The Halifax Daily News (Nova Scotia)
June 10, 2004 Thursday
Multicultural Festival highlights
The Multicultural Festival celebrates 20 years of friendship and
diversity when it takes over Alderney Landing in Dartmouth, June 16
to 20.
Extended an additional two days to commemorate its 20th anniversary,
this year’s festival features cuisine from more than 25 different
cultures, performances by international dance troupes, world music,
and the opportunity to learn about Nova Scotia’s ethnic heritage.
More than 700 performers from 40 cultural groups will be providing
daily entertainment.
Mainstage performances will feature two dance troupes that have
travelled to Nova Scotia from Armenia and Korea, as well as dance and
musical performances by local cultural groups. The world music acts
are equally diverse, featuring Acadian, Aboriginal, Latin, and reggae
beats.
Some performance highlights:
– Haik, a children’s folk dance group from Armenia, performs on the
mainstage, June 16, 17.
– Myongji Traditional Dance Company from Korea performs folk dances
derived from peasants and royal dances reserved for court
entertainment. On the mainstage, June 16, 17.
– Visten, a hardy mixture of French, Irish and Scottish styles, fiery
fiddling and step dancing. June 16 on the mainstage.
– Halfway Tree, an eight-piece reggae group promoting peace, love and
unity. June 16 in the beer tent.
– Blou, a high-energy band inspired by its Acadian roots. June 17 on
the mainstage.
– Alma Latina, a Cuban ensemble. June 17 in the beer tent.
– Salsa Picante, Latin music from Halifax’s No. 1 party band. June 18
in the beer tent.
– Multicultural urban music with Jacobus et Maleco, Shane C & the
Mix, Asia, Tanya Tagaq. June 18 in the Boardwalk tent.
– Kanenhilo Singers, native singers perform chants accompanied by the
Iroquoian water drum, hand drum and cow horn shakers. June 19 on the
mainstage.
– Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band, a Klezmer band bringing together the
traditions of the Tsarist Russian military band, gypsy folk music,
Hasidic religious song, and Afro-American jazz. June 19 on the
mainstage.
– Afro-Musica, traditional African roots music with a fresh sound.
June 19 in the beer tent.
– Verbal Warning, New Orleans native Sekou Nkrumah leads this reggae
band. June 19 in the boardwalk tent.
Admission for the Multicultural Festival is $6 for adults per day, $5
for students and seniors, and $1 for children ages five to 12. Hours
are June 16, 17, 5 p.m. to midnight; June 18, 19, 10 a.m. to
midnight; June 20, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. See

Armenian official says financial, technical problems must be worked
out before decision on nuke plant closure
Associated Press Worldstream
June 9, 2004 Wednesday
YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenia’s trade minister said Wednesday that the
country will not set a specific time for its only nuclear power plant
to be closed until financial and technical questions are solved.
Armenia has been under pressure to shut down the plant due to safety
concerns; it was taken out of operation after a devastating 1988
earthquake and returned to service in 1995.
The economically troubled country has resisted shutting down the
plant out of concern that alternative sources of electricity may be
hard to come by.
Trade minister Karen Chshmartian said the European Union said this
month it was ready to provide Armenia up to 100 million euro (US$120
million) if the government decided to close the plant.
However, he said, developing other sources of electricity could cost
up to US$1 billion (1.2 billion euro).
Russia’s electricity monopoly assumed financial control of the nuclear
plant last year in a deal that Armenia sought to get out from under
massive energy debts to Russian fuel suppliers. The plant, however,
remains the property of the Armenian government.

Azerbaijan authorities complain over BBC visit to Nagorno-Karabakh
Associated Press Worldstream
June 9, 2004 Wednesday
BAKU, Azerbaijan — Azerbaijan’s national broadcasting council
has complained to the British Broadcasting Corporation that a crew
visited the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh without the agreement
of Azerbaijani authorities, the council said Wednesday.
A statement from the council said that the head of the BBC World
Service’s Azerbaijan bureau Islam Atakishiev was called to the council
to receive the complaint that a crew from the BBC’s Russian-language
had gone to the enclave, which has been under control of ethnic
Armenian forces for a decade.
