Author: Felekian Ara

ABDULVAHABOV: "I INFORMED AZERBAIJAN AND USSR KGB ABOUT ARMENIANS PLAN"

Today, Azerbaijan
Oct 25 2006

Court of Grave Crimes today continued the trial of the gang led by
Haji Mammadov, former high ranking official of the Interior Ministry
Crime Investigation Department.

26 members of the gang stand trial presided by Judge Ali Seyfaliyev.

Defendant Ibrahim Bagirov answered lawyer Adil Ismayilov’s questions
on the murder of criminalist Rovshan Aliyev.

He said that he planned to meet with Haji Mammadov that day, but they
could not meet, APA reports.

Then Agil Huseynov, deputy chairman of International Bank Sebayel
branch gave free testimony and found himself innocent. He said that
he gave a credit illegally by Elchin Aliyev’s order.

The third defendant Hussain Abdulvahabov gave testimony about his
visit to Azerbaijani.

"I brought my family to Azerbaijan because of the war in Chechnya. My
brother Sidek Abdulvahabov also lived here. I wanted to go back to
Chechnya, but the border was closed. I always wanted to work in favour
of Azerbaijan. I informed USSR and Azerbaijan KGB (State Security
Committee) about Armenian’s plan to occupy Nagorno Karabakh a year
before the war," he said.

Abdulvahabov accused the court of a loyal attitude to Haji Mammadov.

"Haji blames me in his testimonies. But the court does not let me to
clarify the accusations," he said.

The trial will continue with Abdulvahabov’s testimony in the second
half of the day.

URL:

FROM PASTERNAK TO PAMUK, THE NOBEL AWARD FOR LITERATURE HAS HAD POLITICAL SUB-PLOTS
Eunice de Souza

Mumbai Mirror, India
Oct 25 2006

>From time to time we hear that the Nobel Prize for Literature has been
awarded for "political reasons." Governments which say this usually
mean that there was an ulterior motive for giving the prize to one
of their critics. Ordinary people who say this normally mean that,
other things being equal, a particular writer has been chosen at a
particular time to draw attention to a problem or a crisis in his
country of origin.

Pasternak, who won the prize in 1957, gained a great reputation in the
West, but was reviled in the Soviet Union. The diplomat K P S Menon,
who was posted in Soviet Russia at the time, describes the event and
the abuse which followed. Pasternak was described as "a pig which
fouls its own sty", and an official said it "would be an insult to
a pig to be compared with Pasternak." The Americans thought of the
prize as a "slap in the face for Communism, for Dr Zhivago, which
is a saga of the revolutionary period , is by no means an euology of
the revolution." Eventually, Pasternak declined the prize, because,
as he said, "of the meaning attached to it in the community in which
I live." In a moving letter Pasternak wrote to Khrushchev, he said,
"For me emigration is impossible. I am bound to Russia by my birth,
life and work. I cannot think of existence separately and outside
her. Whatever may be my mistakes and delusions, I could not have
imagined that I would find myself in the centre of such a political
campaign as is being carried on around my name in the West." In the
end, he was not forced into exile, but allowed to continue in peace.

But when he died, it was some days before newspapers mentioned the
fact. Members of the Writers’ Union did not attend the funeral,
but hundreds of students recited his verses at his grave.

Where Harold Pinter was concerned, it was generally thought that it
was because of his campaign against the war in Iraq and all the lies
that had justified it. In fact, Pinter has campaigned against a great
many things, the Nato bombing of Kosovo, the abuse of human rights in
Turkey and many others. He visited Turkey with Arthur Miller in 1985,
and the highlight of his trip is said to be the moment he was thrown
out of the US embassy in Ankara. His biographer Michael Billington
writes, "Pinter remains to his credit, a permanent public nuisance,
a questioner of accepted truths, both in life and art. In fact, the
two persistently inter-act." True, but the plays are full of silences,
and the political speeches passionately articulate. Pinter’s Nobel
Prize speech, Art, Truth and Politics says that politicians quite
naturally have no interest in the truth, but if we are to survive
with dignity, "defining the real truth of our lives and societies is
a crucial obligation."

