Author: Virabian Jhanna

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

September 30, 2004
___________________

DIOCESE SHARES IDEAS, TIPS WITH SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS

Each week, they give their time to share their love of Christ with our
youngest parishioners. But most parish Sunday School teachers are not
professional educators. So, to help them reach our children, the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) works to provide
on-going training, inspiration, and encouragement to local Sunday School
staffs across the Diocese.

One successful training program for educators is the Helen and Edward
Mardigian Institute, which this year took place from August 17 to 22,
2004, at the Diocesan Center in New York City and at St. Nersess
Armenian Seminary.

Organized by the staff of the Diocese’s Department of Youth and
Education, the Mardigian Institute has trained more than 350 Sunday
School educators since its founding 26 years ago. This year’s group of
10, like those before them, were strengthened by the week of hands-on
demonstrations, lectures, and discussions of Christian faith.

“I’m much more confident now in my ability to teach Sunday School,” said
participant Christine Bagetakos of the St. Mary Church of Washington,
D.C. “It’s not only all the helpful teaching tips I received, but also
the knowledge that there are teachers in other parishes to whom I can
turn when I have questions, and with whom I can share ideas.”

NEW SKILLS, NEW IDEAS

The sessions covered everything from classroom management and using the
Internet for educating, to the use of theater skills in education and a
discussion of the holy vessels found on the altar.

One unique day featured a detailed history of medieval Armenian
illuminated manuscripts by Dr. Sylvie Merian, of the Pierpont Morgan
Library; this was followed by a hands-on workshop in which the
participants did their own painting and gold-leafing of their own
illuminated manuscripts.

“The Mardigian Institute offers everything a Sunday School teacher needs
to educate a new and faithful generation,” said Anna Demerjian, a
teacher from the St. Gregory the Enlightener Church of White Plains, NY.

Since the 2003-2004 Sunday School year will focus on the idea of
Christian stewardship, several Mardigian institute sessions offered ways
to incorporate stewardship into Sunday School lessons for all ages.

Fr. Daniel Findikyan, dean of the St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, and a
presenter at the 2004 Mardigian Institute, illustrated the ways
stewardship is expressed in worship.

The last two days of the institute were spent at St. Nersess Seminary.
The retreat was led by long-time Christian educator Valerie Goekjian
Zahirsky interwove concepts from a contemporary book, “The
Purpose-Driven Life,” with the words of Armenian saints and early church
fathers.

Mary Kazarian, a teacher from St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in
Chicago, IL, called the Mardigian Institute a “wonderful experience,”
adding that she was “really inspired to make the children’s Sunday
School experiences memorable.” Following her experience there, she
returned home to assume the vacant post of Sunday School superintendent.

Indeed, “inspiration” was a common theme of the week, cited both by the
Mardigian Institute participants, and by those who gratefully observed
their dedication to their service.

“You are doing the most important job of the Armenian Church,”
Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian told the participants during a graduation
ceremony at St. Vartan Cathedral in New York City. “We are so very
grateful to you.”

MEETING WITH PRIMATE

The attendees of the Mardigian Institute also had a luncheon meeting
with Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern), who thanked them for their dedication to
our Christian education efforts.

The teachers and Primate had a long conversation about the importance of
their work, the need to reach all our children, and keeping our culture
and faith a part of today’s world.

“Each community needs dedicated, volunteer teachers like these to help
our next generation of Armenian faithful learn the beauty of their
Christian faith,” the Primate said of the Mardigian Institute
participants.

DEVOTION MAKES IT POSSIBLE

The week-long Mardigian Institute was funded by an endowment established
by Helen and the late Edward Mardigian, whose commitment to Sunday
School and youth programming has been a long standing tribute to their
love of their church. Their endowment allows teachers from all over the
Eastern Diocese to attend the summer session at no cost to the teachers
or their parishes. This allows smaller parishes to send representatives
to the bi-annual institute.

The Mardigian Institute’s programming was organized by Elise
Antreassian, coordinator of Christian education at the Diocesan Center,
along with Nancy Basmajian, executive secretary of the ACYOA.

