MosJan

i myself dont see any good sign for Armenia not for another 10 years, Corruption is still very big, privatisation is at a very slow pace, revenue from Tax are basically pennies! and most importantly the future of Artsax. ehhh ~~~~~~~~

Arpajan ,sa bavakanin hetaqrqir meknabanutyun kapvats sringi het. Sring@ uni melamardzot + Tav + Qami + Qartsrutyun, iys gortsiq@ patrastvel e naxkinum Yeregits ( Ramis) yev darer iver yerel e Haykakan yerashtakan forklyori mej, nuynisk mer Komitas@ gri e arel iys gortsiki 3 tesakner picol -D-, Alto -A-, tenor -G-, nerkanyums iys gortsik@ patrastvum e paytits yev kan aveli qan 7 tarber sringner, sakayn himnakan 3@ komitasi chapserov en. mer HAykakan Sringi pes goritsk unen nayev Parsikner@, bavakanin hnchun gortsik e , unen 2 tesak #1 mek yeregits patrastvats #2 2 yeregnerits vorosh parskakan gavarnerum anvanum en NAY, yevorpayum ruminatsiner@ yev bulgaratsiner@ unen anvanum en KhavaL ( vstah chem anun@) bayst shat mets ter uni n@ranst azgayin folklyorum. yerevum e shervertsy nyutits, Menq Hayer@s unenq nayev 3 urish HAykakan Gortsikner voronq naxkinum patrastvel en Yeregits, Duduk@, Shvin, pakun, http://www.mksduduks.com/Arm-music-ins/Duduk/duduk-pics/2/MVC-004F.JPG iys n@kari dzaxits arajin gortsik@ mer iysorva duduki "naxnin" iyspisin e yerel mer duduk@ heto jamanaki @ndhatskum popoxvel e. http://www.mksduduks.com/Arm-music-ins/Shvi/one-piece-shvi.jpg inchpes tesnum e s shvin nuynpes minch iysor yeregist e patrastvum, iys hajord n@kari dzax kormi 11gortsikner@ sringner en, tsavoq srty chunem sringi original n@kar@, bayst ashxatum em patrastel mek hat.. http://www.mksduduks.com/Arm-music-ins/Duduk/Duduks-main/Duduks-By-Ruben/rr-gorts.jpg tarineri @ndhatskum poxvel e voch miyayn gortsikneri tesq@ iyl nayev anuner@, sringin anvanum en bluel kam Sring kam Dlule. husov mek or gtnenq Jutaki Anvanman patasxan@, hameniyn deps indz shat e hetaqrqrum... Movses

Jutak de jutakn el j@vvots a j@szv@zots hanum yerevi Juvik kam j@vj@vik dneyin anun@ inchpes asetsir Bnadziyn bavakanin hnaravor e sa, yev yekek chmoranank mek HAykakan BArbarner@ ur amen barbar tekuz yev n@man sakayn tarber artasanutyan dzev unen. yev nayev otaryerkya bareki ogtagortsum@, chnayats vro verchin 100 tarva mej Sksyal Mer Komitasits yev sharunakvats ma qani Hay masnagetneri vorosh gortsikner veranvanvel en yev nor kam kin zut Haykakan nauner statsel. sakayn Bnadziyni varkats@ indz aveli e hetaqrqrum, inchpes asetsir ArpaJan - Zangak, z@eng dziyn e hanum kam T@mbuk vor@ t@mb t@mbots e hanum, kam Shvi vor Shvum e, kam B@lule ( Sring ) vor buuuu kam bvoots e hanum, brb

yev mek urish varkats, yete ushgadrutyun darstneq gortsiqneri anunerin orinak Shvi - vori dziyn@ shvotsi dziyn e ( shvots a hanum ) da kartses gortsiki dziyni batsatrutyun lini kam Duduk vori dziyn@ Duoooo duoo e kam, zurnan vor zil dziayn uni. hnaravor e vro urraki jutaki anun@ n@ra dziyni mimikn e kam batsatrutyun@? inch kaseq.?.

TURK Email: denizlir@yahoo.com posted December 10, 2001 20:58 PT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- listen here u armenians we will rule you.Turkey belongs to the turks and nobody else.God and the grey wolf sent us west.For we are the warriors from the east we are the children of Atilla ,Ghengis and Osman.we shall massacre all of you who dare to oppose the Turkish nation.You fu,cken genetic garbage called the armenians I wouldnt even let you lick the bottom of my shoes even if it had dog crap on it.You wanna create your own state.The Turkish army is fu,cking your mothers in the east long live mehmetcik!why didnt we kill off all of you armenians thats a sad chapter of our history we should have killed all you animals.Dont worry kurds you are next did it hurt 2 see ocalan blinfolded like an animal.LONG LIVE THE TURKISH ARMY LONG LIVE THE TURKISH STATE LONG LIVE TURAN LONG LIVE THE TURKISH POLICE AND LONG LIVE THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT DEATH SQUADS FOR WE ARE THE TURKISH RACE THE MASTER RACE

WORLD WAR 3 posted December 11, 2001 03:03 PT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The turks are warriors by nature its in our blood.As you read this turks throughout the world preparing ourselves to start an operation that will eclipse hitlers operation "Barbarossa".We shall attack simueltaniuosy in three different locations.Attack No 1 I call it "OPERATION TURKISTAN" will start with our attack on armenia we must eliminate this race off the face of the earth and than attack and destroy our arch nemesis the genetic garbage called the russians no prisoners! no prisoners!will be our battle cry.we swoop into russia with lightning speed and pi.ss on the russians as we anhialate them.We ally ourselves with our turkic brothers in azerbeycan turkmenistan uzbekistan kazakistan tajikistan kirgizistan and mongolia. And then we attack the chinese and the indians and ravage both countries.We must form some special forces to deal with nonturks in asia someting like hitlers ss units we shall conquer all of asia which rightfully belongs to us.Attack No 2 "OPERATION AVRUPA" We shall start our attack in greece and wipe these goatlickers off the face of this earth each and every single one of them.The Turkish airforce shall deal with the bombartment of all european capitals including london and berlin our army will have no mercy for these people for the way they have treated us NO MERCY!NO MERCY! Should be our battlecry in europe the turks will be the supreme rulers of europe.Attack No 3 will concentrate the rest of our soldiers in the middle east we shall and we will destroy the scum of the world called the arabs and persians they must not be allowed to survive the wrath of the turks.We shall deal with the kurds in a way that has never been seen in world history I will not give you details on this but I do promise you that there will not even be one single survivor we shall use the oil we capture for future operations for we will rule the world even if you dirty nonturks like it or not.THE TURKISH RACE IS THE MASTER RACE

