An Arabic beat with a view of Lake Michigan
By Susie Kasinski Drummond

The Journal Times
Monday, March 21, 2005

RACINE – With an instrument resting on her lap and her instructor
tapping out a steady beat, Kristina Schmidt gently plucked the
qanun’s strings.

A 25-year-old graduate student from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, Schmidt is one of 14 people attending the Heartland
Seminar, which continues through Wednesday at the DeKoven Center,
600 21st St.

The five-day seminar focuses on Arabic music, and it is sponsored by
Xauen Music, a Chicago-based organization dedicated to preserving
the heritage of classical Arabic, Sephardic, Turkish and Armenian
music. Organizers declared this the first event of its kind in the
Midwest.

“I want you to get the feeling of the instrument,” said Hicham Chami, a
Moroccan-born qanun performer and instructor. The qanun is a plucked
box zither that is trapezoid shaped, with one of the sides being
rectangular. It is a classical instrument of the Arab world.

Schmidt, who was playing the qanun for only the second day,
self-corrected her mistakes and made progress under Chami’s watchful
eye.

“Even if yesterday was the only day of instruction, I felt I got my
money’s worth,” she said. “This is exactly the thing I needed.

“It’s the only thing of its kind I’ve seen, so I didn’t think twice
about coming.”

Schmidt traveled two hours to attend the residential program. Other
attendees came from California, Virginia, Massachusetts, Indiana
and Minnesota.

Violinist Yaron Klein, 33, of Boston said he was enjoying his immersion
in music-making. Klein has played Arabic music for a few years, but
the undivided attention of his instructor, Hanna Khoury, helped bring
his playing to a higher level.

“The seminar is a combination of studies about music and playing
music,” he said. “This is a wonderful way to experience the two
elements.”

The instruction methods at this seminar were as diverse as
the students. Beginning and accomplished musicians of all ages
experienced one-on-one lessons, group workshops, lectures and ensemble
rehearsals. The seminar culminates with an Arabic recital at 7:30
p.m. Wednesday.

Mediums used in daily classes included qanun, ‘ud, nay/ney, violin,
riqq, hand drums, and vocals.

Lecture topics were “Arabic versus Western Music – Approaches to
Playing, Teaching and Writing”, “Changes in the Concept of Maqam over
the Last 200 Years”, and “Historical Evolution of Moroccan Andalusian
Music.” Workshops addressed Arabic music for dance and Bedouin music.

“The Arabic music is so beautiful,” said Catherine Alexander, 40. She
said that Arabic music uses blended notes to create very different
sounds and scales that evoke a spiritual feeling in the listener. She
endured a two-day train ride from California to participate in the
seminar.

“I’m so happy. I’m meeting all these people who are just as
enthusiastic about the music as I am,” she said.

Chami became a student of music at a very young age. Rather than
studying in a traditional classroom, as is common in today’s society,
he sat with his professors and played for hours.

“Nothing compares to the human touch in teaching,” Chami said. “We
would sit with our professors for hours and learn more than music;
we learned about life.”

Documenting Arabic music is important to Chami; it adopts a regional
flavor depending on where it is created and performed. Mainstream
Arabic music, as played by international superstars, is more widely
known in the Middle East. He said much of the traditional music has
been lost.

“If a professor dies, he may take away with him a repertoire that
was not put in writing,” he said.

Chami wants the music to live on, and his Arabic music seminars will
help him in his plight. He plans to return to Racine for a similar
workshop next year.

“For our first edition, we are extremely happy to have this number
of attendees. It’s beyond our wildest imagination,” he said.

In addition to Chami and Khoury, the faculty included Karim Nagi
Mohammed, a native of Egypt and a percussionist; Naser Musa,
a singer/songwriter of Palestinian descent; Kareem Roustom, a
Syrian-born composer, guitarist and oud player; and Dr. Scott Marcus,
a ethnomusicology teacher at University of California-Santa Barbara.

Cindy Infantino, seminar coordinator, said: “We believe in the music
and in keeping it alive.”

