ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/16/2006
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1) Kocharian Condemns Racially-Motivated Killings of Armenians in Russia
2) EU Feuds with Turkey over Cyprus Trade
3) Parliament Members Voice Concerns on Recent Violence in Russia
4) Armenian International Jewelers~R Association Meets in Yerevan
5) Paul Krekorian to Speak at Debut of Armenian Documentary
6) Krekorian Wins Election despite Vicious Anti-Armenian Hate Mail
7) Charges Filed by Turkish Student against UC Irvine ASA Dropped
8) More Bush BS
9) ARS Honors Outstanding Armenian Graduates from Public High Schools
10 ) An Old, Sad Story: Armenian genocide measure bottled up in
Congress–again
11) SPANISH GAME DEFEATED BY ARMENIAN GAMBIT
12) Iran~Rs Andranik Teymourian Prepared to Face Portugal in World Cup
1) Kocharian Condemns Racially-Motivated Killings of Armenians in Russia
(RFE/RL)Officials in Yerevan are placing timid pressure on Moscow to prevent
further racist killings of ethnic Armenian residents of Russia, with President
Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister Andranik Markarian raising the issue
with a
visiting Russian senior official on Friday.
Kocharian and Markarian both told President Vladimir Putin~Rs
representative to
southern Russia, Dmitry Kozak, that they expect tougher action against Russian
neo-Nazi groups responsible for the increasingly serious violence, indicating
their dissatisfaction with measures taken by the Russian authorities so far.
Kocharian said the Russian law-enforcement bodies, widely accused of
inactivity and even participation in the deadly attacks, should act in a more
~Squick, steadfast and understandable~T manner. ~SThe interlocutors condemned
nationalist murders committed in Russia in recent months and noted that
they do
not stem from the interests of Russia and the Russian people,~T his office said
in a press release.
Markarian, for his part, urged Moscow to take ~Sserious steps to identify and
bring the guilty to justice as well as to avert more such incidents.~T
At least six ethnic Armenians have been beaten, stabbed or shot to death this
year in a wave of xenophobic extremism targeting dark-skinned immigrants from
the Caucasus, Central Asia and Africa in Russia. The Russian authorities~R
failure to solve the majority of the crimes has been increasingly raising
eyebrows in Armenia, contributing to the erosion of a traditionally strong
pro-Russian sentiment there.
The Armenian government has been attacked by local civic groups, opposition
parties and prominent intellectuals for its reluctance to bring the Kremlin to
task. Kocharian~Rs and Markarian~Rs remarks were apparently Yerevan~Rs first
high-level criticism of Moscow~Rs handling of the violence. They came the day
after an official announcement that senior diplomats from the two countries
will hold a special meeting in the Russian capital on the issue later this
month.
According to Markarian~Rs press service, while condemning the racist murders,
Kozak said that ~Sthey are not specifically directed against Armenians~T and
that
~Sthe Russian authorities are doing everything to solve and rule out such
crimes.~T He also cited a ~Sgood treatment~T of hundreds of thousands of
Armenians
living in Russia~Rs southern regions.
However, reports of vandals desecrating Armenian churches and cemeteries in
the area have not been uncommon in recent years, and at least one of the local
governors, Aleksandr Tkachev of the Krasnodar Region, has irked Armenian
community leaders and Russian human rights activists in the past with racist
statements.
Kozak, who was accompanied by Russian regional officials, also discussed with
the Armenian leaders economic cooperation between Armenia and southern Russia.
Kocharian and Markarian pointed to the persisting high transportation costs
involved in bilateral trade, with the latter urging the Russians to do more to
restore rail communication between Russia and Armenia via Georgia.
Kocharian was quoted by his press office as noting with satisfaction that the
lack of ~Sefficient transport communication~T between the two countries does not
prevent Russian companies from ~Splaying an increasingly large role~T in the
Armenian economy.
2) EU Feuds with Turkey over Cyprus Trade
(Combined sources)–European Union leaders feuded with Turkey over its EU
entry
bid, threatening to halt the Turkish government’s quest for membership only
days after the start of negotiations.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, rejected demands from
European leaders for it to open its borders to Greek-Cypriot shipping by the
end of the year, prompting leaders such as French President Jacques Chirac to
warn of a breakdown in ties. Turkey’s trade embargo against EU member Cyprus
~Swill put in doubt its capacity to proceed with the enlargement process,~T
Chirac said after an EU summit in Brussels on Friday.
Turkey declared on Friday it was prepared to abandon EU membership
negotiations rather than open its ports and airports to Cyprus.
In one of his strongest statements to date, Erdogan warned that Turkey would
not move until the EU ends a trade embargo on the "republic of northern
Cyprus", which is recognized by no one but the Turks since their 1974
invasion.
Speaking to the Chamber of Commerce in Istanbul, Erdogan said: "Don’t expect
anything … not on the subject of the ports and airports."
