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  • ASBAREZ Online [12-03-2004]

    ASBAREZ ONLINE
    TOP STORIES
    12/03/2004
    TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
    WEBSITE AT <http://www.asbarez.com/>HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ.COM

    1) Baku Opposes Minsk Group Approach, Rejects Compromise for Karabagh
    Settlement
    2) Karabagh President Discusses Telethon Results with Cabinet
    3) Turkey Condemns Slovak Recognition of Armenian Genocide
    4) Ukraine Court Orders New Run-off Election
    5) Schiff Criticizes Genocide Remarks of Turkish Official
    6) How to Lose a Girl in 40 Days While Sleepless in the Valley
    7) Tidbits From The Diner
    8) Separatism--No Longer a Dirty Word?
    9) Forget The Fat Lady--Let Hasserjian Sing
    10) Veteran Photographer Harry Koundakjian Photo Exhibition and Public Program
    11) Earth Tones--Works of Two Abstract Expressionists

    1) Baku Opposes Minsk Group Approach, Rejects Compromise for Karabagh
    Settlement

    BAKU (Armenpress)--Ahead of the scheduled December 6 meeting with Armenian
    counterpart Vartan Oskanian, Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov announced
    that his country is ready to continue negotiations on the Mountainous Karabagh
    conflict, but only if Azerbaijan's proposals serve as a basis for a
    resolution.
    The foreign ministers are due to meet in Sofia, Bulgaria, on the sidelines of
    an annual meeting of foreign ministers of Organization for Security and
    Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) member states.
    The three co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, tasked with mediating a
    settlement to the Mountainous Karabagh conflict, will also attend the meeting.
    Mamedyarov revealed that he recently met with the Minsk Group co-chairmen,
    within the framework of UN General Assembly's 59 session, and has told them
    that their proposals are unacceptable.
    Dissatisfied with the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group, Azerbaijan recently
    urged the UN General Assembly to intervene in the long and bitter territorial
    dispute with neighboring Armenia over Mountainous Karabagh.
    The OSCE has, meanwhile, asked the assembly to stay on the sidelines and not
    interfere with their efforts. Talks "can only progress in an atmosphere of
    confidence between the parties. Anything in the direction of building
    confidence and of avoiding a division of the General Assembly is helpful,"
    said
    US envoy Susan Moore, speaking on behalf of the OSCE.


    2) Karabagh President Discusses Telethon Results with Cabinet

    STEPANAKERT (Combined Sources)--Mountainous Karabagh Republic President Arkady
    Ghukasian held a meeting with cabinet members on December 2, to discuss the
    results of the November 25 telethon held in the US. Ghukasian gathered
    National
    Security Council members, Prime Minister Anushavan Danielian, National
    Assembly
    Speaker Oleg Yesayan, cabinet ministers, and other officials to stress the
    necessity of strict control over the spending procedures of the $11.5 million
    raised for the construction of the strategic North-South "backbone" highway,
    which will facilitate communication between northern and southern sections of
    Karabagh, boost the local economy, and further improve the unrecognized
    republic's security. Nearly 100 kilometers of it has already been built since
    the project's launch four years ago.
    One of the most important issues for the Armenian diaspora, Ghukasian noted,
    is the future of Karabagh--more specifically the strengthening of its
    political
    and economic independence. "The diaspora believes in Karabagh and considers it
    a duty to contribute to its development," the President emphasized. The next
    telethon, he said, should be directed towards developing the economy of the
    Mardakert region, which has suffered most from Azeri aggression.
    Summarizing his US visit, Ghukasian expressed gratitude to the diaspora, as
    well as citizens of Armenia and Karabagh for their active participation in the
    telethon. He also noted that diaspora organizations have expressed their
    willingness to be more actively involved in lobbying for Karabagh's
    position in
    the international arena and stressed that the Armenian people can realize
    pan-national issues only through the joint efforts of Armenia, Karabagh, and
    the diaspora.
    All-Armenian Hayastan Fund executive director, Naira Melkumian, said she
    expects at least 90 percent of the pledges to materialize into cash in the
    coming weeks. She said the fund will need only $1.5 million to finish by 2007
    work on the 170-kilometer road that will connect the northern and southern
    sections of Karabagh through the capital Stepanakert.
    The money promised is about twice the sum collected at the previous Los
    Angeles telethon in November 2003. Melkumian, who previously served as
    Karabagh's foreign minister, described the figure as "unprecedented,"
    attributing it to "economic progress" witnessed by diaspora Armenians visiting
    Armenia and Karabagh.