TURK posted December 11, 2001 14:05 PT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our greatest moment has come my friends,I saw a dream last night Talaat ***** has spoken to me and I quote his words"I almost accomplished one of the greatest feats in world history but yet the armenian race survives I want the turkish youth the turkish army to finish what I started.I will be very thankful to the turkish people for understanding my need to revenge the armenian race.I understand that turks have new enemies such as the kurds.I suggest that this race also be exterminated.Make me proud my turkish children carry on my dream."As he was talking to me I heard Istiklal Marsi in the background.Im a man but I got to admit I had a few trickles of tears running down my face.Our moment is now while the whole worlds attention is focused on Afgahnistan lets finish Talaat ***** dream.He was not only talking to me but to every turk on earth.Lets not let him down I salute you Talaat ***** we will finish what you started I promise you that and so do the rest of the turkish youth.THE TURKISH RACE IS THE MASTER RACE

iy hima hishetsy ...

"tsit@ tsari jmban tserin, ts@ti j@ti jit@ tsur"

HArout Jit@ inch lezvona ???

chgitem vorqanov ogtakar klini , sakayn naytum em indz mot yerats HAykakan gortsikneri anvanumnerin yev hetaqrqirn iyn e vor mi qani gortsikner kan voronts mer naxnahayrer@ anvanel en Tutak, hetaqrqir e, duduki naxninerits mekin anvanum eyin tutak nayev Sring`in ( bluel ) D@lul`in yev Hovivneri ogtagortsats tsirani yev kam metarya shviner@ kam shvian@man gortsikner anvanel en tutak,inchpes nayev qyamanin, jutakin nuynpes anvanel en tutak, chgitem inchu, yerevi dziyn@ k@rknor yev kam verartadror, kam yergichi dziyn@ kam srty xosk@ asor ~~~ gortsikner@ anvanvel en tutak ?? Hishum em Vartanes Papazyan ( derasan Papazyani het kap chuni) grats 3rd hator mej kar LaRayin gortsikneri masin bajin ur na nerkaystnum er mi qani larayin gortsikner, naxkiner@ kendanu Ariqits eyin patrastvats larer@. yev na iydter n@karagrel e Jutakan@man mi gortsik anvanelov tutak. yete iharke hishorutyus chi davajanum.. mer Gusan Jivan@ ogtagortsum er Qyamani (Qyamanchayi n@man Jutakin) Vartanes Papazyan@ sran nuynpes anvanum er tutak, yerevi tutak@.. patasxan@ chgitem, sakayn mtastum em vor mi xumb gortsikner anvanvel en tutak, inchpes gusan@ yergeluts qyamanin kam shvin gusani bareri n@man artahaytel ( hnchetsrel e kam krkrnel tutaki pes yerashtutyamb), karoratsa batsatrel ?? te xarnel em amen inch irar.

whiteangel Welcome to Hye Forum It's an intresting topic that you have opened. i myself have not been in a Army or at least in a Army Like USA has, but i do remember the Army base in USSR, and the towns next to the Army base it was not a joke well of course we did not have Taxses club or King Club, most of the time if a soldier could escape (SamaVolka) or deserve a day Off he would spend or try to spend in the company of a lady or on the danse floor. Prostitution was not a significant issue. whiteangel since your new in our forum - i need to ask you for a favor, when you get some free time in your hands plese remove the bad language or just replase them with **** we will all get the idea.. thank you and enjoy your stay Movses

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE INCLUDED AZERI "JEYSHULLAH" TERRORIST ORGANIZATION IN THE LIST OF MOST DANGEROUS EXTREMIST GROUPS 08.12.2001 /PanARMENIAN.Net/ The United States has made a decision to deport persons having connection with any of the 39 foreign organizations famous for their terrorist orientations. In the words of U.S. State Department Press Secretary Philip Ricker, the list of the terrorist organizations was drawn together with the Department of State and Department of Justice. According to the information by "Echo" Baku newspaper, the list includes "Jeyshullah" not unknown Azeri terrorist organization. The group activists will be deported to Azerbaijan. The organization pursues the purpose of changing Azerbaijan's state system and creating an Islamic state there. The newspaper reminds that the fighters of "Jeyshullah" prepared and implemented some acts of terrorism, including the assassination of famous extrasensory Etibar Erkin. "Jeyshullah" has built some blindages in the north of the country. It is known that the leaders of the organization are in close contact with similar organizations operating in other Islamic countries, in particular with notorious "El-Quaide." Reproduction in full or in part is prohibited without reference to "PanARMENIAN.Net"

Hopes Mix With Desperation As Armenia Marks Quake Anniversary By Artem Chernamorian in Gyumri, Hrach Melkumian and Shakeh Avoyan Top government officials promised a full reconstruction of destroyed homes on Friday as Armenia commemorated the 13th anniversary of a devastating earthquake that left its northwestern regions in ruins. Scores of local residents, many of them still waiting for their homes to be rebuilt, visited graves of their relatives and loved ones who were among more than 25,000 people killed by the disaster. http://www.armenialiberty.org/images/photo/quake-Spitak.jpg Photo: Children playing outside their makeshift house in Spitak “I hope that two years later we will have forgotten the consequences left by the earthquake,” Prime Minister Andranik Markarian said in the northern city of Vanadzor, hit hard by the 1988 disaster. As Markarian spoke at an official remembrance of the earthquake victims, President Robert Kocharian laid a wreath at an earthquake memorial 50 kilometers to the west, in the country’s second-largest city of Gyumri that had suffered even heavier damages. The prolonged rebuilding of infrastructures and housing there was the main theme of his ensued meeting with provincial leaders. The Armenian minister for urban development, David Lokian, pledged on Wednesday that the Shirak and Lori provinces, which bore the brunt of the disaster, will be completely rebuilt before the end of next year. Markarian, however, said that the restoration of housing estates may take two years. More than 14,000 families living in the area still huddle in makeshift shelters that lack basic conveniences. Made of metal and wood, they have become a common feature in the Gyumri and Vanadzor landscapes – a deep scar left by the tragedy. Many locals, disillusioned with broken government promises, are skeptical about the latest government assurances. “They have been making promises for 13 years, but I still have no home and job,” said one a woman in Spitak, a town that had been razed to the ground on December 7, 1988. Much of Spitak has been rebuilt ever since and work on several new buildings in the town center is underway. But in the nearby village of Jrashen 80 percent of houses still await reconstruction. Elsewhere in Lori, two newly built schools and an apartment building were officially inaugurated by premier Markarian on Friday. Most of the ongoing construction work is taking place in Gyumri where more than 400 families have received new apartments this year. But even there people say change is too slow in coming. “There have been some improvements in recent years, but the plight of people is really bad,” said one city resident. The shortfall of budget revenues in the second half of this year meant that seven apartment blocks in Gyumri, heavily damaged by the 1988 tremors, have not been repaired as was planned by the government program on the earthquake zone. Still, the city authorities believe that the program will be implemented on schedule. “I am sure that the president will keep his word,” Gyumri Mayor Vartan Ghukasian told RFE/RL. Ghukasian and many Gyumri residents say that huge unemployment is now the key problem facing the region whose industrial capacities were severely damaged by the earthquake measuring between six and seven points on Richter scale. Meanwhile, Armenia’s seismologists claim that they are now equipped and skilled enough to foresee an earthquake of such magnitude. “Today we are prepared for such an earthquake,” the chief of the National Seismic Protection Service, Sergei Balasanian, told a news conference on Thursday. Situated in a seismically active part of the world, Armenia has for centuries been rocked by powerful earthquakes. Balasanian said his service currently registers 10 to 15 underground tremors a day, twice less than in the 1990s. The fall in the number of tremors (they averaged one hundred in 1988 and the previous years) testifies to the potentially dangerous “accumulation of tectonic energy,” he said.

