Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

[Haykakan]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

I am glad you watched the video and your last answer provides insight on where your thinking is flawed. Capitalism is letting market forces decide everything and if you go by this premis then the reality is exact opposite of what you think. Things like monopolies, oligopolies, monopolistic competition and perfect competition are all found in every country. You are constantly singeling out the armenian oligarchs yet oligarchs exist everywhere. The fact that the oligarchs in Armenia are less regulated then lets say european oligarchs means that Armenia is actually more capitalistic then european countries. You seem to have a very unreal perception of what capitalism is and what it does and the forms in which it exists in reality. The connection in the video is simple-because of the lack of regulation we have allowed market forces to decide what cities here in the USA look like - this is capitalism. Investors want a building that fulfills their functional needs in the least expencive manner possible thus the big box store concept. Most USA cities and suburbs look like crraapp because of this concept and the lack of regulation. This is exactly the same thing that the subject of this thread is about - the demolition of historically significant architectural structures in favor of functional, cheap, hidious structures. It is free market and competition that drive investors to make the cheapest yeat functional structures possible thus any way you look at this issue the subject of this thread is exactly related to this video. You seem to be preprogramed thus you deny such obvious connections and my question is why? Why do you try so hard to deny the truth that is right there in front of you? What is it that compells you to look at capitalism with those rose collored glasses and to ware blinders when looking at anything resembling truth and reality? I am not trying to be mean to you i am simply listing some facts here which you seem dead set to ignore and i am curious as to why?

Watched the video and the connection you are trying to make is not there in the video.
Even if we follow your strain of thought were capitalism is this evil that dissolves into crappy architecture and bad planning, let's ignore London and most of the 19th century architecture.
It would still not apply to Armenia where there is no thing as capitalism. Even if capitalism is this evil force you are describing it to be, doesn't apply to Armenia where it doesn't exist.
The only thing that exists in Armenia today is an oligarchy, where the whole economy is in the hands of a few people and uphold by illegal means.
It has nothing to do with a free market and competition, the basic premises of capitalism!

[Haykakan]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

O and as for London-every historic structure there worth preserving was built before the industrial revolution and capitalism- with the sole exception of the London bridge which serves a functional purpose. Again i am not making stuff up here nor trying to be mean-i am just stating the facts.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

O and as for London-every historic structure there worth preserving was built before the industrial revolution and capitalism- with the sole exception of the London bridge which serves a functional purpose. Again i am not making stuff up here nor trying to be mean-i am just stating the facts.

And someone as delusional (or just plain ignorant) as you actually has "students" who have to listen to your "facts".

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

Watched the video and the connection you are trying to make is not there in the video.
Even if we follow your strain of thought were capitalism is this evil that dissolves into crappy architecture and bad planning, let's ignore London and most of the 19th century architecture.
It would still not apply to Armenia where there is no thing as capitalism. Even if capitalism is this evil force you are describing it to be, doesn't apply to Armenia where it doesn't exist.
The only thing that exists in Armenia today is an oligarchy, where the whole economy is in the hands of a few people and uphold by illegal means.
It has nothing to do with a free market and competition, the basic premises of capitalism!

It's just another rehash of Haykakan's usual excuse for doing nothing that he already posted on the Armenian elections thread, his "everything is either completely out of Armenia's control, so we can't fix it, or is so specific to Armenia that it is not possible to fix it, or is found everywhere so why try to fix it" excuse.

[Haykakan]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

How about you show me one example of where i said "we should do nothing". You seem better at twisting other peoples words then anything else.

It's just another rehash of Haykakan's usual excuse for doing nothing that he already posted on the Armenian elections thread, his "everything is either completely out of Armenia's control, so we can't fix it, or is so specific to Armenia that it is not possible to fix it, or is found everywhere so why try to fix it" excuse.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

Unintended consequences: Azeri propaganda.

http://gulustan.ws/2012/06/armenian-capital/

Alexanyan and his thugs responsible for its demolition, and the society in present-day Armenia that allowed it, would probably rather let that Azeri propaganda stand as truth rather than counter it, because to counter it would have to reveal how architecturally important the covered market was, and how integral to the history of Armenia's architectural tradition it was.

