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California Courier Online, Nove,ber 4, 2004

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  • California Courier Online, Nove,ber 4, 2004

    California Courier Online, November 4, 2004

    1 - Commentary
    Heinz Family's Incredible Link
    To the Armenian Genocide

    By Harut Sassounian
    California Courier Publisher
    ************************************************** ************************
    2 - Kuredjian Scholarships Are Inspiration
    For Armenian Students in Law Enforcement
    3 - Numismatic Journal
    To be Converted into
    Series II in 2005
    4 - GUSD Starts
    Armenian Language
    Show on Channel 15
    5 - Armenian Cooking Celebrated at
    Two Farmers' Market, Nov. 13-14
    6 - Glendale Seminar Will Discuss Armenian
    Demographics and Impact on Business
    7 - Unique Presentation
    Of Armenian Poetry
    In L.A. in November
    ************************************************** **********************
    1 - Commentary
    Heinz Family's Incredible Link
    To the Armenian Genocide

    At the time of writing this column, it was not known whether Teresa Heinz
    Kerry would be the next First Lady or not. Nevertheless, the Los Angeles
    Times revealed last week an incredible connection between the Heinz family
    and the Armenian Genocide.

    In a lengthy front-page article on October 27, the Los Angeles Times
    disclosed that Howard Heinz, the grandfather of Sen. John Heinz (the former
    husband of Teresa Heinz Kerry), went to Armenia in 1919 to deliver
    desperately needed humanitarian supplies to the thousands of survivors of
    the Armenian Genocide. Howard was one of the four children of Henry John
    Heinz, the founder of the famous ketchup and pickle empire.

    Times' staff writer Ralph Vartabedian, through painstaking archival
    research, traced for the first time the Heinz' family tree, spanning over
    four generations. Here is the reference in his article to the amazing link
    between the Heinz family and the Armenian Genocide:

    "Heinzes pioneered the industrialization of the U.S. food supply, pushed
    government reforms to improve food safety and advocated for military
    intervention to stop the Armenian genocide." Howard Heinz, who was deeply
    involved in public service, "was sent to the Middle East by the Wilson
    administration after World War I to head famine-relief efforts. On the day
    [his father] H. J. Heinz died [in 1919], Howard was delivering 30,000 tons
    of food to the region, where he witnessed the unfolding genocide that took
    the lives of 1.5 million Armenians. Howard tried to get [Pres. Woodrow]
    Wilson to send troops to halt the slaughter in harsh, remote areas of
    eastern Turkey and Armenia. In a dispatch to the president, he wrote, 'I do
    not believe America, when she knows the truth, will be satisfied to have
    all our ideals of humanity thrown to one side while these people are
    murdered.' His pleas were ignored," Vartabedian wrote.

    This is a very significant revelation that was not known to most Armenians,
    and possibly even to the descendants of the Heinz family. It would be
    important to obtain copies of the first-hand reports Howard Heinz
    dispatched from Armenia and Turkey, as the genocide was still unfolding.

    Interestingly, should Sen. Kerry become president, an incredible family
    connection would be established for the first time between the White House
    and the Armenian Genocide. Kerry's three stepsons -- Teresa's sons from her
    former husband - H.J. Heinz IV born in 1966, Andre born in 1969, and
    Christopher born in 1973 -- are the great-grandsons of an eyewitness to the
    Armenian Genocide!

    Livingston: Another Lobbyist Milking Turkey

    Robert Livingston, the former Republican chairman of the powerful House
    Appropriations Committee and a paid lobbyist for Turkey since 2000, made
    some interesting statements last week. He told the Turkish media that Sen.
    Kerry, if elected president, would probably keep his promises on
    recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Livingston was in effect telling the
    Turks that he would have to charge them much more for his lobbying efforts,
    as it would be more difficult under the Kerry administration to block the
    Genocide resolution.

    In a lengthy article published on Sept. 29, 2004, reporter Kate Ackley
    disclosed in "Influnce.biz" that The Livingston Group's lucrative client,
    Turkey, paid the firm $1.4 million just for the first half of this year.
    The Turkish fees constituted 25% of the firm's annual revenues.