And now, Orhan Pamuk. Unsurprisingly, given his criticism of the
Turkish government’s refusal to call the massacre of the Armenians
genocide, Armenian writers were extremely happy that he won the
prize. A spokesman said it was "both a literature prize and about
morality." In Turkey, however, he was thought to have "blatantly
belittled Turkishness." The case against him was dropped only because
of Turkey’s hopes of joining the EU. Again, Pamuk has been known
for years. Perhaps the Nobel committee chose this year because of
the worsening Islam-West conflict. "No other writer addresses that
relationship with such humanity and wit," a journalist said when the
prize was announced, while another said it was "a rare if conspicuous
convergence of political motivation with literary merit."

MUTUAL INSULTS ON COMMERCIAL ISSUES

A1+
[05:55 pm] 24 October, 2006

Today, once more Viktor Dallakyan blamed Dashnaktsutyun Party
which didn’t participate in the voting of his proposal to shift to
100-percent proportional system. In his words, Dashnaktsutyun is
engaged in commerce as they were promised majoritarian seats.

Gagik Avetisyan, deputy from OYP, suggested applying certain coding
system during the elections. Other deputies also expressed their
opinions in this respect.

PRESS RELEASE
ARMENIAN RELIEF SOCIETY,INC
Hamesd Beugekian
80 Bigelow Avenue
Watertown MA, 02427
Tel: 617-926 5892
Fax: 617-926 4855
E-mail: [email protected]

ARS Members Worldwide Join Together
to Commemorate
ARS Armenia’s 15th Anniversary

Event Coincides with the 3rd Republic’s Anniversary Celebrations

Members and supporters of the Armenian Relief Society recently concluded
a two week celebration of the ARS Armenia region’s 15th anniversary of
operation within the Homeland and joined their compatriots to
commemorate the coinciding 15th anniversary of the 3rd Republic of
Armenia.

Commemorative tours, celebrations, and visitations and a day long
conference dominated the Sept. 15-27 celebration. Activities were based
in Yerevan and included visits to Artsakh and Javakhq.

Months in the planning, the tour and anniversary celebration were held
under the auspices of the ARS, Inc. international Central Executive
Board. ARS members and friends attended from the United States,
Canada, France, Argentina, Australia, Italy, Germany, Lebanon, Syria,
England, Cyprus, Greece, Javakhq, Artsakh, and Armenia.

At the same time, the nine members ARS Central Executive Board (CEB)
held a full Board meeting, focusing particularly on its programs within
Armenia, Artsakh, and Javakhk. The ARS CEB and ARS members and
supporters were also present at the Sept. 18-20 Third Armenia-Diaspora
Conference sponsored by the Republic of Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs where CEB Chairwoman Hasmig Derderian presented the ARS’s
message to the hundreds of attending representatives and observers.

The ARS Armenia 15th anniversary commemorative activities were organized
by the ARS Armenia Regional Executive Board. A description of the
highlights of the two week ARS celebration follows.

Tour of Armenia’s Historical Sites and Special Events

Members of the ARS 15th anniversary celebration tour were treated to
visits around Armenia, giving the first time visitor a superb overall
view of the country and keeping the repeat visitor interested and awed.
The tour was organized by Menua Tours of Yerevan.

The tour began on Sept. 15 with a visit to Yerablur, Soseh Mairik’s
tomb, Yerebuni, and a driving tour of Yerevan. On Sept. 17, tourists
visited Ejmiatzin cathedral and monastery in the morning and Sardarabad
and its museum in the afternoon. The day concluded at the Sundukian
Theater with the performance of "Yes mi Tzar em Tzirani," by former ARS
CEB member and ARS Armenian Regional Executive Chairperson Alvard
Petrosyan. Garni’s 2nd century pagan temple and Geghard’s ancient
monastery were on the agenda for Sept. 18, along with visits to three
schools sponsored by the ARS for children with developmental
disabilities.