GIVE OF YOURSELF

Sunday School programs across the Diocese are always in need of
dedicated educators. You don’t have to have classroom experience —
just a love of Christ that you want to share with young Armenians.

Talk to your parish priest or Sunday School superintendent about
volunteering. If your parish does not have a Sunday School program,
start one.

The Diocese has resources, expertise, and tools to help educators make
their Sunday School program successful. If you would like more
information on the next Mardigian Institute and other enriching
programs, e-mail Elise Antreasian at [email protected] or call
(212) 686-0710 ext. 57.

“The Mardigian Institute is a must for all Sunday School teachers,” said
Sunday School Superintendent Cheryl Arslanian from the St. Gregory of
Narek Church in Cleveland, OH. “The session leaders were top-notch, the
clergy were caring, and the friendships unique. Words cannot explain
how proud I am to be a Sunday School teacher and a member of the
Armenian Church. Our children will be the beneficiaries of this unique
experience.”

Participants in the 2004 Mardigian Institute: Cheryl Aslanian,
Cleveland, OH; Christine Bagetakos and Sona Krikorian, Washington, DC;
Anna Demerjian, White Plains, NY; Ara Esmerian, Hollywood, FL; Noushig
Hovhannesian, Cheltenham, PA; Mary Kazarian, Chicago, IL; Dickran
Mgrdechian, Bayside, NY; Lena Montgomery, Southfield, MI; Linda
Sahagian, Watertown, MA

— 9/30/04

E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,

PHOTO CAPTION (1): Participants in the 2004 Mardigian Institute for
local Sunday School educators, work on a hands-on project during the
week-long training retreat organized by the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern).

PHOTO CAPTION (2): Suzann Froundjian, an instructor at the 2004
Mardigian Institute, leads a workshop on Sunday School craft project
during the week-long session held in New York City from August 17 to 22,
2004.

PHOTO CAPTION (3): Participants in the Mardigian Institute — a
week-long training camp for local Sunday School educators — discuss
their faith, stewardship, and educational techniques during a session
held at the St. Nersess Seminary in New Rochelle, NY.

PHOTO CAPTION (4): Participants in the 2004 Mardigian Institute — a
Sunday School educator training program hosted by the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern) from August 17 to 22 — meet with
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese.

Reuters AlertNet, UK
Sept 29 2004

Beslan Receives Assistance from UMCOR
29 Sep 2004 19:15:00 GMT

Source: NGO latest

United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) – USA Website:
http://http:// Teachers and school
leaders in Beslan, in the Russian province of North Ossetia,
where many hundreds died in a tragic siege at a city school last
month, will receive therapeutic workshops and psychosocial support
from an UMCOR partner. UMCOR has donated $10,000 to the Centre for
Peacemaking and Community Development to fund a network of training
and support, including visual arts, music, dance and drama. These
activities help survivors master the intrusive memories of their
experiences. The Centre has been working in the Beslan region since
1995 and responded to local authorities’ urgent request for expertise
in trauma counselling.

UMCOR-Armenia has also provided in-kind assistance for those affected
by the hostage-taking in Beslan. The Armenian Ministry of Social
Welfare asked UMCOR to contribute relief supplies for a container
to be delivered to the town. UMCOR provided 60 school kits and 147
hygiene kits, valued at just under $2,500.00.

UMCOR school kits typically contain scissors, crayons, pens and
pencils, paper and other writing materials. Health kits include such
supplies as hand towels, wash cloths, combs and sterile bandages. To
learn more about how to assemble school and health kits, you can find
specifications online.

NKR President’s Meeting

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
28 Sept 04

On September 23 at the permanent representation of NKR in Armenia NKR
president Arkady Ghukassian met with the special delegate of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office in Azerbaijan and Armenia, representative on the
Karabakh conflict Philip Dimitrow. During the meeting they discussed
the process of conflict regulation and the prospective steps in
this direction. Mr. Dimitrow pointed out the interest of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office in the peaceful settlement of the confrontation
and emphasized the importance of accelerating the process. The
NKR president especially pointed out the problems of the country’s
status and its security. Mr. Ghukassian believes that the settlement
of the conflict is impossible without consideration of the interests
of the people of NKR. And in the end the president of NK assured that
the Karabakh side is willing to solve the problems through practical
dialogue. At the meeting were also present NKR foreign minister Ashot
Ghulian and the personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office
Andrzej Kasprzyk.

