Armenian News
NOAH'S ARK MAKES WAVES; DOUBTS ARE RAISED OVER A CLAIM
THAT THE BIBLICAL SHIP HAS BEEN FOUND IN TURKEY
by Chris Taylor
South China Morning Post
May 10, 2010 Monday
Hong Kong
News that a Christian group based in Hong Kong may have discovered
the biblical Noah's Ark in Turkey is making headlines around the world.
The announcement has also prompted Turkey's Ministry of Culture and
Tourism to investigate how parts of the alleged find ended up in
Hong Kong.
Explorers from Noah's Ark Ministries International said they had found
wood and compartments that could have housed animals that were believed
to have been saved from the global flood narrated in the Bible.
They said they were "99.9 per cent sure" that they had finally located
the legendary boat, about 4,200 metres up Mount Ararat in eastern
Turkey. The evangelist group said carbon dating had proved wood from
the site was 4,800 years old.
The group also raised eyebrows when it made the same announcement
in 2008.
One of the sceptics, archaeologist Peter Kuniholm, said of the latest
finding: "There's not enough H2O in the world to get an ark that high
up a mountain."
More damaging still, an e-mail by evangelist and Ark researcher Dr
Randall Price was leaked to the PaleoBabble website, in which he
describes the discovery as a hoax.
Price says he was the archaeologist in the 2008 trip, a claim that
one of the expedition members, Yeung Wing-cheung, has confirmed to
Young Post.
Price's e-mail details how the expedition's Turkish guide had beams
of wood moved from "the Black Sea area" - where he says the original
2008 ark pictures were taken - up the mountain and put in a cave.
He says in the e-mail: "I and my partners invested US$100,000 in this
expedition ... which they have retained, despite their promise and
our requests to return it, since it was not used for the expedition."
Price elaborated on his leaked e-mail last Tuesday on the World of
the Bible Ministries website. He said: "In Dogubabyazit, the village
at the foot of Mount Ararat, where Parasut, the Chinese guide, is
well known, the locals know that the true story that the structure
in the cave is a grand hoax."
He quoted from an alleged e-mail from one of the villagers, saying
Parasut had been putting "wood in the cave ... for money" for three
years.
Yeung denied the claim, pointing out that road access on Ararat only
went up to 2,000 metres and it was "physically impossible to carry
such a large structure" up 4,200 metres.
"Everyone who has ever climbed Mount Ararat would know the terrain
above 3,800 metres is so rugged that you cannot carry anything more
than a backpack," the group said on its website.
Yeung also defended the team's use of the US$100,000 "investment",
saying part of the money had gone to local mountaineers who filmed
video to prove to Price that the 2008 expedition could be not be
undertaken due to bad weather.
Meanwhile, scientists who were not involved in either expedition were
sceptical for other reasons.
Paul Zimansky, an archaeologist at Stony Brook University in New
York State, said that he would want to see evidence of a particularly
catastrophic flood in Turkey 4,800 years ago. "We know what was going
on with Turkey archaeologically at that time, and there was no major
interruption in the culture," he said.
Other scholars doubted whether Noah's Ark - if it was not merely a
biblical myth - actually came to rest on Mount Ararat.
"The whole notion is odd, because the Bible tells you the ark landed
somewhere in Urartu," biblical scholar Jack Sasson said, referring
to an ancient kingdom in the Armenian highlands. "It's only later
that people identified Mount Ararat with Urartu."
Ark hunter Bob Cornuke, of the Bible Archaeology, Search and
Exploration Institute, said the ark landed in the Alborz mountains,
in what is now northern Iran.
Not that any of this is likely to deter future expeditions and
"discoveries", which have been taking place since the early 1820s,
as Zimansky said ironically in an interview with National Geographic:
"I don't know of any expedition that ever went looking for the ark
and didn't find it."
by Chris Taylor
South China Morning Post
May 10, 2010 Monday
Hong Kong
News that a Christian group based in Hong Kong may have discovered
the biblical Noah's Ark in Turkey is making headlines around the world.
The announcement has also prompted Turkey's Ministry of Culture and
Tourism to investigate how parts of the alleged find ended up in
Hong Kong.
