsuka and Kanae Yamamoto. This helps
guide visitors through the ever-changing artistic spirit in Japan.
The Pacific Asia Museum will also unveil its new Gallery of Japanese
Art on Sept. 8. Besides displaying the museum’s renowned Japanese art
collection, the permanent space will also include some unique touches,
including a traditional tatami mat area with a tokonoma (alcove), art
and floral displays, and a 15th-century Buddhist temple ceiling. The
gallery’s first rotation, “Splendor and Simplicity: An Introduction
to Japanese Artistic Style,” presents visitors with principal Japanese
aesthetics, from simple tea bowls to decorative kimonos.
Situated in a 1925 Pasadena home, HAUS is known as one of the
area’s most innovative alternative galleries by contemporary art
aficionados. It will truly live up to its reputation as it kicks off
its fourth year of exhibitions with a solo show from artist Gegam
Kacherian. Though he has participated in a number of group shows
around the globe, Kacherian’s stint at HAUS from Sept. 14 through
Oct. 7 is only his third solo exhibition in a commercial gallery.
This self-taught Armenian artist uses a vibrant palette with an
ability to merge both tranquil and chaotic elements in each of his
dreamlike paintings.
Amidst the works of Rembrandt, Rivera and Rauschenberg found at the
Norton Simon Museum lies “The Collectible Moment: Photographs in the
Norton Simon Museum,” on view from Oct. 13 through Feb. 26. This
exhibit is the first survey of the museum’s extensive photography
collection, which was originally gathered by the Pasadena Art
Museum, its institutional predecessor. The installation showcases 163
photographs by 104 artists, including Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham,
Judy Dater, Arthur Siegel and Minor White. The photographs – ranging
from captivating portraits and landscapes to abstract, experimental
images – are displayed chronologically and include sections that
delve into non-silver and mixed-media processes and monographic
concentrations. A series of public programs such as lectures,
exhibition walkthroughs, adult education courses and activities for
families are also offered.
After checking out “The Collectible Moment,” you may ask, “What are
some of the artists in the exhibit doing now?” The Pasadena Museum of
California helps answer that question by pairing with the Norton Simon
for “Advancing the Moment: Recent Work by California Photographers,”
which features current works by 12 artists in “The Collectible Moment,”
including Donald Blumberg, Anthony Hernandez and John Spence Weir. This
exhibit, which will be held from Oct. 13 to Jan. 21, helps further
map the evolution of contemporary photography in California.
Pasadena Art Weekend will definitely be the artistic crescendo
this fall and is already creating quite a buzz throughout the arts
community. The three-day event begins Oct. 13 with ArtNight, where
cultural institutions such as the Armory Center for the Arts, the
Pacific Asia Museum and the Norton Simon Museum welcome the public
free of charge to explore art, artifacts and music.
On Oct. 14, the Pasadena Playhouse District debuts ArtWalk, an
eight-hour outdoor event in the heart of Pasadena with hundreds of
artists’ works on display, as well as food and entertainment.
One Colorado’s Design Open ArtMarket ends the artist-friendly weekend
on Oct. 15. The event focuses on work exclusively from Art Center
College of Design, Pasadena City College and the Armory Center for
the Arts. ArtMarket gives patrons an exclusive opportunity to witness
innovative works by up-and-coming artists, illustrators, ceramicists
and environmental and industrial designers.
Believe it or not, that’s only a taste of what’s going on in the
area. Take a look at our listings to truly grasp a sense of how much
artistic activity is occurring this fall. Whether it’s in a museum,
on the street or in a mall, art is everywhere you turn.
It’s just up to you to take the time to discover it.

TESTING SYSTEM FOR ORAL ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS TO LAUNCH IN ARMENIA IN TWO YEARS
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Aug. 9, 2006
YEREVAN, August 9. /ARKA/. A testing system for oral entrance
examinations will be launched in Armenia in two years, Rouben Topchyan,
member of the Republican entrance commission told journalists.
According to him, with the current evaluation of oral examinations
compared to written ones, there is still some subjectivity.
“This is exactly the reason for us to resort to a change in the
system,” he said.
Topchyan pointed out that it is planned to create such a system that
will check the knowledge of entrants not by an oral examination,
but modern testing means.
In this relation, Lilit Galstyan, press secretary of the Ministry
Of Education And Science, pointed out that due to low results on the
subject “The Russian Language”, it is likely that an examination on
this subject will be also conducted within the testing system.
“It would be more expedient to replace the traditional dictation on
Russian with a written test,” she said.
According to the data by August 8, 6501 university entrants got high
grades (18-20 points) during entrance examinations, and 2979 got
unsatisfactory grades (below eight points). From July 20 to August 7,
25625 examinations were conducted; participating in them were 23,509
entrants.
Entrance examinations for universities will last until August 20.
Entrants submitted 12,413 applications, 500 more than in 2005. The
government provided 4342 scholarships at state universities for
2006-2007. For paid education 5598 places are provided.