[TomServo]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

Unintended consequences: Azeri propaganda.

http://gulustan.ws/2012/06/armenian-capital/

Alexanyan and his thugs responsible for its demolition, and the society in present-day Armenia that allowed it, would probably rather let that Azeri propaganda stand as truth rather than counter it, because to counter it would have to reveal how architecturally important the covered market was, and how integral to the history of Armenia's architectural tradition it was.

In translation, it reads like a (Stalinist period) editorial out of Pravda or Izvestia (without the "friendship of peoples" ideology, of course).

But you're right -- I don't think Alexanyan or others like him care one bit. Did you know the last mayor of Yerevan resigned because he was "promoted" to a better-paying job in Moscow?

[TomServo]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

Meanwhile, Gagik Tsarukyan is inviting a bunch of representatives from around the world (including Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko) to celebrate the opening of a church he had built (and, allegedly, a "newly built recreation, casino, and entertainment center").

http://news.am/eng/news/152888.html

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

Meanwhile, Gagik Tsarukyan is inviting a bunch of representatives from around the world (including Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko) to celebrate the opening of a church he had built (and, allegedly, a "newly built recreation, casino, and entertainment center").

http://news.am/eng/news/152888.html

Is that what they are calling a brothel these days? (I mean "recreation and entertainment center", not "church". ).

But, I guess, as far as the Armenian Church is concerned, where money to pay for its new mafiosi-donated churches comes from doesn't matter - all that matters is that the Church gets its cut.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Yerevan's famous covered market demolished

Minister of Culture Poghosyan: Passing the Buck on the "Pak Shouka"

http://hetq.am/eng/articles/26379/minister-of-culture-poghosyan-passing-the-buck-on-the-“pak-shouka”.html

Kristine Aghalaryan
May 10, 2013

Walk past the Pak Shouka in downtown Yerevan and you wouldn’t think it was once a shining example of Soviet Armenian architecture that proudly stood for several decades.

The new owners have literally stripped it to the bare bones, leaving nothing of its past cultural legacy.

And it would seem that Armenia’s Minister of Culture, Hasmik Poghosyan, hasn’t a clue as to what’s taking place at the construction site on Mashtots Avenue.

According to a lragir.am news article, Poghosyan professed her amazement when told that construction on the market’s roof had recommenced in earnest two days ago.

In ungrammatical literary eastern Armenian she said, “Nah, that’s probably what was left over form last December.”

Even more amazing is that there is no overall architectural plan for the market that has been authorized. Neither is there a general work permit. Hetq requested that the Yerevan Municipality provide us with those documents if they exist.

The only thing they gave was a blueprint for some underground floors. That’s to say that the new owner, MP Samvel Aleksanyan, hasn’t been granted any official construction authorization for anything above ground level.

But work on the market’s interior and roof has been going on for quite some time. A new floor has been added on which a new roof is slowly rising.

In the midst of it all, the Yerevan Municipality and the Ministry of Culture are passing the buck as to who exactly is responsible. The Municipality argues that the building is a cultural landmark, and thus falls within the purview of the ministry, while the ministry says it has taken the matter to the Municipality and the Ministry of Urban Construction.

In a letter dated April 23, the Ministry of Culture informed Hetq that due to measures taken by the Yerevan Municipality, the illegal construction to the top level of the market has been halted and that it had demanded that the new owners, Yerevan #1 Market Ltd., draft a blueprint to restore and strengthen the outer walls of the market.

The Ministry also claims that it has demanded that the former interior arches of the market be restored.

In essence, the ministry didn’t lift a finger to prevent the destruction of the arches or the addition of a new floor. So now the ministry is back-tracking.

In reality, Minister Poghosyan knows full well what is taking place at the market.

I’ll go further and accuse the minister of entering into an illicit agreement with the market owner that will allow for the landmark’s quick destruction.

As for Armenia’s law enforcement agencies, they appear willing to turn a blind eye to the ample evidence that such an agreement exists.

Further defilement of the market and a restoration of its former landmark appearance demands political will at the highest level; at a special session of the ruling Republican Party.

But this will not happen.

The reason is simple - those who have forged such an illicit agreement are the very representatives of that very party.