Explorers from Noah's Ark Ministries International said they had found
wood and compartments that could have housed animals that were believed
to have been saved from the global flood narrated in the Bible.
They said they were "99.9 per cent sure" that they had finally located
the legendary boat, about 4,200 metres up Mount Ararat in eastern
Turkey. The evangelist group said carbon dating had proved wood from
the site was 4,800 years old.
The group also raised eyebrows when it made the same announcement
in 2008.
One of the sceptics, archaeologist Peter Kuniholm, said of the latest
finding: "There's not enough H2O in the world to get an ark that high
up a mountain."
More damaging still, an e-mail by evangelist and Ark researcher Dr
Randall Price was leaked to the PaleoBabble website, in which he
describes the discovery as a hoax.
Price says he was the archaeologist in the 2008 trip, a claim that
one of the expedition members, Yeung Wing-cheung, has confirmed to
Young Post.
Price's e-mail details how the expedition's Turkish guide had beams
of wood moved from "the Black Sea area" - where he says the original
2008 ark pictures were taken - up the mountain and put in a cave.
He says in the e-mail: "I and my partners invested US$100,000 in this
expedition ... which they have retained, despite their promise and
our requests to return it, since it was not used for the expedition."
Price elaborated on his leaked e-mail last Tuesday on the World of
the Bible Ministries website. He said: "In Dogubabyazit, the village
at the foot of Mount Ararat, where Parasut, the Chinese guide, is
well known, the locals know that the true story that the structure
in the cave is a grand hoax."
He quoted from an alleged e-mail from one of the villagers, saying
Parasut had been putting "wood in the cave ... for money" for three
years.
Yeung denied the claim, pointing out that road access on Ararat only
went up to 2,000 metres and it was "physically impossible to carry
such a large structure" up 4,200 metres.
"Everyone who has ever climbed Mount Ararat would know the terrain
above 3,800 metres is so rugged that you cannot carry anything more
than a backpack," the group said on its website.
Yeung also defended the team's use of the US$100,000 "investment",
saying part of the money had gone to local mountaineers who filmed
video to prove to Price that the 2008 expedition could be not be
undertaken due to bad weather.
Meanwhile, scientists who were not involved in either expedition were
sceptical for other reasons.
Paul Zimansky, an archaeologist at Stony Brook University in New
York State, said that he would want to see evidence of a particularly
catastrophic flood in Turkey 4,800 years ago. "We know what was going
on with Turkey archaeologically at that time, and there was no major
interruption in the culture," he said.
Other scholars doubted whether Noah's Ark - if it was not merely a
biblical myth - actually came to rest on Mount Ararat.
"The whole notion is odd, because the Bible tells you the ark landed
somewhere in Urartu," biblical scholar Jack Sasson said, referring
to an ancient kingdom in the Armenian highlands. "It's only later
that people identified Mount Ararat with Urartu."
Ark hunter Bob Cornuke, of the Bible Archaeology, Search and
Exploration Institute, said the ark landed in the Alborz mountains,
in what is now northern Iran.
Not that any of this is likely to deter future expeditions and
"discoveries", which have been taking place since the early 1820s,
as Zimansky said ironically in an interview with National Geographic:
"I don't know of any expedition that ever went looking for the ark
and didn't find it."
RFE/RL Report
Azeri Minister `Happy' To Be Back In Yerevan
Armenia -- Azerbaijani Agriculture Minister Ismat Abbasov participates
in an international conference in Yerevan, 13 May 2010.
13.05.2010
Tatevik Lazarian
A Yerevan-born Azerbaijani government minister spoke of his delight
with a first visit to Armenia in over two decades on Thursday as he
took part in an international conference held in his hometown.
Agriculture Minister Ismat Abbasov is among some 160 participants of
the two-day conference held by the Food and Agriculture Organization,
a United Nations relief agency. They represent 45 countries of Europe
and Central Asia.
Abbasov, a rare Azerbaijani official visiting arch-foe Armenia,
arrived in Yerevan earlier this week and had time to visit the house
in the city center where he was born and grew up. He also traveled to
two formerly Azerbaijani-populated villages in eastern Armenia where
he had spent his summer holidays.
