the days of a lazy winter are long long gone. these are the days of four or five meetings a day, at least two activities in the evening and definitely four or five groups of tourists visiting. yes... if you repats are still trying to deny it... face up and chin up guys, busy season is here.

well... last night i was talking to a tourist and we were analyzing my life here versus the one i would have had in la. i was thinking ... today being friday, i would probably be waiting and anticipating for a new movie, a party, or a dinner dance weekend followed by a sunday at the beach.

instead this is what i have planned for my weekend and i love it. as you might remember arthur and i took a getaway weekend to our summer house last weekend. while we were there ms. ozzie (our golden) went to the neighbors house to scare the chickens. now a fun fact is that when chickens experience stress... they may not lay eggs. so this is what happened and now i will go the bird market to buy my neighbor chicks... thirty six of them (HOW CUTE). i also have a slew of cultural events to look forward to but this is the highlight. knowing how much i love animals i can foresee a fight...

i will ask arthur if we can keep just one. he will say no. i will promise that we can keep it on the balcony and that it will not be a bother. he will threaten that the chicken, ozzie and i can find a new place to live... then i will pout... and upon leaving the chickens at our neighbors at the summer house... i will cry... and arthur will hug me... and say... ok fine we can have just one chicken... and i will say... nooooooo (still crying)... i don't want a chicken... i want a parrot... and he will just stop talking to me for twenty minutes... until something happens to change the subject.

at first i started with a turtle... thinking who the hell would say no to a turtle... arthur did. now i am trying to devise schemes and plans to keep some kind of animal life on my balcony... we will see.

arthur and i are a bit like ricky and lucy from i love lucy. he is the foreign musician with an accent, successful and famous, (although it is me that is foreign and has an accent here in reality)... i am the curly haired wife who is always trying to convince my husband to let me be in one song... or one music video. when we were newly married... i got my way and was featured in des,den (a song) and in a music video for sirte (the heart)... but since he realized i am completely hopeless when it comes to talent... i have not been able to convince him otherwise.

irregardless of pet number two... i am so blessed that my husband (who does not like animals in the house) made the sacrifice to keep ozzie for me... that is huge and i am thankful for this.

I've been anticipating for the release of Passion for over a year. I finally saw it tonight, 5 days after it was released in Armenia, but with Russian subtitles. I really didn't think the text would be that important, as long as Mel didn't make any important changes to a story I know quite well.

When the film was released in North America my relatives and I kept wondering how the film, if released in Armenia, would be titled in Armenian. The word "passion", with the same exact meaning, as we know it to be in English, does not exist in the Armenian language. The word "kirq" or "girq", which is the closest translation, has a different meaning than what "passion" really means, especially when it comes to Christ's "passion."

When the film advertising billboards were put up a few weeks ago, the film was (and still is) titled "Qristosi Charcharanqneruh", which translates to "The Tortures of Christ." Man did this translation really upset me. Shame on whoever made this translation.

Since the release of the film here in Armenia, almost every local Armenian we know who has seen the film has hated it (the complete opposite of my friends reactions in North America.) Tonight I saw the film with my relatives and a local friend. Before the film, we told our friend the correct translation of the film title using a combination of 2 or 3 Armenian words. His reaction was quite positive after the movie. We talked about how so many people here hate it, and we came to the conclusion that one of the major reasons is because of this title. This is not a senseless movie displaying Christ being beaten up and humiliated; it has a message and an intention that many people here have misunderstood, thanks to this misleading title.

After the film, there were youth from the "Word of Life" church passing out flyers outside, similar to the ones I've seen the Jehovah's Witness' hand out. I'm not sure which denomination they belong to (that's if they do), but I was hoping the Echmiadzin church would be a little more active with the release of this film. I'm not going to start bashing our church, but when I lived in Toronto I used to avoid our church, and instead I would, once in a while, attend service at a non-denominational non-Armenian church. Eventually, sometime after I moved to Armenia, the church went through a little bit of reform, and I'm now glad to hear that the new pastor is doing a great job getting our youth more into God.

Now, I would like to see one of the churches here make an effort to announce on TV, or wherever else, the true message of this movie, and to mention the wrong translation of its title.

Bravo to Mel for making this film, and I hope it serves its purpose of saving (and/or reminding) the many lost Christians out there.

Husam shat ch'qarozeci. :-)

Today's demonstration was at the Opera from 4 to about 7. It was pretty big, peaceful, and dispersed on its own. The stated goal of the organizers is to unseat the president a la the Georgian "rose revolution", so although I do not feel the protests will achieve a change of power, what they are attempting to do is in fact have a peaceful revolution. Niziblian's relatives need not worry, this is an attempt to use people power, so unless something major changes, there is no reason to worry about the physocal danger to people steering cleer of these events.

Anyway, I hear they decided to have the next revolution (OK, OK, demonstration!) next week at the same time.

Here is a short excerpt from a cnn.com article I just read today.

An expedition is being planned for this summer to the upper reaches of Turkey's Mount Ararat where organizers hope to prove an object nestled amid the snow and ice is Noah's Ark.

A joint U.S.-Turkish team of 10 explorers plans to make the arduous trek up Turkey's tallest mountain, at 17,820 feet, from July 15 to August 15, subject to the approval of the Turkish government, said Daniel P. McGivern, president of Shamrock - The Trinity Corporation of Honolulu, Hawaii.

I know it is denial not accepting where Ararat currently is, but hearing people say, "Turkey's Mount Ararat" really sucks!

i must say that alex sardar's way with words is brilliant. thank you for sharing your words about genocide and oppressions against humanity. this was one of the most beautiful personal essays i have read in a long time.

monday morning at the office and everyone is bustling. guilty thoughts and time to ponder brings everyone bright and fresh on monday morning with ideas and goals, long forgotten, reinvented with a vengeance. i myself am guilty and have spent today organizing for what i hope will be a productive week.

the weekend marked my fourth march to the memorial where i felt the unity of my people. along the way i heard mothers answering questions about why we were there and what happened to the ancestors we were honoring. one mother told her child that we were visiting graves, as they visit their grandmothers grave. i prayed for this to be true. when we receive international recognition... i believe we will have the peace... and our ancestors will feel that they have been buried with the respect and honor that human beings deserve. canada was one very important step, i pray for the USA to be another.

arthur will begin computer classes soon and i am very curious how he will do. i know he is very interested, but also unsure. he wants to desperately learn so he can work on some of the music programs... but the computer is foreign to him... so i am assuming he feels intimidated. i am excited he has the opportunity to be introduced through a class... he marvels at how fast i type... using that as some measuring stick as to how well i know this... computer. when he finds out that an introductory course will bring us to the same level... i feel i will lose my clout as the computer master of our household.

This morning we went to pay our respect to the Genocide victims at the Dzizernagapert monument. There were thousands of Armenians, but also hundreds of Iranians, Germans, French, Americans, British and Indians that were respectful enough to take the time and lay a flower at the eternal flame. Thank you.
I’d also like to mention the well disciplined and organized manner in which the entire visit was run. There were military police and regular police lined up all along the path leading to the flame. There were ambulances in several locations. The masses were asked to halt at several intervals not to crowd the flame. There was soft music, flowers and respectful people. Last year I was disappointed by the lack of respect of the people that were visiting. They were eating chips and semoushka (seeds). This year, most of them were well groomed and all had a flower in their hand. Even those who couldn’t afford one received free flowers donated by Prapion at the foot of the slope leading to the monument. After the we laid the flowers and walked down the hill, we were surprised to see free public transportation VERY well organized to transport the visitors from the site to several destinations... Bravo to the authorities who had thought of this!
Earlier on, I had seen Kocharyan and Vehapar on TV praying in front of the flame.
There were over a million people who visited throughout the day. There were no political clashes as some had predicted and warned. SO – PLEASE STOP – stop spreading awful rumors in the Diaspora that there is a “revolution” happening. ALL my friends and family are worried needlessly that their grandchildren are in grave danger here. They have heard from Armenians from Armenia who had moved to Montreal a while back that there have been many tortured killings and people being beaten up on the streets EVERY DAY!!! That just isn’t the case. Let’s STOP this senseless sensationalism. Several thousands seniors mostly bused in from the villages does NOT constitute grounds for a REVOLUTION.

As the Turkish apology becomes more and more inevitable, this week's Yergu Par is some food for thought...

GENOCIDE: WHAT NEXT?

I'm thrilled by the Canadian Parliament's decision on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. At the same time I'm saddened for being neglected at the week of the Genocide remembrance. I will commemorate tomorrow by myself and celebrate my Dad's upcoming 89th. This is my last log for sometime.

I'm still surprised after yesterday's news about the Canadian parliament's decision.

