Sassun

Exactly. You took the words right out of my mouth!

Actually it's not just Good Friday, it's also a whole bunch of other holidays that have now been removed off the list of official holidays. But I guess thre is a certain sectarian taste to this issue. But the blame goes to the Sunnis who have taken over the country and want to make it a "Sunni country", and equally the blame goes to their Christian allies -- the Lebanese Forces and the Kata'eb (and their "Armenian" allies who take every opportunity to bash Tashnagtsootyoon, but who would not have won -- by their own admission -- if it wasn't for the Hariri (Sunni) votes ).

Mediator? For what? There is no such thing as mediation. This whole "peace talks" thing is a sham. The zionazis are trying to buy more time to create more facts on the ground. It is all very simple. They must withdraw unconditionally to the 1967 borders and they will get peace in return. What is the problem? Are the zionazis pretending that if the Arabs backtrack on their promise to respond to their withdrawal by offering them peace, then they will face an existential threat / mortal danger? Seriously, who believes that cr*p?

Yeah but I don't think he plays in the national team.

UNIFIL was bombed today, and Israel was quick to express its regret at this targeting of the UNIFIL...

Sip, I think that criticism of USA should not be restricted to those who do not live there. Living there and criticizing USA does not mean one is ungrateful or unpatriotic. At least that's the way I view things, and I apply the same thing for the criticism of the Lebanese state, Lebanese politicians, Lebanese army (even though I have served and intend to be recruited very soon, if my other plan fails). I have lurked around long enough on all sorts of media and discussion boards to know exactly the mentality of Israelis and certain trends in USA. There are certain elements that adopt the following logic: if they criticize the state it means they do not like it, and if they do not like it, why are they still living here? They should move to some other country. In Israelis' case, they apply it on Palestinian citizens of Israel. In USA's case, they apply it on anyone who might be remotely critical of USA's policies both at home and abroad. So I think while the content of the argument is open to debate (whether or not U.S policies are actually right or wrong or whether USA is harming its interests by doing Israel's bidding, or whether or not USA is actually doing Israel's bidding to begin with), its nature (in other words, whether or not asking those questions by someone who lives in USA, is akin to being ungrateful, or akin to bashing USA) is not really up to debate. And while Shahan may be outspoken, I do not think he hates USA per se. I don't think there are many people who actually hate the U.S, perhaps with the exception of Al Qaida and some few nutcases here and there. And hatred of USA is no more severe than hatred of other peoples/countries/states. The backlash against USA is not quite proportional to the destructive role it has played in our part of the world. I admit, I myself have chanted, wholeheartedly, "death to America", and will continue to do so. You have to realize that while you might afford to take a non-personal view to things, it is not so for most of us who are directly or indirectly impacted by U.S policies. Before the July 2006 war against Lebanon, I had no "special" feelings towards USA, even though I hated what they were doing in Iraq and protested against it. Last summer's war really got to my head, and I don't think I will ever forgive USA for what it did during the war. You will say that the Bush administration is crazy, or whatever, but the Middle East has not seen better days at the hands of Democrats. So for us, it's "more of the same". USA is an empire, whether you like to admit it or not. Therefore, you cannot really evade tackling the issue of foreign policy and just adhere to justifying your choice between Republicans and Democrats as being based on "domestic considerations". The domestic is related to the external, whether you like it or not. USA alone consumes more than 30% of world energy, and almost all of the oil comes from the Middle East. USA will run out of its domestic oil supply in 10 years. The Middle East will continue to supply for at least 60 years (Iran and Iraq for another 100 years or so). So if you want to use your SUVs , you have to secure access to oil. And so far, USA has proven unwilling to acquire the oil by means other than installing puppet regimes and dictators, or invading and occupying entire countries. So, Americans must make the choice: between trying alternatives which might paint a much better picture of them in the minds of future generations, or to wage war after war, in order to continue driving SUVs. Americans must stop evading the real issues. Human rights are not just a slogan you repeat. Either you are for it or against it. Either you stand firmly behind your actions, or you don't. There's no grey area in between. Those who try to dissociate American domestic politics from its foreign policy (this point was made in another thread) are just skirting the real issues, and deliberately so. And I have to say, while I do point the finger at the Israeli lobby, I also hold Americans fully responsible also. Because they have made that decision consciously, and they can change their position if they wish to do so. Isn't USA a democracy? And if the American people are ignorant of what is going on in the Middle East , or do not care either way, then does that mean they should not be held responsible for what their elected government does? No, that won't work on us. We hold the American people fully responsible for the actions of their elected government. You can't have it both ways. If you are a democracy then you have voted for the guy who is running both your domestic politics and your foreign policy. When you re-elect him, you reinstate your trust in him. That is what you guys did. If it is all about people/countries "paying" for their behavior/actions, then USA should be the first to pay for its actions. And pay it will. Unless the American people wake up, which I doubt will happen any time soon. Instead Americans continue to believe that their salvation is in switching to the Democrats. In the end, your democracy is a sham and does not appeal even to those who have grown up in the most undemocratic region. Your "democracy" is a multiple choice questionnaire, and the only two options available are: "the same", and "more of the same".