To learn more about Arabic music and training seminars, please visit
the company’s Web site at

‘Mein Kampf’ becomes a bestseller in Turkey

THE JERUSALEM POST
March 18, 2005

New paperback versions of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” have suddenly
become bestsellers in Turkey, raising questions about whether the sales
reflect growing anti-Semitism and anti-American sentiment in this Muslim
country, or if it’s just curiosity and a cheap read.

The books were printed without the permission of the Finance Ministry of
the German state of Bavaria, which handles the book’s copyright. The
ministry said Friday that it had asked Germany’s federal Foreign
Ministry to instruct diplomats in Turkey to investigate possible
lawsuits in an attempt to prevent the continued publication of the books.

Hitler wrote “Mein Kampf”, or “My Struggle,” in the 1920s, filling it
with anti-Semitic diatribes and his strategy for world domination.

Tens of thousands of copies of the book have sold in Turkey in recent
months since at least two cheap paperback versions were released.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CENN – March 18, 2005 Daily Digest

Table of Contents:

1.. Oil and Gas Projects Prospects Being Considered in Tbilisi
2.. Plans to Sell Trunk Gas Pipelines Stir Controversy
3.. G8 Ministers Urged to Take Action on Poverty By Conserving
Biodiversity and Ecosystems
4.. Caucasus Contemporary Music Festival (CCMF)
5.. II International Seminar on Mountain Tourism Mountain Huts –
Challenges for Tourists and Nature?

1. OIL AND GAS PROJECTS PROSPECTS BEING CONSIDERED IN TBILISI

Source: Sarke, March 17, 2005

Around 150 delegates are taking part in a 2-day Georgian International
Oil, Gas, Energy and Infrastructure Conference – GIOCIE 2005, run by
British ITE Group, Exhibition Company, and its exclusive partner in the
Caucasus Iteca Caspian Ltd.

In his opening speech, Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli said how important
the conference was for Georgia to be crossed by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
oil pipeline and the South Caucasian gas pipeline.

2. Plans to Sell Trunk Gas Pipelines Stir Controversy

Source: Civil Georgia, March 18, 2005

Negotiations between the Georgian leadership and the Russian energy
giant Gazprom over the potential sale of Georgia’s main gas pipeline
network are currently underway. Meanwhile, the United States is calling
on Georgia to exercise caution when making a final decision in this
matter.

News about the government’s decision to privatize Georgia’s gas pipeline
system broke after President Saakashvili told the Italian newspaper La
Stampa on February 20 that Georgia is in fact negotiating with Gazprom
over this issue.

3. G8 MINISTERS URGED TO TAKE ACTION ON POVERTY BY CONSERVING
BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEMS

Source: IUCN, March 17, 2005

G8 Environment and Development Ministers, meeting today and tomorrow in
Derby, UK, can reduce poverty and improve the livelihoods of the world’s
poorest people by halting the loss of biodiversity and improving the
protection of ecosystems. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) welcomes
this first ever G8 Environment and Development Ministers’ Meeting. It
reinforces the growing recognition around the world that social and
economic development is directly related to, and dependent on, a healthy
environment. Healthy ecosystems support human well-being by providing
food, energy and genetic resources; by regulating water, air, climate,
soil and natural hazards; and through spiritual, religious, aesthetic
and recreational factors. The degradation of natural environments hurts
poor people the most. Biodiversity loss and deteriorating ecosystems
contribute to worsening human health, food shortages, vulnerability to
natural disasters, and security.

4. CAUCASUS CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL (CCMF)

“Music on the Silk Road”, Conservatoire Grand Hall

This special concert introducing the Yo Yo Ma Silk Road Project and
welcoming Vache Sharafyan -official composer and musician Gevorg
Dabaghyan, one of the world’s duduk vituoso, will be held on Sunday 20th
March at the Conservatoire at 20:00. (Information is attached)

Tickets: 4, 6, 8 & 10 GEL from Conservatoire Box Office 93 46 24

Information: 899 233 086 & 379 270

5. II International Seminar on Mountain Tourism Mountain Huts –
Challenges for Tourists and Nature?

II International Seminar on Mountain Tourism

Mountain Huts – Challenges for Tourists and Nature?