http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/aids_1_s.jpg AIDS in Armenia: Experts battle ignorance and apathy By Julia Hakobian ArmeniaWeek reporter Armenia, like much of the world, is struggling to contain the problem of AIDS infection at a time of deteriorating health services. "AIDS is a big concern for all of us," says Artak Mushegian, President of the Organization for AIDS Prevention and Education, a non-government body in Yerevan. "Especially now that this year, for the first time, three HIV infected children were registered in Armenia. One child has died. It is a cause of real alarm." The first person in Armenia to be infected with HIV was registered in 1988. By December this year, there were officially 169 cases, according to the Republican Center for AIDS Prevention Measures. Eighty per cent are between 20 and 40 years old, and 130 are men. So far, 29 have developed AIDS and 19 have died, four of them this year. According to analysts, the real number of infected people is 10 to 15 times greater. That would put the total in Armenia at 1,500-2,000 people. "Such differences are found everywhere in the world. HIV infected people sometimes do not suspect they have the disease, others are not happy to be registered as sick and try to avoid it," says Armine Halajian (pictured above), information assistant at the UN Department Of Public Information (UNDPI) in Yerevan. Those who inject drugs are most at risk of HIV infection, followed by two key groups - homosexuals and prostitutes. The biggest fear is that it could become a more general problem for the population at large. The Hope and Health non-government organization offers free medical consultation to prostitutes in Armenia. It also distributes condoms along with booklets and appropriate literature. In recent years UNDPI organized several information seminars for journalists and doctors. "We try to draw especially the attention of the mass media to the problem. I think results could be achieved through a strong information campaign," says Halajian. Most HIV or AIDS victims live in Yerevan. Many lived for some time in countries where AIDS has reached alarming proportions such as Russia and Ukraine. There have been government information campaigns in Armenia about the disease. TV advertisements presented by popular Armenian singers and actors urged young people to use condoms if they had sexual relations. Another video, in which an unidentified HIV-positive man tells how he is doomed, has also been shown. A new drive to heighten awareness is planned soon. "The national program of struggle against AIDS will be adopted soon," says Samuel Grigorian, director of the Republican Center. "Perhaps after that the struggle against AIDS will have a new impetus." The government-funded center provides AIDS tests and analysis, directing patients who are found to have the virus to seek treatment with Armenicum. The controversial drug was developed in Armenia and claimed to have beneficial effects on people with HIV and AIDS. The drug is controlled by a secretive company, also called Armenicum, which has an office and a hospital in Yerevan. Armenicum has not been subjected to international trials and its claimed effects have not been scientifically proven. "It is too early to make firm conclusions. Maybe Armenicum needs more development time to know what its effects are," says the UNDPI's Halajian. Nikolai Kolesnikov, a young Russian with HIV, was the first patient to receive the drug three years ago. He visits Armenia regularly for treatment and so far remains well. There are question marks too about the future of the Republican Center. After 12 years in existence, it is expected to merge its activities soon with the State Venereal Diseases Dispensary. The decision, which has to yet to be confirmed, could weaken Armenia's fight against AIDS by reducing its significance as an illness in the public mind. Conservative cultural traditions concerning relationships between men and women in Armenia are likely to act as a barrier to the spread of AIDS. But many thousands of men now working in Russia and Armenia risk importing the disease more widely when they return home. A lack of sexual education in schools, still taboo in Armenian society, could also encourage the spread of disease among young people. http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/aids_2_s.jpg On December 1 Armenia together with the rest of the world marked the World Day of Struggle against AIDS. Forty million are infected with HIV worldwide and nearly 25 million have died of AIDS-related illnesses. Some 25 to 30 young men and women wearing Red Cross bibs walked through Yerevan's main streets carrying placards reading: "I care, what about you?" They also visited several government ministries and presented officials with information on the extent of the AIDS problem in the republic. But most young people remained ignorant of the day's significance and of the wider issue. Eva Garibian, 16, says: "I think AIDS is a problem of drug-addicts and prostitutes. For those who lead a normal life there is nothing to be scared of." Others realize the problem is closer to home. One 22-year-old student at the Pedagogical Institute, who asked not to be named, tells how her former boyfriend became infected with HIV after injecting drugs while living in Russia. He is now dying of AIDS. She broke up the relationship before he became infected, but says: "I know what the consequences could have been for me, that is why I am at the march." Photo by Karen Minassian & Courtesy of UN Department of Public Information ©Copyright ArmeniaWeek Dec. 07, 2001. all rights reserved. WWW.ARMENIAWEEK.COM

http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/picoftheweek_l.jpg Workers lift a 77-foot cross from its pedestal in Republic Square where it has stood for a year to symbolize observance of the 1700th Anniversary of Christianity in Armenia. Praised by Church officials, the cross, which was placed where a statue of Lenin once stood, became an object of controversy among those who disapproved of its religious symbolism and those who thought it compromised Republic Square's aesthetic integrity. Photo By Vahram Mkhitarian ©Copyright ArmeniaWeek Dec. 07, 2001. all rights reserved. WWW.ARMENIAWEEK.COM

