WHO SHOULD BE AMONG THIS YEAR’S PICKS FOR THE TIME 100?
Time
April 17, 2006
U.S. Edition
To help make the selection, TIME asked earlier honorees whom they would
select as the world’s most influential people. This week’s installment:
AISHWARYA RAI The ex–Miss World conquered Bollywood and became an
international film star: I would like to submit Oprah Winfrey as my
nomination. There are those who are born to be leaders, and she is
one of them. Oprah is a healer of lost souls. She continues to lead
millions of people to their path of personal happiness. She has a
powerful and generous spirit, with the heart of a goddess. She is
both admired and loved.
ANDREW WEIL An expert in the art of integrating Western medicine with
herbal healing Richard Davidson is a pioneer in exciting mind-body
medicine frontiers. His best-known work focuses on a capacity of
the brain to develop and change throughout life. Using Tibetan monks
as research subjects, he has shown how meditation can improve brain
function. His studies may lead to therapeutic approaches for anxiety
disorders and reveal ways to protect against memory loss and cognitive
decline.
STEPHEN LEWIS The U.N.’s special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa is the
author of Race Against Time: I suggest Michelle Bachelet, Chile’s
first female President. She has set an astonishing precedent by
appointing a Cabinet of exact gender parity. Also Liberia’s new woman
President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who broke the monolithic boys’ club
of Africa. She will bring economic and social justice to her country.
And Zackie Achmat, who leads the world’s most important AIDS activist
organization. He has brought hope to millions living with AIDS
in Africa.
SAMANTHA POWER A Harvard University professor, her book on genocide won
a Pulitzer Prize in 2003: I nominate Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk. He
has acknowledged his homeland’s genocide against the Armenians and
nearly got himself arrested before the Turks decided their commitment
to and pride in their greatest writer exceeded a commitment to killers
who died almost a century ago. It could bring a cultural change. Also
George Clooney, for the obvious reasons, and the students who led
the divestment movement on campuses for Darfur.

HOW U. ILLINOIS FUNDS GENOCIDE
By Brian Pierce, Daily Illini; SOURCE: U. Illinois
Daily Illini via U-Wire
University Wire
April 5, 2006 Wednesday
CHAMPAIGN, Ill.
On July 12, 2004, a fire raged in a small village in western Sudan
known as Donki Dereisa. It was not a unique fire by any means, for
there were blazes all around, a result of exploding ordnance and the
flaming torches of the men on horseback who were attacking the village.
Amid the chaos that struck Donki Dereisa that day, there was no reason
to notice this particular fire — it was merely one of many that was
consuming the food and shelter of the village’s inhabitants.
But this fire proved special, because by the end of the day, it
consumed more than food, more than shelter, and more than personal
belongings. Its flames consumed six young Sudanese children, thrown
in the fire like so many pieces of firewood by militants deaf to
their screams and blind to their terror.
Many, if not most, students on this campus have at least heard of
the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Here in America,
it is a discussion that groans under the weight of statistics:
Four-hundred thousand dead, 2.5 million displaced, four million in
need of humanitarian aid. In Sudan, it is a conflict that cries out
under the weight of lives lost and lives ruined.
The horror of the events in Sudan is so unimaginable that the problem
seems insurmountable. How can we imagine ourselves in the position
of choosing between sending women out to get firewood and risking
rape or sending men out and risking castration or murder?
The answer is, we can’t. The pain is inconceivable. And so we turn
away. We silently accept the deaths of thousands.
The reason why is because we don’t know what else to do. It is
beyond our control, something to be dealt with by governments
and international organizations. According to a recent Zogby
International poll, 62 percent of Americans agree that the United
States “has a responsibility to help stop the killing in the Darfur
region.” Americans want to help, they just don’t know how.
But there are tangible things we can do.
About 100 public companies do business in Sudan with the cooperation of
the Khartoum regime. These companies, mostly Asian but some European,
serve to prop up the economy of a government that commits genocide —
a government that is, simply put, evil.
What students may not be aware of is that their tuition dollars are
going to some of these companies. Hundreds of thousands of dollars
are invested in them through the University endowment.
There is a growing trend across the nation to divest funds in these
kinds of companies, with successful campaigns at Harvard, Yale,
Stanford, and the University of California. While Illinois has
divestment laws that affect the pensions of state employees, our
University could become only the second public university to divest
its endowment, setting an example for other public universities across
the nation.
Pressure must be put on University administration to divest our funds,
or we will be more than inactive in the face of genocide. We will
be culpable.
To learn more about how you can help, you can contact the
president of the campus student organization Action Darfur, Brian
Schwartz, at [email protected]. There is also a nationwide
organization, the Sudan Divestment Task Force, which can be reached
at [email protected].
History is filled with tragedy: a million Armenians dead in Turkey
between 1915 and 1917, two million Cambodians dead under Pol Pot
between 1975 and 1979, almost a million Tutsis dead in Rwanda in
1994. We cannot afford to continue watching these events unfold,
and when it’s all over uttering the empty words “never again.”
Let us follow the example of apartheid in South Africa, when the world
joined together and forced the collapse of a racist and unjust regime,
partly through divestment campaigns at universities like this one.
Let us replace the words “never again” with “not now, not ever.” Let
us do what we can to stop this suffering, let us act here at home,
and let us begin today.