The crew “participated in direct dialogue with the terrorist regime
there,” the statement said.
“In the event of continued preparation of further reports demonstrating
indifference to Azerbaijan’s national interests, the question of
broadcasting the BBC on Azerbaijani territory will be reviewed,”
the statement said.

Grandmasters meet in Tigran Petrosyan memorial match
ITAR-TASS News Agency
June 10, 2004 Thursday 2:11 AM Eastern Time
DATELINE: MOSCOW, June 10
A number of the finest chess grandmasters begin a chess match here on
Thursday in memory of Tigran Petrosyan, an outstanding chess player,
international grandmaster and the 9-th World Champion.
The match between the Petrosyan team and the rest-of-the world one
is held under the auspices of the World Chess Federation, which
officially designated the year 2004 as the Year of Tigran Petrosyan.
The match is to be played in the Khachaturyan Hall of the newly-built
Ararat Park Hayatt Moscow Hotel on Neglinnaya Street.
Ex-champion of the world Garry Kasparov of Russia, Peter Leko of
Hungary, Boris Gelfand of Israel (he previously played for Belarus),
Vladimir Akopyan, Rafael Vaganyan, and Smbat Lputyan of Armenia will
play for the Tigran Petrosyan team while Vishwanath Anand of India,
Michael Adams of Britain, Pyotr Svidler of Russia, Etienne Bacrot of
France, Francisco Vallejo of Spain, and Loek van Wely of Holland will
play for the rest-of-the-world team.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
June 10, 2004
___________________
PRIESTS’ WIVES GATHER TO TALK ABOUT MINISTRY, FINDING BALANCE
About 20 yeretzgins from throughout the Diocese of the Armenian Church
of America (Eastern), gathered at the St. Gregory the Enlightener Church
of White Plains, NY, on Thursday, April 28, 2004, for the first-ever
Yeretzgins’ Conference.
Organized in conjunction with the Clergy Conference and Diocesan
Assembly, the day of lectures, discussion, and prayer gave the women a
chance to learn from experts and from one another.
Lecturers included Valery Goekjian Zahirsky, an Armenian graduate of St.
Nersess Armenian Seminary, who is married to a priest in the Orthodox
Church of America; and Dr. Roberta Ervine Woods, associate professor of
Armenian studies at St. Nersess Seminary.
Zahirsky, a former religious education director at the Diocese, spoke to
the women about the different types of gifts they bring to parish life.
“She spoke about gifts people have, and seeing ourselves as having gifts
we can give to the community, even if it is something like hospitality,”
said Yn. Tirouhe Boyajian, who organized the event with Yn. Patricia
Dagley. “There are gifts anyone of us might have that we don’t
recognized as gifts. They might be simple things, like just not being
judgmental of others. She helped stretch our perceptions a little, got
us to think about ourselves as having gifts we might not have thought we
had.”
Dr. Ervine spoke about how women can find balance in their lives, filled
with parish responsibilities, family, and sometimes a full-time career.
“Her emphasis was that there isn’t any one balance that can be found for
all yeretzgins’ it is a question of balancing many things unique to each
of us,” Yn. Boyajian said.
Along with the workshops, the yeretgins also took time to talk among
themselves, sharing tips between generations. At the end of the day
they paired off for prayer, and were encouraged to keep their prayer
partner in their thoughts throughout the year.
While the yeretzgins traditionally have a breakfast together during the
Diocesan Assembly, they have never before had a full day together to
talk and socialize. However, with the conference deemed successful by
the attendees, plans are underway to hold another in conjunction with
the 2005 Diocesan Assembly in Bayside, NY.
“If this improves the morale of a yeretzgin, and makes her job as a
supporter of her husband easier, then he’s able to perform his job even
better,” Yn. Boyajian said. “Yeretzgins focus on the aspect of support
to their husbands. Sometimes it is a visible support, sometimes it’s
behind-the-scenes support. But without it, his job would be harder.”
— 6/10/04
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable on the Eastern
Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): About 20 yeretzgins gathered at the St. Gregory the
Enlightener Church of White Plains, NY, on Thursday, April 28, 2004, for
the first ever yeretzgin conference.
