Author: Antonian Lara

Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
3111 Los Feliz Avenue, #206, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Contact person: Dr. Frieda Jordan
Phone: (323) 663-3609
Email:[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

ABMDR receives unprecedented support in Boston

Benefit concert features jazz great Datevik Hovanesian; ABMDR
participates in Daughters of Vartan convocation

Los Angeles, July 27, 2009 – Recently the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor
Registry (ABMDR) received the enthusiastic support of Boston’s
Armenian community through two highly anticipated events: the `Jazz
for Life’ benefit concert and the 69th Grand Convocation of the
Daughters of Vartan.

Headlined by world-renowned singer Datevik Hovanesian, `Jazz for
Life’ was held on June 27 at the Armenian Cultural Foundation center
in Arlington, drawing hundreds of jazz aficionados and supporters.
The concert, organized and sponsored by the Amaras Art Alliance of
Watertown and the Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF) of Arlington,
benefited the ABMDR’s current and forthcoming projects.

The concert program started with a wine and cheese reception hosted
by long-time ABMDR supporters Mr. and Mrs. Kegham Varjabedian, in
memory of their cousin Anahid Varjabedian. After welcoming the
audience, ACF Board member Dr. Nishan Goudsouzian invited Richard
Boyajian, R.N., of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to share his
experiences with the attendees.

A survivor of leukemia thanks to a bone marrow transplant, Boyajian
underscored the critical importance of the ABMDR as he related his
moving odyssey of disappointments, courage, hope, and recovery. `I
was the lucky recipient of an unrelated match 12 years ago, when I
was diagnosed with leukemia,’ he recalled. `Most leukemia patients
are not so lucky. A unique registry such as the ABMDR is vital for
Armenian patients, no matter where they may be in the world.’

`The ABMDR’s accomplishments are astonishing,’ Boyajian continued.
`The registry’s newly opened Stem Cell Harvesting Center in Yerevan
is world-class and second to none. It is equivalent to what we have
here in the U.S. It takes a huge effort and commitment to come this
far.’

Mrs. Nora Orchanian, a Boston supporter of the ABMDR who was
instrumental in organizing recruitments for a leukemia patient in
2007, spoke of her experience working with the registry during
stressful times, when the family of the patient needed not only to
find a match but also to know that there are people and an
organization that care and are willing to help. `The ABMDR gave us
hope,’ Mrs. Orchanian said. `[ABMDR Board president] Dr. Frieda
Jordan, all the volunteers, and all the donors who have registered
are filled with love and charity. Let us not let this evening go by
without making a commitment to support this wonderful organization.’

Throughout the `Jazz for Life’ concert, Datevik dazzled her fans
with her signature jazz stylings, including innovative renditions of
classics by Komitas and Sayat Nova, as well as beloved performances
of her own original songs, often spiced with exuberant
improvisations. Datevik, who had traveled from New York to appear at
the concert, was accompanied by her trio, comprising Bob Albanese,
David Meade, and Joe Fitzgerald. `I am extremely proud to be part of
this event and very glad you are all here supporting an absolutely
crucial cause for our people,’ said Datevik, a longtime supporter of
the ABMDR.

`We all have to pay our dues,’ the singer continued. `I hope to
give joy to my audiences so that they, in return, feel more generous
toward important causes such as that of the ABMDR,’ she said later
during a personal interview for the ABMDR television program.

`Jazz for Life’ aimed to raise awareness of the mission of the
ABMDR, which helps Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-
related diseases by recruiting and matching donors for bone marrow
stem cell transplants. Recently the ABMDR reached a milestone when it
opened its Stem Cell Harvesting Center in Yerevan, and has plans to
establish a bone marrow transplant center in the capital.

`The concert is also a celebration of the launch of the Stem Cell
Harvesting,’ said organizer and Amaras Art Alliance president Arax
Badalian. `We hope to raise funds to sponsor the cryobank lab at the
center, where harvested stem cells are frozen and stored for later use.’
The Amaras Art Alliance promotes Armenian culture and education
through performing arts, youth exchange programs, and children’s day
camps. `We are honored to sponsor `Jazz for Life,’ an event that
allows our artists to participate in a vital cause for the health and
well-being of Armenian children and adults everywhere,’ Badalian
added.

