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The largest circulation Armenian
online e-magazine on the WWW
north_088.jpg
trabzon1.JPG TURKISH TITANS TRABZONSPOR
DEFEATED IN CYPRUS
Gibrahayer - A week later - Nicosia - 2005. Turkish Titans
Trabzonspor, of the old Greek town of Trapezounta were defeated by
the refugee football club of of Famagusta Anorthosis 3-1 in what
local sport officials characterised as the biggest victory in Cyprus
football. It was the first ever match between and Turkish and Cypriot
teams after the 1974 Turkish invasion.
"We made the 70 million country across the sea compared to less
than a million to Cyprus to mean nothing today" said Anorthosis
player/manager Timur Ketsbaya in the post match interview. "We were a
better team despite the fact that the budget of Trabzonspor is 35
times bigger than ours"
Anorthosis officials were quick to thank fans from all Cyprus
clubs that came to support Anorthosis. The whole nation was glued to
the TV and traffic on th! e roads went dead, a deja vous of a year
ago when Greece won the European Soccer Championships. Every time
Anorthosis scored the silence of the cities would break in a
delirious echo that rocked every household.
The much-dreaded high security football match was concluded
without a single incident in which more than 3,000 disappointed
Turkish Cypriot fans also attended. The UEFA Security officer's
report on the match said he was "thrilled not just pleased". He
concluded by saying that the stadium's authorities were "flawless".
Except a shaky start, Anorthosis were better throughout the
game, perhaps even unlucky on a few occasions and recovered quickly
after being equalised by Turkey's top scorer of last year with 31
goals Fatih Tekke, who soon after scoring the equaliser, raced to the
Turkish Cypriot crowd and drew a heart with his finger in the air.
Turkish Cypriot fans reciprocated with wav! ing Turkish flags and
cheering to what soon proved to be a short-lived relief.
Anorthosis had the final say. They regrouped and came back to
hammer two goals in the last ten minutes to snatch a unprecedented
victory which lays the foundations for moving ahead further in
the Champions League.
The return match will take place in Trabzon tomorrow (Wednesday)
night. Another nail-biting encounter awaits fans of both teams.
"The progression to the next round is now a matter of honour" - Senol
Gunes
Commenting to Turkish government's wishes not to go to Cyprus
and give it political recognition, Trabzonspor's technical director
Senol Gunes had stated before the match that "he would cross Africa
or the Far East to get to Cyprus if need be to face Anorthosis."
turkish_fans.JPG During the post-match press conference Senol
Gunes - mastermind behind Turkey's footballing renaissance and hero
for taking his country to third place in the 2002 World Cup - talked
of the hot weather, the sending off of Trabzonspor dangerous attacker
Yattara and his conviction that his team would overturn the score in
Turkey. After his sloppy comments he rudely dashed off the press room
much to everyone's surprise and left Anorthosis coach to conduct the
rest of the press conference on his own. In Turkey he stated that
"the progression to the next round is now a matter of honour"
The biggest victory of Cyprus football was celebrated in an all-
night party in all major towns, the second part of which will be
completed in Hussein Avni Aker Stadium in Trabzon.
Inshallah !
__________________________________________________ __________________________
The Press
The world sport press was left bewildered with the result and
Anorthosis' success received huge media attention world-wide. However
characteristic are the reports in the local press. Machi wrote
"Anorthosis lifts Cyprus on its shoulder", Simerini "3-1 Triumph 31
years later". The Turkish Cypriot press wrote. Afrika "Anorthosis
overturns Trabzon" while Kibrislik wrote. "Disappointing 3-1. Talk is
worthless. After politics the Greek Cypriots are giving us a beating
in football".
Turkish mainland newspaper Millyet described Trabzon as a "POW
in Cyprus" while Hurriyet asked "What on earth have you done?"
Turkish football fan sites on the Internet talked of embarrassment
and demanded the resignation of Gunes and his team. A young Turkish
fan wrote in a fan site. "We would be l! ess humiliated if we had
been relegated to the second division"
More at UEFA'S official website at:
www.uefa.com/magazine/news/Kind=8/newsId=321654.html
__________________________________________________ __________________________
War climate on the eve of the return match
TRABZONSPOR OFFICIAL URGES ANORTHOSIS TO CONCEDE THE MATCH 2-0 AND
NOT SHOW UP FOR THE RETURN MATCH
Monday August 1. 2005. The football team of Anorthosis together with
100 fans and 45 journalists left for Turkey last night (Monday) via
Syria. The authorities in Trabzon have been drumming a war climate
for a week. An official for Trabzonspor urged Anorthosis to simply
concede the match 2-0 and not show up at all. Unconfirmed reports
talked of both Mehmet Ali Talat and Rauf Denktash attending the
match. Trabzonspor fans said they will be "welcoming" the football
club of Anorthosis with 20,000 flags of the pseudo state of the TRNC.
Two members of the Cyprus parliament and Euro parliamentarian
Yiannakis Matsis are accompanying Anorthosis.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
Will they come back in one piece from Trabzon?
TURKEY SIGNS CUSTOMS UNION WITH EU TOGETHER WITH A UNILATERAL
DECLARATION NOT RECOGNISING CYPRUS
The Cyprus Mail - Sunday July 31, 2005. Cyprus expressed ~Sdeep
regret~T over Turkey~Rs unilateral declaration stressing Ankara~Rs
refusal to recognise the Republic of Cyprus. The declaration was
announced late on Friday night along with the signing of the Ankara
protocol, extending Turkey~Rs customs union to all 25 EU member
states.
EU President Britain welcomed the signing, adding the EU Council
would examine the terms of the Turkish declaration before giving any
further EU response.
Sources close to the EU Presidency said the omission of any
statement on Cyprus-flagged ships or aeroplanes was a step in the
right direction, given the speculation running up to the signing. The
signing of the protocol was the last remaining precondit! ion for
Turkey starting accession negotiations with the EU on October 3. All
that remains now is for the EU unanimously to approve a negotiating
mandate for the talks, giving Cyprus a powerful veto option.
Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said the government
would examine thoroughly the content of the Turkish declaration,
~Sespecially whether it puts into question the validity of the
signature of the Protocol itself~T.
The concern is that the customs union will exist only on paper,
and Turkey will fail to take steps to normalise relations with Cyprus
~Sin line with the principle of equal treatment of all member states
of the Union~T. Cyprus insists that Turkey open its ports, airports
and airspace to Cyprus aeroplanes and Cyprus-flagged ships.
The government intends to argue its case before the EU Council,
where the 25 member states will decide whether Turkey has fulfilled
the specific condi! tions set out for the opening of accession
negotiations.
~SIt is regrettable, nevertheless, that a candidate for
accession declares that it does not recognise one of the member
states of the Union it wishes to join. This institutional paradox
cannot be sustained,~T he said.
In its preliminary response, the British Presidency noted that
Turkey issued a declaration ~Sreaffirming, for its part, its
long-standing policy on Cyprus~T but highlighted that the Republic of
Cyprus was the only recognised and official member of the EU under
international law.