    The report revealed some of The Livingston Group's far-reaching and
    influential network of contacts in the White House (Karl Rove, Senior
    Advisor to Pres. Bush; James Marrs, an aide to Vice President Dick Cheney;
    Matt Bryza, the National Security Council's director of European and
    Eurasian affairs; and Daniel Keniry, a member of Pres. Bush's legislative
    affairs team); in the Congress (House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill, and
    his aide Christopher Walker; House Majority Leader Tom Delay, R-Texas, and
    his senior national security policy advisor Brett Shogren; Cong. Robert
    Wexler, D-Fla; Cong. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky, and his aide Jeff Miles; Cong.
    Richard Baker, R-La; Mark Murray, minority staff assistant for the House
    Appropriations Committee; Vincent Morelli, majority staff director for the
    House International Relations
    Subcommittee on Europe; Johnnie Kaberlie and Ali Amirhooshmand, policy
    aides to House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; and Rachael Leman, deputy
    policy director on the House Rules Committee); in the Defense Dept. (Deputy
    Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz; and Lisa Heald, the country director
    for Turkey in the office of the Secretary of Defense); and in the State
    Dept. (Douglas Hengel, an aide in the office of Southeastern European
    Affairs).

    The article disclosed that Livingston and his group spent a lot of time and
    effort to counter Cong. Schiff's amendment on forbidding Turkey to use U.S.
    foreign aid money to lobby the Congress against the recognition of the
    Armenian Genocide. According to the article, on March 18, Livingston,
    "exchanged e-mails on Turkish-Armenian issues with James Marrs of Vice
    President Dick Cheney's office." In July, Livingston and his team of
    lobbyists held a series of meetings with White House officials and House
    leaders to counter the Schiff amendment.

