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In Leninakan, which was Armenia's second-largest city with a population of more than 300,000, Austria is building a neighborhood complete with a clinic, hospital, school and 150-bed children's hospital. West Germany is building and equipping a polyclinic; Britain is building a school; Cuba is building two schools; Italy and Poland are building polyclinics; Denmark is rebuilding a small neighborhood, and France will erect two apartment buildings.
Foreign donors are also planning to build medical facilities, schools, rehabilitation centers and workshops to manufacture artificial limbs and other prosthetic devices in other towns in northern Armenia and in Yerevan, the capital.
"We have 20 foreign projects through the planning stage and approved for inclusion in the reconstruction effort, and a number are already under construction," said Mkhitarian, who coordinates the foreign assistance in the reconstruction effort. "The foreign assistance is very important. In Leninakan, for example, we need to build 18 hospitals. With help from other republics in the Soviet Union, we can rebuild 12 ourselves, but we needed and got foreign assistance for the other six.
"But foreign assistance of this type does not solve the problem. Armenia itself really needs to be reconstructed. We can do the building--Armenians are natural builders, and we will have help from the whole Soviet Union--but we have serious problems providing building materials, everything from cement and stone to doors and windows to pipes and electrical wiring.
"So, now we are asking other countries that, instead of more hospitals or schools or housing, they provide us with the equipment and technology to redevelop the construction industry in Armenia," Mkhitarian added.
When a donor proposes a hospital now, Armenian officials counter with a request for rock-quarrying equipment, cement plants, a stone-dressing factory.
"They are not keen for such projects," Mkhitarian lamented. "These friends tell us, 'Our people know hospitals, they know orphanages and they know kindergartens, but they will never understand a project like a quarry or construction machinery. That is not why our people gave their money.' "
But without the redevelopment of the Armenian construction industry, most of which is quite backward and much of which was centered in the earthquake area, it will be difficult to build any of these prestige projects, Mkhitarian said.
Stone-cutting machinery, for example, is urgently needed because the only stone-processing plant in Armenia was in Leninakan and was destroyed in the earthquake. Stone is the most widely used construction material in rural Armenia.
"We have thousands of families waiting to rebuild their houses in our villages, but we don't have enough stone for them," another Armenian official said. "So, they are living in tents and construction cabins and simply shacks, and that is prolonging their suffering."
Mkhitarian is beginning to have some success in persuading foreign donors to supply construction equipment.
A West German donor, for example, has supplied special equipment that will remove the steel reinforcing bars from the concrete in buildings that will be demolished as unsafe so that both the steel and even the cement can be reused in other ways. An American group that came to put up several buildings in a demonstration of construction techniques this month left promising to help establish a new cement factory here.
And the Swiss Caritas group was persuaded to provide that factory for water faucets and other plumbing equipment. "I told them, 'Just think that every time someone in Armenia turns on the tap, he will think of the generous Swiss,' " Mkhitarian said.
Caritas, in fact, is also building a large, 100-bed diagnostic center in Leninakan and equipping it with the latest medical instruments as well as a network of 21 rural dispensaries.
According to figures provided last month by the Soviet Foreign Ministry in Moscow, about $160 million in international aid has come from foreign governments, $80 million from Red Cross and Red Crescent societies worldwide, $20 million from international organizations, $39 million from private aid groups and $180 million from individuals. Funds are still being raised by many charities around the world.
Foreign donors are continuing to provide specialized medical care abroad for some of the 17,000 people injured in the earthquake.
More than 80 children whose limbs were crushed were airlifted to different hospitals in the United States for surgery and rehabilitation. Scores of other victims have gone to countries in Eastern and Western Europe and recently to Israel for treatment. Medecins Sans Frontieres, the French doctors' aid group, has established a long-term project with more than 30 personnel here. And Armenian-Americans have underwritten a mental health project to help the earthquake victims deal with the psychological trauma.
But Armenian officials, looking beyond both the continuing relief work and the rebuilding of the earthquake-devastated zone, are hoping for foreign assistance in developing the small Soviet republic's economy.
