Yes!

Վրաստանի նախագահ Միխեիլ Սահակաշվիլին դիմավորում է Հայաստանի նախագահ Սերժ Սարգսյանին

Marvels of Modern Engineering in Yerevan.

Pictured is a pedestrian underground crossing in Yerevan after a rain. As part of the modernization, a river called Getar that ran through the town was closed off. Now the rainwater has no place to go but the streets and such.

As one commenter rightfully noticed, "sranc mot arden menak utel-qaqeln a hatuk arvum, mnacac[ vonc patahi :)"

Yes!

[...] A charity event as part of the “Yerevan My Love” project initiated by Prince Charles and Sarkissian took place in Windsor Palace on February 10, with visiting President of Armenia Serzh Sarkisian (no relation to the ex-premier) attending the reception. The project is dedicated to preserving architecturally significant buildings in Yerevan and putting them to use to improve the life experience of disabled children, young people and disadvantaged families. [...] from RFE/RL

Amalian and Censorship.

A couple of weeks ago the infamous Amalian group (people in charge of keeping broadcast media in control) proposed measures for official censorship of the TV programming. While unofficial censorship has existed for a long time such as taking independent TV stations like A1+ off the air or denying air time to anything independent or against the regime, the new proposal would try to officially regulate the materials being aired.

I am not going to get into the content of the Armenian TV serials and shows but it is pretty much reflective of the general picture of the society. As everywhere else, these TV stations are a mirror of the society and not the other way around. But there is a little bit of a debate going on and just today I came across an article in Azg where an accomplished actor describes anecdotal evidence of deteriorating youth morale. His wife, who is a teacher, has told him that kids in school walk around with knives in their pockets and have fights during the breaks. He blames this violent behavior on the TV shows.

Well, mister, it's not quite right. I was in school during the Soviet times when the TV was censored pretty bad. The kids walked around in the school with knives and had fights during the breaks. 

When I was 12 years old, a classmate of mine stabbed another classmate in the arm. 

When I was 14, a very good friend and a classmate of mine was stabbed by another classmate. And despite the blood all over the hallways and a classroom, not a single teacher intervened or called an ambulance. It was us who got a taxi and took him to the hospital (actually the guy who was stabbed at 12 years old was the one who carried him on his back).

With the independence, the Armenians did not suddenly become a more peaceful society. Even though there was no electricity and no TV to show violent movies and such, I was mugged on the streets of Yerevan in broad daylight. 

Does this mean that it is the TV that is to blame for the violent behavior? I don't think so. Armenia is a regular country just like any other country in the world. There is violence as much as any other place and we should not delude ourselves that there is something special when it comes to violence.

If you want better TV, change the society. Censorship is not going to reduce the amount of crude language or violence in the society.

Sending Whistleblowers to Prison.

Pictured is Armen Sargsian. he is accused of treason and publishing a state secret. The state secret in question is the order # 38 of February 23, 2008 which contains the preparation of the use of military as part of the post-election strategy for the fraudulent assignment of Serj Sargsian as the president of Armenia. This is how the the elections and the post-election violence against the Armenian civilians by the Robert Kocharian-Serj Sargsian regime has been defined as a coup d'etat by the EU (see a few posts in the past about this).

Here is what Aravot writes today:

Երեկ Երեւանի Կենտրոն եւ Նորք-Մարաշ համայնքների դատարանում դատավոր Գագիկ Պողոսյանը մերժեց Ազգային անվտանգության ծառայության քննչական գլխավոր վարչության կողմից 2009թ. վերջին ՀՀ քրեական օրենսգրքի 306 հոդվածի առաջին մասով՝ պետական գաղտնիք հրապարակելու կասկածանքով, կալանավորված ՀՀ ՊՆ շինվարչության նախկին պետ, գնդապետ Արմեն Սարգսյանի փաստաբանների միջնորդությունը: Վերջիններս դատարանին միջնորդել էին, որպեսզի երկու ամիս առաջ ընտրված խափանման միջոց կալանքը փոխարինվի գրավով: Դատավորը խորհրդակցական սենյակից վերադառնալով՝ մերժեց միջնորդությունը՝ ուժի մեջ թողնելով կալանավորման որոշումը: Եթե դատարանը հաստատված համարի Արմեն Սարգսյանին առաջադրված մեղադրանքը, նրան սպառնում է առավելագույնը չորս տարի ազատազրկում: Հիշեցնենք, որ Արմեն Սարգսյանը ազգային հերոս Վազգեն Սարգսյանի հորեղբոր որդին է: Ա. Սարգսյանի հրապարակած «պետական գաղտնիքն» այն է, որ նա մամուլին է փոխանցել պաշտպանության նախարարի 0038 հրամանը, որից պարզ է դառնում, որ դեռեւս 2008-ի փետրվարի 23-ին (այսինքն՝ մարտի 1-ի «զանգվածային անկարգություններից» առաջ) իշխանությունը պատրաստվում էր բանակն օգտագործել ներքաղաքական խնդիրները լուծելու համար:

Update [02/14/2010]: Armen Sargsian claims that the leak about Order # 38 has been done by the current Defense Minister Ohanian. I am afraid the regime are now going to charge him for making a false accusation and put him in jail for an additional 7 years.

Superments.

The banditocracy continues to behave like a banditocracy is supposed to behave.

At 5:30 pm the police receive a complaint against Saribek Suqiasyan. At 6:00 pm the police raid the offices of Saribek Suqiasyan. Such quick response is unheard of in Armenia. For example, blogger Mirope was assaulted by a group of police officers in civilian clothing and he reported it to the police. More than a month later there is still no case reported at the police.