    3) Turkey Condemns Slovak Recognition of Armenian Genocide

    (AFP, AP)--Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul Thursday denounced as
    "unacceptable" a resolution by the Slovak parliament recognizing the 1915
    massacre under the Ottoman empire of hundreds of thousands of Armenians as
    genocide.
    On Tuesday, the Slovak parliament adopted a resolution saying: "The Slovak
    parliament recognizes the genocide of Armenians in 1915 during which hundreds
    of thousands of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were killed and considers this
    act a crime against humanity."
    But Gul also sought to downplay the issue, saying the initiative was
    spearheaded by the Slovak opposition and not the government. The resolution
    was
    adopted in the same session as another one giving the green light to opening
    negotiations on Turkey's accession to the European Union but were voted on
    separately, Slovak parliament spokesman Michal Dyttert said.
    "This is unacceptable...We will take the necessary (diplomatic) steps," Gul
    told
    reporters, but declined to elaborate. "I think this development is the result
    of (Slovak) domestic politics. Opposition parties sometimes behave
    irresponsibly...The Slovak government did not support it," he said.
    The Turkish foreign ministry issued a strongly worded statement, blaming the
    Slovak resolution on "a fait accompli by one political party (to) accept as
    genocide the tragic events of 1915." "Passing judgment on the contested
    periods
    of another's history cannot be among the duties and responsibilities of
    national parliaments," it said.
    "It is clear that this decision, taken for political profit by distorting
    events that took place under the conditions of World War I and caused great
    suffering to Turks and Armenians alike, does not constitute a responsible
    course of action," the statement said.
    The massacre of Armenians during World War I is one of the most controversial
    episodes in Turkish history. In 2001, France triggered a storm in its
    relations
    with Turkey when its parliament passed a law acknowledging the massacres as
    genocide. Ankara retaliated by sidelining French companies from public tenders
    and canceled several projects awarded to French firms.
    Meanwhile, Armenia has asked European Union leaders to discuss the
    policies of
    Turkey, toward the former Soviet republic at an upcoming EU summit. In a
    letter, President Robert Kocharian asked EU leaders to discuss what Armenia
    sees as a Turkish economic blockade during their December 17 meeting, Foreign
    Minister Vartan Oskanian said in a televised interview late Wednesday.
    Turkey keeps its border with Armenia closed, aggravating the impoverished
    country's economic plight. EU leaders are to vote at the forthcoming summit on
    whether to open membership negotiations with Turkey.


    4) Ukraine Court Orders New Run-off Election

    KIEV (AP)--The Supreme Court declared the results of Ukraine's disputed
    presidential run-off election invalid on Friday and ruled that the run-off
    should be repeated on Dec. 26, bringing cheers and fireworks from tens of
    thousands of opposition supporters massed in Kiev's main square.
    The ruling, made after five days of hearings by the court's 18 justices,
    was a
    major victory for opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, who had rejected the
    government's demands that an entirely new election be held.
    The opposition had pinned its hopes on the court's ruling in its bid to
    overturn the results of the Nov. 21 run-off vote in which Prime Minister
    Viktor
    Yanukovych was declared the winner. The opposition said the vote was rigged to
    cheat Yushchenko of victory.
    The ruling was a stinging blow to outgoing President Leonid Kuchma and
    powerful ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who a day earlier had sharply
    derided the idea of holding a new run-off.
    Kuchma had been pressing for an entirely new election, apparently in hopes of
    replacing his favorite Yanukovych with a stronger candidate. The spiraling
    political crisis has undermined his hopes to ensure he is succeeded by a
    supporter, has paralyzed his government with protests and has raised fears
    of a
    split in Ukraine between its east--where support of Kuchma and traditional
    ties
    with Russia are strong--and its west--where many want to move closer to the
    rest of Europe.
    The ruling is final and cannot be appealed, and both sides have promised to
    abide by the decision. There was no immediate reaction from Yanukovych or his
    supporters. Representatives from Yanukovych and the Central Election
    Commission
    left the courthouse before the judges announced their decision.
    The court ruling said a new run-off vote should be held nationwide on Dec.
    26.

