California Courier Online, February 8, 2007
1 – Commentary
Truth Prevails over Millions Spent
By Turks to Lie about the Genocide
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
2 – UCLA AEF Chair Hosts Three
Events in Coming Weeks
3 – Prisoner of Conscience to Speak
On Holocaust Remembrance Day
4 – Armenian Fertility Specialist Helps
67-Year-Old Gives Birth to Twins
5 – Prelacy Relocates
To New Building
6 – ‘The Armenian Genocide’ Film
To Air March 29 on KOCE-TV
7 – TIME Magazine Distributes Documentary;
Adopts Policy on the Armenian Genocide
8- The ‘Armenian Schindler’s List’ Now
Accessible for Readers in English
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1 – Commentary
Truth Prevails over Millions Spent
By Turks to Lie about the Genocide
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
It took a little more than a year and a half, but it was well worth
the wait. After lengthy, sometimes complex, but mostly amicable
discussions, the European edition of TIME magazine, in its Feb. 12,
2007 issue, published a full-page text on the Armenian Genocide and
distributed a complimentary DVD, in English and French, which
contains a compelling 52-minute documentary on the Armenian Genocide
by French director Laurence Jourdan. The DVD also includes a
46-minute interview with Dr. Yves Ternon, a leading expert on the
Armenian Genocide.
This issue of the magazine, which has been on newsstands since Feb. 2
in 67 countries throughout Europe, parts of Africa, Asia and the
Middle East, was sold out within the first 48 hours of its
availability. Extra copies can be ordered by contacting:
[email protected].
Both the DVD and the full-page ad were provided free of charge by
TIME Europe (circulation 550,000) after realizing that its staff,
without proper review, had inserted a Turkish DVD as a paid
advertisement, under the guise of promoting tourism in Turkey in the
June 6, 2005 issue of TIME Europe.
The Turkish DVD, paid for by the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, was a
deceitful attempt to spread malicious lies and denialist propaganda
on the Armenian Genocide. Sinan Aygun, the Chairman of the Chamber of
Commerce, subsequently disclosed that Turkey’s General Chief of Staff
had approved the DVD for distribution through TME. He also revealed
that the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism had prepared the
sinister DVD.
When scores of TIME subscribers, the Switzerland-Armenia Association
(SAA) and this columnist complained to TIME executives, Managing
Editor James Kelly in a letter to SAA dated Sept. 2, 2005, apologized
for having disseminated the Turkish DVD which he said "was not
adequately reviewed by anyone at TIME." Furthermore, he acknowledged
that the Turkish DVD did not "meet TIME’s standards for fairness and
accuracy."
Moreover, TIME (Europe) published in its October 17, 2005 issue, a
critical page-long letter to the editor — possibly the longest
letter ever published in the history of the magazine — jointly
signed by the following five French organizations: Memoire 2000, the
Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France, Comité de
Defense de la Cause Armenienne – ANC France, J’Accuse, and the
Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples. In an
Editorial note, TIME restated its earlier apology for disseminating
the Turkish DVD.
In December 2005, these five organizations along with the
Switzerland-Armenia Association, the French Association of Armenian
Lawyers and Jurists, the EUROPEAN – ARMENIAN FEDERATION for Justice
and Democracy, and The California Courier newspaper reached an
amicable agreement with TIME executives ensuring that the facts of
the Armenian Genocide will not be distorted again in the pages of the
magazine.
TIME agreed to distribute free of charge in its European edition an
Armenian Genocide documentary selected by the Armenian side. The
magazine paid the licensing fee for use of the DVD as well as the
cost of duplicating over half million copies. TIME also agreed to
publish free of charge a full-page ad on the Armenian Genocide.
In addition, Michael Elliott, the Editor of TIME International,
issued the following significant written statement: "Please be
advised that, in common with other leading news organizations, it is
TIME’s policy and practice to refer to the Armenian genocide as a
historical fact. Accordingly, I will be informing our correspondents
and editors that the term ‘Armenian genocide’ should be used without
qualification."
The above mentioned organizations are pleased that the very costly
Turkish attempt to distort the facts of the Armenian Genocide
backfired and was properly countered by TIME magazine which placed
journalistic ethics above all other considerations.
Turkish officials, on the other hand, were very displeased with this
turn of events. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, when asked for his
reaction to the DVD in TIME magazine, told CNN TURK last Friday: "Now
millions of people [in Europe] will be brainwashed against Turkey."
Turkish TV networks and newspapers provided extensive coverage of
this unexpected development. Turkish denialist circles have already
launched an e-mail campaign against TIME magazine. Those wishing to
counter the Turkish complaints should send their e-mails to:
[email protected], thanking TIME executives for
reaffirming the true facts of the Armenian Genocide.
