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Armenia announces Eurovision 2019 participant (video)

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Armenia is the first out of 42 participating countries to announce their Eurovision 2019 participant. Tonight, during a late-night talk show on Public TV, Srbuk was announced as the country’s hopeful for next year’s competition in Tel Aviv, Israel.

“I am starting a new journey now, which, I am sure, will be full of new and pleasant emotions, challenges and amazing experiences! I am grateful to all of my friends and fans, who are always with me and have always wanted to see me on the Eurovision stage,” the singer said.

“I am grateful to the Public Television of Armenia for their trust. It’s an honor to represent my country in front of the whole world! We have an amazing journey ahead of us, and I hope we’ll succeed together!”

A decision on Srbuk’s participating song has not been made yet. The Armenian broadcaster has announced an open call for song submissions.

Hayastan Fund’s annual telethon raises $11,109,633

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Hayastan all-Armenian Fund hosted its 21st annual Thanksgiving Day telethon to raise more than $11 million with the help of Armenians around the world.

The telethon was this year called “Create together”, with the donations set to be used for major projects Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh).

On the eve of Telethon 2018, Artur Vanetsyan, Head of the National Security Service, visited Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s Yerevan office with his son.

The National Security Service made a contribution of some AMD 9,5 million (approx. $20,000) to the Fund, while Vanetsyan donated his monthly salary.

President of Armenia, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fund Armen Sarkissian too visited the office of the Fund on the eve of the event and signed a donation ticket for more than AMD 5.7 million (approx. $12,000) which makes his salary for six months.

The President will also donate his salary for the next six months to the Fund.

Acting PM Nikol Pashinyan, meanwhile, donated AMD1 million from the Prime Minister’s fund and AMD 500,000 from his own funds ($3000 in total).

The biggest donations came from an anonymous benefactor ($2.5 million), Iranian-Armenian philanthropists Henrik and Adrine Ter-Ghukasyan ($1.34 million) for the renovation of a key road in Artsakh, Grand Holding owners Karen and Mikayel Vardanyan (AMD 60 million or approx. $123,000) for the renovation of the road connecting the Armenian towns of Dilijan and Ijevan, while U.S.-based Armenians Andranik Baghdasarian and Albert A. Boyajian have donated $1 million each.

Alex Holding donated $200,000.

Happy THANKSGIVING America

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Happy THANKSGIVING is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the USA and originated as a day for Americans to give thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.

This year, Thanksgiving will take place on Thursday, November 22. The American tradition is based on the colonial Pilgrims’ harvest meal in 1621, but although Thanksgiving originated as a harvest family, in recent years the day is used to spend time with family and loved ones. On Thanksgiving Americans will gather for a day of feasting, football and family.

Parliament of Artsakh to donate 1.400.000 AMD to Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s Telethon 2018

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The Parliament of Artsakh will donate 1 million 400 thousand drams to the annual Telethon of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, reports Armenpress.

The Parliament of Artsakh issued a statement which says: “Today, on November 22, the annual Telethon of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund will be held within the frames of which Artsakh’s development programs will continue by the donated funds.

Like every year, this year as well the MPs and staff of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh are actively taking part in the Telethon by donating 1.400.000 AMD”.

Last year the Artsakh Parliament donated 1.350.000 AMD to the Fund.

 

Armenian organic producers attending Natural Products Expo in Dubai

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Nine producers from Armenia are exhibiting their organic certified and in conversion products such as honey, dried fruits, natural juices and herbal teas to around ten thousand specialized visitors of the annual Middle East Organic & Natural Products Expo 2018, held in Dubai on 18-20 November.

The expo is the region’s sole dedicated business event that focuses on natural products. The participation is organised by the Organic Agriculture Support Initiative (OASI), a project funded by the European Union (EU) and co-funded and implemented by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), in close cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture of Armenia, as well as with SME DNC and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The organic sector opens new opportunities for Armenian producers to compete with high-value quality products. The objective of the participation is to explore this growing market and find potential buyers for Armenian organic products, as well as to promote and establish “Organic Armenia” as a high value brand in the Middle East market.

“A main market opportunity in the EU is the strong demand trend for healthy natural products without artificial ingredients and with low sugar content. Armenia has particular strengths for the production of niche products and it is an advantage that a lot of companies have an organic certification with support from the EU (OASI project)” said the EU Ambassador Piotr Świtalski.

“The EU helps farmers in different regions of Armenia to improve their production both in quantity and quality, and to find markets for the products, as well as promoting exports and accessing EU markets. The CEPA, in its turn, is paving the way for deeper cooperation, broadening the scope of economic cooperation and providing new opportunities for closer ties on different sectors, including agriculture sector”.

Acting Minister of Agriculture Gegham Gevorgyan emphasized: “The development of organic agriculture in our country is a prospective direction with great potential, which also has great opportunities for export and we should take all the steps to encourage farmers who produce organic products.”

“As a possible state support option, we are also discussing the possibility of subsidizing organic certification costs, which we hope will be another important incentive for increasing the volume of organic agriculture in the country,” he added.

“Austria as the organic leader in the European Union is proud to support Armenia going organic. Helping the producers access international markets is one of our core activities, and the growing Arab market is very promising for Armenian organic and natural products”, noted David Muckenhuber, Team Leader of OASI project.