PRESS RELEASE
Source: Commerce Bank/Harrisburg, NA
Commerce Bank Opens Commerce Center at TecPort Business Center in
Harrisburg
Wednesday April 5,

New headquarters, operations and training center reflects Commerce’s
unique retail culture inside and out
HARRISBURG, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–April 5, 2006–Commerce
Bank/Harrisburg, NA, the sole banking subsidiary of Pennsylvania
Commerce Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:COBH
< &d=t> – News
<; ), has opened Commerce Center, the bank's new headquarters, operations and training center, to accommodate its fast-paced growth. The 56,000-square-foot, two-story facility is located at TecPort Business Center in Harrisburg, prominently visible from Interstate 83. Commerce Center houses the bank's executive offices, operations and support services departments, and customer service call center. The building also houses commercial, consumer and residential mortgage lending operations for the bank's East Shore and West Shore regions in Harrisburg. Additionally, it is home to Commerce University, the bank's in-house training, development and education department, which helps every Commerce team member develop his or her expertise and advance along a Commerce career path. "Commerce Center reflects our unique retail culture, inside and out," said Commerce Bank Chairman, President and CEO GARY L. NALBANDIAN. "The facility is immaculate in appearance, just like our convenient prototype stores. It creates the same welcoming experience for our team members as they create for our customers. Commerce Center is now the central point from where our organization will continue to grow and turn more customers into Commerce fans." About 275 Commerce team members work at Commerce Center, nearly one third of the company's workforce. The facility's total capacity is about 400. It combines Commerce's previous headquarters in Camp Hill and operations center in Mechanicsburg, PA. Commerce's well-known brand and "WOW! the Customer" service philosophy is celebrated throughout Commerce Center. Wall art consists of nearly 40 poster-size images featuring "slices of life" at Commerce such as grand openings and community involvement. Two four-panel wall collages each feature nearly 80 images from the bank's Annual WOW! Awards, an Academy Awards-style event to honor the "best of the best" in customer service. Wall displays also highlight real fan mail from real Commerce fans. "The features and amenities of Commerce Center are all about creating an extreme sense of camaraderie, pride and morale among our team," Nalbandian said. "Every detail conveys the spirit of our 'WOW! the Customer' service philosophy." The architectural centerpiece of the facility is a 2,062-square-foot, glass-enclosed atrium. Other distinct features include: large-format, flat-screen displays throughout the building to inform team members about news and upcoming events; nearly 600 square feet of red neon accents; a 60-seat cafe with full-service vending; a sound-masking system to increase privacy and reduce audible distractions; and water conservation via the sites own well to water the landscaping. Commerce Center's training facilities, under the direction of Commerce University, include a 75-seat-capacity seminar room; teller training room; customer service representative training room; call center representative training room and computer lab. With a visually stimulating appearance, the training area features actual Commerce retail store equipment -- including teller stations and even a miniature size walk-in bank vault -- to simulate a branch environment. The Call Center at Commerce Center houses more than 30 representatives in high-energy, motivating surroundings. The hub of the Call Center is a high-tech raised platform from which team leaders proactively manage resources to maximize service levels. The Call Center's technology also enables the bank to forecast staffing needs down to the half-hour based on historical data. Commerce Bank/Harrisburg, "America's Most Convenient Bank," opened its first office in 1985. In the years since, the bank has cultivated a unique retail model that has produced continuous strong growth. The bank has doubled its number of branches in Pennsylvania in recent years, growing a network of 28 stores in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon and York counties. Commerce's hallmark products and services include seven-day banking, free personal checking, free instant-issue ATM/Visa check card, free interactive Penny Arcade coin-counting machines, free online banking and 24/7 bank-by-phone. In addition to retail banking, Commerce offers a diverse portfolio of commercial banking services including term loans, commercial mortgages, commercial leasing and lines of credit, and cash management services. Commerce Bank/Harrisburg currently has assets exceeding $1.6 billion. For more information about Commerce Bank/Harrisburg, visit the bank's web site at commercepc.com. Editor's Note: To arrange media tours of Commerce Center including photography, please contact Jason Kirsch at (717) 412-6200 or [email protected]. Contact: Commerce Bank/Harrisburg, NA Jason S. Kirsch, 717-412-6200 [email protected]

