Attorney for NAMBLA represents the Turks

Oh what a tale to tell. A new angle has been put forward by the Turks in Massachusetts, targeting the state curriculums. As reported by the Boston Globe, "Two high school teachers, a student and the Assembly of Turkish American Associations are suing state education officials in federal court, challenging a law that set guidelines for teaching students about human rights violations. The law, which went into effect in 1999, specifically lists the Holocaust, the Mussolini fascist regime, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and "the Armenian genocide."

They are suggesting that "both sides" of the story should be presented for students to allow students to come to their own conclusions. There is only one side to this story... the truth.

Here’s the juicy part. Representing the teachers, students and ATAA is Attorney at Law, Harvey Siverglate. Doesn’t ring a bell? Here’s a little background on his legendary contribution to the legal system… he represented NAMBLA, the North American Man/Boy Love Association!!! Take a look at his website: http://www.harveysilverglate.com/

If this guy is willing to represent NAMBLA, it’s no surprise to me that he is willing to represent the Turks. There’s 1st amendment rights for free speech, and then there is rights to the truth. This would never be allowed if we were talking about the Holocaust.

Here’s an old Associated Press article on the case. (Thank the good ol’ detective work of a few Armenians here who magically remembered his name and connected the dots.)


ACLU TO REPRESENT GROUP THAT ADVOCATES SEX BETWEEN MEN AND BOYS.

By Associated Press, 8/31/2000 07:34

BOSTON (AP) The American Civil Liberties Union will represent a group that advocates sex between men and boys in a lawsuit brought by the family of a slain 10-year-old boy.

The family of Jeffrey Curley of Cambridge said the North American Man/Boy Love Association and its Web site which is now offline incited the murder of the boy Oct. 1, 1997.

One of two men convicted in the killing, Charles Jaynes, 25, of Brockton, reportedly viewed the group's Web site shortly before the killing, and also had in his possession some of NAMBLA's publications. Also convicted in the killing was Salvatore Sicari, 24, of Cambridge. The ACLU said the case, filed in federal court in mid-May, involves issues of freedom of speech and association.

''For us, it is a fundamental First Amendment case,'' John Roberts, executive director of the Massachusetts branch of the ACLU, told The Boston Globe for Thursday's editions. ''It has to do with communications on a Web site, and material that does not promote any kind of criminal behavior whatsoever.''

ACLU officials said NAMBLA members deny encouraging coercion, rape or violence.

Attorney Lawrence Frisoli, of Cambridge, who represents the Curleys, said he is glad the ACLU is defending NAMBLA, because he has had trouble locating the group's members.

ACLU board member Harvey Silverglate said that the group's attorneys will try to block any attempt by the Curleys to get NAMBLA's membership lists, or other materials identifying members. He cited U.S. Supreme Court cases from the 1960s that protected the NAACP's civil rights activities in the south.

The ACLU also will act as a surrogate for NAMBLA, allowing its members to defend themselves in court while remaining anonymous. NAMBLA officials in the past have said their main goal is the abolition of age-of-consent laws that classify sex with children as rape.

At two separate trials last year, prosecutors said Jaynes and Sicari suffocated, murdered and molested the boy before stuffing his body into a concrete-filled container and dumping it into a Maine river.

Aug. 23, the Curleys were awarded $328 million by a Middlesex Superior Court jury in a civil suit against Jaynes and Sicari.

Happy Halloween

Tomorrow is Halloween and I will be going to a Rufus Wainwright show ot celebrate the occassion. Actually I have no thoughts on Halloween other than the fact that it's a good excuse to eat candy. Otherwise it means nothing to me.

I finally got around to uploading all the photos from Vehapar's visit to Washington on my website, so enjoy:

www.digitalrailroad.net/Arsineh

Otherwise, I went out last night with a lovely group of Armenians living in DC and at some point I looked around only to realize that they were all from LA. It's scary, the LA invasion continues. DC is definitely a place where people come and go, sometimes only for a few weeks, months or years, but rarely much longer than that. Right now there is a nice group of people here and we spent our Halloween outting at a great jazz lounge last night.