Brussels has warned Ankara that it must open its ports and airports to all EU
countries – including Greek Cyprus – by the end of the year or risk a
disruption of its membership negotiations.
The tough stance adopted by Erdogan showed how Turkey’s EU membership talks
are heading for a crisis in the fall when the European Commission delivers its
annual progress report. Olli Rehn, the European enlargement commissioner, has
warned of a "train crash" unless Turkey opens up its ports and speeds up
reforms on human rights and free speech.
Negotiations got off to a bumpy start on June 12, when Turkey dropped a
last-minute boycott threat after the EU persuaded Cyprus not to press for an
immediate opening of Turkish ports to Cypriot shipping.
~SUnless the isolation imposed on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is
lifted, don’t expect anything from us,~T Erdogan said Friday.
United Nations efforts to reunify the island broke down in 2004 when Greek
Cypriots rejected a UN unification plan that was supported by Turkish Cypriots
and by Erdogan’s government. The EU restricts trade with northern Cyprus.
Turkey’s refusal to allow Cypriot ships into its ports ~Swould be a problem,~T
said Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, who chaired the EU Brussels
meeting. He demanded that Turkey free trade with Cyprus by the end of the
year.
~SIt would be completely wrong to pretend that this is not a huge challenge,~T
European Commission President Jose Barroso said of Turkey’s quest for
membership.
The slowdown of the pace of enlargement reflects animosity in countries such
as France and the Netherlands, which last year threw the EU into political
disarray by vetoing a constitution designed to streamline its decision-making
machinery.
A series of European leaders warned Turkey that it must act unilaterally and
not attempt to link the opening of ports to the lifting of the trade
embargo on
northern Cyprus. Jacques Chirac, the French president, said talks may have to
be suspended unless Turkey acts.
The spat between Ankara and the EU capped one of the worst weeks in
EU-Turkish
relations since membership talks opened last October. Cyprus came close to
derailing the opening of the detailed stage of the talks on Monday when it
demanded that Turkey recognize its half of the island. A crisis was averted
after EU foreign ministers agreed to remind Ankara that it must recognize
Nicosia during the membership negotiations, which could last up to 15 years.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, will outline a detailed set of
proposals
in a year’s time when she holds the EU’s rotating presidency. A deadline for
reaching a decision has been set for the second half of 2008, by which time
France will hold the presidency.
3) Parliament Members Voice Concerns on Recent Violence in Russia
During a briefing on Friday, parliament members voiced their concerns over the
recent violence against Armenians in Russia.
Head of the ARF faction Hrayr Karapetyan said the ARF has presented its deep
concerns to the Russian embassy in Yerevan. He also said that the killings of
Armenians in Russia have nothing to do with Russian state policy. He added,
~SWe
can~Rt understand the logic of the Russian policy.~T He closed his statement by
saying the foreign ministry of Armenia and the Armenian-Russian
intergovernmental commission has a lot to do in this regard.
Head of the Justice faction Stepan Demirchyan, head of the National Unity
Artashes Geghamyan and other deputies also commented on the recent racism and
violence against Armenians in Russia. Demirchyan stated that we must not
tolerate the situation and expect more action taken against the Russian
neo-Nazi groups responsible for the violence.
4) Armenian International Jewelers~R Association Meets in Yerevan
President Robert Kocharian met with the members of the Armenian Jewelers~R
International Association on Friday in Yerevan. Kocharian discussed the future
plans of the association, specifically focusing on the development of the
sector in the present Armenian economy.
In this regard, members of the association presented their proposals and
suggestions. They also revealed their plans to organize an international
jewelry show and conference in Armenia in 2007. They also announced that the
headquarters of the association will be moved to Yerevan.
President Kocharian commended the association for their input in the Armenian
economy and assured that their suggestions will be taken into consideration.
5) Paul Krekorian to Speak at Debut of Armenian Documentary
State Assembly Candidate Paul Krekorian, who just won a hard-fought battle in
the June 6 California Primary Election, will make his first big appearance
since his victory at the debut of the newly-completed documentary, ~SThe Long
Journey from the NFL to Armenia.~T
As an introduction to the film, Krekorian will speak briefly about his
experience visiting Armenia last year, on the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian
genocide.
The film he will be introducing is a story about NFL defensive lineman Rien
Long, only the 4th Armenian-American in 50 years to complete three seasons in
the NFL. In March 2006, the 24 year old, 6~R6,~T 300-pound Tennessee Titan who
sports a tattoo of the Armenian flag on his right arm, traveled to his
ancestral homeland.
Long was joined on his journeyall of which was captured on film–by his
mother
and grandmother; three generations of Armenian Americans ~Sreturning~T to
Armenia
for the first time, since Rien Long~Rs great-grandparents, Toros Vartanian and
Elizabeth Krekorian, fled to America right before the Ottoman Turks began
systematically killing 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1923.
