Documents of three historical churches sent to UNESCO
IRNA
Kashan, Sept 21, IRNA
Iran-Cultural Heritage-UNESCO
Deputy Head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism
Organization (CHTO) Taha Hashemi said that documents of three
historical churches in Iran have been sent to the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to be
registered in the world historical monuments.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the organization in Niasar,
Kashan, on Wednesday afternoon, Hashemi named the three churches as;
Tataous known as ” Qara Kelisa”( The Black Church), Stepanous and
Zorzor churches.
He added according to the Armenians the Tataous church is the first
church built in the world.
It is located in the West Azerbaijan province.
Hashemi said that Tataous was one of the evangelists close to the
prophet Jesus (PBUH), who came to the northwestern part of Iran,
Armenia and Azerbaijan.
King of Armenia ordered Tataous and his 3,500 followers, including
the king’s daughter (Seendokht) to be killed.
Tataous was buried in the venue of Qara Kelisa area.
300 years later, people built a church on the grave of Tataous and
since then Armenians have held ceremonies there annually.
Stepanous church is located in the East Azerbaijan and it is one of
the oldest churches in the world, too.
Zorzor church is located in the East Azerbaijan province, and is 700
years old.
This church was relocated in 1997 because of building a big dam in
the area and was rebuilt on the top of a hill.
The Iranian official said all documents and maps have been sent to
the UNESCO and its experts are to visit the venues soon, and then
the churches will be in the world heritage list in 2008.
So far, 44 churches from 500 existing churches in Iran have been
registered in the national heritage list.
Turkey Puts Novelist Shafak on Trial, Risking Breach With EU
Turkey Puts Novelist Shafak on Trial, Risking Breach With EU
By Ayla Jean Yackley
Bloomberg
Last Updated: September 20, 2006 19:29 EDT
Sept. 21 (Bloomberg) — Turkey will put novelist Elif Shafak on trial
today on charges she denigrated the national identity, in a case that
may trigger a showdown with the European Union over the government’s
failure to permit freedom of speech.
Shafak, 34, faces up to three years in prison if the Istanbul court
rules she “insulted Turkishness” in her best- selling novel, “The
Bastard of Istanbul.”
The charges, under Article 301 of the country’s penal code, stem from
a passage in which one character, an ethnic Armenian, says “Turkish
butchers” massacred his ancestors in a 1915 “genocide.”
The EU has repeatedly told Turkey that prosecuting writers for
expressing ideas isn’t acceptable and said the country’s year-old
membership talks may break down if Turkey fails to improve human
rights. Shafak’s case may show the European Commission, which is
drafting a report on Turkey’s progress toward membership, whether
those warnings are being heeded.
“The commission is following this case, and we’ll report on the
issue of freedom of expression” in an assessment due Nov. 8, said
Krisztina Nagy, a commission spokeswoman, in a telephone interview
today. Turkey must “amend Article 301 and other vaguely formulated
articles in order to guarantee expression,” she said. The commission
is the EU’s executive branch.
A setback to membership talks with Turkey, which hopes to become the
EU’s first Muslim member, may inflame tensions between Europe and
the Islamic world, and hurt efforts by Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan to anchor Turkey in the West and lure investment to
its $360 billion economy.
`Isolated Entity’
“My case and others like it are an attempt to stop the EU process
by forces that want Turkey to remain an enclosed, isolated entity,”
Shafak said on Sept. 5 at a press briefing. “Anti-Islamic elements
in Europe also feed off of it.”
Turkey, a country of 72 million people, has ignored the latest EU
calls for legal changes to defend free expression. The issue wasn’t
addressed in a package of EU-inspired reforms currently under debate
at an emergency session of Parliament, which cut short its summer
recess to pass the laws before the EU’s progress report comes out.
“It’s very regrettable the government has chosen not to revise or
abolish Article 301 at this time and a worrying sign it’s not committed
to the reform process,” said Emma Sinclair- Webb, a researcher on
Turkey at Amnesty International in London.
The case against Shafak, the author of seven novels and an assistant
professor at the University of Arizona, “is in the realm of thought
crimes,” Sinclair-Webb said. More than 40 writers, journalists,
publishers, academics and others have been prosecuted under Article
301, introduced in May 2005 and designed to meet EU standards, said
BiaNet, a press-advocacy group.
“The penetration of the domain of art and literature is the dimension
that worries me most,” Shafak said.
“It’s peculiar to bring a novel into court, that a fictional character
is in the dock.”
Armenians
Like Shafak, Orhan Pamuk, Turkey’s best-known novelist whose books
have been translated into 34 languages, and Hrant Dink, an ethnic
Armenian journalist, have been prosecuted for their statements on
the massacre of Armenians during World War I. Pamuk was acquitted on
technical grounds in January, while Dink was convicted and given a
suspended six-month jail sentence in May.
Armenia says 1.5 million people were killed in a genocide by Ottoman
Turks beginning in 1915. The Turkish Republic, established in 1923
after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, says the killings were the
result of internecine fighting and not part of a centrally planned
campaign.
The government considers allegations of genocide acts of treason. So
does Kemal Kerincsiz, the head of a nationalist lawyers’ group that
filed the initial complaint against Shafak, as well as Pamuk and Dink.
“We believe it’s our responsibility to bring Elif Shafak and others
who curse our national values to justice,” said Kerincsiz in a
telephone interview.
“We would be very pleased if this meant the EU didn’t take us.”
Others say Erdogan’s government, which has achieved more progress
toward meeting EU standards than any of its predecessors, doesn’t
understand how crucial unfettered discourse is for the EU.
“Freedom of speech is the government’s blind spot,” said Haluk Sahin,
a professor at Bilgi University and a Radikal newspaper writer in
Istanbul, in an interview. Sahin was acquitted in April of charges
brought under Article 301.
“It does not appreciate the seriousness of prosecuting people for
these so-called crimes in the democratic world and how damaging it
is to our EU prospects,” Sahin said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ayla Jean Yackley in Istanbul
at on [email protected]
Last Updated: September 20, 2006 19:29 EDT
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Air France KLM 2006/2007 winter schedule
e-Travel Blackboard (press release), Australia
Air France KLM 2006/2007 winter schedule
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Strong increase in capacity to Latin America and Asia
3.6% increase in Air France and KLM’s combined offer
For the winter 2006/2007 season, the Air France KLM
Group’s seat capacity will grow by 3.6% compared with
winter 2005/2006, with a 3.0% increase on the
long-haul network and 5.7% on the medium-haul network.
