It's been interesting to read all of the election stuff going on in Armenia. Since it's tough for me to pick a candidate without actually living in Armenia, I'll leave my "vote" and sentiments as incomplete. I've been reading about Turkey's typical extortive practices with the U.S. regarding the use of military bases in Turkey. Being for or against a war in Iraq is not really my place to comment, but, one thing is obvious- the U.S. wants the oil.

A very close friend of mine is staying with me for a couple of weeks to help "upgrade" the Pomegranate Music record label that I am involved with. He graduated with an MBA from Kellogg Business School (Northwestern U.) and has been out of work for a while. Instead of sitting around looking for jobs on Phoenix, AZ, he offered to work with me for a year and provide his expertese in marketing and strategy with the hopes of having Pomegranate bust through some more barriers and markets. Selling Armenian music to the general public is not easy, but, it can be done under the guise of a mainstream "world music" label. We hope to start offering more music to Armenians and non-Armenians alike. Please let me know what type of Armenian music you would like to hear in the future. If I get enough requests for a type or style or music, we'll look into producing something along those lines...