On Sept. 20, the ARS tour group visited Ashtarak, Mughni, Saghmosavanq,
and Amberd, marveling at the ancient architecture. From Sept. 24-27,
tourists were able to visit Artsakh, taking in the ancient historical
sites and visiting ARS sponsored ‘Soseh’ kindergartens in the various
villages throughout the country. The Artsakh trip was followed by a two
day visit to Javakhq, where the ARS group was able to see the fruits of
the Society’s labors in bringing educational, medical, and social
stability to Javakhq’s population in the form of a clinic, offices, and
educational facilities. ARS members were also present for a ribbon
cutting ceremony held on Sept. 25 upon the opening of a long-awaited
youth center in Javakhq.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Unveils New CAT Scan Machine at
ARS Mother and Child Clinic and Birthing Center

On September 16, the ARS group visited the ARS Mother and Child Clinic
and Birthing Center, as well as the ARS Nigol Aghbalian School, both in
Gyumri. ARS CEB members recessed their meeting to visit the former
earthquake-stricken area with the group.

The ARS Nigol Aghbalian School was the first stop, where tour buses were
waved in by students holding bright red, blue and orange papers in the
spirit of the coming Sept. 21 15th anniversary Independence Day
celebrations. School Principal Khanum Babigian greeted the visitors and
directed students in singing and recitations for the crowd. ARS, Inc.
CEB member Shakeh Basmajian offered greetings from the CEB and praised
the schoolteachers and the 300 students for their dedication to learning
and educational improvement.

The next stop was the nearby ARS Mother and Child Clinic and Birthing
Center, where the group toured the maternity ward which opened in April
2005. The state of the art facility has now overseen the births of
nearly 1,500 babies, including one premature week old child in an
incubator who was born at 1 kilo and needed to gain a normal weight of
2.5 kilos before going home.

A highlight of the visit was a red ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil a
new CAT scan machine and newly renovated clinic space dedicated to
scanning and mammography. The CAT scan machine was donated by the
French S.O.S. and arranged by Dr. Samson O.Z. Ararat of France. The
machine is the only CAT scan machine outside of Yerevan and will serve
the entire northern region of Armenia, reaching into Javakhq. There are
only six such machines in Yerevan, a 120 kilometer drive from Gyumri.

"This gift will increase the flow of patients and the quality of care
in the region," said ARS Clinic Executive Director Dr. Sevag Avagian.
The donation will allow the ARS clinic to expand its medical services
and reach more patients in a cost effective manner.

ARS CEB Chairperson Hasmig Derderian and Dr. Ararat shared in the ribbon
cutting duties and happily shook hands to commemorate a new step in
ARS-provided health care in Gyumri and beyond.

The CAT scan machine joins another new addition to the ARS clinic’s
services: an ambulance. Complete with the ARS’s logo, the new ambulance
provides a unique and much needed service to the inhabitants of the
former earthquake region in an area which is second in population only
to Yerevan.

The day ended with a mandatory meeting between the ARS CEB and executive
board representatives from 15 ARS entities, where information and ideas
were exchanged in a spirit of cooperation. A question and answer period
followed between the CEB and the regional and chapter representatives.
The evening concluded with a reception for members hosted by the ARS
Armenia Regional Executive.

The ARS at the Third Armenia-Diaspora Conference

The ARS CEB and ARS members from various entities attended the opening
ceremonies of the Republic of Armenia Ministry of Foreign Affair’s Third
Armenia-Diaspora Conference. The conference was attended by hundreds of
delegates and observers from around the world and held at the Karen
Demirchian Sports Concert Center, Yerevan.

