TimeForChange

Sorry about that...I didn't mean to say that you're an idiot! I did try it myself before answering to your question, just to make sure that it does give concrete results (and I didn't want anyone to think that I give an answer without being sure of the answer...). Here are the results I get: www.mousaler.com/songbook/ www.shira.net/lyrics.htm www.parev.net/armenian-music.htm Others are not really relevant, but there are some contacts who work in the field to whom you could ask the same question.

Just go on www.yahoo.ca, and search for the words ''lyrics Armenian songs'' and you'll get a bunch of results. As simple as that!

Armenia Still A Risky Zone For EU Businessmen (source: Armeniadiaspora.com) Yerevan, October 01: "Armenia still remains a risky zone for European businessmen to invest money here," Hovhanes Igitian, the executive director of the Union of European Commercial Companies in Armenia (EUCCA), acting as a Chamber of Commerce, told a news conference today. "The unresolved conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabagh, the ongoing blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as a string of red tape problems, mainly in customs and tax areas make the country unattractive for European businesses," he said. EUCCA was founded as a non-profit organization in 2002 with strong support from and in alliance with the EU Representative Office and individual EU Member States' Embassies in Armenia to specifically represent the interests of EU investors and trading partners, as EU companies and individuals provide the majority of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Armenia. Igitian went on saying that Armenian legislation does not yet conform to European standards creating extra problems for businessmen. The declared goals of the EUCCA is to promote and strengthen awareness of the European Union and European integration within Armenia, work with the Armenian authorities in developing and improving the business environment to attract potential European investment, promote EU investment in and trade with Armenia, provide information, advice, support and mediation services to existing and future EU investors and trading partners into Armenia and many others. The EUCCA has also built a website at www.eucca.am to provide information for EU companies and to facilitate their entrance into Armenian market.

When did ''Beirutsis'' ever pretended being Armenian linguists anyway? With all the Soviet corruption made to the Armenian spoken in Armenia, they might actually be more Armenian than people with Armenian citizenship! As for your percentages, make that 25% turkish,25% Arabic, 25% French and 25% English and 0% Armenian while you're at it. That will certainly make them feel welcome in Armenia and feel Armenian. Vive l'Armenie. (that's Beirutsy Armenian (French) for "Hurray for Armenia")

Have never been to Armenia, but I heard that it is indeed very poor. Though it dates back from a long time ago, when Charles Aznavour (hope you guys know who he is) first when there, he was schocked to see the number of people that pretended to be his relatives just to get a bit of his money. Now, about people having no class, you have to agree that the majority of Americans do not have class either. :0) Sure, the country (Armenia) has its problems, but it can't be that bad, can it? And if they are, then things can only get better! You can complain about it, but it won't change a thing. You're better off taking action to resolve the problems, especially since you're on the "battlefield". In life, there are those who condemn the darkness and there are those who light up a candle. Light up a candle, hunny, because the first option won't change a thing.

''That sounds like some of the Diasporan kids trying to speak Armenian to impress the Yerevantsis.'' (Teuton) Tell me Teuton, what is the point of your comment? Why would a Diasporan kid want to ''impress'' the Yerevantsis? I happen to be a Diasporan"kid'', and I do NOT give a Fxxx about what a Yerevantsi thinks of me. The only reason why I bother to speak Armenian is because I owe it to my ancestors. It's called TRADITION and FAMILY VALUES. It's got nothing to do with impressing anybody but myself. So, on behalf of all "Diasporan kids", I'm asking you to change your distorted view right here right now. And, apologizing wouldn't be a bad thing either. Thank you very much. Comments like yours only divide Armenians, and you should be ashamed of yourself. Hell, if I read other comments like that, I won't see the point of giving not even a single dime to Armenia. Why would I if I don't get the respect I deserve? Who would be foolish enough to give his hard-earned money to a country that doesn't recognize him as one of his own? Put yourself in my shoes and try to answer the question. As for Arpa, I might be wrong, but the "gor" is just added as the equivalent of the "ing" in English. Example: What are you saying? - Inch gessess kor? What say you? - Inch gessess? (also means "really?" or "what do you think about it?'')

