Life in Armenia

[Artashes]

Re: Armenia

ATP Plants Another 230,000 Trees Throughout Armenia in 2013

YEREVAN�Armenia Tree Project (ATP) has recently completed its ninth year of reforestation with the planting of another 174,267 tree seedlings in Northern Armenia. This brings the total number of trees planted to 230,451 in 2013. The additional 56,000 trees were planted by ATP�s flagship Community Tree Planting program.

ATP was founded by Armenian-American philanthropist Carolyn Mugar, and the organization has now planted a total of 4,455,869 trees since 1994.

�We�re extremely proud of this result,� noted ATP Yerevan Director Areg Maghakian. �Our work is planting trees and we�ve done that with more than four million in the ground, but it�s also about people. ATP is creating green jobs in Armenia and connecting our programs with supporters all over the world. It�s a truly grassroots effort that will pay huge dividends in the future.�

With help from a substantial grant from Norway�s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2012, ATP began planting a new 20 hectare forest site in the town of Koghes in Lori. This spring, several thousand pine seedlings were added to the existing oak, ash, apple, and pear trees to finalize the forest planting.

In the summer, seasonal workers were hired to maintain the sites reforested by ATP. �Because it was such a fertile year, some sites had to be maintained twice as the grass had been growing so quickly,� Maghakian emphasized.

In the fall, dozens of local villagers helped replant tree seedlings in a new forest being established in Tsaghkaber. The planting of this site in Lori was supported by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) of the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW as part of its International Climate Protection Initiative. The project was implemented by WWF Germany, WWF Caucasus, and WWF Armenia in cooperation with the Ministry of Nature Protection, the Ministry of Agriculture, and ATP.

One of ATP�s most successful reforestation sites is dedicated to Hrant Dink; the memorial planting site was established in Margahovit in 2007 after he was killed outside his newspaper office in Istanbul

ATP has collaborated with a number of other organizations over the past year. This summer, ATP organized a special tour for local media and organizations in the environmental sector. The tour included ATP�s Mirak Family Reforestation Nursery where more than half a million tree seedlings are being nurtured, along with the nearby Hrant Dink Memorial Forest and a new forest being established in the town of Katnajur. Yerevan-based Deem Communications participated in several events with ATP this year, including planting trees at a kindergarten in Margahovit.

ATP has also collaborated with the Homeland Development Initiative Foundation (HDIF), an organization which aims to nurture sustainable development initiatives in rural parts of Armenia. ATP employees in Margahovit discovered Samvel, a talented woodworker who was unemployed because he is wheelchair-bound, and introduced him to HDIF, which now sells his unique, handmade crafts.

ATP�s newest initiative, announced this fall in collaboration with Sos� and Allen�s Legacy Foundation, is the Sos� Thomassian and Allen Yekikian Memorial Forest. The young couple, who had strong ties both in Armenia and the diaspora, lost their lives in a tragic car accident in May 2013.

�Our goal is to create a living tribute to our dear friends. We�re also incorporating social media into this campaign,� explained Maghakian. �For every new �like� of ATP�s Facebook page, five trees will be planted in the memorial forest. We hope the effort will attract at least 10,000 �likes� in order to plant 50,000 trees and raise awareness of ATP�s mission.�

The municipality of Stepanavan has agreed to lease 73 hectares of land to ATP for 25 years and 25 percent of that land will be allocated to the Sos� and Allen Memorial Forest, where planting will commence in the spring of 2014.

ATP�s mission is to assist the Armenian people in using trees to improve their standard of living and protect the environment, guided by the desire to promote self-sufficiency, aid those with the fewest resources first, and conserve the indigenous ecosystem. ATP�s three major programs are tree planting, environmental education, and sustainable development initiatives. For more information, please visit the website www.armeniatree.org

http://asbarez.com/117984/atp-plants...menia-in-2013/

-------- Aid those with the fewest resources first ----------
Nicely worded.
Surprisingly , in the last 48 hours I've been thinking of tree planting as an endeavor of merit to help the homeland. And then I read this article presented by Mher.
Sounds like an excellent way to help both land & lives, ( not to mention air & water).
Was specifically thinking of those parts of Hayastan that are experiencing the desertification process.
Thanks for this article & the contact references.
Most uplifting & enjoyable to read, as was Federates post on import/export.
Artashes

[Mher]