It welcomed Turkey~Rs reference to its continued commitment to
support the efforts of the UN Secretary-general to bring about a
comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.
~SThe Presidency agrees that a just and lasting settlement, in
line with the principles on which the Union is founded, will
contribute to peace, stability and harmonious relations in the
region,~T it said.
WHAT THE DECLARATION SAID:
Turkey declared that the signing, ratification and implementation of
the protocol extending its customs union with the EU to the ten new
member states, including the Republic of Cyprus, ~Sneither amount to
any form of recognition of the Republic of Cyprus referred to in the
protocol nor prejudice Turkey~Rs rights and obligations emanating
from the Treaty of Guarantee, the Treaty of Alliance, and the Treaty
of Establishment of 1960~T.
~SThe Republic of Cyprus referred to in the protocol is not the
original partnership state established in 1960,~T it adds, noting
that Turkey ~Swill thus continue to regard the Greek Cypriot
authorities as exercising authority, control and jurisdiction only in
the territory south of the buffer zone, as is currently the case, and
as not representing the Turkish Cypriot people and will treat t! he
acts performed by them accordingly~T.
In its declaration, Turkey notes that it ~Sremains committed to
finding a political settlement of the Cyprus issue and has clearly
demonstrated its resolve in this regard~T.
~SAccordingly, Turkey will continue to support the efforts of
the UN Secretary General towards achieving a comprehensive
settlement, which will lead to the establishment of a new bi zonal
partnership state. A just and lasting settlement would greatly
contribute to peace, stability and harmonious relations in the
region,~T it adds. Furthermore, Turkey ~Sreaffirms that its existing
relationship~T with the regime in the occupied north ~Sremains
unchanged by becoming a party to the protocol~T.
Turkey makes clear that pending a comprehensive settlement, the
position of Turkey on Cyprus will remain unchanged. ~STurkey
expresses its readiness to establish relations with the new
partnership state, which wi! ll emerge following a comprehensive
settlement in Cyprus,~T it concludes.
Ankara~Rs declaration, dated July 29, 2005, is signed by Permanent
Delegate of Turkey to the EU, Ambassador Ogur Demiralp.
bnalbandian2001.jpg NALBANDIAN PUTS ARGENTINA INTO DAVIS CUP
SEMIFINALS
(Davis Cup official website) It took David Nalbandian one hour
54 minutes and three straight sets to put Argentina into the
semifinals of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas for the third time in four
years, the last occasion being 2003.
Nalbandian didn~Rt put a foot wrong, playing the match of his
career to totally dominate Lleyton Hewitt in the first reverse
singles rubber. His 62 64 64 victory gave Argentina an unassailable
3-1 lead over Australia on the grass at the Sydney International
Tennis Centre.
To top of a fabulous weekend for Argentina, Guillermo Coria then
defeated Peter Luczak - making his Davis Cup debut - in the final
dead rubber 63 76(11) to extend their victory to 4-1.
Hewitt had saved two match points on his serve in the ninth game
but on match point three Nalbandian, the hero who won all three of
the matches he played across the weekend, was claimed victory as a
forehand from Hewitt found the middle of the net.
more from the Davis Cup Website at:
www.daviscup.com/news/matchreport.asp?id=13315
LEBANON'S KNARIK MOURADIAN MAKES CHESS HISTORY BY BECOMING MEN'S
CHAMPION
LEBANON - Lebanese Armenian Knarik Mouradian clenched her spot in
chess history as she won the championship title in the national men's
chess tournament in Lebanon on July 26 - a feat completed by a
marginal number of female chess players. Mouradian, a HMEM member
from Antelias, defeated her male opponent during the last round,
while her main competitor Ahmed Najjar was defeated.
Not a newcomer to championship titles, Mouradian won the women's
title at the Arab Chess Championships in August 2004. She told
reporters then: "I like these trophies. They look so nice and
attractive and I am getting used to collecting them."
EATING AND DINING IN BOLIS
Boncuk at Nevizade Sokak 19, Beyoglu (00 90 212 243 1219) is one of
the best meyhane, a raucous eatery where locals imbibe raki, an
aniseed-flavoured drink, and partake of meze with an Armenian touch.
Call to reserve a table outside.
fights.jpg TATIANA'S CORNER
This corner is reserved for local artist Tatiana Ferahian's comic
strips which are [limassolinareg.jpg] amalgamations of
Armenian-Cypriot social commentaries, painted with her usual wry and
ironic humour, to stimulate and encourage awareness and interest
toward our community's everyday happenings.
hunchak.jpg COMMUNIQUE BY THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC HENCHAK PARTY OF
CYPRUS
22 July 2005. With deep regret we have been informed of the
illegal arrival of an Azeri parliamentarian delegation in the
occupied area of Cyprus to take part in the ~Scelebrations~T to mark
the Turkish invasion as well as about the arrangements for starting
illegal direct flights between the Azeri capital Baku and the
occupied areas.
This is indicative of a complaisance Baku fully in the service
of Ankara~Rs panturanist aspirations.
This illegal political act is a blatant violation of and
contempt for the international law ! and of the principle of
legality. It is an obvious disregard of the world public opinion.
This abominable act, which escalates the tension in the region
and harms rapprochement efforts between the two communities, in no
way contributes to efforts aimed at a peaceful solution of the Cyprus
problem.
Ankara~Rs collusion with Baku and the occupied areas in
promoting its panturanist aspiration is not new; it is aimed at
upsetting the regional stability and political balance and disturbing
the peaceful coexistence of the people in the region in general and
the Greek, Greek Cypriot and the Armenian people in particular.
Azerbaijan, on the one hand protests and complains about the
legitimate right to the self-determination demand of the people of
Karabakh, as a ~Ssecessionist movement~T and on the other hand with
her actions, not only she supports a secessionist action but also the
occupation of the part of Cyprus - an independent state - which is a
member of a the UN and the EU - which is condemned by numerous UN
resolutions.
The Baku administration~Rs illegal action in taking part in this
~Soccupation celebrations~T contributes to the deepening of the
controversy in the Cyprus problem and in no way helps settlement
efforts.
The central committee of the Social Democratic Henchak Party in
Cyprus, strongly condemns Baku~Rs illegal actions and declares its
support for and solidarity with the legitimate government of the
Republic of Cyprus in its efforts to find a viable and functional
solution to the Cyprus problem.
YOUR EMAILS
Between two Turkish Cypriots, after the Anorthosis - Trabzonspor
game.
Mehmet - When was it exactly that our brothers conquered Famagusta?
Ahmed - 31 years ago
Mehmet - How long did it take for you to pass the police body search?
Ahmed - 31 minutes
Mehmet - How much did you pay for the ticket?
Ahmed - 31 YT Lira
Mehmet - What was the final score?
Ahmed - 3 1
Mehmet - That is very bad. What were our guys doing?
Ahmed- ...
__________________________________________________ __________________________
Parev,
My name is Tamar and I live in Lebanon by chance today I visited your
website and I was shocked, this is really nice and great but I tried
to subscribe for the magazine but I failed would you please guide me
how to do it. Thanks a lot. Good luck and keep the excellent job
Tamar Nigolian - Executive Secretary - Movenpick Hotel & Resort
Beirut.
