Author: Tigranian Ani

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
By Rosette Gonzales, News-Press and Leader

Burbank Leader / Glendale News Press
Sept 17 2005

Painter inspired by nature’s shapes and symbols questions viewer’s
perceptions.

Visual artist Zareh said he doesn’t ponder too much before starting to
paint or draw. He just goes with what feels natural. At first glance,
the recurring shapes in his work, like fish, leaves and circles,
seem basic but his message is complex.

“What he can’t say aloud, he’s trying to say in his pictures,” said
Gayane Galustyan, curator for Harvest Gallery, which is exhibiting
36 of Zareh’s acrylic paintings, drawings and three-dimensional mixed
media until Sept. 27. “All his works are very simple, but at the same
time, they have depth. Every piece makes you think.”

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Zareh, a resident of Glendale, uses simple shapes found everyday in
nature to convey his feelings about the relationship humans have
with the world as natural beings. Frequent in his Harvest Gallery
installation is the use of leaves and fish. The vein of a leaf is not
so different from the cross section of a fish, exposing its bones,
Zareh said. Their shapes are also similar to one another and relate to
life, he said, because the beginning and the ending are not the same.

“So nature has prepared in its own best way, the construction of
living things in this world,” he said.

One of Zareh’s untitled canvases illustrates this through a human
portrait. Zareh drew a leaf for an eyebrow, its stem curving down to
become the nose. The other eyebrow is a fish, the same size and shape
as the leaf across from it. V’s and circles were drawn in as hair.

Text on the canvas reads “real ingredients.”

“I think he’s very socially conscious,” said Ramela Grigorian
Abbamontian, an art historian at UCLA who is including Zareh’s work
in her dissertation on Armenian artists in Los Angeles. “He responds
as a human being living in this globalized age.”

Zareh’s piece “Gray Flights” depicts his thoughts of Britain’s
political history and the recent London bombings. But he is careful
to leave most of the interpretation up to the viewer. He manipulates a
British flag with gray circles of paint that could be bombs or clouds,
he said. And he divides the flag by painting a horizontal zig-zag
line through it.

“I’m showing that things are changing at this time in London,” he said.

Change is a constant theme in his work, illustrating the continuous
flux of nature and life.

“I have a stable character but we are all living together — me,
you and trees and leaves,” he said. “Some things are changing slowly,
some faster, but they are all changing.”

With one untitled canvas, he began the art by repetitively drawing
lines in pencil, which eventually turned into tallies illustrating
time.

“Intervals show the passing of time and distance because without
intervals, we cannot show the passing of time,” he said.

But one ending can be another beginning, Galustyan said, and Zareh’s
work states that everything in this world is relative. Shapes like
V’s, and dots are recurring in the exhibit and act as symbols. Two
V’s together could symbolize a bird, yet they could mean something
else in another piece.

Zareh refrains from defining symbols specifically in his art and
chose not to title most of the works.

By being somewhat elusive, Abbamontian said Zareh is able to more
actively engage the viewer. Viewers become conscious of the shapes
and will begin to notice them in each piece.

“That’s visual dialogue,” she said. “You’re thinking, ‘What are
these forms that I’m looking at and why do they keep coming up on
these canvases?'”

Viewers then become familiar with his style, noticing patterns
in the symbols and are challenged to interpret them on their own,
Abbamontian said.

FYI

WHAT: Exhibition by artist Zareh

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday until Sept. 27

WHERE: Harvest Gallery, 938 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale

CONTACT: (818) 546-1000

STATUS REPORT
Today’s target was the Lake Sevan area, with mountain slopes from the
westernmost point of the lake to the ridge line enveloping Sevan from
the north.]

Date Released: Thursday, September 15, 2005

Source: NASA HQ/SpaceRef/NASA Watch

NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 15 September 2005

In preparation for the fifth data collection session with the FOOT
(Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Space Flight) experiment by the
Science Officer, scheduled for tomorrow and Friday, the crew assembled
the equipment in the Lab, including preparations for the EMG
(electromyography) calibration with camcorder/video recording, which
is to precede the day-long ops. [Feedback from John’s last run was
uplinked by the FOOT team with strategic tips to avoid significant
signal dropouts on the EMG arm signals encountered during data
collection sessions 3 and 4.]