EU envoy meets president of the Nagornyy Karabakh republic [NKR], in
Armenia
Mediamax news agency
8 Apr 06
Yerevan, 8 April: The EU envoy for the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby,
met the president of the Nagornyy Karabakh republic [NKR], Arkadiy
Gukasyan, in Yerevan today.
“During the meeting the sides expressed their approaches to the recent
developments in the Karabakh settlement process and the possible
intensification of the European Union’s role,” the press service of
the permanent representation of the NKR in Armenia told Mediamax.
Gukasyan noted the importance of maintaining and strengthening the
cease-fire regime and confirmed the need for the Karabakh authorities’
direct involvement in the negotiating process.

Nagornyy Karabakh Republic urges Armenia, Azerbaijan to maintain
cease-fire
Arminfo, Yerevan
8 Apr 06

Stepanakert, 8 April: Cease-fire violations have lately become more
frequent on the contract line between the armed forces of the Nagornyy
Karabakh and Azerbaijan. This results from the lack of a proper
evaluation of bellicose statements made in Azerbaijan at the top
level, the foreign ministry of the Nagornyy Karabakh republic [NKR]
said in a statement on 8 April.
The incidents, which have increased casualties on the contract line,
are deepening mutual distrust and can seriously escalate tensions in
the Karabakh conflict zone, which threatens stability in the entire
region, the statement said.
“In this connection, the Nagornyy Karabakh republic confirms its
adherence only to the peaceful settlement of the conflict, as well as
its readiness to implement the sides’ open-ended obligations to
maintain the cease-fire, which is confirmed by the 6 February 1995
agreement signed between the defence ministers of the NKR, Armenia and
Azerbaijan. We call on the two other parties that signed the
agreement, namely Azerbaijan and Armenia, to joint our initiative. We
hope that through joint efforts and with the mediation of the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairmen and other international mediators and
interested sides, it will be possible to confirm our adherence to the
agreement and implement the mechanisms it indicates in order to
localize incidents on the armed forces’ contact line,” the statement
said.
The NKR confirms its position that along with the strict observance of
the cease-fire, other preconditions for a peaceful solution are a
peace process that involves all the parties to the conflict,
confidence-building, the strengthening of democracy and respect for
human rights, the statement said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Armenian Reporter
April 8, 2006
Editorial
A Genocide Documentary That Will Resonate
A few years ago, when “Images of the Armenian Spirit” aired on PBS,
its producer, Andrew Goldberg, made public his intention of making a
documentary specifically devoted to the Armenian Genocide and launched
a campaign to raise the necessary funds to bring that project to
fruition. At the time, members of the American-Armenian community
questioned the desirability, even the necessity of such a documentary,
given the existence of several devoted to said topic. Some even
doubted Goldberg’s qualifications and/or motives, despite his having
already produced two credible documentaries on the Armenians — the
aforementioned one, and its predecessor, “The Armenians: A Story of
Survival.”
A week or so from now, people in practically all parts of the United
States will be able to judge the merits of “The Armenian Genocide” for
themselves. If the reaction of some hundred persons who previewed the
film this Monday evening at the Tribeca Film Center in New York City
is at all indicative, viewers on the night of April 17 will consider
the end product well worth the time, effort and money spent.
“The Armenian Genocide” is a welcome, innovative contribution to the
genre of Armenian Genocide films. Faced with the daunting task of
compressing a topic of epic dimension into the time frame of just one
hour, Goldberg has managed to create as comprehensive and balanced a
story as possible. He has quite seamlessly pieced together
photographs, film footage, interviews, and commentary, which
complement each other to make the parts into a forceful whole.
What makes “The Armenian Genocide” stand out, in particular, is its
inclusion of remarks from Turks — genocide experts living not only in
the West but also in Turkey, who acknowledge the Genocide as
historical fact; ordinary Turkish citizens, who relate what they
remember from their parents and grandparents, as well as “scholars”
and others who continue to refute the Genocide. It would be an
understatement to say that the latter are much less convincing than
the former.
By watching “The Armenian Genocide,” viewers who were previously
unfamiliar with the topic will learn what happened to the Armenian
people in 1915-1923 and why. They will also learn why the denial of
genocide by subsequent Turkish governments down to the present has
prevented the matter from being relegated to the dustbin of history
and, on the contrary, kept it on the front burner.
Two Cats Productions and Andrew Goldberg, in particular, as well as
Oregon Public Broadcasting, deserve our deep thanks and appreciation
for this noteworthy achievement. So do the individuals whose
contributions made it possible. We are buoyed by the realization that
over 90% of America will have access to “The Armenian Genocide” in the
coming days. However, in order for the Armenian Genocide to become
common knowledge among the vast masses of the population of this
country, “The Armenian Genocide” must be given wider exposure, ideally
by being shown and discussed on the major networks, such as ABC, CBS
and NBC.
Making such exposure a reality should be a cause taken up by our
national organizations. In the meantime, we strongly recommend that
all American Armenians watch “The Armenian Genocide” (even those who
think they know the Genocide story will learn something new). Equally,
and perhaps more importantly, they should likewise inform
non-Armenians in their business, professional and personal circles of
this unique opportunity to learn about this 20th-century catastrophe,
the effects of which are still lingering in the 21st.