Dear Tamar,
For your benefit and that of all readers and potential subscribers go
to http://gibrahayer.cyprusnewsletter.com
Click on the subscribe option, fill in the blanks, click on the box
and subscrib! e. You will then receive an automated response in your
email with a link. Click on the link and you are subscribed.
You can also unsubscribe from the same page. You can also unsubscribe
by following the link on every issue. It is the first thing that
appears at the top of every issue that you receive.
The subscription to weekly e-magazine is FREE.
Finally, thank you for your kind words.
Simon Aynedjian
PS The person in charge of the Music Section is Arek Dakessian from
Beirut. Perhaps you want to get to know him. He is fine young man and
an even finer cellist :))
RECOMMENDED READINGS
Fleeing from Guilt: Germans,Turks and the genocide of the Armenians -
Mihran Dabag
__________________________________________________ __________________________
Why is Officialdom Turkey Fearing to Recognize the Armenian Genocide
? Appo K. Jabarian - Executive Publisher - Managing Editor - USA
Armenian Life Magazine
__________________________________________________ __________________________
www.savemelkonian.org/docs/Articles/05_08_19_closing_melkon ian
_souren_Tsoulian.pdf
________________________ __________________________________________________ __
Armenian quest for lost orphans
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4735171. stm
ARTSAGANG JUNE 2005 You can now read the Armenian community's 20-
page monthly Armenian publication (June 2005 issue number 123) in
front of your computer in pdf format at:
www.emedia.com.cy/inc/sec5/Artsagang_2005-06.pdf
newsinbrief.gif ~UTwo Turkish soldiers and two Kurdish rebels were
killed in a skirmish in Eastern Turkey near the Armenian-Iranian
border. 33 Turks and 44 Kurds have been killed since May 2005.
~UA member of the Academy of Lawyers of Ankara Meteni Aigan may be
sentenced to three-year imprisonment after saying that the Ottoman
Empire was eliminating Armenians. He is accused of stirring up hatred
and hostility. The legal proceedings were brought forward by the
General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces.
~U"The idea of holding a referendum to decide Mountainous Karabagh's
status is not up for discussion. Karabagh's independence is of
supreme value for our people and is not subject to discussions," said
Arman Melikian, the foreign minister of Mountainous Karabagh
Republic.
~ULockheed Martin received a long-lead contract, valued at
approximately $67.7 million, from the US Air Force to begin
development of a major systems upgrade of Turkish Air Force F-16
aircraft. The total contract is valued at approximately $800 million
and is expected to be issued in mid-2006.
~UAzerbaijan's Public Television intends to start broadcasting
Armenian-language programs to keep "Azerbaijani citizens of
Nagorno-Karabakh informed about what is going on in their country."
Public Television chief manager Ismail ! Omarov was quoted by 525
Gazet as saying that 'when Armenians in Karabakh learn the real state
of things they will be the first to protest against Armenian
occupation."
~UCatholicos of All Armenians Garegin II received the participants of
the Third Pan-Armenian Youth Gathering on July 24 at Echmiadzin.
~UA 67-year-old Iranian mountain climber has died on Mount Ararat in
eastern Turkey and his fellow climbers are facing prosecution for
entering a banned military zone, the Anatolia news agency reported
Friday.
~UThe 2005 AYF Youth Corps participants arrived in Armenia on
Tuesday, to build a youth center that will serve the city of Vayk and
the nearby villages. The participants, will stay in Armenia and
Artsakh for nearly a month.
~UCyprus Army's worst-ever peacetime training accident at Koshi left
18 soldiers injured. The French-made, single-use APILAS
rocket-propelled grenade launcher misfired during a routine
demonstration to conscripts.
~UA demonstration against Turkey's entry to the European Union was
staged in Prague by the Voice for Europe international civic
initiative. A similar demonstration was staged in the Lithuanian
capital, Vilnius.
SPORTS NEWS AND CALENDAR
~URefugee Football Club Anorthosis of Famagusta - Cyprus defeated
Trabzonspor of Turkey in the first leg of UEFA Champions League in
GSP Nicosia by 3-1. The return match is being played tomorrow
(Wednesday) in Trabzon at 8:00 pm. Omonia and Apoel of Nicosia also
made it to the next round of UEFA over.
~UFormer Cyprus Davis cup star Haig Ashdjian is recovering from his
serious heel injury, but he is expected to miss the rest of the +50
Seniors tour. In the newly released word rankings of The
International Tennis Federation, he "stands" at 73 in the wo! rld,
the product of three international tournaments from April - June
2005.
~UDavis Cup duo Demetris Leontis and Christopher Koutrouzas are set
to confront seniors doubles pair Loucas Christofides and Simon
Aynedjian in the semi finals of the men's doubles event in the
Troodos Open Tennis Championships that kicked off last Saturday.
~U Nalbandian puts Argentina to Davis Cup semifinals
www.daviscup.com/news/matchreport.asp?id=13315
ARMENIAN MUSIC By Arek Dakessian in Beirut
Armenian Music is the new section in Gibrahayer, dedicated to
bringing Armenian Music closer to us, shedding light on the Armenian
music scene, its history and how all this has affected the Armenian
Question and to try to realize the full potential of our music, which
is a significant aspect in our culture.
jivan.jpg The chain-reaction of the 50th anniversary
We're in the 70's, disco music is under the spotlight, the Iron
Curtain has become a little more 'penetrable' than in the 60's, with
bands like Boney M, the Bee Gees, and Abba. Prime time shows in
Soviet TV were all about disco, the Sanremo's were covered, people
sang "Dancing Queen" in the streets... Had Rock music had its fifteen
minutes of fame?
Rouben was still in the early stages of his career,
getting increasingly famous, but not anywhere close to his peak. His
songs were still the love songs with an occasional
read-between-the-lines-people rhyme... We can not dismiss the disco
scene, after all it was the catalyst to everything that was about to
come. New bands like "Ardzakank" made the scene, and they captured
the Armenian rad! io airwaves, "36/6" were right beside them, these
were more pop bands than rock... Alongside these, was another
'genre', the Estrada: Solo Estrada artists sang about their love for
the motherland and they touched the people in their way, dominating
the music scene in Soviet Armenia.
Rouben Matevosian and Hovannes Badalian claimed a lot of
popularity in the Armenian folklore scene, instrumental music on the
duduk, the saz, while the kamancha also had its public following.
The Armenian violin made folk songs jump from being wistful to
rhapsodic in a second (very similar to the way the 50th Genocide
anniversary made Armenianism take on a whole new vista of
challenges). These were the "Hay Zhoghovrdakan" artists. One Djivan
Kasparian was beginning to enjoy the admiration of listeners to his
music.
Since then, Djivan has promoted the duduk, performed all over
the ! world, and recorded many soundtracks for big-budget Hollywood
movies such as the Gladiator...
