rostom

Yes its a GRRRRREAT site And simply http://www.hayk.net works--no need for the /html at the end.

Just got an email from Nabaztag company that their product is now available in the US. The only store that they list that sells it is ThinkGeek: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/8301/ I would like to purchase one just for the novelity of it...but can't justify the price for its usability. Will definitely buy one when price drops though.

Anoush is not a restaurant per say. It is a banquet hall catering to private reservations and events (i.e. wedding receptions) only. There are over a dozen of these Armenian owned types of halls in Glendale, and probably well over 50 in the Los Angeles area. Anoush is one of the better ones actually. I have been to the Glenoaks location on multiple occasions and the food, ambiance, and location are all very good.

Wow never heard of those words before. I always thought Ishkhan was Armenian for prince. But I guess that is not "Armenian" enough

Very nice. I read somewhere that Microsoft is in the process of upgrading their Hotmail interface also. Though the reviewer for that was not very impressed. Yahoo is great.

Roslin Art Gallery carries a small inventory of Armenian jewlery. If you are in Southern California area you should definitely go to the store to see the stuff in person. Otherwise, you can check out their website which lists only a few of the items, and they can be ordered online I believe.

I must concur with Yervant when it comes to the business owner's perspective. I have spoken to Armenian business owners who feel that taking on non-Armenian business is much easier because of the fact that there is no haggling and price lowering involved. From a customer's perspective (mine), I don't think an Armenian consumer going to an Armenian business is looking for a discount because he shares the fact of being Armenian with the owner. Rather, it is knowing that the item can be sold for less. It is knowing that well established non-Armenian businesses charge 2-4x what something cost them because they have to account for so many factors in doing business (i.e. returns, specifically ones that can't even be returned to the manufacturer but yet they follow the 'customer is always right' ideology and take it back, complimentary give-aways because a customer complained, etc.). But in an Armenian store you don't have the same sort of customer service. Good luck yelling like hell and making a scene in a store and expect to get your item returned if you've used it (sometimes even if you haven't used it). So it is knowing the fact that the seller can, and will, sell for less that consumers expect Armenian businesses to compromise on the printed price.

Scary stuff here: http://www.missionalstrategies.org/PDF/armenians.pdf Pretty ironic how they put so much effort in writting this and yet they couldn't even get the name of our mountain correct.

Mher left the band. Not sure what he is up to now. Right after this change they renamed the band to Element. I think the In Progress website and name will soon be gone. Even though their last concert I went to they did still play a few of their English songs from the In Progress days.

Some corrections/additions to that article/posting: - The band does not consist of all males as the word "boys" in the article refers to. One of the lead vocalists is a female. - The female vocalist is GARS Sherbetjian and not Kars. - The French band that they opened for was Bratsch. I have attended a number of Element's concerts over the last year and I did like them quite a bit, though they are a young group and still have a ways to go in many aspects. Their website is http://www.elementband.com and their CD can be listened to and purchased from CDRama.

That link does not work.....even after I took out the [/url] at the end which should not be there.

If anyone is interested in going to Argentina, I have an acquaintance that owns and rents out a beautiful apartment building in the center of Buenos Aires. Email me if interested.

I would suggest Italy. I especially liked Florence and the western coast of the country. I've attached some pictures of Cinque Terre (north western coast), which is an area of 5 adjacent villages with the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other. There is a lot of ways to see that area: take the local train from village to village, hike through the mountains to each village, bike, etc. If you choose to go to Florence, there is a very unique tour which I would highly recommend. Its a small private company that offers a variety of tours in small groups. We did the cooking tour where we went to a winery for a few hours and then to a local's house where we made pasta (the old fashioned way), conversed with the owners (they spoke very good english), and then ate the pasta that we had made in the local's home. It was a memorable experience. http://show.imagehosting.us/show/1278081/0/nouser_1278/T0_-1_1278081.jpg http://show.imagehosting.us/show/1278093/0/nouser_1278/T0_-1_1278093.jpg

Interesting how they pronounce the letter Բ/բ. Doesn't sound western or eastern Armenian to me. Sounds more like a վ (V) than anything else. Other than that little nuisance, the site seems pretty good. I also liked the fact that they have lyrics for dozens of Armenian folk songs. I know the topic of posting song lyrics for Armenian songs has come up many a times on this board. So this can be a good source for people to go and find lyrics. Although they are lacking some songs....I think I will write to them about that

The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia During the Crusades by Jacob G. Ghazarian. ISBN: 0700714189. This book is part of Google's Print project which means you can search and view portions of the book online also.