Szklarska Porêba (Sudeten Mts. , Poland) 14 – 17 April 2005

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to inform you that the deadline for registration has been
extended until 29th of March.

Up till now, we have registered participants from Albania, Austria,
Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, The
Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Viet-Nam but there is still
capacity for a few more people.

So, we invite you again to take part in our Seminar!

We are including the First Announcement in case you did not received
them before. For completing the registration form, please contact us
directly.

All information in English as well in German, you can find also on

Please, do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further
information.

With best regards,

Dr Piotr Dabrowski

Chairman of the Cracow Academic Section of PTTK

E-mail: [email protected]

First Announcement and Call for Papers

II International Seminar on Mountain Tourism

MOUNTAIN HUTS – CHALLENGES FOR TOURISTS AND NATURE?

Organized by:

International Friends of Nature

Institute of Tourism and Recreation of Cracow Academy of Physical
Education

Polish Tourist Country Lovers’ Society (PTTK) – Cracow

Academic Section

to be held in

Szklarska Poreba (Poland)

14 – 17 April 2005

Mountain huts play a pivotal role in access to the World’s high places.
They allow climbers to commence their ascents early in the morning,
backpackers can create adventurous high- level treks, but they should
not be viewed simply as facilities; properly managed mountain huts evoke
a powerful atmosphere of fellowship, helpfulness and responsibility
which has an educational impact, especially on younger tourists. Some
mountain huts are very old, possessing rich historical and architectural
values, and should be protected as cultural monuments in their own
right. On the other hand mountain huts are a form of enterprise, which
have to be economically viable. Finally, mountain huts are invariably
sited within a very fragile natural environment, intruding upon the
landscape and impacting upon local biodiversity. Technical and economic
developments together with the growing and increasingly sophisticated
demands of people are changing the nature and extent of mountain
tourism. Mountain huts are not immune to these pressures. Larger, more
accessible, and increasingly comfortable huts inevitably results in
increased impacts on local resources. This is why the organisers have
decided to invite people involved in the various aspects of this complex
issue to jointly discuss the present and the future of mountain huts.

The objectives of the Seminar are to exchange information, experience
and ideas on topics which include:

a.. mountain huts as historical monuments and witnesses to the past ;
b.. huts in the mountain landscape ( disfigurement or additional
value?);
c.. environmental impact of mountain huts and how to limit it;
d.. mountain huts as a place of interpretation and education;
e.. creating the right social atmosphere in mountain huts;
f.. nature – friendly mountain huts;
g.. mountain huts and protected areas – conflict or cooperation?

In addition the Seminar will provide participants with an opportunity to
visit the Giant (Karkonosze) Mountains National Park – an area of
exceptional bio-cultural diversity and with more than two hundred years
history of mountain tourism. Visits to other national parks in the
Sudety Mountains will be possible during the post-seminar excursions.

Participants/Audience:

The organisers invite participation from all people with an involvement
or interest in mountain tourism – natural as well as cultural –
including managers of mountain huts, mountain guides, tour leaders,
interpreters, rangers, park managers responsible for environmental
education, scientists, writers and journalists interested in mountain
issues from all over the world.

Call for papers:

Participants are kindly invited to submit papers, posters or any other
kind of presentation related to the theme of the Seminar. Papers,
accepted by the Editorial Committee, will be published in the
post-conference issue of Folia Turistica – the scientific journal edited
by the Institute of Tourism and Recreation in Cracow.

The working languages of the Seminar will be English and German.
Simultaneous translation will be provided.

The cost of the participation is: 150 – 195 Euros per person (dependent
on standard of accommodation) – detailed information to be provided
later. Price includes: accommodation in twin room, full board,
participation in sessions, field excursion. Accompanying persons pay 120
– 165? Venue: detailed information to be provided later.