Both airlines will expand capacity to long-haul
destinations, particularly to Latin America (up 9.5%)
and Asia (up 6.1%). Capacity to Africa and the Middle
East will be increased by 2.1%. Capacity to North
America (up 0.2%) will remain stable compared with the
winter 2005-2006 season, while capacity to the French
Caribbean & Indian Ocean networks will be slightly
reduced (down 1.9%).
On the medium-haul network, Air France is boosting
capacity mainly to Eastern Europe, while the addition
of the seventh connecting bank at Schiphol airport
this summer will enable KLM to increase its number of
frequencies.
The fleet modernization programme continues, with the
arrival this winter of three Airbus A330-200s at KLM
to replace their Boeing 767-300s, the phasing out of
Air France’s remaining Boeing 737-500s, replaced by
Airbus A318/319/320s and the continued roll-out of the
new Boeing 777-300ERs on the Caribbean and Indian
Ocean routes. By the end of this winter season,
practically the entire Air France long-haul fleet will
be equipped with the new cabin interiors.
Air France and KLM are coordinating flight times and
expanding their respective schedules to provide their
customers with the most attractive combined offering.
Passengers now benefit from a choice of two flight
times on the same day by opting to travel one way with
either KLM via Amsterdam or with Air France via Paris
at the most attractive fares available. Flying Blue
programme members can benefit from a privileged
service, earn and use Miles on all routes served by
both airlines.
Focus on the Air France schedule
Long-haul schedule (2.7% increase in available
seat-km)
In line with this summer, Air France has upped its
capacity to the Middle East by 13.8% in available
seat-km.
This winter, Djeddah will be served non-stop four
times weekly by a “Dedicate” Airbus A319. The
suspension of the onward segment from Cairo to Djeddah
has resulted in more available seat capacity to Cairo.
There will be more frequencies to Riyadh (six weekly
flights by a “Dedicate” A319). This summer’s new daily
service to Amman is maintained and the three weekly
flights to Damascus will be increased to four this
winter.
Two-digit growth in capacity on the Latin America
network, up 11.9%. There will be more flights to Sao
Paulo with twelve weekly frequencies, including one
flight operated with a Boeing 777-300 and a second
flight five times weekly by Airbus 330-200. Thanks to
the cooperation agreement signed with the Brazilian
airline TAM in July 2006, Air France now serves a
total of 16 destinations in Brazil.
There will be more flights to Mexico City, with twelve
weekly flights instead of nine last winter, and an
additional daily flight operated with our SkyTeam
alliance partner, Aeromexico.
Air France is increasing its capacity to Argentina and
Chile, offering a total of twelve weekly frequencies,
up from last year’s ten. Flights to Santiago (five
times weekly) and Buenos Aires (one daily flight) are
all non-stop.
In Asia (capacity increase of 5.6%), Air France and
Delta, SkyTeam partners, have coordinated their
flights to India. Delta has suspended its
Paris-Chennai (Madras) service, a route which Air
France will be operating as of 30 October with three
weekly flights by Airbus A340.
There will be more flights from Paris to Mumbai
(Bombay), operated with Boeing 777-300 during the peak
season between December and February, and also to
Bangalore, now served daily.
Flights to Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City) will
continue to connect in Bangkok with larger aircraft
(Boeing 747-400) to cater to increased demand.
Finally, the three additional frequencies to Hong Kong
and Shanghai, launched this summer, have been
maintained, making a total of ten weekly flights.
In Africa, the main changes concern Johannesburg which
will benefit from two additional frequencies, making a
total of twelve weekly flights. There will be a fifth
weekly frequency to Port Harcourt, once the airport
reopens. Kenya Airways will be reopening its
Paris-Nairobi route served three times weekly in
partnership with Air France.
In addition to the roll-out of the new Boeing 777-300
on the Caribbean and Indian Ocean routes, there will
be more flights to most destinations to cater to
increased demand during the winter season: non-stop
flights to and from Punta Cana and Santo Domingo will
resume. Havana and Mauritius will once again be served
daily and there will now be six weekly flights to the
Seychelles, in cooperation with Air Seychelles,
instead of the previous five.
In North America, as was the case last winter, the
summer flight schedule has been reorganized to match
seasonal traffic demand. There will be fewer
frequencies and aircraft changes to a certain number
of destinations.
On this network, the main change concerns the
reorganization of services to Los Angeles and Papeete.
The new flight schedule will enable Air France to
offer four weekly flights to Papeete via Los Angeles,
and sixteen flights instead of the previous fourteen
between Paris and the Californian capital. Our
code-share agreement with Air Tahiti Nui has been
terminated.
The twice-daily service launched this summer between
Paris and Houston will continue, with twelve weekly
frequencies.
Since the beginning of September, a code-share
agreement with our SkyTeam partner Northwest has
enabled Air France to boost seat capacity on flights
to Detroit. This winter, the Paris-CDG – Detroit route
will be served with twelve weekly flights.
Medium-haul schedule (7.2% increase in available
seat-km)
Growth will mainly focus on Eastern Europe in addition
to the three new destinations added to the medium-haul
network this summer: Katowice in Poland (three daily
flights), Leipzig in Germany (two daily flights) and
Yerevan in Armenia (three weekly flights) and more
frequencies to Zagreb in Croatia (now served
twice-daily).
There will be more flights to Dublin (seven daily
flights since this summer) and Edinburgh (three daily
flights). The Paris-CDG – Helsinki service has been
supplemented with a fifth daily departure, in
cooperation with Finnair.
In southern Europe, Air France will serve Athens
four-times weekly instead of the previous three last
winter. Air Europa has been operating twice-daily to
Valencia and three-times daily to Malaga on a
code-share basis with Air France since this summer.
Portugalia operates four daily flights to Oporto.
In line with this summer, the Paris-CDG – Algiers
route will be supplemented with a third daily
departure. Finally, the launch this summer of a second
daily flight to Tel Aviv will be continued.
On the inter-European network, the Nantes-London
Gatwick and Bordeaux-Dublin flight services have been
suspended.
Domestic schedule (1.4% increase in available-seat km)
The Paris-Orly – Annecy route will be supplemented
with three weekly frequencies (thereby increasing the
number of daily flights to four during peak periods)
and the introduction of an ATR-72 seating 70 replacing
the ATR-42 seating 48.
The third daily Paris-CDG-Rennes flight and the fourth
daily Lyon-Rennes flight, launched this summer, will
continue to operate during the winter season.
Finally, the Le Havre-Rouen-Lyon service will be
suspended early January. The Le Havre-Lyon and
Rouen-Lyon routes will be operated three times daily
with the ATR42 with a seat capacity for 48 passengers.