AA. 28-09-2004

The Messenger, Georgia (messenger.com.ge)
Sept 28 2004

Russian “party of war” threatens Georgia
But Tbilisi MP believes Georgian-Russian relations can improve

“He is the president of Russia and must see that it is not good to
have Georgia as an enemy. Putin must understand that it is better to
be a friend of Georgia”

By Anna Arzanova

In a recent interview with Russian informational agency Regnum,
National Movement-Democrats MP Kote Gabashvili said that Georgia’s
conflict zones were the main reason for the current strain in
Georgian-Russian relations, along with the influence in Moscow of
what he described as a “party of war.”

However, the MP stated that he is hopeful for better relations in the
future, and argued that the recent autocratic measures taken in
Russia by President Vladimir Putin might have the paradoxical effect
of improving relations.

Asked if it is possible to call the tense Georgian-Russian relations
a ‘cold war,’ Gabashvili, who is also the head of the parliamentary
committee on foreign relations, stated that he would not use such
term, although he acknowledges that even though “both sides publicly
speak of their friendship and cooperation, relations are really very
aggravated.”

Gabashvili considers that such a state of affairs was never the goal
of the Georgian side, nor was it the result of Georgia’s actions. He
regretted that the general situation in Russia influences not only
the political establishment but also the executive and legislative
authority, stimulating only negative policies.

Gabashvili is in no doubt what are the stumbling blocks in
Georgian-Russian relations. First of all are South Ossetia and
Abkhazia, and secondly he names “certain political circles in Russia
which think that an impaired and broken Georgia is a better neighbor
than a united and friendly country.”

“Russia has chosen to support local separatists in Abkhazia and
Tskhinvali,” Gabashvili says. “This is a real process, the aim of
which is to manipulate these conflict zones in order to force Georgia
to become the obedient vassal of Moscow.”

“This is what causes the deep arguments and opposition between the
countries,” Gabashvili says, adding that Adjara, South Ossetia and
Abkhazia are “wounds of Georgia, one of which [Adjara] the government
has been able to heal.”

When asked who plays the key role in Georgian-Russian relations in
Moscow, Gabashvili said that according to the opinion of Russian
analysts, there is a “party of war, which like an octopus tries to
seize everything.”

“I think that this party of war is winning many issues at the present
time. The Russian establishment is not ready to give concrete and
distinct answers. Politics there are being developed now according to
the line of strengthening the influence of different groups. There is
no clear politics inside Russia,” he says.

As for Georgia’s policies towards Russia, Gabashvili said that this
is much less complicated. “This is the wish of the new, young,
energetic president, who came to power and said that one of the
country’s most important priorities is Russia and ‘I extend the hand
of friendship to Russia.'”

Gabashvili declares his full support for the president’s policy of
building closer ties with Russia. “Cooperation is the only way out of
the this situation. We only want to be a normal, independent
country,” he says.

Furthermore, despite the recent tension between the two countries,
Gabashvili remains hopeful that Georgian-Russian relations will
improve in the future. “Georgia is ready to take serious steps to
improve and normalize relations.”

Gabashvili even believes that the autocratic measures taken by Putin
after the Beslan tragedy, which have been criticized as
anti-democratic, could help Tbilisi-Moscow relations. In Gabashvili’s
opinion, this is double moment – a possible problem as well as a
possible guarantee.

Gabashvili thinks that sometimes there are paradoxical situations,
when a decrease of democracy can lead to improved international
relations. Such a paradox has taken place before in the history of
politics, he says, and he does not rule out the possibility that the
same thing may happen in Moscow.

Nevertheless, Gabashvili is critical of Russia’s foreign policy,
attacking high-ranking officials in Moscow for “making every effort
to prove that Russia has its own way of development and its own form
of democracy.”

In its policy towards Georgia, Gabashvili complains of Russian double
standards. Moscow “asks every country to be its partner in fighting
against separatism and terrorism in its ‘home’, but at the same time
supports terrorism in neighboring Georgia.”