`I was born on Alaverdian street,' Abbasov told journalists in fluent
Armenian on the sidelines of the forum. `I finished school in Yerevan
and then went to university in Baku. I speak Armenian but haven't used
it for a long time. So I had better answer questions in Russian.'
`For me, Yerevan is a home city,' Abbasov continued. `I was born and
grew up here. I'm very glad to have had a chance to come here.
`I am happy to be in Yerevan because our peoples want a quick end to
the existing troubles so that they can return to places dear to their
hearts. For example, when villagers saw me, they were surprised. Those
who had migrated from Azerbaijan said, `Will we too get see our lands
one day?''
The two South Caucasus neighbors had sizable Armenian and Azerbaijani
minorities until the outbreak of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in
1988. The vast majority of them were forced to flee their homes in the
following years.
Abbasov said he had last visited Armenia in 1987. While affirming both
parties' commitment to peace, the minister echoed his governments'
threats to resolve the bitter dispute by force if the long-running
Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations yield no agreement in the near
future.
`We want this conflict to be resolved by peaceful means so that no
blood is shed,' he said. `But if the conflict is not resolved by
peaceful means, unfortunately Azerbaijan will be looking for an
alternative variant, and a military solution will not be excluded [in
that case.]'
TURKEY'S ARMENIAN COMMUNITY STILL DIVIDED ON PATRIARCHATE
Tert.am
17:56 12.05.10
Turkish Armenians are still not able to elect a new patriarch, partly
due to the government's delay and partly due to a conflict of ideas
within the congregation.
If the Interior Ministry does not announce a date for the new election
within 60 days of notice, the Armenian community is planning to take
legal action, sources told Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
An "Initiating Committee" formed by the community foundation's
executives and members of the Civilian Initiative applied to the
Istanbul Governor's Office for the second time last week. According
to the schedule planned months ago, May 9 was to be the date for the
delegation election, and May 12 was to be the date for the election
of a new patriarch.
Speaking to the newspaper, Setrak Davuthan, a member of the Initiating
Committee and the community's attorney, expressed amazement at the
latest developments. "In every election until this one, the ministry
used to send us a document stating every detail on how the election
should be conducted. Not this time," Davuthan said.
The committee had to go a second time to the Governor's Office after
receiving no reply to their first application, Davuthan said.
"Legally, we must receive an answer within 60 days. If we do not,
we will go to court."
The impediment for the election does not only come from the ministry.
The congregation itself has not yet reached a consensus on whether
to choose a patriarch or a co-patriarch. Therefore, in the last few
months there have been two separate applications submitted to the
Governor's Office from the Initiating Committee and from the Turkish
Armenian Patriarchate Spiritual Assembly Committee.
The latter insists that a co-patriarch should be elected, whereas
the Initiating Committee says a new patriarch is a must. Mesrop II,
the current patriarch, suffers from dementia and cannot fulfill his
duties. According to the rules of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
a new patriarch cannot be assigned before the previous one passes
away. The Initiating Committee, on the other hand, is concerned that
legal conflicts might arise if a co-patriarch is elected.
Armenia -- Azerbaijani Agriculture Minister Ismat Abbasov participates
in an international conference in Yerevan, 13 May 2010.
13.05.2010
Tatevik Lazarian
A Yerevan-born Azerbaijani government minister spoke of his delight
with a first visit to Armenia in over two decades on Thursday as he
took part in an international conference held in his hometown.
Agriculture Minister Ismat Abbasov is among some 160 participants of
the two-day conference held by the Food and Agriculture Organization,
a United Nations relief agency. They represent 45 countries of Europe
and Central Asia.
Abbasov, a rare Azerbaijani official visiting arch-foe Armenia,
arrived in Yerevan earlier this week and had time to visit the house
in the city center where he was born and grew up. He also traveled to
two formerly Azerbaijani-populated villages in eastern Armenia where
he had spent his summer holidays.