Phillips underwent another general MedOps PFE (periodic fitness
evaluation), a monthly 1.5-hr. procedure which checks up on blood
pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) during programmed exercise on the
CEVIS (cycle ergometer with vibration isolation) in the Lab. Readings
were taken with the BP/ECG (blood pressure/electrocardiograph) and the
HRM (heart rate monitor) watch with its radio transmitter, with
Krikalev assisting his crewmate. [BP/ECG provides automated
noninvasive systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements while
also monitoring and displaying accurate heart rates on a continual
basis at rest and during exercise.]

Periodic Russian water and condensate sampling with the KAV water
sampler was performed by CDR Krikalev on the RS water supply system
(SVO-ZV), for the purpose of monitoring water quality, checking
condensate composition and condensate water processor (SRV-K2M) system
performance, for formal clearance of the SVO for further operation.
[Samples for return to the ground were collected upstream of the
SRV-K2M’s purification column unit (BKO) and the water supply system
(SVO-ZV), each after first flushing the sampling hose. Water
consumption procedures: For potable water, the crew is to start with
the Progress 19 water tank #1 (BV1, 90 liters), then from BV2 (120
liters). Afterwards, U.S. potable water will be used. U.S. technical
water will be used to fill the de-ionized water container (KOV) of the
Elektron and for flushing.]

The FE conducted the weekly inventory audit of the available CWCs
(collapsible water containers) and their contents, to keep track of
onboard water supplies. [Updated “cue cards” based on John’s water
calldowns, are sent up every other week.]

John also conducted the periodic emergency VHF communications
proficiency checkout over NASA VHF (very high frequency) sites at
Dryden and White Sands, talking with Houston/Capcom, MSFC/POIC and
Moscow/Glavni (TsUP Capcom) in the normal fashion via VHF radio from a
handheld microphone and any of the U.S. segment ATUs (audio terminal
units).

Sergei did the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment
control & life support system (SOZh), including its toilet system
(ASU), while John prepared the regular daily IMS “delta”/update file
for automated export/import to the three IMS databases (at MCC-H,
TsUP, and Baikonur).

Both crewmembers completed their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise
program on the TVIS treadmill, RED resistive machine and VELO bike
with bungee cord load trainer, with John’s PFE session on the CEVIS
accounting for his workout today. [Sergei’s daily protocol prescribes
a strict four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the treadmill and
one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 1 of a new set).]

Afterwards, John transferred the exercise data files to the MEC
(Medical Equipment Computer) for downlink, as well as the daily
wristband HRM (heart rate monitor) data of the RED workouts, followed
by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

Working off his discretionary “time permitting” task list, the CDR was
to perform another session of the “Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging
program, using the Nikon D1X digital camera with f800 mm lens.
[Today’s target was the Lake Sevan area, with mountain slopes from the
westernmost point of the lake to the ridge line enveloping Sevan from
the north.]

At 2:50am EDT, ISS attitude control was handed over to the Russian MCS
(motion control system) to allow the standard dynamic testing of
Russian thruster systems, after last Tuesday’s (9/13) installation of
the US-21 matching unit.

Control authority was returned to the U.S. segment (USOS) at 5:25am.
The tests were nominal. [TsUP conducted three different test firings
of the Progress DPO (approach & attitude control) thrusters for yaw
and pitch control and the Service Module (SM) MNFD thrusters for roll
control, each of 20 second duration: at 3:28am & 3:31am using Progress
DPO manifold #1 and SM manifolds #1, followed by #2, the other at
5:25am on Progress DPO manifold #2. After each thruster firing,
angular rates were measured to allow derivation of thruster efficacy.]

>From today through 9/18, Soyuz 216/10S systems status will be
conducted daily, reading specific parameters from the Soyuz’ manual
control panel (InPU) display F03 and filling out a standard form for
subsequent report to TsUP/Moscow.

Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets, in the current
LVLH attitude no longer limited by flight rule constraints on the use
of the Lab nadir/science window, were Betsiboka River delta, NW
Madagascar (Dynamic event. Clear weather was expected over this
estuary where dramatic change has occurred in the last fifteen years.
New islands have appeared and become vegetated, all due to intensive
soil erosion inland), Subglacial rivers, North Libya (long-buried
river courses [formed beneath glaciers 400 million years ago when
Africa lay astride the South Pole] are now being exposed by erosion.
They appear as dark lines snaking across the modern landscape.
Sediment in these channels hosts water and hydrocarbons in different
places. Images from low Earth orbit are expected to reveal the wider
regional pattern of these ancient river courses. Overlapping views
right of track were requested), and Hurricane Ophelia (Dynamic
event. This slow-moving storm is expected to remain a Category 1
hurricane, with its center over Cape Hatteras. ISS had a nadir pass).

CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:

See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at:

To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 11 crew visit:
at
NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.
Expedition 11 Flight Crew Plans can be found at

Previous NASA ISS On-orbit Status Reports can be found here. Previous NASA
Space Station Status Reports can be found here. Previous NASA Space Shuttle
Processing Status Reports can be found here. A collection of all of these
reports and other materials relating to Return to Flight for the Space Shuttle
fleet can be found here.
ISS Location NOW

Full Size/Update
Real Time ISS Tracker – More Links
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:21am EDT [= epoch]):
Mean altitude — 350.3 km
Apogee height — 351.5 km
Perigee height — 349.2 km
Period — 91.55 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0001954
Solar Beta Angle — -8.7 deg (magnitude increasing) Orbits per 24-hr. day —
15.73 Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 145 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 38988
Upcoming Events (all times EDT):
09/30/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S launch (~11:54pm)
10/03/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S docking (~1:20am)
10/11/05 — Soyuz TMA-6/10S landing (~9:06pm)
10/18/05 – ISS Reboost
11/18/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S relocation (from DC-1 to FGB nadir port)
12/21/05 – Progress M-55/20P launch
12/23/05 — Progress M-55/20P docking.

ISS Altitude History
Apogee height — Mean Altitude — Perigee height

For more on ISS orbit and worldwide ISS naked-eye visibility
dates/times, see
In addition,
information on International Space Station sighting opportunities can
be found at on NASA’s
Human Spaceflight website. The current location of the International
Space Station can be found at
at NASA’s Marshall Space
Flight Center. Additional satellite tracking resources can be found at

ACCORDING TO SHAVARSH KOCHARIAN, THERE ARE BOTH POSITIVE TENDENCIES
AND DANGERS IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN. There is some progress in the
process of Karabakh settlement but there are also dangers. Shavarsh
Kocharian, a member of the Armenian delegation in PACE, declared this
at the September 15 press conference. He participated in the sitting
of PACE ad hoc commission on the issue of Karabakh held on September
12 in Paris. According to him, though the Karabakh settlement model
isn’t declassified it is rather visible.

Kocharian mentioned that in spite of commission’s limited mandate, the
discussion held in Paris was very representative. According to him,
one of its reasons is that there is certain tendency to involve wider
circles into the discussion of the above-mentioned model of Karabakh
settlement. At the same time, according to Shavarsh Kocharian, at the
meeting it was mentioned that against the efforts of the Azeri party,
the settlement process will be only within the framework of the OSCE
Minsk Group. As regards other structures, they can only promote the
process. In particular, the Council of Europe can control the
fulfilment of obligations assumed by Armenia and Azerbaijan, which
includes peaceful settlement of the conflict, creation of an
atmosphere of trust between the two peoples and so on.

It was exactly mentioned during the discussions that it’s possible to
solve the problem only by joint application of principles of
territorial integrity and nations’ right of self-determination. And
the territorial integrity refers to areas beyond Nagorno Karabakh
territory and the right of nations’self-determination to the territory
of Nagorno Karabakh.

According to Kocharian, another important question was that Karabakh
can’t be an enclave, i.e. it must have a connection with Armenia.