Bedford storytelling festival sure to provide some tall tales
Bedford storytelling festival sure to provide some tall tales
By Kathleen Cordeiro/ Staff Writer
Westford Eagle, MA
Thursday, September 21, 2006
“Three apples fell from heaven:
One for the teller of the tale;
One for the listener;
And one for all the people of the world.”
-Traditional Armenian ending for stories
If the traditional Armenian ending for stories is true, the heavens
above Bedford will break open next weekend, when the Three Apples
Storytelling Festival brings together storytellers from around the
state and across the country in a weekend of masterful performances,
amateur story swaps and traveling tales.
Now in its 22nd year, the festival demonstrates that storytelling is
for children, octogenarians and everyone in between. And while Three
Apples (Sept.
30-Oct. 1) has adults-only events ranging from evening performances
to classes with the masters, the best memories may be made in the
family-friendly performances that take place throughout the day on
Saturday, or from the vantage point of a blanket at the free events
on Bedford’s Town Common.
The storytellers have been selected for the breadth and balance they
will bring to the event, according to Susan Harris, treasurer of the
Three Apples Storytelling Festival. The three featured performers
are a case in point. Jay O’Callahan – one of the founding members
of Three Apples – has been a storyteller for 25 years. His stories
range from his growing up years in Boston, to the dramas of World
War II to species extinction. O’Callahan has discovered stories as
well as told them as he travels around the world to perform.
“The storyteller of old got on a horse,” he said.
“I get on a plane, parachute into a community and I’m part of its
life for a while before moving on to the next one.”
O’Callahan will host a family concert on Saturday afternoon and will
open the festival on Saturday morning with fellow featured performer
Elizabeth Ellis.
Ellis is a renowned teller of Appalachian and Texas tales and stories
of heroic American women. She grew up in the Appalachian Mountains
and learned to tell stories from her grandfather, a circuit-riding
minister. Although Ellis has been a featured performer at storytelling
festivals around the world, this will be her first appearance at the
Three Apples. In addition to opening the weekend, she will perform
for school-age children.
Rounding out the trio of featured performers is Antonio Rocha, who has
studied mime with masters Marcel Marceau and Tony Montanaro. His tales
take listeners on a journey to his native Brazil and around the world,
using mime, theater and sound effects.
Rocha will host the free Community Stage on Bedford Town Common and
perform for school-age children Saturday afternoon.
O’Callahan, Ellis and Rocha will be joined by 10 accomplished
storytellers from around New England, who have been selected based
on their body of work In addition, there will be selected tellers
(all members of the League for the Advancement of New England
Storytelling) who auditioned specifically for this year’s Three
Apples Storytelling Festival. Among the storytellers hailing from the
surrounding communities are Tim Seston of Concord, Robert Isenberg
of Lexington, Jim LaChapelle of Wilmington and Joey Talbert of Sherborn
“Every year we find people we have never heard of before,” Harris
said. This year, Vics & Sticks are among those unknowns. They are
musical storytellers from Leicester and will host a portion of the
Story Swap on Bedford Common.
The festival spent its first 21 years in Harvard, a beloved venue
that the festival finally outgrew, according to Harris. “We looked
for a community that was similar to Harvard, to maintain the intimate
nature of the festival,” she said. Bedford is that town.
Bedford Center for the Arts, which is the festival host, has worked to
ensure that festival-goers are warmly welcomed, with indoor performance
venues located close to the Common, free parking – even for bicyclists
who take advantage of the Minuteman Bike Trail – and shuttle buses
from selected parking lots.
At two sites, Town Common and the John Glenn Middle School, there
will be a marketplace and food.
Visitors can find published selections from every featured
teller. Homemade meals and apple treats will be available for purchase,
benefiting Bedford community groups.
The schedule
Performances on and around the Bedford Town Common begin on Saturday,
Sept. 30 at 10 a.m. with the Festival Opening featuring Ellis and
O’Callahan. Bring a blanket and enjoy the free Story Swapping Ground
from 10:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. on the Common. Anyone from toddlers to
adults, amateurs to professional tellers, can share a story.
At 11:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. on Saturday are a selection of eight
performances for adult, elementary and preschool audiences at indoor
venues around the Common.
Gain insight into how storytellers work on their craft with Antonio
Rocha at the free Community Stage on the Town Common at 12:30
p.m. Rocha will work with volunteer audience members to improve their
storytelling right in front of your eyes.
Participate in Traveling Tales and see how stories evolve over time
as they are told and re-told. Look for people with story pouches
and ask them to tell you the story, then you get the pouch and pass
the story onto the next person who asks. Come to the Traveling Tales
Finale on the Town Common at 4:45 p.m. to see what happened to the
stories over the course of the day.
Special Events take place at the John Glenn Middle School including
the Family Concert with Jay O’Callahan at 2 p.m., an Adult Concert
with Jay O’Callahan at 7 p.m. and Down Home Humor featuring Elizabeth
Ellis, Kevin Brooks and Antonio Rocha at 8:30 p.m. Or if you dare,
join Terror in the Night Ghost Stories with Laura Packer, Tony Toledo
and Elizabeth Ellis at First Parish Bedford at 8:30 p.m.
ANKARA: Who is the Enemy of the US in Turkey? by Sedat Laciner
Who is the Enemy of the US in Turkey?
By Sedat Laciner
Journal of Turkish Weekly
21 September 2006
Recently, there is an inflation of claims in Turkey arguing that
hatred against the US is surging and so-called anti-Semitism is on the
peak. In particular, after the Iraq War in 2003, some circles in the
US claim that Turkey is ruled by an Islamist government, and that the
government supports anti-American and anti-Israeli groups. According
to this view, Turkey is an obstacle in the implementation of the
American and Israeli policies in the Middle East. There are those
who maintain that the current government should be toppled in order
to overcome this situation.
First of all, one must admit that there has recently been a notable
reaction particularly in Turkey against the American and Israeli
policies. In the surveys conducted by our organization, ISRO (USAK),
in March 2005, we found the emergence of a reaction against the US and
Israel. The study found that 91 % of the Turkish public did not approve
the policies of US President George W. Bush. Those who support Bush’s
policies was only 0,5 %. In the USAK’s friend-enemy perception survey,
the US and Israel got the lowest ranking. However, these statistics
don’t imply that Turkish people are exception in global trends. The
US’ policies on Iraq and global terrorism are largely disapproved
by the world as well. Bush’s policies are a subject of mockery even
in the US. The same survey also suggests that Turkish people don’t
hate the US or Americans, and reactions are conjectural as a result
of current American policies. For example, 74 % of the respondents
still see the US as an ally of Turkey.