Mkhitarian, who long worked in the centralized Soviet foreign trade system in Moscow, said Armenia hopes to turn the foreign ties that it developed through the relief and reconstruction effort into a network of permanent economic relationships.
"We would like to establish a special economic zone here to attract foreign investors," Karapetyan, of the Yerevan Polytechnical Institute, added. "We can see now that future economic growth--and that means our full recovery from the earthquake--will require our opening to the outside world, our integration into the world economy. . . .
"We think we have good prospects for this. We hope, for example, that Armenians abroad, particularly engineers, scientists and businessmen, will want to do business with us. And, of course, we are looking to the United States."
The San Diego City Attorney’s office has filed charges against the owner of an ocean-view La Jolla property that has remained in an unfinished state of development for approximately eight years.
to complain about the unsightly concrete and wood skeleton protruding from the lot.
Neighbor Michael Dessent, who also complained to the office of District 1 City Council member Sherri Lightner, said the property is an “unattractive nuisance,” and, given the recent warm weather, a potential fire hazard.
Dessent and another neighbor, Natalie Schmidt, both said several offers were made on the property, including one from a neighbor, though they were not accepted.
George Papas, owner of this 1855 Soledad Ave. property, has been charged with a misdemeanor violation of San Diego Municipal Code for failing to renew an outdated development permit, which carries a potential penalty of a $1,000 fine or six months in jail.
Lynda Pfeifer with the city’s development services department said that on Sept. 16, 2013 the city’s code enforcement unit issued a citation to owner George Papas for active construction without a permit. Since no action was taken, the matter was forwarded to the city attorney’s office.
Papas has been charged with a misdemeanor violation of San Diego Municipal Code for failing to renew an outdated development permit (which carries a potential penalty of a $1,000 fine or six months in jail).
seeking comment on the property or his plans. According to Thomas Mitchell in the city attorney’s office, Papas pleaded “not guilty” to the charges on May 1. A readiness hearing is set for June 12. The owner has been given the option of completing the construction, demolishing or selling. Property records show the .29-acre, oceanfront property, with a home originally built in 1953, last sold in 2003 for $1.4 million.
Pro Football Weekly briefs on Cowboys, Vikings, Colts, Browns, Eagles and Texans.
The injuries to OLB Anthony Spencer and ILB Kevin Burnett suddenly have crippled the Cowboys’ LB depth for at least the regular-season opener, perhaps longer. Both players are trying to get back for the Week One game against the Browns.
But there is a chance neither will be available, which would leave only Bobby Carpenter and Justin Rogers as the experienced backups at linebacker and could push sixth-round OLB Erik Walden onto the roster for a week or two.
One big effect it could have is really messing with the nickel and dime defensive packages. Burnett moves to the inside, and Spencer often goes into a three-point stance on the four-man front. It remains to be seen if the remaining players could fit in there; they haven’t stood out in preseason action to date.
VIKINGS: Vikings TE Garrett Mills’ bothersome right ankle has kept him off the field and could cost him a roster spot. His lack of play this preseason has hurt his cause, despite the coaching staff’s interest in his ability. If Mills is cut, don’t be surprised if the team that drafted him — the Patriots — takes a hard look.
COLTS: The Colts are willing to suffer the inevitable growing pains and mental mistakes of second-year LB Clint Session, who has been thrust into the starting SLB role with Tyjuan Hagler rehabbing a torn pectoral muscle. Session is more natural on the weak side, but the feeling is that his knack for the big play could make him a star on either side if he can learn to harness his energy.
BROWNS: Recently acquired Browns CB Travis Daniels was a player whom Cleveland GM Phil Savage had been eyeing for a long time, a source close to the team tells us. He’s likely to be the primary backup corner but won’t be seeing time as the nickel back. Because Daniels is new to the system, the Browns don’t want to burden him with learning slot responsibilities.
With Eagles WR Kevin Curtis out about two months after having sports hernia surgery, it was thought that rookie DeSean Jackson would get a chance to start. However, the team likes the progress that Hank Baskett has made this preseason and probably will insert him into the starting lineup. Jackson still should be on the field a lot as the slot receiver, but it apparently will be Baskett and Reggie Brown lining up out wide.