Microsoft Comes To Armeian Market www.armeniadiaspora.com Interview by Emmanuil Mkrtcyhyan, ARMINFO Microsoft has opened its office in Armenia, with the well-known IT specialist Grigory Barsegyan appointed as director. The office will be officially presented by early summer, after a number of organizational and technical preparations. CIS HAB Director John White and CIS Business Development Manager Yuri Omelchenko paid a short visit to Armenia recently. Mr. White, who is responsible for big corporate projects, donor organizations and education, has kindly agreed to give an interview to ARMINFO. Would you tell me please what are the functions of Microsoft CIS HAB? The key function of Microsoft CIS HAB is to support Microsoft's business development in the CIS, that is, in the countries where there is no developed Microsoft business. In the CIS, besides Russia, we have big offices in Kazakhstan and Ukraine, which are some kind of autonomies, while in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Belarus we are actively working to develop our business. Grigory Barsegyan is our new man, whom we have appointed to direct the Microsoft Armenia Office, and we are here to help him to start up. Now he has to solve some small administrative tasks to lay a basis for our future business in Armenia. We hope that in the coming months this all will be solved and we will organize a special event to publicly announce the opening of the office. What are the reasons for Microsoft's interest in Armenia: sales, tenders or outsourcing? We are truly interested in the Caucasus, which is a commercially interesting region. Your country is very attractive in terms of its development rate. It is very original. Everybody knows that Armenia has a serious Diaspora - people who actively invest intellect and business in the country. This is a great stimulus for economy and business development. Besides, you have big governmental projects, your private sector is actively developing and we would like to be part of these processes. We will certainly take part in tenders, but for now the key focus will be on our two strategic priorities: the sale of products and the support of local companies and, no less importantly, programmers. We will help them to develop. That is, there will be no outsourcing as such, but there will be a strong support of software companies. Like in all other countries, we consider our presence as not only commercial activity to sell and to get profit, but also mutually beneficial cooperation with authorities and commercial organizations. We hope that our active presence in Armenia will give it a new impetus for developing business, carrying out educational programs, raising the quality of education. We have such programs and we will certainly introduce them in the country. And this all will enlarge our market. In Armenia, like in many developing countries, PC users use non licensed software. Will you do anything about this? Yes, of course, but there is one nuance. Never and nowhere did or will we fight piracy. Microsoft is, first of all, a marketing company and we do marketing. Our task is "evangelism," as we call it. That is, we hold various marketing campaigns to explain the advantages of licensed software in order to generate demand. To fight piracy is the prerogative of authorities. Probably, in the future we will open our own legal company to represent our interests in Armenia. Aren't you a bit late with entering the Armenian market? Yes, some people say we are late and it will now be hard for us to develop our business. In fact, we had a reason to be late. Microsoft is not a company who makes hasty decisions. Decision-making is a long process with us. In Armenia we tried to seriously analyze the market to make a well-balanced decision because we are not a company that can afford a mistake. We have closed no single country office so far. If we make a decision, it means it is made for a long time. You have also opened an office in Baku. Why in Yerevan and Baku and not yet in Tbilisi? In the near future we'll have a country representative in Tbilisi, who will be a kind of "interface" between local companies and Microsoft. But we are not yet considering to open an office there. We have two offices in the region - in Yerevan and Baku. Why so? Azerbaijan has natural resources - oil. We are attracted by the oil fueled high macro-economic indices and the grandiose oil money flow in that country. That is, given all this data and forecasts, it would be simply a stupidity not to be there. As regards Armenia, I have already said. The key factor is rich and active Diaspora. They are really rich and influential people, with many of them having quite developed businesses worldwide. On top of that, Armenia has a grandiose intellectual potential. These are the key reasons why we just can't neglect Armenia. Your country has very good investment prospects. What investment plans does Microsoft have in Armenia? It's early yet to speak about figures - we can say one thing only - when working in a country Microsoft does not just seek profit but very actively invests in various spheres: education, health care. We will certainly make investments. Even though we have no specific plans yet, we will certainly invest in different projects, with special focus on education, a sphere we give a very high importance and make our priority here. We will work through Education Ministry, universities, institutes, we will offer them programs that will certainly interest many institutions. On the other hand, we will work through local ITcompanies to inform and train people as much as possible. I thank you for the interview and wish you success.