    If Kerry were to be elected president, The Livingston Group would need to
    work much harder and charge the Turks millions of more dollars for their
    lobbying efforts.
    ************************************************** ************************
    2 - Kuredjian Scholarships Are Inspiration
    For Armenian Students in Law Enforcement
    By Susan Abram
    Los Angeles Daily News
    GLENDALE -- Five students received scholarships last week in memory of
    slain sheriff's Deputy Hagop "Jake" Kuredjian, whose name will live on as
    more Armenian youth pursue careers in law enforcement.
    Sheriff Lee Baca, Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams and several others also
    were honored by the Armenian National Peace Officers Association during the
    group's first-ever scholarship ceremony.
    The association formed last year with the intention of encouraging more
    Armenian youths to consider careers in law enforcement.
    Kuredjian "lived a life of pride, a life of wisdom," Baca said. "His name
    will always be at the forefront of what it is to be Armenian-American."
    Some of the money used for the scholarships was raised by 14-year-old
    Austin Losorelli, a Stevenson Ranch resident who collected donations in
    memory of Kuredjian. Losorelli set up a table and a sign at the corner of
    Stevenson Ranch Parkway a day after Kuredjian was killed in 2001.
    "My dad is an LAPD officer. I just felt bad for (Kuredjian's) family,"
    Losorelli said.
    With help from his brother Ian, he raised $8,000, and the association also
    honored him on Sunday with a plaque presented by Kuredjian's brother, Garo,
    who told the boy, "This is long overdue."
    The slain deputy, a 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles Country Sheriff's
    Department, was helping serve a search warrant Aug. 31, 2001, in Stevenson
    Ranch when a man opened fire from an upstairs window, hitting the deputy
    once in the head.
    Last month, the deputy's memory was honored with a dedication ceremony at a
    new park, named Jake Kuredjian Park, next to Pico Canyon Elementary School
    in Santa Clarita.
    Steve Shenian, a California Highway Patrol officer and the co-founder of
    the Armenian National Peace Officers Association, said the group has about
    90 members in seven states.
    The association's goal is to encourage young Armenian-Americans to consider
    law enforcement as a professional career. Glendale's Armenian community,
    the largest outside of Armenia, has been slowly embracing the profession,
    officials said, but more work needs to be done.
    "We need to get in and break barriers," Shenian said. "We need to go into
    local schools and visit groups. When the children see an Armenian officer
    in uniform, it's powerful."
    The Glendale Police Department has tried with limited success to attract
    more Armenian youths to its ranks.
    "Law enforcement is extremely important to the Armenian community," said
    Glendale Mayor Bob Yousefian. "I'm not one to say our community doesn't
    have issues. We need help to deal with these issues."
    Seventeen Glendale Police Department officers are Armenian-American -- only
    two more than there were in 1995.
    "A lot of Armenians think law enforcement is not an honorable career,
    because from where they came from, law enforcement had a bad image, and
    they are afraid," said 20-year-old Diana Arzrounian, a California State
    University, Northridge, student and winner of one of the Kuredjian
    scholarships. "We need more programs, such as this one, to talk about ...
    what law enforcement really is. It's not just about arresting people."
    Ross Simonian, Sabina Simonian, Sara Vardapetyan, and Mourad Kabanjian also
    received $500 each in memorial scholarships.
    ************************************************** ************************
    3 - Numismatic Journal
    To be Converted into
    Series II in 2005
    PICO RIVERA, Calif. - Founded in 1971, the Armenian Numismatic Society
    inaugurated a forum dedicated strictly to publishing Armenian numismatics
    in 1975, with the first issue of "Armenian Numismatic Journal." Thirty
    volumes of the "Journal" have now been printed, a volume a year, and mailed
    to Society members in the United States and many foreign countries.
    Cumulatively, the 30 volumes includes about 300 essays, in some 2200 pages
    and 110 plates. The scholarly articles cover a multitude of subjects on
    newly discovered Armenian coins and hoards, medals, bank notes, book and
    auction reviews, plus bibliography and abstracts on Armenian numismatic
    literature.
    "The Armenian Numismatic Journal" will start its Series II, Vol. 1 (31) in
    2005, in the same format, 81/2x11 inch and four issues per volume.
    A limited supply of back issues and a few complete sets of the "Journal"
    are available for those who would like to purchase them for their
    libraries.
    Collectors who are interested in joining the Society, or purchasing its
    publications, may request a list, from the secretary at the Armenian
    Numismatic Society, 8511 Beverly Park Place, Pico Rivera, CA 90660, or
    e-mail at [email protected].
    ************************************************** ************************
    4 - GUSD Starts
    Armenian Language
    Show on Channel 15
    GLENDALE - In an effort to reach families of students whose primary
    language is Armenian, the Glendale Unified School District is now showing a
    program in Armenian on Charter Cable Channel 15. The 30-minute program is
    an overview of English Language Learners instruction in the Glendale
    schools.
    The program airs Mondays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturday and Sundays at 1
    p.m.
    Panelists who discuss various aspects of the ELL program are: Armine
    Aghanjani, teacher at Hoover High; Lala Sahakian, teacher specialist at
    Marshall Elementary; Armineh Khanbabian, teacher specialist at Jefferson
    Elementary; Zepure Hacopian, teacher specialist at R.D. White and Lincoln
    Elementary; and Keghanoush Bairamian, second grade teacher at Mann
    Elementary.
    Of the approximately 29,000 students in the Glendale Unified School
    District, about one-third are of Armenian descent. The District is
    producing this show in Armenian to help educate parents and families who
    are limited or non-English speakers.
    ************************************************** ************************
    5 - Armenian Cooking Celebrated at
    Two Farmers' Market, Nov. 13-14
    GLENDALE - Two weeks before Thanksgiving, the Burbank Farmer's Market and
    the Encino Farmer's Market have joined together to celebrate Armenian
    cooking. Veteran author, Barbara Ghazarian will appear at the markets to
    share ancient culinary secrets and sign copies of her new cookbook, "Simply
    Armenian."