Those who state they hated the US were only 4 %. There is a fact that
Turks dislike Bush but appreciate Clinton very much. Same is true
for Israel. Turkey is one of the countries where anti-Semitism has no
historical roots. Turks and Turkey are against the Israeli policies,
but not Israel. In this sense, Turkey isn’t more anti-Israeli than
any other country in the globe.
So, why is there an increasing concern in the US that Turkey is going
anti-American? Why are some people trying to give the impression that
Turkey has become an al-Qaeda base?
There are various reasons for that:
The Turkish government is blamed for the rejection of the proposal in
March 1, 2003 (tezkere), which would have allowed the US troops to use
Turkish territory for military passage to Iraq. Some neo-cons in the
US cannot accept this result. They think that they were betrayed by
Turkey. The US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is the most prominent
person in this group.
Rumsfeld has blamed the inability to gain permission to invade Iraq
through Turkey for the power of the insurgency that the US now
faces. (1) For Rumsfeld, had Turkey given the permission, the US
wouldn’t have suffered this many of fatalities and Iraq would have
been a totally different country. Rumsfeld may be right on that
point in some degree. However, it can be seen that the US lacked
proper understanding of Turkey’s importance before the March 1
voting. Before the war, the US thought that Turkey would definitely
approve the proposal, and in a way, confused Turkish Assembly with
the other ones in the Middle East.
Moreover, the approval became much less likely because of the
US’ indifferent attitude. They treated the subject like a horse
trading. They were so arrogant in very minor topics that they
attracted great negative reaction from the Turkish public. Secondly,
it wouldn’t be fair to blame the government for the rejection of the
proposal in the Assembly. It is true that the government did some
small mistakes. However, the Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan still says that
“the proposal should have been approved”. The government did its best
to get the approval from the Parliament.
As a matter of fact, all of those who voted for the approval were the
governing AKP’s (Justice and Development Party) MPs, who were blamed
for being “Islamist” and anti-American. In addition, the proposal
was rejected with only a few vote-margin.
Besides, those who voted affirmative were more than those who voted
negative, but there was no simple majority due to abstentions. As
opposed to the general belief, it is the traditional leftist party,
CHP (Republican People’s Party), which voted “no” collectively,
that caused the proposal to be rejected.
Even today, the party leader Deniz Baykal tells this story as one of
the party’s biggest successes. Another reason of rejection was the
Army’s implicit message a day before the voting that the result was
not very important for itself. The Turkish Army, expressing its views
in almost every case, did not make any statement in such a crucial
matter. In the National Security Council meeting which was held a day
before the voting, the Army’s silence on the issue was perceived as
the Army was against the approval.
Some right-wing Jewish groups in the US see AKP and al-Qaeda
identical. These groups characterize governing AKP as “Islamist”,
and claim that Turkey is leaning towards Islamism at the expense
of Westernism.
However, AKP leadership totally rejects “Islamism” idea. The AKP leader
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with an inspiration from Christian Democrats,
defines his party as Muslim Democrat. One can also say that AKP,
like the early years of ANAP (Motherland Party), is an umbrella party
embodying many different groups, including liberals and leftists. But
claiming that Turkey has become an Islamist state during the AKP
rule is a quiet exaggerated assessment. During this period, Turkey
has achieved the most notable reforms in its history in the fields
of democratization and Westernization, also thanks to the EU process.
Negotiations for full membership have begun with the EU, and the
Turkish economy has achieved a dramatic growth in integration with
the Western economies during this period ironically called by some
Islamist.
The third important reason is the claim that Turkey has shifted
towards an anti-Israeli posture with the AKP government. It is true
that the PM Erdogan has harshly criticized Israel. In one of his
speeches, Erdogan went as far as asserting that Israel has had some
conducts which might be termed as “state terrorism”. However, this
firm attitude against Israel is not peculiar to AKP’s Erdogan. His
predecessor Bulent Ecevit, a leftist politician, also blamed Israel
for committing “genocide” against the Palestinians. Similarly, the
leftist opposition party CHP’s leader Deniz Baykal also makes very
harsh statements criticizing Israel. The far leftist and rightist
parties in Turkey all also criticize Israel sharply. In other words,
we cannot say that the Turco-Israeli relations have deteriorated
during the AKP government. On the contrary, the Israeli Ambassador to
Ankara, Pinhas Avivi, has stated that the good relations between the
two countries have reached its peak in history during the current
Turkish government. Delivering a speech at ISRO (USAK) on September
6, 2006, the Ambassador said that the economic relations between two
countries have for the first time passed $10 billion and described the
relations as “strategic”. In other words, the relations are getting
stronger and stronger regardless of the discourses. In this context,
one should remember that it was the Turkish leftists which opposed
most outspokenly to the Galataport investment project in Istanbul
by the Israeli businessman Ofer, and it was leftist CHP which
initiated campaigns to cancel this deal. On the other hand, it is
interesting to see that Prime Minister Erdogan, who was accused of
being “Islamist”, warned the left-wing parties “not to act like the
economic anti-Semitics”.
The fourth, and maybe the most important, reason is the complaints
to the US from Turkey. Those who cannot win the elections or who
doesn’t trust his personal or institutional influence in Turkey think
that the road to power passes through the US. For this reason, many
politicians and bureaucrats (civilian or not) have recently visited
the US. During these visits, the most prominent argument of the
groups opposing AKP government was that there was a polarization of
Islamists vs. secularists in Turkey. Stressing that this government
was “Islamist” and “anti-Western”, these opposition groups asked for
American support to topple the government. The visitors from Turkey not
only talked to officials but also paid visits to the ethnic-religious
and political lobbies to share their views. The effects of these
groups perhaps are much more influential than anything else in the
emergence of an anti-Turkish atmosphere in the US.
The Turkey experts of Turkish origin in the US: Some of the Turkey
experts of Turkish origin, who have difficulty in maintaining their
posts or maintaining their posts with some preconditions, are trying
to retain their posts by giving an impression in the US that there is
a strong polarization in Turkey. The extension of their contracts is
conditioned to defend certain views, and these contracts are usually
offered by groups which see Turkey as we defined above. In addition,
the institutions in the US only want to hear what they want to hear
and ignore criticisms of the US, and this keeps the Turkey experts
under grave pressure. Because of this, many “experts” have to defend
the views which they don’t approve just to maintain their projects and
grants. Some other Turkish experts, who are less in number, present
their personal ideological positions as the views reflecting Turkey.