Last night I was thinking about how many years I, along with hundreds of other Armenians throughout Canada, took the infamous trip to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 24. We would hold up signs while listening to speeches, about how our government should take this simple honest step, in front of the parliament building. Then we would march over to the Turkish embassy and start chanting, "Eshek Millet, Turk Millet" and so on. We would throw tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables at the building, until eventually the barriers the police would put up moved so far from the embassy that our food fight would never hit its target. So then it came to making "Turkish" scarecrows and setting them on fire.

Those days are somewhat over, and I'm glad they are, and now while other Armenians around the world protest against their governments, I'm sure many Canadian-Armenians will be brainstorming on the next step of this pursuit. Certainly there are people that would rather leave it at a simple government bill recognizing the Genocide, but I'm guessing the majority would like to see it taken to the next step. Let's hope we stand united on this next quest.

I just wanted to mention that, as Armenians strive for a freer country, freedom of speech, and a free and independent press, American's need to fight the same battle. Do most Americans even realize that the US government is forbidding the press from certain kinds of reporting? They are given strict instructions not to publish photos of the dead soldiers coffins, because that was one of the images that during the Vietnam war really changed public opinion. Anyway, a bunch were put online, even though traditional media won't print them, and two people were fired the one time a newspaper did print them.

www.thememoryhole.org

These are emotional days. Tomorrow we mark 89 years of oppression. To avoid redundancy, I am posting my column from this week's Asbarez Daily. I have not much more to say.

Notes From Another Place
By Alex Sardar

Tomorrow morning, after I’ve reflected on all that April 24 means to me and my family and my nation, I will rise and start walking up at sunrise to the monument that was built decades ago to the memory of the Armenian Genocide and its victims. On this April 24, like the last two, I will walk with thousands of other people, each one carrying similar pain and pleasure, similar pride and prejudice, and similar pasts and presents. We will walk step by step, stopping every so often to allow others to go in front of us.

I will look at the baby cradled in her mother’s arms, peering over her shoulder, looking at the sea of bodies moving in unison. I will look at those eyes, and wonder how many such eyes never saw beyond another march through the desert. I will look at those eyes, and wonder if she understands that which was, is, and will be—all of it hers.

After I lose eye contact with her, I will notice an elderly woman, whose energy is waning, who’s dragging her tired frame up the modest hill just so she can place the shriveled carnation in her hand at a fire that was lit decades ago, that was extinguished for some years, and is now again, lit. I may offer her some of my water, but there are also water fountains along the way.

When we come to the first stop, where the group in front of us is allowed to continue, while we wait behind a rope drawn by the police, until there is reasonable distance between the crowds, so that people don’t get trampled, we will continue. We’ll continue orderly until we enter the cement slabs, wherein the fire rages on.

We will leave the cement chamber on the opposite side, and as we look up we’ll see the swallows that circle up above, waiting to take word to those who walked not to the fire but in the fire, who didn’t stop willingly, but were forced to stop, and who didn’t choose to gather up and hike up hills and dip into valleys but were made to do so. The swallows will wait to take word from us to those who didn’t have water fountains, but had forbidden rivers along their march, whose eyes looked but didn’t see, whose hearts beat but stopped feeling.

As I then walk down to return to my life, I will try to make sense of it all; I will try to understand wherein lies the significance of this ritual. Because, as a Diasporan Armenian, as a descendent of a genocide almost a century ago, never having had the comfort of calling my home mine, always asserting my identity, just so that no one else would dare to make me forget, I need to understand why in this place that’s supposed to be my home, my land, I still feel, along with so many others, the need to look back, and fight those who will never understand why I need to remember.

Perhaps I will speak to a swallow, one that is perched up on my balcony railings the next morning, after having some clarity from emotion. I will say to the swallow, take the word to your friends, and take it beyond. Tell them that on this day, we, Armenians remembered. We, people of good conscience remembered, and we, human beings said, it matters not whether your name is Shooshig Kouchikian, Rosa Parks or Matthew Shepperd, it matters that we pledged to not let it happen, again and again, because oppression is the same, no matter where and when it occurs.

Then I will join my grandmother, my storyteller and my history, in thought and work until I no longer have to talk to the swallows.

Although I am content with the Canadian Parliament’s decision, I have just been informed of a very disturbing situation that is taking place as we speak in Akhaltskha, Georgia.
At the end of the soviet era, over %80 of the population of this city were Armenians, today, due to the Georgian government’s oppression; there are less than %40 left. Javakhk has been Armenian territory for a very long time. Just recently, Georgia created a university to invite a large number of students to Akhaltskha to study and live there.
The sad news that I am talking about is the removal of a large Khachkar that was to be inaugurated in two days. The Georgian authorities used a crane to remove the monument dedicated to the Genocide and placed it near a small Armenian church outside of town. From what I understood, the land was legally provided to the Armenian community to be used as a monument site... There are thousands of Armenians rallied up in front of the Regional Government building (Marzbedaran). As I write these lines, 10 representatives of the Armenian community are in discussions with the Marzbed. If they cannot come up with a reasonable and satisfactory solution, I am afraid there will be serious consequences. Many of the Armenian youth there are angry about this unjust situation. Unfortunately they don’t have any guidance from either Armenia or the Diaspora. This community is isolated and is in serious danger.

Another important Canadian-Armenian event was Isabel Bayrakdarian's concert at the Opera house. She was a shining star. Only a diasporan-Armenian could appreciate the true pride she must have felt standing in from of thousands of her compatriates in her homeland. She was brilliant.
I am proud today as an Armenian who grew up in Canada.

Congratulations!!! I had just returned from ordering the PSAK (flower arrangement ) for our march to the memorial when I heard. What beautiful timing.

I am sure many Armenian stars in the sky will shine brighter tonight!!!

Go go go Canada! USA catch up!!!

As a Canadian Armenian, I had to express my feelings. THIS has got to be a great day for ALL those Armenians in Canada that had been working on this issue forever 10,15,20 years. The Quebec and Ontario provincial governments had already been passing motion recognizing the Genocide, it was always the Canadian Parliament that was opposing it with fear of hurting Turkey's feelings.
AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY - that is just great!
That makes 3 of the G-8 countries to have recognized the Genocide; France, Russia and Canada (correct me if I am wrong).

WOOO-HOOO!

The Canadian Parliament, With Overwhelming Majority, Recognizes the Armenian Genocide

A Historic Day for Canadian-Armenians

OTTAWA, April 21 - On the eve of the 89th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Canadian House of Commons, with overwhelming majority, recognized the Armenian Genocide. The non-partisan vote was 153 for 68 against. When the result of the vote was announced, the House of Commons chamber, which was packed with Armenians from Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and other Canadian cities, burst in applause and ringing "bravo." Tears of joy could be seen in the eyes of many Armenians.

Bravo to our new Prime Minister Paul Martin for making this a free "non-partisan" vote.

Another restaurant has just recently opened in Yerevan, and of course I have to express my opinions on this site.

The restaurant "Charlies", which I used to visit quite frequently, closed down last year, and has now been replaced by the hip new restaurant "SOHO" (which has been open for just over a week.) The restaurant is owned by the Jivanian Family from Syria, who also own "Phoenicia", the upper class restaurant by Cascade.

The decor is quite nice, and very unique for Armenia. The waiters are also dressed quite decent. The food is not bad, though not outstanding either. Now the sad part ... the prices are ridiculously expensive compared to other restaurants in Yerevan. A simple cheeseburger plate is almost 5,000 drams, about $9 US. I used to think Marriott's burger at 2,900 drams was peaking it. The other complaint is that when I picture a restaurant like this in any other city around the world, they are usually cozier and more inviting, yet SOHO lacks that, and the aura seems somewhat cold.

Next door used to be an old barbershop taking up about half a block. That has finally been torn down and is under construction. That section of Abovyan Street (north of Sayat Nova) has been dead for quite some time, but hopefully we'll see some decent shops and restaurants opening up there soon. Cafes are no exception, I can tell they are building at least one. What is that? Yerevan cafe #500?

So the revolution had a good turnout today. They gathered at Opera, walked down Mashdots to Amiryan to Republic Square, up Nalbandyan and back to Opera. Very peacedul I am happy to report. The police had blocked off Baghramyan with barbed wire and other goodies just in case people tried to walk that way.

Well, the revolution is scheduled to start again in 15 minutes, after some technical difficulties. I saw some people gathering early on my way back to the office, and the organizers are saying they will once again march up Baghramyan Street, which is still open at this point. Let just hope everything is peaceful....