The fact that Texans RB Ahman Green restructured his contract this week means that he should be safe from the upcoming roster cuts. Green has missed most of the preseason with a groin injury, and rumors were flying that the club might release him before Week One. Now that he’ll be saving the Texans $2 million, though, Green won’t have to worry about his roster spot. But he should worry about his playing time in the team’s crowded backfield.
President Barack Obama used secret channels to warn Iran against closing the Strait of Hormuz, the New York Times reported on Friday, amid recent tensions over the possible closing of the strategic waterway.
Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that the U.S. would act if Iran were to develop a nuclear weapon or close the Strait of Hormuz.
Also referring to recent tensions over the waterway, through which passes a fifth of the world’s supply of crude oil, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey said on Sunday that that Iran has the military power to block the Strait of Hormuz “for a period of time” if it decides to do so, but that the U.S. would take action to reopen waterway. “We can defeat that,” he said.
This story "Obama Warns Iran Against Closing Straits" was written by Haaretz.
Grumpy Ravens coach John Harbaugh on Monday had to answer a few questions about the use of Ray Rice in Sunday’s 22-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Based on the line of questioning from reporters, I’m guessing at least one of those guys has Rice, who had 27 rushing yards on a season-low five carries, on their fantasy team.
Sunday was the fourth time this season that Rice got fewer than 15 carries (uncoincidentally, the Ravens are 1-3 in those games). He got eight carries against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and afterward, Harbaugh vowed to get him more. But on Monday, he was defensive of Rice’s touches, insisting the Ravens had to throw the ball.
Second-and-26 is the lasting memory of Tua Tagovailoa in the title game, but how would Alabama's quarterback competition look if he didn't throw a touchdown?
Overtime. A true freshman quarterback throwing deep. A true freshman receiver hauling it in. Touchdown. Cue the confetti.
When Tua Tagovailoa tossed that 41-yard touchdown pass against Georgia, his legend was immediately cemented, and Alabama’s even more glorious future was seemingly set. Or at least, the narrative was.
We may not know Alabama’s starter – Tagovailoa or Jalen Hurts? – until he trots onto the field Saturday against Louisville. And that decision might not be final. But there’s not much doubt about the fans’ favorite, or what they expect will happen once Tagovailoa has been given the reins.
But what if second-and-26 had not become one of the all-time great moments in the Crimson Tide’s storied history? What if instead the crucial play in that all-SEC showdown for the national title had come one snap earlier, when Tagovailoa was sacked for a 16-yard loss?
“I think it would be a lot more undecided in the people’s minds,” says Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama’s senior center.
“The last thing they would remember would be negative,” nods Jonah Williams, the Tide’s junior left tackle, tag-teaming the answer.
And clearly, people envision Tua leading the Crimson Tide to more. But imagine if Georgia had won last January rather than Alabama. If that sack on first down had been the critical turning point, what then?
“There’s enough out there (on the quarterback competition) that I don’t need to answer any hypothetical question about ‘what if,’” Nick Saban says.
The working hypothesis for everyone since then is that not if, but when Tagovailoa is named the starter, he’ll give the Crimson Tide a shot to reach an even higher level. It’s an amazing thing to contemplate, considering Alabama’s routine excellence. But it’s also why this season – Alabama ranked No. 1 by everyone, as usual; loaded with talent, as usual; another national championship possible or maybe even probable, as usual – shapes up to be especially fascinating.
Saban replaced both coordinators; he’s got six new assistants; only one is in the same position he held last season. And all indications are at some point, he’ll replace a quarterback who is 26-2 as a starter with a sophomore who has played one half and one overtime of meaningful college football – though it was the most meaningful 30-plus minutes anyone could have designed.
Never mind that we don’t know how good Tagovailoa is or might become. His performance that night was uneven. The possibility is something we’ve not seen yet at Alabama: All of that talent finally complemented – fully catalyzed! – by a quarterback who is a dynamic, game-changing playmaker.