Who is the Enemy of the US in Turkey?
It is clear for many that there has been a strong anti-Americanism
in Turkey since the World War II. The US Congress’ support to the
Armenian radicals and also its support of the Greek side in the Cyprus
issue are some of the reasons for the Turkish dislike of the US.
The most important reason undermining the image of the US in
Turkey was the arms embargo imposed on Turkey in the 1970s with
the influence of the Greek lobby in the US. In the following years,
the PKK terror and the Kurdish issue in Turkey have been the main
problems in Turco-American relations. It is noteworthy to see that
it has been the Jewish lobby which defended Turkish interests in the
Congress during this period. Another striking point is that, contrary
to the general belief in the West, the basis of anti -Americanism in
Turkey is not Islamist movements, but secular leftist ideologies. The
anti-Americanism and -Westernism in Turkey is, generally, a leftist
movement. What is more, one can even say that being a leftist, being
anti-Israeli and anti-American are almost synonymous.
For example, the demonstrations protesting the arrival of the US
6th Fleet in Turkey in the 1960s has been one of the legends of the
Turkish left. On the other hand, Turkish right-wing has always been
willing to improve the relations with the US. As a matter of fact,
it is not coincidence to see that the most noticeable improvements
in relations with the US have taken place during the conservative
rightist governments (Menderes, Demirel, Ozal etc.) in Turkey.
Even the far rightist groups such as Islamists and nationalists have
never been as critical as the leftists about the US. Both groups
criticize the US and Israeli policies as a populist method to draw
support from the masses during election campaigns.
However, when any of these parties were in power, they refrained
from any action which could harm the relations. Furthermore, the
Islamist governments, in their coalition governments, improved
relations with the US and Israel just because they were concerned
with secular reactions to their political leanings. It is striking
to note that the most significant security agreement between Israel
and Turkey was signed by the government of Necmettin Erbakan, known
to be an Islamist, in 1996.
However, anti-American and anti-Israeli stand has been an important
part of CHP, the centrist and moderate leftist party. Many MPs in
CHP take the issue back to the Turkish War of Salvation (1919-1922)
and claim that the West still wants to divide Turkey. For CHP,
the PKK is supported by the Western powers, and there is a Western
bloc against Turkey in Cyprus and Armenian problems. CHP also sees
the US’ Middle East policies as conspiracies to divide Turkey. CHP
opposes not only political liberalism, but also economic one, and it
has been the political party which resists privatization the most. In
particular, the sale of Turkish state companies to Israel and the US is
unacceptable to CHP. Its strong opposition to the investments of Ofer,
an Israeli businessman, in Turkey and its campaign to prevent these
investments are indications of CHP’s posture on this issue. Not only
CHP, but DSP, another left-wing party, is also very critical of the US
and Israel. The campaign “no sale of Turkish property to foreigners”
initiated by Rahsan Ecevit, one of the most influential figures of the
party, is the peak of distrust against Israel and the West. According
to Ecevit, Israeli citizens are buying large areas of land from the
southeast of Turkey and this will be a process which will eventually
lead to the division of Turkey.
The anti-Americanism is much more sharper in far leftist groups,
and this may turn into terrorist activities as in the case of DHKP-C
(The Salvation Party-Front of Revolutionary People). The far leftist
Worker Party, led by Dogu Perincek, is quiet sure that the US and
Israel wants to divide Turkey. Perincek strictly opposes privatization,
liberal economy, Turkey’s NATO membership, its cooperation with the
US and Israel, and even sees all of these as treason.
For some groups in the US, the Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
acts as a balance against the so-called Islamist government in its
anti-Israeli and -Western policies. First of all, the MPs of Erbakan’s
Islamist party gave full support to Sezer’s election in 2000.
So to say, Sezer was elected thanks to the votes of the “Islamist
MPs”. It is true that Sezer is a fanatic secular, and his radical
stand against Islamism is evident. However, it is impossible to
say that President Sezer is pro-Israeli and -Western, and that he
counterweighs Erdogan on this issue. In fact, Sezer’s anti-Westernism
is incomparably stronger than that of Erdogan’s. His close relationship
with the Syrian President Beshar al-Assad, his views that Turkey should
establish regional alliances and should improve relations with Iran and
Russia instead of the US and the EU indicate that he is closer to the
“ulusalcilar” (leftist-nationalists). Sezer’s skepticism towards the
West is so strong that he has serious reservations regarding Turkey’s
full membership process in the EU. His opposition to privatization
and market economy are also noteworthy.
In 2005, he insisted to visit Syria challenging the US’ open
warnings. In brief, one cannot say that President Sezer is a
pro-Israeli and -American. In this sense, Erdogan’s government is
closer to the US, the EU and Israel than Sezer is.
Though less in number, another voiceful group is “ulusalcilar”
(leftist-nationalists). This group, which sometimes cooperate with the
right-wing nationalists, is perhaps the forerunner of opposition to
the US and Israel. This group is anti-Israeli and hostility against
the US is at the center of their policies. They cannot even get 1%
of the votes in the elections, yet they are still influential to some
extent on the President and some media companies.
Finally, the Turkish Army, claimed to be a balancer against
the current government, has no obvious anti- or pro-Western
attitude. Traditionally, the Turkish Army sees the future of Turkey
in the West. However, this affiliation can be defined as locating
Turkey in the West despite the West, i.e., it is based on never
fully trusting the West. Regarding Israel, it is seen that there is
a considerable distrust against Israel within the Army and this has
been growing recently.
Many military officers think that the US and Israel plan to
strengthen PKK and found a Kurdish state in North Iraq. In addition,
the anti-imperialist thoughts are still strong within the Army, which
originate from the Turkish War of Salvation. The most important reason
for Turkey’s ‘passivity’ to cooperate with the US during the Iraq
War has been the Army’s indetermination or skepticism. Had the Army
shown its willingness in favor of the proposal to involve in Iraq War,
the proposal would definitely have been approved in the Turkish Grand
National Assembly (TBMM). The Army’s unwillingness to send troops to
Lebanon was also observed by many circles. It is also quiet meaningful
to see that the Chief of General Staff, Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, rejected
at once the NATO’s request to send more troops to Afghanistan, without
even consulting to the government. In the Gulf War in 1991, the Army
also strongly opposed the decision of President Turgut Ozal to act
together with the US. The then-Chief of General Staff, Necip Torumtay,
did not want to take side with the US in Iraq in a moment when almost
the entire world was acting together with the US. Eventually, the
Chief of General Staff had to resign due to the disagreement.