For Armenians, mostly those in the Diaspora, April is an important month. Many organizations suspend all their other activities to focus on commemorative or advocacy events in the name of the Armenian Genocide. I was a part of all of that until last year when I moved to Armenia. This year, I felt a void; especially with the weird political situation here. However, last weekend I did something so special that completed the void and made a lot of sense.
On Friday, I accepted an invitation by Hayr Papken to visit his church and community in Akhalkalak, Javakhk. What a discovery. Here is an Armenian community on the northern border of Armenia who are completely neglected by their Georgian authorities (even oppressed), detached from Armenia and almost ignored by the Diaspora. The current situation there is reminiscent of the situation in Karabagh before the 1988 uprising. The Georgians who are allies with the USA, Turkey and NATO are pressuring the Armenians to abandon their homes and villages through oppressive methods. They are closing down Armenian schools, making it almost difficult to travel from village to village to city with the Greater Javakhk area. In Akhlskha, which is the largest city in Javakhk, the Armenian community represented a strong 80% of the population before the crumbling of the soviet regime. Today, there are less then 40%. In Javakhk, there are no factories, no work places to give hope to young families. Most of the youth have left the cities and villages to work in Tbilisi, Moscow or Yerevan.
Over the weekend, I met with a group of young, dynamic men and women who are doing everything in their power to create a more prosperous place for themselves. They have created a youth center with a hand made health club, a radio station that they are working to expand on and much more. They work mostly with Hayr Papken, who is himself one of the most active priests I have ever been in contact with. This man is an inspiration to the entire community, and I look upon him as a Hero. With almost no financial support from Echmiadzin, he has built a community around the church. He has a youth choir, a puppet theatre group, a Sunday school, a women’s auxiliary committee and a great team of people who are there to help in any way.
During the time I was there, I was invited to a baptism. Most Armenians in the former soviet republics are not baptized. Hayr Sourp (Papken) and the women’s auxiliary group had organized a large scale baptism for 50 orphaned street kids. These youth either lost their mother, father or both and live in very harsh conditions. The church is the only institution so far that seems to be thinking of this group of people. On Saturday, I was invited to be a Godfather to 2 of these kids; a brother and a sister (Araradig and Haiganoush) who were from a nearby village.
In my mind, this was the answer we Armenians are giving to Turkey. No matter how much they tried to eliminate us, we are still around; we are growing and becoming strong. The baptism of each youth on Saturday represented another pillar that holds up the history and future of this ancient people.

a radio station is playing all the right songs right now... so much so... that i stopped my work and instantly logged on to write that... this is also life in armenia... the fact that i can turn on the radio and listen to music that speaks to my soul... that has hints of my people's past, present and future.

ahhh... thanks to a reader who tipped off his father (a world famous structural engineer) i will have my yard checked out today... a first step and a good one. thanks.

other than this, thank you to my friends and family who have been sending letters of support... or just making me smile.

in four days we will commemorate the genocide. i am about to go and order the flowers that our collective of work friends will take with us to the memorial. it is almost weird to say, but i am looking forward to seeing my people collected... as one power... with one cause. all this seperation... all these views... it makes me so nervous. it is the only light at the end of a horrible tunnel... that in four days, i will feel the power of a unified nation. i wish we could carry this in to our love for armenia...

one of the security guards at work just came to see me. he has come to see me before... once he brought me a painting he had painted... once he brought a comic series, which he had done, (i include one in every monthly employee newsletter)... and now he brought us a song that he wrote... wanting to give the melody as a gift to arthur. he said... he wanted the song to be about me... because he thought i was a nice person. this meant the world to me.

there are a lot of things in my life which are very unstable these days... these last few weeks especially. but the amount of support and friendship and love (from my family and husband) that i have received... make it all ok... and makes all the instability feel like a roller coaster ride that is life that we must take and that we must go through...

i read an interesting quote from a former british ambassador... which said something like this. for a long time people have been saying that "this is a time of transition", adam must have said it to even upon leaving the garden of eden...

it is true... it will always be a time of transition. we can only pray that the transition we see for armenia... does not include the blood and violence of last week.

Also, I wanted to comment on a couple of bits of news....

President Robert Kocharian warned his political opponents Monday against holding further “disruptive” demonstrations in Yerevan, saying that the Armenian police would again use force to break them up.

He was also largely satisfied with international reaction to last week’s brutal suppression of the first such protest and the ensued mass arrests of opposition activists.

“Nobody prevented the opposition from staging sit-ins, [square] rallies,” Kocharian said in an interview with the Russian daily “Izvestiya” published by his press service. “But if there will be more opposition attempts to attract attention by blocking thoroughfares or hampering the work of state institutions, then the police will do what they are obliged to do. And the president will do what he is obliged to do under the constitution. Namely, to ensure the normal functioning of government bodies.”

Apparently, the President has not heard enough on this, and needs more condemnations. Amazing that rather than distancing himself, or heaven forbid apologizing, he just promises more!

Some great news to cheer us up though is what Arsineh already mentioned in the Diaspora log. The New York Times will never cast a shadow of a doubt on the Armenian Genocide again! It is a new editorial policy. This folks, is almost as big as France recognizing the genocide, and I also feel is irreversible. It will make April 24 this year much less depressing as the crack's in the massive dam of Turkey's campaign of denial are growing quite large, and look to soon become an unstoppable flood. I just hope the inevitable apology from Turkey comes in time for a survivor to hear it...

So it turns out there was a rally last week, they had to change the venue to the Matenadaran, since the Opera was full of parked cars... this week there are supposed to be more protests, but the sad thing is that nobody in government has admitted any wrongdoing. But there has been some pressure, although none sadly from the Tashnags... you should never be too vested to do the right thing.

So these journals are 3 years old this month... pretty cool! I had no idea I'd still be here... but all of the loggers who have come and gone on this page are still in Armenia, and few knew they would be. I think that really says something. In June I will have been here 5 years!

The garden is coming along quite nicely... lots and lots to do still, but one big bed is finished. Now I just have to wait for the plants to fill in! The remond is coming along quite well too. Quite rewarding to watch. It is going to be just right I think. Hopefully I can keep the costs somewhere on this planet... I keep veering towards the fancy.

The weekend was quite ordinary, I didn't have the energy to do much after the week's events. So on Friday night I watched "once upon a time in Mexico" followed by a frozen margarita at Cactus (I've only been there twice). Saturday night I finally visited the Irish pub on Sayat Nova, simply because they had fosters beer, ok the company was good too. I'm afraid the place looked nothing like an Irish pub in design nor atmosphere. Yesterday I celebrated my third anniversary in Armenia by watching a disturbing movie "Butterfly Effect" not much of a celebration really. This was followed by watching "Spy Game", why couldn't I have just watched comedy? Like I said not much of a weekend.

Last night the opposition was supposed to have another protest at the Opera, but apparently the entire Opera square was filled with parked cars by the government! So I don't know how that turned out. The Armenian Assembly came out with a good statement on what is going on. I hope the others follow suit. Keep up the pressure!! We do not want a repeat of this ever again.

But in the life goes on portion of this log, I have finally bought a TV for this apartment. It was a good deal. Unfortunately the first fridge I liked was out of stock, and the second was apparently not "no frost" despite all assurances to the contrary. So I have to keep looking. Also, the lilies I planted have started to sprout, and all the plants are doing well! These next one or two days of cold should be the end of it I think, and I will be able to plant all of my seedlings and potted plants which I have space for this week. The garden will suddenly become a real garden!

And the other cool news is that I will be going to Croatia soon :-)

I haven't logged since that horrible night, but the other loggers have written quite a bit, so I won't bother. Luckily, I wasn't there to witness those horrific events, all I know is that I got into bed just before 2am and I heard rumbling outside, thinking it was a thunderstorm.

I heard that on April 15 about 2,000 youth protested the aggression that took place the other day. If this news is true, bravo!

On another note, I had such a wonderful time tonight. It was my aunt and uncles wedding anniversary, so I took them out for a classy dinner, followed by the Armen Movsisyan record release concert. All I can say is that Armen is definitely one of the greatest artists out right now. More than 80% of the Armenian pop artists are complete garbage; they all sing the same flat style, lacking even a hint of depth or creativity. And then we have the other extreme, amazing artists such as Armen, Roupen and Lilit.

A singer such as Armen Movsisyan cannot stay silent when it comes to politics and the current state of Armenia. His songs are about our national heroes, our hopes, our dreams, our tribulations, and so much more. Introducing a song he wrote right when the ex-president resigned, he said, "No more Levon Ter-Petrossian", that led to a sudden applause in the row I was sitting in. He also sang songs about friends of his he has lost in the Artsakh war, as well as simple everyday issues. The performance setup consisted of his acoustic guitar and, of course, himself, yet it was filled with so much emotion and beauty. Bravo Armen!

Since the mood is so somber as the other loggers are reporting, this Sunday marks my third anniversary of living in Armenia, volunteering and working. It was Alex's 2nd anniversary a couple of days ago and Raffi K's 1st year since his return from a short break. Time to contemplate?

The Armenian Assembly of America posted a statement today on the demonstrations in Armenia as follows.

STATEMENT ON DEMONSTRATIONS IN ARMENIA

As the leaders of the opposition call for another round of demonstrations,
we urge restraint and calm by the opposition and the Armenian government.
Direct political dialogue is urgently required and is eminently preferable
to further confrontation. Threats of force or the use of force to change
government or to prevent peaceful protest is inadmissible.