Gabashvili denies all suggestions that there might be some Georgian
connection with the Beslan tragedy, and responds to Russian Chief of
General Staff General Yuri Baluevsky’s statement that Russia
possessed information of terrorists bases outside its borders and was
prepared to carry out pre-emptive strikes against them by advising
him to carry out pre-emptive strikes on Chechen terrorists Akhmed
Zakaev in London and Movladi Udugov in Washington.

Georgian and Russian separatists are not the only barrier to improved
relations, however, and Gabashvili states unambiguously that Russian
military bases in Georgia must be withdrawn adding that “everyone is
fed up of them, because they do nothing good and important.”

For relations to improve, however, what is most important is that the
“party of war” in Moscow cease to hold sway. “Putin is in the end not
just the hostage of Baburin, Zhirinovsky and Markelov. He is the
president of Russia and must see that it is not good to have Georgia
as an enemy. Putin must understand that it is better to be a friend
of Georgia,” Gabashvili states, adding that relations between the two
neighbors should involve love and friendship, not force, and that
Georgia is ready to respond in the same manner.

Although he is hopeful that relations will improve, Gabashvili
believes that this may require the intervention of a third party, who
“will take it upon themselves to settle this vengeful mood.”

He does not expect, though, that either of Georgia’s South Caucasus
neighbors Armenia or Azerbaijan could play this role in
Georgian-Russian relations, because they have their own big problem
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Gabashvili adds, though, that “the Armenians are our allies,” and
that “Azerbaijan and Georgia have serious mutual strategic interests
and that their relations are on the right track.”

Georgia, which is home to both Armenians and Azeris, should play a
role in helping these two neighbors to overcome their differences, he
says. “We will give the utmost encouragement to the elimination of
conflict among our neighbors.”

The Faces of Armenia
By Robert Kurkjian and Matthew Karanian

Photo Life Magazine
Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
September 2004

;Res=1280

When you look at the outline of a map of Armenia, you’ll see the profile of a
young girl with long, flowing hair. But there is no face, no eyes. It’s just a
profile.

For some photographers, regardless of where we are, there might as well be no
face on the people. We shoot the landscapes, the monuments, the cities and the
stars. Too often we miss the opportunity to capture the people, which is often
the most compelling and revealing part of the scenery. These are the subjects
that reveal the soul of the land we are visiting.

After many years of traveling throughout Armenia, we’ve managed to capture much
of the beautiful scenery. But the faces of Armenia are what really captivate
us, inspire us, and keep us shooting. We have found that we can convey the
spirit of the land most effectively through the faces of the people that live
there.

We started photographing Armenia as part of a book project, which then turned
into two projects. Both books have been successfully published but our passion
for photographing the people there has not diminished. We continue to make new
portraits and connect with the people on a deeper level. We may have seen the
entire country, but we haven’t seen all the people. And the people are always
changing, always different.

Most of the portraits that form our body of work are taken in informal
situations. We prefer the candid shots because they show the face that the
country shows to us each day. We look for images that convey the soul of the
person, the country, whether it is the innocence of a child or the experience
etched on an elder’s face.

We often spend extended amounts of time with people before we make any
photographs. This may entail going back and visiting our subject numerous
times. We are considerate and friendly, and our smiles disarm most of the
strangers we approach. We explain who we are and what we are doing and, after
chatting for a bit, the person usually stops noticing that we are even taking
pictures.

This is a technique that works well when making environmental portraits—images
of people in their surroundings. It may be an image of them at their workplace
or home, or at a park or other public area. An example is an outdoor market.
These markets, with vendors selling everything from fresh fruit and produce to
auto parts, often captivate us. Customers and vendors are haggling over prices,
others are laughing and socializing. There’s no shortage of subjects.

Working as a pair has helped us to get excellent results. One of us can be
photographing while the other is engaging the person in conversation. This
usually helps the subject to remain relaxed and candid. If you are working
alone, you can accomplish this by asking the subject to do something. If you
are photographing a vendor, ask the vendor to show his wares. Ask an artisan to
show how he hand-carves his wooden artifacts. Allow a child to show you his
favourite toy. And, be ready with your camera.