To sum up, we must admit that the anti-American sentiments in Turkey
have been on the rise. However, this trend is not in contrast with the
world. The general tendency in Turkey is quiet similar to that in, say,
France, Germany or Egypt. In addition, it is not possible to define
the current government as Islamist or anti-Western. Furthermore,
the AKP government even has had no serious opposition in any of the
decisions concerning Israel or the US. The government every time
voted in favor of the policies adopted by the US and Israel. Hence,
it can be said that there is a significant illusion and manipulation
in the US towards Turkey.
21 September 2006
Trns. by Noyan OZKAYA; USAK
Films go international at Framingham State
MetroWest Daily News, MA
Films go international at Framingham State
By Bob Tremblay/ Daily News Staff
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Once again, fans of foreign films have reason to cheer in a multitude
of languages as the International Film Series resumes tonight at
Framingham State College.
Part of the college’s Arts & Humanities Program, the series begins
with a screening of “L’Enfant” (“The Child”). Winner of the Palme d’Or
at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, the movie focuses on a 20-year-old
petty thief whose 18-year-old girlfriend has just given birth to
their son. Joy turns to heartbreak when the young man sells the baby
on the black market.
Directed by the Belgian brothers Luc and Jeane-Pierre Dardenne,
the 95-minute film is in French with English subtitles.
The second film in the series, “Vodka Lemon” screens Oct. 26. Set in
an isolated mountainous village in post-Soviet Armenia, the movie is
a comedy that weaves together several stories, the most prominent
of which is the tentative romance between a 60-year-old grizzled
patriarch and a shy, middle-aged woman. The film is the third feature
from exiled Iraqi Kurd director Hiner Saleem. Winner of the San Marco
prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2003, this 88-minute film is in
Armenian, Russian and Kurdish with English subtitles.
The third film, “The Holy Girl” (“La Nina Santa”) screens Feb. 22. Set
in a large, dilapidated hotel during a medical convention, the 2004
movie deals with a young teenage girl torn between her burgeoning
sexual awareness and her strict Catholic upbringing.
Directed by the Argentinian Lucrecia Martel (“La Cienaga”), the
103-minute film is in Spanish with English subtitles.
The final film, “Take Care of My Cat” (“Goyangireul Butakhae”),
screens March 22. The 2001 South Korean movie tells the story of a
close-knit group of five 20-year-old women trying to find their place
in the world. In Korean with English subtitles, the 113-minute film
marks the feature debut of director Jeong Jae-Eun.
The film series’ founder, Arthur Nolletti Jr., professor of English
and film studies at Framingham State, says he chose this quartet of
films because of their quality and approach to subject matter. “(The
series) is opening up a window for people to see what is going on in
films around the world,” said Nolletti.
“The themes…are of interest to us but they’re not necessarily handled
in the same way as they would be in most serious American films.”
Nolletti started the series in 1975 at the Danforth Museum in
Framingham where it continued until 1989. The museum resumed the
series in 1997 and the following year it moved to Framingham State
where it has continued since.
“From the start what made the series unique was the fact that each
screening was followed by a discussion,” said Nolletti, who leads
the discussions.
“I learned that people want to share their impressions and opinions
with others; they want to talk about the film they’ve seen. Being
given the opportunity isn’t all that common since most film series
screen the film and that’s pretty much it.”
Ponte Solutions Collaborates with UMC on Design-for-Yield Methodolog
Business Wire (press release), CA
September 20, 2006 11:00 AM Eastern Time
Ponte Solutions Collaborates with UMC on
Design-for-Yield Methodology; UMC and Ponte to
Establish Design-Stage Yield Analysis Methodology with
Ponte’s Yield Analyzer(TM) for 90nm and 65nm
Technologies
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sept. 20, 2006–Ponte
Solutions, Inc., the design-for-yield (DFY) company, today announced a
technology partnership with leading global semiconductor manufacturer
UMC (NYSE:UMC)(TSE:2303) to establish design-stage yield analysis that
enables pre-tapeout yield enhancement for 90nm and below technologies.
Ponte’s methodology helps reducing manufacturing cost and
time-to-volume production of complex semiconductor ICs by revealing
yield-sensitive areas of libraries, IPs, memories and full chip
designs and enabling yield improvement at the design stage, prior to
committing to expensive fabrication.
“IC designers have realized the benefits of proactive yield sensitivity
analysis in deep sub-micron technologies,” said Ken Liou, director
of the IP and Design Support Division at UMC. “Ponte’s Yield Analyzer
provides Defect Limited Yield information which can be used by tools at
virtually every step of the design flow starting from library/IP design
and characterization to netlist generation, floorplanning, full chip
detailed routing and ECO. Using Yield Analyzer, designers can use DD
(Defect Density) data to analyze two or more layouts to evaluate and
decide the best option for tape-out based on their requirements.”
“We strongly believe that yield, traditionally the domain of fabs,
must become a driving factor behind sub-90nm design flows,” said Alex
Alexanian, CEO of Ponte Solutions. “Ponte anticipated this trend more
than two years ago and has worked with technology partners to develop
and validate the accuracy, performance and usability of Yield Analyzer
as design-stage yield characterization and analysis tool.
Our partnership with UMC is an important milestone in bringing yield
driven design methodologies to the design community.”
About Ponte Solutions
Ponte Solutions, Inc., the design-for-yield company, manufactures
and delivers unique, full-chip, model-based software products for
semiconductor yield analysis and prediction, enabling designers to
perform design-stage yield optimization. Ponte’s customers include
leading semiconductor manufacturers, foundries and design houses
worldwide. Founded in 2002, the company has received funding from US
Venture Partners, Telos Venture Partners, Incubic LLC, Silicom Ventures
LLC and private individuals. The company has offices in Mountain View,
California; Grenoble, France; Tokyo, Japan; and Yerevan, Armenia. More
information about the company can be found at
Ponte Solutions and Yield Analyzer are trademarks of Ponte Solutions,
Inc. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Opposition parliamentarian: Ukraine needs NATO
Kyiv Post, Ukraine
Thu, Sep 21. 10:38
Opposition parliamentarian: Ukraine needs NATO
by Oksana Bondarchuk,
Kyiv Post Staff Writer Sep 21 2006, 02:08
By Konstantin Klimenko — Outspoken BYuT oppositionist, nationalist
and NATO proponent Andriy Shkil, says that Ukraine is a classic example
of a country with a divided mentality, and that division is growing.