Taking a Break

This time of year usually gets a bit crazy for me. So, before the storm, my wife and I decided to take a quick trip to our favorite extended regional getaway city Montreal. While here, we caught Atom Egoyan's latest film "Where The Truth Lies". I was bracing for the worst since the movie has received so-so reviews, however, I felt this was one of Egoyan's best movies to date. I've watched Egoyan's movies ever since "The Adjuster" came out. After seeing that movie, I quickly rewound to see his earlier works. And, now every time one of his movies are released, it is a must see. "Where The Truth Lies" is film noir to the core. Looking back on the reviews on www.metacritic.com, I am really miffed as to why it wasn't better received. In any case, if you like Egoyan's style and approach, you will love this film.

We also went to see another film by a Canadian filmmaker. David Cronenberg's "History of Violence" is a tremendous piece of work that bookends well with Egoyan's "Where the Truth Lies".

On another note, I am going to take a break from blogging and commenting on other blogs until the beginning of next year. I might pop on for a few updates but that will be it.

See you all in 2006.

Vehapar Visits Washington, DC

Here are some photos. I have to prepare them for my website, but frankly I haven't had a minute to breathe... literally. I started having anxiety attacks Monday just thinking about the work I need to accomplish in the coming weeks. Having said that... I'll let the photos speak for me for now. (Also in photos, Yeretskin (kneeling) and Ambassador Tatul Markarian.)

Grammy Awards 2006- An Open Letter to Voting Recording Academy Members

Dear Recording Academy Voters:

For the 2006 Grammy Awards show in LA on Feb 8, 2006, please consider voting for the following selections on your ballot under Field #30- Classical.

Best Classical Album- Category 96- Selection 062- Fortress City: Armenian Songs from Nagorno Karabagh. For more information on this album, please refer to www.cdbaby.com/karabagh Performed by the Mrakats, Varanda, and Vararakn Choirs of Nagorno Karabagh.

Best Choral Performance- Category 99- Selection 014- Fortress City: Armenian Songs from Nagorno Karabagh. For more information, please refer to www.cdbaby.com/karabagh. Performed by the Mrakats, Varanda, and Vararakn Choirs of Nagorno Karabagh.

Best Classical Crossover Album- Category 106- Selection 041- Shoror: Armenian Folk Music for Guitar. For more information, please refer to www.cdbaby.com/cd/kolanian/ Performed by Iakovos Kolanian

Thank you for your consideration.
Raffi Meneshian
CEO Pomegranate Music
Member, Recording Academy New York Chapter

Dear Cilicia.com Readers-

Please help the artists and our label spread the work in getting this above piece of information out to as many people as possible. Our target market is Recording Academy Voting Members. There are a few in our community and maybe they can help spread the work. Pomegranate Music does not have the advertising budget to spread the news like Sony and mega corporations. We have to depend on a grass roots effort instead. As far as I know, our CD's are the only Armenian themed CD's on the ballot this year for Grammy Consideration. I have only checked the Classical area and the World Music area.

Thanks.

Phone Calls

Today has been a day of phone calls.

The first one was from Gayane Torosyan, a Professor of media in the New York University system. Prior to that, she worked at Iowa and has been a contributing member to National Public Radio's (NPR) Morning Edition through the Iowa affiliate WSUI. A recent story she did was a podcast on Arto Tuncboyaciyan that Hagop Bedrossian had posted here on this log. You can listen to that here. She also has done a piece on the Kronos Quartet and the music of Terry Reilly. You can listen to that piece here. She is currently gathering information for a story on Pomegranate Music.