Hey lovemexico, I have to admit that I haven`t read all your stuff. I suggest you get back in the real world and hire an Armenian teacher to teach your kids Armenian. If you haven`t got any, too bad.

The poor economic state of Bangladesh probably killed it. Most of them probably left for California or some other western region, some might have left for Armenia, just like what happened to the Armenians of Bagdad, where the number of Armenians declined from around 100,000 to 10,000 in 15 years... At least that`s what I speculate might have happened... ??

Though I don`t go to church regularly, I do not think that we should get rid of churches at all! Religion is what saved our people, for crying out loud!!! What makes the jews so strong? Religion! What makes Armenians strong? Religion! We have a religion that is unique. There are people in Arab countries that are not of Armenian descent at all, yet they are Armenian Apostolic! Take religion away, and you take away one of our greatest strengths! That being said, is it worthwile to spend money to save a skeleton? It would be like a company investing in promoting a product that nobody wants to buy. Should the company invest in another product to secure its survival, or should it stick to the product nobody wants? In our case, we should invest in the presently active Diaspora communities and in Armenia, instead of investing in a church that really won`t serve any Armenian. If you're going to give money to the Armenian cause, you might as well do it in an effective manner to ensure that the present active communities do not go trough the same pattern as the one of Bangladesh has. Don`t just throw your money away. It is sad, but we have to accept that this church is not worth the investment. Sure, preserving ancient Armenian churches is something I believe in, but not if there are no Armenians left around it! Concentrate on the present and the future instead and invest to avoid this from happening again in another country. The Bangladesh community is dead, long live other communities!

Teuton, Teuton, It`s funny that you think that Armenians who have lived in the Middle East for a while are assimilated to Arabs, because I felt the same way about Armenians who live in Armenia vis-à-vis Russia… We can therefore conclude that both you and I are somewhat wrong, since I know for one that I am not assimilated to Arabs. I left Lebanon when I was 4 yrs old, but my parents NEVER spoke Arabic in the house. Armenian and French were the norm. Hell, we all speak at least 4 languages, but when someone asks me what I am, I don`t say ‘’I am Canadian’’, ‘’I am French’’, or ‘’I am Lebanese’’, NO, I chose to continue to say ‘’I am Armenian’’. I`m not saying ‘’put more arab or turk in the picture’’ , I am not saying ‘’stop learning Russian’’, I am just saying ‘’enough Russian!’’. Russia’s main concern is that it is losing its influence over former soviet nations (Russian colonies!), so it is doing everything it can to preserve it. Russia is not Santa Clause. It’s a jungle out there, it is just trying to get more power. So don`t think that Russia is our great saviour, because we have historical proof against that argument. It would probably be a better strategy to try pleasing the European Union, instead of Russia.

Now, I have to admit, I'm just a young Armenian who has never been to Armenia, so I might be wrong. To tell you the truth, I feel like there's too much of Russia in the picture. Russia swallows electricity plant, Russia controls the media, Russia this, Russia that. And, to top it all, when you listen to news from Armenia on TV, the news anchors (those reading the news) actually sometimes speak to each other in Russian, when it's supposed to be Armenian news... So, my question is: Am I being paranoid here? It's not the first time that I mention this (MJ might remember replying to a similar "complaint" I made once).

Thanks Sip. BTW, my mistake, I meant to write "saying'' as in the first example, not "doing". With doing, it would be "Inch geness kor?". In the example you provided in Eastern Armenian, doesn't "anel" mean "to remove"? (In western, it does...)

Allright, let's be realist here people. No war is going to happen in the foreseeable future simply because Turkey is (unfortunately) part of NATO. Attacking Turkey would be like attacking most western countries (including the USA). Russia would not dare do such a move, especially since it is still crippled.

And how would YOU have said "what are you doing"? I only know one way of saying it: "Ints gessess kor", and I didn't know that there was another way of saying it, so I'm curious to find out...

NAIRI, I don't understand: why would you want to hide your ''armeniannesss''? From what I know, armenians without ''ian'' removed it during the Genocide in order to hide the fact that they were armenian (hoping that they'd survive this way). But, now that your life is not threatened, it's a shame that you want to "hide" it? Having the ian allows us to recognize each other. Suppose, for instance, that you call your bank and the guy serving you is armenian. How would he know that you are armenian? Both of you are speaking english.

Reasons why I believe the glorious days of the Greenback (US$) are counted (at least in the long term): 1- US government's debt is ballooning at an unprecedent rate. 2- US population is getting older every day as baby boomers reach retirement age, hence there will be less people to boost the economy and less people holding US dollars (lower demand for the US$ = lower value) 3- Political tensions (general hatred of American foreign policy) continues to reduce the amount of money invested in the USA by foreigners, hence lower demand again. 4- Even if the Federal reserve increases its interest rates to boost the value of the dollar, this will lead to a reduction in economic output, and possibly lead to a recession. And the Fed will probably have to do this if things remain as they are, because it will need to convince foreigners to lend money to the US government by raising rates. 5- There are so many people holding US dollars outside of the USA that as soon as confidence is lost, foreigners will sell their US dollars. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there is as much US dollars outside of the USA as there is IN the USA. Imagine the impact if all those ''foreigners'' started to sell their US dollars (again, lower demand for the currency = lower value) I might be wrong, of course, but I thought that I should share this knowledge with you guys. I wouldn't want any Armenian to lose significant amounts of money because he or she was not educated financially. Again, I might be wrong. Financial education is a must, even if you don't work in the field. Confidence is like a mirror. As soon as it's broken, there's no way of fixing it. The value of a currency depends a lot on confidence. And confidence is being lost as the US continues to indebt itself foolishly.

I've read somewhere that the population of Armenia is constantly experiencing a decline in numbers. Hayastansis are leaving the country in search of better living conditions while Diasporans are staying put in their newly-adopted countries. Considering that a declining population eventually leads to lower (or even negative) economic growth, shouldn't this trend be reversed? What can we do about it? Diasporans, I think, don't want to "make the move" to the homeland probably because (1) the quality of life isn't the same, (2) the language is not exactly the same, and (3) the tensions surrounding Nagorno-Karabagh, and (3) other reasons I can't think of. Waiting for the conditions to be perfect, Diasporans continue to invest in the future of Diaspora schools and churches, to ensure the passing of the torch. They could instead give all this money to Armenia, and move to Armenia, but they chose to invest it locally instead. Now, why is that? Is it because Armenia is not welcoming enough? Is it because humans in general tend to be reluctant to change? Maybe if the Armenian government didn't consider Diasporans as just "lobbyist" in the Western world, maybe if the Soviet corruptions to the Armenian language were removed, maybe then the average Joe Diasporian would be more inclined to look at the possibility of doing business in Armenia or even giving money to the government? After all, why not invest in Armenia (political instability aside)while prices are still cheap? There is a lot of money sitting in the bank accounts of Diasporans. Working in a bank (though not for long, 'cause I'm too entrepreneurship-minded, and the bureaucracy is killing me), I know that for a fact. Although the language issue is not an urging topic in Armenia, I think that it should be resolved. It would strengthen the relationship between Diasporans and the republic, thereby indirectly boosting the economy. I

Do you own shares of Yamaha or what?

Thanks Boghos, but McGill doesn't offer Armenian courses anymore. Last time I called them, the girl thought that Armenian was a slavic language. She offered me to take Russian instead (what an offense, really!). As for the Concordia Student Asociation, though I've completed my studies, I've tried to reach them about 10 times, but the phone keeps on ringing and ringing. I've even looked for their e-mail on the university's website, they're not listed. I walked to their office, the door was locked. You'd wonder if they really want new members... But, as any Armenian would, I haven't given up! And that is how I discovered this forum! I'm going to try AGBU and McGill's association. PS: Thanks also for the Armenian grocery store's address. I didn't even know that there was one. I only know of Adonis and Al Challal, which are more Lebanese than anything. You must be wondering which planet I come from!!!

Does anybody know someone in MONTREAL who could help me refine my vocabulary (speaking and reading skills)? Not necessarily a certified teacher. Maybe just someone I could talk with to practice and learn. I`m in my early twenties. I've already got some knowledge of the alphabet, and I manage to read a few words, but really not enough to speak Armenian as well as I speak French or English, or even German (all of which I learned in high school)! Help! I am 100% Armenian, with no Armenian friends, and (what a shame! ), beginner-level Armenian speaking skills and intermediate-level Armenian comprehension skills. I'm willing to pay $$$. Basically, I'm tired of saying to everyone that I'm Armenian without even being able to speak the language properly!

Isn't it the German ambassador who was one of the first to blow the whistle about the massacres? BTW, I`m also in Mtl, and I`'ve never heard of any of this. Where do you guys get all this info?

The saddest thing about this BS professor is that he is one of the many who keep on throwing oil on the fire, instead of trying to extinguish it. Fellow Armenians, let us not be blinded by his comments, do not let hatred fill your hearts. Remember, we are the good guys, we will never look down, but we shall not, as did BS professor, be the ones who shoot first. The World won't look at us kindly. There was a time when all religions could cohabit under a single Empire. The Ottoman Empire, which was essentially a bit like the present European Union. If we keep on fighting, Turks , Azeris, and Armenians will all lose. It is at a time when we all collaborated with each other that the Empire was strongest. Let us look at the future. BS professor, tell your government to recognise the Genocide once and for all, so that peace may actually happen and the Caucasus may reclaim its place in the world and become a union as strong as the European Union. None of us (Armenians, turks, whatever...) wants to be ruled by another people under an Empire, so why not heal each other's wounds (by recognizing the Genocide) and establish a Caucasian Community of Nations which would gather small coutries (including Georgia, etc...) to face the bigger entities of this world. Let's face it Turkey, you won't join the European Union until this matter is resolved. And, you would be better off being kind to your neighbours, instead of trying to suck up to nations that are much richer.

I've seen the documentary about Armenia in the 90s at the Montreal International Film Festival, and I'm sorry to say that for the first time in my life, I was ashamed of being armenian for a few minutes. Any non-armenian who watches this piece of @#$ will think that we are savage dog-killers, beggars, refugees, "abusers of prisoners'', and the list goes on... I expected to see images of Armenia, NOT images of a few low-class individuals who, for all I know, could very well be Russians, for God's sake, or from any other country. There was barely any Armenian spoken, I could have watched the same kind of images from any country. Speaking of which, what's the deal of writing in RUSSIAN? Are we Russian or Armenian? If we continue putting Russian words in our vocabulary, 50 or 100 years from now, Armenia will be part of Russia. I have nothing against Russians, but don't you find it dangerous that they have so much influence on Armenia? Why encourage such a "dominance" by writing in Russian in an Armenian documentary? And, of course, there were many Armenians who were at the movie theater that day, watching the same crappy documentary, but I didn't hear a single negative commentary about the documentary. "There weren't enough Armenian words" was basically the most negative thing I heard. Which, by the way, is true. Oh, and the little Armenian I heard was 1/3 Russian. I had a lot of trouble understanding the few sentences that were murmured. And who were the people in the prisons anyway? Azeris? People form the street? And, why was the little landscape that was shown so ugly? Are there no trees in Armenia? Just rocky plains? Is this what you want non-Armenians and Armenians who have never been there to think of Armenia? These images certainly won't boost the Armenian tourism industry.