A picture's worth a thousand words, I saw this picture on Ho1:
Djivan Kasparian on stage, on his feet with his cheeks full blown,
his eyes shut in inspiration, playing the duduk. On his left, sitting
on a chair with his cello between his legs, head tilted towards the
top-right, eyes wet, is Yo-Yo Ma, playing the background music to our
Djivan.
The Arakyalner re-assembled in the mid-seventies, with two of
their original members and a new-comer, while new rock bands such as
"Vostan Hayots", "Asparez", and "Asped"... also appeared.
The seventies were years in which Armenian Music ! went on to a
whole new level, supporting different genres, and receiving
world-wide recognition. With Brel as our teacher in music, we started
giving emphasis to lyrics more than the tunes. With ASALA and Justice
Commandos appearing in the diaspora and the generation of the
genocide-survivors fading away the new generation of Armenians
started getting their voice heard across the world.
The buzz word was "Azkaynaganoutioun" with the diaspora in
danger of being lost in the cultures of the world and the motherland
being in danger of being expunged to Soviet culture. It was in time
likes this that Barouyr Sevag emerged as a national poet
breaking the walls of silence with his poem "Anlreli Zankagadoun",
Minas Avedisian made his mark as a painter who gave colour to the
Armenianist rural lifestyle, and writer Hrant Matevosian who wrote
what Avedisian painted.
We were (and are) alive and ki! cking !
elifshafak9999.jpg THE FLEA PALACE BY ELIF SHAFAK
People say I have a fanciful mind - probably the most tactful way
ever invented of saying "you~Rre talking nonsense!" They might be
right. Whenever I get anxious and mess up what I have to say, am
scared of people~Rs stares and pretend not to be so, introduce myself
to strangers and feign ignorance about how estranged I am from
myself, feel hurt by the past and find it hard to admit the future
won~Rt be any better, fail to come to terms with either where or who
I am... then at yet another one of those recurring moments, I know I
don~Rt make much sense. But nonsense is just as far removed from
deception as truth. Deception turns truth inside out. As for nonsen!
se, it solders deception and truth to each other so much so as to
make them indistinguishable. Though this might seem complicated,
it~Rs actually very simple. So simple as to be expressed by a single
line.Let~Rs presume truth is a horizontal line.
_______________________________________________
Then, what we call deception becomes a vertical line.
I
As for nonsense, here~Rs what it looks like:
O
With neither an end nor a beginning to its trajectory, the circle
recognizes no horizontal or vertical axis.
You can plunge into the circle from anywhere you want, as long as you
don~Rt make the mistake of confusing that point with a beginning. No
commencements, no thresholds, no endings. No matter at which instant
or with what particular incident I make the first move, there will
always be a time preceding that start of mine ~V always a past ahead
of every past and hence never a veritable outset.
I never saw it myself but heard from someone wise enough that back in
! the old days when the garbage cans on the streets in Istanbul had
round lids of grayish aluminum, there was a game boys and girls
collectively played. A certain number of people had to get together;
few enough not to crowd, large enough to enjoy, just the right amount
and always in an even number.
First in the Garbage Game came the question "when?" For an answer,
four different segments would be chalked on the round lid with a
separate word corresponding to each direction: "Right
Now~VTomorrow~VSoon~VNever." The lid would then be spun from its
handle in the middle as swiftly as possible, and before it found a
chance to slow down, the person in line would stop it with the touch
of a finger. The same would then be repeated one by one for all the
participants of the game so that each one could fathom which time
frame he or she stood closest to. In the second round, four separate
responses would be written down as possible answers to the question
"to whom?": "To Me~VTo The One I Love~VTo! My Best Friend~VTo All of
Us." Once again the lid would be given a spin, once again the players
would reach to stop its delirious circumvolution. In the third round,
the turn would mark the time to find the answer to the question
"what?" Four auspicious and four ominous words, always equal in
number, to add a dash of fairness onto the whims of fortune would be
marked on the remaining eight spaces: "Love, Marriage, Happiness,
Wealth, Sickness, Separation, Accident, Death." The lid would turn
once again with the answers now building up so the players could
finally reach the long awaited response to "what will happen to whom
and when?:" "To Me-Wealth-Soon," "To The One I Love-
Happiness-Tomorrow," "To My Best Friend-Marriage- Right Away," or "To
All of Us-Separation-Never"~E
NEWLY ARRIVED BOOKS OF ELIF SHAFAK
ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN CYPRUS
"The Flea Palace" &
"The Saint of Incipient Insanities"
Available @ Moufflon Bookstores Tel:22665155
[email protected] , www.moufflon.com.cy
g i b r a h a y c a l e n d a r
~UAKTI: Coasts Without Frontiers, Age group:18-25. Dates/Duration:
August 20-27. Location: Polis Chrysochous camp site. Contact: Kyriaki
Demetriou; Tel: 22 45848548454; Email: [email protected] A
multicultural environmental youth camp will bring together 30 Cypriot
youth between 18 and 25 years old, from Greek-Cypriot,
Turkish-Cypriot, Maronite and Armenian communities of Cyprus. The
project will focus on coastal areas of Cyprus, both at the north and
the south, aiming at the protection and preservation of the Cyprus
coastal ecosystem by promoting knowledge-based society. The camp
will take place for a week in August and will feature environmental
workshops, facilitated discussions, fiel! d visits to the coast,
clean-up activities and a final poster production.
~UAnother month to go until the 72nd Annual AYF Olympics, expected to
draw thousands of Armenians from all over the world to Washington ,
DC September 1-5, 2005. In the three-day get-together a rich cultural
programme is scheduled as well. Nune Yesayan kicks off the weekend
with a barahantes. Also featuring Nersik Ispirian, the Michael
Gostanian Ensemble, the Aravod Ensemble. The All Stars will close the
weekend with John Berberian on the oud, Onnik Dinkjian~Rs Vocals,
Hachig Kazarian on clarinet, Roger Krikorian on the dumbeg and
vocals, and Ara Dinkjian on Keyboards. Rooms are filling up fast, so
make sure you book your room online. You can even buy your HyePass
and purchase your Ad Book ad . www.olympics2005.org
~UThe August General meeting will be a special event which kicks off
our theme for the year, "Coming out Hye". The meeting will be held on
Thursday August 4th at the Pacific Arts Center at 10469 Santa Monica
Blvd., LA, CA 90025. Check MapQuest for directions
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?email=1&mapdat . The meeting
will begin at 7:45 with refreshments including wine and cheese
following the meeting, featuring Gary Gates, PhD who is a Senior
Research Fellow from The Williams Project at UCLA School of Law and
author of The Gay and Lesbian Atlas. He is wi! dely acknowledged as
USA's leading expert on the demography and geography of the gay and
lesbian population. Hope to see you all there! GALAS - Gay and
Lesbian Armenian Society.
~UArmenian Radio Hour on The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation via real
audio on www.cybc.com.cy . Broadcast 17:00-18:00 local Cyprus time
(14:00-15:00 GMT). Armenian news every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and
Tuesday.