Next, I gave Mt. Ararat climber Vasken Knouni a call in London to arrange a time to interview him for some media outlets. He will be in the States next week attending a wedding in the Bay Area as well as giving a lecture to the Armenian School kids in San Francisco. I want get to the reason why he climbed Mt. Ararat and the impact it has had on him since he got back. In my conversation with him, he briefly mentioned that "something happened up there" (the peak of Ararat) that has changed his outlook on his Armenian identity. I hope to have the interview out soon after we chat more in detail this coming week. You can access his website and find out more about his climb here.

Expired...

So I received a few emails threatening me to blog... lol I suppose I have been putting it off because there hasn't been anything really going on... but now that I think about it, I have so much to say! (this should not come as a shock to anyone who knows me) :)

First of all, let me say that I have become a www.myspace.com addict!!!! Yes, at work I have a myspace window open at all times, and check it often for comments from friends who are also at work and have myspace open. lol It's kind of retarded, but hey....

Well, this month we were "blessed" (pun intended) with the Vehapar's visit to Cali. Even though I didn't go to any of the churches or events, I did watch a couple of them on Horizon TV. Now, I am just as Christian as the next guy, but all I could think about while watching these ceremonies and all the MEN involved... is, 1) where are the women, and 2) why is all this necessary??? Now, to answer #1 - we all know that women in the Armenian church have been almost eliminated. I did some research and found that before the 1300's women were very well accepted as part of the church, and we even had female deaconesses (which I guess some der hayr in San Jose tried to bring back in the early 1990's---but didn't work cuz the girl got so harrassed by Armenians in the community, she had to quit). Deaconesses would be sort of the "right hand man" of the der hayr and would assist in being with the sick(dying), and even with christenings and funerals. I've always looked at Armenians as such a progressive azk, I mean look at all the revolutionary things we have done (i.e. - making our own alphabet, being the first Christians, women voters and having women in parliament during 1918 independence, etc.) but how is it that I feel we are going BACKWARDS as the years pass????? I was having a discussion about whether Armenian families are matriarchal or patriarchal - and from what we've seen - we had to conclude that we are sort of BOTH. (Even though most people would say patriarchal). But think about it - if the grandfather is dead, the next "head" of the family is the grandmother... no? Is there an "elder-archal"? And then of course the famous quote from the very famous "big fat greek wedding" comes to mind.... "the man is the head, the woman is the neck".... very true for our current Armenian families, I believe. ***Ok, I sort of digress***

So anyway, as I was saying about the Vehapar.... #2 - why is all this ceremonial stuff, all the gold, all the glitter necessary???? I understand that he is the highest in our church (at least the Antelias "tem"), but how many 10 pound gold necklaces does one man need? And yes, I know they are gifts.... but even THAT I have a problem with. The thousands of dollars spent on one of those could've been spent to purchase a new tractor for a village in Armenia - for more productive agricultural results. (ONE example) All those men in their suits, following him around... all the money that was collected.... I understand that church is important and needs money to exist in today's world - but I didn't see or hear (in the speeches made), anything SPIRITUAL, anything PROFOUND, anything UPLIFTING, anything ENCOURAGING, anything - period.

So those were my main 2 thoughts about that.

This weekend is my cousin's Bday... so the festivities has already been under way - and will continue throughout the weekend.... :) fun times!

Looks like I might be going to Armenia for a couple of weeks in November for a conference... excellent! It'll be a little "fix" to keep me going until the next trip (since I don't think I can afford to spend another new year's there--:( ---)

My AYF chapter is going to be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year... I'm trying to think of something original we can do instead of the regular barahantes scene. Any ideas???

TSUH! :)~

Armenian Rock Music- Lav Eli

I just got off the phone with Gor Mkhitarian and there may be a Christmas surprise for music fans out there. In collaboration with Mher Manoukyan, the lead singer/guitarist from Yerevan, the long rumored album recorded in 2002 and produced by me was sold back to Lav Eli last year because of a lack of funds on my end to print it. I had to let it go. However, it's been a fairly good year for Pomegranate and we may be in a position to license it from them and release it as planned. If we do, it will be a very experimental design with a vinyl CD look and lyrics within the Enhanced CD when you pop it into a CD player. It is interesting to note that this album was recorded during the Gor Mkhitarian "Godfather Tom" Pomegranate recording sessions in Armenia.

