1993_10 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper October 1993

              October 1993
Hve Sharzhoom
A&E—5
Have You Heard?
By Lara Vahe Demirjian
Staff Writer
•     Have you heard that Great Britain was the
first country to establish an Armenian Embassy?
• Have you heard that Charles Aznavor established a baby-milk powder factory in Armenia
called "Aznavor Pour L'Armenia" (Aznavor for
Armenia)?
• Have you heard that Armenia bottles its own
natural mineral water called "Chermoug"?
is
•     Have you heard that the Armenian language
spoken by nearly six million people on earth?
• Haveyou heard that the first printing press in
the Middle East was established by Armenians?
• Have you heard that 80% of drug arrests in
Moscow were proven to be made byAzeries, and
the reason why they're selling drugs is to finance
their war?
• Have you heard that Armenia is rich in
resources such as gold, silicon, copper, iron,
and zinc?
Atchkee
Chap
By Khatchig Jingirian Jr
Assistant Editor
So, How many of you like eggplant? Most people have a dislike
for eggplant but F ve got the recipe
to change all of that.How does
Sempougi Navag (Eggplant Boats)
sound?
This dish is great as a side dish
for a bar-be-que, or even a great
vegitarian main dish.
The ingredients are as follows:
4 Japanese eggplants
4-6 ripe tomatoes  ^
1 large bell pepper i
3 cloves of garlic, pulverized
ltsp. salt
ltsp. black pepper
ltsp. red pepper
1 tsp. opal basil (optional)
1 medium onion (optional)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 can tomatoe sauce
First, slice the eggplants in half
and remove the flesh with a sharp
spoon and set it aside. Salt the inside ofthe eggplant and alow to sit
for about ten minutes to remove the
impurities. Take the reserved eggplant meat and chop it coarsely.
Dice the tomatoes and the pepper.
Heat a sautee pan and add the olive
oil. Test the olive oil to see if it's
hot by placing a wooden spoon in
the oil and looking for small
bubbles at the base of the spoon.
Add the garlic and sautee for one
minute. Add the tomatoes and peppers. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. While this is eooking,rinse
the eggplant halves and place in a
baking dish. Pre-heat the oven to
400 degrees. At this time, add the
reserved eggplant meat to the pan
and continue sauteeing for ten more
minutes. Then spoon the cooked
mixture into the eggplant halves
and cover the mixture with the
tomatoe sauce. Cover and bake for
1 hour. Serves 4-6 people.
I       Advertise in   I
• Hye Sharzhoom*.
I     call Armenian *
• Studies Program •
• 298-2669      !
Saroyan's An
Armenian
Trilogy Airs
on Pacifica
Radio
A dramatic performance of Wil-
lian^Saroyan's An Armenian Trilogy was broadcast on three successive Saturdays May 15,22, and 29
by KFCF-FM, Pacifica Radio in
Fresno. The Trilogy is composed
of Armenians, Bitlis, and Haratch,
plays written between 1971 and
1979 in which Saroyan treats the
complex question of being Armenian and living in a diaspora thousands of miles away from the homeland.
The production was conceived
by Stephen T. Barile who directed
the San Benito Street Radio Players. It is based on the 1986 CSUF
Press publication William Saroyan:
An Armenian Trilogy, edited with
an introduction by Dr. Dickran
Kouymjian, Haig & Isabel
Berberian Professor of Armenian
Studies at Fresno State. In all five
hours of Saroyan was broadcast to
an eager public. Each play was
preceded by an elaborate introduction by Prof. Kouymjian explaining the theme of the play, how it
was written, and its meaning. A
special sound track of Armenian
music played on the piano by Florence Artenian accompanied the
Stephen Barile and Dickran Kouymjian recording the introduction
to Saroyan's An Armenian Trilogy
entire production.
A special reception was held the
evening ofthe premier at the home
of Alice and Berge Bulbulian bringing together the director and cast,
Dr. Kouymjian, recording technicians, journalists, and local Saroyan
buffs, The entire performance is
available on tape for rebroadcast as
is the special musical accompani
ment.
Next May Mr. Barile and the
San Benito Street Players will produce Saroyan's Pulitzer prize winning play The Time of Your Life
again for KFCF. For further information contact the San Benito Street
Radio Players at (209) 834-2760 or
the Armenian Studies Program at
(209) 278-2669.
ASP, Page 1
periods that shaped its destiny. "The
current weaknesses of Armenia are
historical ones. In the past, Armenians have put their wealth outside
of Armenia, in places such as Tiflis,
Baku, and Constantinople. The
reason the Armenian liberation
movement did not meet with success from 1878 to 1914 was because the leadership and wealth of
Armenia was outside its borders.
We started too late to build a nation. As a result it took longer to
organize. Five hundred years of
neglect could not be corrected in
twenty years," Dr. Gregorian said.