Armenian skiers qualify for Winter Olympics http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/sports_1_s.jpg Armenian skiers qualify for Winter Olympics By Michael Harutiunian ArmeniaWeek reporter Two Armenian skiers have qualified for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in the United States. Vanessa Rakedjian (pictured) and Arsen Harutiunian will represent Armenia in alpine skiing competitions at the Games which open in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 8. Alfred Vardanian, President of the Armenian Ski Federation, said the pair gained the necessary qualification points ahead of November's deadline to secure their places. Rakedjian, 25, will compete in the slalom and giant slalom disciplines. Harutiunian qualified only for the slalom. A third Armenian, Aram Hajian from Gyumri, still has a chance to qualify for the Cross-Country skiing event. Rakejian was born in Marseille, France, moving to the Alpine town of Briancon when she was 13. After showing promise on the slopes, she was admitted to a special summer school for high level skiers in Albertville. She took part in various European tournaments and finished the 1995 season among the top 80 youngsters in the world. But she suddenly chose to end her career after performing poorly at the World Junior Championships in Norway in 1995, despite being selected to join the French alpine ski team. After working for eight months in England as an au-pair, then studying for four years at university, she decided to resume skiing. Rakejian competed at regional level competitions in France and finished first senior at the Marseille regional championships. In 2000, she declared a wish to compete for Armenia, the land of Vanessa's origins on her father's side, at the 2002 Olympics. The Armenian Ski Federation took up her request and appealed to President Robert Kocharian to grant Rakelian citizenship. Under Armenia's Constitution dual nationality is barred. But the President makes exceptions for famous or talented Diasporans and he granted Armenian citizenship to Rakejian. Arsen Harutiunian, 33, is a veteran of many international competitions. Vardanian says federation chiefs regard him as the skier they "brought up" and trained themselves. "Arsen has already been the best among Armenian skiers for 10 years and even though he's nearly 34, he's in good shape and still the best in Armenia," Vardanian says. This will be Harutiunian's third Winter Olympics. He previously qualified for Lillehammer in 1994 and Nagano in 1998, where he finished 27th out of 68 competitors. He has also taken part in four skiing World Cups: He came 35th in Spain in 1996, 36th in Italy in 1997, was forced to drop out through injury at the US World Cup in 1999, returning in Austria earlier this year, where he finished 42nd. Vardanian says the development of winter sports in Armenia has been hampered by a lack of government support dating back to Soviet times. Equipment is expensive - a professional skier can easily spend $2,500-$3,000 on the basics- and 30 per cent of success in competitions depends on good quality kit. Finally, despite winter snows, Armenia lacks a proper training site. Skiiing facilities at Tsakhadzor (see below), 50km north of Yerevan, once used to train the Soviet national team, have fallen so badly into disrepair that they are now fit only for beginners. Armenia's professionals must instead go to countries such as Austria, Italy, and Switzerland to train with specialist coaches each winter. They receive financial help from the Solidarite organization, part of the International Olympic Committee. At the Nagano Games in 1998, there were seven Armenian competitors: Arsen Harutiunian (Alpine skiing); Alla Mikhayelian (Cross Country Skiing); Armen Rafaelian (Freestyle Skiing); Samvel Gezalian, Aleksander Chestnikh, Mariya Krastiltseva, and Xenia Smetanenko (Figure Skating). An Armenian woman, Victoria Movsessian, was also picked for the US ice hockey team which won the gold medal at the Games. http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/sports_2_s.jpg Tsakhkadzor Tsakhkadzor ("Valley of flowers") is a popular destination for regional tourists. Its sports facilities were built to provide the main training center for the Soviet Olympic Team ahead of the 1968 summer Games in Mexico City. The complex has two Olympic-sized swimming pools, four sports halls, restaurants, bars, cafes and a 738-room hotel compound. The key reason for choosing Tsakhadzor was altitude - it was approximately at the same height above sea level as the Mexican capital (2,240m) and allowed the Soviet sportsmen to acclimatize to the conditions they would face at the Games. Later, it was used by Soviet skiers in the winter to prepare for competitions. Currently, only about 10 per cent of Tsakhadzor's facilities are in use. Chess Armenia's Grandmasters were all eliminated before the fourth round of the World Chess Championships for men and women, which began in Moscow November 25. Both of Armenia's women players, Lilit Mkrtchian and Eline Danielian, got through the first round comfortably. Mkrtchian defeated Monika Socko from Poland (1-0, 1-0) and Danielian beat the Russian Tatiana Shumiakina (1-0, 1-0). Not all of Armenia's four male entrants could say the same. Karen Asrian lost a hard-fought match against Igor Khenkin from Germany, which went to six games (0.5, 0.5, tie-break, 0.5, 0.5, 0-1, 0.5). Ashot Anastasian defeated Alexei Fedorov from Belarus (1-0, 0.5), Smbat Lputian saw off Michal Krasenkow from Poland (1-0, 1-0) and Rafael Vaganian beat Slim Belkhojia from Tunisia (1-0, 0.5). The biggest sensation of the first round came with the exit of the 12th Chess World Champion Anatoly Karpov, defeated by the Chinese player Zhang Pengxiang (ranked 349th by FIDE). The second round became a graveyard for Armenian hopes, with only Ashot Anastasian making it through. He beat Peter Leko from Hungary in four games (0.5, 0.5, tie-break, 1-0, 0.5). Mkrtchian went out to Russia's Ekaterina Kovalevskaya (0.5, 0-1) and Danielian lost to China's Xu Yuhua (0-1, 0.5). Among the men, Vaganian was defeated after four games by Mikhail Gurevich representing Belgium (0.5, 0.5, tie-break, 0-1, 0.5) and Smbat Lputian lost to Loek Van Wely from the Netherlands (0-1, 0-1). Anastasian, the lowest ranked of all the Armenian entrants, did not last much longer, however. He went out in the third round to Predrag Nikolic from Bosnia-Herzegovina (0.5, 0-1). The last 16 men and eight women, from an original entry of 128 men and 64 women, are continuing to battle it out for their respective titles. The women's championship final will take place later this month and the men's January 16-26. Photo by Armenpress & Courtesy of Armenian Ski Federation ©Copyright ArmeniaWeek Dec. 07, 2001. all rights reserved. WWW.ARMENIAWEEK.COM