Search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.) use dozens of different factors to determine how to rank websites--that is, what order websites display in when you do a search. One of these determing factors is how many places a website is linked from (i.e. links found on other web pages). What Vava is implying is that if you use the Link option of this board's editor to post a link, then when the search engine's spider comes around it will pickup that link and in a way give an additional point to the ranking of that site. Thus, causing the site to possibly be listed further up in the search results when someone does a search for the word "Armenian" for example. Whereas if you use the Code option of the editor, search engine spider's do not consider that a link as it is not an anchor link (A HREF in the html terminology).

Armenian students fast, raise funds for Darfur Allison Sovey Issue date: 3/3/06 http://www.dailytrojan.com/media/paper679/...trojan.com#more About 50 students sat in a circle clutching drums of varying sizes - the beat began slowly, gradually gaining strength and momentum. Soon, students were banging their instruments intensely while others ran to the middle of the circle to dance. The music flowed freely, the tempo alternating speeds and infecting the room with energy, almost like a spell. Through it all, the students seemed to forget they hadn't eaten in 19 hours. "Pour your frustrations and hunger into the music!" said Varoujan Movsesian, an undeclared sophomore. The students were camped out at Friendly's Day Care Center in Tujunga, Calif., for a two-day fast in protest of the genocide currently occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan. They raised $60,000 for victims of the genocide. The money will be donated through World Vision, one of the largest Christian development and relief organizations in the world. Since the Sudanese civil war began in 1983, more than 4 million people have been displaced, and an estimated 2 million have died. Since the start of the genocide in 2003, an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 have died and an estimated 1.2 million to 2 million people have been displaced, according to a report from Frontline. Though many student groups have been working to relieve the estimated 2.3 million Sudanese citizens in need of emergency aid, this group is unique because all members are Armenian. "They have felt the effects of the Armenian genocide and relate to the victims of the Darfur violence more than most," said Vazken Movsesian, the priest of the church and chaplain of the Armenian Student Association at USC. "We, as Armenians, know hunger. We have seen homelessness, death and famine. In our time of need during the Armenian genocide, no one came to aid our people," Vazken Movsesian told the students. "We are being given the opportunity to rise above those who shunned us in 1915. I'm asking you to understand the fact that you can make a difference." Vazken Movsesian and his father both attended USC, and his son, Varoujan Movsesian, is a current student. Vazken Movsesian said he leads his church and works with the Armenian Student Association in hopes to get more students involved. Despite his efforts, only four out of more than 1,000 Armenian students who attend USC turned out for the event. "It's cool for Armenians not to get involved," said Varoujan Movsesian. "You don't really feel the Armenian presence at USC." "Plus, most Armenians commute to USC and don't really know about events," he said. Nayiri Gharibian, a junior majoring in health promotion and disease prevention, said, "Some people just don't understand activities like the fast. We're working to keep our culture alive and to give a positive response to negative events like genocide." Gharibian and Varoujan Movsesian agree that anger is the easiest and most natural response to the Armenian genocide. According to the Los Angeles Times, 1.2 million Armenians were systematically killed in 1915 to 1918 during World War I. The Turkish government denies that genocide took place. The students spoke of the pressures they face trying to maintain a dual identity as Armenian-Americans and their efforts to fit into two disparate worlds. Sarkis Kazaryan, who graduated last year with a master's degree in piano performance, said, "It's so hard not to mold your identity to others. It's a battle. Being Armenian changes how you think and how you feel and I don't want to lose that part of me." The students agreed that Vazken Movsesian is an integral part of their quest to remain true to their backgrounds. He leads the Armenian students in activities, bringing them together as a family. "A lot of non-Armenians just wouldn't get what we're doing or why our Armenian family is important," Gharibian said. "I go home every weekend, but my roommates don't understand it. There's pressure on me from my friends and other pressure on me from my parents. It's tough." All four USC students described themselves as very involved with the church. "I get a sense of belonging here," Gharibian said as she sat down to join the rest of the students in the drum circle. "Volunteering and participating in cultural activities gives me a mission and a purpose in my life."