Ukraine’s east-west divide is growing, according to Andriy Shkil,
a vocal lawmaker in the opposition Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc faction,
who warned that Ukraine must join NATO to preserve its sovereignty. An
active participant in Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution, Shkil accused
President Viktor Yushchenko of betraying the Revolution in September
2005 by firing Tymoshenko as premier. The current parliamentary
majority was formed out of fear of the firebrand female politician,
said Shkil.
KP: How did you start your political career?
AS: I started through public work. At the end of the 1980s, I was an
active member of the youth wing of the Helsinki Human Rights Union. I
also took part in the Organization of Independent Ukrainian Youth and
was in the [right-wing] UNA-UNSO [Ukrainian National Assembly-Ukrainian
National Self Defense] for some time. So, I was involved in public work
first, then in politics. The movement “Ukraine without Kuchma!” in
2000 [against then Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma] made me think
that not only public movements were important, but also parties. So I
decided to join a party with a wide spectrum of views. Batkivshchyna
[Fatherland] became such a party for me.
KP: Having a broad spectrum in a party can make it difficult to
achieve a single position. Is this true of Batkivshchyna?
AS: Yes, it is difficult to make certain decisions.
But a party is a part of the society that it reflects.
Unfortunately, Ukraine was formed as a country of different
mentalities.
KP: What do you mean by “different mentalities”?
AS: The problem of self-identity. And, to be honest, it is
growing. Western Ukrainians identify themselves as different from
eastern Ukrainians, but find something in common with Poles. It is
vice versa in eastern Ukraine, where people find more in common with
Russians. The state doesn’t care about this and has not even planned
to do anything about it.
For example, living in Kyiv, I read Polish periodicals because it
doesn’t matter to me what newspapers I read, excluding Ukrainian
ones, but I prefer Polish to Russian periodicals because they are
more impartial.
This is the way I maintain contact with the world, because I don’t
want to do this through Russia. If I have a choice between Polish
and Russian, I choose Polish without hesitation. If I had the same
product, movie or TV program in Ukrainian, I would never have such
a problem of choice.
Ukraine is a classic example of a divided country. And with each month
of its independence, the difference in mentality is increasing. To
accuse [Donetsk-born Prime Minister Viktor] Yanukovych or someone else
of this doesn’t make sense. He just made use of an already existing
problem. We need to unify the mentality. And it has to be done at
state level with a definite program. We should defend our culture
and language.
And if someone proposes Russian as a second official language, I will
propose Polish as a third official language to save my identity.
KP: Besides promoting Polish as a third language, what are you planning
to do as a lawmaker?
AS: I work in the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, where I
try to push the government to actively work on the issue of Ukraine’s
east-west divide. If we had a common view about this at the highest
level, Ukraine could be issuing Schengen visas. To preserve Ukraine,
we need integration. And a certain part of Ukraine has already
integrated into Europe without asking anyone. If you spend several
days in Donetsk Region and then several days in Lviv or Chernivtsi
Region, you’ll see that these are two different Ukraines.
KP: President Viktor Yushchenko is apparently in favor of Ukraine’s
integration with Europe and NATO. What needs to be done to achieve
this?
AS: You know, I headed the delegation to the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly in Paris, where the presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia,
Georgia and Ukraine were invited. Two of them didn’t come. Guess who?
Yushchenko didn’t come. He was very busy. I don’t know what with. And
it was difficult for me to explain to the members of the Assembly
why the president of a country that intends to enter NATO had not
come. We cry about joining, but don’t take the first step.
KP: But joining NATO remains a controversial issue for Ukrainian
society. Is there really such a need to join?
AS: NATO has been defined as part of Ukraine’s state policy. That’s
it. This policy has to be implemented.
If someone doesn’t like this, he has a right to express his will,
to protest and so on. To preserve Ukraine we need to integrate into
NATO and Europe.
KP: Getting back to you, how do you see your role in the Batkivshchyna
party?
AS: I take responsibility for international contacts.
Consequently, I’ve made a lot of trips to attend different
meetings. We are developing Batkivshchyna as a European political
force and discussing areas of cooperation. I also work with young
people because I like them and I enjoy some popularity among them.
KP: First you were elected to parliament as an independent, weren’t
you?
AS: Yes, that was in 2002. I was elected while still serving time in
jail for my part in the “Ukraine without Kuchma!” campaign. People
who voted for me didn’t look at what party I belonged to. They
elected me for my struggles. Maybe some felt sorry for me, but
most supported me because they couldn’t take part in the campaign
themselves. These people came to Kyiv [to support President Viktor
Yushchenko’s presidential bid] during the [2004] Orange Revolution.
KP: You were a prominent participant in the Orange Revolution,
which brought Yushchenko to power. Do you feel that the president
and members of his current circle betrayed the revolution?
AS: It was a betrayal of the Orange team when [Yulia] Tymoshenko
was removed as premier [in fall 2005]. All the rest, including
recent events, was only the consequences of that move. However,
nobody expected that we [BYuT] would receive so many votes in the
[March 26 general] elections and that [the pro-presidential] Our
Ukraine would receive so little.
KP: Tymoshenko’s BYuT did better than expected in the March 26
parliamentary elections, but its popularity has dropped since then. How
do you interpret this?
AS: We were partners of Yushchenko. We actively campaigned for
a coalition [with Our Ukraine and the Socialists] and we lost
because we encouraged a coalition that was not formed. In addition,
there is distrust in the authorities in general in [Ukrainian]
society. The opposition is also associated in people’s minds with
the authorities. The drop in popularity could also be caused by Yulia
Tymoshenko’s absence from the public for some time. But even according
to the most pessimistic forecasts, we have maintained our popularity
since March.
KP: What, in your opinion, was the reason why most members of the
pro-presidential Our Ukraine party supported the parliamentary
majority formed by the Regions, the Communists and the Socialists
[in July 2006]?
AS: It’s clear: It was fear of Tymoshenko. Everyone knew about the
negotiations. In Ukraine, if you want to keep something secret,
you shouldn’t say or do anything. But it is impossible to avoid some
things. A professional differs from an amateur in that he understands
that he lost, but he should play till the end, because the most
important is the result that can come tomorrow or in a year’s time.
KP: Would you support cancellation of the constitutional reforms that
came into effect this year and weakened the authority of the president?
AS: We have never supported these political reforms and we won’t
do this. But we won’t initiate their cancellation. It’s not our
task today. Our task is to keep what we have today. However, the
presidential form of a republic is important for Ukraine, with its
different mentalities. As the opposition we can only propose some
things while not allowing other things to happen.
KP: What are BYuT’s specific goals in this parliament?