It was also indirectly mentioned that it is supposed to create such
conditions so that direct contacts between Armenian and Azeri troops
will be excluded, i.e. implementation of peaceful mission by some
separatist forces.

Touching upon the possible dangers, Shavarsh Kocharian mentioned that
the variant proposed can be estimated as a package solution as it
contains an answer to a number of questions, including issue of
status, while it’s supposed that it will be implemented stage by
stage. According to it, the territories under NKR’s control must be
returned, after which Azeri refugees must return to NKR, then a
referendum must be again held, which will decide if Karabakh will join
Armenia, will be independent or will remain within Azerbaijan’s staff.
According to Kocharian, though nothing is said about terms, return of
refugees suppose some period of time, during which the Armenian party
loses its most serious advantage – controlled territories. As Denis
Samut, representative of LINKS British NGO, mentioned in his speech,
these territories are guarantees of security for Karabakh and can be
used as an argument during the negotiations.

Shavarsh Kocharian emphasized that the return of the territories
immediately violates the military-political balance formed and in
consideration of Azerbaijan’s bellicose appeals and increase in the
military budget, it creates a serious danger for Karabakh.

Agence France Presse — English
September 14, 2005 Wednesday 7:53 AM GMT

Detained Azerbaijani opposition activist hospitalized

BAKU

A prominent opposition youth leader detained in connection with
alleged anti-government activity was treated in hospital in unclear
circumstances, the opposition said Wednesday.

The deputy head of the Yeni Fikir youth movement, Said Nuri, was
hospitalized with what may be liver problems after being arrested
Monday in a case linked to an alleged plot to overthrow the
government in a Ukraine-style uprising.

“Nuri has a liver condition. It is quite possible the police used
excessive force and exacerbated the problem, but there is no way of
knowing for sure,” said Murad Gasanly, a spokesman for the Azadlyq
opposition bloc.

Late Tuesday about a dozen police blocked the entrance to one of
Baku’s main hospitals where Nuri was believed to be receiving
treatment.

An officer at the scene told AFP Nuri had been hospitalized with a
headache and had since been returned to a central police station.

However according to Gasanly, Nuri received a blood transfusion at
the hospital early Wednesday and was due to be sent home later in the
day.

“Some of the Western embassies made phone calls to the government
last night, and because of the pressure he may be released,” Gasanly
said.

On Tuesday prosecutors said Nuri’s detention was linked to the arrest
last month of Yeni Fikir’s leader, Ruslan Bashirli, who was charged
with plotting a Ukraine-style uprising backed by the US-based
National Democratic Institute (NDI), a democracy pressure group, and
money from Armenia’s government.

Both the NDI and Armenia have denied the allegations, with Yeni Fikir
claiming the case is a state-sponsored smear campaign directed at the
opposition ahead of parliamentary elections in November.

Yeni Fikir participated in a demonstration by some 20,000
anti-government protestors in the capital Baku on Saturday to mark
the official start of election campaigning.

The last national vote in the mostly Muslim republic, the 2003
presidential elections in which President Ilham Aliyev took over from
his father Heydar Aliyev, ended in two days of rioting and hundreds
of arrests.

PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy
of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
Prelate, Western United States
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
Email: [email protected]

For more information:
Zanku Armenian (818) 243-3557
Mercata Group

His Holiness Aram I to Preside Over USC Symposium

Important Conference Will Focus on Christian Response to Violence

(Los Angeles, CA – September 15, 2005) – The University of Southern
California will be the site of a major conference that His Holiness Aram I,
Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, will preside over, focusing on the
Christian response to violence with a special emphasis on the Armenian
Genocide. Co-sponsored by the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, the USC Institute of Armenian Studies and the
USC Center for Religion & Civic Culture, the conference is one of several
public forums during which His Holiness will address such issues under the
theme of his visit “Towards the Light of Knowledge.”