~SThe Long Journey from the NFL to Armenia~T was shot in Karabagh; Nashville,
Tennessee; Eugene, Oregon; Yuba City, Moraga, and Glendale, California;
Moscow,
Idaho; and in more than 10 cities and villages in Armenia.
From Yerevan to Gyumri to Sevan to Karabagh, Long toured historical sites and
visited with the people of Armenia. He even dropped in on Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian, where the conversation dealt more with American football than
Armenian foreign policy.
Among others, stops included: the Genocide Memorial, a maternity clinic in
earthquake-ravaged Akhuryan, Echmiadzin, Erebuni, Garni Temple, Geghard
Monastery, an after-school program for at-risk youth, and Yerablur National
Cemetery, where Long met veterans of the war in Karabagh.
The film will be debut at the Alex Theatre in Glendale on Father~Rs Day,
Sunday, June 18 at 3:00 PM. For more information, you can visit Global
Opportunity Productions at <; or call filmmaker
Peter Musurlian at (818) 500-1234.
6) Krekorian Wins Election despite Vicious Anti-Armenian Hate Mail
By Harut Sassounian
In an unsuccessful attempt to undermine the election of an Armenian American
candidate in the Democratic Primary for the 43rd Assembly District of
California, the California Latino Leadership Fund (CLLF) sent an ugly mailer
last week that tarnished the image of the entire Armenian American community.
The 43rd District includes Glendale, Burbank, North Hollywood, Silver Lake,
Los
Feliz, Griffith Park, Toluca Lake, Atwater Village, and Valley Glen.
Just before last Tuesday’s election, tens of thousands of non-Armenian voters
received postcards as well as phone calls warning them against voting for Paul
Krekorian, a Burbank Board of Education Member, because he was endorsed by the
Armenian National Committee (ANC). The postcards and the phone calls were
clearly meant to scare off the voters by linking Krekorian and the ANC to "a
suspected terrorist." While the postcard, as required by law, mentioned the
name of the group (CLLF) that sent it, the phone call did not identify its
sponsor, in violation of California campaign laws. The phone message
unabashedly stated: "There is no place in the State Assembly for Paul
Krekorian."
On the eve of the primary election, pitting Krekorian against Frank Quintero,
a Glendale City Councilman, the contemptible mailer and the subsequent phone
call drove the local Armenian community into an absolute frenzy. Just about
every local Armenian cable show devoted the final 48 hours of the campaign to
denouncing this ugly attack on the Armenian community, pointing to Quintero as
being behind the mailer and phone call, even though he had many Armenian
supporters and contributors, had been endorsed by the ANC in the past, and had
visited Armenia and the Armenian community in Lebanon. Krekorian won the
primary with 14,137 votes (57%). Quintero received 10,863 votes (43%).
Krekorian will face Republican Michael Agbaba in November. Given the
overwhelming majority of the Democratic voters in the 43rd District, Krekorian
is expected to win handily.
Quintero himself denounced the CLLF’Ss mailer. In a message he posted on his
campaign website, he said: "I am disgusted that this organization, which by
law
has no affiliation with my campaign, has sent out such a hurtful message. The
mailer does not reflect anything that I believe in or stand for." Quintero
wrote to the CLLF one day before the election condemning the mailer and
calling
it "completely out of line." He also wrote to the California Attorney General
asking for an immediate investigation "to establish responsibility."
When asked by this writer if he knew of the mailer in advance or had anything
to do with it, Quintero said that he was told by three Armenian friends a
couple of weeks before the election that they had heard talk of anti-Armenian
mailers to be sent to local voters. He said he did not take the rumors
seriously. This writer pointed out to him, however, that in the message he
posted on his campaign website condemning the anti-Armenian mailer, he should
not have blamed the Krekorian campaign for it, by describing it as "another
one
of the Krekorian campaign dirty tricks."
After the mailers went out, no one seemed to be able to identity the
California Latino Leadership Fund. The postcard mailed by the CLLF carried a
non-descript address in Oakland, California. The only indirect connection
between the Quintero campaign and the CLLF is found on the website of the
California Secretary of State showing that the CLLF had reported spending
(through May 25) $18,433 on a mailer to oppose Paul Krekorian and $31,566 on a
mailer to support Quintero. These sums were paid to Polka Consulting. Sandi
Polka is listed as a political consultant to California State Senate President
Don Perata.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission website disclosed the
names
of three individuals as the registered officials of CLLF. Stacy E. Owens is
listed as the treasurer of the group. A further search on google indicated
that
Owens is also the treasurer of the Paul N. McCloskey, Jr. for Congress
Campaign
Committee in Northern California. The assistant treasurer of CLLF is Henry C.
Levy, a CPA in Oakland, CA. Finally, the president of CLLF is Rebeca E.
Barron.