`I was born on Alaverdian street,' Abbasov told journalists in fluent
Armenian on the sidelines of the forum. `I finished school in Yerevan
and then went to university in Baku. I speak Armenian but haven't used
it for a long time. So I had better answer questions in Russian.'
`For me, Yerevan is a home city,' Abbasov continued. `I was born and
grew up here. I'm very glad to have had a chance to come here.
`I am happy to be in Yerevan because our peoples want a quick end to
the existing troubles so that they can return to places dear to their
hearts. For example, when villagers saw me, they were surprised. Those
who had migrated from Azerbaijan said, `Will we too get see our lands
one day?''
The two South Caucasus neighbors had sizable Armenian and Azerbaijani
minorities until the outbreak of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in
1988. The vast majority of them were forced to flee their homes in the
following years.
Abbasov said he had last visited Armenia in 1987. While affirming both
parties' commitment to peace, the minister echoed his governments'
threats to resolve the bitter dispute by force if the long-running
Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations yield no agreement in the near
future.
`We want this conflict to be resolved by peaceful means so that no
blood is shed,' he said. `But if the conflict is not resolved by
peaceful means, unfortunately Azerbaijan will be looking for an
alternative variant, and a military solution will not be excluded [in
that case.]'
TURKEY'S ARMENIAN COMMUNITY STILL DIVIDED ON PATRIARCHATE
Tert.am
17:56 12.05.10
Turkish Armenians are still not able to elect a new patriarch, partly
due to the government's delay and partly due to a conflict of ideas
within the congregation.
If the Interior Ministry does not announce a date for the new election
within 60 days of notice, the Armenian community is planning to take
legal action, sources told Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
An "Initiating Committee" formed by the community foundation's
executives and members of the Civilian Initiative applied to the
Istanbul Governor's Office for the second time last week. According
to the schedule planned months ago, May 9 was to be the date for the
delegation election, and May 12 was to be the date for the election
of a new patriarch.
Speaking to the newspaper, Setrak Davuthan, a member of the Initiating
Committee and the community's attorney, expressed amazement at the
latest developments. "In every election until this one, the ministry
used to send us a document stating every detail on how the election
should be conducted. Not this time," Davuthan said.
The committee had to go a second time to the Governor's Office after
receiving no reply to their first application, Davuthan said.
"Legally, we must receive an answer within 60 days. If we do not,
we will go to court."
The impediment for the election does not only come from the ministry.
The congregation itself has not yet reached a consensus on whether
to choose a patriarch or a co-patriarch. Therefore, in the last few
months there have been two separate applications submitted to the
Governor's Office from the Initiating Committee and from the Turkish
Armenian Patriarchate Spiritual Assembly Committee.
The latter insists that a co-patriarch should be elected, whereas
the Initiating Committee says a new patriarch is a must. Mesrop II,
the current patriarch, suffers from dementia and cannot fulfill his
duties. According to the rules of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
a new patriarch cannot be assigned before the previous one passes
away. The Initiating Committee, on the other hand, is concerned that
legal conflicts might arise if a co-patriarch is elected.
Google Launches Translation in Armenian | Armenian Observer Blog
Hardships of village life in Armenia...
This clip will make every Armenian not only very sad, but also very angry!
The Armenian villagers and their children deserve to have elementary living
conditions. In my opinion animals are taken better care of, than the village
children. Wealthy citizens of Armenia, who spend millions of dollars for a single
wedding of their son or daughter, should be forced to spend one winter at the
village depicted in this clip, which, by the way, brought tears to my eyes.
These children are the future of our nation and do not deserve to be treated
like unwanted animals! The African children are better off than those seen in
this clip. At least the climate is kind to the Africans. These children are most
of the time hungry, have no hospital or medical care, proper clothing, heating
and school. Our political leaders are well aware of the situation. How could any
of them sleep peacefully at night, particularly during winter months, knowing full
well that there are children in many villages, who are freezing due to lack of
basic heating facilities! I will revert to this issue again, but for now please
watch the clip and draw your own conclusions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XYW_IWjPAU&feature=channel
Աստված պահապան մեր ազգին
Assdvadz bahaban mer azkeen
Orphans of the Genocide
Link to 7 minute trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8dMMifzzdo
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