Despite our preference for candid shots, subjects will still insist on posing.
On these occasions, you have the opportunity to arrange the shot. You can
position the person in a way that you feel is engaging. You can also adjust the
lighting and other elements. These images too can be compelling and provide a
different kind of personal connection.

Of course, after shooting so many portraits, we’ve received many requests for
copies. In the villages in Armenia, many times, it is expected that the
photographs will be ready in just a few minutes. For these situations, we put
our professional equipment aside for a moment and pull out a much more
important tool: that cheap consumer-grade Polaroid camera that we bought at an
outdoor market. We then give something back to the people who have captured us.

Author Bios

The writing and photography of Robert Kurkjian and Matthew Karanian is featured
in The Stone Garden Guide: Armenia and Karabagh which was released this month
in the US. This book follows their successful publication in 2002 of Edge of
Time: Traveling in Armenia and Karabagh.

Robert Kurkjian is a professional photographer and an environmental consultant.
He has lived and worked in Armenia and Karabagh from 1995 through 1999 as a
professor of environmental science and as a research director at the American
University of Armenia. E-mail: [email protected].

Matthew Karanian has lived and worked in Armenia for several years as a writer,
a photographer, and as a professor of law. He is a member of the law faculty at
the American University of Armenia. E-mail: [email protected]

Photographs

A young girl dances at sunset in her village in northern Armenia. Nikon FM2,
28mm, Fujichrome Velvia 50

Three children riding a donkey. Nikon N90S, Nikor 80-200mm, F11, Fujichrome 100

Young girl with her great-grandmother. Nikon FM2, 28mm, Fujichrome Velvia 50

A youth releases a pigeon near the monastery of Khor Virap. Nikon F100, Nikkor
28-105mm, Fujichrome Velvia 50

Villager at the ancient monastery of Dadi Vank. Nikon N90S, 28-105mm, Fujichrome
Velvia 50

A father kisses his son in Yerevan. Nikon N90S, Nikkor 50mm, fill flash,
Fujichrome Velvia 50

The Daily Telegraph, UK
Sept 27 2004

Turkish parliament adopts new penal code to help EU entry talks

By Amberin Zaman in Istanbul
(Filed: 27/09/2004)

Turkey’s parliament last night bowed to European Union demands and
passed a liberalising penal code which should open the way to talks
with Ankara on EU membership.

MPs were recalled from their summer recess after the government of
Recep Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, agreed to drop a plan to
criminalise adultery.

The decision ended a week of crisis with Brussels over Turkey’s
efforts to become the EU’s first predominantly Muslim member.

EU officials said the amended code would help Ankara secure a
positive review of its democratisation process in a crucial report by
the European Commission to be published on Oct 6. EU ministers will
make a final decision in December on holding membership talks. In a
televised address to the nation, Mr Erdogan expressed confidence that
“membership negotiations will start in December”.

The new penal code bars Muslim clerics from engaging in politics and
stiffens penalties for the perpetrators of so-called “honour
killings” of women deemed to have stained their families’ reputation.
Turkey’s increasingly influential women’s groups played a significant
role in pushing for the reforms.

“The change is revolutionary,” said Hulya Gulbahar, who campaigned
for a new law that criminalises the rape of spouses.

Another law scraps reduced sentences for rapists who marry their
victim, and for mothers who murder their babies born out of wedlock.
But EU officials have expressed alarm over a law that effectively
bans free debate of controversial issues such as the 1974 invasion of
Cyprus and the mass slaughter of Turkish Armenians by Ottoman forces
during the First World War.

The passage of the new code followed a week during which Turkey’s
membership application was damaged by Mr Erdogan’s stated desire to
outlaw adultery. EU leaders warned him against the proposal, saying
it suggested that he was seeking to lead Turkey towards Islamic rule.
Mr Erdogan then withdrew the proposal.

The European Right wing is opposed to the inclusion of Turkey. In
Austria, Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel backed the start of accession
talks but suggested that Turkey should be considered for “reduced
membership”.

With its wobbly economy, Turkey is not expected to join the EU for at
least 15 years.