http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/hospital_1.jpg Celebrating Life: Yerevan Maternity Center is 70 years old By Gayane Abrahamian ArmeniaWeek reporter In a year of many anniversaries, from 10 years of independence to 1700 years of Christianity, one Armenian institution is quietly celebrating its own significant landmark. The Scientific and Research Center of Mother and Child Healthcare - more simply called the Yerevan Maternity Hospital - is 70 years old. Since 1931 about a quarter of a million Armenians have begun life within these walls. Around 1,700 children per year make their first cry under the arches of this building and new mothers find care and treatment. The maternity hospital, located on Mashtots Avenue, is the first institution in Armenia to offer treatment for a variety of women's diseases. Last year its work earned a "Children's Friend" award from the United Nations. None of the accolades or awards for 70 years of service could be more significant than the common work of helping life begin. And it is the uncommon work of miracle making by which patients such as Ella Hovhannisian remember the hospital. On September 7, 1999, Hovhannisian went into premature labor with an infant who had spent only 24 weeks developing and weighed only 650 grams at birth. http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/hospital_3_s.jpg The birth of this child was considered to be a late miscarriage. There was no hope that it was possible to save her," Hovhannisian, 38, recalls. "The only thing I remember was crying out all the time that they had to save my child. And I remember the noise of doctors running here and there." The life of baby Mary Hovhannisian (pictured right) was saved thanks to the dedication of doctors working day and night in conditions that included outdated equipment. "The doctors were not hopeful that my child would live," Hovhannisian says. "I asked Pavel Mazmanian, head of the Child Department to show me my child three days later. "She was a small creature, but her eyes were shining from her tiny fist-size head. She had so much life inside her that she infected me with that. Her eyes gave me hope. I realized that my child would live." During a three-month period of intensive therapy, the maternity hospital was home for Mary and Ella, as it is today to a 21-day old baby who weighs only 950 grams and for whom doctors hope to work the same miracle. Each year, on her birthday, Mary returns to the hospital with her mother to say thank you to those who helped her to live. In addition to pre- and post-natal care, the Center is also a training hospital. Since 1973, medical residents have received training in obstetrics, gynecology and pathologic anatomy. http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/hospital_2_s.jpg Further, the Center was the first institution in Armenia to devote research and treatment to infertility. According to Karen Arustamian, head of the non-surgical gynecology department and deputy chair of the Center, about 30,000 births have resulted from fertility treatment since 1979. Today the hospital has a staff of more than 100. Over the years its doctors have produced 919 published articles and theses and 113 methodology manuals. Photos by Vahram Mkhitarian & Courtesy of Ella Hovhannisian ©Copyright ArmeniaWeek Dec. 07, 2001. all rights reserved. WWW.ARMENIAWEEK.COM

Better by Design: Students learn to form the future http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/design_1_s.jpg By Ashot Gareginian ArmeniaWeek reporter Six students at Yerevan's Engineering University will launch a new discipline in Armenia when they graduate next summer. They will be the first to qualify with a degree in industrial design, making available to local businesses skills and ideas that are regarded as essential for success in a modern market economy. Gevorg Poghosian, Dean of the Department of Industrial Design, says: "We prepare specialists who can make connections between industry and their customers in the market. "Many people here believe that Armenia does not need this speciality at present. But we insisted on having it and I know that we are right." Liana Gevorkian, one of the final year students, is busy constructing a model of a personal computer as part of her design course. "I heard about this new department from acquaintances and I don't regret at all that I enrolled here," she says. Her classmate Tatevik Khachikian is also enthusiastic about being a pioneer of a new discipline, describing her course as "technical creation". Neither student knows yet where they will be working once they graduate. But they hope to secure employment with local Armenian enterprises. In a world where goods can be produced easily and cheaply, design can be the deciding factor in whether one product is more successful with consumers than rivals in the marketplace. It can be especially important for countries such as Armenia, which have few sources of raw materials and must rely on manufacturing for economic success. The students consider they are being well prepared by the department's staff. In particular, the course gives them an opportunity to study AutoCad, a modern engineering-design program. The industrial design department opened in 1998. There are a total of 50 students at present, enrolled on a four-year course for which tuition costs $250 annually. Administrators are seeking placement opportunities for their students to gain work experience during their studies. They received a list of potential partners after talks with officials at the Ministry of Industry and Trade last week. "It would be useful for businessmen themselves, because it is impossible to develop an economy without industrial design," says Poghosian. http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/design_2_s.jpg "People here generally associate design only with theatrical staging. But industrial design is no less important in other aspects of life. "In my opinion, it can help to avoid political shocks that spring up as a result of controversies between labour and capital." Many of the ideas of modern industrial design trace their roots to Germany in the early 20th Century through the theories of the "Werbund" and "Bauhaus". An exhibition of American design held in Moscow in 1962 provided a major impetus for the development of similar studies in the Soviet Union, then in its "thaw" years under Nikita Kruschev following the Stalinist tyranny. "I visited this exhibition," says Professor Robert Sahakian, one of the lecturers at the industrial design department, "and I remember what a shock we felt. "It turned out that cars could be painted in various colours, and that kitchen furniture could be organized in ways that allowed women to move around as comfortably as possible." Designer Kenjo Ekuan, President of the Japanese Designers Union, is an influence on the Armenian school. His portrait hangs in the department's main lecture hall. Ekuan once wrote: "The connection between human beings and things is inconceivable without the intermediate link - design, just as a connection between man and woman without love is precarious." With their work, designers produce not simply things but ways of living that didn't exist before. Hence their importance to the modern market economy. A new organization established by Poghosian, ArmConceptDesign, hopes to do more to educate the public about the importance of good industrial design in Armenia. Photos by Karen Minassian ©Copyright ArmeniaWeek Dec. 07, 2001. all rights reserved. WWW.ARMENIAWEEK.COM

http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/singer_1.jpg Mixed Music Message : By Laurence Ritter ArmeniaWeek reporter There may not be a category for Gor Mkhitarian's music, except to say that is a new sound for Armenia. The combination of jazz, folk, rock is featured on his solo debut cd, Yeraz, recorded in Armenia and released November 27. (Mkhitarian is better known in the company of his Vanadzor band, Lav Eli.) The CD is the result of a chance meeting between Mkhitarian and producer Raffi Meneshian. "When I first sung and played the guitar in front of Raffi, his first reaction was 'let's make a CD'," Mkhitarian says. "Then, the problem was to find a label. We recorded some samples of the songs, and, back in America, Raffi did his best to find a label." But the few labels Raffi visited to introduce Mkhitarian's music doubted whether there was room in the Armenian-American market for a record from the 28-year-old Vanadzor-born musician. The labels refused and Raffi started his own label, Pomegranate, to produce Mkhitarian's CD. "I did not want my songs, both those I have written and the arrangements of traditional Armenian songs, to be especially for an Armenian audience," Mkhitarian says. "However, here in Armenia, and in the Diaspora, I guess that there are not a lot of people ready for this music." Mkhitarian's music may remind some of Simon and Garfunkel, one of his influences, but it also has heavy references of the Dave Matthews Band in the United States, and, Mkhitarian's favorite, Led Zeppelin. And of course there is the Armenian influence of Rouben Hakverdian and Harout Bezjian. Mkhitarian sings in Armenian about universal feelings and thoughts on a variety of topics that include one song about homophobia. Mkhitarian has plans already for another CD with Lav Eli, and hopes to organize an international music festival for next summer in Yerevan. "The idea is to gather here some bands, musicians and singers from any kind of music, from classical to rock," he says. http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/singer_2.jpg "We already have the Jazz festival in Yerevan, which showed the world that there are possibilities for music development in this country - all kinds of music." A launch party for Mkhitarian's new disc is scheduled for December 10 in Yerevan. The CD can be purchased online at wwww.cdbaby.com. Photos by Arsineh Khachikian ©Copyright ArmeniaWeek Dec. 07, 2001. all rights reserved. WWW.ARMENIAWEEK.COM