# # #

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
June 10, 2004
___________________
BUSY MAN FINDS TIME TO SERVE TWO PARISHES
By Jake Goshert
When he was just 5 years old, Hagop “Jack” Injajigian began singing in
the church choir.
“My parents, they were the ones who religiously brought me,” said
Injajigian. “The church was a place where, in a small community, you
gather together not only for religious occasions, but socially as well.”
Today, the 51-year-old pharmacist finds time to serve his home parish,
St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Binghamton, NY, as well as the St.
Paul Church of Syracuse, about an hour away.
On Sunday, May 9, 2004, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), ordained Injajigian
as a deacon.
“He is truly a dedicated son of the Armenian Church, who feels a sense
of devotion and duty calling him to serve,” the Primate said. “By
tending to the spiritual needs of this tight-knit community, he has
helped hold them together.”
The Binghamton parish — which has just one other deacon — is
in-between parish priests, and Dn. Injajigian has been providing some of
the services a priest normally is called upon to perform, such as
visiting the sick, and he also takes care of the holy vessels on the
altar.
He has been functioning as a deacon for years, but had to study Armenian
more to become proficient enough for the ordination service.
“It’s a sense of duty for me, so it’s always been easy to get involved
in all aspects of the church,” he said. “I wanted to do more with the
community. I feel good about being ordained. Hopefully it will help me
forge ahead and keep the church alive in this area.”
Joining the Primate in Binghamton for the ordination were Fr. Kegham
Zakarian, Fr. Daniel Findikyan, Fr. Garen Gdanian, Fr. Carnig Hallajian,
Fr. Paree Metjian, and Fr. Mikael Devejian.
— 6/10/04
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable on the Eastern
Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese
of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), ordains Hagop “Jack”
Injajigian as a deacon on Sunday, May 9, 2004, at the St. Gregory the
Illuminator Church of Binghamton, NY.
# # #
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Youth Federation
Western United States
104 N. Belmont St. Suite 206
Glendale, CA 91206
Contact: Raffi Semerdjian
Tel: 818.507.1933
Fax: 818.240.3442
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
Armenian Independence Day Picnic-Festival Attracts 1500
The Armenian American community of Southern California concluded its
Armenian Independence Day celebrations with a picnic-festival held at the
Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian Pre-School on Monday May 31st.
The picnic-festival officially began with the singing of the Armenian
National Anthem performed by Sose Keshishian. Thereafter singers Paul
Baghdadlian, Harout Hagopian, Nersik Ispirian, Joseph Krikorian, Ara
Sahagian, Sako, and Hovannes Shahbazian performed cultural and patriotic
songs for a mixed crowd of over 1500.
“We are honored to provide our community a vibrant venue through which they
can celebrate our first independence,” said Shant Baboujian, director of the
organizing committee. “While celebrating the victories of 1918 however, we
must always continue our work to overcome the many challenges our nation
faces today,” explained Baboujian.
Over 25 vendors lined the picnic field where they sold artwork, ceramics,
jewelry, T-shirts, clothes, and desserts. Community organizations including
the Armenian Relief Society, Homenetmen, ANCA, and Pyunic were also
available to disseminate organizational information to guests.
The picnic concluded at 8pm with the singing of Aruynod Trosh.
The Armenian Youth Federation Western United States serves Armenian American
communities west of the Mississippi through education, athletics, political
activism, cultural activities and social settings. To learn more about the
AYF please log on to
####

Azeri leader, Turkish-American lobbyist discuss Karabakh
ANS TV, Baku
9 Jun 04
Presenter Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev touched on the Nagornyy
Karabakh problem during his meeting with a delegation led by the
president of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations, Ercument
Kilic, and indirectly asked his interlocutors to help express
Azerbaijan’s fair position in the world.
Correspondent over video of the reception President Ilham Aliyev
touched on the Nagornyy Karabakh problem at the meeting with
the president of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations,
Ercument Kilic. The president said that all steps taken to solve the
Nagornyy Karabakh have been fruitless and stressed the importance of
expressing Azerbaijan’s fair position in the world. Aliyev also said
that everybody, including the US public, should know that Azerbaijan is
the victim in this conflict. Our lands are under occupation, he said.