But for many of its 70 million population, tired of decades of
corrupt and authoritarian rule, continued scrutiny by Europe is seen
to be as important to cementing democracy and secular rule as actual
EU membership would be.

St.Petersburg Times, Russia
Sept 24 2004

Seeking Women in Wartime Photos
By Irina Titova
STAFF WRITER

A German man is hoping publication of wartime photographs of three
young Russian women associated with St. Petersburg may help explain
how they came into the possession of his late father-in-law.

Eckhard Bernecker, 68, of Hanover, found the photographs among the
belongings of Friedrich Wilhelm Uebel, who was killed in action in
World War II. The fate of the women is unknown.

“We found a picture which poses a riddle,” Bernecker said of one
photograph.

“The picture is worthless to us,” he wrote in a letter to The St.
Petersburg Times. “But I know that during the war a lot of keepsakes
(such as photos) were destroyed. So it could be that ‘Zinochka’ or
‘Panya’ in St. Petersburg [or their descendants] will be grateful for
the photo.”

The woman in the first picture is identified as Panya, which is
likely to be a diminutive of Praskoviya, Osipova. On the back of the
photograph appears a dedication to a friend called Zinochka, a
diminutive of Zinaida.

“To Zinochka, for you to remember me by, Panya Osipova. It is better
to think of me at least sometimes than not at all. Leningrad. Sept.
28, 1941,” Panya’s Cyrillic text reads.

St. Petersburg was known as Leningrad at the time.

The date is just after Hitler’s armies launched a murderous attack on
Stalin’s Soviet Union. The Germans surrounded the city and besieged
it for almost 900 days.

At the bottom of the reverse side there are the German words
“Gruzinerin,” which means “Georgian,” and a word that is difficult to
decipher but looks like “Manuck.”

Another photograph shows a woman in a military uniform. Her name is
hard to decipher, but appears to be either “Tamarochka,” a diminutive
of Tamara, or some other female name that starts with the letter “T.”

The second woman also dedicated her picture to Zinaida.

“To Zinochka from T … If you have time for memories of the past,
remember me, too. 21 Å. Ç. Leningrad Nov. 16, 1941,” the dedication
says.

The code 21 Å. Ç. may be the number of the woman’s military unit.

At the bottom is written the German word, “Armenierin,” or
“Armenian.”

Three young women appear in a third photograph. On the back of that
photograph only the date May 2, 1940 is written. It can be assumed
that one of the women is Zinaida.

Bernecker said he had no idea how Uebel got the pictures. His
father-in-law never fought in northwest Russia or the Baltic States
during the war. He served on the southern front – in the Caucasus and
beside the Azov Sea.

It might be that Zinaida lived or fought in this area too. Bernecker
said Uebel, who served as an armored infantryman (in German:
Panzer-Grenadier), had not left any explanation about the pictures
before he was killed aged 32 on March 16, 1945, in
Neuwied-am-Rhine-River in west Germany.

Uebel’s widow, Lisbeth, now 91, remembers her husband being sent to
fight in the Soviet Union in late summer of 1941.

She said he remained there as a lance corporal in the “orderly room”
for many months until he was wounded in the back. After treatment at
a hospital in Germany he was sent to fight the Allies who were
advancing from the west.

The widow also remembers that Uebel was in Rostov-on-Don “at the foot
of the Caucasian mountains,” and later in Taganrog on the Azov Sea.

Lisbeth Uebel recalls that when her husband had leave at home he
would collect tools for his Russian landlord and fashion magazines
with sewing patters for the landlord’s wife.

Bernecker thinks Uebel brought the pictures of the Russian women home
with him on one of these trips.

Uebel had three children, one of whom, Charlotte, who was eight when
her father died, later became Bernecker’s wife. He said Uebel’s
family had a very difficult struggle to survive in post-war Germany.
It was only with the help of their grandparents that the family
avoided dying of starvation.

Bernecker said his family wants to give the pictures back to people
who are interested in them – be it Zinaida, who likely owned the
pictures before Uebel, or the women pictured in the photos.