Re: Armenia

-------- Aid those with the fewest resources first ----------
Nicely worded.
Surprisingly , in the last 48 hours I've been thinking of tree planting as an endeavor of merit to help the homeland. And then I read this article presented by Mher.
Sounds like an excellent way to help both land & lives, ( not to mention air & water).
Was specifically thinking of those parts of Hayastan that are experiencing the desertification process.
Thanks for this article & the contact references.
Most uplifting & enjoyable to read, as was Federates post on import/export.
Artashes

thank you
ya, Armenia Tree Project is a great organization that does a lot of good
you can learn more about them here

https://www.facebook.com/armeniatree

[Mher]

Re: Armenia

Hey everyone
the following is a project I started with some friends a little over a year ago that soon evolved into an organization that now has over 10 members and quickly growing. We started with just the goal of sending medical supplies to the most strategic of the outer regions of the Artsakh Republic whose population growth is crucial for geopolitical reasons. Why medical reasons? we were told by our mentors (two nonpartisan individuals who are major leaders in the Diaspora and Armenia, who spent a lot of time in Artsakh) that medical supplies were the primary need, rather than cloths or other items. This goal and short term project however, soon developed into a fully fledged organization that is quickly developing into something bigger and doing much more. Last month we got a donation of supplies worth over $100,000 and we now receiving the second such donation. Anyway if you can please like the Facebook page and help us spread the word about what we do, it would be greatly appreciated. For now we are a Southern California (LA/glendale/etc) based organization, so any interested members in the southern California region can contact the page, or message me here, and I'll give you more information about our weekly meetings and how to join. For anyone interested in outside the southern cal region, we're laying the foundation to start a branch on the east coast, so if you are interested in knowing more about that or starting your own branch, also contact me.

OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE


OFFICIAL WEBSITE

[Mher]

Re: Armenia

Pension Plan for Poverty

Garen Yegparian

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

Imagine starting off the 2014 New Year knowing that you’re going to get screwed by your own government in yet another way. That’s what our compatriots in the Republic of Armenia (RoA) face starting January 1.

This time, the injury is being delivered via a “reformed” pension plan. The new system will put Armenia in the “illustrious” company of Chile, El Salvador, Mexico, and Kazakhstan— all countries noted for their extremely caring attitudes towards their citizens, NOT!

What will now happen is that everyone who is actually employed in the country will be OBLIGATED to contribute 5-10% of their income into the equivalent of what we know in the U.S. as a “401K” plan. The preexisting system was a little bit more like the U.S. Social Security program in that everyone contributed part of their pay and, upon retirement, received a pension based on years of employment, only (in this way it is different from Social Security which pays out based on one’s income, not just years of service).

In the interest of avoiding contentiousness about the merits of 401K plans (which I do not support), let’s just grant, for the sake of argument, that they represent a good approach. But, what goes into that approach?

Since 401Ks involve investing, usually in stock markets (sometimes through mutual funds), the first thing that becomes obvious is anyone using this type of system must be familiar with how such markets operate. This is not a skill that is easily acquired, nor is it one that everyone can appropriately master. That’s why the professions known as financial and investment advisors exist.

Now, not that I know for sure, and I don’t want to sell our eleven thousand square mile republic short, but I suspect not too many of those advisors exist there, given the Soviet era. Add to that the absence of extensive awareness, collectively, culturally of how markets fluctuate, when to buy and sell— UNEMOTIONALLY, the sometimes usurious fees charged by advisors and other handlers of people’s precious retirement funds, and the generally corrupt atmosphere that prevails, and you have a wonderful recipe for impoverishment upon retirement. Now, complicate that some more with the simple fact that some people will hit retirement age when the markets are doing well, while others will hit that age when they’re doing poorly.

Just look around the U.S. and you’ll learn of the dissatisfaction, or at the very least, worry, over how 401K plans are turning out for their owners. Then think about how bad an idea this type of approach is for the RoA. I can already hear the bleating as our hardworking compatriots are fleeced by unscrupulous operators.

At this point, I usually recommend some action to readers, but this time, I’m stymied. What can I ask you to do? Even though the four opposition parties in the RoA’s parliament are opposed to this foolhardy change in the law, they are vastly outnumbered by the governing Republican Party. So appealing to members of parliament is pointless, the Republicans are dead set on harming the population.

The opposition has filed suit in the RoA’s supreme court. Maybe we can write to them.
Regardless, if you think of an appropriate way to make your disapproval heard, please do it, and share that way with others.

http://asbarez.com/118009/pension-plan-for-poverty/

[Mher]

Re: Armenia

Armenia third in the world with highest smoking rates among men in 2012

Despite anti-smoking campaigns and smoking ban in many places, researchers have observed more people smoke worldwide today than in 1980, said the findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association, according to medindia.net.