Documentary on NFL player Rein Long's visit to Armenia in March 2006: http://www.gop.tv/rien-long.html ------------------------------------------------------------ Rien Long is a 24-year-old, 6’6”, 300-pound Defensive Lineman in his third season with the Tennessee Titans. He was drafted by the Nashville-based NFL team following a career at Washington State, where he garnered the Outland Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top college-football interior lineman in the country. In March 2006, three generations from Rien's family — all born in America — will make their first-ever trip to their ancestral homeland of Armenia. Rien will be accompanied by his grandmother Jo, an artist & Rhode Island native and by his mother Bailey, a Los Angeles native and the executive director of the Mandala Project, a non-profit organization devoted to the promotion of peace through art & education. Rien Long’s great-grandfather, Toros Vartanian and his great-grandmother, Elizabeth Krekorian, fled to the United States in the early 1900s, a few years before 1.5 million Armenians where killed by the Turkish Government from 1915 to 1923. Toros was from Kharpert and Elizabeth from Palu, Armenian cities occupied and ruled by the Ottoman Empire. Toros and Elizabeth made it to America. Many members of their family did not, perishing in the Armenian Genocide. Rien Long identifies so strongly with his ancestral roots, he has a tattoo of the seventh letter of the 1,600-year-old Armenian alphabet atop the Armenian flag on his right arm. The letter translates into “beingness” or “God exists.” On his left arm and inner bicep, Long has a tattoo inspired by the 11th century Armenian Cathedral of Ani and the 17th century Church of St. Grigor at Mughni. His Armenian name, “Vartan,” is woven into the churches' ancient architectural patterns. This son and grandson of artists has expressed his creativity in a very 21st-century fashion. Co-produced by Peter Musurlian and Dr. Arbi Ohanian, The Long Journey from the NFL to Armenia will document the Vartanian-Krekorian-Long Family’s return to Armenia, some 100 years since Toros and Elizabeth arrived in America. Prior to its television distribution, the film will debut at a one-time theatrical screening at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale, California on Sunday, June 18, 2006. ------------------------------------------------------------

In addition to Gor-Gor's question, do you know where your family/relatives may have immigrated to and when? Did they come to Los Angeles area or somewhere else? I know of one Yeretzian currently in the Glendale area (near Los Angeles) and another who was in the Los Angeles area back in the early 1900s.

So are you implying that I'm not nice?

I'm curious, what is the difference between an Anonymous user and a Guest user where it shows users on the site, listed at the very bottom of the homepage? How does one go about becoming an Anonymous listing?

Yes i kinda figured that Although, one would think a link titled "Virtual Photo Museum" would mean that they are on the web. I'm trying to figure out how one goes about getting access to these photos. Does one have to make a visit to the organization's office or do they email the photos or mail them? And do they charge for them? etc. etc.

Has anyone had any experience with ProjectSAVE (http://www.projectsave.org)? On their website they note that they have over 25,000 Armenain related photos, yet none of these are accessible via their website. I have emailed them a couple of times in the last 2 weeks to see what one must do to get access to the photos, but it appears that my emails have fallen to deaf ears.

Wow interesting. So anyone know what the motivation behind this publishing is? Is it for scholarly reasons or is there actually a large enough Armenian-literate Muslim community in and around Armenia that they need this?