~UThe Armenian Prelature announces that the next permit for the
Armenian Cemetery visitation at Ayios Dhometios on the Green line, is
on Sunday 7 August, 2005.
e-magazine
[email protected]
http://gibrahayer.cyprusnewsletter.com
The largest circulation Armenian
online e-magazine on the WWW
north_088.jpg
trabzon1.JPG TURKISH TITANS TRABZONSPOR
DEFEATED IN CYPRUS
Gibrahayer - A week later - Nicosia - 2005. Turkish Titans
Trabzonspor, of the old Greek town of Trapezounta were defeated by
the refugee football club of of Famagusta Anorthosis 3-1 in what
local sport officials characterised as the biggest victory in Cyprus
football. It was the first ever match between and Turkish and Cypriot
teams after the 1974 Turkish invasion.
"We made the 70 million country across the sea compared to less
than a million to Cyprus to mean nothing today" said Anorthosis
player/manager Timur Ketsbaya in the post match interview. "We were a
better team despite the fact that the budget of Trabzonspor is 35
times bigger than ours"
Anorthosis officials were quick to thank fans from all Cyprus
clubs that came to support Anorthosis. The whole nation was glued to
the TV and traffic on th! e roads went dead, a deja vous of a year
ago when Greece won the European Soccer Championships. Every time
Anorthosis scored the silence of the cities would break in a
delirious echo that rocked every household.
The much-dreaded high security football match was concluded
without a single incident in which more than 3,000 disappointed
Turkish Cypriot fans also attended. The UEFA Security officer's
report on the match said he was "thrilled not just pleased". He
concluded by saying that the stadium's authorities were "flawless".
Except a shaky start, Anorthosis were better throughout the
game, perhaps even unlucky on a few occasions and recovered quickly
after being equalised by Turkey's top scorer of last year with 31
goals Fatih Tekke, who soon after scoring the equaliser, raced to the
Turkish Cypriot crowd and drew a heart with his finger in the air.
Turkish Cypriot fans reciprocated with wav! ing Turkish flags and
cheering to what soon proved to be a short-lived relief.
Anorthosis had the final say. They regrouped and came back to
hammer two goals in the last ten minutes to snatch a unprecedented
victory which lays the foundations for moving ahead further in
the Champions League.
The return match will take place in Trabzon tomorrow (Wednesday)
night. Another nail-biting encounter awaits fans of both teams.
"The progression to the next round is now a matter of honour" - Senol
Gunes
Commenting to Turkish government's wishes not to go to Cyprus
and give it political recognition, Trabzonspor's technical director
Senol Gunes had stated before the match that "he would cross Africa
or the Far East to get to Cyprus if need be to face Anorthosis."
turkish_fans.JPG During the post-match press conference Senol
Gunes - mastermind behind Turkey's footballing renaissance and hero
for taking his country to third place in the 2002 World Cup - talked
of the hot weather, the sending off of Trabzonspor dangerous attacker
Yattara and his conviction that his team would overturn the score in
Turkey. After his sloppy comments he rudely dashed off the press room
much to everyone's surprise and left Anorthosis coach to conduct the
rest of the press conference on his own. In Turkey he stated that
"the progression to the next round is now a matter of honour"
The biggest victory of Cyprus football was celebrated in an all-
night party in all major towns, the second part of which will be
completed in Hussein Avni Aker Stadium in Trabzon.
Inshallah !
__________________________________________________ __________________________
The Press
The world sport press was left bewildered with the result and
Anorthosis' success received huge media attention world-wide. However
characteristic are the reports in the local press. Machi wrote
"Anorthosis lifts Cyprus on its shoulder", Simerini "3-1 Triumph 31
years later". The Turkish Cypriot press wrote. Afrika "Anorthosis
overturns Trabzon" while Kibrislik wrote. "Disappointing 3-1. Talk is
worthless. After politics the Greek Cypriots are giving us a beating
in football".
Turkish mainland newspaper Millyet described Trabzon as a "POW
in Cyprus" while Hurriyet asked "What on earth have you done?"
Turkish football fan sites on the Internet talked of embarrassment
and demanded the resignation of Gunes and his team. A young Turkish
fan wrote in a fan site. "We would be l! ess humiliated if we had
been relegated to the second division"
More at UEFA'S official website at:
www.uefa.com/magazine/news/Kind=8/newsId=321654.html
__________________________________________________ __________________________
War climate on the eve of the return match
TRABZONSPOR OFFICIAL URGES ANORTHOSIS TO CONCEDE THE MATCH 2-0 AND
NOT SHOW UP FOR THE RETURN MATCH
Monday August 1. 2005. The football team of Anorthosis together with
100 fans and 45 journalists left for Turkey last night (Monday) via
Syria. The authorities in Trabzon have been drumming a war climate
for a week. An official for Trabzonspor urged Anorthosis to simply
concede the match 2-0 and not show up at all. Unconfirmed reports
talked of both Mehmet Ali Talat and Rauf Denktash attending the
match. Trabzonspor fans said they will be "welcoming" the football
club of Anorthosis with 20,000 flags of the pseudo state of the TRNC.
Two members of the Cyprus parliament and Euro parliamentarian
Yiannakis Matsis are accompanying Anorthosis.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
Will they come back in one piece from Trabzon?
TURKEY SIGNS CUSTOMS UNION WITH EU TOGETHER WITH A UNILATERAL
DECLARATION NOT RECOGNISING CYPRUS
The Cyprus Mail - Sunday July 31, 2005. Cyprus expressed ~Sdeep
regret~T over Turkey~Rs unilateral declaration stressing Ankara~Rs
refusal to recognise the Republic of Cyprus. The declaration was
announced late on Friday night along with the signing of the Ankara
protocol, extending Turkey~Rs customs union to all 25 EU member
states.
EU President Britain welcomed the signing, adding the EU Council
would examine the terms of the Turkish declaration before giving any
further EU response.
Sources close to the EU Presidency said the omission of any
statement on Cyprus-flagged ships or aeroplanes was a step in the
right direction, given the speculation running up to the signing. The
signing of the protocol was the last remaining precondit! ion for
Turkey starting accession negotiations with the EU on October 3. All
that remains now is for the EU unanimously to approve a negotiating
mandate for the talks, giving Cyprus a powerful veto option.
Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said the government
would examine thoroughly the content of the Turkish declaration,
~Sespecially whether it puts into question the validity of the
signature of the Protocol itself~T.
The concern is that the customs union will exist only on paper,
and Turkey will fail to take steps to normalise relations with Cyprus
~Sin line with the principle of equal treatment of all member states
of the Union~T. Cyprus insists that Turkey open its ports, airports
and airspace to Cyprus aeroplanes and Cyprus-flagged ships.
The government intends to argue its case before the EU Council,
where the 25 member states will decide whether Turkey has fulfilled
the specific condi! tions set out for the opening of accession
negotiations.
~SIt is regrettable, nevertheless, that a candidate for
accession declares that it does not recognise one of the member
states of the Union it wishes to join. This institutional paradox
cannot be sustained,~T he said.
In its preliminary response, the British Presidency noted that
Turkey issued a declaration ~Sreaffirming, for its part, its
long-standing policy on Cyprus~T but highlighted that the Republic of
Cyprus was the only recognised and official member of the EU under
international law.