    Parliament scheduled a marathon all-weekend session to pass legislation
    corresponding to the Supreme Court verdict. It will need to pass changes to
    the
    membership of the 15-member Central Election Commission and in election law to
    help prevent fraud.
    Parliament, filled with opposition supporters while many government delegates
    stay away, has been chipping away at Kuchma's authority. On Friday, it
    passed a
    non-binding resolution calling for the withdrawal of the country's 1,600
    peacekeepers out of Iraq--a symbolic snub of Kuchma, who ordered the
    deployment. Earlier, parliament brought down Yanukovych's government with a
    no-confidence vote.
    The crisis has also strained relations between Russia, which has staunchly
    backed Yanukovych, and the West, which has refused to accept the official
    results of the vote.
    Putin immediately congratulated Yanukovyck on victory after the Nov. 21
    run-off, and Kuchma made a hastily arranged visit to Moscow on Thursday for
    support from Putin as the opposition appeared to be gaining momentum.
    President Bush, asked about Russia's stance on Thursday, said any new
    election
    "ought to be free from any foreign influence."
    Before the court's ruling, Poland's president, who has served as mediator in
    Ukraine's political crisis, warned that the country should hold a new vote
    quickly or else violence could break out.


    5) Schiff Criticizes Genocide Remarks of Turkish Official

    Lawmaker Calls for Renewed Effort for US to Recognize Armenian Genocide In
    Light of Comments by Turkish Parliament Human Rights Commission Leader

    WASHINGTON, DC--Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) this week condemned recent
    remarks by Mehmet Elkatmis, head of the Turkish Parliament's Human Rights
    Commission, in which he accused the United States of committing genocide in
    Iraq. Elkatmis declared, "Never in human history have such genocide and
    cruelty
    been witnessed. Such a genocide was never seen in the time of the pharaohs,
    nor of Hitler, nor of Mussolini." Congressman Schiff is circulating a letter
    to his colleagues in the House of Representatives to make them aware of
    Elkatmis's comments and to urge Congress to pass legislation commemorating the
    Armenian Genocide. Congressman Schiff also released the following statement:
    "The Turkish Government's effort to deny the murder of 1.5 million Armenian
    men, women and children by the Ottoman Turks has reached a new level of
    hypocrisy. The Government of Turkey spends massive sums on high-priced
    Washington lobbyists to convince Congress and the Administration that
    US-Turkish relations will be irreparably harmed by American acknowledgment of
    the Armenian Genocide. At the same time, the Turkish government does nothing
    to repudiate the scurrilous charges leveled by a senior parliamentarian who is
    a member of the ruling party.
    "It is clear to me that since the Turkish government has no compunction about
    accusing the United States of genocide, we should not be hesitant to recognize
    those murdered by a government that no longer exists. It is also clear to me,
    given the relatively mild reaction to Mr. Elkatmis' remarks, that the
    potential
    fallout from a Congressional resolution has been greatly exaggerated by the
    Turkish government's lobbyists."
    Just recently, an amendment authored by Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA)--and
    included in the House version of the Foreign Operations spending bill--that
    would have stopped the Government of Turkey from using US foreign aid to lobby
    against a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide was dropped from the
    final FY 2005 Omnibus Appropriations bill (H.R. 4818).
    In July during consideration of the Foreign Operations spending bill, the
    House of Representatives voted to adopt the Schiff amendment, prohibiting the
    Government of Turkey from using US foreign aid to lobby against H.Res. 193, a
    resolution that officially recognizes the Armenian Genocide and marks the 15th
    anniversary of President Ronald Reagan signing the 1987 Genocide Convention
    Implementation Act. (Also known as the Proxmire Act, this put the United
    States on record as being strongly opposed to the heinous crime of genocide.)
    H.Res. 193 passed the House Judiciary Committee on May 22, 2003, shortly after
    its introduction on April 10, 2003. However, because of significant lobbying
    efforts by those who deny the Genocide, the resolution has been languishing on
    the House calendar for over a year.
    The day after the House passed the Foreign Operations bill, Speaker Hastert
    issued a joint statement with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (TX-22) and
    Majority Whip Roy Blunt (MO-7) in opposition to the Schiff amendment on the
    Armenian Genocide. The Speaker's statement expressed the House Majority
    Leadership's determination to drop the Schiff amendment from the final version
    of the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill and their intention to block the
    consideration of H.Res. 193--even though Speaker Hastert made a public pledge
    in 2000 to the Armenian American community to schedule a floor vote on such a
    resolution. The Senate passed its version of the Foreign Operations bill (S.
    2812) on September 23 without the Schiff amendment. Last week, a conference
    committee combined nine appropriations bills--including the Foreign Operations
    spending bill--into the FY 2005 Omnibus Appropriations Act (H.R. 4818). The
    Conference Committee left the Schiff amendment out of H.R. 4818, which passed
    the House of Representatives and Senate on November 20.
    Congressman Schiff is a Member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian
    Issues,
    a co-founder of the Democratic Study Group on National Security and a
    member of
    both the House Judiciary and International Relations committees. He
    represents
    California's 29th Congressional District, which includes the communities of
    Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Glendale,
    Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena and Temple City.