Many notable scholars will speak on various related topics covering events
ranging from the Armenian Genocide of 1915 to the current impact of violence
on the daily lives of communities, families and youth today. His Holiness
Aram I is deeply involved in the World Council of Churches where he has
demonstrated leadership in confronting issues of violence throughout the
world and it is his desire to drive discussions on this issue within
Armenian communities as well. He will address the symposium with a
presentation entitled, “Christian Stewardship in Violent Times – The Quest
for Peace.”

“The church has been witness to the racial violence the Armenian people have
suffered throughout the course of history and especially with the Armenian
Genocide,” said Prelate, His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian.
“With this year marking the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the
church has an even more important role to play today in addressing many of
these violence issues facing our communities and families throughout the
world.”

Among the scholars presenting at the conference will be Professor Hrair
Dekmejian of the USC Department of Political Science and Director of the USC
Institute of Armenian Studies who will speak about “Christian Perspectives
on War and Political Violence;” Professor Donald Miller, Director, USC
School of Religion & Center for Religion & Civic Culture who will set the
parameters of the conference and moderate one of the panels; and Simon
Payaslian, Professor of Armenian Genocide Studies, Clark University on “The
Church Bearing Witness to the Genocide of 1915: Martyrdom, Resistance,
Remembrance.” There will also be two panel discussions during the symposium
including, “The Church’s Response to Political Violence in Today’s World”
with presenters Dr. Rubina Peroomian, UCLA and member of the World Affairs
Council central committee and Mrs. Lorna Tourian; and “The Church’s Role in
Combating Community Violence” with presenters Dr. Levon Jernazian; Dr. Viken
Yacoubian; and Dr. Garbis Der Yeghiayan. Following the symposium will be an
exhibit by Research on Armenian Architecture (RAA) on “Cultural Genocide –
The Destruction of Armenia’s Religious and Cultural Heritage.”

The USC Symposium will be held on October 15, 2005 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM at
USC’s Davidson Conference Center, in the Embassy Room, on the corner of
Jefferson and Figueroa Streets in Los Angeles. Space is limited, so those
interested in attending should call the Prelacy office at (818) 248-7737, or
e-mail: [email protected].

# # #

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO HOST CONFERENCE ON TURKEY

IRNA, Iran
Sept 13 2005

Brussels, Sept 13, IRNA

The European Armenian Federation For Justice and Democracy (EAFJ)
is organizing a conference on the theme “December 2004 – October
2005; Has Turkey changed?” in the European Parliament in Brussels on
September 22.

The one-day conference is supported by the European Peoples’ Party
and European Democrats (EPP-ED) the biggest political group in the
European Parliament, according to an EAJF press release.

The meeting aims to take stock of the situation in Turkey, a few days
before the probable negotiation kickoff with the European Union.

EU and Turkey are expected to begin entry negotiations on October 3.

Representative of Human Rights NGOs, MEPs as well as political leaders
from various European parties are expected to attend the event.

The Brussels-based EAFJ says it represents European citizens with
Armenian origin to European Institutions, federates several national
organizations and associations of European countries, and promotes
and defends cultural and political rights of Armenian people worldwide.

YOU MUST SPOIL BEFORE YOU SPIN, PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Lena Badeyan

A1+
| 17:52:07 | 10-09-2005 | Politics |

The election to the local self-government start in several days. This
time the Electoral Code which came into force on July 20 will be put
into operation. However certain faults have been already found.

According to Emin Yeritsyan, the chairman of Council of Communities
public organization, the first and principal fault is the order of
compiling the electoral rolls. “The responsibility is put upon the
police department on passport and visa. However they failed to provide
the needed quality”, he said.

Taking into consideration these facts we addressed chairman of the
Central Election Committee, author of some amendments to the electoral
rolls Garegin Azaryan, who is convinced in positive outcomes. “The
assessment of the work is not included in the authority of a
public organization. I am conviced that the decision to pass the
responsibility to another empowered body was corrent. I admit that
there really exist some faults but they will be corrected within next
40 days”, he said.

Anyway both parties are convinced that no violations will be fixed in
the course of the election. G. Azaryan noted that during 2.5 election
to the local self-government were held rather successfully.