I'll keep you all posted.

Arrest Warrant on DeLay/Time Apology to Armenians

And the House comes tumbling down. The White House is FREAKING out about all these indictments and the spotlight shifts every day to each one. This morning, the buzz was all about Karl Rove's scandal and the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame... on that note, I still can't believe Robert Novak is still walking the streets after outting her in his column... seriously, I was driving to work the other day and as I was about to drive through MY GREEN LIGHT, there was Novak crossing the street and stopping right infront of my car. I can't say the temptation didn't overwhelme me, but like a good citizen, I stopped my car and received the angry honking behind me, let him go, but expressed my rage to him. He grunted and moved on. So close. But had I hit him, I probably would have been sent to a Turkish prison or something... just for special ironic twist.

Just hours later, the spotlight shifts back to DeLay who has not shown for booking and a Texas Court has issued an arrest warrant for his booking. DeLay is charged with conspiracy to violate state election laws and money laundering, but if you ask me, that is just what is known. Bail is set for $10,000. I would pay that much for his mug shot.

I don't mean to dance and shout while our government crumbles and weakens us, but I confess my joy in watching the justice system work at the top. Saddam trials also began today, but everyone in the US seems too preoccupied with the Washington buzz. Oh, and, everyone seems pretty obsessed with the next hurricane headed our way, noting that it is headed for Florida, but completely ignores the fact that it is about to devastate Cuba and the Yucatan.... who cares about those commies anyway, right? (read with sarcasm) Someone just reported that it MAY not devastate Florida as much as they anticipate and said, "Great for Florida... bad for Cuba, but oh well." That is the only mention of Cuba in all news coverage I have heard.

Now onto Armenian news, Time Europe Magazine published a letter from ANC Europe's attorney Bernard Jouanneau condemning the magazine for including the Turkish Tourism DVD which included a 70 minute denial propaganda segment on the Armenian Genocide. The letter took up a full page in the magazine and appears on their website. Here was Time's response:

"TIME regrets distributing the DVD and we are very sorry for the offense it has caused. The so-called documentary portion of the DVD presents a one-sided view of history that does not meet our standards for fairness and accuracy, and we would not have distributed it had we been aware of its content. Unfortunately, the DVD was not adequately reviewed by anyone at TIME because it was believed to be a benign promotion piece. We have since changed our review process so as to guarantee more vigilance in future. We apologize to the Armenian community, and to our readers.”

I do appreciate Time's recognition of their mistake. However as far as I'm concerned, they still collected profit from the sale of that ad and therefore remains guilty of accepting the ad. Jouanneau says it best in his letter:

http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901051017-1113684,00.html

(scroll down to "Turkish Tourism DVD")

Overlooked Treasure in Watertown, MA (ALMA)

One of the reasons I moved to Boston when I was 19 was to experience the Armenian American Diasporan experience here in the Boston area. Along with college and working in record stores, I soaked up the plentiful options of Armenian events every month. If it wasn't a lecture or dance, I would go to the Armenian markets in Watertown, MA and stock up on some Armenian food. While living in the Chicago area was fine, there was no concentrated Armenian section there to "feel at home".