What??!?!??!?!?! That's crazy. Here in Lebanon the kilo of apricot is $1, at most $2, if there's low yield ! Who can afford to pay $7 for a kilo of apricot ?

Sako, no one said you should hate USA. There is a difference between hating and criticizing policies. Criticizing your government's policies does not mean you're a traitor or that you are not patriotic. This is a myth perpetuated by those who want to silence all criticism and critical thinking. This is part of the zionazi lobby's myths.

Little do they know that deportation itself "simply" falls under genocide.

Gor-Gor, In that currency pic you just posted, how would they write Հանրապետութիւն now ? Հանրապետություն ?

You have a couple of things wrong. First, the Genocide had nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with Turkic/Turkish genocidal nature. Second, Islam is not against tobacco. Third, Arabic pre-dated Islam, as did `arak. Muslims are not supposed to drink `arak or any other alcoholic beverage. Fourth, what do individual acts in the name of a religion have to do with the religion itself?

Thanks. Now I have a way of coping with it all. So far, so good.

Yeah. Unfortunately (if I had siblings at least I'd have someone to talk to and not feel so lonely!). Or maybe fortunately! My parents couldn't deal with 1 kid and had to neglect me, imagine if they had to deal with more than one! You can say that their marriage was "matchmaking gone awry"... I still don't understand why/how people get married if they can't even get along, let alone have a kid. In that sense, I'm a "mistake." Which begs the question of marriage after love / love after marriage. Some people say that after getting married, love will just 'grow' even if it's not there before (the proponents of arranged marriage). That is just sooooooooooooooo wrong. I will never, ever, get into such marriage, even if that means I will remain single for the rest of my life!!!! I wish I could move out Mosjan. That's my dream. But in this country, easier said than done. I have a job that pays me less than $300. In Lebanon you can't live with that kind of money if you do not own an apartment already. In other words, it's too little to live off of, if you have to rent a place. I had saved a lot of money to move out, but when it came to getting an education, my parents told me bluntly that if I wanted to get an education I'd have to pay for it myself. So I had a choice: move out or get an education. I couldn't have had both. I decided on getting an education because I thought if I moved out now, I would probably never get the chance to get a degree later (and I couldn't bear to see all my friends - who did worse at school than me - go to university to get a degree). So I ended up putting all my money there, and now I don't have any left-over money to think of moving out. Anyway now I am done with that, and have made up my mind to become a fighter or at least an army officer. That'll definitely mean being away from home! So it's like "meg karov yergoo trchoon zarnel". My parents won't start missing me. If they did, there'd be no problem, would there? I went on a subsidized class trip for a month, and they did not notice I was gone ...... I'm not kidding. The only thing that scares me is that I will end up being exactly like my dad. I know that I don't want to, and that I will try to do all my best not to, but I have heard people say that it's easier said than done for people who have lived in abusive homes. I guess the only way to prevent that from happening -- for now -- is to put myself through more of that, so that I would not 'forget' what I have had to live through. So now you know why I have a fear of matchmaking. My friends have attempted to introduce me to girls before, but aside from a mere hello and some basic conversation, I have avoided getting to know them. If I will get married, I want to meet someone "naturally" and not "artificially", and love "naturally" rather than with doubt in my head/heart. I guess that means I'll be single for the rest of my life. Well then, so be it. Better than be a crappy abusive husband and father like my dad was to my mom and me respectively!

Arpa, alcohol is not illegal in Azerbaijan.... Don't forget, for these people Islam is a mere convenience and a rallying call for their mass-murders and genocides. Turks (and their Azeri cousins) have managed to manipulate everything to their genocidal instincts. They'd have little difficulty manipulating Islam to fit their goals. Indeed, they excel at it.

Hi Sip Why don't you reply to an argument with an actual argument ?

Do you mean Yervant ?

Well, embarrassed because guys are not supposed to be talking about their feelings. And also because I felt uncomfortable talking about certain subjects with them (for example, girls/dating/love,etc.). It's different (easier) when you are talking behind a screen with people whom you have not met and will probably never meet , than talking with people with whom you will continue to share the house for some years ahead... If I shared those feelings with them, then every time they'd look at me, I'd suffer with the feeling of being transparent, and feel that they can see right through me. I don't know how to explain it. I've always been scared of giving away my feelings, because then they might 'take them away' from me, in the sense that they would no longer be PERSONAL. Hmm. I guess that's because I never really tasted the feeling of sharing things with my parents. Imagine coming home from school and starting to tell them something and it'd fall on deaf ears, you ask them if they heard what you said, they'd go: "huh? what?" It was so disappointing to see them do that over and over again. I'd just tell them "nothing" and go to my room. After a while I forced myself out of the habit of telling them anything at all, in the heat of my excitement. They wouldn't listen anyway. I used to make up for it by writing my thoughts and feelings. But after a while I stopped being able to express myself. They messed up. I don't blame my mother, though. My dad is to be blamed for it. I actually feel sorry for my mom. Even though I used to be scared of the idea that my parents would get divorce (I was afraid they would leave me alone!), in retrospect, they should have done it and gone their own way instead of torturing themselves and each other. All this talk about divorce leading to problematic families is BS. I'd rather live with one parent (or no parent at all) than go through the hell that I lived through. I know, you will say, be careful what you wish for, but I KNOW better. If I had been sent to an 'orphanage' I would've received much more love and caring in one day than I received in the past 24 years combined. Anyway, parents get only one chance to do things right. It's not like they can reverse all those years of pain and confusion that I had to go through, no matter how much they try to make up for it, and even if we talk. I would feel closer talking to a stranger than to my own parents, so what are we going to talk about? It's too little too late. I just hope that other parents would find the right balance in dealing with their kids. When I become a parent I will make up for what I did not get to enjoy, by giving my kids all the attention that I wished and prayed I would get from my parents.

