MJ

quote:Originally posted by BTac: MJ, you are right about some who have left and still play under Armenia's flag. But there are quite a few others who have left and don't play under Armenia's flag (most notably Sergei Movsesian of the Czech republic and others). Actually I never thought of this, but why do some maintain their Armenian citizenship and others don't? Maybe it depends on the respective countries they are in if they can keep their citizenship. I also agree that it is better for them to enhance their talents elsewhere as opposed to just staying in Armenia and not progressing. But obviously it would be ideal if they could do so in Armenia. Their presence in Armenia would help on the long run in terms of them acting as coaches/mentors for the younger players and promoting the sport. BTac, Sergey Movsesyan is not a first class player. If I remember correctly, he is more of a theoretician and a coach, then player. I might confuse him with somebody else, however. Maybe Berj could correct me. As to staying in Armenia and being able to progress, wouldn't it be great?

In 1998, in a professional conference in Chicago, in which I was a participant, a Chicago prominent billionaire, Sam Zell, was invited to speak as a member of the panel of the conference. He told as the following story: After becoming multimillionaire, a friend of his has become very curious about the Meaning of Life. So he has started his search of a guru, who could help him to find the answer to the Big Question. After months of search, he has managed to find a guru in the mountains of China. So he has made the decision to go and climb the mountain (that has been a precondition for being seen by the guru) to have the opportunity to ask the question. Eventually, after several days of climbing (he has not been a young man), this person has reached the residence of the guru on the top of the mountain. He has introduced himself to the guru, and has told him that he is a very secure person (materially), but couldn’t get rest without finding the answer to the Big Question. And he has asked the guru, “What is the Meaning of Life?” The guru had replied, “The Life is a Fountain.” This has made the guy furious, and he has replied to the guru, “What, I have come all the way from Chicago, have climbed the mountain for several days to see you, and you tell me the Life is a Fountain?” To this the guru has replied, “Do you mean it is not?” [ April 03, 2001: Message edited by: MJ ]

I think there is no problem with leaving. After all, if the conditions in Armenia don't allow people to do what they are supposed to do, for instance, chess players work on improving their qualifications, what good is it for Armenia to have them burry themselves (read their talent) in Armenia. If they would live elsewhere, per se, but play under Armenia's flag, what's the problem? It is a common practice in International Sports, I think. [ April 03, 2001: Message edited by: MJ ]

Son: "Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?" Father: "I don't know, son, I'm still paying for it."

FEMALE HORMONES IN BEER Yesterday, scientists for Health Canada suggested that men should take a look at their beer consumption, considering the results of a recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in beer. The theory is that drinking beer makes men turn into women. To test the finding, 100 men were fed 6 pints of beer each. It was then observed that 100% of the men gained weight, talked excessively without making sense, became overly emotional, couldn't drive, failed to think rationally, argued over nothing and refused to apologize when wrong. No further testing is planned.

FUN LOVING INSULTS Yo Mama So Fat.... ...she fell in love and she broke it ...she jumped on a scale and it said "to be continued" ...she jumped on a scale and it said "one at a time please" ...she jumped on a dollar and got four quarters ...she's got her own area code ...her measurements are 36-24-36, and her other arm is just as big Yo Mama's so old... ...she was in Jesus's yearbook ...when God said let there be light, she flipped the switch ...her driver's license number is one Yo Family's So Poor... ...your house has a kickstand ...you have to go home and take off your clothes so your father has pants to go to work Yo House is so Nasty... ...the roaches wear shoes ...you wipe your feet before going out Yo Pop's So Stupid... ...he thought a quarterback is a refund ...I gave a penny for his thoughts and got change back

Artsax Settlement - Germany's Version Transcaspian Project 2 April 2001 By Albert Freedman YEREVAN, The geopolitical intrigue around the Nagorno-Artsax settling, which in many respects predetermines the development throughout the Transcaucasian region, is reaching a decisive stage. The majority of experts believe, that it is at this spot of the post-Soviet area that all the powerful global forces, including those of the European Union, come into most intensive collision with each other. The position of the European "heavyweight" - Germany - expressed at the semi-official level by the former German Defense Minister, Volker Ruehe, proves to be rather typical in this connection. He considers, in particular, that the whole Western world should force Russia to denounce the policy of manipulating its former South-Caucasian satellites. Moreover, the former German minister thinks that Europe should put an end to extremely destructive tendency of establishing confronting axes in the region, constituted by the geopolitical alliances of Russia - Armenia - Iran (the North - South axis) and Central Asia - Azerbaijan - Turkey - Ukraine (the East - West axis). Which is significant, the German politician believes that Yerevan is currently playing an important role in ruining this antagonistic system by carrying out complementary and balanced foreign policy, promoting geopolitical tolerance in the region. In this light, Germany should make Turkey soften its antagonistic policy towards Armenia, Ruehe regards. At the same time, official Berlin should assure Teheran that the West is not interested in infringement of its positions in the South Caucasian region, the former head of the German defense department considers. The only thing to do with the current complicated political and economical situation in the three Transcaucasian countries is to establish Transcaucasian international economic zone and develop efficient mechanisms of regional cooperation, the former German Defense Minister considers. The Transcaucasian economic zone would become a separate unit of all-European economical space, which, in turn, should be closely integrated into the European union market, Ruehe believes. At the same time the German politician underlines, that the Transcaucasian counties are unlikely to be admitted as full members of the European Union or NATO. The structure of the "European family" should be heterogeneous, but preciously limited.