The above achievement is the result of lengthy discussions with TIME
executives. For the first time, several Armenian and non-Armenian
organizations throughout Europe and the United States worked together
on a common project. Now that such a network is in place, it becomes
easier to organize such a multinational coordinated effort in the
future on other significant issues.
The Turks paid over a million dollars to advertise their denial of
the Armenian Genocide in seven languages. With the kind assistance of
TIME, the Armenians and their friends succeeded in organizing a
successful response using nothing more than the language of truth!
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2 – UCLA AEF Chair Hosts Three
Events in Coming Weeks
LOS ANGELES – Over the next few weeks, the Armenian Educational
Foundation Chair at UCLA will be holding three events in Burbank, and
Los Angeles.
The first event will be held February 16, at 8 p.m., at the Western
Diocese of the Armenian Church, 3325 N Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank. Under
the auspices of Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, "An Evening to
Celebrate" will mark the publication of the first six volumes edited
by Professor Richard Hovannisian in the UCLA international conference
series, "Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces."
The event is open to the public at no charge.
On February 25, at 3:30 p.m., a program "Hrant Dink: His Legacy and
His Challenge," will be held at UCLA Dodd Hall 147, co-sponsored by
the UCLA AEF Chair and Near Eastern Center, and Turkish Students to
Commemorate ‘Our Hrant’, and the Organization of Istanbul Armenians.
Parking is available at Structure No. 2, Hilgard Avenue, UCLA
Entrance at Westholme Avenue.
The event is open to the public at no charge.
March 17-18, Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, 2- 5:30
p.m., the AEF will host "The Ebb and Flow of the Armenian Communities
of the Indian Ocean."
The lectures will be held at UCLA Young Hall 50 (Court of Sciences).
Parking, Structure No. 2, Hilgard Avenue UCLA Entrance at Westholme
Avenue. Open to the public at no charge.
UCLA parking fee is $8.00.
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3 – Prisoner of Conscience to Speak
On Holocaust Remembrance Day
DENVER – Bestselling author and Amnesty International "prisoner of
conscience" Taner Akcam will speak on his recent book, A Shameful
Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish
Responsibility, in Denver’s Mizel Museum at 2:30 PM on April 15,
(Holocaust Remembrance Day).
The lecture, hosted by Armenians of Colorado, Inc., will be part of
the Armenian Genocide awareness and remembrance events in Colorado
that will include a commemoration at the State Capitol’s Armenian
Genocide memorial plaque located on the Northeastern grounds in
Denver on, April 22, at 1:30PM.
Sociologist and historian Taner Akcam teaches at the Center for
Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota. Akcam
grew up in Turkey, where he was imprisoned for editing a political
publication and was adopted by Amnesty International as a prisoner of
conscience in 1976. Akcam later received political asylum in Germany,
where he earned a PhD from the University of Hannover and worked with
the Hamburg Institute for Social Research on issues concerning the
history of violence and torture in Turkey.
Akcam is widely recognized as one of the first Turkish scholars to
write extensively and authoritatively on the Turkish genocide of the
Armenians in the early 20th century where 1.5 million Armenians were
brutally exterminated at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. He is
currently facing criminal charges for "insulting Turkishness" in his
homeland, a crime under Article 301 of the Turkish penal code. The
charge stems from publishing a column defending Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink’s use of the term "Armenian Genocide" on
October 6, 2006. Dink was the editor of the weekly Turkish-Armenian
newspaper Agos until, January 19, when he was assassinated by a
Turkish nationalist.
Attendees to Akcam’s lecture will also have free access to "The Dead
Weight of Complacency," a dual exhibition of local artists’
interpretation of genocide presented by the Mizel Museum and Colorado
Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action running from Jan. 11 to
April 27. The Museum is located at 400 S Kearney St, Denver.
Taner Akcam’s lecture is free of charge and will be followed by a
discussion and reception. For additional information contact Simon
Maghakyan at 720-252-7265.
The sponsor of the lecture, Armenians of Colorado, Inc. (AOC) was
established in June 1982. It is a 501(c) (3) non-profit, cultural
organization charged with a purpose to create a cohesive Armenian
community and to further the understanding of Armenian history,
culture, and heritage. AOC actively supports issues and concerns of
the Armenian-American community here in Colorado as well as those
identified within the Armenian Diaspora throughout the world.