    6) How to Lose a Girl in 40 Days While Sleepless in the Valley

    By Skeptik Sinikian

    Here's a simple breakdown of what life in the Armenian online dating fast lane
    is like so far. This will serve as a recap of the events that have transpired
    over the course of the last few months. I decided to pose as a single
    available
    Armenian bachelor online on one of the dozens of websites set up to help
    Armenian singles meet. Here's what I've found out so far.
    You can register for a profile. That's free. You can post your picture up.
    That's also free. You can send "flirts" to other users. That is...free as well.
    So where's the catch? When you actually try to contact someone from the
    website
    they try to pick your pocket. It's information highway robbery! Dear friends,
    there is, indeed, a price to pay for love or companionship and as I discovered
    in my previous column, the price tag starts at around 60 dollars. So where
    does
    this leave my experiment? After all, I'm a man of simple means and not because
    I'm frugal by nature. It is due in large part to a bad relationship I had in
    college with a woman named Sallie (Last name Mae). Sallie and I parted ways
    eventually but not before I had borrowed a lot of money. Well, it turns out
    Sallie wanted all her money back PLUS interest, so here I am a working stiff,
    drinking "Two Buck Chuck" ($1.99 a bottle Charles Shaw wine for anyone who has
    never been to Trader Joe's) and drinking straight coffee instead of them fancy
    lattes everyone is raving about.
    I've been driven to such a point of frustration with this experiment that I'd
    need at least ten issues of Asbarez to get all of my thoughts out in the open.
    But I've decided to take a hiatus from my own experiment and cover some of the
    stories that people have emailed me over the course of the last three weeks.
    Here's one of my favorites. As always, my opinions and comments will follow in
    brackets where it is appropriate. I apologize for anyone who's going through
    Skeptik's Political Commentary Withdrawal Syndrome. We'll try to have
    something
    more Skeptik-esque next week.
    A friend of mine recently met a 30 year old, apparently divorced Armenian
    male
    who is in the pharmaceutical business. He's from Fresno but has relocated to a
    city in the Los Angeles area that is closer to the beach. Here is the story
    [you know you love gossip so keep reading]. They meet online and exchange
    flirts, emails, etc. [I guess some people have the money to waste on things
    like this...must be nice].
    They meet in person and start dating for about a month. She goes out with
    him,
    his brother, and his girlfriend. Everything seems okay, right? [In general,
    when things seem like they're going great after only a month of dating, you
    clearly don't know much about dating and should slow the pace down a little].
    She thinks that everything is totally "cool" [her words, not mine] because he
    was "totally into [her]," calling her and text messaging her like an Armenian
    teeny bopper with a new cellular phone, making plans to hang out, the whole
    nine yards. Just to make the ending of this story even creepier, he sends her
    cute notes a hundred times a day, wants to spend all of his free time with
    her,
    and even asks her to go to church with him [Church? Is that even considered a
    date? What do you do to follow up on that brilliant idea? Get "His" and
    "Hers"
    matching plots at Forest Lawn? Creep!] He goes from all this to completely
    stopping the phone calls. [Now, I don't know this person, but my friend who
    told me the story, assured me she's attractive, smart, and has a good head on
    her shoulders. Otherwise I'm with you on this one. I thought there was
    something weird about her too].
    He ends up sending her a text message that says he'll call her when he wakes
    up from his nap and never calls back [this is the all too familiar--the old
    I'm
    taking a nap trick]. Our innocent victim texts the creep the following Monday
    morning and still no response. She calls him that night and leaves a message.
    No response. Next day, same routine. Still nothing. The day after, she starts
    worrying and leaves ANOTHER message [hmmm...in my grandmother's village in the
    old country they had a word for this kind of behavior ...it was called a HINT!
    But who am I to judge]. Apparently, this was completely out of character.
    Normally, this guy would text message her literally 2 minutes after seeing
    her. By the end of the third day, this girl starts freaking out [the Armenian
    mother personality took over I guess]. Finally, she blocks her number so it
    comes up private [only in the modern age of cell phones would this be
    possible?
    What did people do before blocking their phone number? I guess they just
    knocked on your door wearing a mask, paper bag or something over their heads].
    She calls his cell and he answers, kind of disguising his voice a little bit.
    After she asks him how he is, our Don Juan responds with silence. Then hangs
    up. She calls back and it goes straight to voice mail. According to the victim
    in this story, "this is truly the most bizarre dating experience ever in my
    entire dating past." Le Fin--The End.
    Just when you think you've met them all, along comes a slime ball like this
    guy. As the narrator of this story explains, "He was obsessed with me, then
    turned on a dime and disappeared."
    Folks, this is just the tip of the iceberg. You wouldn't believe what both
    men
    and women have been writing to me about dating. I feel like Sarah Jessica
    Parker's character on "Sex in the City" (not that I watch the program or
    anything) and I'm glad all of this is out there. The best part of this whole
    experience is that it has opened my eyes to what Armenians go through to find
    that perfect match. After reading all these emails--each more disturbing,
    funny, or depressing than the next--the only perfect match I wanted was the
    one
    that I'd use to set myself on fire to avoid any similar misery.
    Here's the question I pose to everyone out there who indulges me by
    reading my
    mental dribbling every week. What would you do in this situation? How would
    you act differently? And finally, what do you think this guy's real story
    was?