Prominent political parties and non profit organizations were invited to
sit at the round table and offer remarks in the spirit of the conference
topic at hand which focused on revitalizing Armenia’s rural areas in the
coming years to begin a spread of prosperity and stability outside of
central Yerevan.

In her well received remarks, ARS CEB Chairwoman Hasmig Derderian
emphasized the ARS’s plan to contribute to rural revitalization by
replicating its premiere Artsakh Sosseh Kindergarten program and
bringing it to Armenia. Derderian also noted that ARS entities and
members will contribute to the organized Armenia rural revitalization
effort through its participation in community projects around the world.
(See elsewhere in this publication for Derderian’s full remarks).

Visit to ARS Armenia’s New Dilijan Camp

The ARS group stopped to enjoy Lake Sevan and her ancient monasteries on
the way to see the ARS Armenia’s new camp in Dilijan. Dilijan is known
for its restful atmosphere and crystal clean air.

ARS Armenia is planning for the camp to be used by ARS, youth, and other
groups in the coming months as renovations on the camp’s two buildings
are completed. The two buildings include sleeping rooms, a cafeteria,
kitchen, and meeting rooms.

The project was financed by the Republic of Greece’s Hellenic Aid
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Reconstruction of the sanatorium building
was finance by the Greek non-governmental organization, Development
Cooperation & Solidarity (DCS).

The ARS group also visited the 10th century St. Grigor Lusavorich Church
in Dilijan, which is still active. Father Sasun Zunrughian invited the
group to partake of the traditional offering of bread dipped in salt and
proceeded to conduct a short religious ceremony in the St. Astvatzatzin
Church. Dilijan Mayor Armen Santrossian also welcomed the ARS group and
described some of the many highpoints of Dilijan.

The day concluded with a lavish lunch offered by the ARS Dilijan
Chapter, whose Chairperson, Esma Zargarian, welcomed guests to break
bread with her chapter’s members.

"The ARS in the Service of Armenians and Armenia"

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the ARS’s official presence in
Armenia, the ARS CEB organized a daylong conference, "The ARS in the
Service of Armenians and Armenia." The event was held on Sept. 22 at
the Hotel Marriott Armenia, Yerevan.

The conference opened with remarks by ARS Armenia Regional Executive
Chairwoman Alvard Petrosyan, who is a former ARS CEB member and a member
of the Armenian National Assembly.

Petrosyan welcomed prominent guests who attended the conference and
invited ARS CEB Chairwoman Hasmig Derderian to give the conference
address. Welcoming remarks were offered by Vice Speaker of the Armenian
National Assembly, Vahan Hovhannisyan and UN Children’s Fund Director,
Rights of the Child, Children of Special Needs Program Nayira Avetisyan.
Armenian National Assembly member and Chairman on the Standing
Committee on Foreign Relations Armen Rustamyan spoke on "The World at
Large and the ARS as a Pan-Armenian Organization."

Vehanoush Margaryan, Director of the ARS, Inc. Yerevan Central Office
and Sponsor a Child program and ARS Inc.’s Coordinator of Special
Programs in Armenia, Anna Mnatsakanyan, presented "ARS Achievements in
Armenia." Director of ARS Inc. Health Programs in Armenia, Dr. Sevag
Avagyan, discussed "ARS Health Programs."

The presentations were followed by lunch and a panel discussion on "ARS
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." ARS CEB secretary Mayda Melkonian
introduced the panel topic and the importance of having a realistic and
open discussion on the issue. ARS CEB member Tamar Der Bedrossian
introduced the panelists and moderated the subsequent discussion.
Former ARS CEB Chairwoman Vanouhi Issadjanian spoke on "The ARS
Yesterday;" Nanor Hreshdakian of the ARS Syria region spoke on "The ARS
Today;" and Lilit Hovhanisyan of the ARS Armenia region and Nyree
Derderian of the ARS Western USA region spoke on "The ARS Tomorrow."