A google search disclosed that Barron is the "Big Cheese" of The Barron
Collection Ltd., a company in Seattle, Washington that now has four showrooms
that sell various home accessories. Both The Barron Collection and Ms.
Barron’s
husband, Robert Apodaca, are listed on the California Secretary of State’s
website as receiving from the CLLF more than $43,000 in payments and
reimbursements.
The sinister nature of the mailer and the recorded phone call leave no doubt
that someone intended to damage the political viability of Paul Krekorian’s
candidacy and the credibility of the ANC and the Armenian American
community. A
thorough investigation must be carried out to find out the identities of those
who conceived such a plot, paid for it and carried it out.
Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian told the Daily News (Los Angeles) that
he wanted the council to hold a hearing into the mailer and the phone message.
He was quoted as saying: "I feel that all Armenians were under attack when
that
mailer was sent out."
During a press conference organized by the ANC in Glendale a day after the
election, a broad cross section of the leaders of local Armenian American
organizations, including the Prelacy, Diocese, Armenian Evangelical Union,
Armenian Catholic Exarchate of North America, ARS, AGBU, Hamazkayin, Armenian
Society of Los Angeles, AYF, ANC, Homenetmen, Dr. Armine Hacopian, Vice
President of Glendale Community College Board of Trustees, Vahig Zadourian of
Davidian and Mariamian Educational Foundation, and Glendale City Councilmen
Rafi Manoukian, Bob Youssefian, and Ara Najarian, denounced the anti-Armenian
mailer.
"Unfortunately, during this campaign, ugly, anti-Armenian racist acts were
committed against Paul Krekorian, the ANC, and our community," said Zanku
Armenian, Board Member of the ANC, Western Region. "Together, we are standing
before you today to say that this is unacceptable, we are outraged and we will
hold all those individuals, organizations and institutions involved in this
accountable."
The Armenian community should consider filing a complaint with the California
Attorney General’s office as well as the State Fair Political Practices
Commission. If warranted a civil lawsuit should be filed against the CLLF and
their internal records subpoenaed in order to uncover who funded this hate
mail.
Unless strict measures are taken to expose the culprits, those hiding behind
the CLLF could resort to such ugly tactics in subsequent local, state, and
national elections intending to compromise the careers of Armenian American
candidates and harm the political credibility of the Armenian American
community.
However, great care must be taken not to antagonize the entire Latino
community and Latino politicians who were just as incensed by this mailer. Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti,
Congressman Adam Schiff, and many other elected officials of all ethnic
backgrounds soundly condemned this attack on the Armenian community.
7) Charges Filed by Turkish Student against UC Irvine ASA Dropped
–ANC-OC sends letters to the Administration of UCI and CSULB regarding the
Universities~R position on the Armenian genocide and in support of the UCI
ASA.
The Armenian Student Association (ASA) at the University of California Irvine
was called before the Student Judicial Affairs Council on May 23, 2006 for an
alleged violation of the University~Rs Physical Abuse policy, as claimed by a
small Turkish group who protested this year~Rs Genocide Commemorations. The
student council subsequently dismissed the charges and ruled that the ASA had
not violated any University Policies.
The alleged incident took place on April 24 at the ASA~Rs Armenian Genocide
Commemoration event. While Yeghzapet Garabedyan, a 92 year old Genocide
survivor was speaking, this small group of protestors began waving a Turkish
flag and screaming ~Sliar,~T ~Sthe Armenians killed the Turks,~T and a barrage of
other obscenities.
Their chants and screams grew louder as they approached the crowd attending
the commemoration event. Although their numbers were small–approximately 5 or
6–they still attempted to disrupt the solemn event. UCI Campus Police were
called by attendees at the commemoration event. Yeghzapet Garabedyan continued
her remarks undisturbed against the backdrop of flashing police lights once
the
officers had arrived.
As the small Turkish group attempted to walk towards the Commemoration, the
UCI Campus Police asked them to stop, where they continued to yell at those
gathered to honor the memory of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian
genocide. The protestors were eventually escorted from the commemoration by
UCI
Campus Police. No charges were filed and no arrests were made.
In a shameless act of desperation after unsuccessful efforts to disrupt the
solemn Commemoration, one of the protestors chose to file a complaint against
the UCI Armenian Student Association claiming that the student association had
violated the University~Rs physical abuse policy. If the allegations were true,
the UCI ASA would have been suspended as an accredited student organization at
the university and been unable to organize any future Armenian genocide
related
events. The individual who filed the complaint, Vuslat Demirkoparan, is also a
Teacher~Rs Aid (TA) at UCI and has close ties with the Turkish Student
Association at California State University Long Beach (CSULB).
Also involved was Professor Tulin Mangir from CSULB. Professor Mangir is
currently the faculty advisor to the Turkish Students Association at CSULB.