    My money is on him being married and he was lying about being divorced.
    Then
    again, I've been known to be wrong before and when it comes to relationships.
    I'm about as clueless as a supermodel at a rocket scientist convention. So
    write to me at [email protected] because I want to hear your answers,
    theories, horror stories or even success stories.

    Skeptik Sinikian is not a relationship counselor or a licensed therapist
    but if
    you buy him a fancy latte, he may just share his opinions with you free of
    charge. He can be reached at [email protected] or at
    www.sinikian.blogspot.com


    7) Tidbits From The Diner

    By Tatul

    The leftovers--and taste--of the Thanksgiving turkey in one's refrigerator and
    mouth take a while to dissipate. I found out, though, that the strong flavor
    and aroma of Turkish coffee, the kind served at Costa's Diner, will reset your
    taste buds and make them ready and rearin' to go for Christmas pudding and
    eggnog.
    Speaking of Turkish Coffee, sometime ago, a friend of mine took out a pen and
    crossing out the "Turkish" printed on the Diner menu, wrote in "Armenian"
    instead. Costa, who was watching from behind the counter, walked over with a
    benign smile on his face, took the menu from my friend's hand, looked at it,
    shrugged his shoulders and said, "Why, for heaven's sake? Your people and mine
    have accumulated so much culture over so many centuries--the Turks, on the
    other hand, have next to nothing to speak of. Be generous, let them have the
    credit for this one..." He walked away, trying to erase the scribbling on his
    once spotless menu.
    That, was a long time ago. This morning I was ready for some strong coffee
    and
    the company of my friend Marty, who hadn't seem to have arrived yet. I had
    almost drained my cup, feeling some of the grinds in my teeth, when he walked
    in, looking like a man in trance. Seeing me he attempted a smile, but since
    Arty's departure to Canada, Marty's smiles were hard to tell from a sneer.
    "What's wrong, Marty?" I said, "You look like you have seen a ghost!"
    "Two ghosts, to be exact," he said, taking the seat across the table with his
    collection of newspapers. "A double whammy, on the eve of the coming 90th
    Anniversary of the Metz Yeghern..."
    "What are you talking about? What double whammy...?"
    "Don't you read the papers? Didn't you hear that the Turkish Armenian
    Reconciliation Commission, the same TARC whose unlamented demise was received
    with a sigh of relief by Armenians everywhere, has been heard, right around
    Halloween, making cryptic noises with an obvious intent to trick and treat our
    communities all over again..."
    "Read it! Read it!" Marty continued, shoving a paper in front of me, "it's
    bad
    enough, that the TARCish forces are trying to revive the specter of a cruel
    hoax, another bunch of aging groupies, after so many years, are trying to
    re-market the disastrous performances of a fallen star called Levon (l'Etat
    c'est Moi ) Ter Petrosyan... Well? No comments?"
    "I don't know what to say," I mumbled, feeling a chill creeping up my spine...
    "All this talk about the dead rising again makes me very nervous... I need
    another cup of Turkish coffee!"
    "You mean Armenian coffee... don't you?" growled Marty with darts shooting out
    of his eyes...
    "Here," interrupted Costa, putting two cups of steaming coffee in front of
    us,
    "Have a Greek coffee. I hope you don't mind, I was eavesdropping. You know
    what? Don't let these people discourage you; you have a just cause, and no
    matter what they say, don't give up. We gave up on the rights of the Pontus
    Greeks, under foreign pressure, and now it's too late. Don't let that
    happen to
    you..."
    There was profound sadness in his voice; Costa's grandfather was among the
    thousands of deportees from their native Pontus.
    We looked at him in silence as he returned to the kitchen. We slowly finished
    drinking the hot, bitter Greek coffee and left the Diner together.