OSCE Office in Yerevan co-organizes international workshop on education
reform in Armenia

ArmRadio.am
06.04.2006 14:05
An international workshop aiming to help further reform in Armenia’s
education system has attracted more than 80 officials and
international experts from Norway, Serbia, Latvia and Georgia.
Participants in the three-day workshop, organized jointly by the OSCE
Office in Yerevan, the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation,
the British Council and UNICEF, are sharing experiences and best
practices in the field of education policy and management, as well as
education fostering democratic citizenship.
“We appreciate the co-operation with international organizations as
their experience helps us reform the education system in a democratic
manner, which is a strategic goal for the Republic of Armenia” said
Education and Science Minister Sergo Eritsyan.
Jeannette Kloetzer, OSCE Economic and Environmental Officer in
Yerevan, said the OSCE considers environmental education, particularly
of children and youth, crucial.
`Environmental issues should be an integral part of education for
democratic citizenship as fully informed and empowered citizens
benefit democracy, stability and security,’ she said.
She urged participants in the workshop, which ends today, to take
advantage of the National Environmental Information Centres (Aarhus
Centres) established in Yerevan and the Armenian provinces of Syunik,
Tavush and Lori. The centres give the public access to environmental
information.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia recognises the Armenian
Genocide

ArmRadio.am
06.04.2006 12:48
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia unanimously adopted a
Private Member’s Motion 59, recognising the Armenian Genocide and to
designate April 24th of every year as a remembrance day for the 1.5
million Armenians who fell victim to the first genocide of the 20th
Century.
The debate on the Motion, which was sponsored by Member of the
Legislative Assembly (MLA) Adrian Dix (Vancouver-Kingsway), commenced
at 11:00 p.m. and was voted upon at the end of the allotted one hour
according to Private Member’s Motion rules.
MLAs Adrian Dix (Vancouver-Kingsway), Rob Fleming (Victoria-Hillside),
Randy Hawes (Maple Ridge-Mission), Dave S. Hayer (Surrey-Tynehead),
John Horgan (Malahat-Juan De Fuca), Murine Karagianis
(Esquimalt-Metchosin), Leonared Krog (Naniamo), Kevin Krueger
(Kamloops-North Thompson), John Nuraney (Burnaby-Wellingdon), Micheal
Sather (Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows), and John Yap
(Richmond-Stevenston) spoke in support of the Motion.
Since last August The Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC),
The Armenian National Committee of Canada – West (ANCCW), and The
Armenian National Committee of Vancouver (ANCV), have worked closely
with the MLAs Dix, Hawes, Sather, and Hayer to build non-partisan
support for Motion 59. The ANCC, ANCCW and ANCV delegates had numerous
meetings with various MLAs to brief them on the Motion’s importance as
a universal human rights issue. In addition, the delegates presented
historical overview of the Genocide and supporting documents.
The executive director of The Armenian National Committee of Canada
Aris Babikian, on behalf of the Canadian-Armenian community, thanked
MLAs Adrian Dix and Randy Hawes for their leadership role in the
successful adoption of the Motion. Furthermore, Mr. Babikian thanked
members who spoke in favour of the Motion and the members who voted to
adopt it.
Mr. Babikian said: “This is a historic day for our community in Canada
and in British Columbia. The steadfast support and the unanimous vote
of the MLAs demonstrates once again that the Turkish Government’s
denial policy and rewriting of history will not succeed.

