Entries for November 2004

Defrauded | November 30, 2004
I was forwarded this letter to the California Courier by K. George Najarian and Carolann S. Najarian. It's their story of an investment in Armenia gone wrong. Helping, befriending, and trusting a man they met while doing humanitarian aid, they...

Agreed | November 29, 2004
The government of Armenia and OTE, the owners of Armentel, have settled their long-running dispute. As a result, the Armenian consumer will benefit from an enhanced competitive offering of telecommunication services rendered. Let's see what this actually means for the...

New works on ArmenianHouse.org | November 27, 2004
ArmenianHouse.org has added some new works in Armenian and Russian to its electronic library of documents on Armenian literature, history, and religion. The latest offerings are:...

A Caucasian in the Caucasus | November 26, 2004
Chad did me the service of posting about me, so I return the compliment. I particularly like the part about being smart, although I hate to point I am not in Armenia (Tokyo, if you must ask). His Farther From...

A dark past | November 25, 2004
Dhimmi Watch has an interesting entry on an article by Gamaliel Isaac in Front Page Magazine. The statement of Mr Akyol that Turkey has an Islamic Heritage free of anti-westernism and anti-semitism is inaccurate. We need only look at Turkey's...

Moushegh Baghdasaryan | November 25, 2004
Moushegh Baghdasaryan is a 14 year old boy from Armenia who made the film "Intervention" last year. His film has been included in the 2004 Chicago Film Festival. Hakob has forwarded me this link to an article about him in...

Students fighting against corruption | November 17, 2004
A1 Plus reports on the results of a survey carried out by the "Nikol Aghbalyan" Student Union on "Corruption in Institutes of Higher Education of Armenia". 43% of the surveyed students expressed willingness to partake in any initiative for fighting...

Sakaashvililand | November 15, 2004
Onnik forwarded me this link to an account of a recent trip to Georgia by Brian Kearney of the Armenia Social Transition Program. WEEKEND IN SAAKASHVILILAND. Apparently the days of passing some lari to the policeman when you run a...

Facing extinction | November 15, 2004
Articles like this (from The Times) pop up every so often. "If there are no systemic changes in Armenia, we could face a catastrophe," says Vardan Gevorgyan, a sociologist. "We will not disappear as an ethnic or cultural group in...

Aghdam | November 12, 2004
ArmeniaNow.com reports on Aghdam and talks to one of its former residents. "During the war the whole Azeri population of the region took an active part in the hostilities, "Avanesyan remembers. "For more than two years the initiative totally was...

Yerevan, Turkey | November 12, 2004
The title of this page is very odd. "British Embassy, Yerevan Turkey" It turns out it's a page on the British Embassy's site about Turkey. But they could have given it a better title....

Poverty in decline | November 11, 2004
Eurasianet.org comments on a recent survey which pointed to a decline in the number of people living in poverty in Armenia. Given the NSS findings, questions are already being raised about the accuracy and potential effectiveness of the government's anti-poverty...

Armenia: Hiking and Rock Climbing | November 10, 2004
A new book on hiking and rock climbing in Armenia has been released. There will be a public launch of the new on Wednesday 17 November, 17:30-19:30 at Artbridge Bookstore & Cafe on Abovian. The guide has been put together...

Genocide Mellowing? | November 08, 2004
Maybe this wasn't the best choice of words. An article titled "Yerevan Mellows about Genocide Claim" has appeared on Turks.us. It is reported that this year the Armenian government has not included an article about the so-called genocide in the...

Iraq deployment hindered | November 08, 2004
Eurasianet.org talks about the internal opposition to deployment of Armenians to Iraq. Will these troops actually be deployed, wonders the article. Opposition has been based around the fear that the deployment will make conditions even worse for the Armenian minority...

To the bitter end | November 04, 2004
A reported plan to station US troops in Karabagh has been flatly rejected by Seyran Oganyan, NK defence minister. Asked whether a report by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, which allegedly said that "talks are being conducted on the deployment of...

Fighting on many fronts | November 04, 2004
A depressingly familiar scene is recounted by Edik Baghdasaryan on HETQ Online. Gagik described what happened next. "We didn't get out of the car. He got out, came up and grabbed the door with his right hand and hit me...

Instability ahead? | November 01, 2004
Eurasianet.org highlights a report (PDF) by the International Crisis Group. Armenia faces instability unless it takes quick steps to improve relations with its neighbors, and fosters the rule-of-law at home, according to a new study that examines the Caucasus nation's...