AS: We still don’t have a law on the opposition. This is essential,
and to change the agenda of the Verkhovna Rada. Our task is also to
tell society honestly about illegal actions taken by the authorities.
KP: Some lawmakers from the BYuT faction break rank, for instance,
when they voted for the new coalition headed by Regions. What will
you do with them?
AS: We won’t expel them from the party or bloc because the law
doesn’t allow this. They want this but we will not oblige them. We
will deprive them of their mandates. We are working on this. There
is such a mechanism.
KP: The pro-presidential Our Ukraine party is reportedly split over
joining the Regions-led coalition. Could you see a possible merger
with some members of this party?
AS: There will be an inter-faction merger. Such deputies will remain
in their party and will be members of this inter-faction merger.
KP: You didn’t hold a government post under the Tymoshenko
government. Would you like to one day?
AS: I don’t have such a strong desire to work in the government. The
posts that I wanted when Tymoshenko was in power were already
taken. But I am a politician and I am ready to use my skills both in
the executive and the legislative branches of power.
KP: You are an active and well-known politician. Don’t you want to
create your own party?
AS: Believe me, I don’t have such plans now. But if they appear,
I will implement them.
Russia to sell 100% of its shares in Sochi airport in 2006
Russia to sell 100% of its shares in Sochi airport in 2006
RIA Novosti
14:37 | 20/ 09/ 2006
MOSCOW, September 20 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian government plans
to sell 100% of its shares in Sochi International Airport, on the
country’s Black Sea coast, during 2006, the Cabinet press office
said Wednesday.
Sochi has been short-listed as a host city for the 2014 Olympic
Winter Games, along with Austria’s Salzburg and South Korea’s
PyeongChang. The city bid for the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics,
but was rejected largely due to its poor-quality Soviet infrastructure.
Sochi International Airport received unwelcome publicity in May as
the destination of an Armenian airliner that crashed into the Black
Sea in stormy weather, killing all 113 passengers and crew on board.
Following a government order passed on July 3, 2006, the airport was
included on a list of federal unitary companies to be privatized in
2006. The airport has since been converted into a joint-stock company,
with 100% state ownership.
The government’s privatization plan for 2006, announced last year,
listed 885 federal unitary companies and 383 joint-stock companies.
Sochi International Airport has air links to 120 cities in Russia
and abroad. During the first eight months of 2006, the airport served
975,570 passengers.
First Alert: 8:30-11:30 A.M. Investrend / Bestcalls
Trading Markets, CA
First Alert: 8:30-11:30 A.M. Investrend / Bestcalls
Thursday, September 21, 2006; Posted: 02:52 AM
Sep 21, 2006 (financialwire.net via COMTEX) —
September 21, 2006 (Financial Wire) Conference calls
scheduled at 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Investrend
Broadcast via partner BestCalls include Comtech
Telecomm. Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL), Apogee Enterprises
Inc. (NASDAQ: APOG), Docucorp International Inc.
(NASDAQ: DOCC), Xyratex Ltd. (NASDAQ: XRTX).
Conference calls are often impacted by market trends,
geopolitical conditions, news coming from conferences
and economic releases.
Science fiction doesn’t fare well on television these
days, at least not on the main networks. Not since
Star Trek in the 60s has one made much of a mark. Star
Trek’s early days were marked by the not-always hidden
agenda of human rights. The multi-cultural crew caused
quite a stir. Now, the cause-celebre is taking care of
the earth, a major point of last night’s Jericho, a
post nuclear holocaust drama. It was also a part of
three of last year’s failed sci-fi shows. Can Jericho
survive on its seemingly slim premise? CBS sure hopes
so. Will such programs make the world more aware of
global warming and, more importantly, do something
about them? We should all hope so.
The Investrend Earnings calendar features FedEx Corp
(NYSE: FDX), expected at $1.52 a year ago versus
$1.25, Carnival Corp (NYSE: CCL), expected at $1.46
versus $1.36, General Mills (NYSE: GIS), expected at
$0.67 versus $0.68, Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE), expected at
$1.42 versus $1.61.
The Investrend Economics Calendar lists Weekly Initial
Jobless Claims (8:30 a.m.), Leading Indicators for
August (10 a.m.), Philadelphia Fed Index for September
(12 p.m.), Weekly Money Supply (4:30 p.m.).
The Investrend Events calendar showcases Investrend
Forums co-sponsored Corporate Forum presentations by
Arcadia Resources in Newport Beach, California, and
Environmental Solutions in Boston, Massachusetts,
AMLN, VVUS, CJC, SNY, KOSP at Oppenheimer Diabetes
Conference, CELG, THRX at Prudential Equity Group
Midwest Healthcare Day, CRM, MSSR, ACN at Bank of
America 36th Annual Investment Conference, UAPH at
Credit Suisse Small Cap Basics Day,.
The Investrend Money Index is an indicator of the
depth of market direction or indirection. While not
always including the same stocks, the NYSE/NASDAQ 50
Most Actives indicate the direction in which the mass
of money is flowing. Last session’s trading showed 34
advancers versus 15 decliners and one unchanged.
Advancers were led by Oracle Corp (NASDAQ: ORCL) up
11.16%, Bea Systems Inc (NASDAQ: BEAS) up 8.59%, Sonus
Networks Inc (NASDAQ: SONS) up 8.11%. Decliners
followed Genta Inc (NASDAQ: GNTA) down 31.82%.
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iwar1.htm
Quote of the Day: “Every time I see an adult on a
bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the
human race.” H. G. Wells
Today is International Day of Peace of the United
Nations, as propagated by Peace One Day, Independence
Day in Malta, Belize, and Armenia.
Happy Birthday H. G. Wells, Chuck Jones, Jay Ward,
Larry Hagman, Henry Gibson, Fannie Flagg, Stephen
King, Bill Murray, Rob Morrow, Faith Hill, Kiefer
Sutherland, Ricki Lake, Luke Wilson.
Today in History: In the Second Opium War in 1860, an
Anglo-French force defeated Chinese troops at the
Battle of Baliqiao. The “Yes, Virginia, there is a
Santa Claus” letter was published in 1897 in the New
York Sun. The Great Hurricane of 1938 made landfall in
1938 on Long Island in New York. Sandra Day O’Connor,
the first female Supreme Court justice, was confirmed
in 1981 by the senate in a 99-0 vote.
[FirstAlert was created by Gayle Essary, founder of
Investrend Communications, Inc., parent of Investrend
Information ().
Commentari es are authored or edited by managing editor
Bob Farley. The opinions expressed in FirstAlert do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of Investrend.]
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