We urge that the parliament convene to deal promptly with laws that empower
and regulate freedom of assembly and speech. It has been generally
acknowledged in Armenia and frequently noted by the international community
that current laws are not in compliance with European Union standards. It
is vital that laws meeting international standards be put in place as
quickly as possible that provide for unfettered assembly and responsible
speech.

We also urge that the Armenian government take resolute steps to protect
journalists from interference and violence as they perform their
professional duties.


Armenian Assembly of America
April 15, 2004

at 3:20 am this morning there was a loud and disturbing noise. of course i freaked out once again... but this time the noise was different... and too close.

arthur looked out the balcony and saw our neighbors running towards our dalan (the arched entrance to our yard)... arthur set out on the same journey and found that a large and new retaining wall had crumbled and literally broken the floor under it.

perhaps i need to take you back a year or two... so that you can understand how corruption and the system led to the eventual breaking of this wall... and thus structural damage to our dalan and yard.

a year and a half ago, builders with huge connections to the government came to our yard. since we live smack in the center of yerevan, our real estate was like prime rib, and they could only be compared to a pack of wolves.

since we live in a pretty old part of yerevan... there were a group of single family homes... and our building... the builders sent all the tenants away to live in apartments that they (the builders) would sport the rent for. they promised them compensation for their homes within three years of time. the next step was leveling and tearing down all those houses... clearing the land... and digging a large hole while putting up a retaining wall.

at the same time they were lobbying our building (an old three story baghdad style building) to agree (each apartment owner had to sign) for them to build NINE floors on top of our three story building... to make a whopping 12 story building. their connections promised all the political pressure for most of the neighbors to sign ... but a few of us resisted... and without our signatures... it will be difficult for them to start construction.

it does not take an architectural background or even a rocket scientist to understand that there is no way... 9 floors should be built on 3. i was mortified when they came to speak to me... and was amazed they had the nerve.

last night when their retaining wall broke (obviously the normal regulations were not followed upon building this wall)... it took along with it... meters of our yard... down into a ditch they have dug... over ten meters deep.

we do not have car access into our yard, and the rest of the retaining wall which has been left standing... is a danger hazard along with the meters of land near it.

i am sure they did not follow building codes... and i am sure their connections made them exempt from any checks and balances. most of my neighbors have not received their compensation and continue to live in rented apartments waiting for the day that they will receive money for their homes.

this is all coming down too fast and too hard. i don't know too many people that have worn a smile this week. i am not one of them. it really is a somber day and the mood is beyond low... it just does not exist.

while i am in the process of curing a slipped disk... i have realized i am quite numb... the backpain... is the only thing i have felt in a few days... i am just numb... because it is too painful to deal with being sad, frustrated or angry...

The weather is somber. The mood in Yerevan is low. Lots of mixte feelings. I have been listening to Rouben Haghvertyan songs for the past several days... very appropriate.

I pray for Armenia.

This is the third day since the events of Monday night/Tuesday morning. I wish I could say that out of that night of terror new dialogue or healthy discourse has emerged, but it hasn't. In fact, the same stagnated, tired words are repeated over and over again. I've had a difficult time concentrating on much else. Because of my work, I get to deal with the current political stale mate in Armenia, and so, I don't really have a break from the ever-changing events in this regard.

I've also followed the logs and in those rare moments of silence, have tried to come up with workable solutions to figure out what the answer is. I must say that at least on the logs, it seems, people are finally talking about these events from a variety of perspectives. It's good and healthy. Each one of us doesn't need to agree with every perspective expressed, but at least there is talk and discussion, which is more than one can say about the rest of our communities.

After reading the comments section and some of the logs on both pages, I felt the need to make a distinction in what I see to be important when talking about the events in Armenia in the last few weeks. I think whether one agrees with the opposition or not, is a personal/political issue. No one here, including I, will not presume to impose personal politics on others, and certainly I'm very conscious of not infusing my political ideology into what I write on the logs. So, when writing about the demonstrations prior to Monday night, what most of us were writing was about the Armenian people's right to stand up and speak for themselves. I understand that many believe that they are paid to be out there. Fine, if we assume that 90 percent are there not out of genuine interest in change, then we have to support the rights of the 10 percent to be able to voice their concerns in a safe environment.

I strongly believe that the focus has completely shifted since Monday. It is not longer about people voicing their concerns, but it's fighting blatant abuses of human rights. I don't care what party you are from, and what political affiliation you have, if you consider yourself a person of good conscience, then you will stand up and defend the right of any human being, any journalist, any NGO representative, and any activist to peacefully express his/her opinion without fearing reprisals from any authority. What occurred on Monday night was a violation of human rights. It was not an attempt to disperse protestors, it was not about shutting down a demonstrations. It was about inflicting terror of the worst kind. It was about physical and psychological terror, and it was about a severe political crackdown, that has turned Yerevan into a police zone.

And I hope the symbolism of April is in fact not lost on anyone. Oppression is oppression—whether it comes in the form of genocide, political terror, discrimination based on arbitrary social stratification—it is oppression, and of all people, we Armenians will not stand for oppression anywhere, much less in our own land.

At the same time, we have to begin thinking about how to ensure that the state institutions in Armenia are strengthened in a substantive way so that in another five years we don’t go through the same episodes. But parallel to this, we absolutely must stand and demand that human rights in Armenia are observed and protected not just theoretically but functionally.

Today opposition and coalition representative, as well as other factions in parliament gave their post Monday assessment, and there was not much new in what they said. New calls for dialogue were made on one side, and demands of accountability on the other. Some political figures have been set free, with pending criminal charges. New demonstrations have been called. NGO and youth organizations this evening had a small rally at the Matenadaran, and it drew a good number of people standing up for human rights.

There is much to be done, and we each have a role, starting with disseminating information about these events, and making sure that people understand what this struggle is about, and not allowing those with specific agendas to hijack this issue for their gain. This is about human rights and nothing more.


"Tolerance implies a respect for another person, not because he is wrong or even because he is right, but because he is human."

-- John Cogley Commonweal

A meeting will take place tonight at Freedom Square at 6pm. The police have not been allowing any gatherings at the Opera however the following people are pretty sure they will succeed. This is the notice I received yesterday.

Dear Representatives of International Organizations!

Today in Armenia there are numerous cases of infringements of people's constitutional rights. Unfortunately, those cases do not result in proper reaction from the intellectuals and the wider public of our country.

Apart from any political belonging those violations should be condemned.

We, representatives of more than 70 rights-protective, youth, student and other public organizations, in the course of joint discussions have come to the following mutual directive (agreement).

We want to live in a free, democratic and open society, where the rights of every single citizen are respected and protected.

We find that social and political stability can be based exclusively on the Rule of Law, and complete protection of people's and citizen's rights.

The stability based on violence and terror is illusory and deceptive.

We condemn the course of actions undertaken by the current powers, directed at solving political issues via brutal force. Those actions through our Country off the track towards civilized development.

Our struggle pursues not political but CIVIL goals.

We urge all conscious citizens and especially the youth, who care for their Countries future well being to take part in the demonstration to be held on April 15 at 6pm in the Freedom Square.

Initiative Group

So I feel a tiny bit better knowing that we have put some wheels into motion on this issue. You cannot imagine how it affects you to see with your own eyes this sort of oppression. In Armenia.

Armenia's Foreign Minister today "warned against superficial judgments on the internal political situation in Armenia". He has some nerve. Most of the beatings were carried out directly in front of the US Embassy. He claims he wants to see a US condemnation of opposition leadership calls for violence. If the leadership calls for violence, charge them for it in court. If protesters peacefully block a street, you peacefully arrest them. I consider the US statement quite mild, and want pressure the entire world, especially the Diaspora to be felt. I ESPECIALLY want to single out the Tashnags, who are members of the ruling coalition to make sure that their name is not dirtied, and that things are put right. The beatings should not go unpunished, it is a crime and should be treated as such. Those planning and executing it should be identified and locked up.

This weeks log/commentary is a call to arms of sorts. It was written with other repatriates out of frustration with the events going on here, the desire to make a change, and to not allow these events to pass without a strong reaction from the Diaspora. We always ask what the Diaspora can possibly do to influence the government here. This is our stand, this is our attempt to try to make that influence felt. How? We would like to see individuals and organizations alike - across the Diaspora - make public statements about the human rights abuses going on. We would like to see them encourage others to make the same sorts of strong statements, and we want EVERYONE who comes into ANY contact with ANY government official of Armenia to bring this issue up and beat it home. We WILL NOT stand for this kind of government abuse of human rights in Armenia. Please read on to see what I am talking about, and copy this entire text and pass it on in a massive email education/action campaign. We will all be sending this out individually, but are speaking with one voice. The President of Armenia, rather than condemn these actions, has promised to repeat them. We need to promise to do everything in our power to prevent this.