http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/orchestra_1.jpg Classic Revival: Musicians find "blessing" amid ruin By Tony Halpin ArmeniaWeek reporter Amid the rubble and the ruined lives of Gyumri, the IsUz Hotel complex looks as if it belongs to a different world. That it exudes warmth and light in a city long used to neither is unusual enough. That it has become the hub for cultural revival is more remarkable still. The hotel is home - and benefactor - to a 65-voice choir, a 63-piece philharmonic, and a 30-strong National Instruments Orchestra. In addition, a music school provides tuition for 60 children - each is given an instrument to take home for practice - and employment for 16 teachers. The orchestra was established five months ago by conductor Sebouh Abcarian, a Cypriot-Armenian who moved to Gyumri earlier this year at the invitation of the hotel's owners, a mysterious trio of brothers from Lebanon. It is the first time the city has had an orchestra since the earthquake 13 years ago. For the musicians - each paid around $20 per month - the project is a lifeline for body and spirit. Abcarian, a former music teacher at the Melkonian Educational Institute in Nicosia, auditioned more than 250 singers and musicians. The choir was established nine months ago, followed by the orchestra. "Some of them played in orchestras before the earthquake and it has been very hard to survive here as a musician since then," Abcarian says. "I told them all 'I am going to choose from you and you will play and sing and earn money'. They were so glad, it was really a blessing for them." The orchestra and choir each practise three times a week at the hotel. They perform regularly in Gyumri and visit surrounding villages, where astonished inhabitants hear classical music for the first time in 13 years. "To see the reactions on their faces is incredible, they have not seen an orchestra performing for so long," says Abcarian. All of this costs about $3,000 a month. But the hotel's executive director, Boris Hakobian, gives little away about the brothers who have made it all possible. He refuses to give their names or explain what business they are involved in. The brothers - Harout, Shahe, and Nar Khatchadourian - visit regularly but don't want publicity, he says. They invested $3 million to open the IsUz hotel two years ago. It has 12 rooms, furnished to a high standard, and charges from $60 to $100 per night - a fortune to most inhabitants of Gyumri. Hakobian is cagey also about occupancy rates, saying only that the owners of the hotel were interested in helping the city "not in personal income". http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/orchestra_2.jpg The IsUz employs 75 people directly, in the hotel and associated pizza restaurant, flower shop, beauty salon, and art gallery. The music school - named Kohar after the brothers' mother - was opened at the same time and is also supported by the hotel. There are practice suites with pianos, a harp, and traditional Armenian instruments, as well as a small performance hall. Children audition for places at age seven and the most talented spend seven years there, receiving personal lessons from expert staff. Again, Hakobian is reluctant to discuss costs, but says: "When (composer) Aram Khatchatourian was studying, no one thought about costs - it became a profit to the nation. When one of our students becomes famous, we will feel that we have reached our goal." Back in the hotel, Abcarian is conducting the orchestra in rehearsals of Khatchatourian's Masquerade and Nocturne. The playing is lively, full of feeling, as if the musicians pour all of their worldly cares into their instruments. The choir is preparing for its first foreign tour early in 2002, performing in Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria. All 65 members will go, paid for by the Khatchadourian family. "They are very excited, it is the first time many of them have been out of Gyumri for years," says Abcarian. "When I came here there was a lot of sadness psychologically. But when they started singing, with humor and spirit, they began to smile again. Now they will represent that face of Gyumri to the world." Photos by Mkhitar Khachatrian ©Copyright ArmeniaWeek Dec. 07, 2001. all rights reserved. WWW.ARMENIAWEEK.COM

Young and Restless: Youth struggle with memories and the weight of time http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/youth_1_s.jpg By Lusine Zeytunian ArmeniaWeek reporter When untouchable darkness mixes with gray smoke of wood-burning stoves to cover these streets, the youth of Gyumri return to their homes. Some read, some help with housework. Others dive deep into thoughts about the indefinite future. It is a common manner of life for young people in Gyumri to plan their day so as not to face the empty streets after dark. Arkadi Gharagozian, a university student in his fourth year, says that after the earthquake the situation in Gyumri is bleak for young people because there is little they can do once lessons are over. Nevertheless, some have found ways out. Despite economic hardships, despite living in 13-year-old containers that were supposed to be temporary housing and despite the pain that each youngster carries in his heart after the earthquake, there is hope among Gyumri youth. "It's like we all, the youngsters of Gyumri, have this inner unspeakable motto," says Spartak Harutyunian, 20, "to struggle and rebuild our city, to return back what was destroyed." About 50 percent of Gyumri's university-aged youth are still in education. Many who are not either could not afford to attend university or have to work fulltime to support families. Unemployment is very high in the city, but some youths have found jobs in restaurants and bars. Nvard Khachatrian, 23, works at an ambulance station as an assistant, where she makes 3,000 Drams (about $6) per month. She is constantly in fear that she will soon be excluded from Gyumri's Art Academy, where she studies for a degree in theater arts, because of her debts. Tuition costs $350 per year. "The problem among young people is not the absence of money but the absence of the stimulus to do things," Khachatrian says. "I draw stimulus from doing as much as possible, exhausting myself, not finding a minute to think about the present difficulties." Khachatrian is the only girl among a 20-member group doing Aikido (Eastern martial arts). She visits the sport complex three times a week, paying 1,000 Drams (about $1.80) a month. Sport is a popular pastime among young people in Gyumri. Summer is the best season in the city. Winter always reminds them about the earthquake and the subsequent misery. "Winters kind of break us, make us unable to see the little beauty that still remains in Gyumri," says Armen Abisoghomian, a third year student at the academy. "So we all wait impatiently for the summer to come." But since November 17 a new pastime has become available for the young people in Gyumri. Disco "Garage" is open on weekends. Boys get in for 500 Drams (about 90 cents); admission for girls is free. They dance and enter contests for which the prizes are car parts. But even during happy moments, hearing suddenly loud music or feeling something shaking, the youngsters turn pale and look for the exit. "There are two layers of young people in Gyumri now," says psychiatrist Siranush Ghukasian. "The first type are those who get attention from their families, from people surrounding them. "The majority though are the second layer who don't get enough attention and constantly have thoughts and memories of the earthquake." And for that layer, the fear of earthquake is too deep in them to disappear even during moments of fun. Photo by Mkhitar Khachatrian ©Copyright ArmeniaWeek Dec. 07, 2001. all rights reserved. WWW.ARMENIAWEEK.COM

