Just as Arsineh said... thank you to all the repat loggers for being our main source of REAL news... since this whole Hayasdan thing is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO downplayed here!!! You wouldn't believe it! First of all, the newspapers only mention that there are tensions. Secondly, the TV station had a conference with different southern california Armenian news people and also downplayed it. Thirdly.... reading what you guys write... people who we trust is totally different than some news report.

I have to say that the past couple of days, I've been trying to think of ANY way that we can do something here. I heard that there are protests being organized here too.... could this be true? And what do they hope to accomplish? Should there be counter-protests? ... and why is all this happening in a month where the Armenian community needs to come together...

All I have to say is... like Arsineh said... people around me are SOOOOO oblivious to what's going on. Like maybe a handful of people know, or are interested enough... I don't know if it's fair to say that they don't care, but it boils down to this. American life is such that you are so busy in your own little world, that FEW people have the dedication, will and time to follow news from different parts of the world. Heck, they hardly have time to go visit someone on a regular weeknight. I'm not just talking about Armenians being interested in Armenia, but Americans in general. The average American doesn't go searching in problems to get involved in, or what not. And that's how "they" (medzere) like it. I feel like now, Armenians have fallen into that too. They work work work.... and at the end of the day, honestly no one cares to add another "burden" to their lives. And that's a big part of what American life is about. Why add on to your stress? You are a bill-paying machine. Few people live differently. (At least in L.A.) On any given weekend go to a mall, or go to the Grove in Hollywood, or Old Town Pasadena... you will see what American life is REALLY about. Shop shop shop = spend the money you worked for (or spend and work harder to pay). Being involved in different organizational activities, I've learned that the ways we can raise money for the real causes is to feed people, play music so they can dance, and feed them some more. Otherwise, a lot of the people aren't really interested.... sad truth.

So, really.... any suggestions on what we can do out here... how we can keep people more informed... get people involved... something! anything! I feel so helpless... That's all for now...

TSUH!