Finally I would like to emphasize that I do not support either side in their struggle for power. I merely cannot stand by and watch people beaten senseless by their own government when they are completely peaceful.

So PLEASE, go to the following page, copy the ENTIRE page and email it to everyone you know....

http://www.cilicia.com/board/viewtopic.php?p=1349

(Photo copyright RFE/RL)

I just received this piece and it seems to answer some of my questions from the previous log. It seems that Mr. Bush is now giving lessons on how to "... not tolerate violence against pro-democracy demonstrators".
Please read between the lines when you read this article. Who is it geared to? who seem to be the nice neighbours? pay attention to the vocabulary... and don't tell me THe Wall Street Journal is not playing its own little game about getting "more influence in the region" - I am MAD!!!

Next Up in the Caucasus

These are testing and historic times in Armenia. I am not going to elaborate on the events as some of the loggers did it quite well. I want to take this to another level. I want us to think about what is the real cause and who is really instigating these demonstrations. I know it takes a lot of money and support to organize such a movement... where did Keghamian and the rest get the money from? ... food for thought.

My next comment is about the transition period of this young republic. Let’s be honest with ourselves, who really believed that the transition from a state run, communist, centralized society to a “democratic”, just with a free market economy one would be smooth and simple. I think this is a necessary step for a society to take in order for it to earn its democracy. Armenia was one day told that you are no longer a socialist country with centralized powers in Moscow but an independent and democratic one... u-uh, too easy!

As for the media, I agree with Alex on most points, but I ask you all to think of one TV station that reports events without altering or manipulating the truth – and please don’t even bother to say CNN, BBC or Al-Jazira. They all have an agenda... so do the Armenian media. It’s wrong, but that’s how it is.

This being said, I really don’t know what to think of this mess. Is it real? Are the people who have come to demonstrate genuine? Are they being paid or “sponsored” by a superior power? It all smells funny. If you ask me, the opposition (if we can call it that) should work harder within the government to impose new laws and demand a more just system. That’s when I will start believing that something might change. All I see at the moment is a group of people who want a piece of what this other group of people have. And what they have is the wealth and ALL the rights. I am not so sure that if we changed the current governing body with the group that is creating all of this disruption, we would come out as winners.

Don’t misunderstand; I too am not very satisfied with the Kocharyan rule. It is corrupt and even ruthless. I cannot say that I feel completely safe here, but I would like to think that with some contribution I would one day change something. That something is happening on a daily bases. I talk to people, I interact with locals as friends as colleagues as a citizen. I am able to convince some of those with whom I speak that things are getting better. It’s true that it is not obvious to the naked eye, but with some analysis, one can conclude that within the past 4-5 years things have gotten much better in Armenia. I am also adamant to remind some of these people that they deserve the government they have. Many people in the villages sold their votes for a sack of flower or a mere 5,000 Drams ($10). Is that the value of their future? So they ate better for 2-3 weeks, who’s going to give them bread for the next 5 years, until next elections? Some people agree with me... the important thing is that I am contributing my experience, my knowledge and I am almost forcing people to think. This is the most important action to take before any move – THINK.

Photo of the peaceful opposition protest on April 12 around 6pm (6 hours before they were attacked)



The riot police at the same time...

I also saw footage of the peaceful demonstrators practically an hour before the violence. There was an old man telling his life story to the cameraman and literally carying his life story on him. I don't even want to know if anything happened to that man. Others were singing and dancing on Baghramian, I saw no signs of protestors throwing rocks at anyone as I have read in one report.

As Raffi mentioned the lights were turned off long enough to move the water cannons. I know this since my electricity was turned off too just then, and it came back on before 2am. Meanwhile the cars parked on Byron St received word to go ahead and the countless police were waiting in little alleys to ensure no one got away.

One report says the following "But Kocharian defended the use of force, saying through a spokesman that the opposition actions amounted to `political extremism.' He warned that further attempts to force him into resignation would be
countered in the same way".

Oh I'm CHARMED!!!

On a different note the April issue of Budget Travel has a story on Armenia http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4361859/

The last 24 hours have been chaotic. If not visibly so, there has been a strange sense of quiet in the streets, and I couldn't figure out if it was the quiet before or after the storm.

As I walked out of my apartment on Tuesday morning to go to work, I still had the images of the preceding few hours in my head, and walking out I felt like I was entering into a 1950's American suburb, where everything just seemed rosy, and no one even pretended that anything happened 6 hours before that.

Baghramian Ave. was open and cars were rushing up and down, much like the riot gear cops and the demonstrators were doing on foot.

During the day yesterday opposition party offices were ransacked and personalities taken into custody. Periodic reports of another person beaten, another leader arrested became mainstay during the day. For those political figures who are members of parliament, parliamentary immunity doesn't seem to have played a role. So, there are many questions that are yet unanswered.

I, and the rest of the loggers, have received tens of emails on our logs. It's encouraging to know that there is a larger prupose to these logs. Many are concerned about our safety. Speaking on my behalf, I can say that we are perhaps the safest of all--at least physically. Our spirits, and that of the Armenian nation, is a whole other issue.

The official response to the events of Monday/Tuesday has been mind boggling. Coalition party representatives have been timid. The president's office has issued no response. The national police has justified their actions by defining the opposition demonstrators as violent and unruly. Several NGO's and public organizations have come out strongly condemning the events and their aftermath.

Since I'm rushing to get to work right now, I will throw this out there and ellaborate on it more. I'm completely baffled by the local and international, diaspora news coverage of these events. In Armenia, no TV Station has properly shown or discussed the events, with the exception of Kentron TV, which has become a bit more timid than days before. My biggest disappointment is with Armenia TV--that owned partly by the Cafesjian Family Foundation--for blatantly tainting facts, and presenting not the news, but their version of reality in Armenia. I'm singling out this TV station, because my hope would be that one co-owned by a Diasporan philanthropist would show more transparent sensibilities. This hope, however, is obviously misplaced, and it has shown that this "news" outlet is no better than the vast majority of others here and abroad, completely ignoring the facts, and creating new ones.

And yes, there is much to do for everyone.

Another quote, so as not to break the tradition:
"The hottest place in the inferno, is reserved for those who in times of moral crisis choose to remain neutral."

--Dante Aligieri in Inferno

All day I have just been disgusted at the authorities here, especially with Kocharian. As I was always told growing up, "the fish stinks from it's head". As I learned more and more, it was more and more disgusting. Here is the story. They turned off the lights on the street long enough to move the water cannons closer to the protesters. The riot police and special forces hid up and down every single escape route the protesters could have. And at 2 in the morning, when everything was completely peaceful, they attacked the protestors violently, treating them worse than animals. As they tried to run away, their every exit was blocked and they were beaten savagely. I saw footage of blood taken this morning as far as Mashdots and Cascade. I don't know how some of those people sustained so much blood loss. The oppressed media has virtually ignored these events, much like when Kocharian's bodyguard killed a man at Poplavok for saying something disrespectful to him. (not vulgar, just disrespectful). I would be surprised if nobody has died from injuries - that is how much blood I saw in the footage. And Kocharian has not even put on the facade of innocent, and has not even tried to say the police acted beyonf their orders. No. Everything went according to plan.

Disgusting. This man should NEVER again be shown any respect. No Diaspora community should ever welcome him. He is an animal, an should be regarded as one. I saw footage of the peaceful protests an hour and a half before the attack and could only imagine every single person in the crowd being beaten and battered.

it's very sad when one loses one's hope. i have lost my hope in this government, and i am just plain exhausted.

i have been awake since 2 am contemplating how, when and why this country turned into a dictatorship. i went to go buy some fresh juice, to get some energy back this morning and i saw blood on the newly renovated sidewalks on my way to the store.

i keep searching for news... and all i have found are a few internet articles. i keep searching for answers... but there are not too many of those either... and they are not as easily found as articles on the internet.

i am taking this personally, i am upset about this and i am extremely sad for my country. i wish i could believe the measly report that the news stations have been reiterating this morning... but the witnesses are too many and they are too startled. people who saw, heard or were a part of last night... showed me a side of terror that i had never encountered in my life.

i am very sad today and i cannot shake it off. i think it will be a while before anyone living in this country can.

I forgot to mention that the news made it on BBC this morning and on http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3621061.stm, however nothing was mentioned on CNN news.

Panic And Mass Arrests As Opposition Protest Suppressed

Last night's blasts took me back to the war in Lebanon, where as I child I would go to bed in jeans and at the first sound of bombs seek shelter somewhere. There were 8 blasts one after the other then another 2 blasts after 10 minutes at 2am this morning. For the first time since I've been in Armenia, coming up to my 3rd anniversary, I felt scared. Thank God for Alex and Raffi, who kept talking to me on the phone to get me through my fear of violence.