All colleagues wishing to participate or to be informed about

Further details are requested to send an e-mail or fax to:

Michael Prochazka – [email protected]

Fax: ++43 1 8129789

Or Piotr Dabrowski – [email protected]

Fax: ++48 12 4231697

Indicating: name, surname, e-mail address and represented
institution/society/protected area/company/media organisation. The
organisers will forward full details and a registration form.

We look forward to seeing you in Szklarska Poreba!

Michael Prochazka – Secretary General IFN

Piotr Dabrowski – Chairman of the Cracow Academic Section of PTTK

*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)

Tel: ++995 32 75 19 03/04
Fax: ++995 32 75 19 05
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

Sunday Territorian (Australia)
March 20, 2005 Sunday

Moscow hijack puzzle

By GEMMA JONES

A SYDNEY man has been arrested in Russia after allegedly threatening
to blow up a plane flying from Tokyo to Moscow.

Simon Papikian, 28, from Bossley Park, was charged last night by
Russian authorities with making a hoax bomb threat and making false
claims about a terrorist act.

He is alleged to have attempted to get into the cockpit of an
Aeroflot Boeing 777 as it landed at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport but
the crew were able to restrain him.

Police were waiting at the airport and arrested him before
questioning him at a nearby police station.

Initial reports suggested Mr Papikian may have demanded the crew fly
the plane to the breakaway Russian region of Chechnya.

His family were puzzled by reports he may have wanted the plane
directed to the Muslim region because they say he is a committed
Christian.

His mother Armen said last night that the electrical engineer, who
graduated from the University of Technology six months ago, was en
route to Yerevan in Armenia to visit a sick cousin.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The New York Sun
March 16, 2005 Wednesday

Goodbye,Wall Street; Hello, Muffins
by DAN DORFMAN

Plenty of stockbrokers have ditched Wall Street for new careers,
most, of course, because they just couldn’t cut the mustard,
especially when the market went south.

Not so George Chookazian, 47, an American-born second-generation
Armenian who was earning a healthy six figure income when he scrapped
his nine-year career in 1988 as a stockbroker and shortly thereafter
opened his own health-oriented specialty food business – Foods by
George.

Mr. Chookazian, who got his food training by experimenting in his
kitchen with numerous recipes and ingredients and by attending the
Culinary Institute of America, specializes in gluten-free products.
That’s food free of protein portions of wheat, rye, and barley that
an estimated five million Americans are allergic to, notably those
suffering from celiac disease, autism, and rheumatoid arthritis. His
wife, Cecilia, his partner in the business, has also been diagnosed
with the celiac disease, an inherited condition that never goes away.

So far, it has been a winning move for our entrepreneur, with his
customers, judging from the company’s rapidly expanding geographical
base, showing more of a craving for his food offerings than for his
stock picks.

“I love numbers, but I was tired of prospecting and trying to
convince people to buy something they didn’t want,” he said. “Now
people call me.” His success has also proved to our entrepreneur that
there’s life beyond Wall Street.

Also contributing to Mr. Chookazian’s entry into the food business
was the fact that he and Cecilia were unhappy with most of the
gluten-free foods that were available. Likewise, neither relished the
idea of giving up pasta, bread, and sweet baked items. So was born
the idea of developing a line of gluten-free foods that could be
enjoyed by folks with and without celiac disease. To achieve this,
the couple spent untold hours in the library, researching the
interaction of various types of nongluten flours which, when combined
in specific proportions, would simulate the properties of gluten.

Muffins are one of the biggest sales generators at Foods by George.
Among them are English muffins (a package of four retails at $5.79)
and blueberry and corn muffins ($6.99 for a six-pack). Other
offerings include a tray of brownies ($6.39) and six-inch pizzas
($5.49). There is also a pasta line, an area the company hopes to
expand through the addition of such entrees as lasagna, manicotti,
and ravioli.