The study, led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, measured data from 187 countries.

It found that the global smoking rate among men was 41 percent in 1980, but has since declined to an average of 31 percent.

Among women, the estimated prevalence of daily tobacco smoking was 10.6 percent in 1980, and by 2012 that had fallen to 6.2 percent.

The highest smoking rates among men in 2012 were in Timor-Leste (61 percent) and Indonesia (57 percent), followed by Armenia (51.5 percent), Russia (51 percent) and Cyprus (48 percent).

Top countries for women smokers were Greece (34.7 percent) and Bulgaria (31.5 percent).

http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/01/08/armenia-third-in-the-world-with-highest-smoking-rates-among-men-in-2012/

__________________________________________________ _____________________
here's a campaign that needs to start in Armenia

[Mher]

Re: Armenia

Armenia, Russia to remove all airline restrictions
12:10 08.01.2014

Russia and Armenia have agreed to remove all airline restrictions on routes between the two countries. According to the Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, authorities will revoke limits on the number of carriers, frequencies, aircraft types and number of destinations. The new rules will be introduced this year, the Air Transport World reports.

Because of the significant Armenian diaspora in Russia, flights to these destinations are in high demand, especially between the countries’ capitals. Yerevan-Moscow is the fifth most popular international route in Russia.

According to Russia’s Air Transport Sourcebook, Russian airlines carried 587,945 passengers between the cities in 2012.

Russia’ Aeroflot, Transaero and S7 Airlines operate flights to Armenia. In October, Armenia authorities designated Air Armenia to fly between the capitals and on several other routes in Russia.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/01/08/armenia-russia-to-remove-all-airline-restrictions/

[Mher]

Re: Armenia

Armenian government may increase minimum wages
January 09, 2014 | 15:21

YEREVAN. – Armenian government may increase the minimum wages again.

Under the action plan for 2014 approved by the government on Thursday, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs will propose to revise law on minimum wage and increase in pensions. The results of this work will be presented in the second half of the year.

Over the last year, minimum wage was raised twice, reaching AMD 50,000. The average pension in 2014 made AMD 36,000 instead of 31 thousand in 2013.

Ministry of Education and Science in November plans to establish an upper limit of tuition fees in higher education institutions, as well as to move from free and compulsory nine-year education to the full 12-year secondary and specialized education.

The Armenian Police prepare changes in the legal framework on personal data in order to bring the standards of impunity, protection of private and family life to the European level.

http://news.am/eng/news/188495.html

[Mher]

Re: Armenia

4 Armenian parliamentary factions to participate in rally
January 10, 2014 | 17:40

YEREVAN. – The four non-ruling-coalition factions of the Armenian National Assembly (NA) held a joint consultation on Friday.

Opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) bloc NA Faction Head, ANC Party Vice-Chairman Levon Zurabyan confirmed this information to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The citizens’ initiative, which is fighting against the mandatory cumulative pension plan—which came into force in Armenia on January 1, 2014—, has called for a rally on January 18.

Zurabyan noted that the four aforesaid NA factions—specifically, ANC, Prosperous Armenia, ARF Dashnaktsutyun, and Heritage—were asked to take part in this rally, and they have agreed to do so.

The new cumulative pension plan—which came into force on January 1, 2014—is mandatory for those born in and after 1974 and voluntary for those born before 1974. In line with this plan, 5 to 10 percent of the monthly salaries in Armenia will be deducted and mandatorily be allocated to cumulative pension funds; the latter will be reimbursed as pensions once a person turns 63 years old.

http://news.am/eng/news/188682.html

[Mher]

Re: Armenia

Armenia is 57th in food ranking list
January 15, 2014 | 17:00

Around the world, one in eight people go to bed hungry every night despite there being enough food for everyone, says the food report published by Oxfam.

Armenia ranks 57th in the report titled “Good Enough to Eat: The Food Index”. Armenia showed good results in quantity of food, but bad indicators in terms of affordability and health.

Oxfam has compiled a snapshot of 125 countries indicating the best and worst places to eat. The nations are ranked on the availability, quality and affordability of food and dietary health.

The Netherlands top the standings leaving behind France and Switzerland.
As to neighboring states, Azerbaijan is ranked 91stt and Iran is the 80th.

http://news.am/eng/news/189356.html

[londontsi]

Re: Armenia

.

If there was no migration the picture might have been different.

I do not see anything to pat our backs about I am afraid.

Rankings are only useful to politicians to fool their people and ultimately themselves.

.