I have never seen Byron Street so busy as I did at 2am this morning. Cars everywhere, headlights on ready to escape from the govt residence. They were all prepared all sitting in their cars ready to go, they knew.

I just returned from Mashtots Street and there was blood everywhere on the footpath leading up to Matenadaran. Some poor bastard had walked up that path after being bashed bleeding everywhere. This is just too sad, I don’t know what to think.

Raffi logged most of the details. The adrenaline rush is too intense.

At about 1:50 a.m. I heard a couple of explosions with some lightning. went out on the balcony toward my courtyard, just as Lena was calling me to tell me that this was not fireworks, but bombs. we assume they were fake noise bombs used as a deterrent.

I went to the opposite side of my apartment facing saryan street, with a view of the baghramian intersection. i saw crowds building. put on clothes and ran downstairs. as i was talking to two women who were explaining to me that people were being beaten up by the National Assembly building. "there was a man who's head was bashed in, with blood spilling all over," said one woman. then she turned to the building--my building--and started crying for people to wake up and come out to fight.

as i was catching my breath, i noticed two police officers directly across the street from me, with a bunch of riot gear police running after them. one police officer--have no idea what the rank was--had another man by the neck and he was inflicting kick after kick on the man's body. the man was able to get away, but the riot gear police were chasing another group to the National Unity building which is adjacent to where Raffi and I live.

as i was told by my neighbor to go back up, i realized that a bunch of people were also running up my stairwell with me, trying to escape the police. i ran in to my apartment and started watching from my living room window. raffi came up, and we were in communication with Lena who lives close to the Opera.

The scenes reminded me of the days of the Iranian revolution. Several red beret (sp?) special forces were out and looking around. we saw one with a baton. we also saw a riot gear police officer at the National Unity building.

journalists were filming, and they relayed to us that they were chased and that the producer was threatened. the cameraman was also threatened.

at about 3 a.m. after things had calmed down on baghramian and the riot gear had moved up the street in formation, i hear scuffle in the back courtyard again. it was too dark, but i saw men chasing after one or more person(s), and i saw one using a stun gun--not on someone, but just in the air.

all in all a stunning display of force and brutality. what the outcome is will not be clear, but i don't think that the opposition is going to let up so easily, and this has just escalated what was a war of words to a high-stakes game of street politics.

i should also add that it's not clear what initiated the attack, whether the opposition activists or the government forces were the first to engage in violence. no news outlet has yet reported on this. we do know that AP and Reuters had journalists out there.

The revolution took a turn for the bad as the riot police stormed them at around 2am. I live next to the foot of Baghramyan Street where the protestors were doing an overnight vigil at the foot of Parliament, when upstairs Alex heard explosions which woke him up as well as Lena further down nearer to the Opera. I woke up (I live on the quieter courtyard side) when I heard people runing past my apartment screaming. Meanwhile Alex had gone down to the street and witnessed some beatings and the police chasing protestors. I called Alex and went up to see from his window and there were tons of riot police and the water cannons were there too. But little activity left. They had already cleared the protesters away from nearly a kilometer up the road. A two person camera crew recorded the scene a few minutes, then left as well. They had been chased as well. No idea what set this off, although we suspected the police would do this in the middle of the night. Don't know what to say in the way of injuries, etc. The camera crew said a bunch of arrests had already taken place... sad night here. Don't know just how bad the damage is or isn't but it is just a sad state of affairs when things come to this. There is a lot of the resentment like that in Georgia, just not a good alternative... Is the revolution over? If it is, did it serve as any kind of wake up call to the authorities to shape up?

The unrest in Yerevan continued over the weekend and today as well. It's difficult calling it unrest, because in reality it's very peaceful and well-maintained, but it is still an uprising of sorts.

My last log got a lot of supportive as well as critical attention. I won't apologize for it, and I also won't take credit for the praise. It is simply what I see as the plain truth in the Armenian realm.

I reacted to other loggers, and will again react to other loggers, because that's what we're called here to do--to speak our minds and to share our experiences in Armenia. No message or messenger is less important to this forum. But at the same time, we must take responsibility for what we write, and I believe we all have and continue to do so.

Many people wrote to me about the comedy night email that the diasporan organization sent out, and on this issue too, I still stand by the reaction I had to receiving an email about an insignificant event (in the grander scheme of things--and please don't think that it went unnoticed that this event is taking place the week of Genocide commemorative events), while I have searched high and low for any organization in the Diaspora that has taken half of a step to inform various sectors of the community on the very historic and important events in the Armenian homeland. Poor timing, bad organization, whatever the case may be, it is what it is.

My intention is not to place blame, but it is to find a workable solution. Armenia and Diaspora do not interact in a meaningful, purposeful manner. They just don't. Isolated events, mostly of the fundraising sort, are not enough to call it purposeful. But the first step to being in a working relationship is to have information, and that's where the organized diaspora has to take the responsibilty, along with Armenia's leadership in ensuring that there are clear and open channels of communication for the flow of information bilaterally.

In any case, the great offense I see in what's happening is that there is a large part of Armenia that has on access to anything that comes even close to humane standards of living. And this is where we all have to come together. But come together not to collect money for the next band aid solution, but come together to substanatively think about long-term solutions. We do it all the time, we do it for others, we do it in our adopted countries, so why can't we bring that enormous talent and resource to this place. This is the questions that every Armenian must be preoccupied with at the moment.

If we fail then, we'll at least be able to say that we tried. But losing without trying is just unacceptable. Too many people have sacrificed too much for us to call it a day.

A friend's email signature quotes an Armenian Fidayee (freedome fighter), saying that if success alludes us after much sacrifice, there is only one thing to do: more sacrifice.

You'll agree that Armenian freedom fighters know a thing or two about victory, won't you?

Well I just left the revolution... it seemed to be at a standstill unless something changed the situation. They marched from the Opera up Baghramyan, about 2 or 3 blocks, when they came up to a barbed wire barricade near the Parliament. Behind the barbed wire were tear gas canisters set to go off, and tire shredders to prevent cars from coming through. Then there was a bit of space before another wall of barbed wire and then the riot police. So the opposition was on one side, the riot police on the other at a standstill. The opposition was making demands from the loudspeaker... Kocharian should step down, the Speaker of Parliament should talk to them and switch sides. This was all just a few steps from the US Embassy. Anyway, that is how I left it... all I care is that there is no violence, really... but I like the opposition less than I like the government, so I hope they can peacefully keep things under control. Lena is still at the revolution - she got some great pictures we'll have to put online...

Well the rallies have been whatever. I watched the passive crowd on friday night then returned for another look later and by 9pm the crowd had thinned and those who were there earlier a lot were just passers by and not there to rally. Anyway I left Yerevan on Saturday all day and I'm sure Raffi will tell that story. Although we did not see any blockage in or out of the city, I'm told that it was the buses filled with people that were not allowed in to the city not cars. Today I will go again to watch and maybe even walk up Baghramian to the parliament.

On a different note, not that I like talking about this but I feel that readers should know, just in this past week old guys have tried to pick me up in their cars. The first instance was in the morning on my way to work crossing at the lights, this fat guy in a niva gestures me to come to his car. When I start mumbling under my breath (I will not quote what I said) the fat guy got fed up and said "dah, dah, ansri" well go ahead?

The other instance was last night, I went to Arto's last concert from the Armenian Navy Band and even though my friends asked to walk me home I thought I would be ok since it was only 2 blocks away from home. So again this other fat guy makes a remark while I was walking, I ignored him and kept walking. Then I noticed he got inside his car made a uturn, stopped the car in front of me and got out saying "siroun akhtchig"blah blah, I turned around and asked him in English if he was following me, usually they tend to give up at this point especially since I had raised my voice. Not this fat guy though, he got back in his car and kept driving ahead and stopped right in front of my house entrance. I stopped when I saw him since I couldn't go inside my entrance. Three men standing asked if they could help. But instead of helping they ask where I was from where did I live? WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE, ARE YOU GOING TO HELP OR NOT? what saved me was an american girl who was walking on her own and when they saw that there were 2 of us, everyone pissed off and left us alone!!!

i want to add that my last log generalized the diaspora. i know many armenians outside of armenia that make contributions of their time and money and commitment that are beyond the imagineable realms of responsibility. i know many friends whose love for armenia and being armenian is strong... and this impacts this country in great proportions as well.

i work for an amazing man... and although he lives in the diaspora... he is leaving an impression on this country... with his efforts and good will... beyond imagination. his contributions significantly improve the lives of hundreds and thousands of people here each and every day.

may God bless.

public transportation was down and the roads were blocked. this was not rumors being spread by the opposition, this was my staff unable to make it to work from etchmiadzin and kharberd and this was my eyes seeing it from the ashdarak road. ask anyone who commutes to yerevan. there were crowds of people standing by the road... in the hopes they would see a friendly face who owns a car. it was a sad reality. however, the roads were not blocked today.