    8) Separatism--No Longer a Dirty Word?

    By Garen Yegparian

    The December 13, 2004 Fall Books issue of The Nation seems to have been
    designed with Armenians in mind. It contains Peter Balakian's letter to the
    editor replying to a September 20 review of his The Burning Tigris by Meline
    Toumani. The latter seems to be one of those Armenians who is so conflicted
    about her identity, yet also motivated by the most noble of urges to stand on
    principle, that she ends up sounding practically anti-Armenian. The issue also
    contains analyses of modern Islam and the post-WWII red scare era, both arenas
    of great impact and importance for Armenians.
    But most interesting is a signed editorial by Kirkpatrick Sale titled "Blue
    State Secession" that describes a November 5-7 conference held in Vermont. It
    seems the US Civil war has not put the issue of secession to rest since 28
    separatist organizations already exist in the country.
    In light of the US election results, much petty chatter has been heard about
    seceding, most of it a means of venting extreme exasperation. But this
    conference seems to have been much more earnest and serious. Organized by the
    Second Vermont Republic a grassroots movement working to make the state a
    republic as it was from 1777 to 1791, and Fourth World an England based
    organization supporting separatist movements for independence in the other
    three "worlds," this conference was three days of speeches, presentations, and
    debate demonstrating the depth of feelings about this issue in light of the
    remarkable passions ignited by November 2's lead-up and fallout.
    This reminded me of an article in the Fall 1999 issue of Foreign Policy, "Too
    Many Flags?" wherein Juan Enriquez documents the accelerating pace of new
    state
    formation over the course of the 20th century. He then proceeds to argue that
    globalization is simultaneously bringing the world closer while allowing it to
    break up into its component parts. In addition, he contends that while the
    Western hemisphere has not experienced this proliferation of states, it is not
    immune to it.
    Numerous other essays addressing issues of self determination and the
    redrawing of international boundaries all point to the cutting-edge nature of
    our struggle for Artsakh and other occupied Armenian lands. Our efforts can no
    longer be dismissed as nationalist irredenta. Here, we must remember that
    nationalism is a dirty word for both the left and right ends of the political
    spectrum, albeit for different reasons.
    It seems to me that our political organizations and structures should be
    developing contacts with groups such as Fourth World. If we are concerned
    about
    the ramifications of such activities on existing relationships, then a new
    entity could easily be established to handle these matters discretely. To pass
    up an opportunity to become engaged in what is a worldwide process is a crime
    against our nation. Observe the Caucasus, former Soviet Union, Europe, China,
    the Arab Middle East, India-Pakistan, Indonesia, the indigenous peoples'
    movements in the Americas, and even the above US based examples for
    inspiration, bases of support, and channels of cooperation.
    Let's make this the millennium of Armenian restoration.