Domik Life: Too many years, too little change http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/domiks_1_s.jpg By Marianna Grigorian ArmeniaWeek reporter Hamaspiur Petrosian's face is shrunken into a ball of wrinkles from 75 years of hard living, including 13 in Armenia's "earthquake zone". Asked where she lives she makes a helpless gesture and says "at the devil's bosom". "Devil's bosom" is a round metal domik (Russian for "little house"), resembling an old and rusty carriage of a cargo train. In summer it is terribly stuffy, and in winter it holds the cold and the smell of rust. Like many around her, Hamaspiur's domik has lasted longer than intended. It was meant to be a temporary replacement for the home she lost on December 7, 1988. Today more than 14,000 families in Gyumri still live in places like Hamaspiur's. Life in Andar In the morning, when inside those domiks water in glasses is still frozen, the day of the Arakelian family, with two boys aged five and one, begins on a wooden bed under a few warm covers, coats and cloths. The Arakelians live in a block called Andar. The only amenity of the neighborhood is one telephone for 100 families. Siranush Arakelian, 24, carries water from an outside fountain in the cold Gyumri winter to prepare meals for her husband and children. Her husband,Hovik, has been selling fruit for about two years and makes just enough money to buy food and firewood every few days. With the water she hauls over an icy path, Siranush Arakelian begins her day cleaning the domik that can be measured by three paces square. The Arakelian household consists of an old black and white TV set that doesn't work, a table with broken legs, a bed, a few pails, metallic plates and a boiler, a stove and some scattered playing stones representing children's toys. Lingering fear, lost hope "I was 10 years old, but will never forget what I saw," says Hasmik Arakelian, looking at the icicles hanging on her domik. She is unrelated to the Arakelians of the Andar block and lives about a kilometer away. "In front of my eyes houses crashed down. That fear will be with me perhaps till the end of my life." The Arakelians have lived in their wooden domik since that time that is so burned into Hasmik Arakelian's memory. During these years the hope of having a new house disappeared, and nostalgia for their home ruined after the earthquake became more intense. In the common yard, 78-year-old Hasmik Martirosian has decided to prepare her tiny home for the approaching holidays. Her hands are red from doing laundry outside in the cold. Unrushed, Hasmik hangs dulled curtains on a line fastened between domiks. She is not surprised to see the curtains quickly freeze. Here nobody gets surprised at anything. The window frames of Varsik Sahakian's domik have rotted and fallen out. Years ago this family of four longed to have a new house. But today, the children have turned into adults and the prospects of a new house seem as distant as ever. In the town there is a district called Star Square, where young children peep through the big holes and gaps of Bagrat Karapetian's domik. The street is clearly seen through the holes from inside the domik and passersby can look in. http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/domiks_2_s.jpg The end of the road The domiks of Yerevan Highway are at the end of Gyumri. In this block, 65-year-old Kima Martirosian is known for her endless patience with the worst conditions and the coldest domik. Kima Martirosian has cataracts and doesn't see well but can't afford $30 for surgery. To open the door of her house she touches it with her hands and feels for the keyhole. Inside the domik black and white dogs begin to bark with one voice. The metal domik is cold and dull and two meters square. An oil-stove put in the corner has been abandoned for many years. During the earthquake Martirosian's house was ruined and nothing was left: neither bed, nor savings, nor warmth. Neighbors tell that most winter nights when Kima goes to bed in a coat, in the morning the coat is frozen and the buttons are icy. Kima's domik has had no electricity for many years. Her power was cut after she couldn't pay her bill. The pension she gets (typically people her age get $7 to $10 a month) is about enough to buy one loaf of bread and an egg per day. Recently she was given a certificate, as part of an aid program, equivalent to $1,964 for buying an apartment. People living in Gyumri say that if it is a success she can buy only an empty space, four walls that are far from being ready for occupancy. Kima, who needs help even to hold the certificate, doesn't know how to get a house and leave the cold, hard days of her domik. And nights when the temperature inside and out is the same. Photos by Mkhitar Khachatrian ©Copyright ArmeniaWeek Dec. 07, 2001. all rights reserved. WWW.ARMENIAWEEK.COM

Collateral Damage: Birth defects are consequence of post-earthquake stress http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/rehab_1_s.jpg By Nara Markossian ArmeniaWeek reporter "When I grow up I'm going to become a karate fighter," says 10-year-old Arthur Galstian, leaning firmly on special medical crutches with small hands, obstinately dragging unruly weak legs and narrowing his shining eyes. Moving step by slow step, every day Arthur and his mother, Voskehat Galstian, visit Kuperstock Rehabilitation Center in Gyumri, with hopes that Arthur's dream will come true. Arthur had not been born when earthquake destroyed Gyumri. Still he is a victim, a delayed effect, doctors say, of stress. "My older daughter was 12 years old and the younger one was nine," 43-year old Voskehat Galstian says, recalling December 7, 1988 through tears and a sense of blame. "They didn't want to go to school that day but I forced and persuaded them to go there. They went and the earthquake destroyed and razed the school and my life to the ground. My daughters' bodies were found three days later. "That's my fault. First I lost my daughters then I made my son's life miserable. Now I have nothing to satisfy his everyday needs." Doctors in Gyumri say the stress of life after the earthquake can be linked to birth defects like those that haunt Voskehat and hamper Arthur, who weighed only 1.2 kilograms when he was born prematurely. He has been in physical therapy since he was eight months old. http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/rehab_3_s.jpg Over the past year, doctors in Gyumri have treated 300 such cases as Arthur's. Nobody works in Arthur's family. His father became an invalid after the earthquake. Voskehat, too, was ill and had a mastectomy. The family lives in a small, run-down house without electricity (cut because they couldn't pay bills), without heating (fuel and wood are too expensive), without water (they carry water in buckets from the neighboring block). Still, Arthur (pictured right) is zealously learning math and Armenian and Russian languages at home. He doesn't go to school, because, despite the high number of disabled in Gyumri, kids like Arthur are not integrated into common society and frequently face ridicule and misunderstanding. Arthur categorically refuses to sit in a wheelchair and tries to do everything himself. He has learned to stand - for about a minute - without anybody's help. "He is very clever. People (mistakenly) think that if he can't walk then his brain can't function either," says the director of the rehabilitation center, Anahit Aghajanian. "There are a lot of children like Arthur in our center." Some of the children at the center are mentally disabled and suffer from paralysis. "We aren't capable of curing those children completely," Aghajanian says. "We are just improving their state of health by means of our treatment. They are chronically sick children." http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/rehab_2_s.jpg Sick children visit the center in turns during winter because the hospital can't afford heat. Doctors use a radiator to heat one room in which they conduct all their treatment. Each child needs individual attention and special equipment. Most such equipment at the center has been in use since the hospital opened 10 years ago and there is no hope of purchasing replacements. Government aid for cases such as Arthur's is 22,400 Drams (about $40) per month paid directly to the hospital, but doesn't include an allocation for doctors. The center's 35 doctors have not been paid since June, and were without salaries from March 2000 till March 2001. The rehabilitation center itself needs rehabilitating. Meanwhile it props itself up as a crutch to the hopes of a cripple child's dreams of karate. Photos by Mkhitar Khachatrian ©Copyright ArmeniaWeek Dec. 07, 2001. all rights reserved. WWW.ARMENIAWEEK.COM

