the poster

nancy -- we miss you!! you're with us in spirit :-) we're working on the garden, it's looking good . . the girls want to have a cardboard lifesize figure of two women holding hands on zarubyan street, outside the offices, and we're going to dress them up in funky clothes. more later . .

Photo competition

CALL FOR THE SUBMISSION OF PHOTOGRAPHS FOR AN INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

DEADLINE 15TH OCTOBER 2008

KARAT Coalition together with its partners has the pleasure to announce a call for the submission of photographs addressing

THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION OF WOMEN FROM: ALBANIA, AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA, BELARUS, BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA, GEORGIA, KAZAKHSTAN, KYRGYZSTAN, MACEDONIA, MOLDOVA, MONTENEGRO, SERBIA, UKRAINE, AND UZBEKISTAN

The competition is part of a large regional, development education project co-funded by the European Commission called “Through Their Eyes, Through Ours: Raising the public’s awareness about development problems faced by women from developing countries in the EU Eastern Neighbourhood, Balkans and Central Asia”. The project is implemented by KARAT Coalition in partnership with GenderMediaCaucasus Journalists' Association (Georgia), Permaculture and Peacebuilding Center Ppc Shtip (Macedonia), Slovak Centre for Communication and Development (Slovakia), Women in Development Europe - WIDE (Belgium), WOMNET (Germany)

The competition will lead to a series of exhibitions in various EU cities (Brussels, Warsaw, Berlin and Bratislava). It will provide an opportunity for showing images produced by women, and depicting women from the developing countries of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States in their socio-economic context, in a way that undermines existing stereotypes about the role of women in the society they live in (be it their country, family, town, region, village, workplace or community) or simply show women’s lives in those countries. The photographs are expected not to perpetuate existing stereotypes but at the same time they are supposed to depict the current reality of women’s changing lives.

THEMATIC SCOPE

The photographs must be taken in Albania, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, and be a commentary on the economic situation of women in those countries in the context of development. They can address any of the issues listed below, but do not have to be limited to them:

• Existing stereotypes about the economic role of women versus reality
• Women in non-traditional occupations or professions
• Reconciling paid employment and family responsibilities
• The diversity of women’s economic activity
• Obstacles to women’s economic activity
• Development problems faced by women
• Women’s expectations, ambitions, goals related to their professional life
• The economic position of women in the context of the EU Neighbourhood Policy
• The link between the economic situation of women in Albania, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan and EU
• Feminism and the economic situation of women
• Social expectations of women versus reality
• Women and poverty – breaking the cycle
• The interdependence, correlation, and challenges in relations between the EU and the aforementioned developing countries

Read more here about the selection process and awards:

http://karat.org/index.php?pageId=278

Do Communists Have Better Sex?

Arman found out about this film online...

Do Communists Have Better Sex?

A Film by André Meier

This is about sex. About sex in Germany and who, on which side of the Iron Curtain, was better at it. At the end of the Second World War, Germans shared the same culture, lifestyle, morals. But four decades later, everything had changed. Forty years of division left their mark in many places—including the beds of the German people.

November 1989. The Wall comes down and brothers and sisters from the East have become almost unrecognisable. Sociologists have a field day, and investigate—from a strictly scientific point of view, of course—everything to do with sex in the two Germanies.

Is dictatorship plus a planned economy the sure-fire formula for a natural aphrodisiac? At least in bed, according to the statistics, the communists were victorious. How could it have happened? Didn't the West do everything to intensify the desires of its citizens? Wasn't there sex in abundance for every man on every street corner? Was it to do with the church in the West or did affluence make people lethargic? Was it better in the East because women earned their own money? Or because there weren't any other distractions and people took refuge from the state in bed?

DO COMMUNISTS HAVE BETTER SEX? reveals an up-to-now unknown and curious chapter of political and entertaining erotic history.

"Brings up important issues concerning state and politics and is more than just an exercise in sensationalism... there's real subject matter to be found." —Citysearch.com

"Entertaining and informative... One can use this video as a discussion starter in a variety of classes... a valuable addition to the history of sexuality." —David S. Hall, PhD, Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality

"Amusing! Eye-popping archival footage!" —Sydney Morning Herald

"An odd but amusing documentary... offers an offbeat look at life in East Germany during the Cold War years, punctuated with delightfully randy animation ... viewers with an appreciation for the absurd will enjoy the film's charm and style. Recommended." —P. Hall, Video Librarian

"Often humorous, always informative... Would be appropriate for those studying sexual politics and sex education... Recommended." —Jessica Schomberg, Educational Media Reviews Online

52 minutes / color
Release Date: 2007
Copyright Date: 2006
http://www.frif.com/new2007/do.html

project outline

Erek handipel ev xosel enk cucahandesi tsragri masin. Voroshecink nax ogtagortsel Zarubiani tan exteriern avelin, qan interiery` drsi mijantsq, kisapul tun, aygi, drsi pater, ev ayln.