16 years later, I've become very spoiled in the Armenian American environment. Also, going to Armenia on an almost yearly basis has made the Armenian American environment a little less interesting. However, before I take things here for granted, I wanted to point out one of the most interesting and important landmarks here in Boston for Armenian-Americans. It is the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA)

I am promoting a concert there of oud legend John Berberian on November 5, 2005 at 7:30pm on the 3rd Floor Gallery. He will be accompanied by former Night Ark band leader Ara Dinkjian. The address is 65 Main Street, Watertown, MA. I was just there visiting Mariam and Berge who run the day to day operations there to take another look at the 3rd floor space to see how the stage will be set up, etc. While in conversations with them, I was shocked to find out that a bulk of their visitors are from out of town and are non-Armenian. With a significant number of Armenian Diasporans living here in Boston, I encourage those who live here to visit this really amazing museum. There are too many people to name and thank for the creation of the museum, but, the two who stand out are Gary and Susan Lind-Sinanian who have worked there for years and are extremely dedicated to the overall look and feel of the museum. They are really unsung heros of the Boston community in my opinion.

Anyway, if you haven't been to ALMA, make some time this fall to go visit. If you want to catch some music and take in the art as well, hopefully we will see you there on November 5th. Tickets can be obtained here. My walk through Watertown the other day gave me a new appreciation of how vibrant and interesting the Boston community is, and can continue to be. Like those Armenians in LA, sometimes you take for granted all the choices around you.

Other points of interest include the Hairenik Building with its bookstore and CD store. Lena does a great job there. There is the Baikar/Armenian Mirror Spectator Building on Mt. Auburn St with Alin. Apo's Ashjian's dance studio right on the corner of Nichols and Bigelow. Gary Garabedian's ACME TV, where half the store is dedicated to Armenian and Middle Eastern CD's. Then, there are the Armenian Bakery's on Mt. Auburn Street. Plenty here to do when looking for that Armenian "shot" every so often.

Shushi NKR Teens Exhibition in Boston Area

For those who have not been to Shushi in the Nagorno Karabagh Republic, it is definately a sobering experience. For more info on NKR and Shushi, the liner notes from "Fortress City: Armenian Songs from NKR" is available online for people to brush up on a little history. Here is the link. However, as life moves on there (as hard as it may be), a project involving photography is now making the rounds here in the States giving people a chance to see a slice of life from this proud area of NKR. As someone who visited Shushi last year in conjunction with a CD project sponsored by the Tufenkian Foundation, I highly recommend supporting the following exhibition and hope people can find some time to stop by.

Out of the Blue Gallery
106 Prospect Street (Central Sq T stop)
Cambridge, MA 02139
www.outoftheblueartgallery.com
Tel 617-354-5287

When: Opening Reception 5-7pm Saturday Oct 22nd
Show will run from Oct 22nd - Oct 31st

Presents:
An exhibition by: Seta Iskandarian, solo photography,
"The World Believers".

Benefit event for Shushi's Teens With Cameras (STWC).
Shushi, a city located in Nagorno-Karabagh Republic
was the site of fierce fighting during the Karabagh
War (1990-1994). STWC is a Naregatsi Art Institute
Project. For more info on STWC or Naregatsi please
visit www.naregatsi.org.

Climibing Mt. Ararat Website

Surprise, Surprise.

My old UMass-Boston undergrad college roommate of one year from 1990-1991 just emailed me with details of his climb to the top of Mt. Ararat with about 15 people or so back in August 2005. Vasken Knouni of Athens, Greece has published a website describing the experience with pictures and a diary. You can access to website here. I can't believe the guy did it. Please visit the site as it is tremendous to read about his encounters. Please keep in mind that he had to overcome some Visa issues in Turkey back in 2002. But, now, he went, saw, and conquered...

It's great to see and hear of old friends achieving the impossible. Back in the summer of 1991, a few of my close Armenian friends (Aram Hajian and Arto Payaslian) and I took off for Europe on one of those after college graduation trips that lasted a month or so. Our Athens, Greece stop was hosted by the Knouni family and Vasken took us to Mykonos Island for some fun. After that, he ended up moving to San Francisco, then London where he lives and works now. Kind of a blast from the past.

Bravo Vasken, you are a "mangas". The Boston boys are proud. But, we can still kick your ass in Nardi.