Depending on your perspective, the idea is tantalizing or terrifying.
But inside the program, the potential for controversy has to be at least concerning. They won’t say so – no one ever does – and it’s possible Tagovailoa is named the starter and is immediately so good that no concern is ever warranted. But he’s likely to experience growing pains, to make mistakes that threaten at least occasionally to slow the Tide’s roll.
The other side of that, of course, is that against most opponents, Alabama’s overall strength creates the luxury of glossing over mistakes. That wasn’t the case against Georgia. Saban insisted that playing Tagovailoa wasn’t a risk, but others disagreed.
“I just think Coach Saban realized he really had nothing to lose,” Bama cornerback Anthony Averett said that night.
There’s much to potentially lose in this decision.
Several Alabama players insist they’ll be happy with either quarterback.
The comments by Hurts were extraordinary in that, well, no one ever says anything like that in Saban’s buttoned-up program. Was it possibly a warning sign – a check-engine light reflecting potential malfunction in “the Process,” or at least of some level of dysfunction?
Did it create any consequences for Hurts or the program?“ No,” Saban says. No one has heard publicly from either quarterback since. Alabama routinely declined interview requests for both quarterbacks. But understand this: If Tagovailoa starts, Alabama will be the favorite to win the national championship. But if Hurts starts, Alabama will be the favorite to win the national championship.
In the competition and even its aftermath, there is potential for distractions to become obstacles. For a check-engine light to pop on and begin blinking red. If only generally, Saban acknowledges concern that controversy could erupt.
“Anything can (become) a problem,” he says, adding: “It’s already been created by people outside of here, right? Maybe it could get worse, I don’t know, but it’s been all the people talked about for the last however many months it’s been.”For Saban, the evaluation is far more than what happened on second-and-26.
What we’ve seen so far from Tagovailoa amounts to a snack. The last bite was crazy delicious. No one can be completely sure yet how a full meal would taste.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra managed to take in $100 million at the worldwide box office including a better-than-expected take of $56.2 million domestically. And although the film cost upwards of $300 million to make and market (and word of mouth hasn't exactly been all that glowing), this first-week victory seems to have been substantial enough for Paramount to absolutely move forward with a $equel.
Now, we reported before that G.I. Joe 2 was happening, but the LA Times was the first to confirm it: the paper scored a quote from Paramount Pictures vice chairman Rob Moore stating that the sequel "will soon go into development." The report further indicated that Rise of Cobra's lead actors are all obligated to return for another film, although director Stephen Sommers - who has been the center of some controversy over this film - is not.
Those who have seen G.I. Joe already know (for the most part) that the film miraculously succeeds in being enjoyable, even though it screws the pooch in just about every area possible - script, acting, uneven f/x, etc. Moore hinted to the LA Times that the studio is thinking that next time out, G.I. Joe will be marketed as more of a family-friendly film, as that seems to be strongest demographic (read: kids who don't care about dialogue and parents who are at least semi-entertained) that is turning out to see the movie.
For those paying attention, you'll remember that Rise of Cobra was rushed into production (including the drafting of the so-called script) in anticipation of the WGA Strike, which effectively crippled Hollywood in late 2007 through early 2008. Will a G.I. Joe sequel turn out more cohesive and polished given proper time to develop? We'll find out.
For now: what do you think about G.I. Joe 2 already being given the go? Did you enjoy Rise of Cobra? Or are you tearing at your hair, wishing that the madness would end here.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is now in theaters.
P.S. Please keep your comments SPOILER-FREE. For free and open discussion of G.I. Joe, go here.
FIRST Downing Street and then the world!
Lindsay Johnson was today hoping to learn if she is heading for her second trip to the World Cup finals after members of the England squad and management dropped in on 10 Downing Street yesterday to be the guests of Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Coach Hope Powell is due to announce her squad for the tournament in Germany over the next 48 hours.
Johnson represented her country in the 2007 World Cup in China and then played a key role in England, going all the way to the final of the Euro 2009 championship in Finland only to be controversially be left out for the final, which the Three Lions lost 6-2 to Germany.