She
has been the Vice President of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations
(ATAA) and was a winner of the 2002 Women of Distinction Award from The
Daughters of Ataturk. Professor Mangir wrote an open letter to Chancellor
Drake
at UCI condemning the Genocide commemoration event, labeling Armenian
organizations as terrorists, accusing Armenians of perpetrating a genocide
against Turks, and stating that the Armenian genocide is a fabricated claim
perpetuated by ~Sbought~T politicians.
The Armenian National Committee of Orange County (ANC-OC) got involved
immediately, met with representatives of the UCI ASA and drafted letters,
including supplemental materials, to be sent to UCI and CSULB. On May 19, the
letters and materials were delivered to Chancellor Drake and Vice Chancellor
Gomez of UCI. Copies were also sent to Chairman Parsky of the UC Board of
Regents and Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, who is an ex-officio
member of
the UC Regents. The ANC-OC also asked that all baseless allegations against
the
UCI ASA be immediately dropped.
The ANC-OC has also mailed letters to the President Alexander at CSULB,
and to
Chancellor Reed of the California State University System, and Dr. Edelman,
the
director of the Center for studies on Genocide and Holocaust in Chico.
The ANC-OC asked that both Universities clarify their positions regarding the
teaching of the Armenian genocide, and that disciplinary action be taken
against faculty members not following the state~Rs educational guidelines and
policies as outlined in the California Education Code and the Model Curriculum
on Human Rights. They also asked the administration at UCI to take
disciplinary
action against the TA for filing false charges against the ASA and organizing
an unauthorized protest at the University. ANC-OC is requesting that the
administration at CSULB secure a letter of apology from Professor Mangir,
or in
the alternative seek disciplinary action.
On May 23, the 2006 UC Irvine ASA Executive Board Members appeared before the
Student Judicial Affairs Council. It was announced that the UCI ASA had not
violated the University~Rs Physical Abuse Policy and that the Executive had
followed all appropriate procedures in organizing the event.
The ANC-OC will follow up with both universities and is awaiting a
response to
schedule a meeting with both administrations.
For more information about ANC-OC please visit , and if you
would
like to get involved please send an email to [email protected].
8) More Bush BS
I love the outdoors, especially hiking, climbing and, mountain biking. So
it is
particularly painful to learn of the Bush regime’s recent shenanigans in this
realm.
It’s not that I didn’t know about the long-term multi-administration and
multi-Congress de-funding of the National Forest Service. That goes
hand-in-hand with the obnoxious "fee demo" program that has now become a
permanent fixture in national forests that charges us to use OUR own public
property. In Southern California, this is the Adventure Pass you must display
to park in any of the four area forests–Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, and
San Bernardino. To be fair, this foolishness began during the Clinton
Administration, though at the Republican controlled Congress’ behest.
It’s not that I didn’t know about the ongoing efforts of the Bushies to
despoil OUR pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for a whopping six months
worth of oil.
It’s not that I didn’t know about the commencing sell-off of OUR public lands
that have somehow been deemed less than useful to us by the infinite wisdom of
nature’s rapers. And where will these proceeds go? Why, to local development,
supposedly schools and the like, in what are sparsely populated areas where
many of the country’s public holdings are found. Can you guess which way many
of these areas tend to vote? Can you spell p-a-y-o-f-f?
It’s not that I didn’t know about the drive by rapacious developers supported
by the current lunatic fringe dominating the legal system. These yahoos
seek to
undermine the Clean Water Act as they proceed to raze every forest and fill
every wetland–nature’s water filters–they come across, all to build some
grotesque, fuel wasting, residential "community" where everyone is walled off
from their neighbors. Result? OUR potable water supplies are compromised.
It’s not that I didn’t know about the games being played to circumvent the
Clean Air Act in the interest of allowing longtime polluters to continue their
dirty operations under grandfathering exemptions granted to then existing
facilities. Remember–this act is over 30 years old, how long would you keep
old technology going? Unless of course your intent is to circumvent pollution
fighting laws. Meanwhile, the myth of "the market’s" benevolence has been
harnessed to create a trading system of what I’ll call pollution vouchers.
This
allows some operation that has built a clean plant to sell its "right" to
pollute a certain amount to a dirtier operation that does not meet standards.
Ultimately we do not achieve maximum reduction of the carcinogenic and other
noxious emissions cast off into the air entering OUR lungs.
It’s not that I didn’t know about the same filth-mongers’ obsession
with and advocacy of coal as a rejuvenated source of energy. This one’s a
triple whammy. It is the most polluting of the fossil fuels. "Modern" mining
techniques involve beheading whole mountains, pulling out the coal, then
filling in streams and valleys with the remnants, destroying OUR plant,
animal,
and human communities for miles around. Presumably as part of the "sacred"
project of "deregulation" or under-funding of regulatory agencies that
commenced in the Reagan era, coal mining too has been impacted. Care to guess
why we’re seeing more and more lethal mining accidents–and I’m not referring
to those happening in China!