Commenting on Armenian life
abroad, Dr. Gregorian said, "The
Armenian Diaspora has always
been a great strength and a great
weakness. There has always been
a sentimental attitude of charity
toward Armenia, rather than investing in it. As Khrimian Hairik
said, 'We need a Moses jto bring the
tablets to Van.' The intellectual
and financial wealth of Armenia
has to be brought back into the
country."
Gregorian continued, "Armenia
and the Diaspora are like two lungs.
When one is blocked the other must
help. One cannot displace the other.
We should not be so paternalistic
toward Armenia. It has survived
for over twenty-five centuries. And
we in the Diaspora understand what
a struggle survival is."
"In its current geographical position, the best means for Armenia's
survival is access to the sea, through
a confederation with the Republics
of Georgia or Azerbaijan or both.
Cooperation is necessary....When
you think of Armenia," he told the
audience, "think of its complex and
proud history.    When you are
stranded in the middle of an ocean,
there is no alternative but to swim.
If you stop swimming you drown.
Armenians have always swum.... If
Armenia is floundering, it is our
role to give it a raft, if we can't do
that, we must at least think and
hope for her survival."
In the final analysis he said, "It
is not so much your money as your
understanding that Armenia needs;
Armenia must be approached as an
on-going historical entity rather
than a charitable cause."
In his introductory remarks,
master of ceremonies Dickran
Kouymjian, Haig and Isabel
Berberian Professor of Armenian
Studies, traced Dr. Gregorian's career. He was born in the old Armenian community of Tabriz, Iran,
but went on to the Palandjian
Jemaran in Beirut, Lebanon for his
primary and secondary schooling.
He was strongly influenced by
Simon Vratzian, last Prime Minister of the first Armenian Republic
of 1918-1920, at the time president
ofthe Jemaran. From Lebanon, Dr.
Gregorian came to Stanford completing in just two years his B.A.
cum laude in history and humanities and later his Ph.D. in 1964.
Dr. Gregorian quickly distinguished himself as teacher and
scholar, publishing a major book
on Afghanistan while occupying
professorial positions at San Francisco State University, UCLA, and
the University of Texas-Austin.
At 36 he became a full professor. In 1974 he was invited to the
University of Pennsylvania and as
first Dean of the Faculty of Arts
and Sciences and first holder ofthe
Sarkis Tarzian Chair of Armenian
and Caucasian History.
In 1978 he became the
University's 23rd Provost and chief
academic officer. During his years
at Penn he reorganized several of
its schools while successfully completing a $255 million fund raising
campaign. During his years in
Pennsylvania, Dr. Gregorian was
also busy as a scholar. Under his
direction the Tarzian Chair of Armenian studies sponsored nearly
annual Armenological conferences
attracting the best Armenian scholars of Europe and America.
In 1981 he was called upon to
save the dying New York Public
Library, one ofthe largest and greatest libraries in the world, at the time
overwhelmed by debt, with a disintegrating physical plant, and a poor
reputation. In eight years, with his
intelligence and charm he convinced New Yorkers of the importance of rehabilitating the old institution. When he left the Library it
had become one ofthe cultural jewels in the dazzling crown of Manhattan. He raised some $400 million dollars, increased the collections and made it the "in place" for
literary and cultural happenings in
New York. In 1989 he was invited
to perform the same miracle as
President of Brown, a prestigous
Ivy League Univeisity.
Dr. Gregorian has been honored
by governments, states, and cities;
he has received more than 30 honorary degrees and the most prestigious awards and scholarships this
nation can give an intellectual, including the Gold Medal of the
American Academy of Arts and
Letters and a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship. He serves on the
a large number of Foundation
boards including the Getty Trust,
the Institute for. Advanced Studies
at Princeton, the NY Public Library, and the Aga Khan Foundation.
Still sometimes affectionately
called the "Lion of New York"
after the two mascots at the entrance of the New York Public Library, Dr. Gregorian is one of
America's most outspoken crusaders for intellectual excellence. His
opinions on the arts and education
are sought out by nearly everyone.
According to Time Magazine, he
has recently refused the post of
Director of the National Endowment of Humanities, as well as the
presidency of U.C. Berkeley and
Columbia University.
Dr. Gregorian's spirited remarks
were greeted by a standing ovation.
Joining the many friends of the
Armenian Studies Program for the
evening's festivities were Dr. and
Mrs. Alex Gonzalez, Provost and
Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Dr. and Mrs. Peter Klassen,
Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Director of the International Programs, and other faculty
and administrators of CSU Fresno.
During the evening, Barlow Der
Mugrdechian of the Armenian
Studies Program introduced this
year's recipients of Armenian
scholarships and grants. More than
thirty students were awarded scholarships; most of them are currently
working to complete minors in
Armenian Studies.
Beside the fine food, music, and
eloquent speeche, guests had the
opportunity to meet with faculty of
the Armenian Studies Program and
the administration of the University.