Issadjanian described the ARS’s role in the history of Armenia and the
Armenian people from its establishment in 1910. "It’s impossible to
understand the present or future without knowing the past," she noted.

Hreshdakian added, "There are organizations that have existed for a
short time and organ-izations that are founded and thrive in the
community that last." Reflecting on the Third Armenia-Diaspora
Conference held earlier in the week, Hreshdakian observed, "The ARS is
an excellent example of an organization that works together in the
Diaspora and in the Homeland."

Hovhanisyan focused on the important ARS work that young people are
fueling in Armenia today, including issues focused on the human
trafficking of women and children. Derderian introduced bold ideas for
shaking up the ARS, including one set of uniform bylaws throughout the
ARS’s and consideration of an elected, but paid, chief executive
officer, similar to an organizational structure used by some nonprofit
organizations in the West.

The panel discussion was lively, as was the question and answer
discussion which followed. Conference attendees discussed interaction
among the generations, the process of implementing new ideas to attract
new members, and the roadblocks members sometimes encounter when they
propose bold, but untested methods to the Society. The conference was
inspired by the testimonials of young ARS leaders in Armenia. The
conference ended with the presentation of gifts from the ARS CEB to the
four panelists.

15th Anniversary Events Hosted by ARS Armenia

The ARS Armenia Regional Executive hosted a 15th anniversary gala dinner
on Sept. 22 and 15th anniversary concert on Sept. 23. The events were
attended by political dignitaries and guests.

The gala dinner was held at Bellagio Restaurant and was an evening
filled with food, music, and dancing. A raffle was held to benefit the
ARS Armenia and the night concluded with the singing of patriotic songs.

The concert was held at Sundukian Theater and was hosted by ARS Armenia
Regional Executive Chairwoman Alvard Petrosyan. Present were Armenia’s
First Lady, Dr. Bella Kocharian and Baroness Caroline Cox.

Congratulatory remarks were offered by ARF Bureau Chairman, Hrand
Margaryan, Armenian National Assembly President, Tigran Torosian,
Armenia Fund Executive Director, Naira Melcumyan, ARS Artsakh Chapter
Chairperson, Nelly Choulian, ARS Javakhk Chapter Chairwoman, Garineh
Tatevosian, and ARS CEB Chairperson, Hasmig Derderian.

A powerful film was shown of the ARS Armenia’s tumultuous first15 years,
documenting the Society’s active role in providing aid to the 1988
earthquake victims, giving medical care to those who were wound-ed or
fell in the battle for Artsakh, donating resources for the building of
medical and educational facilities, and supporting social and
educational programs for the betterment of Armenia’s men, women and
children.

A musical program followed, combining the joy of the ARS Armenia’s 15th
anniversary with the joy of the Republic of Armenia’s same 15-year
milestone. Singer Shushan Petrosian and Aved Parseghyan introduced the
entertainers who included Petrosyan herself, as well as Mikayel
Boghosyan, Armen Movsisyan, Layla Saribekyan, Hasmig Karapetian, David
Amalyan, and Aida Sarksyan and dance group "Agoonk." It was an
emotional and inspiring night of remembrance for the ARS’s past
contributions to the Republic’s first years and a night of hope for all
that the ARS plans to bring for Armenia’s future.

____________________________________

The ARS is the oldest continuing women’s organization in the world.
Learn more about the ARS or how to make a donation to help the Society
continue its important work by visiting , calling (617)
926-5892,or emailing [email protected].
________________________ ____________

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN TO MEET IN PARIS ON OCTOBER 24

AZG Armenian Daily
24/10/2006

The Press Service of RA Foreign Ministry informed that Vartan Oskanian,
RA Foreign Minister, and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mamediarov
are to meet in Paris on October 24.

It’s known that before the meeting of the foreign ministers,
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are going to hold consultations on
October 23. Yuri Merzliakov, OSCE MG Russian Co-Chair, told Trend
Agency earlier.