Baci himnakan gortserits, erkrord ory naxatesum enk video cucadrutyan tsragir, vory wow-tsineri het mektegh knerari naev Kara Matsakyani, Diana Hakobiani, Sona Abgariani ev ayln…vorosh videoner.

Operayits sksats nshanner enk paktsnelu, voronq ancordnerin kughorden depi Zarubian. Mtatsum eink tsragirn anel ogostosi 3-in ev 4-in. Arajin ory aygegortsakan bacumn e ev himnakan expositsian, isk erkrord ory video tsragri cucadrutyunn u qnnarkumner. Isk amsi 5-in karogh enk Paweli het shat aveli compact xmbov handipel, xosel, qnnarkel inch vor baner.

Mer himnakan xndiry texnikan e, vor husov em kkaroghanank lutsel. Qani vor ashxatanqneri mets masy video mijotsi mej en, apa menk nax ev araj monitorneri xndir unenk. Mtatsum enk naev cucahandesi buklet-poster patrastel, terti formati mej. Lusinen tpagrutyan giny ev paymannery chshtelu e.

Araijm aysqany. Xndrum em dzer kartsiqnern u arajarknery grek.

Anhamber spasum enk bolorid!

Angela

Տարեդարձ

Ալինա, պետք է որ արդեն Երևանում լինես: Ինչպես տեղ հասար:

Այսօր սկսեցի կարդալ Ռաֆայել Լեմկինի դոսիեն. Թոնի Մորիսոնի «Ջազզ»ը. մի քանի դասավանդման հետ կապված անհետաքրքիր հոդվածներ (սեմինարիս համար):

Ամասիայի տարեդարձն է:

Երբ 8 տարեկան էի, Երևանն ինձ համար նույնպես տարօրինակ քաղաք էր. Զամբիայից նոր էինք վերադարձել ու բոլոր համադասարանցիներս երկչոտ էին. ոչ-ոք չէր ուզում բռնել իմ ձեռքը զույգերի շարանում:

Ընկեր Պետրոսյանն անընդհատ ուղղում էր այն աշակերտներին ովքեր առաջինն էին վերջացնում բառագրական վարժությունն ու բղավում. «Պրծա, ընկեր Պետրոսյան . . »:

Chicago Pride Parade

One week ago I was in Chicago for the 39th annual Pride Parade. Here are a few pictures:

The parade started off with police officers on horses. Seems ironic.

Dykes on Bikes!!! One of the best parts of the parade.

Don't show this to Shushan A.

Churches all over Chicago came out to support.

Agabian's work at Bread & Water Theatre (Rochester, NY)

With this year’s Rainbow Theater Festival the most successful to date, Bread & Water Theatre is proud to announce the addition of two encore performances of Nancy Agabian’s hit plays My Gay Family and The Crochet Penis. Both shows will be performed together as part of a double bill and feature the original BWT cast and creative team.

Each one-woman show is a unique take on what it is to be a bisexual woman in the modern world. My Gay Family tells the coming-of-age story of a shy, funny, Armenian-American bisexual girl who flees her small town of Walpole, Massachusetts to tell the stories of her family of one gay brother, one lesbian sister and two homophobic parents. The Crochet Penis is a much more biting play as it deals with Nancy’s life in the wake of her grandmother’s death, a woman of courage who survived the Armenian Genocide. In this emotional time she confronts her issues of sexuality, love and loss.

The encore performances of The Crochet Penis and My Gay Family will be presented at 243 Rosedale St. (New Life Presbyterian Church) on July 18th and 19th, 2008 at 8:00pm. Single ticket prices range from $5-$10 and may be purchased in person or in advance at the BWT Box office starting June 15th. For more information call (585) 271-5523.

http://www.breadandwatertheatre.org/

~~~

պլակատ II

պլակատ I

կանանց ռեսուրսային կենտրոնի սեռական բռնության դեմ պլակատների շարքից