The 31-year-old has featured in every England squad she has been available for over the last four years and has recently played in behind-closed-doors games against Sweden and USA though has not played in the main matches against those teams.
While not guaranteed a place, it would be a major surprise if one of England’s best central defenders was omitted.
England begin their World Cup campaign against Mexico on June 27 and will also face New Zealand and Japan.
Johnson said the visit to 10 Downing Street was a happy occasion – PM Cameron, an Aston Villa fan, wished them well for the tournament.
County Durham-born England U19 midfielder Jordan Nobbs, the daughter of former Pools favourite Keith, was also in the party at Downing Street.
Jake Scobey-Thal is a freelance journalist focusing on development and human rights in Asia. He can be followed @jakescobey.
Despite public assurances to address arbitrary detention, the government is still placing activists under arrest.
University on-ramp to southbound Highway 101: On Friday, July 10, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., on-ramp will be closed with a detour in place. Map courtesy of City of Palo Alto.
Drivers on U.S. Highway 101 can expect lane closures during the evening, night and early morning hours this week as the California Department of Transportation continues its work to replace the San Francisquito Bridge between Palo Alto and East Palo Alto.
The three-year project kicked off this spring and will largely be implemented between June and October of each year because of seasonal restrictions on work near the San Francisquito Creek. The $18 million effort is expected to be completed in December 2017.
The project would demolish the existing bridges over the volatile creek and replace them with larger structures that would offer more protection to the flood-prone downstream neighborhoods in Palo Alto and East Palo Alto. The existing bridge spanning 101 was initially constructed in 1931 and then widened in 1957 to include roads east and west of the highway. According to Caltrans, the bridge has "deteriorated due to wear and tidal action." Structural inspections dating back to 2001 have recommended replacement of the bridge.
But while the project promises to solve one problem, it will inevitably contribute to another. The already congested stretch of 101 around University Avenue promises to get even more crowded thanks to lane closures, offramp closures and new striping configurations.
This week, the two left lanes (known in Caltrans parlance as Lanes 1 and 2) on southbound 101 will be closed between University Avenue and Embarcadero Road between 9 p.m. Tuesday and 5 a.m. Wednesday. A similar closure will occur Thursday night. Alternate lanes on the same stretch of southbound 101 will also be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday.
Caltrans also plans to close the University offramp from southbound 101 between 10 p.m. Friday night 7 a.m. Saturday. The Embarcadero off-ramp from southbound of 101 would be closed from 9 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday. Detours will be in place for both closures, according to Caltrans.
According to Caltrans, the closures will allow crews to pave and add striping in the median. Southbound 101 will have a new striping configuration, by which traffic would be moved closer to the median barrier.
The fact that this will take 3 years on a small section of roadway is absurd. The social and economic costs of creating a traffic nightmare without any plan for dealing with the result is a show of poor management at CALTRANS that has had a policy of accelerating the work on this type of project. A three year plan sounds like the opposite. Judging by the number of workers and the lack of an around the clock effort, the plan is to just snub the community and the commuters who are forced to travel on 101 and down University/Willow/Embarcadero. Do we have State Representatives and Senators that are in touch with our community?
Nah, Caltrans has zero insight or logic into what they do.
Remember that asinine Sand Hill Road intersection project? And when it was completed they decided to widen the bridge adding additional years of inconvenience?
And forget the competency of elected officials. Look at this site's commenters: those are the people who are voting those people in.
That Winston Churchill quote rings truer than ever: "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing -- after they've tried everything else."
While we are talking piss poor planning, how about the fact that we just endured a few years of the slip lane project IN THE SAME SPOT! Couldn't it have been done at the same time?
This mess is all caused by the $100 MILLION boondoggle merging lanes that Caltrans built in Palo Alto a couple of years ago. Why didn't the NIMBYs oppose that waste of tax dollars? More freeway lanes just encourage more people to drive their cars, causing more traffic on local streets, more parking problems, more pollution, and jamming the freeway even more when there is construction or accidents.