Collaborating with Daughters of Vartan

Another recent Boston event that supported the mission of the ABMDR
was the Daughters of Vartan’s 69th Grand Convocation, in which
participated a number of ABMDR representatives.

During a special afternoon workshop at the Westin Copley Place Hotel
on July 2, Dr. Vergine Madenlian, a member of the ABMDR Board of
Directors, made a video presentation of the registry’s recent
achievements and gave a brief report on the registry’s mission,
current activities, and future plans. `The workshop participants were
delighted to learn more about the registry’s work,’ Dr. Madenlian
said. `The Daughters of Vartan has a strong, active network of women
who are interested in organizing bone marrow donor recruitments in
their communities. I find this very encouraging.’

`We have long enjoyed the support of the Daughters of Vartan,’ said
ABMDR Board member Alvart Badalian. `The registry’s recent
accomplishments have generated renewed interest among members of the
Daughters of Vartan, who bring their support to several worthy
organizations throughout the U.S. We look forward to a closer
relationship and strong support for years to come.’

`Melene Ouzounian, the Grand Matron of the Daughters of Vartan, has
been a great friend of the Registry,’ ABMDR Board president Dr.
Frieda Jordan said. `She was instrumental in introducing us to her
organization years ago. I congratulate her on her new position as
Grand Matron and wish her good luck.’

About the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry: Established in 1999,
the ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians worldwide
survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and
matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants.

To date, the registry has recruited over 15,000 donors across three
continents, identified 1,305 patients, found 1,033 potential matches,
and facilitated nine bone marrow transplants.

For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit abmdr.am.

# # #

The Washington Post
July 26, 2009 Sunday
Every Edition

Caught in the Light;
Yousuf Karsh Placed His Subjects on Their Rightful Pedestals

by Sarah Kaufman; Washington Post Staff Writer

Pick your dreary image: It’s a holding cell, a decompression chamber,
a place so formidably austere you’d think no fantasies could ever form
there. But however grim the small, darkened gallery at the Canadian
Embassy appears, walk around the 28 photographs by Yousuf Karsh on
display in "Karsh at 100: Portraits of Artists," and you’ll find that
the space feels more like a sculpture garden.

It’s a garden of heroes. Sculpted from shadows and reverence and, when
needed, just the right prop — a half-smoked cigarette or, in the case
of Andy Warhol, a house-painting brush with bristles as glossy as his
own pale comb-over. Light is their enemy, so the room is dimmer even
than its battleship-gray walls. But time has been kind to these
faces. Karsh, who died in 2002 at 93, photographed them up to 60 years
ago, when folks believed in heroes. There is no irony here. Instead,
there is lyrical idealization. These photos memorialize our
mid-century faith in the nobility of art, and in the goodness of
greatness.

Karsh, an Armenian emigre who lived most of his life in Ottawa, made
pictures the way the old sportswriters used to ply their trade,
mythologizing and storytelling Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio right up
onto their pedestals. Don’t God up the ballplayers! legendary sports
editor Stanley Woodward used to say, pressing for a more nuanced and
honest approach. But what does a little well-placed puffery hurt? From
Winston Churchill (his first great portrait) to Bill Clinton, Karsh
Godded up his subjects, none more so than the artists in this show.

Take Joan Crawford. Cigarette dangling from one hand? Check. Padded
shoulders? Check. And the dark lipstick, the glamorous wrap, every
fingernail filed to a point and as polished as a Pontiac. With that
waxy full mouth and agate-hard eyes, her face an unlined mask — no
smoker’s creases, no smile lines — she looks just as untouchable and
unblemished as her public wished her to be. In 1948, nobody wanted to
know Mommie Dearest’s secrets. Here, she is more than a movie star —
she is the entirety of what the fan magazines were selling back then,
the Hollywood dream with a bungalow on the lot and Frank Sinatra on
the dial and nervous assistants bringing coffee. Karsh packaged
Crawford as a lifestyle.

Karsh’s portraits seem so much like sculpture not only because of
their mythic contexts but also because of their textures, the contours
and solidity of illuminated bone structure. He brings out the
weightedness of these faces, and turns it into moral weight. Marian
Anderson gazes just over our shoulder. It’s 1945, and she’s the black
Madonna, patience and trials writ in her eyes, looking beyond our
sins. That velvet skin whose color figured in a national uproar is the
story here, lighted by Karsh to glow as if from within — but not to
glisten. She’s cool, flawlessly matte, neither wary nor
judgmental. The slopes and planes of her face — the biggest close-up
in the room — have a solemn majesty that echoes the grandeur of that
voice.