Besides, on the same day, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy
is going to meet with Elmar Mamediarov. It is envisaged that he will
meet with Vartan Oskanian on October 24.

It’s worth mentioning that before arriving in Paris, Mr. Oskanian
visited Nagorno Karabakh and met with its President and Foreign
Minister.

SOPHIE AUDOIN-MAMIKONIAN, PETITE SOEUR DE HARRY POTTER
Anne Fulda

Le Figaro, France
20 octobre 2006

Elle a des airs de petite fille sous sa frange blonde. S’enthousiasme
quand elle evoque les traits de caractère de ses personnages, Tara
Duncan, bien sûr, son heroïne, mais aussi le chien Manitou ou le
demi-elfe Robin. Elle est francaise, d’origine russo-armenienne,
mais pourrait etre americaine. Sa manière de travailler, les quatre
heures par jour qu’elle consacre pour repondre a ses " fans qui lui
ecrivent sur son site Internet (parmi les 20 sites les plus visites
en France), sa facon de raisonner aussi, font en effet de Sophie
Audoin-Mamikonian un auteur a part dans le paysage editorial francais.

Tout d’abord parce que cette femme appartient au club très ferme
des " auteurs jeunesse ", un " ghetto " en France regrette l’auteur
qui defend la cause de ses pairs. Et ajoute, manière de souligner
le manque de reconnaissance mediatique dont elle souffrirait :
" Je vends pourtant plus que Christine Angot. "

À part, Sophie Audoin-Mamikonian l’est egalement a cause de la
franchise qui la caracterise. Cette veritable princesse en jeans,
heritière d’un royaume qui n’existe plus, mais toujours solidaire
de la cause armenienne, appelle un chat un chat, et elle ne se cache
pas derrière son petit doigt pour parler de ses objectifs de vente :
vendre plus, a l’instar de Harry Potter, " la " reference. Une chimère
? Pas sûr. Tara Duncan a en effet de nombreux supporters. Les trois
premiers tomes du livre (dix doivent etre publies d’ici a 2013) ont
deja ete traduits en douze langues et ont rassemble quelque 500 000
lecteurs dans le monde. Autre preuve du succès de l’heroïne : il y a
près de deux semaines, la dedicace organisee par le magasin Virgin,
a l’occasion de la parution du quatrième tome de ses aventures, a
entraîne une affluence record sur les Champs-Elysees : cinq heures
de queue, 930 dedicaces de l’auteur, reste " scotche " a sa chaise
pendant près de six heures et demi.

Indeniablement, la mère de famille, qui recoit avec beaucoup de
gentillesse dans son appartement de Neuilly, est donc ce que l’on
a coutume d’appeler un phenomène editorial. Elle a de qui tenir :
Tristan Bernard est son arrière-grand-oncle, Francis Veber, le frère
de sa mère, et son arrière-grand-père, Pierre-Gilles Veber, a ecrit
Fanfan la tulipe.

–Boundary_(ID_s0YLGFUVsHgmKRYOvHBnGQ)–

STARTING NOVEMBER 1 PASSENGERS OF ZVARTNOTS AIRPORT TO BE CHARGED
SAFETY PAYMENTS

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. Starting November 1, a new safety
payment of 2 euros will be charged from leaving, arriving and transit
passengers at Zvartnots Airport. Gayane Davtian, spokeswoman for the
RA Civil Aviation Main Department, told NT correspondent that this
decision was made based on ICAO rules. According to the same source,
ICAO and other aviation organizations proposed that airports use new
passenger and plane safety technologies in connection with the fight
against terrorism. Particularly, fingerprint identifying devices
will be used at Zvartnots Airport from November 1. It was noted that
the airport manager took an obligation that from January 1, 2007,
Zvartnots Airport will have a rescue and a firefighting detachments
on duty with all necessary modern equipment.