Gyumri Today: A city still fighting for its future http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/gyumri_1_s.jpg By Suren Deherian ArmeniaWeek reporter Gyumri is as cold and frustrated as winter. A first-time visitor immediately notices a town like a big family that suffered difficulties and wounds that have scarred for 13 years. At 11.41 am on December 7th, 1988, only within a few seconds, more than 25,000 people died in an earthquake that reshaped the face of Gyumri and nearby Spitak. Gyumri had been the second largest industrial city in the country and home to 211,000 people. Now it is the Number One disaster zone with a population shrunken by death and a steady flow of emigration among the living. The disaster turned people's lives, from providers to survivors. The former city of art and craft has turned to a town of jobless people and migration; it has the highest rate of unemployment in Armenia. According to Felix Pirumian, Governor of Shirak Region, which includes Gyumri, the city's population now stands at 150,000. Ask the same question on the streets and people insist it is far less - the darkened apartment blocks at night, with just a handful of lights in each building, are offered as evidence. Official figures put unemployment at 45 per cent, or 30,000 people out of a working population of 65,000. Again, public opinion places it far higher. Many people in Gyumri earn their living by means of trade, as most of the industry in this once-prosperous city was destroyed in the quake. Much of what was left could not survive the economic collapse that followed independence in 1991. Gyumri's three textile factories, which once employed 35,000 people, have been closed since the quake. Pirumian says small-scale production of thread has resumed at one of the factories this year, providing work for 200. "We hope in the nearest future to double that and then double it again. The next step will be to reopen a textile factory - it's like a chain," he says. The city's glass factory - the only one in the republic - is also expected to begin operations again next year after being bought by a Gyumri-born Armenian now living in Russia. These are sparks of hope in an otherwise desolate industrial landscape. But many desperate people, no longer able to wait for better times, choose to move to the capital Yerevan or leave Armenia completely for Russia and other countries. Gyumri's statistical service states that emigration has exceeded 20,000 in the past 13 years. But officials accept that this is a gross under-estimate since many people leave without notifying the authorities. Pirumian, appointed governor by President Robert Kocharian two years ago, insists the situation is improving. He says 3,000 jobs have been created in the city in the past year, half of them in construction programs. "Emigration is something that has always been and will always be. People leave who have more opportunities elsewhere and the city does not satisfy them," Pirumian says. "Our problem is clear, we need to provide more work places for the people here. When the President says 40,000 jobs have been created in the country, I know 3,000 of them are here." http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/gyumri_4.jpg Learning to Survive People in Gyumri regard education as their route to a better future and attach great importance to it. In the last three years, 12 schools have been built and another five are in the process of construction. All are expected to be ready in time for the new school year in September 2002. The schools are being constructed at the expense of the Pan-Armenian Foundation, international donor organizations and individual benefactors. Gyumri now has 44 functioning schools providing a general education - 16 of them are housed in domiks. There are also five colleges and four boarding schools for children suffering from mental disturbances. Both domiks and permanent school buildings must rely on diesel stoves to heat classrooms in the winter. Each classroom is provided with two liters of fuel per day - many children choose to wear coats throughout the lessons to stay warm. Education is particularly difficult in domiks, which are cramped and lack basic facilities. The air becomes fetid with the crush of bodies, making it hard for children to concentrate. Despite such problems, domik schools have continued to produce graduates throughout the past ten years. The level of education is rather high. Pupils from Gyumri have achieved the best scores for two years running in math and spelling olympiads held throughout the republic. There are 26,300 pupils in Gyumri's schools now, about 1,500 fewer than last year. Administrators blame the decline on the effects of migration. There is a strong tradition of going on to university - many of Gyumri's teenagers must leave the city for Yerevan, however, to pursue their studies. Life and Death The people of Gyumri responded with life to the mass killing of the earthquake. The highest birth rate in the city was recorded in 1991, when about 5,000 children were born. The desire to restore what was lost in flesh and blood was so strong that officials at the health department even claim to have recorded births to women who were in their late 50s. In 2001, unlike in previous years, the population's growth rate was negative, with more deaths than births. Year Births Deaths Natural Growth 2001 1182 1190 -8 2000 1651 1404 247 1996 2323 1617 706 Officials said 16 children were born dead and 12 died before the age of one, pushing the population into decline. Department head Robert Khachatrian says women don't eat normally and are deprived of the necessary warmth and social conditions for healthy pregnancies. Their immune systems are extremely weak and provide little protection against infections. Many pregnant women also avoid visiting doctors as they can't afford to pay for medical services. Gyumri's 28 medical centers - 10 of them are located in domiks - all charge for their services. Many of the hospitals are virtually empty of patients as a result, despite the obvious and widespread need for medical attention. http://www.armeniaweek.com/current/photos/gyumri_2.jpg "Having no money, patients seek medical help only in extreme cases. It puts staff in a difficult position," says Khachatrian. Photos by Mkhitar Khachatrian ©Copyright ArmeniaWeek Dec. 07, 2001. all rights reserved. WWW.ARMENIAWEEK.COM is published by the FOURTH MILLENNIUM SOCIETY, publishers of ARMENIAN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE. Articles may not be published without prior consent.