Alarming signals from US on Armenian allegations TURKISH Daily News 02 April, 2001 American Armenians claim that President Bush is preparing to refer to 1915 events as `genocide' in his speech on April 24 Ankara - Turkish Daily News As April 24th approaches, the date the Armenians claim the so-called genocide started, there are alarming signals from the U.S. on the possibility of the recognition of the allegations. The Armenian lobby in the U.S. claimed that U.S. President George W. Bush has been preparing to refer to 1915 events as "genocide" in his speech on April 24. Bush, during his presidential campaign, pledged that he would do his best for the Armenian genocide to be recognized. American presidents usually make statements on April 24, but fall short to call the events as genocide. In a statement by the Armenian National Committee in the U.S., it was stated that Bush had reiterated his promise to the Armenian community during his visit to Chicago. Local leaders Hagop Soulakian and Sevan Loughran claimed that U.S. President Bush said: "Armenia is a great nation. I had promised you before the elections and now I am going to keep that promise," the Anatolia news agency reported. The Armenian lobby in the U.S. had previously announced that their number one priority in the short-run was to add the word genocide to U.S. President Bush speech on April 24. One of the directors of the Armenian National Committee Rita Sarraphian, said they were very happy about Bush's latest statement and added that all American Armenians were expecting Bush to keep his promise. While the Armenian community has been waiting for Bush to fulfill what he previously said, they have harshly criticized Secretary of State Colin Powell who wrote to states not to support Armenian claims. Harut Sassounian, one of the leaders of American Armenian community, stated that they were shocked over Powell's letter to Maryland lawmakers. Stressing that Powell's approach was unacceptable, Sassounian said Powell's stance was contradicting with the Bush approach.