Aliyev However, this is a temporary situation. We want international
legal norms to be observed, Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity to
be restored and the Armenian occupying army to be withdrawn from
our lands.
Correspondent According to him, Section 907 to the Freedom Support
Act banning direct US government assistance to Azerbaijan has still
not been suspended. This shows once again that the Turks should close
ranks in solving important issues.
The president of the assembly, Ercument Kilic, who listed the
assembly’s services in the sphere of developing Turkish-American
relations over the 25 years of their work, explained the purpose of
their visit to Baku.
We play the role of a bridge for developing joint Turkish-American
cooperation in the USA. This bridge is healthy. But we want this
bridge to exist not only between Turkey and the USA, but also with
Azerbaijan, end quote. On behalf of the 300,000 Turks living in the
USA, Kilic promised to speed up their activities to create the right
idea of the essence of the Karabakh problem.
Parvana Sabirqizi, ANS.

The Detroit News
Stefan Karidian, 75, has 27 books of stamps from Armenia. “My collection
hinges on the history of this country,” he says.
Stamps tell Armenian tales
By Sarah Frame / The Detroit News
BIRMINGHAM – Stefan Karidian can trace his family’s history by looking
through his stamp collection. He has 27 books of stamps, postcards
and envelopes from Armenia, the country his parents emigrated from.
“Armenian stamps are my specialty,” said Karidian, 75, of West
Bloomfield Township. “My collection hinges on the history of this
country. I have stamps that relate to Armenian churches, artists,
and also stamps and postcards that commemorate the mass genocide of
the Armenian people. My dad survived that and then came here.”
Collectors like Karidian commonly see their own lives in their stamps,
said Michael Schreiber, editor of Linn’s Stamp News, the world’s
largest weekly stamp newspaper.
“You can make of it (stamp collecting) anything you want,” Schreiber
said. “You can collect on any topic, any country.”
Collectors from all over the Midwest will attend the Metropex 2004,
a stamp exposition sponsored by the Oakland County Stamp Club planned
for June 12 and 13.
The show will feature more than 20 dealers and will be at the
Birmingham Masonic Temple.
Dodie Spatz, 66, of Bloomfield Township recalls that her interest in
stamps began when her father went to work in the Venezuelan oil fields.
“My dad would send letters to my mother with these pretty stamps
on them, and I began to save them,” Spatz said. “Now I have quite
a collection, and it’s gotten bigger since I joined the Birmingham
Stamp Club.”
You can reach Sarah Frame at (313) 222-2103 or [email protected].

CBS unveils the identities of the eleven ‘The Amazing Race 5’ couples
By Steve Rogers, 06/10/2004
Reality TV World, MA
June 11 2004
CBS announced yesterday the identities of the eleven couples
apppearing in its upcoming The Amazing Race 5.
Prior to yesterday’s annoucement, only the identity of one couple had
been formally announced — that of Alison Irwin, the runner-up in
last summer’s Big Brother 4, and Donald Patrick, Alison’s college
football playing boyfriend whom she frequently mentioned (as
“Donnie”) while confined within the Big Brother house.
In addition to Alison and Donny, the cast also includes an NFL
cheerleader, a former Miss Teen USA, the second runner up at Miss USA
2003, and a male model. Maybe it’s just us, but does anyone else
think it’s a bit obvious that CBS is pulling out all the stops in an
apparent attempt to finally transform the Emmy Award-winning but
modestly-rated program into a ratings hit? No wonder CBS was
reportedly “so pleased” about this edition that it wasted little time
greenlighting The Amazing Race 6. Of course, at this rate, don’t
expect TAR6 to feature more than a token older couple… but remember
Race fans, it could be worse — after all, The Mole viewers had to
watch their show disintegrate into a watered-down home for D-list
celebrities… only to watch the ratings-challenged ABC network still
ultimately pulled the plug on the series.