It gets a little more interesting as eye witnesses say that the arrests were made at 4 pm, or 1.5 hours before the police say they received the complaint.

Given that Saribek Suqiasyan is the brother of a former political prisoner  Khachatoor (Grzo) Suqiasyan, methinks the arrest is more sinister than what the police reports below.

12-02-2010 ՍԱՐԻԲԵԿ ՍՈՒՔԻԱՍՅԱՆԸ ԵՎ ԱՐՏԱՇ ՍՏԵՓԱՆՅԱՆԸ ԲԵՐՄԱՆ ԵՆ ԵՆԹԱՐԿՎԵԼ

Փետրվարի 12-ին, ժամը 17.30-ին, ոստիկանության Էրեբունու բաժին է դիմել «Աուդիտե ՍՊԸ տնօրեն Գոռ Դավթյանը — հայտնել, որ 2008 թվականի հոկտեմբերին իրեն պատկանող «Բյուրեղե ՓԲԸ-ի 41 տոկոս բաժնետոմսերը վաճառել է Սարիբեկ Սուքիասյանի կնոջը` Ասպրամ Տոնոյանին:

2009 թվականի նոյեմբեր ամսին ՀՀ վճռաբեկ դատարանի կողմից գործարքն անվավեր է ճանաչվել, ինչից հետո ՓԲԸ-ում հայտնվել է նոր բաժնետեր, որը ցանկություն է հայտնել գնել իրեն պատկանող բաժնեմասերը: Այդ մասին Սարիբեկ Սուքիասյանին տեղյակ պահելու նպատակով Գոռ Դավթյանը փետրվարի 12-ին, ժամը 13.00-ի սահմաներում գնացել է «Սիլ գրուպիե գրասենյակ, որտեղ Սուքիասյանն ու ոմն Արտաշ սպանության իրական սպառնալիքների տակ նրան պարտադրել են ստորագրել բաժնեմասերի հետ կապված որոշ փաստաթղթեր:

Փետրվարի 12-ին, ժամը 18.00-ին Սարիբեկ Սուքիասյանը — «Այրարատե տոնավաճառի տնօրեն Արտաշ Ստեփանյանը բերման են ենթարկվել ոստիկանության Էրեբունու բաժին:

Քննությունը վարում է Էրեբունու քննչական բաժինը:

Charlie Wilson Is Dead.

How did support for Section 907 unravel? Unable to mount a full-fledged challenge against Section 907 in the late 1990s, House members sympathetic to Azerbaijan, such as then Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston, R-La., and Rep. Charlie Wilson, then ranking Democrat on the panel’s foreign aid subcommittee, used their committees and subcommittees to nibble away at the edges of Section 907. They began by allowing Baku to participate in distributing humanitarian assistance and in democracy promotion programs. Congressman Livingston’s interests in Azerbaijan probably had little to do with his concerns for international equity. He represented an “oil state,” and he was one of the oil industry’s strongest supporters in Washington. Oil was discovered in Louisiana in 1901, “followed by the huge Baton Rouge refinery that became the training ground for generations of top oil executives” (Barone, Cohen, & Ujifusa 2000: 659). Source at Harvard

"...Charlie Wilson, the former member of the US House of Representatives, who has died at the age of 76 from a heart attack, played a key role in channelling US funds to the Afghan mujahideen when it fought Soviet forces in the 1980s. ..." BBC Obituary

Gauging Immigration Levels.

I was reading Zhamanak Daily and they had an interesting observation on the falling business levels at notary public offices. They have seen levels of documents for real estate transactions fall dramatically (apparently, there is a new law about 20% tax on people who do more than 2 real estate transactions in a year - didn't understand if it was on people or flipped properties). They have also seen a rise in the demand to notarize translated documents.

Translating documents can be a metric to gauge immigration.

Հայաստանի ԱՄՆ շրջանավարտների ասոցիացիա

The alumni from US based educational institutions has created its own association in Yerevan. The Aravot article is available here. On item to note is the journalist's bewilderment on the people's distaste for government jobs. This is not a surprise. Out of about 100 or so people from my network of graduate level cohorts, only 2 work for the government here. When one of them suggested a position at the VA, my instinctive  response was "I can't see myself working for a government entity". 

It's a very different mental state from the older generation of the Armenian immigrants (and immigrants from the Soviet Union in general). A dream job for them is somewhere in a state or federal agency where they do not do any work, get paid for just showing up, have medical and pension benefits and retire after 25 years.

Hmm, come to think of it, it does sound sweet.

Military Seizure of the Government.

“Outraged by the existence - recently discovered and made public – of secret order No. 0038, proving that Armenian army units received formal orders to assemble and deploy in Yerevan before 1 March,” and “Considering that the involvement of the army in domestic political matters, accompanied by large-scale repression of citizens’ civil and political rights and persecution of the political opposition, clearly bears the characteristics of a coup d’etat.”

PACE Delegates “outraged”: March 1, 2008 was coup d’ etat according to draft resolution

About 8 months ago HAK revealed and proved that March 1 was indeed a coup d'etat. The EU is now formulating March 1 as a coup d'etat. Given the snail pace of diplomacy in foreign relations, thr PACE draft resolution appeared quicker than I anticipated.

The power of HAK cannot be underestimated.

What Do You Know.

Six More Weeks.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today so the winter is gonna last for another 6 weeks.