It’s not that I didn’t know about the whitewash being applied to the nuclear
power industry. Do you know of any other industry that is barely
profitable, if
not outright money losing, which gets touted as a source of salvation, in this
case by allegedly providing "cheap" energy? And this is after they find clever
ways of charging us, the public, for dealing with incredibly dangerous waste
that will remain so for hundreds of thousands of years.
But somehow, two Los Angeles Times pieces, both appearing Sunday, June 11,
really irked me. "Rangers Among Parks’ Rarest Sights" addresses the
under-funding of National Parks. These are the country’s gems. People come
from
the world over to go to Yosemite, Yellowstone, and others. This tourism
undergirds local economies. Yet the purchasing power of the funds budgeted for
the National Park Service has actually decreased in recent years. And just for
good measure, Shrub’s budget proposal to Congress includes a $100,000,000 cut
in the budget for next year. Just as with other aspects of government, the
Neo-Conservatives’ objective is likely the same for parks: under-fund them to
the point that they fall into disrepair; argue "See, we toljaso, government is
no good at nuthin.’ We should privatize the parks;" then turn over OUR
parks to
recreation industry interests; finally, have visitors pay obscene amounts
while
corporate profiteers laugh all the way to the bank.
The other piece "A Student’s Forest Paper Sparks One Hot Debate" describes a
study published in Science. This research looked at post-forest fire regrowth.
It found more where the burnt trees were left standing than where they were
"salvage" logged. This simple, substantiated fact has driven members of
Congress to frivolous fulminations, exposed the student’s university
president’s inappropriate behavior (a logging company funds part of the forest
research there), and yielded more evidence of the increasing political
pressure
on scientists to produce only right-wing-politically-acceptable results,
reality be damned. You see there’s big money to be made by cutting the trees
off OUR land. This scam costs the Forest Service around $1,000,000,000
annually
because it is left holding the bag–maintaining remote roads, fighting logging
induced/exacerbated fires, etc–after the loggers pay their nominal, one time,
fees. So, when documented facts demonstrate that logged forests regenerate
more
slowly, all these money grubbing interests go berserk.
All this makes me proud of the RE-forestation efforts going on in Armenia,
spearheaded by Armenia Tree Project, Armenian Forests NGO, and others. These
efforts are also recreating bonds between people and land, a crucial factor to
sustaining our homeland. They are also showing the power and ability of people
united to fight off rapacious economic interests. So let’s do no less than our
compatriots. Tell your member of the House and Senate what you think about the
growing threats, due to their negligence, to OUR air, water, land, and
ultimately–lives and future.
9) ARS Honors Outstanding Armenian Graduates from Public High Schools
LOS ANGELES–It has become a tradition for the Armenian Relief Society of the
Western US (ARS-WR) Regional Executive to collectively honor Armenian
graduates
from public high schools, in cooperation with the local chapters, which select
and provide merit awards to the graduates. This year~Rs merit award night
hosted
by the local "Mayr" Hollywood Chapter, was held on June 5, at Saint Garabed
Armenian Apostolic Church, Garabedian Hall in Los Angeles.
This year, forty-two outstanding students were selected by nine
Southern-California chapters. The students were a diverse group of
valedictorians, honor roll and key club members; drama performers; swimmers
and
dancers; tennis, volleyball, and basketball players; coaches, hospital
volunteers, Armenian Youth Federation members, science and Armenian club
members. They were born in far away places like Tehran, London, and Montreal,
or locally in Burbank and Pasadena. Some were planning on attending local
universities such as the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) or
traveling further to Stanford University.
Along with the graduates, their parents and siblings, their public school
counselors also attended the event. In May 2006, high school graduates living
in the Fresno and San Francisco areas received their awards during events
organized by their local ARS chapters.
At the Hollywood event, ARS-WR Regional Executive Vice-chair, Karine
Barikian-Setian, made the opening remarks, and Regional Executive Chair,
Angela
Savoian, gave the keynote message. Following receipt of their certificates
from
the Regional Executive, the graduates received their monetary awards from the
respective chapter chairs or representatives.
During her speech to the award winners, Angela Savoian said: ~SIf you really
want to make a difference, no one can stop you. Because the difference between
a successful person and others is not a lack of knowledge, or a lack of money,
but rather lack of will.~T
She added, ~SI ask you today to study hard, make a difference and never forget
who you are, where you came from and to take on the mantle of service I offer
to you.~T
10 ) An Old, Sad Story: Armenian genocide measure bottled up in
Congress–again
The Fresno Bee published an editorial Saturday, June 10, criticizing the
inaction on the Armenian Genocide Legislation pending passage in Congress.
(Fresno Bee)–It’s as regular as clockwork: A bill comes before Congress that
would recognize the massacres by Turkish authorities against Armenians in the
days of World War I as what they were–a genocide.