Here is his explaination for the trip,

Dear Friends,

Recently I climbed Mountain Ararat, fulfilling a lifelong ambition. For
us Christians, this is a Holy Mountain; while for Armenians it also
represents a national symbol. In light of this, I have created a web site about the
expedition. It’s a “journal-style” web site which provides a day to day
account of the expedition. The site also contains a rich set of photos and a
gallery. However, I would kindly request that you read the pages one by one. I
guarantee that you will not waist your time!

Please forward this email to other friends and people you know;
irrespective of their nationality or religion. Just send it to them.

http://www.ararat5137.org

I look forward to receiving your feedback or questions. Keep in mind
that the site will be updated in the near future, so please revisit.

Kind Regards,

Vasken Knouni

Vasken also breaks down the Visa issue in detail on the website and the bias against Armenians. Here you go...

The permits for the climb to Ararat were arranged by the Turkish Travel Agency on behalf of the Greek Mountaineering Federation. In due course, the agency had informed the Federation that all permits are arranged and that we have all the necessary documentation for the climb. However, ten days before the departure of the first expedition, the Federation receives a telephone call from the Turkish Embassy in Athens, Greece requesting all the passports of the participants to be sent to them, in order to issue a special visa for the climb. This request was a bit strange and it was also impossible to fulfill within the given timeframe, as many members of the expedition were already traveling elsewhere. The Federation contacted the Turkish Travel Agency asking them to send all the documentation that was previously issued by the Turkish authorities giving us the permission for the ascent on Ararat. The documents were sent to the Federation as requested. They were issued by the Turkish Ministry of Tourism and Culture indicating that there were no concerns by The Ministry of Internal affairs for the climb for all of the names of the members of both expeditions. However, the document explicitly states that is was not recommended that the three Greek citizens Serko Agabadian, Garo Agabadian and Garabet Gentanian to ascent the mountain. Obviously this segregation of those three names out of a total of 37 was based on the fact that their last names had the characteristic Armenian ending in -ian. I also personally saw an email sent by the Turkish Agency confirming that the Turkish authorities avoid issuing permissions to people of Armenian origin. This made us all concerned but never the less we continued our trip.
What is the significance of this? It is clear that the Turkish Government has something to hide or to be concerned about when EU Citizens holding EU passports are not recommended to travel in Turkey because they are of Armenian origin. This event is non-other than a serious violation of my human rights, at least on the basis of discrimination. And it does not take much to figure out the reason that the Turkish government do not recommend people of Armenian origin to travel to Turkey. It's called Armenian Genocide and their concerted efforts not to face up to the truth.

Spent

It's Sunday afternoon, Redskins are down by a touchdown against the Kanasas City Chiefs, but MOSS JUST CARRIED THE BALL 80 YARDS FOR A TOUCHDOWN!!!!! YAAAYYYY!!!!!!!! Now we're tied. This has been a typical Washington Fall. Olympics passed, everyone returned to work, and now we are all caught up in the whirlwind rat race that is our lives. I've slowly discovered that my new job is possibly more demanding than my days at the ANCA. The difference is that doing it for the ANCA was out of passion rather than obligation. There are a lot of new faces in DC again, but luckily a lot of the old faces are still around, and slowly but surely people are coming out of their shells and socializing.

Me? I am just trying to keep my head above water with my day job and with all the side projects. It seems like every day there is a new project someone wants me to do for free. I usually don't mind designing for free when I don't need the money and the projects are simple. In fact, I wish I could do that all the time. If only I had another source of income that allows me to focus on this stuff, I would forever work for Armenians for free. The hard part is when I start telling these people to either pay up or don't bother asking. That transition is always difficult because they get used to expecting you to do it. But it is inevitable. This is my skill that puts food on my plate and eventually I have to rely on it to survive. For now, I think I'm good, but I might just have to start turning people away before I burn out completely.