Anyone with information about the women in the photographs is asked
to contact The St. Petersburg Times either by writing to us at
telephoning us on (812) 325-6080. Ask for Irina Titova.

The Times (London)
September 23, 2004, Thursday

A warmly surreal love story set in a post-Soviet village pleases
Wendy Ide

by Wendy Ide

VODKA LEMON. PG, 89 mins ***
SAVE THE GREEN PLANET. 18, 116 mins **
SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE. 18, 85 mins **
RED LIGHTS. 15, 105 mins ***
THE ISTER. N/C, 190 mins *

There is a tendency for films such as the Kurdish Armenian Vodka
Lemon to be dismissed as little more than a glorified ethnographic
show-and-tell, a charming novelty in elk-fur peasant garb. The Story
of the Weeping Camel from Mongolia suffered this fate at the hands of
some British critics earlier this year. The problem is that the
attitude directed towards films from small, poor, less newsworthy
countries can be rather patronising.

In fact, films from countries without a developed film-making
infrastructure can be far more interesting than those with a weighty
cinema history that dictates how and how not to make films.

Vodka Lemon merrily makes its own narrative rules, layering
colourfully surreal vignettes (there’s a definite flavour of Emir
Kusterica’s anarchic Gypsy communities) and bittersweet Armenian
in-jokes with a gentle, rather lovely autumn romance between a
widowed former army officer and the woman he glimpses each day at the
frost-bound cemetery.

The story is set in a Kurdish mountain village that is still
suffering the transition from Soviet occupation to free market. Of
course, a free market works only if you have money to buy things, and
the villagers are forced to barter their remaining sticks of
furniture and hope for an envelope filled with cash from the one
village son who made it to the West. It’s not nearly as bleak as it
sounds – there’s a specific kind of humour that thrives in the face
of extreme privation and Vodka Lemon has it in spades.

Another week, another piece of graphic Korean nastiness. At the heart
of Save the Green Planet (pictured above) is an interesting premise
-a businessman is kidnapped by a dangerous young criminal, but
instead of a ransom, the kidnapper wants an admission that the
businessman is in fact an alien from Andromeda, and that a visit from
an extraterrestrial prince is imminent.

It’s shot with a macabre visual elan and snappily edited, but the
extended torture sequences try the endurance and sit uncomfortably
with the rather juvenile tone of the film. Another problem is that
the writer-director, Jang Jun Hwan, doesn’t seem to know how to end
his film. It drags on for a good 30 minutes longer than it needs to,
bolstered by a montage of humanity’s worst atrocities -somewhat
disingenuous in a film that presents torture as entertainment.

More gore, this time from France, in the strangely titled Switchblade
Romance.

This is an old-school horror flick, in the sense that the gouging and
slashing and bludgeoning with barbed-wire wrapped cudgels is not
mitigated with humour, postmodern self-awareness or pop-cultural
references.

Die-hard horror aficionados will probably consider this a return to a
purist slasher-movie ethos. More sensitive souls will have a hard
time coping with its unremitting grisliness. There’s a strong central
performance, however, from the rising star Cecile De France, last
seen in the lamentable Around the World in Eighty Days. If only she
had wielded her barbed-wire cudgel where it was really needed.

Cedric Kahn’s latest film, Red Lights, is adapted from a novel that
Georges Simenon wrote in the 1950s. It was thematically ahead of its
time -Kahn (see interview, page 6) has moved this exploration of male
status anxiety to the present day and it works well.

An excellent performance from Jean-Pierre Darroussin is the driving
force in what could be described as a psychological drama, a road
movie and a thriller. He plays a rather pathetic little man whose ego
won’t let him accept the fact that he is an unremarkable accountant
while his wife (an icily indifferent Carole Bouquet) is a high-flying
lawyer.

This anger festers during a long, night-time car journey and he
sneaks illicit drinks along the way as small acts of rebellion. After
a confrontation, she decides to proceed alone and the night becomes a
darker and more dangerous place for both of them.

It’s hard to imagine a more specialist-interest film than The Ister,
a three hour documentary that riffs on a series of lectures delivered
by the philosopher Heidegger in 1942. And I’m afraid I lost interest
in this terminally dull film pretty quickly.