The Turkish Government objects strenuously. The White House and the State
Department pass the word: Don’t upset our Turkish allies. Congress caves. The
Genocide remains unofficially recognized by this Government and by Turkey.
It happened again this week. House leaders refused to let a measure come to
the floor for a vote that it surely would have passed. It happens nearly every
year, in every administration, regardless of which party controls the White
House and Congress. It is an offense against the strong sense of justice that
animates Armenian Americans and others. And it makes no sense.
This is the same valuable Turkish ally, remember, that wouldn’t let American
troops cross their land during the invasion of Iraq. In hindsight, that didn’t
hinder the quick advance of the American-led coalition that ousted Saddam
Hussein, but it could have.
This is also the same valuable Turkish ally that stands as a strong bulwark
against southern expansion by the dreaded Evil Empire of the Soviet
Union–which no longer exists.
This is the same valuable Turkish ally that wants desperately to join the
European Union, but can’t, because the Europeans rightly demand that Turkey
acknowledge the Genocide first.
This is getting very old–like the remaining survivors of the massacres who
would like nothing better than some small measure of justice all these years
later.
11) SPANISH GAME DEFEATED BY ARMENIAN GAMBIT
In chess, one of the most common opening moves is called the Ruy Lopez, also
known as the Spanish Game in countries outside of the United States. The
opening is named after Ruy Lopez de Segura, a 16th century Spanish priest who
studied and wrote a 150 page book about chess, which is probably what I’d also
do if I was celebate. In addition to his serious examination of chess
opennings, Lopez included some ridiculous strategies in his book as well such
as suggesting setting up a board so the sun shines in your oponnent’s eyes. A
"Ruy Lopez" is an offensive move where you try to block your oponnent from
moving his pawns/soldiers further up the board by attacking early and
unsuspectingly.
The reason I just provided abrief lesson in chess history is because although
chess is merely a game of strategy, there are so many parallels between chess
and life particularly in the area of politics. And last week marked
significant victories for Armenians in both chess and politics. Americans
don’t follow chess. Maybe it’s because it’s too cerebral a game and requires
some thought and advanced strategical planning. But that’s expected from a
culture where people are so mezmerized by the concept of car racing and
foreign
oild dependency that they make a cartoon about talking cars. If my car could
talk, it would probably curse the high gas prices at the pumps! I love how
Hollywood and Washington think that making a film about cars with huge cartoon
eyes is going to make me forget that I paid 60 dollars for a tank of gas
yesterday. But back to chess and politics and Armenians.
Let’s start off with the World Chess Olympiad held in Turin, Italy a few
weeks
ago. If you are a betting person, you should have taken Armenia to win this
tournament. When the Chess Olympics began, the odds of Paris Hilton dating
and
then dumping another son of a Greek shipping magnate were greater than the 16
to 1 odds of Armenia beating Russia, India, China and a slew of other
countries
for the World Chess Championship. But a team of four talented and inspired
Armenians from a landlocked country surrounded by hostile nations, rose up to
the opportunity and pounded their opponents both literally and on the chess
board on to victory and the first place trophy. Levon Aronian who is only 23
years old led the Fantastic Four of Chess by handing out defeat after
defeat to
his opponents. By the end of the tournament, Armenia was favored to win and
some of the early favorites were taking in the sites and local tourist
attractiosn around Italy.
Armenia’s a chess playing country. And to Armenians, it was no surprise that
our boys won the world title. After all, how many other countries the size of
Armenia have had as much success in chess? There have been two undisputed
world chess champions from Armenia Tigran Petrosian during the mid-late 60s
who redefined defensive offensive play and current reigning Chess Czar Gary
Kasparov. Kasparov is so good that he only plays super computers! Now if
only
Armenia’s political leaders had a bit of the chess genius in them one can
never stop hoping.
The victory in Italy was significant for so many reasons for Armenians and
Armenia. Armenia was for many, many, many years, a vassal state of Rome.
Roman armies conquered Armenia and interfered with our internal affairs
playing
off royal families against each other and using Armenians as sacrificial lambs
against the armies of the Persians. Now, over two thousand years later a
small band of Armenians returned to the Roman Empire and conquered all the
other "great powers" of the world in the ultimate game of war and strategy
proving once again that revenge, like yalanchi dolma, is a dish best served
very cold!
I doubt that the victory in chess will be a turning point in Armenia’s
history
but I would like to think that it had some effect on the political scene in
Glendale, California. Most of you followed my articles chronicling the
perfect
storm that was brewing in the 43rd State Assembly district of California home
to Glendale and the largest Armenian population in the United States. The
Democratic primary saw Glendale Councilman Frank Quintero challenge Burbank
School Board Member Paul Krekorian for the party nomination. The difference
between Republicans and Democrats is so great that the winner of the
primary is
virtually guaranteed victory in November’s general election. So it’s no
surprise that the stakes were high and the election would become very very
nasty. In the end, it turned out "nasty" would be an understatement as
tens of
thousands of non-Armenian homes were bombarded by a campaign mailer implying
that the Armenian National Committee and Paul Krekorian had ties to
terrorist.