It welcomed Turkey~Rs reference to its continued commitment to
support the efforts of the UN Secretary-general to bring about a
comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.
~SThe Presidency agrees that a just and lasting settlement, in
line with the principles on which the Union is founded, will
contribute to peace, stability and harmonious relations in the
region,~T it said.
WHAT THE DECLARATION SAID:
Turkey declared that the signing, ratification and implementation of
the protocol extending its customs union with the EU to the ten new
member states, including the Republic of Cyprus, ~Sneither amount to
any form of recognition of the Republic of Cyprus referred to in the
protocol nor prejudice Turkey~Rs rights and obligations emanating
from the Treaty of Guarantee, the Treaty of Alliance, and the Treaty
of Establishment of 1960~T.
~SThe Republic of Cyprus referred to in the protocol is not the
original partnership state established in 1960,~T it adds, noting
that Turkey ~Swill thus continue to regard the Greek Cypriot
authorities as exercising authority, control and jurisdiction only in
the territory south of the buffer zone, as is currently the case, and
as not representing the Turkish Cypriot people and will treat t! he
acts performed by them accordingly~T.
In its declaration, Turkey notes that it ~Sremains committed to
finding a political settlement of the Cyprus issue and has clearly
demonstrated its resolve in this regard~T.
~SAccordingly, Turkey will continue to support the efforts of
the UN Secretary General towards achieving a comprehensive
settlement, which will lead to the establishment of a new bi zonal
partnership state. A just and lasting settlement would greatly
contribute to peace, stability and harmonious relations in the
region,~T it adds. Furthermore, Turkey ~Sreaffirms that its existing
relationship~T with the regime in the occupied north ~Sremains
unchanged by becoming a party to the protocol~T.
Turkey makes clear that pending a comprehensive settlement, the
position of Turkey on Cyprus will remain unchanged. ~STurkey
expresses its readiness to establish relations with the new
partnership state, which wi! ll emerge following a comprehensive
settlement in Cyprus,~T it concludes.
Ankara~Rs declaration, dated July 29, 2005, is signed by Permanent
Delegate of Turkey to the EU, Ambassador Ogur Demiralp.
bnalbandian2001.jpg NALBANDIAN PUTS ARGENTINA INTO DAVIS CUP
SEMIFINALS
(Davis Cup official website) It took David Nalbandian one hour
54 minutes and three straight sets to put Argentina into the
semifinals of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas for the third time in four
years, the last occasion being 2003.
Nalbandian didn~Rt put a foot wrong, playing the match of his
career to totally dominate Lleyton Hewitt in the first reverse
singles rubber. His 62 64 64 victory gave Argentina an unassailable
3-1 lead over Australia on the grass at the Sydney International
Tennis Centre.
To top of a fabulous weekend for Argentina, Guillermo Coria then
defeated Peter Luczak - making his Davis Cup debut - in the final
dead rubber 63 76(11) to extend their victory to 4-1.
Hewitt had saved two match points on his serve in the ninth game
but on match point three Nalbandian, the hero who won all three of
the matches he played across the weekend, was claimed victory as a
forehand from Hewitt found the middle of the net.
more from the Davis Cup Website at:
www.daviscup.com/news/matchreport.asp?id=13315
LEBANON'S KNARIK MOURADIAN MAKES CHESS HISTORY BY BECOMING MEN'S
CHAMPION
LEBANON - Lebanese Armenian Knarik Mouradian clenched her spot in
chess history as she won the championship title in the national men's
chess tournament in Lebanon on July 26 - a feat completed by a
marginal number of female chess players. Mouradian, a HMEM member
from Antelias, defeated her male opponent during the last round,
while her main competitor Ahmed Najjar was defeated.
Not a newcomer to championship titles, Mouradian won the women's
title at the Arab Chess Championships in August 2004. She told
reporters then: "I like these trophies. They look so nice and
attractive and I am getting used to collecting them."
EATING AND DINING IN BOLIS
Boncuk at Nevizade Sokak 19, Beyoglu (00 90 212 243 1219) is one of
the best meyhane, a raucous eatery where locals imbibe raki, an
aniseed-flavoured drink, and partake of meze with an Armenian touch.
Call to reserve a table outside.
fights.jpg TATIANA'S CORNER
This corner is reserved for local artist Tatiana Ferahian's comic
strips which are [limassolinareg.jpg] amalgamations of
Armenian-Cypriot social commentaries, painted with her usual wry and
ironic humour, to stimulate and encourage awareness and interest
toward our community's everyday happenings.
hunchak.jpg COMMUNIQUE BY THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC HENCHAK PARTY OF
CYPRUS
22 July 2005. With deep regret we have been informed of the
illegal arrival of an Azeri parliamentarian delegation in the
occupied area of Cyprus to take part in the ~Scelebrations~T to mark
the Turkish invasion as well as about the arrangements for starting
illegal direct flights between the Azeri capital Baku and the
occupied areas.
This is indicative of a complaisance Baku fully in the service
of Ankara~Rs panturanist aspirations.
This illegal political act is a blatant violation of and
contempt for the international law ! and of the principle of
legality. It is an obvious disregard of the world public opinion.
This abominable act, which escalates the tension in the region
and harms rapprochement efforts between the two communities, in no
way contributes to efforts aimed at a peaceful solution of the Cyprus
problem.
Ankara~Rs collusion with Baku and the occupied areas in
promoting its panturanist aspiration is not new; it is aimed at
upsetting the regional stability and political balance and disturbing
the peaceful coexistence of the people in the region in general and
the Greek, Greek Cypriot and the Armenian people in particular.
Azerbaijan, on the one hand protests and complains about the
legitimate right to the self-determination demand of the people of
Karabakh, as a ~Ssecessionist movement~T and on the other hand with
her actions, not only she supports a secessionist action but also the
occupation of the part of Cyprus - an independent state - which is a
member of a the UN and the EU - which is condemned by numerous UN
resolutions.
The Baku administration~Rs illegal action in taking part in this
~Soccupation celebrations~T contributes to the deepening of the
controversy in the Cyprus problem and in no way helps settlement
efforts.
The central committee of the Social Democratic Henchak Party in
Cyprus, strongly condemns Baku~Rs illegal actions and declares its
support for and solidarity with the legitimate government of the
Republic of Cyprus in its efforts to find a viable and functional
solution to the Cyprus problem.
YOUR EMAILS
Between two Turkish Cypriots, after the Anorthosis - Trabzonspor
game.
Mehmet - When was it exactly that our brothers conquered Famagusta?
Ahmed - 31 years ago
Mehmet - How long did it take for you to pass the police body search?
Ahmed - 31 minutes
Mehmet - How much did you pay for the ticket?
Ahmed - 31 YT Lira
Mehmet - What was the final score?
Ahmed - 3 1
Mehmet - That is very bad. What were our guys doing?
Ahmed- ...
__________________________________________________ __________________________
Parev,
My name is Tamar and I live in Lebanon by chance today I visited your
website and I was shocked, this is really nice and great but I tried
to subscribe for the magazine but I failed would you please guide me
how to do it. Thanks a lot. Good luck and keep the excellent job
Tamar Nigolian - Executive Secretary - Movenpick Hotel & Resort
Beirut.