For this to succeed, it would need to be both visually striking and
accessible.

The Ister fails on both counts.

British rep asks Azeri official to allow Armenian presence at NATO event

ANS TV, Baku
22 Sep 04

The executive director of the London Information Network on Conflicts
and State-building, Dennis Sammut, has asked Azerbaijani Deputy
Speaker Ziyafat Asgarov to allow an Armenian delegation to attend the
forthcoming Rose-Roth seminar of NATO in Baku. Mr Asgarov said that
the event will be held and that the Azerbaijani government and the
Milli Maclis are interested in that. Dennis Sammut also said that
Azerbaijan will chair the interparliamentary initiative group of the
South Caucasus countries from 1 January 2005. The meeting also
discussed the Nagornyy Karabakh problem. Sammut said that the conflict
could not be solved by itself and added that international
organizations would inevitably have to make serious efforts.

[Video showed the meeting]

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
Sept 23 2004

Council takes a glance inward

Incumbents try to gauge how recent Americana vote will affect their
reelection bids.

By Josh Kleinbaum, News-Press

GLENDALE – Even before Mayor Bob Yousefian’s reelection campaign ever
made it out of the garage, he said his critics began taking aim.

Yousefian joined an intense campaign supporting a controversial
outdoor mall proposal, which voters narrowly approved Sept. 14. He
believes the campaign against the project turned into a personal
attack on him.

“This was not about the [Americana at Brand],” Yousefian said. “It
was, ‘Let’s attack Bob, let’s attack Bob to weaken Bob for the next
election.’ That’s OK. I expected this. When I made a decision to go
into the Armenian community and talk about the facts, I knew going in
what I was signing up for. I have never been afraid of standing up
for what I believe is right. That has been my history.”

As the dust settles from the most expensive municipal campaign in
Glendale history – Glendale Galleria owner General Growth Properties
and developer Rick Caruso dumped more than $4 million into the
campaigns over the Americana – three City Council members are trying
to determine how it will affect their reelection campaigns.

“My wife told me, if I lose, I have to go out and get a job,”
Councilman Dave Weaver said, laughing. “That’s motivation to get
reelected.”

Council members invested significant political cache in the election
over the Americana, and that could play a major role in April, when
three of them are up for reelection.

Yousefian became the most vocal cheerleader for the project leading
up to the election, especially within the city’s Armenian-American
community.

Weaver contributed with comments at public meetings and letters to
local newspapers supporting the Americana.

Frank Quintero, the lone dissenter on the council, remained quiet in
public for most of the campaign, but was active behind the scenes,
encouraging critics of the project to be vocal and persistent.

With the election seven months away, battle lines have been drawn.

“Obviously, it’s going to be Mr. Quintero against the rest of us,”
Weaver said. “Mr. Quintero said he didn’t like the financial terms.
I’ll argue that [Americana] project was never intended to be an
economic project. We entered it to give the people of Glendale a town
center.”

Quintero did not return messages seeking comment.

Each of the incumbents has weaknesses that can be exploited during an
election.

During the Americana election, critics tried to paint Yousefian as a
flip-flopper because he changed his mind on the project in early
March.

Those accusations are sure to resurface in the City Council election.

“He put himself in real jeopardy, in my opinion,” said Vrej
Agajanian, host of an Armenian-language television show who
criticized Yousefian during the campaign. “He should not have gotten
deeply involved. It angered the Armenian community.”

Agajanian, rumored to be running for City Council, too, said he has
not considered it.

Of the three incumbents, Weaver has had the most trouble raising
funds. In the first reporting period, Yousefian raised $63,594 and
Quintero raised $39,133, while Weaver amassed $8,500.

And Quintero will have to answer questions about his political
future. He has long discussed a possible run at state Assembly in
2006. If he wins such an election, he must vacate his council seat.
Councilman Gus Gomez, who is running for Superior Court Judge in
November, has been criticized for a similar decision.

“If we lose and if we don’t get elected, and there’s a whole new
group coming to the city, so be it,” Yousefian said. “The city will
survive. The city has a life of its own. It’s not dependent on one,
two or three council members.”