May the reviewed Electoral Code be violated when it’s first used? Our
interlocutors hold different opinion on this question. “The presence
of several opposite parts supposes that each part will first of all
look for a loophole”, Emin Yeritsyan considers. “Law can always be
violated and it does not depend on its faults. Tha fact is that our
candidates do not have proper electoral culture and in case they are
defeated they try to arrogate their own mistakes to the unsatisfactory
work of the election committees or the faults of the Electoral Code.

Nevertheless G. Azaryan is convinced that the laws can be reviewed
constantly “our Electoral Code gives the possiblity to hold elections
meeting democratic standards”.

Azeri official accuses private news agency of “misleading public”

Yeni Musavat, Baku
11 Sep 05

Excerpt from Elsad Pasasoy’s report in Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni
Musavat on 11 September headlined “Gallup will respond” and subheaded
“Mehman Aliyev: Those who think that this issue will be hushed up are
badly mistaken”

We reported yesterday that the US Gallup International Association has
exposed the Azerbaijani authorities. Gallup International made a
statement denying reports that they conducted an opinion poll in
Azerbaijan last May, in which 77 per cent of the respondents said they
“trust” [President] Ilham Aliyev.

[Passage omitted: reported details; Chris Stewart, Gallup’s global
brand manager, has said in a statement forwarded to Azerbaijan’s
independent Turan news agency that his organization has not conducted
opinion polls in Azerbaijan]

Surprisingly, Nazim Isayev, deputy head of the public-political
department of the Presidential Executive Staff, is accusing Turan
instead of accusing the lying members of the ruling team. Isayev says
Turan either failed to realize the crux of the issue or released this
information in order to mislead the public.

“The thing is that Turan news agency appealed to Gallup, which is
different from Gallup International. Gallup International conducted an
opinion poll in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in April to find out
what the peoples of these countries think about the leaders of some of
the world’s great powers and their own countries. It polled 1,000
people in each country. At that time, this was reported by the US
magazine Washington Profile, Armenia’s Azg and Turkey’s Zaman
newspapers, as well as by the Russian news agency Regnum. Azerbaijan’s
media organizations also reported about this poll,” he said.

Isayev claims that Turan inquired whether such an opinion poll had
been conducted ahead of the election.

“And Gallup was right when it responded that it had not conducted any
such poll,” Isayev said.

Yesterday we contacted Mehman Aliyev, head of Turan news
agency. Mehman bay [mode of address] reiterated that Turan had never
sent any query to Gallup. Aliyev said Gallup had sent a statement to
Turan after some news organizations, including some Russian and
Armenian newspapers and Turkey’s Zaman newspaper, reported about the
poll.

“They simply asked us to publish their statement as an independent
news agency,” Aliyev said.

[Passage omitted: Mehman Aliyev says Gallup is going to take measures
against the Azerbaijani authorities as its reputation was damaged]

Political Affairs Magazine
Sept 9 2005

Hundreds Rally at White House for “A Day for Darfur”
By Political Affairs

To mark the one-year anniversary of the Bush Administration’s
declaration of genocide in Darfur, Sudan, hundreds of activists
joined leadership figures at a rally outside the White House today to
denounce the continuing failure of political leadership from
President Bush on this crisis. The death toll in Darfur now stands at
more than 400,000 people, with a further 2.5 million people displaced
and left homeless as a result of the ongoing government-sponsored
genocide.

Salih Booker, Executive Director of Africa Action, said today, “As
Americans struggle to cope with the President’s failure of leadership
on the domestic front in the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,
we must also condemn the President’s failure of political leadership
on the international front, where he has failed to act to stop the
ongoing genocide in Darfur, and the death toll continues to mount.”

Speakers and activists at today’s event emphasized the urgent need
for protection for the people of Darfur, and called on President Bush
to take every step necessary to ensure an immediate multinational
intervention to support the African Union and provide security to
Darfur.

Ruth Messinger, President of American Jewish World Service, said, “As
Jews who understand the consequences of silence and indifference in
the face of genocide, we must respond to the crisis in Darfur and
increase pressure on the international community to end the violence
and suffering. No-one can stand silently by.”

Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council
of Churches, said, “It is unacceptable for us to sit idly by as
people die. This is true whether it is in the Deep South or Darfur,
Sudan. This genocide is one of the greatest horrors of our day. We
urge people of conscience everywhere to call on our leaders to take
action now before events force us to one day have to confess our sin
of negligence and complicity.”

Today’s event also saw the release of a petition signed by many tens
of thousands of Americans, calling on the President to act urgently
to provide protection to the people of Darfur. Across the country,
citizen engagement on the crisis in Darfur continues to grow, as
Americans raise their voices to emphasize that genocide cannot be
ignored.

Rev. Jim Wallis, Founder an Editor-in-Chief of Sojourners Magazine,
said today, “People of faith are united in their call for bold and
immediate Presidential leadership in order to restore hope and
security to the people of Darfur. Now is the time to put real meaning
behind the words ‘never again’.”

Fatima Haroun of the Sudan Peace Advocates Network said today, “The
people of Darfur have suffered more than enough already. It is time
for international action to stop the violence and bring relief and
peace to this troubled region.”

David Rubenstein, Coordinator of the Save Darfur Coalition, said
today, “The Save Darfur Coalition’s 134 member organizations
represent more than 130 million Americans. We call on President Bush
– one year after he recognized the genocide in Darfur – to take
decisive and effective action to end the violence that is brutalizing
innocent civilians in Darfur.”

Today’s event was organized by Africa Action, American Jewish World
Service, Armenian National Committee of America, Evangelical Lutheran
Church of America, Faithful America, Greater Washington Jewish Task
Force on Darfur, NAACP, National Council of Churches, Religious
Action Center of Reform Judaism, Save Darfur Coalition, Sojourners,
STAND, Sudan Peace Advocates Network, TransAfrica Forum, and the
United Methodist Church.

A Statistical Look at Katrina Aftermath

.c The Associated Press

A look at key numbers reflecting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:

DEATH TOLL:

Deaths reported by state and local officials as of Saturday:

Alabama: 2

Florida: 14

Georgia: 2

Louisiana: 154

Mississippi: 211

Total: 383

FEDERAL AID:

Congress has approved $62.3 billion for relief and recovery, with
billions more expected to be needed in months and years to
come. Federal government is spending more than a $1 billion a day on
relief effort.

NATIONAL GUARD:

National Guard has deployed 50,000 troops: Louisiana has more than
30,000; Mississippi more than 15,000; and Alabama about 800. About
17,000 active-duty troops also have been sent to the area.

AFFECTED AREA:

90,000 square miles.

POPULATION AFFECTED:

Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates nearly 293,000 homes
damaged or destroyed.

More than 1 million people left their homes, and 163,000 residents of
Louisiana are in shelters, FEMA estimates.

Baton Rouge became Louisiana’s largest city nearly overnight as more
than 100,000 rescue workers and evacuees joined pre-storm population
of 412,000. Mayor’s office said population is likely to reach 800,000
and possibly 1 million.

CENSUS BUREAU STATISTICS:

Estimated 9.7 million residents of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi
experienced hurricane-force wind. About 2.1 million people in those
three states lived below the poverty level. About 4.9 million people,
or about 41 percent of the population, lived in coastal areas.

UTILITIES:

As of Saturday, more than 427,000 Louisiana customers still had no
power, said state emergency officials. More than 2,600 had no power in
Mississippi, said the utility Entergy.

Estimated 24,000 Louisiana customers lacked natural gas service and
about 500,000 had no phone service.

ECONOMIC LOSSES:

Paul Getman, chief executive officer of Economy.com, estimates
economic losses at $175 billion, including damage to homes, businesses
and infrastructure, as well as disrupted economic activity and larger
energy bills.

Economy.com estimates that consumer prices in the second half of the
year will increase by 3.2 percent on an annualized basis. That’s up
from a pre-hurricane estimate of a 2.5 percent increase.