Produced in a facility in Mahwah, N.J., and selling the products
through distributors, Foods by George has already cracked some 20
states, including the tri-state area. In New York, Foods by George
dot the shelves of Whole Foods in the giant food market in the Time
Warner building, and its distributors are exploring sales to several
of the city’s largest food merchants, including Dagastino and
Gristedes.

Mr. Chookazian, president of the company, wouldn’t discuss the
current bottom line, but it’s understood Foods by George is
generating a profit on annual revenues of nearly $1 million. He did
say, though, that he expected the business to go national in three to
five years and, at that time, turn in an annual volume in the $15-$25
million range.

Meanwhile, the gluten-free food concept has already found its way
into Big Apple restaurants. For example, Peter’s, an Upper East Side
First Avenue diner in the 60s that has been feeding the hungry for
more than a decade, in December opened a second restaurant on First
Avenue between 83rd and 84th streets that offers an extensive
selection of gluten-free items, including chicken parmesan, salads,
and hamburgers on gluten-free bread.

Co-owner Peter Zakakis, who said he learned about gluten-free as a
favor to a friend and opened the second restaurant with a little bit
of health in mind (offering a selection of low-fat and low-carb
foods), observes that gluten-free foods definitely have good sales
appeal. “We’re already starting to build a very good following among
people who specifically want glutenfree foods,” he said.

Now that he’s scrapped the brokerage business, Mr. Chookazian no
longer offers stock tips. But he does offer what he thinks is a more
enticing tip. “Try Foods by George,” he tells me: “You’ll love it and
it’s healthy,” he said.

Whether you heed that advice is up to you. But with a growing
business in the ultra-competitive food arena that’s achieving almost
$1 million a year in sales and going national, the man’s obviously
got to be doing something right. At some point, our one-time
stockbroker hopes some big-name food company also recognizes that
fact.

The Providence Journal (Rhode Island)
March 16, 2005 Wednesday

Iannazzi would ensure history studies don’t ignore the ugly side

by DANIEL BARBARISI, Journal Staff Writer

CRANSTON – It is said that those who do not remember the past are
doomed to repeat it. A School Committee member wants to ensure that
the city’s public schools aren’t part of that equation.

When it comes to teaching about some of the uglier episodes in world
history, Cranston’s two high schools don’t flinch. They are among the
relatively few in Rhode Island where students learn about such low
points as the Holocaust, the 1915 Armenian genocide carried out by
the Ottomon Turks, and South Africa’s era of apartheid.

But treating these subjects is discretionary; they are not a formal
part of the schools’ history curriculum. School Commmittee member
Andrea Iannazzi wants to change that.

Iannazzi has introduced a resolution, to be taken up at Monday’s
board meeting, that would require that the high school history
curriculum formally include the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide and
apartheid, as well as the Irish potato famine of the 1840s and
atrocities committed under the fascist regime of Italy’s Benito
Mussolini.

Students should not have to wait for college, as she did, to learn
about such episodes, Iannazzi said.

“History curriculum often overlooks key issues that still impact
today’s society. Introducing a human rights component to Cranston’s
secondary history curriculum will affect our students’ decision
making. Whether it is racism, homophobia, prejudice or some other
cause, hatred and lack of respect for one’s basic human rights are
too often ignored,” she said.

Iannazzi’s resolution has the support of City Council President Aram
Garabedian — who sponsored a similar, failed resolution during his
time in the state House of Representatives — and Mayor Stephen P.
Laffey.

Laffey and Iannazzi said that outside of areas with a significant
Armenian-American population — such as Cranston — the Armenian
genocide in particular is a little-known event.

“I want every child who graduates from the Cranston School Department
to know what happened to the Armenians, and School Committee member
Iannazzi’s resolution is a tremendous step toward making this
happen,” Laffey said in a statement.

Iannazzi said that she expects there may be some opposition to her
proposal, out of concern that it could necessitate new textbooks or
teaching materials. Similar opposition killed Garabedian’s measure in
the House, she said.