Bush makes peace talks in Caucasus a priority U.S. seeks to limit Russia, aid oil firms The Baltimore Sun, By Jay Han**** Sun National Staff Originally published April 2, 2001 WASHINGTON - While crisis swirls in the Middle East and the Balkans, the Bush administration's first intensive diplomatic negotiations will be devoted to bringing peace to a troubled land in the Caucasus, countering Russian influence in a critical part of Asia - and helping the administration's friends in the oil industry. Tomorrow, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell will be in Key West, Fla., to begin five days of talks aimed at settling a dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Sponsored by the United States, France and Russia, the Key West conference will seek to resolve the status of Nagorno-Artsax, a tiny mountain enclave that is historically part of Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenian rebels. After he opens the talks, Powell is scheduled to leave, and negotiators from the sponsor countries will try to strike an accord between Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharian. Caucasus analysts see strategic and humanitarian reasons for Washington to push for a settlement on Nagorno-Artsax, which Kocharian recognizes as an independent state and which Aliyev wants to bring back under Azerbaijan's control. A deal could allow more than half a million Azerbaijani refugees to return to their homes and could thwart Moscow's ability to exploit Azerbaijan-Armenian friction to further its own interests and control Western access to Caspian petroleum. At the same time, a peace agreement would benefit the U.S. oil industry, which has strong ties to the Bush administration, has heavily invested in the region and stands to lose in heightened Armenian-Azerbaijan tensions. Among other projects, U.S. companies are interested in building and using a $2.7 billion pipeline that would pass to the north of Nagorno-Artsax and would connect Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, with the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. The pipeline would be a crucial distribution channel for American and other producers drilling in the Caspian off Baku, about 150 miles east of Nagorno-Artsax. "At first, the United States was not as much involved" in the region, "but of course, Baku has the oil, and many major U.S. companies have signed major, lucrative agreements," said George Bournoutian, a Caucasus specialist at Iona College in New York. "We need to keep that oil flowing. Without a peaceful solution there, that oil will not flow." The administration's sponsorship of the Nagorno-Artsax talks, which U.S. officials said was kindled by a Feb. 1 phone conversation between Bush and French President Jacques Chirac, occurs as Washington is stepping back from diplomatic involvement in other bloody ethnic disputes, such as those in the Balkans and the Middle East. Several senior administration foreign policy officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, until recently worked for companies with major interests in Azerbaijan and significant stakes in the success of the proposed pipeline. The pipeline is considered crucial for Western interests because it would offer the only export avenue for Caspian oil that wouldn't go through Russia or Iran - countries not known for their cooperation with Western capitals. The Caspian region is estimated to contain a 10th of the world's oil reserves, five times as much as those found in the United States. Washington's stepped-up involvement in Nagorno-Artsax follows what many considered to be eight years of relative neglect under President Bill Clinton. Ariel Cohen, a Russia and Caucasus specialist at the Heritage Foundation, called the Bush administration's engagement on Nagorno-Artsax a result of "the nexus between oil politics and geopolitics." Until last year, Cheney was chief executive of Halliburton Co., an oil services company with extensive operations in Azerbaijan that was named a finalist in January to bid on engineering work on the Turkish portion of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. Rice stepped down Jan. 15 from the board of directors of Chevron Corp. Chevron, which named a tanker after her, owns a large stake in an Azerbaijan offshore oilfield and announced Feb. 9 that it was interested in helping build the pipeline. It was unclear whether Cheney was directly involved in the administration's backing of the Key West talks, which were announced March 20. But Rice had a central role, at one point talking with Russia's national security adviser on the subject, U.S. officials said. Bush's administration and family have many other links to U.S. oil interests in the Caspian. Bush family adviser James A. Baker III sits on the U.S.-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce's advisory council, which until recently also included Cheney. Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state under Powell, is a former co-chairman of the chamber. Baker's ties to Caucasus oil drilling are thick, as are those of other officials who served in President Bush's father's administration from 1989 to 1993. Baker, who was secretary of state in the former administration and who spearheaded President Bush's victory in the Florida election dispute last year, heads a U.S. law firm with five lawyers based in Baku. The firm, Baker Botts, represents a consortium of corporations exploring and drilling in Azerbaijan, including Exxon-Mobil, Pennzoil, British Petroleum and Unocal. Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser in the former Bush administration and Rice's mentor, sits on Pennzoil's board. President Bush, who has strong ties to the Texas oil industry, has promoted the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline in ways that go beyond his backing of the Nagorno-Artsax talks. Last month, he wrote the president of Kazakhstan, another Caspian oil-producing nation, urging him to support the project, Kazakh officials said. Through spokespeople, Rice, Armitage and Cheney declined to comment last week on their roles in developing Caucasus policy. Scowcroft did not return phone calls. Baker was unavailable for comment. An administration official denied that oil-industry interests are driving U.S. foreign policy in the Caucasus. Aliyev and Kocharian have met about 15 times since 1999 to discuss Nagorno-Artsax and have reached a point where intensive talks might be productive, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "This is based on the progress that the presidents themselves have made," said the official. The problem being addressed in Key West this week traces its roots to Josef Stalin, who as Soviet leader divided and ruled the Armenians by placing a large portion of them inside the borders of Azerbaijan. When the Soviet Union was collapsing in 1988, ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Artsax revolted, declared independence and beat back the Azerbaijani army. More than half a million ethnic Azerbaijanis were made homeless and more than 30,000 on both sides died in the fighting, which lasted until 1994. Despite a cease-fire since then, regional specialists say that hostilities could easily break out again and put oil projects in jeopardy. While the proposed Baku-Ceyhan pipeline wouldn't go through Nagorno-Artsax or Armenia, "it would be close - close enough that it could be a target of terrorism" by Armenians seeking to disrupt Azerbaijan's oil earnings, said Rob Sobhani, an adjunct professor of foreign policy at Georgetown University and president of Caspian Energy Consultants, which serves oil-industry clients in the Caucasus. To avoid the troubled Armenian-Azerbaijan border, plans call for the pipeline to run through Tbilisi, Georgia, to the north of Nagorno-Artsax. Recent meetings in Paris between Aliyev and Kocharian have generated enough movement "to bring them together in the United States, not simply for a day or part of a day, which is what their typical meetings have been, but several days, to try to move this forward," Carey Cavanaugh, U.S. negotiator on Nagorno-Artsax, said in an interview. "I think it's clear to both presidents that peace is essential for their countries to develop the way they want them to." Aliyev, elderly and frail, is said to want a more stable situation for his successor. Kocharian seeks Western investment that has been scarce with the threat of new hostilities. Any deal is expected to give relative autonomy to ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Artsax while reaffirming the region's status as part of Azerbaijan. "I believe both sides are ripe for an agreement," said Heritage's Cohen. "Both sides are losing too much by not having an agreement. And both sides understand that, by postponing a settlement, they lose out in the game of economic prosperity and globalization that they desperately need." Copyright © 2001, The Baltimore Sun

Outstanding, Ara!