For more information about Armenians of Colorado go to
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4 – Armenian Fertility Specialist Helps
67-Year-Old Gives Birth to Twins
LOS ANGELES – Carmela Bousada, a 67-year-old Spanish woman, became
the oldest woman to give birth having delivered twin sons in
Barcelona, Spain on December 29. The in vitro fertilization (IVF)
process was conducted by Dr. Vicken Sahakian, medical director of the
Pacific Fertility Center, which has offices in Glendale and Westwood
in the Los Angeles area. Previously, the oldest woman to have given
birth was a Romanian woman who gave birth to a daughter at age 66 in
January 2005.
"I am glad the in vitro fertilization process was successful and both
the patient and the newborns are doing well, however, I would never
recommend that a female of this age go through this procedure due to
the potential health risks and social implications of a pregnancy at
that age," said Dr. Vicken Sahakian. "I do not accept single female
patients over the age of 55
and unfortunately, in this case, the patient deceived us about her
age in order to receive treatment."
The Pacific Fertility Center is one of the leading medical practices
specializing in fertility issues in California.
Carmela Bousada is a retired department store employee who lives in
Cadiz, in southern Spain. The twins, Pau and Christian, were born
seven weeks premature but are now healthy and at home with Ms.
Bousada.
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5 – Prelacy Relocates
To New Building
LA CRESCENTA, Calif. – The Western Prelacy announced last week that
the renovation project of the Western Prelacy has concluded, and it
is in the process of moving to its new offices at 6252 Honolulu Ave.,
in La Crescenta, Calif.
Regular office hours will officially resume at the new building on
Feb.5, 2007. Office hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Details
on the upcoming official opening ceremony will be forthcoming, the
Prelacy release said last week.
Contact information for the Prelacy offices is: Tel: 818-248-7737/8;
Fax: 818-248-7745; Email: [email protected].
The Prelacy Website is: .
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6 – ‘The Armenian Genocide’ Film
To Air March 29 on KOCE-TV
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – – Emmy Award-winning producer Andrew
Goldberg will appear live in the studios of KOCE-TV, Orange County’s
PBS station, for a special broadcast of his award-winning
documentary, The Armenian Genocide, on Thursday March 29 at 8:00 p.m.
Since the film first aired, this will be Goldberg’s first television
appearance in the Los Angeles and Southern California area – home to
the largest Armenian community in the U.S. The Armenian Genocide is
the unprecedented, powerful and complete story of the first genocide
of the 20th century when over a million Armenians were killed at the
hands of the Ottoman Turks.
The film received extraordinary reviews and coverage in almost every
major newspaper in the U.S., including the Wall Street Journal, The
Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and
countless other publications. Alessandra Stanley, the chief
television critic of The New York Times, described the film as
"powerful" adding that it ".honors the victims of the Genocide." The
NJ Star Ledger called the film "serious, literate and ultimately
heartbreaking." The film has sold internationally to major networks
in Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and
Finland, as well as many other countries. Narrated by Julianna
Margulies, The Armenian Genocide features additional narrations from
Ed Harris, Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, Laura Linney, Paul Rudd
and Jared Leto to name a few.
"KOCE is proud to be the only station in the Southland, including Los
Angeles, to air The Armenian Genocide," said Mel Rogers, president
and general manager of KOCE-TV. "This film and its topic represent
part of the mission of public television to stimulate responsible
discussion and illuminate complex issues. Since most Americans do not
fully understand the issue in all its complexity, we are committed to
offering the program which we sincerely hope will help viewers better
understand this chapter in world history."
Featuring interviews with leading experts in the field, such as
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Samantha Power, and New York Times
best-selling author, Peter Balakian, this film features
never-before-seen historical footage of the events and key players of
one of the greatest untold stories of the 20th century.
Filmed in the U.S., France, Germany, Belgium, Turkey and
Syria, the program features discussions with Kurdish and Turkish
citizens in modern-day Turkey who speak openly about the stories told
to them by their parents and grandparents. "As Turkey seeks to join
the European Union 90 years later, this film can give people a much
better understanding of why this issue is such an important and
current part of the international conversation about Turkey’s role in
the world today," said Goldberg.
Emmy-award winning producer Andrew Goldberg’s television credits
include PBS, ABC News, E!, CNN, and countless others. In addition to
writing, directing and producing The Armenian Genocide, Goldberg’s
recent documentaries include Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century: The
Resurgence, A Yiddish World Remembered, and The Armenians, A Story of
Survival. He has also written and produced commercials for such
companies as Bell South, Sephora/Louis Vuitton, AT&T and PetSmart.
He is currently working on a two-hour film for PBS called Jerusalem:
Center of the World.
Major underwriters include John and Judy Bedrosian, The Lincy
Foundation, The Avanessians Family Foundation and The
Manoogian-Simone Foundation.