She said that the curriculum amendment would cost the city nothing
because the topics are already covered in the schools. She said her
resolution, if approved, might lead to treating the topics in greater
depth but that she has identified activist organizations willing to
provide supplemental teaching materials at no cost.

The New York Sun
March 16, 2005 Wednesday

Indictment Details Terror Weapons Smuggling Scheme

By CATRIONA STUART, Special to the Sun

Rocket-propelled grenade launchers, claymore mines, AK47s, machine
guns, shoulder-launched missiles, and enriched uranium were among the
weapons arms dealers offered to sell to an FBI informant last year,
federal prosecutors said yesterday.

At least 18 men hatched a complicated scheme to smuggle numerous
assault weapons into America from Russia and Eastern Europe and to
sell the arsenal to an informant posing as an arms trafficker with
connections to terrorist organizations, prosecutors said in an
indictment unsealed in federal court yesterday. During a yearlong FBI
surveillance operation, the men allegedly smuggled in eight weapons
that they stashed in storage facilities in New York, Los Angeles, and
Fort Lauderdale, and had another cache ready to be shipped into the
country, the U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York,
David Kelley, said.

When they opened the storage locker located in downtown Manhattan,
agents involved in the joint FBI-NYPD investigation found a Norinoco
model long-gun equipped with two loaded bullet clips, an Israeli
military-issue Uzi, 31 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and a 9mm assault
rifle wrapped in a plastic bag from a Gap clothing store.

“This case posted a big ‘Keep Out’ sign for arms traffickers
everywhere,” the city’s police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, said.
“They’re not welcome, especially not in New York.”

According to the indictment, the roster of international arms
smugglers included Artur Solomonyan, 26, an Armenian citizen who
lives in New York and Los Angeles; and Christian Dewet Spies, 33, a
South African citizen who lives in New York.

In a series of surreptitious meetings and coded telephone
conversations in which they referred to assault rifles and
shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles as “puppies” and “stingers,”
Mr. Spies allegedly enlisted the informant’s help in securing a buyer
for a stash of weapons held by a contact affiliated with the Russian
mafia. Mr. Spies believed that the informant intended to sell the
weapons to terrorists of Middle Eastern descent, prosecutors said.

Messrs. Solomonyan and Spies allegedly orchestrated a deal to provide
the informant with approximately $2.5 million worth of assault
rifles, explosive mines, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and more
using an informal network of arms traffickers in Miami, New York, Los
Angeles, and Eastern Europe, prosecutors said.

As late as February, police said, the two men had given the informant
a username and password to a Russian email account that contained
e-mail messages with photos of 17 additional weapons available for
purchase.

For their roles, Messrs. Solomonyan and Spies, who were both in this
country illegally, have been charged with several counts of weapons
trafficking and could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Greater Boston Committee to Commemorate the Armenian Genocide
P.O. Box 35538, Boston,
Massachusetts 02135
Phone: 617.489.1610
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Boston, MA – An unprecedented event will mark the 90th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide at 7:30 pm on Thursday, April 21 in Boston
University’s Morse Auditorium at 602 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston.

The Road to Redemption: Memories of the 1915 Armenian Genocide is a
program consisting of a contextual-based historical time line, live
and recorded survivor accounts, and images of activities worldwide
demanding recognition and justice for this crime against humanity.

During the month of April, Armenians across the globe commemorate the
victims of this genocide. Boston was one of numerous cities around the
world that became home to the survivors of the first state-sponsored
genocide of the 20th Century. Ninety years ago the government of
Turkey executed a plan to exterminate the Armenian people. Under the
guise of the First World War, 1.5 million Armenians were murdered and
a 3,000 year-old culture was virtually annihilated.

The Road to Redemption: Memories of the 1915 Armenian Genocide is
organized by the Greater Boston Committee to Commemorate the Armenian
Genocide — an umbrella organization of all area churches and major
civic groups — in cooperation with Boston University Armenian
Students Association. Admission to this special event is free;
however, seating is limited. Doors close at 7:30pm. This event is not
appropriate for children under 7 years of age.