San Francisco Chronicle
Oct 21 2006

REVIEW
She’s got the singing down, but audience must trust that Galas has
the right words

Joshua Kosman, Chronicle Music Critic

Saturday, October 21, 2006

For nearly three decades, the avant-garde vocalist and composer
Diamanda Galas has been a pitiless virtuoso of two emotional realms:
rage and grief. Given the state of things, she doesn’t look ready to
run out of material anytime soon.

Galas returned to the Bay Area on Thursday after a long absence with
an evening-length work that was at once new and wrenchingly familiar.

"Defixiones: Orders From the Dead," an 80-minute memorial tribute to
the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian victims of the Turkish genocide,
deploys all the darkly expressionistic musical resources in her
considerable arsenal — from operatic shrieks to guttural growls,
with stops in between for lullabies, ululations and simple (and
not-so-simple) recitation.

Appearing in the first of two shows at the Yerba Buena Center for the
Arts Theater, Galas used these techniques as she always has, to craft
a dark and theatrically potent howl of defiance and despair. Her work
is not for the faint of heart.

But it’s not necessarily for the uninitiated, either. Galas has a
tried-and-true cohort of devotees happy to applaud her every
undertaking. And "Defixiones," for all its raw urgency, has a
somewhat hermetic air of ritual that suggests she is playing
increasingly to the fan base.

Though it’s been in the works for at least seven years, the piece has
a certain odd timeliness. It comes on the heels of the politically
charged decision to award the Nobel Prize for literature to Turkish
novelist Orhan Pamuk, as well as France’s passage of a law making it
a crime to deny the Armenian genocide.

But Galas seems reluctant to open her work rhetorically to the point
where specific content could register with an audience. In
"Defixiones" (the title refers to warnings printed on gravestones
against moving the remains of the dead), there are texts in Armenian,
Greek, Assyrian and Turkish as well as English.

Listeners not conversant in those tongues can read the translations
ahead of time (once the show begins, sepulchral darkness prevails).
But in performance, it’s hard to interpret the show as anything more
concrete than an extended requiem for the unknown dead.

This issue of textual transparency has not always interfered with the
impact of Galas’ artistry. In her earlier works — particularly the
extravagantly showy pieces of the early ’80s such as "Wild Women With
Steak Knives" and the extraordinary "Panoptikon," or the AIDS "Plague
Mass" that consumed her through the rest of that decade — Galas
often mingled multilingual texts with abandon. The poetry of
Baudelaire rubbed elbows with the Bible and the blues.

But in those pieces, poetic texts were used as fodder for musical and
vocal pyrotechnics. What mattered was not the exact words, but the
electrifying, almost physically present dance of sounds that Galas
crafted out of them.

In "Defixiones," by contrast, the untranslated texts — poems, oral
testimony, news reports, Turkish propaganda — are right at the
forefront. Galas sings or declaims them with exemplary diction, as
though the audience needed to catch every word. The thought of
supertitles has never seemed so alluring.

In the absence of any concrete sense, the audience is left simply to
marvel at the unstoppable force and virtuosity of Galas’ own
exertions.

There are bursts of extended vocalism — gibbering, screeching,
caterwauling — that recall her early works. There are swooping
melismas done in pure operatic style and the raspy whisper that seems
to come from beyond the grave.

At a few junctures, Galas relocates to the grand piano to accompany
herself on bluesy numbers or let loose with a few Lisztian keyboard
runs. She recites one poem while stamping rhythmically in a sort of
flamenco of death; she ends the evening kneeling, as if in
supplication.

It’s all undeniably gripping, in a Grand Guignol sort of way. All it
needs is for Galas to deign to let the audience in.