    9) Forget The Fat Lady--Let Hasserjian Sing

    By Vazken Haroutunian

    AGBU Alex Manoogian Center in Pasadena, California has seen its share of
    performances, from Armenian folk music, to theatrical presentations, and even
    the obligatory poetry recital. But the rustic walls of the converted church
    hall weren't expecting to be shaken as hard as they did on Saturday, November
    13 during the performance of operatic tenor Levon Hasserjian. Although a
    powerful voice in its early stages of maturation, it wasn't Maestro Levon's
    performances of Verdi or Schubert that caused the shaking, but the thunderous
    applause and standing ovations from the dual encores.
    Disco's dead. Rock n' Roll is on life support, but Opera is back with a
    vengeance. Over 200 packed the portion of the auditorium-church hall to hear
    the young Hasserjian belt out aria after aria and throw in the occasional
    Armenian patriotic favorite to bring down the house. Individuals who missed
    this concert missed a performance by a young tenor who has a bright future and
    the personality and swagger to match. Levon Hasserjian ("Uncle Leo" to his
    closest confidants) was born in Antelias, Lebanon, where he began his study of
    music at the Melkonian Educational Institute, under the guidance of Maestro
    Sebouh Markarian. He later spent three years at the Lebanese Music
    Conservatory, where he trained with Professor Garo Jaderian. Having performed
    in Lebanon and Cyprus as the principal soloist with the AGBU choir and the
    Holy
    See of Cilicia's Shnorhali Choir, Hasserjian is currently studying voice with
    Kathleen Darragh and coaching under Dan Bridston and Robin Reed.
    That's the background on his musical training and history but there's more to
    this stout, proud young man. On stage in his tuxedo and hair tied back in a
    pony tail--reminiscent of the style worn by Italian men in Rome ogling the
    women on the Spanish steps, Hasserjian commands a presence during performances
    that is only upstaged by his humility and dedication to his passion off of the
    stage.
    It was a long path that Hasserjian took to get to the Manoogian Center in
    Pasadena--we're not just talking Lebanon to the US. Hasserjian, like many of
    his generation, has worked and continues to work at a regular 9-5 job that has
    little to do with his first love--opera. A few years ago, he made a
    decision to
    take better care of his health, organize his personal finances, and devote
    himself to honing his God given talent to sing opera.
    "He just has a passion for the music," commented Ardashes Kassakhian, a
    friend
    and supporter of the young tenor. "His knowledge of opera is remarkable and
    his
    dedication to his craft is to be admired."
    Kassakhian tells of Uncle Leo's Opera circle--an unofficial group of friends
    of the tenor's who regularly attend the Los Angeles Opera's performances
    partly
    for the operas and partly for the pre and post commentary by Hasserjian.
    "If you want front row tickets to Lakers vs. Phoenix game, right behind Jack
    Nicholson at the Staples Center, I'm sure there's someone out there and I
    don't
    know them," observes Kassakhian. "But say it's the night of a performance of
    Mozart's Marriage of Figaro with Bayradakian as the lead and tickets have been
    sold out for weeks. Who are you going to call? I know who I will. Levon is our
    Opera hook up!"
    There are a lot of young and talented Armenians out there who talk about
    their
    dreams, who dream about their passions, but who rarely follow the path their
    talent or dreams have laid out for them. Hasserjian's an exception and one
    from
    whom we can expect greater things to come.


    10) Veteran Photographer Harry Koundakjian Photo Exhibition and Public Program

    WATERTOWN--Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives and the Armenian Library
    and Museum of America (ALMA) opened a fifty-photograph exhibition of veteran,
    award-winning Associated Press (AP) photographer Harry Koundakjian's work on
    November 14 to run through January 14. The exhibition, divided into five
    subject areas, covers his entire career as photo journalist. Themes include
    World Leaders, Defining Moments, Natural Disasters, Hye Armenian Eyes, and
    Harry the Photographer.
    As the AP's chief photographer in charge of all 13 Arab countries in the
    Middle East, North and East Africa, Turkey, and Iran, Harry has been
    everywhere
    imaginable and covered everyone from royalty to revolutionary. He has had
    entrée into public and private events, has recorded death and destruction, and
    captured life at it highest and lowest moments. His photographs tell
    innumerable stories.
    Th exhibition is an extraordinary expression of one man's passion for
    being in
    the right spot at the right time with the right equipment to get the
    newsbreaking photograph, regardless of the danger. He has been shot at--he
    landed on his Nikon zoom lens when he ducked for cover as bullets zoomed past
    him. He has witnessed the human misery of earthquake victims and the torturous
    actions of assassins. He has also captured the kiss of world leaders in a
    moment of affection.
    Ruth Thomasian, founder and executive director of Project SAVE Armenian
    Photograph Archives, has served as exhibit curator working with Harry to
    choose
    images and develop captions. She has caught the human interest focus that
    permeates all of Harry's work, as well as his boundless energy.
    The section on Harry the Photographer shows him drying film over a charcoal
    fire during his coverage of United States First Lady Pat Nixon's tour of West
    Africa. We see him in Aden, South Yemen accompanied by his British body guard
    and an information officer, whose job it was to protect Harry as he captured
    the news, not to restrict or interfere with his work. And Harry loves to tell
    of being nick-named by those Brits as Harry the Horse, because of his passion
    for working hard, just like a horse.
    On Tuesday evening, Dec. 7, at 7:30, ALMA will host a panel discussion
    accompanying Harry's exhibition. Harry will join colleagues Steve Kurkjian,
    investigative reporter at The Boston Globe, and Garo Lachinian, photographer,
    formerly Director of Photography at the Boston Herald, in sharing their points
    of view on the topic, Image is Everything: Photography and the World's
    Defining
    Moments. They are sure to go beyond the basics of news making into social and
    political issues that color how the news is communicated everyday. The
    program,
    which will include a question-and-answer period, will be monitored by Ruth
    Thomasian.
    That evening the photograph exhibition, 50 years/50 photographs: Harry L.
    Koundakjian, AP Photographer, will be open for viewing starting at 7pm at
    Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives and the Armenian Library and Museum
    of America.
    For more information call Project SAVE Archives at 617-923-4542 or email
    [email protected].