Some of the portraits are less face, more drama. François Mauriac is
captured in profile, but the French novelist’s features are dark,
limned in a thin glow as if he were in partial solar eclipse. The back
story is that Paris was experiencing a power outage on this day in
1949; the fading afternoon sun was all Karsh had to work with. The
light traces Mauriac’s silhouette as if it were a curl of smoke from a
Gauloise, drifting around his high intellectual forehead and
double-humped nose, his little brushy mustache and those drawn-in
lips, made tight, one supposes, from all those frontal Gallic vowels
in overuse.

Martha Graham is one of the few full-torso photographs, though she,
too, is mostly in profile. Like Crawford’s, her broad-planed face
resembles an impenetrable mask, but it’s not a pose; it’s held in
listening, inner-directed stillness. All the tension is in her
muscular fingertips. (An interesting detail to capture, from a dancer
— one that a lesser photographer might overlook. But Karsh was famous
for the attention he paid to hands.) She’s sacred above, profane
below, as the serpentine arrangement of her body hints, the way her
hip slides away from her spine, the pronounced curve of her breast. A
difficult, tempestuous drinker? Not this Martha. This is the
discipline-hard goddess.

She and Georgia O’Keeffe are soul mates, at least to Karsh. O’Keeffe
in her desert studio is staged like a cutout in one of Joseph
Cornell’s boxes, like a little work of theater: She’s in her
spinster’s black dress, her fingers curved just so, like the
wind-twisted hunk of tree at her side. There’s a steer skull hanging
overhead; the New Mexican strata can be spied through the rough-hewn
doorway. The composition is an assemblage of all the familiar O’Keeffe
totems. Everything looks so dry, you can almost feel the dust in your
mouth. Of course, O’Keeffe’s paintings gorged on life — those fat
flowers, the rich, joyous colors. Sensuality written all over
them. But Karsh frames the artist as an ascetic, exactly as we’d
imagine her to be, serving her muse in that hard-baked landscape.

That’s the reality of Karsh’s work. If you’re looking for penetrating
insights, you won’t find them here. He states the obvious. He does it
beautifully. He states the obvious better than anybody else working
with big names in luxuriantly silver-rich paper. (Even if Mies van der
Rohe contemplating triangles seems much too obvious.) There’s
Hemingway in Havana, turtlenecked (in the tropics? But it’s a dandy
sweater, gorgeous suede front), weathered and a bit tortured around
those dark eyes. There’s Henry Moore, shoulder to shoulder with one of
his marble sculptures, which itself looks a little like a
self-portrait, its bulges echoing his strong nose and cheekbones. A
grandfatherly Picasso still looks boyish and playful, as if he’s got
something up the crisp, creased sleeve of his new shirt.

Christian Dior, half-hidden in shadow, looks past us in silent
judgment, finger to his lips, one brow cocked above an appraising
eye. He’s just this side of stern; he looks like he might just approve
— and secretly, of course, we imagine he would approve if that eye
flicked in our direction. Karsh knows we’d like to think this, and he
gives us the Dior of our dreams.

Karsh dealt in dreams. It seems like an old-fashioned attribute,
now. We don’t see the famous this way anymore — serene, knowing and
pearlescent — and what celebrity today could pose so
unself-consciously heroically as Anderson, or Crawford? But so it was
once upon a time, when we put our hearts in DiMaggio’s hands and he
lifted a nation with his hitting streak; when we put our faith in
Walter Cronkite (whom Karsh also photographed, though that portrait is
not in this show), and he told us the way it was; and we put our
heroes under Karsh’s lights and he gave them back to us, strong,
perfect and immortal. That was the way we needed it to be, in our
imagination as well as his.

Karsh at 100: Portraits of Artists, closes Dec. 18. At the Embassy of
Canada, 501 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. weekdays.