Power Politics in the Caspian http://ksgnotes1.harvard.edu/BCSIA/SDI.nsf/web/Caspian by Emily Van Buskirk Kennedy School Update What are the major U.S. and Russian interests in the Caspian Region? Security experts, scholars, and current and former U.S. and Russian officials discussed the answer at a conference sponsored by the Caspian Studies Program in October. As American officials at the conference noted, the U.S. wants to promote the sovereignty, independence, security, and economic development of the newly independent nations in the region. Additionally, American policy is attempting to contain trafficking in drugs and weapons and to deny Iran strategic gains in the region, due to its support for world terrorism and its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. According to U.S. officials, these interests are not meant to threaten or alienate Russia. However, the U.S. and Russia have developed a rivalry in the Caspian Region during the past ten years that some conference participants even called a "mini Cold War." Why is this? One reason is the competition over energy resources and pipeline routes, heightened by the fact that pipelines are thought to have geopolitical significance. Those involved in the Caspian include the five Caspian abutters (Russia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan), plus the United States, Georgia, Turkey, China, Armenia, and others. Despite their avowed efforts toward cooperation, Russia and the U.S. have tried to win over allies in the region (and the states have attempted to pull allies in) and have sometimes exacerbated conflict in the volatile area. The competition in the Caspian makes for strange bedfellows. Two of the competing lines of cooperation are Moscow-Yerevan-Tehran and Washington-Baku-Ankara. The conference participants stated that the main reason for the increasing sense of competition in the region was miscommunication. Russia perceives U.S. efforts to increase its own gains in the region as impinging on Russian security, and U.S. efforts geared at Iran are often erroneously interpreted as moves against Russia. Washington's promotion of an export route from Baku through Tbilisi to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, for example, is perceived by Russia as an attempt to diminish its influence in the region. Russia, however, has a greater ability and higher commitment to pursue its interests in the region because of its close geographic location, strong economic ties with the former Soviet states, and its military and security stake in the region. Conference participants noted that the U.S. should be aware of Russia's concerns and interests. The participants recommended heightened communication and dialogue on the Caspian between Moscow and Washington in order to prevent further misinterpretations.

Powell to show mediating skill on Nagorno-Artsax By Elaine Monaghan WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - Exploiting what one U.S. official called a rare window of opportunity, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has turned to a remote mountain conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan to show off his mediating skills. Facing accusations of a new American isolationism, Powell hopes to show the United States at work with Russia and France as co-chair of talks when he flies into Florida Tuesday to launch a fresh bid for a peace deal over disputed Nagorno-Artsax. The United States sees grounds for optimism that it can bring an end to the first major ethnic dispute to erupt in the waning days of the Soviet Union, bringing stability to a region where Russia, Turkey and Iran also have interests. It is also a region from which Washington would like to export Azeri oil. "It is not a region that anyone would welcome renewed fighting in," one senior State Department official said on condition of anonymity, of a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan but partly occupied by Armenian forces. If Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Azeri President Haydar Aliyev make progress at the talks, which are expected to run up to six days, it would be a feather in Powell's cap. "The United States recognizes how rare sometimes these windows of opportunity can be," the official said. He said Bush had already discussed the issue with French President Jacques Chirac, who mediated two meetings between Kocharyan and Aliyev this year which failed to end the 13-year conflict that killed 35,000 people before a 1994 cease-fire. Azerbaijan wants Nagorno-Artsax back in its control, though it is offering the mainly ethnic Armenian region broad autonomy. Armenia wants independence for the region. "With this format that is taking place in Key West, we are highlighting both the intent to advance a resolution of this problem and the cooperation toward that end by the United States, Russia and France together," the official said. This could help the U.S. image as Europe slams Bush for withdrawing support for a 1997 treaty on global warming. Russia has close ties with Armenia and has been accused by Azerbaijan of giving military aid to its rival. Iran would prefer not to see a U.S. foothold established in the region, where about 200 people are killed each year despite the truce, mainly due to snipers and land mines, the official said. Russian, U.S. and French diplomats will participate in the talks whose first day Powell will attend and which for the first time will bring the two sides together for intense talks over several days with mediation of the three co-chairs. Some experts fear tensions in U.S.-Russian relations may complicate the talks, with Washington and Moscow ordering reciprocal expulsions of 50 diplomats accused of spying. LOW-LYING FRUIT? Diplomats and experts do not expect a deal to be signed at Key West, the southernmost island of the Florida Keys whose most famous resident was writer Ernest Hemingway. But some see the talks as ripe for progress, making them attractive to the U.S. administration in its early weeks. Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh, who has also led U.S. efforts to resolve conflicts in Georgia and Moldova, will lead the talks for the United States once Powell leaves. He also led the effort on Nagorno-Artsax for the Clinton administration. "It's low-lying fruit," said Fiona Hill of the Brookings Institution who compared Nagorno-Artsax to the West Bank. But she warned against excessive optimism, recalling former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott had only just left Armenia when gunmen wrecked peace hopes in 1999 by shooting dead the prime minister and seven other people. No new proposals are on the table but one could come out of the talks, brought about by contacts through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) of which the three co-chairs are members, the U.S. official said. Azerbaijan has rejected three OSCE proposals and demanded new ones. Aliyev's impatience has been reflected in a number of bellicose statements in which he threatened to use military means to restore Baku's control of the territory. 14:42 04-01-01