As for happenings around DC, This weekend was the Church Bazarre at Soorp Khatch. I went last night with some friends, caught up with other friends, played with the many hamov kids, newborns to toddlers, swarming the place! Bazarres are always good when you just need to feel connected to the community on a social level... and when you need good kebab in your belly. The Catholicos is coming soon, for which I will be taking photos. Halloween is around the corner and I'm hoping to go to the Rufus Wainwright show that night at the 9:30 club. Rufus is by far one of my favorite "non-Armenian" singers/musicians/artists.

There isn't much else right now, and thank God because it is giving some of us a chance to breathe and enjoy each others' company, rather than in a meeting or something out of obligation. That's rare around here. I believe there are things going on, but for once I am happy not to be involved. There's a choir conccert today that I NEEDED to miss, just to know I have that choice. And now the Chiefs just scored a touchdown, so I have to focus on positive energy to the Redskins for another score... they can do it... if they turned things around on the Cowboys, they can do it again... especially with Brunell leading the way!

Lilit Pipoyan Pomegranate Recording Sessions Begin Today

As reported on this blog in the last few weeks, Lilit Pipoyan will be starting her Pomegranate Music recording sessions today at VEM studios in Yerevan, Armenia. The as of yet untitled album will feature Lilit's classic voice accompanied by a full string quartet, Alto Sax, upright bass, and a harp in addition to the classical guitar and piano. Look for the 2006 release to be partnered with a US tour including cities such as LA, Boston, New York, and Washington DC. This is a deal and artist I have been pursuing for almost two years straight. All of the artists I represent via recordings are special to me personally because their music moves me. Lilit is also an artist in that category. Although she has only released two solo album with limited touring, I expect that will change with her Pomegranate debut.

My next couple of projects include re-teaming with Gor Mkhitarian as well as my pursuit of the Armenian Navy Band with Arto Tuncboyaciyan. I have been in contact with their manager in Germany, Birgit Ellinghaus, and we are in the beginning phases of negotiations that should culmiate in a meeting in Newcastle, UK for WOMEX in the next few weeks.

All of these artists have serious market potential and I look forward to representing them in the future. Let's see how it goes...

Lost, Found, Bingo Nights, and Contracts

They found my Toyota.

At around 11:16pm last night, I got a call from the C-11 police station in Boston saying they had found my 1993 Toyota and it was ready for pick up at a tow lot. No damage done, except for the fact that they took my System of a Down CD and about 40 Armenian CD's from my Pomegranate box in the trunk. Not sure what these people will do with it, but, I hope they have better luck selling it than I do. At around 1am, my wife and I retreived the car and just laughed at why someone would want to take a old beater of a car with all the other higher end cars on the street. In any case, my Dorchester car is back side by side with the company car. All is well again. My beater Toyota is where most of my demo screening and music listening is done.

No response from St. James Armenian Church in Watertown.

I had left a message for Der Hayr over at St. James Armenian Church to call me back to discuss why I was treated so rudely by an organizer at their "Hye Cafe". No call yet. As you may recall, I was lightly passing out a few (and I stress a few) flyers to some friends and acquantances regarding an upcoming show I am presenting on Nov 5 at the Armenian Library and Museum of America when I was told to stop. As one of my close friends who goes there once in a while said, "it's funny, you can go there and get bombarded with flyers on your car or on the dinner tables, but, someone can't go there and personally hand them out to friends." In my opinion, it is absurd that the church and this organizer of "Hye Cafe" (I can't name her, as I don't want to nail the church on just one bad egg) is not more accepting of people who are trying to share cultural events to fellow Armenian at a casual Armenian function toward the end of the night as the kitchen is closed and people are leaving. Perhaps this is why I do not connect with the Armenian Church here in the Boston area and really have to wonder what Diasporan Armenians ( do I sound like Onnik?) are trying to promote in this town. They have Bingo Nights open to the general public there on Tuesday nights acting as a virtual casino with the Church lining their pockets, but, they can't allow a member of the Boston community who risks his own money supporting and promoting Armenian culture to pass out a few flyers. I hope this is not the attitude the Armenian church at St. James takes placing money above culture and community. Let's see if Der Hayr calls back. And, while I'm at it, how about more significant Armenian culture and concerts over there! Surely, they can make the same money doing that over Bingo Nights! Yuck, how 1950's.