i blew out my back coughing. i decided i would take care of my physical health and visited some doctors today... including a chiropracter who has me standing up straight again. (i looked like a question mark over the weekend). my mental health on the other hand has been a question mark for more than just this weekend. :o)

in fifty minutes another rally is going to begin... and i am feeling a disattachment from the diaspora. i keep thinking of an analogy... i feel like we have a grandparent (armenia) sick in the hospital... i feel like i am the grandchild holding my grandparents hand... while some of my cousins are not nearby... or not even aware about their grandparents health. i know i should not be thinking this way... but i cannot help wondering if my fellow armenians that i grew up with... all those who would stay up late hours with me at ayf camp singing revolutionary songs... are now concerned and following through for a stronger armenia. are they organizing meetings where they can discuss the situation, are they bringing awareness to their community? do they remember the songs they sang and what they meant... or did they sing their hearts out so they would be first in line at the cafeteria after flagpole?

i am sorry to be so rough but sometimes i want to feel that the people who stayed behind (and away from the homeland)... did so with a larger purpose in mind. i hope to think they are enticing and adding to the armenian lobby in their countries... i hope to think they are sending their hard earned dollars here for good causes... that they are encouraging their children to think about armenia... and that they are travelling here on their vacations at the least. this place needs all of you... in this day and age... when we finally have an armenia to shape and guide... it is not enough to just feel armenian, eat koo koo at zatik, or speak armenian... or attend armenian network events. this is the time when being armenian... becomes more difficult and more of a challenge and i hope that many of you embrace this challenge. i feel very rewarded and i hope that you too can feel the same. any contribution that is worthy of who you are and where you are in this world... is valuable. the more... the better chance that we will survive as a nation and thus as a people.

A belated Happy Easter...

Quite an exhausting weekend. At the last second a hike I have been wanting to do came together, and turned out beautifully - though much much longer than anticipated. It was a 5.5 hour hike, versus a max of 2 I was expecting. We did not have any lunch, barely any water, and hiked till 7:30pm. Not to mention the drive was almost 3 hours each way, and then some off-roading. These were some of Armenia's lost monasteries, in the deep forest, forgotten by time and people... 2 of them were just wonders, while the third was much simpler and smaller. I can't put up the pictures just now, but I will have to get around to it. I've just been too busy!

Easter Sunday was quite good - 2.5 hours gardening, 15 minutes at church, 3 hours at breakfast buffet, 2 hours napping, movie at Kino Nairi, and finally a bite.

I should probably be contacting Alex directly, but I don't want others to misunderstand my last log (seeing that Alex's log quoted a couple of my comments.)

On April 3 I wrote another log and I did say, "...So how could anyone be against these rallies from taking place?"

I'm not against what is going on ONE BIT, but most of us have no clue what the opposition thinks they will achieve if they got Kocharian to step down.

This whole thing is a quite frustrating and I apologize if I offended anyone with my "jobless" comment.

On another note, Urban Development Minister has "willingly" renounced his title because of some stupidity his son was involved in recently. I'm not sure how genuine his resignation was, nevertheless it was a good move.

Today I will drop by the BIG family's home I logged about on March 3. Someone from Toronto, who would like to remain anonymous, sent a whole bunch of beautiful new clothes for the kids as well as some money. (I hope he doesn't mind this ... ) But Raffi K and his father have also made a great monetary contribution. My relatives here and I have also collected a bunch of new (or fairly new) clothes and packed it all into a suitcase which we're going to go drop off right now.

STILL, if anyone would like to help this awesome family, please write to me at armoaid@yahoo.com. A BIG THANKS again to those who replied to my log.

This is perhaps not a good idea. This log. It's 5 a.m., and I have not been able to sleep for the last few hours, and it may not be prudent to write on a public site, but I have to, so thanks for your indulgence.

I also went to the demonstrations, and I need to qualify my statements by saying that as part of my work in Armenia, I deal with political issues on a daily basis, and I do know some of the principals involved in what's going on right now in Armenia. I am not in support of one side or the other. In fact, I think much of what is happening is misguided.

Having said this, I also had the opportunity to talk to some "jobless people from the villages" and while I know that people are at times paid to come out to these things, and not everyone is there out of genuine interest or commitment, I do believe that there are those who are yearning to be heard and they are starved for proper leadership.

I had the opportunity to talk to two older gentlemen--jobless veterans. And one said to me, "My biggest regret in life is that I haven't and probably won't see my grandchildren truly happy." And this is at the heart of what's happening in Armenia.

It's not the political figures who are fighting over power. It's about the ordinary people who are losing out on life. It's about feeling oppressed and being oppressed. It's about young people not knowing their youth. It's about all of this.

While I was contemplating how to write all of this down, I received two emails from two diasporan organizations--your run of the mill young profession network type organizations--advertising their upcoming comedy night or fundraiser. And instantly I felt my anger level and hopelessness rise to dangerous levels. I thought to myself, therein lies the reality of it all. We have a Diaspora that is substantively disengaged from Armenia, and while I won't go into the reasons, I will say that the fact that all that's coming out of the Diaspora are hollow statements--ones void of any true understanding of Armenia in its current state--is at best paltry, and at most disappointing. Then there is a visible minority in Armenia--mostly in Yerevan, who by others' accounts are busy preparing for Easter--who also don't reflect the reality for a majority of Armenians.

So, while we are each entitled to our opinions, we must also face up to the fact that there is dissatisfaction, hopelessness, and serious lack of substantive and purposeful dialogue in the Armenian world.

We Diasporans who live in Armenia do not reflect the joy, or the suffering, of being of this country. We simply don't. So, let's not pretend. But I think we have a responsibility to recognize that there is reason for the discontent, and there is a serious lack of leadership in this country, and dare I say, in the Diaspora.

My friends are sick of me using this quote, but I must.

"The struggle of man against power, is the struggle of memory against forgetting," said Milan Kundera in the Book of Laughter and Crying. I think it'll serve us well to remember.

Ah yes, the revolution. Coming to a city near you. I must say thank you to the government forces for so far not using force. I must also say it is a sad commentary that I have to say thank you for something that should be expected.

At 5pm there were about 20,000 protesters, and by 9 pm a few hundred. I don't know how many will actually spend the night like they are being encouraged to.

Other than that, the weather is absolutely beautiful, and I hope my cold is nearly over already!

LIES LIES LIES!

The comment Madlene made about public transportation being down was a lie the opposition created. Actually, I saw quite a few yertughain taxis (marshrutkas) out there today.

The opposition has also made up a lie about dysentery, and some other viruses, spreading like mad in the country. The Ministry of Health actually held a meeting today just to inform the public that there are no outbreaks. The opposition is simply trying to create hysteria in Armenia.

They had their meeting today by the Opera with a few thousand jobless people from the villages. Other than that, the majority of Yerevantsis were busy shopping for their Easter celebrations coming up this weekend.

Props go out to the Dashnaktsutiun for at least making an effort to communicate with the opposition, and for asking the government to create dialogue with the opposition. And yesterday, the Dashnaktsutiun gathered a group of intellectuals to talk about what is going on right now and for the public to hear their opinions.

Anyway, it is about 10pm and although the opposition said they would take over today (April the 9th), as of now ... Kocharian is still president.

life in armenia is different today. on my way to work the streets were empty. i did not have to dodge the numerous marshotnis that usually creep up on you while you are driving; apparently public transportation is down. i do not want to be lethargic but i cannot help but feel absolute dissapointment for a government that is doing too little and uncertainty about an opposition that i cannot bring myself to trust.

my day is filled with events that will put me on the roller coaster we all seem to be riding here. first i will visit a western style center for learning where i will see armenia's future getting a wonderful education in agro-business. since i have visited before, and have seen what a good job they are doing at the agro-business teaching center... i am assuming once again i will be lifted and ispired. (inspired but without the n makes it ispired ispirian style)

shortly thereafter i have a meeting with a parliamentarian and thus will be going to the parliament building; where i am assuming i might get dissapointed. although the parliamentarian i am meeting is very nice, and rather honest... the mood of the parliament is more constricting than anything else. the souls of the deceased have not been laid to rest... you can almost feel the heaviness in the building. one of my dearest and most favorite people here in armenia is the wife of a parliamentarian killed on october 27th. the strength that she has acquired and the passion that she uses to fight for change (in her own role as principal of a school) is ispiring... and the only light at the end of the tunnel for me when i have to think about that fall day, when our parliament was splashed all over the international news network... with scenes of blood and murder.

in the evening i have an opening of an art show to attend. i am assuming i will be lifted once again. after the art show i will come home to watch the news... i pray that this will not bring me down... i pray that the news will GENUINLY hold truth that will bring me up...

having said all of this... and letting you all in on my deepest thoughts feelings and emotions this morning... i must say that i am very fortunate to live here. this may sound weird to you. i spent the last few hundred words complaining about all that is wrong here... but i am fortunate to be here. i am grateful i am here during this hard time. perhaps it is like visiting someone at the hospital and being by their side. i am proud to be here by armenia's side. perhaps i keep thinking of my friends all over the world who love this country but are far removed right now... and perhaps they are frantically searching the internet for up to the minute news about the country... but i have the news here in my heart...

the news is that we are going through a tough time. a lot of this has to do with the government... a lot of this is because the opposition has not left us with much hope that they can help. the news is that one of my assistants slept over our house last night... because i would be able to drop her off at school this morning... and it seemed her only way of getting an education today. the news is that i am happy that people are mobilizing... but i wish that there was a reason i believed in... and an infrastructure that would support their freedom of speech and the right to assemble. the news is that today armenia will see a big rally ... the outcome may bring us one step closer or one step farther from democracy, i hope everyone keeps us (as residents of this country, and as a nation) in their prayers.

as for me, as down as i seem right now... in essence i agree with winston churchill: "I am an optimist. It does not seem to much use being anything else."