The demand for organic products is growing exponentially in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as consumers are placing higher value on sustainable and healthy products. Dubai’s unique geographical location also makes the country a crucial link in international trade routes and an important gateway to the GCC and Pan Arab Markets.

The MENOPE expo is held under the patronage of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment UAE and is supported by IFOAM-Organics International. The success of its 2017 show has led to a doubling in size this year. The expo drew over 6,500 industry buyers in 2017 and this year it expects over 9,500 specialized visitors.

OASI is a three-year project launched in September, 2015 aimed at promoting organic agriculture in Armenia.

Hollywood: Watch the Legend Serj Tankian Singer and Song-Writer introducing the Armenian Culture through the coffee “KAVAT”

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Hollywood: Watch the Legend Serj Tankian Singer and Song-Writer introducing the Armenian Culture through the coffee “KAVAT” an event hold North Hollywood Interview by Wally Sarkeesian, hundreds and hundreds of people young and old line up to see and test the Kovat coffee.

Wally Sarkeesian with Armenian Legend Serj Tankian Singer and Song-Writer introducing the Armenian Culture through the coffee “KAVAT”. it was incredible seen hundreds and hundreds of people line up to see Serj Tankian and test the coffee,  Thanks to George, Tankian manager for arranging the interview…

YouTube Version:

6 cities that rejected the Olympics, voters in Calgary, Canada said no.

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Becoming an Olympic host city was long considered a crowning achievement. That is no longer the case as voters reject shouldering the considerable expense involved. Most recently, voters in Calgary, Canada said no.

Calgary’s bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics is presumably finished after citizens voted “No” on Tuesday by over 56% against the city’s plan to bid for the Games.

Those in the ‘No’ camp were jubilant at the result.

“I think that people had enough of the establishment, telling us what to do, what to think,” local councillor Sean Chu said. “They tell you to spend millions, billions, it’s good for you.”

Calgary is just the latest city to reject the Olympics in recent history. And cities reject playing host to the games for one main reason: money.

According to an article in Business Insider, “Hosting is expensive. Every game in the last 50 years has gone over budget. The 2014 Sochi Winter Games went over its $10 billion budget by an additional $41 billion.”

No wonder then, that in an era of fiscal conservatism around the world, more and more cities are saying no to the Olympics.

Innsbruck: In September of 2017, locals overwhelmingly voted against bidding for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The city was the venue of the 1964 and the 1976 Games so it was no stranger to hosting the games.

Rome: The Italian capital last hosted the games in 1960. In September of 2016, Rome passed on a re-run. Virginia Raggi, of the Five Star movement, ran for mayor on a ticket of strong opposition to a bid.

Hamburg: Local officials thought they had a lock on getting the city of Hamburg to support a bid for the 2024 summer games. Polls showed that citizens supported the bid by 64%, but when they finally put it to a vote, the electorate turned its back and said no.

Oslo: Norway last hosted the Winter Games in Lillehammer in 1994 and was seen as favorite for the 2022 edition. But in October 2014, Oslo withdrew its bid making it the fourth city after Stockholm, Lviv and Krakow, to have second thoughts.

Bern: Voters in the Swiss city in September 2002, refused to approve a SFr 22.5 million ($15 million, €13 million) bid package — money just to work on the bid — thus forcing the city to pull out of the Olympic race.

Denver: In possibly the most embarrassing moment in the history of Olympic host city competition, Colorado voters rejected hosting the 1976 Winter Olympics after Denver had been awarded the Games. Concerns cited were about the financial and environmental impact.

“THE HIDDEN MAP” of HISTORIC ARMENIA, Explorer Steven Sim and producer Ani Hovanissian Kevorkian Saturday, November 10, 2018, 5:00pm

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Join explorer Steven Sim and producer Ani Hovannisian-Kevorkian for a rare dig beneath the surface of modern-day Turkey, as they team up for a live presentation and special preview of the documentary, “The Hidden Map.”
As Hovannisian was traveling through Turkey to discover the vanishing traces of her ancestral homeland a few years ago, she stumbled upon the Scottish explorer who, she learned, had already been documenting the relics of Historic Armenia for 30 years.
The unexpected intersection of the Scotsman’s and Armenian’s journeys merged into a joint expedition, with Sim continuing to uncover what lies beneath the modern map of Turkey, and Hovannisian documenting his discoveries along with her own, bringing to life the silent and spoken testimony of the land.
This is a rare opportunity to meet Sim in person and preview Hovannisian’s documentary, and to have a lively exchange with both.

LOCATION and TIME
This event takes place at the Ararat-Eskijian Museum, Sheen Chapel 15105 Mission Hills Road, Mission Hills, CA and begins promptly at 5:00 pm. This event is free and open to the public.

CO-SPONSORS
Ararat Eskijian Museum
Dr. Meher & Nina Babian
Hamazkayin Western Region
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research – NAASR / Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian Series on Contemporary Armenian Issues
Nor Serount Cultural Association

For more information about the event, please contact (747) 500-7585 or email eskijian@ararat-eskijian-museum.com.