BABY WITH BLUE PACIFIER
By Kursat Bayhan
Zaman Online, Turkey
Aug. 9, 2006
Lebanese children are dying every second before reaching the spring
of heir lives, from bombs and the ongoing atrocities in their country.
I have been in the southern Lebanon city of Tyre for quite a while.
Ironically, we are staying at the house of an Armenian family, owing
to its relative safety. We decided to move here after an apartment
block and a six-storey building, just 200 meters from the basement
of the house we had rented, was completely razed by an Israeli bomb.
Madam Laila is the youngest daughter of an native Armenian-Lebanese
family. Although she still harbors anger against the Ottoman Empire,
she fried potatoes and made us salad in her tired state. When I told
her, “Auntie Laila, the food is exactly the way my mom prepares,”
she was pleased to hear that and smilingly invited me to the table.
We are staying in the hallway of the house with three Spaniards,
a North Korean and a Canadian. In the evenings, we talk about the
Israeli bombardments we see all day long. Israel is continuously
bombing areas near the Lebanese cities of Qana, Aytarun and Tyre. We
hold our breaths with every explosion and try to guess the distance
between the house and the explosion. Suddenly, I remembered the
carnage I witnessed at the very last moment in Qana, where 57 people
were killed. I think the whole world should extract a lesson from
the picture of the baby, with his blue pacifier, who was dug out of
the debris of destroyed buildings.
Sometimes I watch the reactions of Spanish journalist Monica. She
cannot help jumping whenever a bomb explodes and weeps for children
near explosion sites.
Israel continues to bomb southern Lebanon in order to create a
buffer zone and we can only drive towards the south when the air
strikes stop. I keep telling our driver Mohammed to continue driving
regardless of the bombings and explosions. Although the UN and the
Red Cross are doing virtually nothing to alleviate the suffering of
the people in the area, local rescue teams are trying to clear roads
in order to reach civilians trapped in isolated towns. Some sources
say 200 women and children are waiting for help in Aytarun. Although
Aytarun is 35-40 kilometers from the UN post in Tyre, these people
have been cut off from the rest of the world for 21 days.
When we arrived at our destination, women and children were in
desperately waiting to be rescued from this inferno. We made every
effort to comfort crying mothers and children. When I entered one of
the houses, I saw a dead body on the floor next to the photographs
of his family. I ran out of the building as soon as I took his photo.
We told the villagers we could give them some help though we were
journalists, not aid team. They only asked if they could find a safer
place for their families. The stench of dead bodies overwhelmed the
smell of gunpowder in the streets. “A 48-hour-long air bombardment
has stopped,” I tried to comfort them. These 200 people had to leave
their hometown, Aytarun, in overloaded buses.
How long will the world remain a silent spectator to these massacres,
I asked myself? Israel continues bombarding the area and the UN team
only cleans up the debris after Israeli bombings. Meanwhile, babies
are being killed with pacifiers hung from their necks. Parents are
mourning for their children; only the photographs remain…
Shall we see an end to this war, shall peace come in the end?
The cities have been turned into ruins and people are dying every
second. Helpless people who do not know where the next bomb will
explode only hope that someone will help them someday. They can
neither cry for their destroyed homes nor for their dead children.
The only thing they can do is pray to God for help.

ABKHAZIA LESS SEPARATIST THAN ALREADY SEPARATED
By Jeffrey Sweetbaum
The Moscow Times, Russia
Aug. 10, 2006
While traveling around Abkhazia by bicycle in recent weeks, visiting
most of its cities and peddling through much of its countryside,
I became extremely skeptical about Georgia’s efforts to reassert
itself in the region. I spoke with many Abkhaz and Armenians, who
are the dominant ethnic communities in Abkhazia, and they expressed
a unanimous sentiment that any future Georgian presence would be
absolutely undesirable. After an ugly war and unlikely victory
against Georgia in 1993, the Abkhaz feel that it is their right to
choose their own destiny. It is a point against which it is difficult
to argue. Whatever Georgia’s historical claims, and whatever legal
arguments might be posed in the debate, an attempt on Georgia’s part
to reintegrate Abkhazia into its political sphere would be considered
by the Abkhaz to be an invasion.
While the United States and European Union continue to support
Georgia’s position for certain strategically opaque reasons, the
reality is that Abkhazia is already a separate political entity and
not a separatist movement. Attempting to reverse that status would
undoubtedly cause a long drawn out military conflict that could
not be won in any permanent sense. While there are many wrongs to
be recognized and righted on both sides, embroiling the region in
another war would be the worst way to achieve this. The world doesn’t
need another hot spot, especially one as attractive and conducive to
bicycle riding as Abkhazia.
>From a traveler’s perspective, Abkhazia has the look and feel of
an independent country; the Abkhaz flag flies ubiquitously, while a
range of government institutions provides public services. Chronic
underdevelopment, however is evident. I got a surreal sensation as
I walked along stretches of pristine beaches and peddled past large
tracts of land that anywhere else would be considered prime real
estate. Charming in its own way, the quiet Abkhaz coast has the feel
of an artificial phenomenon. In Sochi, just a few kilometers down the
coast, the density of sunbathers on the beaches jumps by a factor of
20. With the exception of a few adventurous tourists and entrepreneurs,
the incredible potential for tourism in Abkhazia remains locked in
an imposed limbo.
A considered examination makes it clear that the Abkhaz have carved
out a de facto independence that they will never rescind voluntarily.
Moreover, no pretender to Abkhazia could subdue this independent spirit
with any lasting success, so the sooner the facts, and Abkhazia,
are recognized, the sooner a more peaceful, prosperous era in the
region will begin.
Jeffrey Sweetbaum is an American entrepreneur who has lived in Moscow
since 1990. He spent three weeks in July cycling through Abkhazia.