    11) Earth Tones

    Works of Two Abstract Expressionists

    LOS ANGELES--Recent works by two Armenian artists living in Los Angeles, Lucy
    Hagopian and Narine Isajanyan, are currently on exhibition at the Don
    O'Melveny
    Gallery. "Earth Tones" showcases the works of two abstract expressionists who
    were raised on different continents (Narine from Yerevan and Lucy from
    Caracas), yet their work reflects on the Earth as environment and universe;
    their images resonate with the dissonances of modern consciousness struggling
    against the eternity of nature. Both have painted with soil, sand, rock,
    metal,
    wood and tar, mixed in acrylics with a bent toward deep terrestrial and
    oceanic
    colors.
    Lucy Hagopian closely relates her work to her concern for the environment, as
    it motivates her, just as nature inspires her. But her work succeeds on its
    own
    apart from any social political reference by virtue of an aesthetic that
    performs a balancing act between representational and abstract impulses. It is
    as if she allows an instinct to portray a natural scene to transform into a
    deeper desire to create instead a landscape of her own inner universe,
    navigating with the aesthetics of abstract form, color, movement, and space.
    Perhaps Hagopian's trademark distinction as an artist is her technique of
    painting with a car: driving wet painted tires over a canvas in repeated and
    controlled 'brush strokes.' The resulting images are then integrated, if not
    consumed by an array of other elements painted by hand.
    Lucy explains her work best herself: "My work begins with a concept, but it
    doesn't end there. There is a give and take between chance and planning. I
    begin with an idea, yet allow the process of work to take its own course.
    Physical involvement and the action of painting is a constant part of the
    work. I switch from my mind to my heart, and allow my feelings, my
    instinct to
    guide me...The process of work takes its own course... and the end result is often
    a surprise to me...after its done I feel as I have known the work all my life."
    Interplaying layers of paint creating transparencies versus opaque surfaces
    are used as poetic expressions. Visual images become symbols. She switches
    between the machine created images and what the human hand can create. The
    process becomes a reflection of life in Los Angeles. Historical, social,
    environmental, and personal meanings can be found in the paintings.

    Narine Isajanyan returns to Don O'Melveny Gallery for a fourth time with work
    that is expressionist, minimalist, and conceptual by turns. Whether on canvas,
    paper, board, wood, or actually made of metal, her pieces become abstract
    landscapes that are as fluid within as they are consistent and organic as a
    whole.
    Her most recent large scale canvases are painted with acrylic mixed with
    sand,
    earth, metal shavings (even kitty litter). Reminiscent of Pollock's free
    use of
    space, they create bold unified fields energized by swirling movements of
    muted
    color under multiple layers of grays and blacks. Like the universe
    expanding in
    every direction without a center, her elements are nevertheless so harmonic as
    to create a single 'minimalist' impression.
    Many of Narine's very latest pieces almost recreate the feeling of lunar
    landscapes. Yet without intending to represent the natural world, without
    'rational interference' in the spontaneous building of form on form, her
    images
    reflect the processes of nature responding within her. She is not imagining
    scenes from the some parallel world--she is creating that world.
    Included in "Earth Tones" will be two of Narine's works made exclusively from
    metal. On one piece, a spiraling steel cylinder crawls across an iron grid
    like
    a silver snake. Another shining rectangle of sheer steel, scraped in abstract
    patterns as if worn down by nature, is focused on a centerpiece of nails,
    their
    nail heads projecting out in a rectangle of their own. Thus hard industrial
    force and its sense of violence are transformed into a still life of
    beautiful,
    even serene balance.
    Located in the heart of the Avenues of Art Design on Melrose Ave in West
    Hollywood, CA, the Don O'Melveny Gallery features original modern,
    contemporary
    work with a lean to the abstract. From cutting edge to blue-chip, emerging to
    internationally recognized, the Gallery posses a wonderfully eclectic mix of
    fine art.

    The Don O'Melveny Gallery
    5472 Wilshire Blvd.
    Los Angeles, CA 90026
    323-932-0076

    Exhibition Dates:December 3-31
    Artist Reception: Saturday, December 11, 6-10 pm


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