Dear Tamar,
For your benefit and that of all readers and potential subscribers go
to http://gibrahayer.cyprusnewsletter.com
Click on the subscribe option, fill in the blanks, click on the box
and subscrib! e. You will then receive an automated response in your
email with a link. Click on the link and you are subscribed.
You can also unsubscribe from the same page. You can also unsubscribe
by following the link on every issue. It is the first thing that
appears at the top of every issue that you receive.
The subscription to weekly e-magazine is FREE.
Finally, thank you for your kind words.
Simon Aynedjian
PS The person in charge of the Music Section is Arek Dakessian from
Beirut. Perhaps you want to get to know him. He is fine young man and
an even finer cellist :))
RECOMMENDED READINGS
Fleeing from Guilt: Germans,Turks and the genocide of the Armenians -
Mihran Dabag
__________________________________________________ __________________________
Why is Officialdom Turkey Fearing to Recognize the Armenian Genocide
? Appo K. Jabarian - Executive Publisher - Managing Editor - USA
Armenian Life Magazine
__________________________________________________ __________________________
www.savemelkonian.org/docs/Articles/05_08_19_closing_melkon ian
_souren_Tsoulian.pdf
________________________ __________________________________________________ __
Armenian quest for lost orphans
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4735171. stm
ARTSAGANG JUNE 2005 You can now read the Armenian community's 20-
page monthly Armenian publication (June 2005 issue number 123) in
front of your computer in pdf format at:
www.emedia.com.cy/inc/sec5/Artsagang_2005-06.pdf
newsinbrief.gif ~UTwo Turkish soldiers and two Kurdish rebels were
killed in a skirmish in Eastern Turkey near the Armenian-Iranian
border. 33 Turks and 44 Kurds have been killed since May 2005.
~UA member of the Academy of Lawyers of Ankara Meteni Aigan may be
sentenced to three-year imprisonment after saying that the Ottoman
Empire was eliminating Armenians. He is accused of stirring up hatred
and hostility. The legal proceedings were brought forward by the
General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces.
~U"The idea of holding a referendum to decide Mountainous Karabagh's
status is not up for discussion. Karabagh's independence is of
supreme value for our people and is not subject to discussions," said
Arman Melikian, the foreign minister of Mountainous Karabagh
Republic.
~ULockheed Martin received a long-lead contract, valued at
approximately $67.7 million, from the US Air Force to begin
development of a major systems upgrade of Turkish Air Force F-16
aircraft. The total contract is valued at approximately $800 million
and is expected to be issued in mid-2006.
~UAzerbaijan's Public Television intends to start broadcasting
Armenian-language programs to keep "Azerbaijani citizens of
Nagorno-Karabakh informed about what is going on in their country."
Public Television chief manager Ismail ! Omarov was quoted by 525
Gazet as saying that 'when Armenians in Karabakh learn the real state
of things they will be the first to protest against Armenian
occupation."
~UCatholicos of All Armenians Garegin II received the participants of
the Third Pan-Armenian Youth Gathering on July 24 at Echmiadzin.
~UA 67-year-old Iranian mountain climber has died on Mount Ararat in
eastern Turkey and his fellow climbers are facing prosecution for
entering a banned military zone, the Anatolia news agency reported
Friday.
~UThe 2005 AYF Youth Corps participants arrived in Armenia on
Tuesday, to build a youth center that will serve the city of Vayk and
the nearby villages. The participants, will stay in Armenia and
Artsakh for nearly a month.
~UCyprus Army's worst-ever peacetime training accident at Koshi left
18 soldiers injured. The French-made, single-use APILAS
rocket-propelled grenade launcher misfired during a routine
demonstration to conscripts.
~UA demonstration against Turkey's entry to the European Union was
staged in Prague by the Voice for Europe international civic
initiative. A similar demonstration was staged in the Lithuanian
capital, Vilnius.
SPORTS NEWS AND CALENDAR
~URefugee Football Club Anorthosis of Famagusta - Cyprus defeated
Trabzonspor of Turkey in the first leg of UEFA Champions League in
GSP Nicosia by 3-1. The return match is being played tomorrow
(Wednesday) in Trabzon at 8:00 pm. Omonia and Apoel of Nicosia also
made it to the next round of UEFA over.
~UFormer Cyprus Davis cup star Haig Ashdjian is recovering from his
serious heel injury, but he is expected to miss the rest of the +50
Seniors tour. In the newly released word rankings of The
International Tennis Federation, he "stands" at 73 in the wo! rld,
the product of three international tournaments from April - June
2005.
~UDavis Cup duo Demetris Leontis and Christopher Koutrouzas are set
to confront seniors doubles pair Loucas Christofides and Simon
Aynedjian in the semi finals of the men's doubles event in the
Troodos Open Tennis Championships that kicked off last Saturday.
~U Nalbandian puts Argentina to Davis Cup semifinals
www.daviscup.com/news/matchreport.asp?id=13315
ARMENIAN MUSIC By Arek Dakessian in Beirut
Armenian Music is the new section in Gibrahayer, dedicated to
bringing Armenian Music closer to us, shedding light on the Armenian
music scene, its history and how all this has affected the Armenian
Question and to try to realize the full potential of our music, which
is a significant aspect in our culture.
jivan.jpg The chain-reaction of the 50th anniversary
We're in the 70's, disco music is under the spotlight, the Iron
Curtain has become a little more 'penetrable' than in the 60's, with
bands like Boney M, the Bee Gees, and Abba. Prime time shows in
Soviet TV were all about disco, the Sanremo's were covered, people
sang "Dancing Queen" in the streets... Had Rock music had its fifteen
minutes of fame?
Rouben was still in the early stages of his career,
getting increasingly famous, but not anywhere close to his peak. His
songs were still the love songs with an occasional
read-between-the-lines-people rhyme... We can not dismiss the disco
scene, after all it was the catalyst to everything that was about to
come. New bands like "Ardzakank" made the scene, and they captured
the Armenian rad! io airwaves, "36/6" were right beside them, these
were more pop bands than rock... Alongside these, was another
'genre', the Estrada: Solo Estrada artists sang about their love for
the motherland and they touched the people in their way, dominating
the music scene in Soviet Armenia.
Rouben Matevosian and Hovannes Badalian claimed a lot of
popularity in the Armenian folklore scene, instrumental music on the
duduk, the saz, while the kamancha also had its public following.
The Armenian violin made folk songs jump from being wistful to
rhapsodic in a second (very similar to the way the 50th Genocide
anniversary made Armenianism take on a whole new vista of
challenges). These were the "Hay Zhoghovrdakan" artists. One Djivan
Kasparian was beginning to enjoy the admiration of listeners to his
music.
Since then, Djivan has promoted the duduk, performed all over
the ! world, and recorded many soundtracks for big-budget Hollywood
movies such as the Gladiator...