If Yerevan and Tbilisi not to discuss problems of Javakheti Armenians,
they can escalate into conflict
25.07.2009 16:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 20 years ago, Azerbaijan openly started aggression
against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, today Georgia is
implementing the same policy in an underhand way deliberately creating
problems for the Armenian population of Samtskhe-Javakheti, Eduard
Abrahamyan, expert of the "Mitk" analytical center told a press
conference in Yerevan today. "Currently, Georgian authorities
deliberately do not develop that region, and the consequences of this
policy will become apparent in the near future", the Armenian expert
said.
According to him, Samtskhe-Javakheti is a `gateway’ for Armenia to the
outside world and they can ensure the development of the country. `If
the presidents of both countries during their meetings would not speak
of the problem of the Armenian population of Samtskhe-Javakheti, they
can escalate into conflict. Today Georgia is at bay and ready to
serious compromise,’ Abrahamyan said. He emphasized that the Armenian
authorities now need to put aside stereotypes in relations with
Georgia, and raise the issue of the Armenians of the region

VIVACELL-MTS INTRODUCES NEW TERMS FOR "18+" AND "GOOD’OK" SERVICES

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
24.07.2009 14:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ VivaCell company introduces new terms for 18+" and
"GOOD’OK" services. Subscribers to "GOOD’OK" service can from now on
record their own voice messages and use them as ring back tones. Price
for recording 1 message is AMD 495. Maximum duration of 1 recorded
message is 1 minute; validity period is 30 days.

Besides, beginning August 1, 2009, subscribers to "18+" service can
use wap.odnoklassniki.ru at a lowered tariff, by paying AMD 18/MB.

DO NOT ARREST SUKIASIAN

A1+
23 July 2009

The Heritage Party issued a statement today which runs in part:
"By the detention of Nikol Pashinian, editor-in-chief of Haykakan
Zhamanak daily, the government again proved that they are guided by
narrow-mindedness and personal vendetta.

The Heritage will keep considering the detention of Nikol Pashinian
and other political prisoners as the continuation of political vendetta
and as a fact of ignoring PACE commitments. The government’s criminal
indifference towards the health condition of Zhamanak Yerevan’s editor
Arman Babajanian is a manifestation of cruel attitude.

The Heritage is also concerned that the government is going to arrest
Armenian parliamentarian Khachatur Sukiasian if the latter decides
to come out of hiding while, in reality, the government has no legal
grounds for the arrest.

The Heritage demands that the government follow the appeal of
Armenian journalists and release political prisoners, including Arman
Babajanian, who has serious health problems. The Party also urges
the government not to arrest NA MP Khachatur Sukiasian if the latter
decides to surrender to law-enforcers.

PHYSICS: RESEARCHERS AT YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY RELEASE NEW DATA ON PHYSICS

Science Letter
July 21, 2009

"Spin-orbit coupling-induced anisotropies of plasmon dynamics
are investigated in two-dimensional semiconductor structures,"
investigators in Yerevan, Armenia report (see also Physics).

"The interplay of the linear Bychkov-Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit
interactions drastically affects the plasmon spectrum: the dynamical
structure factor exhibits variations over several decades, prohibiting
plasmon propagation in specific directions. While this plasmon
filtering makes the presence of spin-orbit coupling in plasmon dynamics
observable, it also offers a control tool for plasmonic devices,"
wrote S.M. Badalyan and colleagues, Yerevan State University.

The researchers concluded: "Remarkably, if the strengths of the two
interactions are equal, not only the anisotropy but all the traces of
the linear spin-orbit coupling in the collective response disappear.."

Badalyan and colleagues published their study in Physical Review B
(Anisotropic plasmons in a two-dimensional electron gas with spin-orbit
interaction. Physical Review B, 2009;79(20):5305).

For additional information, contact S.M. Badalyan, Yerevan State
University, Dept. of Radiophys, 1A Manoukian St., Yerevan 375025,
Armenia.

The publisher of the journal Physical Review B can be contacted
at: American Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, College Pk,
MD 20740-3844, USA.

ARTHUR ABRAHAM SAYS HE MADE ORAL’S COACH TO STOP RING

Panorama.am
17:46 22/07/2009

Undefeated IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham usually arrives
in Armenia after his every match to meet his family members, relatives
and friends.

After his victory over Turkish boxer Makhir Oral, Abraham held
negotiations with "Showtime" TV station to participate in the
tournament organized by them and only after that arrived in
Yerevan. The news conference was scheduled just in the airport but
because of tragic crash of Tehran-Yerevan aircraft it was postponed
and conducted only today in "Armenia Marriott" hotel.