    The events will take place Nov. 13 at the Burbank Farmer's Market from 8
    a.m. to 12 noon. For information, call (626) 308-0457. The next day, the
    Encino Farmer's Market will host the event from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. For
    info, call (818) 708-6611,
    "You will learn the magic of creating a feast out of a basket of
    vegetables and a handful of cracked wheat bulgur," Ghazarian promises.
    "Simply Armenian" is not a vegetarian cookbook, but over a half of the 150
    dishes are meat-free and 55 recipes meet vegan standards.
    "Traditionally, Armenians farmed the soil or tended orchards, so vegetables
    and fruits made up the bulk of what was available to eat," Ghazarian
    explains. "On top of that, the Armenian church calendar calls for over 180
    fasting days a year and in the old days people used to follow it pretty
    closely, but now the "no animal products" or vegan dishes are year-round."
    Ghazarian sorted through the traditional favorites of her Armenian
    grandmother's and Middle Eastern-born mother-in-law's kitchen and
    handpicked a collection of dishes that ensured those who were keeping
    meat-free or low meat diets would eat like sultans, too. Cheese is a
    staple; eggplant is a favorite; chickpeas, other legumes, and lentils are
    plentiful; and nuts and fruits are used in everything.
    "The Armenian method of pickling fresh vegetables is quick, easy, and
    reliably delicious," says Ghazarian, who suggests first-timers pickle
    carrots, red cabbage, turnips, and cauliflower while gourmets may want to
    try eggplant.
    But pickling is just the beginning of the satisfying vegetarian dishes
    included in this cookbook.
    For those following low meat diets, "Simply Armenian" is a celebration of
    abundance. Home cooks looking for new, satisfying vegetarian fare for
    everyday eating or special occasions will cheer the boon they discover at
    the Burbank and Encino Farmer's Markets the second weekend of November.
    Author Barbara Ghazarian is an experienced cook and a natural teacher with
    a gift for storytelling. This is her first cookbook and second book
    ("Descendants of Noah: Stories of Armenian Apostolic Faith and Heritage,"
    Mayreni 2002) Barbara lectures from coast to coast on Armenian-related
    topics to both Armenian and American audiences. She authored a long-running
    weekly culinary column for a Los Angeles newspaper and has years of
    experience teaching culinary writing to adults in greater Boston.
    "Simply Armenian," published by Mayreni Publishing (www.mayreni.com), can
    be purchased in leading online bookstores, at Abril, Berj, and Sardarabad
    Armenian bookstores in Glendale, and at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena.
    ************************************************** ************************
    6 - Glendale Seminar Will Discuss Armenian
    Demographics and Impact on Business
    GLENDALE - A high-powered strategic marketing seminar will be held Nov. 10
    in Glendale to discuss the community's demographics and how it relates to
    business and advertising, as well as community activism.
    The panelists are Glendale Mayor Bob Yousefian, Glendale Unified School
    District President Greg Krikorian, and Ara Najarian, Board Trustee of the
    Glendale Community College.
    The event is being co-sponsored by the Krikorian Marketing Group, Business
    Life & Senior Living magazines, and the Armenian American Chamber of
    Commerce.
    Topics which will be discussed include workforce demographics, outreach
    initiatives, growth patterns, graduations rates, and student successes.
    The program will also discuss US Census figures and the Armenian
    Demographics in Glendale and L.A. County. The presentation will be made by
    Jerry Wong, Information Services Specialist, L.A. Region of the US Census.
    A review of various marketing initiatives impacting Armenian business and
    community will be conducted by KMG Marketing.
    Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will be represented by Lisa Kalustian, the
    Chief Deputy Director of the L.A. Office. Also attending will be Alberto G.
    Alvarado, Director of the US Small Business Administration, Los Angeles
    District Office.
    The seminar will begin at 6 p.m., with networking opportunity, and the
    forum will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Nestle Building, 800 N.
    Brand Blvd. Admission is free, but due to limited space, RSVP is requested
    by calling (818) 240-7987, or e-mail, [email protected]
    The City of Glendale with its 194,973 residents ranks third in the country.
    with 54.4% foreign born residents. Glendale trailed only Hialeah, Fla and
    Miami, Fla with the highest number of foreign-born. Recent estimates
    indicate an Armenian population in Glendale of near 100,000. A survey of
    active accounts by the Glendale Water and Power with "YAN" and "IAN" in the
    last 3 digits of the Name Field in their billing systems shows 21,325
    residential and 1561 commercial billing units. The fields represent the
    party responsible for the payment of the utility services, which may be a
    tenant owner, property management services or other person(s) not living at
    that address.
    This forum is designed to educate the community of Glendale, the County and
    help build better understanding to further embrace and build communications
    with our diverse population. This is the first of several that will be
    scheduled during the course of the coming 2005-year.
    Major corporate sponsors are: Glendale Adventist Medical Center, The Gas
    Company, Sempra Energy, SBC, Print-On-All and Paradise Pastry.
    ************************************************** ************************
    7 - Unique Presentation
    Of Armenian Poetry
    In L.A. in November
    LOS ANGELES - In association with the UCLA Department of Near Eastern
    Languages and Cultures and the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs
    Department, Arena Productions presents the world premiere of "They Were
    Poets," a theatrical production of Armenian poetry spanning throughout the
    centuries, all translated into English.
    The programs will be held Saturdays, Nov. 6, 13, 20 at 8 p.m. at Barnsdall
    Gallery Theater in Hollywood.
    The presentations are compiled, edited and directed by Anahid Aramouni
    Keshishian, Lecturer of Armenian Language and Literature at UCLA.
    "Join us for an evening of verse dipped into an eclectic array of music
    and imagery, all fused with the human body and voice," the organizers
    suggest.
    The Barnsdall Theatre is located at 4800 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood. For
    reservations, call: 818- 240-7080, or e-mail: [email protected]
    ************************************************** ************************
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