I can certainly vouch for the appearance of tourists all over. I was at Marco Polo last night at the outdoor tables and saw a good number of them wandering the streets :-) It is inspiriing, makes me want to finish revising Rediscovering Armenia asap.

My cold is creeping along. No signs of ending, but it is not keeping me at home either. The forecast seems to be predicting great weather from now on, so I want to get out of town this weekend, so I really want this cold to just end already.

Work is going ok. I have written a couple of interesting articles about the work we are doing in the past couple of weeks which I hope will show up in the Diasporan newspapers soon.

And in one of those matters I don't feel free to openly discuss, I am being hit up for a bribe. At this point I am still determined to resist...

And finally, this week I was worried I did not have a particular issue in mind to write my commentary about, but I have to give a "special" thanks to the Armenian President for helping me out with this matter. Read on:
AMOT, ROBO-JAN

Once again so many tourists in town, just today I met an Irish, A kiwi and an American all randomly while I was having lunch with my "buddy" from AVC who was in the second group (I was a volunteer in the first year). A whole group of 8 or 9 graders are staying at Ani Hotel on a school excursion from LA, then a big group of Germans are also staying at the hotel. I'll have to make some enquiries to see if the German tour is a result of the ITB exhibition or any way related to it. This is an exhibition we helped sponsor last year to promote Armenia with funds from USAID. I believe that adventure tourism in Armenia is the way to go

i have stayed silent for too long. hi everyone :o)

i would like to start off my log by complimenting harout on his, and stating that it really is one of the best logs i have read in a long time. bravo

political unrest in armenia is apparent in daily life. my assistant was not able to come to work or attend her classes the other day because she is from etchmiadzin and they had blocked the roads. when she called in to tell us she will not be coming she confided in me that she was just trying to get an education... just trying to drive into town to empower her mind... very sad that she was not able to attend classes. I know all about sacrafices but at times I feel we as a people are not sure that these sacrafices are for ... anything but the lesser of two evils... not really sure which side is the lesser??? . when you look at the big picture and put aside all the personalities and the particularities... awareness for a better armenia is on the rise and i see it happening every day (little by little but our stock is going up people).

april holds many titles for armenia. today we once again celebrate women (which we should be celebrating on a daily basis), we focus on the injustice of genocide and appreciate jazz (an art founded on the need to create after centuries of oppression). after visiting the chamber orchestra of armenia last night... and in general living in armenia... i have come to understand that the reason why we as a nation have so much talent... is because we are a country of old souls... with many stories to tell... how amazing we choose to tell them through beautiful music, flowing poetry and amazing art.

i am trying to write this new paragraph about our trip to egypt but am finding it hard. i feel too passionate about armenia right now to switch my mind to something else. i will have to save the trip for another time. i will say that travelling is by far my favorite thing to do in the world. However something tiny kept tugging at me the whole time I was there. I terribly missed my Vardaguyn (Pink) Yerevan.

Picking up on a theme that Harout brought up - all the construction going on in our parks... Yesterday while walking past another big stone cafe in Opera park (which is officially known as Freedom Square), I thought how funny it was that freedom square was being built up into solid cafes, and how ironic it would be if a Freedom Square Liberation Front was to blow them all up. I of course am not advocating that at all, just mentioning it would be ironic. That having been said, I am quite guilty of patronizing the cafes...

Now on to fun stuff. Despite my weird cold (which is getting much better) I went out looking at materials for my remodeling yesterday, and believe it or not there was even a "remodeling expo" at the Painters Union. It was quite small, but there was a booth for these local handmade tiles that one repatriate is having done, and I had seen at a friends house before... I just want to say they were stunningly beautiful, as good as the best from Italy or Spain or anywhere else. Plus they can do all kinds of custom stuff for you. We ended up visiting the factory and talking to the artist that designs many of the tiles and I will probably end up using some. I am thinking maybe the kitchen counter... Anyway, they will have a website at www.manettiles.com eventually and what with the huge number of Armenians in the tile importing business in California, this stuff should really take off!

I'm writing from Sam's house. It's Saturday afternoon and we just heard Hagoop, a repat from Cyprus that just returned from India. He went through a seminar at the Isha Center. It is a Yoga/Meditation training. He gave us a presentation about his experience at this center as well as his trek to the Himalayas. It was fascinating to see a friend so passionate about something so interesting. Thanks to him I am more knowledgeable. I have been interested in alternative spiritual paths. I am and have been Christian since my christening, but I have never found true spiritual fulfillment in the Armenian Church. Most of the priests I have come across in the Armenian Church have disappointed me with ignorant answers to fundamental questions. I have never done Yoga exercises but I am considering this path that might lead me to where it is I want to be spiritually.

I think I saw Elle Woods walking on Mashtots the other day. She was wearing a pink outfit, walking her chihuahua, which was tied to a florescent pink dog leash. But her hairdo was different. It was sort of like a huge colourful fireworks presentation, but permed.

Well, summer is around the corner, and all the girls of Yerevan are putting away their dark coloured clothing and taking out all the so-called latest fashions, all trying to outdo each other. The Casper look (completely dressed in white, with bleached hair) is apparently still in. But completely pink is also quite popular now.

On another note ... the city has planned to close down the street I live on because Kocharian lives down the road and the opposition has planned to camp out at the entrance gates to his home. I definitely think the man has become quite lazy since he was re-elected, but what positive changes could any of the oppostion leaders possibly bring to this country? WHAT do they want to do? We have no idea what their plans are?

Greed and corruption is everywhere. And sadly, although on different levels, we are all contributing to corruption. Until everyone in this country starts showing just a little bit of interest in the well-being of others, nothing will ever change. "Menq Hayer@ davachanox enq/We Armenians are betrayers" is a phrase I have heard so many times since I moved here. Now isn't that something to be proud of.

Recently there was a bill, which would prevent teens under 18 from purchasing cigarettes, but was rejected since there are members of parliament which own tobacco manufacturing companies.

The mayor of Yerevan recently called on the police to ban a protest that was taking place against illegal construction in Yerevan's green areas. Did the mayor think that the environmentalists were going to get out of hand?

These are just two of hundreds of serious issues that need to be tackled in this country, yet our government just ignores its people's cries. So how could anyone be against these rallies from taking place?

A few days ago I was walking on Abovyan St. with a friend, and we passed by this one coffee shop that has a beautiful European-like setup outside with beautiful trees and bushes. My friend (a local), who, on many occasions, has mentioned that he wants to move out of Armenia, said to me, "You know what scares me is that sometimes I think I don't want to leave this place." I told him, "I know why you think that, it's because you see that there is so much potential, yet the corruption is holding it back from developing." I told him that that is one of the biggest reasons why we expats move here in the first place. We see so much potential in this awesome country, and we want to be here to help nourish it, and see it mature into one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

Back from Egypt, I'm sure Madlene will log all about it, right Madlene? I must say the highlight of the trip was the drive from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo driving through the desert, seeing the Pyramids and the Sphinx. The weather was perfect and we left the 37 degree heat on the last day to return to the cold and rain. What is going on? When I left Yerevan it was so warm, I guess apricots will be scarce again this year. I wait all year to have these damn apricots and the season lasts 2 weeks, ok I'm exaggerating.

As we were driving in Cairo, we spotted the Armenian Church from the bridge. The city is fascinating and I will need to return to Cairo one day and do Petra next time too, I was so close from Sharm El Sheikh. The place was swarming with Russian and Italian tourists. All in all a good break with perfect weather, back to reality again.

The remond is coming along quite well. The walls are almost finished! The photo I took below is a cute old building about to be torn down to make way for the new pedestrian blvd. from Opera to Republic Square. Also - check out my latest column on Those D@mn Barsgahays...