This log page looks like it belongs to Arsineh… it’s great that you kept going while most of us were too lazy. Thanks Arsineh! Well the Raffi-s are back, where are you Juan and Shooshig and Rosita and the others… we miss you!
Life has been very active in the past weeks. I had a chance to visit NY last weekend. I had no idea that Zabel was there. If I go again, I will make a point of calling her. I was actually there for the LCO annual meeting. It was cool meeting ‘cause the board chose the new projects for the summer. You can visit their site if you want more details: www.landandculture.org.
This weekend my family and I will take a trip to Toronto. We have some family there that have kids the age of Amassia and Varanta. They will be happy.
I saw a few films and some plays. A Turkish film called “Propaganda”, a French action movie called “Yamakasi” a Norwegian film “Festin” a German one called “Pour une poigné d’herbe”. However, I wanted to talk to you about 2 American films in particular. I think I had already mentioned one of them here. They are “Roger and me” and “Bowling for Columbine” by the great Michael Moore. I think I will buy these videos and bring them along with me to Armenia so that when Armenians tell me how heavenly America is, I can sit them down and let the documentaries tell them otherwise. I am not saying that there aren’t heavenly things in the USA or Canada or other “western” countries, but I think there are just hellish things as well. During my visits to Armenia, whenever I spoke about Canada to a local in Armenia, they first referred to it as “Ameriga” and then said that people there are all rich and live an easy life. I think they have to stop watching Dallas and 90210 or at least watch them with a critical point of view. Am I asking too much?
Moving on, The Zoryan Institute of Canada is holding for a second year, a 2-week seminar on Genocide and Human Rights during this summer in Toronto. The lecturers are great scholars like Taner Akçam, Visiting Associate Professor, Dept. of History, University of Minnesota; Frank Chalk, Dept. of History, Concordia University; Vahakn Dadrian, Director, Genocide Research, Zoryan Institute; Helen Fein, Executive Director, Institute for the Study of Genocide at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY and Research Associate, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Richard G. Hovannisian, Holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History at UCLA; Jacques Kornberg, Prof. Emeritus, Dept. of History, University of Toronto; Robert Melson, Professor of Political Science, Purdue University; Roger Smith, Professor Emeritus of Government at the College of William and Mary; and Khachig Tölölyan, Prof. of English, Wesleyan University, Connecticut. Among the guest speakers will be Major Brent Beardsley, of the Canadian Forces, who was with the UN Peacekeepers in Rwanda at the time of the genocide there, and Dr. Louis M. Najarian, Clinical Associate Professor Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, an expert in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Those interested could contact them through zoryan@idirect.ca
In Montreal: Harout Pamboukjian will be in town for the Valentine’s weekend. More than 1,000 people are expected to be there! Hagop Hacikian (author of “A summer without Dawn”) wins an important prize for his great literary work. Other than that, I have been so disconnected from the Armenian community that I don’t know what else is going on.
I took my kids to an anti-war rally a week ago. I was frustrated with my friends’ and family’s apathy. They don’t seem to understand that a war on the other side of the ocean will have major effects on them as well. I mean besides hurting us economically here in the “west”, it will have devastating results on families and friends living in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. Most of the Iraqi refugees (and God know there will be lots) will escape to neighboring countries and will consequently effect the fragile economic and social situations of those countries as well. Extremist groups will get excited and will start counter-attacking and keeping us all in fear of walking out of our houses… I can go on, but I think you understand my concern. I mean, many of us Armenians know what kind of consequences a war can have on a society. Let’s think back to the Genocide, or recently the NKR conflict. The people there (and here) are still paying for it.
For Rosita: Ouremn ays pajinu hayerenov bidi krem. Muys log-is mech hayeren lezvi massin khosk eradz eyi, yev aracharg mu yeghadz er vor inchou hayerenov chenk portser haghrtaktsil. Ays megu arachin ports’s eh. Miyain mdahokutyuns ayn eh vor shad mu gartatsoghner bidi chi hasgnan yev “frustrated” bidi ullan. (what do you think?)