A picture's worth a thousand words, I saw this picture on Ho1:
Djivan Kasparian on stage, on his feet with his cheeks full blown,
his eyes shut in inspiration, playing the duduk. On his left, sitting
on a chair with his cello between his legs, head tilted towards the
top-right, eyes wet, is Yo-Yo Ma, playing the background music to our
Djivan.
The Arakyalner re-assembled in the mid-seventies, with two of
their original members and a new-comer, while new rock bands such as
"Vostan Hayots", "Asparez", and "Asped"... also appeared.
The seventies were years in which Armenian Music ! went on to a
whole new level, supporting different genres, and receiving
world-wide recognition. With Brel as our teacher in music, we started
giving emphasis to lyrics more than the tunes. With ASALA and Justice
Commandos appearing in the diaspora and the generation of the
genocide-survivors fading away the new generation of Armenians
started getting their voice heard across the world.
The buzz word was "Azkaynaganoutioun" with the diaspora in
danger of being lost in the cultures of the world and the motherland
being in danger of being expunged to Soviet culture. It was in time
likes this that Barouyr Sevag emerged as a national poet
breaking the walls of silence with his poem "Anlreli Zankagadoun",
Minas Avedisian made his mark as a painter who gave colour to the
Armenianist rural lifestyle, and writer Hrant Matevosian who wrote
what Avedisian painted.
We were (and are) alive and ki! cking !
elifshafak9999.jpg THE FLEA PALACE BY ELIF SHAFAK
People say I have a fanciful mind - probably the most tactful way
ever invented of saying "you~Rre talking nonsense!" They might be
right. Whenever I get anxious and mess up what I have to say, am
scared of people~Rs stares and pretend not to be so, introduce myself
to strangers and feign ignorance about how estranged I am from
myself, feel hurt by the past and find it hard to admit the future
won~Rt be any better, fail to come to terms with either where or who
I am... then at yet another one of those recurring moments, I know I
don~Rt make much sense. But nonsense is just as far removed from
deception as truth. Deception turns truth inside out. As for nonsen!
se, it solders deception and truth to each other so much so as to
make them indistinguishable. Though this might seem complicated,
it~Rs actually very simple. So simple as to be expressed by a single
line.Let~Rs presume truth is a horizontal line.
_______________________________________________
Then, what we call deception becomes a vertical line.
I
As for nonsense, here~Rs what it looks like:
O
With neither an end nor a beginning to its trajectory, the circle
recognizes no horizontal or vertical axis.
You can plunge into the circle from anywhere you want, as long as you
don~Rt make the mistake of confusing that point with a beginning. No
commencements, no thresholds, no endings. No matter at which instant
or with what particular incident I make the first move, there will
always be a time preceding that start of mine ~V always a past ahead
of every past and hence never a veritable outset.
I never saw it myself but heard from someone wise enough that back in
! the old days when the garbage cans on the streets in Istanbul had
round lids of grayish aluminum, there was a game boys and girls
collectively played. A certain number of people had to get together;
few enough not to crowd, large enough to enjoy, just the right amount
and always in an even number.
First in the Garbage Game came the question "when?" For an answer,
four different segments would be chalked on the round lid with a
separate word corresponding to each direction: "Right
Now~VTomorrow~VSoon~VNever." The lid would then be spun from its
handle in the middle as swiftly as possible, and before it found a
chance to slow down, the person in line would stop it with the touch
of a finger. The same would then be repeated one by one for all the
participants of the game so that each one could fathom which time
frame he or she stood closest to. In the second round, four separate
responses would be written down as possible answers to the question
"to whom?": "To Me~VTo The One I Love~VTo! My Best Friend~VTo All of
Us." Once again the lid would be given a spin, once again the players
would reach to stop its delirious circumvolution. In the third round,
the turn would mark the time to find the answer to the question
"what?" Four auspicious and four ominous words, always equal in
number, to add a dash of fairness onto the whims of fortune would be
marked on the remaining eight spaces: "Love, Marriage, Happiness,
Wealth, Sickness, Separation, Accident, Death." The lid would turn
once again with the answers now building up so the players could
finally reach the long awaited response to "what will happen to whom
and when?:" "To Me-Wealth-Soon," "To The One I Love-
Happiness-Tomorrow," "To My Best Friend-Marriage- Right Away," or "To
All of Us-Separation-Never"~E
NEWLY ARRIVED BOOKS OF ELIF SHAFAK
ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN CYPRUS
"The Flea Palace" &
"The Saint of Incipient Insanities"
Available @ Moufflon Bookstores Tel:22665155
[email protected] , www.moufflon.com.cy
g i b r a h a y c a l e n d a r
~UAKTI: Coasts Without Frontiers, Age group:18-25. Dates/Duration:
August 20-27. Location: Polis Chrysochous camp site. Contact: Kyriaki
Demetriou; Tel: 22 45848548454; Email: [email protected] A
multicultural environmental youth camp will bring together 30 Cypriot
youth between 18 and 25 years old, from Greek-Cypriot,
Turkish-Cypriot, Maronite and Armenian communities of Cyprus. The
project will focus on coastal areas of Cyprus, both at the north and
the south, aiming at the protection and preservation of the Cyprus
coastal ecosystem by promoting knowledge-based society. The camp
will take place for a week in August and will feature environmental
workshops, facilitated discussions, fiel! d visits to the coast,
clean-up activities and a final poster production.
~UAnother month to go until the 72nd Annual AYF Olympics, expected to
draw thousands of Armenians from all over the world to Washington ,
DC September 1-5, 2005. In the three-day get-together a rich cultural
programme is scheduled as well. Nune Yesayan kicks off the weekend
with a barahantes. Also featuring Nersik Ispirian, the Michael
Gostanian Ensemble, the Aravod Ensemble. The All Stars will close the
weekend with John Berberian on the oud, Onnik Dinkjian~Rs Vocals,
Hachig Kazarian on clarinet, Roger Krikorian on the dumbeg and
vocals, and Ara Dinkjian on Keyboards. Rooms are filling up fast, so
make sure you book your room online. You can even buy your HyePass
and purchase your Ad Book ad . www.olympics2005.org
~UThe August General meeting will be a special event which kicks off
our theme for the year, "Coming out Hye". The meeting will be held on
Thursday August 4th at the Pacific Arts Center at 10469 Santa Monica
Blvd., LA, CA 90025. Check MapQuest for directions
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?email=1&mapdat . The meeting
will begin at 7:45 with refreshments including wine and cheese
following the meeting, featuring Gary Gates, PhD who is a Senior
Research Fellow from The Williams Project at UCLA School of Law and
author of The Gay and Lesbian Atlas. He is wi! dely acknowledged as
USA's leading expert on the demography and geography of the gay and
lesbian population. Hope to see you all there! GALAS - Gay and
Lesbian Armenian Society.
~UArmenian Radio Hour on The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation via real
audio on www.cybc.com.cy . Broadcast 17:00-18:00 local Cyprus time
(14:00-15:00 GMT). Armenian news every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and
Tuesday.
~UThe Armenian Prelature announces that the next permit for the
Armenian Cemetery visitation at Ayios Dhometios on the Green line, is
on Sunday 7 August, 2005.