We call upon the Turkish Government to be constructive, to come to
terms with its dark history and to acknowledge its predecessors’ guilt
and extend a hand of atonement and reconciliation to the Armenian
People.”

US Considers Use of Nuclear Weapons Against Iran
Saturday, April 8, 2006
by Agence France Presse ()
The administration of President George W. Bush is planning a massive
bombing campaign against Iran, including use of bunker-buster nuclear
bombs to destroy a key Iranian suspected nuclear weapons facility, The
New Yorker magazine has reported in its April 17 issue.
The article by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh
( 0417fa_fact) said that
Bush and others in the White House have come to view Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a potential Adolf Hitler.
“That’s the name they’re using,” the report quoted a former senior
intelligence official as saying.
A senior unnamed Pentagon adviser is quoted in the article as saying
that “this White House believes that the only way to solve the problem
is to change the power structure in Iran, and that means war.”
The former intelligence officials depicts planning as “enormous,”
“hectic” and “operational,” Hersh writes.
One former defense official said the military planning was premised on
a belief that “a sustained bombing campaign in Iran will humiliate the
religious leadership and lead the public to rise up and overthrow the
government,” The New Yorker pointed out.
In recent weeks, the president has quietly initiated a series of talks
on plans for Iran with a few key senators and members of the House of
Representatives, including at least one Democrat, the report said.
One of the options under consideration involves the possible use of a
bunker-buster tactical nuclear weapon, such as the B61-11, to insure
the destruction of Iran’s main centrifuge plant at Natanz, Hersh
writes.
But the former senior intelligence official said the attention given
to the nuclear option has created serious misgivings inside the
military, and some officers have talked about resigning after an
attempt to remove the nuclear option from the evolving war plans in
Iran failed, according to the report.
“There are very strong sentiments within the military against
brandishing nuclear weapons against other countries,” the magazine
quotes the Pentagon adviser as saying.
The adviser warned that bombing Iran could provoke “a chain reaction”
of attacks on American facilities and citizens throughout the world
and might also reignite Hezbollah.
“If we go, the southern half of Iraq will light up like a candle,” the
adviser is quoted as telling The New Yorker.

Iran accuses U.S. of waging a “psychological war” against it
15:46|09/ 04/ 2006
TEHERAN, April 9 (RIA Novosti) – Iran on Sunday called “a
psychological war” a report that the U.S. was preparing for possible
military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.

A report by influential journalist Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker
magazine said the United States was considering using tactical nuclear
weapons to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear facilities.

“This is a psychological war launched by Americans because they feel
desperate regarding Iran’s nuclear dossier,” Iranian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.

Asefi said the United States was unwilling to solve the Iran nuclear
problem peacefully and was seeking to create a crisis around this
issue.

Concerns about Iran’s nuclear program have been growing since the
Islamic Republic announced its intention to resume nuclear research in
January and the country’s hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
made a number of controversial remarks, including a call to wipe
Israel “off the face of the map.”

A number of countries have expressed alarm over Iran’s controversial
nuclear programs and have pushed for the UN Security Council to impose
sanctions on the country, as they suspect that Tehran is using its
civilian-energy programs to disguise military projects.

Russia has been at the forefront of efforts to solve the escalating
crisis diplomatically. Moscow has offered to enrich Iranian uranium –
a vital component in both civilian energy and military projects – in
Russia. But Tehran said in March that it would enrich a small amount
of the radioactive substance anyway, an announcement that was greeted
with widespread condemnation.