Bachelor Party and More:

Last night I went to a bachelor party at a restaurant in Waltham and had a great time. I will leave out the details. However, just before I got home and found out my car was retreived, I reflected a bit on the contract negotiation process of a few artists I am trying to work with in Armenia. In short, it is frustrating at times trying to reach an agreement given that expectations of how "money is earned" in the Diaspora or general world stage works from this end. I had a conversation with a friend of mine who is in an Armenian band Arev that recently discussed how a well known Armenian pop star from Yerevan to be travelling to Toronto soon has asked for "sick money" and how she was shot down immediately. Luckily, one of my former artists who I still work with on occaision living in LA now has been able to coach me on the mentality of dealing with artists in Armenia when it comes to the issue of contract issues. It helps having his persepctive. Even though I've been to Armenia 5 times, I still find it tough to come to solid agreements that are binding without a long protracted negotiation/education process along the way. Like anything, mutual trust and understanding must be earned. The process sucks, but is rewarding in the end.

Armenian Pride and a Stolen Car

So, I had a pretty funky day. First, the Red Sox lose the divisional series to my old Chicago White Sox I used to root for as a kid and teenager while growing up in Chi-Town. Next, I headed over to St. James Armenian church in Watertown, MA to some lame "Hye Cafe" thing they are having in their cultural center to pass out flyers of an upcoming concert I am promoting in town. After about 10 minutes of chatting with people I recognized there, I get this tap on the shoulder from a troll like woman in her mid 40's saying that this is a "private function" and that I can't hand flyers to people. I looked at her incredulously and said, "what"? She said I had to stop handing people flyers. I couldn't believe my ears. This wasn't one of those put flyers on car situations, nor was I selling tickets, nor was I even putting flyers anywhere. I was chatting with friends and handing them a flyer at the end of the evening with 50 people in the auditorium. My response to her was sarcastic when I said, "thanks for helping to promote Armenian culture". I don't think she liked that. When I got home, I called the Der Hayr and left a message asking him to call me back. Let's see what happens. No wonder I hate going to church and these cheesy Armo functions. I won't mention the loser who asked me to stop handing out flyers. However, what a lame move on their end.

After leaving the message, I get on the horn and make a few phone calls. I remembered that I left some stuff in my second car and went to notice that my 1993 Toyota was gone. It has been concluded that it was stolen. So, I went to the Boston Police Department at C-11, waited 10 minutes to get an officer to help me out and then spent about 1 hour there.

I'll keep you posted on the St. James response. Those who took my Toyota, you can have it.

Turkey Sentences Hrant Dink

If the last few weeks of banning the Armenian Genocide Conference in Turkey wasn't evidence enough that Turkey has not changed it's approach to freedom of speech, perhaps this will. Hrant Dink was given a suspended sentence for "insulting the Turkish Identity."

The "insult" in question was in one of Dink's columns which included a paragraph calling on Armenians in Turkey to symbolically reject "the adulterated part of their Turkish blood." They were apparently insulted that Dink implied that Turkish blood is dirty. Well, the Turks just proved his point. These are the same people trying to prove how "Western" and "Democratic" they are to the EU for membership and they can't take a little opinion column insult. Nor can they listen to academicians talk about the possibility of a genocide in their history. Does it all add up yet for the non-believers? This is not a modern democracy.

The BBC article is a good read (and I'm slightly impressed that in mentioning the genocide issue, they didn't just say that Armenians claim it was a genocide, rather say that Armenians, supported by many other nations, claim it was a genocide. It's a step.)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4319370.stm

Video clip of SOAD/ANC demo at Haster's office

Lots to tell, but for now, entertain yourselves with this:

http://www.theforgotten.org/soad/