Damn... Does it have something to do with the one hour time shift today?

I just watched Agassi win in a straight match the championship of the Ericsson Tournament in Miami againsy Gambill. His game was flawless. Let's cross our fingers for the French Open.

Check http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/J...rd/gulbinst.htm for Calouste Gulbenkian Lisboa Orchestra. It will help you to find the necessary information, I think.

Movses, Beware of Garnie-Geghard. Don’t give such impression to anybody. Let me tell you a joke, which is a variation of the one that Berj has told us once. During the WWII, two Armenian POWs are being taken into the woods by a German solder, who is supposed to execute them. So they start the Armenian BS with the solder: "The war is coming to end. You are going back home. What do you get out of killing us? Let us go. In a while, you can visit us in Armenia. We'll take you Garnie-Geghard, then will have BBQ (read "khorovats"), we'll enjoy life, and will tell each other the memories of war." The German soldier thinks a bit, and agrees, and let's them go. One of the Armenian guys asks him if he can see his machinegun for a moment. The German guy gives him the gun. The Armenian guy immediately kills him. The other Armenian guy says: " Hey, this guy was so nice to us. He let us go. Why did you kill him?" The other replies: "You see, the war is about to be over. We haven't seen our families for years. We'll go home, would need to spend time with our families, and the neighbors telling them our war-time memories, etc. When would we find time for his Garnie-Geghard, and the BBQ?" So, Movses, I advise you to restrain your appetite with Garnie-Geghard...

GOOD ANSWER! Man: Haven't I seen you someplace before? Woman: Yes, that's why I don't go there anymore. Man: Is this seat empty? Woman: Yes, and this one will be if you sit down. Man: Your place or mine? Woman: Both. You go to yours, and I'll go to mine. Man: So, what do you do for a living? Woman: I'm a female impersonator. Man: Hey baby, what's your sign? Woman: Do not enter. Man: Your body is like a temple. Woman: Sorry, there are no services today. Man: I would go to the end of the world for you. Woman: But would you stay there? Man: If I could see you naked, I'd die happy. Woman: If I saw you naked, I'd probably die laughing. --Submitted Vanessa Cosgrove, New Mexico

HOLDING YO' BREATHE A deep-sea diver is twenty feet below sea level when he sees another guy with no scuba gear. He goes down another thirty feet, and the guy with no equipment stays with him. He takes out a waterproof chalkboard and writes, "How can you stay down this deep without equipment?" The guy takes the chalkboard and writes, "I'm drowning." --Submitted by Gary Lee

THE LINEUP A young man excitedly tells his mother he's fallen in love and going to get married. He says, "Just for fun, Ma, I'm going to bring over 3 women and you try and guess which one I'm going to marry." The mother agrees. The next day, he brings three beautiful women into the house and sits them down on the couch and they chat for a while. He then says, "Okay, Ma, guess which one I'm going to marry." She immediately replies, "The one in the middle." "That's amazing, Ma. You're right. How did you know?" "I don't like her."

quote:Originally posted by Sulamita: Single for a week? I think not Your skepticism is so penetrating...

quote:Originally posted by edg: MJ jan, I think that you should take vacation as well. Go to a sunny place with lots of girls in bikinis. How about a little beach in my house?

quote:Originally posted by MosJan: Martin jan Atlist for 7days stey a-way forme HyeForum It's such a tempting place, hah?

In the next 7 days, my wife an children will be having vacation on the Golf coast. What do you think should I do?

It appears that the news about Slobo's arrest might've been exaggerated.

Actually, in some countries it is really real.