What else, oh yes! It’s great to have you back Madlene and Raffi M… And Raffi K in NY?? This is going to be interesting. Please log your thoughts Raffi.
Life has been very active in the past weeks. I had a chance to visit NY last weekend. I had no idea that Zabel was there. If I go again, I will make a point of calling her. I was actually there for the LCO annual meeting. It was cool meeting ‘cause the board chose the new projects for the summer. You can visit their site if you want more details: www.landandculture.org.
This weekend my family and I will take a trip to Toronto. We have some family there that have kids the age of Amassia and Varanta. They will be happy.
I saw a few films and some plays. A Turkish film called “Propaganda”, a French action movie called “Yamakasi” a Norwegian film “Festin” a German one called “Pour une poigné d’herbe”. However, I wanted to talk to you about 2 American films in particular. I think I had already mentioned one of them here. They are “Roger and me” and “Bowling for Columbine” by the great Michael Moore. I think I will buy these videos and bring them along with me to Armenia so that when Armenians tell me how heavenly America is, I can sit them down and let the documentaries tell them otherwise. I am not saying that there aren’t heavenly things in the USA or Canada or other “western” countries, but I think there are just hellish things as well. During my visits to Armenia, whenever I spoke about Canada to a local in Armenia, they first referred to it as “Ameriga” and then said that people there are all rich and live an easy life. I think they have to stop watching Dallas and 90210 or at least watch them with a critical point of view. Am I asking too much?
Moving on, The Zoryan Institute of Canada is holding for a second year, a 2-week seminar on Genocide and Human Rights during this summer in Toronto. The lecturers are great scholars like Taner Akçam, Visiting Associate Professor, Dept. of History, University of Minnesota; Frank Chalk, Dept. of History, Concordia University; Vahakn Dadrian, Director, Genocide Research, Zoryan Institute; Helen Fein, Executive Director, Institute for the Study of Genocide at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY and Research Associate, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Richard G. Hovannisian, Holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History at UCLA; Jacques Kornberg, Prof. Emeritus, Dept. of History, University of Toronto; Robert Melson, Professor of Political Science, Purdue University; Roger Smith, Professor Emeritus of Government at the College of William and Mary; and Khachig Tölölyan, Prof. of English, Wesleyan University, Connecticut. Among the guest speakers will be Major Brent Beardsley, of the Canadian Forces, who was with the UN Peacekeepers in Rwanda at the time of the genocide there, and Dr. Louis M. Najarian, Clinical Associate Professor Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, an expert in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Those interested could contact them through zoryan@idirect.ca
In Montreal: Harout Pamboukjian will be in town for the Valentine’s weekend. More than 1,000 people are expected to be there! Hagop Hacikian (author of “A summer without Dawn”) wins an important prize for his great literary work. Other than that, I have been so disconnected from the Armenian community that I don’t know what else is going on.
I took my kids to an anti-war rally a week ago. I was frustrated with my friends’ and family’s apathy. They don’t seem to understand that a war on the other side of the ocean will have major effects on them as well. I mean besides hurting us economically here in the “west”, it will have devastating results on families and friends living in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. Most of the Iraqi refugees (and God know there will be lots) will escape to neighboring countries and will consequently effect the fragile economic and social situations of those countries as well. Extremist groups will get excited and will start counter-attacking and keeping us all in fear of walking out of our houses… I can go on, but I think you understand my concern. I mean, many of us Armenians know what kind of consequences a war can have on a society. Let’s think back to the Genocide, or recently the NKR conflict. The people there (and here) are still paying for it.
For Rosita: Ouremn ays pajinu hayerenov bidi krem. Muys log-is mech hayeren lezvi massin khosk eradz eyi, yev aracharg mu yeghadz er vor inchou hayerenov chenk portser haghrtaktsil. Ays megu arachin ports’s eh. Miyain mdahokutyuns ayn eh vor shad mu gartatsoghner bidi chi hasgnan yev “frustrated” bidi ullan. (what do you think?)
What else, oh yes! It’s great to have you back Madlene and Raffi M… And Raffi K in NY?? This is going to be interesting. Please log your thoughts Raffi.
posted by Raffi N at 10:26 AM
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