Diamanda Galas: "Defixiones: Orders From the Dead" repeats at 8 p.m.
today at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, 700 Howard St.
Tickets: $19-$35. Call (415) 978-2787 or go to

WHEN ELITE NEEDS PAPER

Lragir.am
20 Oct 06

The Armenian government has decided to make pro-active efforts to
develop an innovative economy. This perfectly fits into the economic
policy, which is written on paper and entitled the action plan of the
government of the Republic of Armenia. But we know that the ruling
elite of Armenia is not fond of papers, and remembers about them when
utter, we may even say, vital necessity occurs. Ostensibly, utter,
even vital necessity has occurred that the government, remembering
paper, started thinking about developing an innovative economy.

The ministry of trade and economic development is supposed to make
efforts in this direction. The minister is Republican. A major part
of our economy is in the hands of the Republicans, mostly the members
of the Council. And it is necessary to start building an innovative
economy together with these members. It means that their bakeries,
markets, wineries and canneries, poultry farms, trade centers,
restaurants, hotels, petrol and gas filling stations, fixed-route
minivans, taxi services, everything should be based on innovative
technologies.

Innovation is certainly good, and very few people in the world will
support the contrary opinion and rack their brains covered with a
socialist crust to say that it is possible to develop the country on
the basis of the Soviet industrial technology. But in this particular
case it is easier to understand the opinion of these few people than
those people who have decided to spur the development of an innovative
economy. Innovation makes companies more competitive on the world
market but it also requires great investments, spending a lot of
money. In the beginning this is inevitable because modern technologies
are an underlying and essential component of an innovative economy.

In other words, the Council of the Republican Party owning a
considerable part of the Armenian economy is facing the necessity of
technological modernization, of course, if it is likely to implement
or help implement the decision of the native government, the efforts
of which are laid on the shoulders of the Republican minister. There
is a big problem, however. The Republican minister perhaps knows and
the other ministers also know that they voted for the decision of
spurring an innovative economy. Robert Kocharyan, who chaired the
meeting of the government, knows this too. The burden of fostering
the development of an innovative economy is lying on the shoulder
of the Republican minister, whereas the burden of a "free, fair and
transparent" election is on the back of bearers of this economy.

They have to contribute to the slush funds, then spend money for
themselves, while the Bargavach Hayastan Party is distributing aid
and operating free of charge all the time. In other words, before
competition on the world market, the economy-loving members of the
Republican Council, who possess almost all the spheres of the Armenian
economy, have to think about competition for power.

Meanwhile, their decision to develop an innovative economy pushes
them into a dilemma. They have to invest their money in either "clean"
industrial technologies, or "dirty" pre-election technologies. On the
other hand, they realize that in reality they have no choice because
in Armenia industrial technology is null or becomes null when one
loses in the pre-election "technological" race.

Consequently, it is difficult to think that those businessmen will
invest money in innovative technologies if they badly need the money
before the election. In other words, it is clear that over the upcoming
seven or eight months and for another few months the economy and the
businessmen will have no wish to make innovative steps. And it means
that for at least another year it will remain on paper until vital
necessity occurs to remember it.

HAKOB BADALYAN

WILL ARA ABRAHAMYAN BACK VAZGEN MANUKYAN?

Lragir, Armenia
Oct 19 2006

During his recent visit to Yerevan the president of the Union of
Armenians of Russia Ara Abrahamyan announced that in 2003 he backed
a number of political forces running for parliament. And since Ara
Abrahamyan also announced that he would back a political force in 2007,
and recently he has been often seen with the leader of the National
Democratic Union Vazgen Manukyan, we tried to find out during the
October 19 news conference if Ara Abrahamyan backed him in 2003 and
if he is likely to support him in 2007.

"For me, Ara Abrahamyan is first of all the brother of my close
friend. He is Gagik Abrahamyan’s brother. Gagik Abrahamyan’s family
and my family became close at the time of the first parliament. In
this sense, we have always been close, but you could have judged by
the results if there was backing or not. As for 2007, I do not know
what plans Ara Abrahamyan has," says Vazgen Manukyan. The impression is
that Ara Abrahamyan does not pursue political aims but national aims,
therefore Vazgen Manukyan finds it difficult to say something definite.