The mailer was produced and mailed out by a group called the California Latino
Leadership Fund and was sent only to NON-Armenian households. Fortunately,
the
voters of the 43rd Assembly District rejected this racist mail piece and voted
Krekorian to be the Democratic nominee by a decisive margin of 4000 votes.
Most local political leaders denounced the mailer but there were still a
handful of Armenian community members who had hitched their buggy to the
Quintero horse and pronounced Quintero’s innocense in the face of this
blatantly anti-Armenian hate mail. My grandfather had a saying for folks like
that. He’d say "If you’re a donkey, you’ll always stay a donkey." And
believe
me, this wasn’t meant as a compliment to Democrats! Anyone who actually
believes that this mail piece was not a strategic move made to prevent the
Armenian American pawn from advancing on the political chess board by the
Latino leadership in Sacramento is very wrong. It’s true that the evidence
may
not be readily visible, but if you don’t believe that leaders like
Assemblymembers Dario Frommer, Joe Coto, and Senators Martha Escruita were
behind this, then you probably also believe that O.J. is innocent and that
Michael Jackson would make a great baby sitter.
Publications like the LA Weekly and Capitol Weekly (Sacramento’s premier
political publication) are investigating the connections between the Latino
Leadership Fund and the Frank Quintero/Dario Frommer political machine. They
may or may not find out the truth and reveal it to us. But here’s what every
Armenian-American should think about. If the people who were allied with Mr.
Quintero were willing to stoop to such levels, what makes us think that they
won’t stoop even lower or that we can relly on the genuine support of these
people in the future?
In chess, there are no gray squares or gray pieces. It’s pretty simple.
It’s
black and it’s white. And you can try to block a smaller, less important
piece
from advancing but if you’re smart and you play well and follow the rules
even
a pawn can become a knight, rook or queen.
Skeptik Sinikian is not a professional chess player but is always open to
playing a friendly game at Maple Park. You can find him dressed as a
political pawn sitting at the table next to the old men playing backgammon.
You can email him at [email protected] or visit his outdated blog at
.
12) Iran~Rs Andranik Teymourian Prepared to Face Portugal in World Cup
–Teymourian nominated for Christian soccer star award
(IranMania/Catholic News Service)After last Sunday~Rs 3-to-1 loss to Mexico,
the Iranian team and its star midfielder Andranik Teymourian are preparing to
play Portugal Saturday as the 2006 FIFA World Cup continues.
At a press conference Wednesday, Iran~Rs coach Branco Ivankovic said that he
watched the game against Mexico four times. He said he went over the second
half of that game with the entire team.
~SWe will be prepared for the game with Portugal,~T he said.
Ivankovic also dismissed any talk of the Portuguese midfielders as being
legendary, saying that the Iranian team~Rs midfielders are just as good as
theirs.
~SThey may have Deco, Figo, and Costinha, but for each one of those players we
also have a good player,~T said Ivankovic.
One of Iran’s midfielders, 23 year old Andranik Teymourian, is an Armenian
and
the only Christian on the team.
~SAlthough we lost to Mexico, the team is still in good spirits, as we don’t
think we deserved to lose that game, we unfortunately threw it away. I hope
that we can beat Portugal and go from there to qualify,~T said Teymourian.
Asked how the players were coping with life in Germany, he said: ~SWe each
have
our interests. The country here is very beautiful and the people have been
very
nice to us. We have had no problems.~T
Teymourian also spoke about being only the second Christian to ever play for
the Iranian team.
~SI am proud to be the second Iranian Christian after, Andranik
Eskandarian, to
play for Iran,~T he said. Andranik Eskandarian, also Armenian, played for the
famous New York Cosmos team.
As the only Christian on the team, Teymourian is also one of eleven players
nominated for a contest to select a Christian soccer star during the World
Cup.
Referring to his religion, Teymourian said, "In terms of being a religious
minority, I’ve got no problem, and relations are really good at the heart of
the team.~T
Organizers of the contest, started by a group of Catholic and Protestant
educators in the Netherlands, said that they wanted ~Sto show that players
who’ll become superstars during this tournament are also spiritual people who
believe in Christ.~T
~SYour personal religious beliefs aren’t something you draw attention to at
that level," said Pieter Kohnen, spokesman for the Dutch bishops’ conference.
"But even here in the Netherlands, players often make the sign of the cross
when they step onto the pitch or score goals. Any personal feedback,
explaining
the gesture–why they want to thank God at such a moment–would be helpful."
Other than Teymourian, the list of nominees includes three Brazilians, two
South Koreans, two Dutch players, as well as two American players, Brian
McBride and Tim Howard, and a Ghanaian, Sammy Kuffour.
Fans can vote for their favorite at
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