That's the thing Yervant... I don't really feel close to my parents and I think that's because of their (past) behavior. Now I rarely talk to them even though we live in the same house... Sometimes - when I was younger - I did feel like talking to them about these things but always felt embarrassed to do so, and also did not know how to open the subject (I tried hinting at it but they did not seem to understand, or maybe they pretended not to understand). Now I have given up on talking to them. Oh well. To hell with them. Life goes on.

Yervant, you have kids my age? Wow, cool. I actually liked what you wrote. My parents have given me the exact opposite treatment that you talked about above. I have to say, that at times, I used to wish that they would be strict with me, at least that would have meant that they cared enough to pay attention to what I did and what I felt. I don't know if it's supposed to be different with male kids, so maybe that is why my parents never showed any signs of caring about what I did?

If the RoA is the center of Armenians, then how come it refuses to view us as equally Armenian as its citizens? And moreover, what does respecting the orthography of the state have to do with the state's attempts to eliminate our rich linguistic heritage, vocabulary, and expressions? The Statists must realize that the Soviet/Russian manipulation of OUR language has got nothing to do with original Armenian orthography. So allow me to say here what many have wanted to say but been afraid of saying for fear of being branded unpatriotic: it is the STATE that has been driven by its elitist views towards Diasporan Armenians (whom the author oddly brands as "sectarian") in its attempt to destroy Western Armenian cultural and linguistic heritage, spelling, and pronunciation. The anomaly is the Eastern Armenian spelling, not the Western Armenian one! And Haroutioun Khatchadrian is the elitist not the other way around! What a joke!!!!!!

My advice to you is that you wouldn't waste your time with these genocidal good-for-nothings.

Yup http://pamolson.org/LebIsrGirls.jpg And speaking of human shields.... These kids were actually on a military base, and if a rocket had slammed into that base as many HezbAllah rockets indeed did hit military bases, then these kids would have been legitimate targets. And the targets are Lebanese civilians including hundreds of children: http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41414000/jpg/_41414639_fatherafp.jpg Sip, your tax dollars at work: http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41415000/jpg/_41415139_funeralafp.jpg "Enjoy".

So why doesn't the UN take note of the "fake" air raids conducted by Israel a while ago just above my house in Beirut, and also in Mount Lebanon ? What are those jets doing over Mount Lebanon? I understand that in Beirut is the HezbAllah HQ, but what is in Mount Lebanon? Aside from Michel Aoun and some TV antennas?

:lol2: @ dating Ann Coulter. :D Yeah Armenak, the Egyptian films and actresses were like that, even up to the late 60s (the era of Nasserist secular Arab nationalism which Israel and USA were working to destroy) and all the way to the early 80s! I grew up on Egyptian films ... lol Maybe that explains my aversion to the Egyptian dialect and especially their pronunciation of "j" as "g". "Sana helwa ya Gamil"... The U.S and Israel are responsible for, and benefited from, the rise of radical political Islam in the Arab world (Iran is a different case altogether).

Btw, Sip, how come Al Manar TV is banned in USA, since USA is so freedom-loving and democratic...? What is it afraid of, a channel showing Israeli brutalities? That Americans would at last have an unfiltered source of footage of where their tax dollars are going? Speaking of Al Manar, there was a two-series short documentary aired on Tuesday and Wednesday, about the environmental disaster in Lebanon's beachfront caused by the Hariri company Solidere, which has turned the Normandy landfill into real estate, dumping toxic waste in the Mediterranean, effectively killing all marine life in that particular area of the Beirut Central District (which Solidere has STOLEN). While in power , Hariri changed laws in order to cover the illegal activities of Solidere. In other words, he and his Saudi masters, turned Lebanese government into a real estate management company. Al Manar TV trained its reporters to dive in order to expose the LIES of Solidere and its masters Saudi Arabia. The report is in Arabic but if you are curious you may check out the video for footage of what it looks like under the water at the "Normandy" landfill area, compared to the clean St. Georges area: (click to download the video) And for USA's hand in this environmental crime, click here. All hail "free market".