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7 – TIME Magazine Distributes Documentary;
Adopts Policy on the Armenian Genocide
GLENDALE – The Feb. 12, 2007 issue of the European edition of TIME
magazine –available in newsstands throughout Europe as of Feb. 2nd
— carries a full-page factual announcement on the Armenian Genocide,
along with a complimentary DVD, in English and French, which contains
a compelling 52-minute documentary on the Armenian Genocide by French
director Laurence Jourdan. The DVD also includes a 46-minute
interview with Dr. Yves Ternon, a leading expert on the Armenian
Genocide.
Both the DVD and the full-page ad were provided free of charge by
TIME Europe (circulation 550,000) after realizing that its staff,
without proper review, had inserted in the June 6, 2005 issue of TIME
Europe a Turkish DVD as a paid advertisement under the guise of
promoting tourism to Turkey. The Turkish DVD, paid for by the Ankara
Chamber of Commerce, was a deceitful attempt to spread malicious lies
and denialist propaganda on the Armenian Genocide. To correct this
error, TIME (Europe) published, in its October 17, 2005 issue, a
critical page-long letter to the editor jointly signed by the
following five French organizations: Memoire 2000, the Coordinating
Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF), Comité de Défense
de la Cause Arménienne (CDCA) — ANC France, J’Accuse, and the
Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples (MRAP). In
an Editor’s note appended to the letter, TIME apologized for
disseminating the Turkish DVD.
In December 2005, these five organizations along with the
Switzerland-Armenia Association (SAA), the French Association of
Armenian Lawyers and Jurists (AFAJA), the European-Armenian
Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD), and The California
Courier newspaper reached an amicable agreement with TIME executives
ensuring that the facts of the Armenian Genocide are not distorted
again in the pages of the magazine.
Subsequently, Michael Elliott, the Editor of TIME International,
issued the following public statement: "Please be advised that, in
common with other leading news organizations, it is TIME’s policy and
practice to refer to the Armenian genocide as a historical fact.
Accordingly, I will be informing our correspondents and editors that
the term ‘Armenian genocide’ should be used without qualification."
The above mentioned organizations are fully satisfied with the
corrective steps taken by TIME magazine.
They are also pleased that the Turkish attempt to distort the facts
of the Armenian Genocide, supported by considerable financial
resources, was properly countered as a result of these organizations’
close cooperation with TIME which placed journalistic ethics above
all other considerations.
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8 – The ‘Armenian Schindler’s List’ Now
Accessible for Readers in English.
University of Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Geoffrey Brock’s translation from Italian of the
debut novel by Antonia Arslan, brings the story of her family’s
struggle for survival in the Armenian genocide to the
English-speaking world.
The Kirkus Review calls Skylark Farm an "Armenian Schindler’s List."
The Bloomberg reviewer praised the "impressive subtlety" of Brock’s
translation of Arslan’s "powerful account."
Brock is assistant professor of creative writing and translation in
the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the
University of Arkansas.
In the prologue to her novel, Arslan remembers herself as a small
child savoring the names of relatives who lived all over the world.
She thinks of Arussiag in Beirut, Zareh in Aleppo, Nevart in Fresno
and Michel in Copacabana as travelers.
In fact, they are among the few survivors from her family of the
Armenian genocide of 1915, and she uses bits of memories to write a
novel that tells their story and the story of those killed. Arslan
grew up in Italy, the granddaughter of an Armenian who was living in
Venice at the time of the genocide. The men and boys of his family
back home in Anatolia were killed one night in May and buried beneath
the tennis court of the family’s country house, Skylark Farm.
Brock, an award-winning translator of other Italian authors, seeks to
recreate the literary experience of a work in translation. In the
case of Arslan’s novel, even the translation of the title was a
question. In Italian, the novel’s title is La Masseria delle
Allodole.
"It was a difficult title to translate," Brock said. "The word
‘masseria’ refers to a kind of farm, though it isn’t the standard
word for farm. And in the novel, it’s used specifically to refer to a
house that presumably used to be a farmhouse but is now really a
country house. I strongly considered The House of Skylarks as a
title, but the phrase in Italian has a strong rustic overtone that I
wanted to maintain."
Acknowledging the many who helped reconstruct that tragic time,
Arslan thanks "all the gentle, daydreaming Armenians who, in Milan
and Rome and the world over, welcomed me and nourished me with
ancient images and unforeseen kinship and gave me the gift of
treasured memories."
Brock noted that the novel has been very popular in Italy and is
being made into a film by Italian directors, the Taviani brothers.
The American edition of Skylark Farm is published by Alfred A. Knopf,
New York.
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