As previously reported, The Amazing Race 5, once again featuring
eleven couples in a race around the world, will premiere with a
special 90-minute broadcast on Tuesday, July 6 at 9:30PM ET/PT
(following a special 90-minute premiere of the fifth season of Big
Brother.) After the premiere, the series will settle into its
regularly scheduled Tuesdays at 10PM ET/PT time period (following Big
Brother 5’s regular Tuesdays at 9PM ET/PT broadcast.)
The eleven couples competing in The Amazing Race 5 are:
• Kami And Karli French, 26-year-old identical twin sisters from
Eugene, Oregon. Kami is a café manager while Karli is a student at
University of Oregon.
• Marshall and Lance Hudes, brothers who are originally from New
York, but have since relocated to Dallas, Texas, where they own and
operate a pizza shop. Marshall is 31-years-old, while Hudes is age
26.
• Colin Guinn and Christie Woods, a couple from Corpus Christi, Texas
that have been dating for over a year. Colin, age 24, owns a cell
phone store. Christie, age 26, is the managing partner of the
Longevity & Wellness Center and the 1996 Miss Teen USA.
• Chip and Kim Mcallister, married parents from Coto De Caza,
California. Chip, age 46, is the owner of a web technology company.
Kim, age 44, is the owner of an information technology recruiting
company. They have been married for over 25 years and have three
children.
• Alison Irwin and Donald Patrick, a dating couple from Pennsylvania.
As Big Brother 4 viewers are well aware, the 23-year-old Alison
managed to cheat, lie, flirt, and backstab her way to Big Brother 4’s
final two, where she was trounced by the equally reviled Jun Song in
the program’s final houseguest voting. Throughout the show viewers
endured Alison’s incessant whining regarding whether her relationship
with 21-year-old boyfriend Donny would still be intact after he’d
seen her Big Brother behavior. Obviously the answer was yes… so now
CBS viewers will get to spend another summer watching Alison cheat,
lie, flirt, and backstab — only this time while she travels (at
least partway) around the world. Thanks CBS.
• Linda Ruiz and Karen Heins, best friends and bowling partners from
Palmdale, California. Linda, age 45, is a mother and tennis teacher.
Karen, age 41, is a mother and homemaker. Both have been married for
over 20 years.
• Dennis Frentsos and Erika Shay, a “once engaged” couple from New
York. Dennis is a 27-year-old mortgage broker from West Nyack while
Erika is a 25-year-old wedding planner from Piermont. According to
CBS, Dennis broke off the engagement after Erika went tandem
skydiving naked with her instructor. No word on whether any peanut
butter or chocolate was involved.
• Jim and Marsha McCoy, a father and daughter from Florida. Jim is a
53-year-old helicopter pilot who lives in Jacksonville. The
26-year-old Marsha is a law student living in Gainesville and
attending the University of Florida College of Law. Marsha, who
considered herself an “ugly duckling” as a child, is an NFL
Jacksonville Jaguars cheerleader. With Jim having spent 23 years in
the military, the family once lived in Germany for two years.
• Charla Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan, first cousins from Maryland.
Charla, age 27 and living in Phoenix, is “married to the man of her
dreams” and is manager/co-owner of a chain of ten sportswear stores.
Mirna, age 23, lives in Towson and is an attorney who graduated from
the University of Maryland School of Law. The two were born only a
month apart in Syria and emigrated to the United States when they
were young children. Between the two of them, they speak a variety of
languages, including Armenian, Turkish, French and Spanish, and have
traveled extensively to foreign countries — skills that should prove
valuable during the competition.
• Brandon Davidson and Nicole O’Brian, a dating couple. Nicole, age
21 and currently living in Los Angeles while trying to break into
Hollywood, was Miss Texas USA 2003 and second runner up at Miss USA
2003. Brandon, age 25, is a male model currently living in Houston.
The two consider themselves very religious and spiritual people and
met just over a year ago when both were hired to work the runway at a
bridal expo in Houston.
• Bob Barron and Joyce Nicolo, a dating couple from Mount Laurel, New
Jersey who, despite living in the same town, met on an Internet
dating website. Both are widowers who lost their partners to cancer.
Bob, age 61, is retired. Joyce, age 54, is a medical practice
administer.