INSURANCE:

Katrina could cost the insurance industry up to $60 billion in claims,
a leading risk assessment firm, Risk Management Solutions of Newark,
Calif., said Friday. Estimates by other risk modeling firms range from
$17 billion to $25 billion. In today’s dollars, Hurricane Andrew in
1992 caused nearly $21 billion in insured losses.

EDUCATION:

Estimated 170,000 public school students displaced in Louisiana and
Mississippi. In coastal areas, about 75 percent of schools sustained
significant damage.

American Council on Education estimates that 75,000 to 100,000 college
students in the New Orleans area were affected by the storm.

PHILANTHROPY:

Charitable giving to hurricane victims has reached nearly $700
million, charities reported.

RED CROSS:

Estimates it will need about $1 billion for initial relief efforts in
affected areas. As of Friday, it had received $503 million in gifts
and pledges. By comparison, a week after tsunami devastated parts of
South Asia last December, the Red Cross had raised $79.2 million. In
the two months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans
donated $534 million to the organization.

Has 39,000 relief workers in place, has served more than 6 million hot
meals and 5.9 million snacks, and has operated 675 shelters, housing
more than 160,000 people in 23 states.

Has distributed more than $5 million in benefits to refugees at the
Houston Astrodome, handing out more than 1,400 debit cards an hour
that are worth up to $2,000 per household. FEMA also started giving
out debit cards at shelters in Texas, but decided Friday to switch to
bank accounts.

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE:

FEMA has offered up to $2,000 per household at a cost of $640
million. More than 347,800 families have registered to receive the
money.

More than 20,000 evacuees have applied for some form of public
benefits in the metro Atlanta area alone in the past week.

OIL AND ENERGY:

Facilities in Gulf region account for 1.5 million barrels a day, or 29
percent of domestic oil production.

Natural gas prices could increase as much as 71 percent in parts of
the United States this fall, raising the prospect of higher home
heating costs this winter, according to the Energy Department.

Domestic oil production should return to just under 5.4 million
barrels a day in November, the level before Katrina, the Energy
Department said.

NEW ORLEANS FLOODING:

About 80 percent of New Orleans was flooded. The city, home to about
484,000 people, sits 6 feet below sea level on average.

Corps of Engineers said as of noon Friday the city was slowly being
drained by 32 of the usual 148 pumps, plus 38 portable pumps, pushing
nearly 12,000 cubic feet of water per second, roughly equal to more
than 430 Olympic-size swimming pools per hour.

Most of New Orleans could be drained by Oct. 2, the eastern area and
suburban Chalmette should be above water by Oct. 8, and it will
probably take another 10 days to drain Plaquemines Parish, the Corps
of Engineers said Friday.

AGRICULTURE:

Direct agricultural losses are estimated at $1 billion, according to
Terry Francl, senior economist for the American Farm Bureau
Federation. He says full extent of damage may not be known for weeks,
and agriculture could suffer another $1 billion in losses because of
higher fuel prices and supply disruptions.

JOBS:

Labor Department reports that roughly 10,000 workers filed for
unemployment benefits last week after losing their jobs as a result of
Katrina. Analysts said that number would have been higher except the
storm closed claims offices and prevented more of the newly jobless
from completing their paperwork.

Congressional Budget Office assessment predicts employment for
September will decline significantly, with job losses estimated from
150,000 to as much as 500,000. The report also forecasts 400,000 jobs
will be lost in coming months as a result of the hurricane.

HISTORIC FIRSTS:

For the first time in 159 years, Mexican Army troops arrived on
U.S. soil, part of a plan to spend up to a month in San Antonio, home
of the Alamo, to help evacuees. It is Mexico’s first disaster mission
to the United States, and the first Mexican military unit to operate
on U.S. soil since 1846.

United States asked NATO to help transport European aid to areas hit
by Katrina. It would be the first time the NATO Response Force has
been used for a humanitarian mission.

United States accepted a United Nations offer of help. It is the first
time since UNICEF was founded in 1946 that the U.N. has been asked to
assist with an emergency in the United States.

Compiled by the Associated Press News Research Center and AP Graphics.

09/10/05 13:50 EDT