The Greater Boston Committee to Commemorate the Armenian Genocide,
also announces the following community-wide events. All events are
free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 8:00 PM `The Land that is No More: Extinction,
Survival and Armenian Identity,’ Levon Z. Boyajian, MD. National
Association for Armenian Studies and Research, 395 Concord Ave.,
Belmont, MA

TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 7:30 PM “Genocide and Mass Killing – Origins,
Prevention, Healing and Reconciliation,” Ervin Staub. Goddard Chapel,
Tufts University, Medford, MA

SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 10:00 AM – `Victims of 1915 and We Today,’ Memorial
Service and Evocation. Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church. 200
Lexington Street, Belmont, MA.

SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 5:00 PM. – `Remembrance and Commemoration through
Armenian Culture and Music,’ featuring Sayat Nova Dance Company and
Zulal Armenian Folk Trio. Keljik Hall, St. James Armenian Apostolic
Church, 465 Mount Auburn Street, Watertown, MA.

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 11:00 AM – Massachusetts State House Annual
Commemoration. Details to follow.

SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 6:45 PM – Ecumenical Service and Memorial Service
for 250 Armenian Intellectuals who perished on April 24,
1915. Presented by the Honorable Clergy of Boston Armenian
Churches. Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, 145 Brattle St.,
Cambridge, MA.

SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 7:30 PM – Requiem and Memorial concert for the
90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Presented by Erevan Choral
Society under the direction of Very Rev. Fr. Oshagan Minassian. Holy
Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, 145 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA

SUNDAY, APRIL 24 – Buses depart from Saint James, Saint Stephen’s, and
Holy Trinity Armenian Churches to transport those wishing to attend
the 12:00 pm Rally to Commemorate the Armenian Genocide and denounce
the Denial Campaign of the Turkish Government in Times Square, New
York City. Ecumenical Service to follow at 2:30 pm at St. Patrick
Cathedral. Charges for transportation may apply; please contact your
church for more information.

APRIL 29 – MAY 6, various times. – Screening of movies by J. Michael
Hagopian,

Germany and the Secret Genocide and Voices from the Lake. Presented by
The Greater Boston Committee for the Commemoration of the Armenian
Genocide in cooperation with Kendall Square Cinema (tickets $5.00.)
Kendall Square Cinema, 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge.

For more information please visit

NO PEACE WITH ARMENIA POSSIBLE UNTIL AZERI LANDS ARE OCCUPIED: AZERI DM

YEREVAN, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. “Azerbaijan will not make peace with
Armenia until it occupies its territories,” Azeri Defence Minister
Safar Abiev said at his Friday meeting with Commander of the National
Guards of Oklahoma, US, Harry White.

“Unfortunately the OSCE Minsk Group has not to date achieved any
tangible results in the peace process. Plenty of arms and ammunition
has been piled in the occupied Azeri territories posing a big threat
to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.” “We expect much in the
matter from the US co-chair of the OSCE MG,” Abiev said noting that
“the liberation of the occupied territories” will give Azerbaijan new
impetus for further developing and becoming leader in the South
Caucasus.

STRENGTHENING OF US-RUSSIAN COOPERATION IN SOUTH CAUCASUS TO BENEFIT
ARMENIA

YEREVAN, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. Intensified US-Russian cooperation in the
South Caucasus will certainly benefit Armenia but this requires
political will on Russia’s part, says the leader of Liberal
Progressive Party of Armenia Hovhannes Hovhannissyan.

Meanwhile Russia is seeking to enlarge or at least retain its empire
ambitions over the neighboring regions with the recent events in
Moldova being the best evidence of that. The objective of Russian
President Vladimir Putin’s shortly coming to Armenia is to find out if
Armenia is still Russia’s outpost or not.

As to the situation in Iran Hovhannissyan doubts that there will be
war there. Iran is not Iraq and the US and Europe will more likely try
to carry out deep democratic reforms in that country. But still one
cannot rule out the possibility of war if Iran refuses to freeze its
nuclear programs.