WATCHDOG BUNGLES SPIRITS SUSPENSION
Rogan Macdonald / Bloomberg
The Moscow Times, Russia
Aug. 10, 2006
The Federal Consumer Protection Service mistakenly announced that
Pernod Ricard’s license had been suspended.
The Federal Consumer Protection Service’s Moscow branch had egg on
its face after it mistakenly announced that Pernod Ricard, the world’s
No. 2 wine and spirits company, had had its license suspended.
A statement saying that Pernod Ricard’s Russian subsidiary, P.R. Rus,
had its wholesale alcohol sales license suspended was posted on the
service’s web site Tuesday. It listed eight other alcohol market
players, saying that their licenses were also suspended by the
Federal Tax Service’s Moscow branch at the request of the consumer
protection service.
“It was a mistake,” a spokesman for the watchdog said. “It happens.”
Dated, incorrect information was given to the press service for
publication, he said, adding that everyone was under a lot of pressure
and that the department’s chief was on vacation.
The statement caused a stir — including front-page stories in the
country’s two largest business newspapers, Vedomosti and Kommersant —
before it disappeared from the service’s web site Wednesday.
The phones at the Moscow office of P.R. Rus were ringing off the
hook after the statement was released, said Olga Kasatkina, the
company’s spokeswoman, adding that P.R. Rus didn’t have any problems
with licenses.
“We are working as usual,” she said.
P.R. Rus distributes Jameson’s whiskey, Armenian cognacs produced by
Yerevan Cognac Enterprise and Pernod Ricard brands including Havana
Club rum.
Retailers and importers have been struggling for weeks with delays in
the introduction of new customs labels for imported wine and spirits
that have left store shelves empty of many popular liquor brands.

‘GODFATHER OF ALL ARMENIANS’ GUNNED DOWN
By Hovannes Shoghikian
Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Aug. 10, 2006
Law-enforcement authorities were hunting on Wednesday for unknown
gunmen that shot and killed a controversial businessman who referred
to himself as the “godfather of all Armenians” and reportedly had
underworld connections.
Aleksandr Givoev, 53, was gunned down on Tuesday at a roadside market
on a major highway where he reportedly stopped to buy fruit while
driving his family to the northern city of Gyumri. An innocent woman
who sold agricultural produce there was also killed by a stray bullet
fired from what police described as a stolen car used by the gunmen.
A spokesman for the Prosecutor-General’s Office said the car was
found completely burned about 10 kilometers from the scene shortly
after the shooting. She said law-enforcement officials immediately
launched a criminal investigation but have made no arrests yet.
A father of seven, Givoev was officially known in recent years as the
head of a non-governmental organization campaigning for the protection
of children’s rights. He claimed to have helped to baptize more than
8,000 children from socially vulnerable families since the group’s
creation in 2000.
Givoev, notorious for his flamboyant behavior and statements,
unsuccessfully ran for parliament in the May 2003 elections. A
campaign booklet released in the run-up to the vote carried pictures
of Givoev surrounded by children. Curiously, he was also pictured,
apparently in Paris, with Jean-Paul Belmondo, a famous French movie
star. The booklet claimed that “the people” have bestowed on Givoev,
an ethnic Assyrian, the title of Godfather of All Armenians.
Givoev spent much of the past three decades in Russia, developing
a controversial reputation there. In 2001, the Armenian newspaper
“Iravunk” reprinted a Russian press report that listed him among
Russia’s leading crime figures of Caucasian descent. The businessman
reacted furiously to the information, urging President Robert Kocharian
to close the paper.
Givoev was last spotted by journalists in early May as he tried
to board a plane at Yerevan airport that carried relatives of the
Armenian Airbus A-320, which crashed off the Russian Black Sea cost,
to the site of the disaster. He said one of the crash victims, also
a reputed crime figure, was a close friend of his.
In addition, Givoev, who also sponsored the Armenian women’s
weightlifting team, was seen wearing an army general’s uniform during
the April 24 commemoration in Yerevan of the 91st anniversary of
the 1915 Armenian genocide. Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman
Seyran Shahsuvarian insisted on Wednesday that he has never served
in Armenia’s military, police or any other security structure.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress