rostom

Thank you Kakachik. I was starting to think that I would never get a straight answer to my simple question

Can someone shed light on the variance between the -ian (եան) vs. -yan (յան) in Armenians surnames came to be? It is apparent that today, the -yan suffix is almost exclusiveily used by Armenians in Armenia (or originating from there). Whereas the -ian suffix is used by Diasporan Armenians. But how, why, and when did this differentiation begin?

http://www.screamersmovie.com/ Opens in select US theaters on December 8th. Synopsis ----------- Documentary feature examining why genocides keep occurring -- from the Armenian genocide in 1915, to the Holocaust, Bosnia, Rwanda and now Darfur -- through the eyes and music of the Grammy award-winning rock band “System of a Down,” based in Los Angeles, whose members are all grandchildren of genocide survivors. As the band tours the world and touches on the locations and stories of genocide in the last century, the film follows the personal story of the lead singer’s grandfather, a 96-year old survivor of the Armenian genocide, one of the few remaining survivors from his village in Turkey. With the arguments of Harvard Professor Samantha Power, the personal stories of survivors from Armenia, Rwanda and Darfur, policy critics and whistleblowers – the “screamers” – the film targets the problem of genocide denial, with specific reference to the Turkish government’s current campaign to stop its citizens from discussing the genocide. When the band arrives back in the United States, they confront the hypocrisy of U.S. foreign policy in the debate on genocide recognition, with Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, actively blocking a vote in Congress. Through the band’s efforts to get Dennis to “Do the Right Thing” and Power’s thesis that America’s interest has always been to stay neutral, no matter how wide-scale the carnage, the film shows how successive Presidents and corporate interests have conspired to turn a blind eye to genocides as they are happening – whether it be Iraqi Kurds in the 80s, Rwanda in the 90s or Darfur today. After the Holocaust, we may say ‘never again’ -- but we don’t mean it.

Arpa, your concerns are the same as what Armenia's parliament has to deal with, which is why this citizenship business has been dragging on for so long. And of course thye are all valid issues. Hopefully they will come to a final decision on the matter sooner than later, as I truly believe that the benefits it will bring to Armenia outweigh the negative points. Also, to address these concerns, one clause that can, and I believe is already, inserted into real estate purchases by foreigners in Armenia is that the property is only owned for 99 years with no inheritence allowed. Of course this still leaves many loopholes in the issues that you brought up, but at least its a move in the right direction. A few more restrictions like this and that bill should hopefully become law sooner than later

Thanks for the info mosjan. So I am wondering how some individuals claim that they own land in Armenia.... Do you know if the bill that parliament has been trying to pass (for so many years now) to grant citizenship to Diasporan Armenians will resolve this issue? Any idea how close that bill is to becoming law?

mosjan (or anyone else for that matter), do you know if owning land/parcel in Armenia is legal for non citizens? From your post, it sounds like you do own empty land. However, I have heard stories that owning land is not legal for non-citizens. And of course I have heard the other side of the coin where people say that owning land is no different than owning a house or apartment there and that they in fact own land. I finally called the Consulate General in LA and asked them the question. According to them, having Special Residency Status, which is what I believe one must have to own anything there, only gives rights to own businesses, homes, apartments, buildings, etc., but NOT empty land. I am trying to clear up this matter as I keep hearing different stories from different people I talk to.

Radical Breakthrough in the Najarian Case [October 16, 2006] In August 2003, US citizen George Najarian appealed to the president, prosecutor general, and foreign minister of Armenia informing them that Armenian citizen Grigor Igityan had deceitfully taken possession of plots of land with buildings and a photo shop he owned in Yerevan. On the basis of these appeals, a criminal case was launched by the Yerevan Prosecutor's Office. The case was then transferred to the Office of the Prosecutor General and subsequently closed. Lawyers representing George and Carolann Najarian appealed the decision by the investigator to close the case. In 2005 the Office of the Prosecutor General reopened the case, only to close it once more. Thus, courts decided to reinvestigate the case two times, and both times the prosecutor's office closed the case, demonstrating that it is not obliged to abide by court decisions. For three years the Najarians' case has been circulating among various courts and the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia. Certain US senators and congressmen have followed the case and sent letters to Armenian authorities. Finally, last September the Prosecutor's Office brought charges of swindling against Grigor Igityan in accordance with Article 178 of the Criminal Code of Armenia. “We are concerned that though Igityan is charged with a serious crime he has not been arrested, which would prevent him from escaping from justice or from openly trying to hinder the investigation, especially in a situation in which the investigators are aware of numerous such attempts made by Igityan before,” said Hrair Ghukasyan, a lawyer for the Najarians. Ghukasyan does not rule out that Igityan might escape from the country. Our source in the Prosecutor's Office informed us that Grigor Igityan's passport has been confiscated and he is unable to leave Armenia. Now the case has been assigned to another investigator in the Office of the Prosecutor General and the former investigator, A. Nadiryan, has found himself in rather difficult situation. After all, he may have had his reasons for closing the case so many times and acting in court as though he was Igityan's lawyer. The new investigator in the case, Hovsep Sargsyan, has not done much new investigative work, since everything had already been ascertained. This case has also introduced some unique examples of the working methods of the Prosecutor's Office: joint actions by the accused and employees of the prosecutor's office, pro-forma discussions during staff meetings at the office of the prosecutor general, and several contradictory decisions by the Prosecutor's Office. Hetq Online has repeatedly addressed this issue, presenting evidence that suggests that government officials supported Igityan in his illegal dealings. During this period of time Grigor Igityan sold one of the buildings erected at the Najarians' expense and now he will have to compensate the buyer/government official for his losses. According to our information, President Robert Kocharyan is personally following the proceedings in this case. Edik Baghdasaryan

A couple of real estate projects that I am aware of: Kayaran (not yet completed) Vanahovid (completed and all units have already been sold) As far as non-citizens owning property/land over there, you can read this blog (towards bottom of page) for some info on it. Obviously this is just a blog and nothing official. Last I heard owning was legal for foreigners but with a special type of visa. I believe the government is working on finalizing some laws to make it much easier for Diasporians to own in Armenia.

So are we not to listen to poetry recited by anyone other than the original author because it may be tainted by the person reciting it to his/her own feelings and/or understanding of the poem? And how about adding music to poetry while it is being recited, is this a no no either? Singing to classical music composed by someone great is not a sin. In some cases it may even transform the original work into something attractive for those who would not have found interest in it in the first place. You don't like it, don't listen to it. In a world filled with marketing, propaganda, and idiots, we all need to learn to filter out the garbage. But please, don't make it seem that it is an abominable violation of a covenant of few who may have better understanding of the original work.

Late response, but better late than never. I came across this source completely by chance and remembered your question in this forum, so here is an answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan#History (not an authoratative source, but should give you a good starting point for further research if interested) The first kingdom to emerge in the territory of present-day Republic of Azerbaijan was Mannae in the 9th century BC, lasting until 616 BC when it became part of the Median Empire, which later became part of the Persian Empire in 549 BC. The satrapies of Atropatene and Caucasian Albania were established in the 4th century BC and included the approximate territories of the present-day Azerbaijan nation-state and southern parts of Dagestan. Islam spread rapidly in Azerbaijan following the Arab conquests in the 7th–8th centuries. After the power of the Arab Khalifate waned, several semi-independent states have been formed, the Shirvanshah kingdom being one of them. In the 11th century, the conquering Seljuk Turks became the dominant force in Azerbaijan and laid the ethnic foundation of contemporary Azerbaijanis. In the 13-14th centuries, the country experienced Mongol-Tatar invasions. Azerbaijan was part of the Safavid Persian Empire during the 15th–18th centuries. It also underwent a brief period of feudal fragmentation in the mid-18th to early 19th centuries, and consisted of independent khanates. Following the two wars between Qajar Persian Empire, as well as the Ganja, Guba, Baku and other independent khanates, and the Russian Empire, Azerbaijan was acquired by Russia through the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813, and the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, and several earlier treaties between the Russian tsar and the khans concluded in the first decade of the 19th century. In 1873, oil ("black gold") was discovered in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan's future capital. By the beginning of the 20th century almost half of the oil reserves in the world had been extracted in Baku. A painting by Enver Aliyev depicting Azerbaijani citizens digging entrenchments and antitank obstacles near Baku to prevent a possible Nazi invasion. After the collapse of the Russian Empire during World War I, Azerbaijan together with Armenia and Georgia became part of the short-lived Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. When the republic dissolved in May 1918, Azerbaijan declared independence as the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The name of the new state, which historically was mostly used to refer to the province of Iran, drew protests from some Iranians, who suspected that it was chosen with the purposes of detaching the Azerbaijan province from Iran, even though the proclamation of independence of Azerbaijan limited the territory of the new state to the areas north of the Araxes river. To summarize, Azerbaijan was never its own country by name. It was part of Persia (15th-18th centuries), Russia (19th-early 20th century), and many others in the years prior. It was not until 1918 when Russia collapsed, that Azerbaijan was claimed as a country (north of the Arax/Aras River).

Does anyone have the Paruyr Sevak CD of poems read by Nune Avetisyan? It is a black cover CD with Avetisyan's photo on it. Published 2001. Been looking for it for a while now and haven't been able to find it anywhere. Thanks.

սպիտակ կամ ճերմակ I saw a couple of other posts in this forum regarding words that essentially mean the same thing, so I thought I would bring this pair into the light. Any thoughts?

Actually, no But for those who are on the same boat as me, here is a little info on the concert from Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Aid_Armenia

How is this answering my question? Maybe you can keep the condescending tone out and be more effective in your response, because what you said makes no sense to me in relation to my original question.

So riddle me this...what other school district in America observes a non-traditional American holiday due to the fact that majority of students are of a specific race/ethnicity/religion? None that I am aware of. It's just opening a can of worms for dozens of other groups to jump on the bandwagon.

Came across this today. The performance itself doesn't have its own webpage, but info is posted on this page towards the bottom: http://www.fountaintheatre.com/perform.html. I've also included the show information below. World Premiere! August 4 - September 3, 2006 LITTLE ARMENIA written by Lory Bedikian, Aram Kouyoumdjian, and Shahe Mankerian directed by Armina LaManna produced by Deborah Lawlo and Armina LaManna starring: Maro Ajemian, Karine Chakarian, RB Dilanchian, Johnny Giacalone, Hunter Lee Hughes, Jade Hykush, Jack Kandel, Ludwig Manukian, Salem Mikhael, Anoush Nevart Associate Producer: Anahid Shahrik Assistant Director: Loraine Shields Production Stage Manager: Eleanor Wood Set Designer: Scott Siedman Lighting Designer: Henrik Mansourian Sound Designer: Shahen Hakobian Prop Designer: Goar Galstyan Costume Designer: Shon LeBlanc Photographer/Designer: Yvette Khalafian In 2000, the Los Angeles City Council designated the area surrounding the Fountain Theatre as “Little Armenia." In 2005, the Fountain Theatre launched a yearlong development of a new play. Our community of Fountain Theatre writers, beginning in January 2005, went into the homes and businesses of Little Armenia to talk with and interview the citizens who live here. Based on those interviews, and their own experiences, our three writers have created a fictional play that reflects the lives of Armenians in Hollywood, what it means to be an immigrant in America, and how we define "home." Funded in part by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. Thursdays - Saturdays, 8pm Sundays, 2pm Low-cost Previews: August 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 Opens: August 11th LIMITED RUN. MUST CLOSE September 3rd. Box Office and Group Sales: 323-663-1525

Yes I must say that when I read this it was surprising and troubling at the same time. However, an even bigger shocker was when I learned earlier this year that the Glendale Unified School District observed Armenian Christmas (Jan. 6th) as a district wide holiday: all schools were closed in Glendale on that day.

Here are some Armenians who do work in b&w. Knock yourself out Ara Oshagan. LA based photographer. http://www.araoshagan.com/ 15 Levels. Also a member on this forum. http://15levels.com/photography/ And of course, Yousuf Karsh. http://cybermuse.gallery.ca/cybermuse/sear...?iartistid=2833

I am surprised every time I discover Armenians in a new corner of the world....we are all over the place You can find a list of Armenian communities that have their own website at either one of these two sites: http://dmoz.org/Society/Ethnicity/Asian/Caucasian/Armenian/ http://www.hayk.net/html/content/section/3/175/

They now have a website: http://www.planetarmenia.com. I visited the store a few weeks ago. Some good stuff. Not much jewlery from Armenia though....of the small amount of jewlery there, only a handful of it was Armenian related or made in Armenia.

AGBU News is a good one. There is another one coming out called Oorenk, which I believe Maral had posted about in the past; not sure when it will be out though.

Wow. That's too bad. It seems like for every new Armenian magazine that is started each year, another one hits the dust

Anyone know what happened to Mosaix Magazine? From their website (www.mosaixmag.com), it appears that they are either out of business or their website has been hijacked. Anyone subscirbe to the publication? Any word on what is going on? Thanks.

Very informative site, for both the church/monastery section as well as the rest of the site. Good job.

BiancaVella, check out this topic: http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=13692 Its about the same topic/issues that you ask about.