"I wished so much to meet Armenian mass media representatives and
to share my feelings with you, as the match with Turkish Oral was
significant for me psychologically," Arthur Abraham said.

Arthur Abraham had undisputable privilege over the Turkish
boxer. Several times the rival got knockdown but it seemed Abraham
did not want to defeat his rival completely.

"Generally I want to defeat my rival just in the ring. When I do have
such chance I use it without waiting for another one. Oral is a strong
one, he did not want to be defeated. When his coach threw the towel in
the ring I showed it to him to say that it was useless to continue as
it could danger his health. I am not underestimating anybody. I made
my rival’s coaches to understand that they should stop the ring, as
I am in good relations with his coaches and I have trained with Oral
several years ago. I did not want to put his health under threat,"
Abraham said.

NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR OF BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA HANDS HIS CREDENTIALS TO ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN

ARMENPRESS
July 21, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS: Today the newly appointed Ambassador of
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Armenia Ugo Jose Garcia Hernandes
(residence in Moscow) handed his credentials to the Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan.

Armenian presidential press office told Armenpress that congratulating
the diplomat on the occasion of taking the office Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan expressed hope that during his mission the Ambassador
will have his important contribution to the development of relations
of the two countries.

During the conversation following the ceremony of delivering
credentials, issues on the cooperation opportunities in different
spheres between Armenia and Venezuela and on the extension of the
required legal-agreement field have been discussed. A great importance
has been attached to the activation of bilateral cooperation within
the frames of international institutions.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan welcomed the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide by the Venezuelan Parliament 4 years ago.

TWO YOUNG AUSTRALIAN ARMENIANS AMONG VICTIMS OF TU-154 PLANE CRASH

Noyan Tapan
July 22, 2009

SYDNEY, JULY 22, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Two young citizens
of Australia, brother and sister Arin and Ani Apcarians were among
the victims of TU-154 plane crash flying from Tehran to Yerevan.

Arin, who was the elder, was a medical student at Westmead Hospital,
and Ani was studying child care and at the same time gaining volunteer
experience in that field at the Hamazkaine Toumanian Saturday School.

The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) joins
the Armenian community worldwide in honoring and remembering the
168 victims of the air disaster and joining the Armenian-Australian
community, which mourns especially over the loss of two young persons.

A memorial service for Arin and Ani Apcarian will be held at the
Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection on 22 July evening.

PROCESS OF ACQUIRING ARMENIAN CITIZENSHIP GATHERS MOMENTUM

Noyan Tapan
July 21, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 21, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. 2,420 persons
acquired citizenship of the Republic of Armenia in the first half
of 2009, which was more than in the period from 1997 to 2007, Head
of the Passport and Visa Department of RA Police, Lieutenant Colonel
Norayr Muradkhanian announced.

He explained that the process of granting RA citizenship began in 1997
when the by-laws ensuring the application of the Law on Citizenship of
the Republic of Armenia (passed in 1995) took force. 1,735 citizens
received RA citizenship in 1997-2007. It was mentioned that in the
indicated period the institution of dual citizenship was not valid,
and those receiving RA citizenship were obliged to give up their
citizenship of the other country.

N. Muradkhanian added that dual citizenship was permitted after
the amendments to the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Armenia
were adopted in February 2007, while in November 2007 the Armenian
government approved a decision regulating the process of acquiring RA
citizenship. 1,554 persons received RA citizenship, including status
of dual citizen, in 2008.

N. Muradkhanian said that citizens of 23 countries, including 177 from
Russia, 34 from Uzbekistan, 21 from Turkmenistan, 38 from Iraq, 42
from Iran, 16 from the U.S, and 23 from Syria received RA citizenship
in recent years.

In 2007 there were no cases when an application for receiving RA
citizenship was rejected. 10 applications were rejected in 2008,
9 applications were rejected in the first half of 2009.

According to Head of the Department for Pardon, Citizenship, Awards
and Titles of the RA Presidential Staff Jemma Hakobian, decisions
on granting stay permits to 40-60 persons are now taken twice a
week. Decisions on granting RA citizenship to up to 600 persons are
taken twice a month.