SanVal

I agree. I think most women are like that. My comment was about the majority. It's hard for me to understand, for example, how much emphasis they put on their engagement rings. If I were to get engaged, I wouldn't even want one. As for me, I care about three things in a man: 1) good, decent, down to earth personality (that's the most important thing), 2) the quality of the conversation and how much I let my guard down with him, and 3) sex appeal. I care about money only to the extent it can buy him those three things.

Women are more calculating than men. When it comes to the opposite sex, most men tend to just follow their feelings. That's why most of them don't care if the girl is out of their league--they think she looks good, so they just go for it. Women, on the other hand, tend to have checklists. E.g. Does he make enough $? Is he tall enough? Will he be the cheating type?

The problem is that Armenia isn't Bhutan. Unfortunately, many people still think of it in generic terms: as one of those post-Soviet republics, which in their minds are very much alike. So, when they decide to go to one of them, the great majority choose to go to Russia. If Armenia wants to attract the type who go to Bhutan, it will need to pander to the western taste for Middle Eastern things or something exotic. If it does that, it'll have a good chance of attracting tourists because they'll think it has the exoticism factor without the danger of terrorism or having rocks thrown at you because you're a woman and are wearing shorts.

Good point, GMD. I think Armenians as a nation just want to find friends in this world, but it's pointless to do so. Armenians don't have any true friends.

I think this guy might also be a really good actor--maybe the whole thing was a hoax. Either way it was funny.

I thought that Mediterranean Fever is common only among Armenians, Arabs, Jews, and Turks. So are we now to think of the Turks as our family?

There's already a "Little Armenia" in Hollywood. isn't that enoug? At some point--if you go too far--you'll only create animosity. Remember the conflict that "Little Cambodia" caused in Long Beach? Given the history of Armenian Americans in California, it makes sense to create one in Fresno.

Many European countries fear Turkey. The EU is about porous borders, and, given the Turks' incredibly high birth rate and willingness to work for a lower wage, many Europeans fear they'll just "swamp" Europe. Ever since Poland joined the EU, the number of Poles in England has increased dramatically, and there's now some anti-immigrant sentiment there. The anti-Turkish sentiment will be ten times worse. Here's an article about Polish immigrants: A 30 hour journey on a coach does not sound like fun, but five times a week a coach load of Polish people make the journey from Warsaw to Southampton. They are heading for the South of England looking for work. No-one is exactly sure how many Poles are here, but the City Council estimate it could be as high as 20,000. In a city of 200,000 people that is one in 10. The Southampton Labour MP John Denham is concerned that the sheer numbers of people is causing problems. An example he gives is Southampton City College, where this term 1000 people registered to study English. Perhaps, he says, the employers that are profiting from cheap labour could help fund the cost of their studies. He is also worried that workers unintentionally undermine British employees by working for less money. He said: "You cannot stop competition but you can ensure that they pay their tax and national insurance. "Government agencies need to rigorously enforce this and target these dubious agencies that are dodging tax and also may be involved in other dubious dealings." Right to work Poland became a member of the European Union in 2004, and its citizens won the freedom to work in Britain. Two facts explain why so many are choosing to exercise that freedom. First the average annual income in Poland is £4,000 a year. Second Poland has the highest unemployment rate in Europe. But why come to Southampton? Multiple jobs Sixty-two-year-old Jan Kosniowski came to Southampton after the war and now runs an employment agency in the city. "The older community's attitude to the new ones is very mixed," said Mr Kosiowski. "For example, we arranged a Polish dance but very of the new young people turned up. Perhaps, if it had been a disco the attendance would have been different." "Many of the new ones come here and concentrate on earning money - working seven days a week. "Some have two jobs and are sending money back to their families in Poland. "Some work here for three or four months and then take time off over the summer or Christmas and go back to Poland for a few weeks and then return on the coaches." Rafal Kopala: Now has Business Visa Rafal Kopala first arrived eight years ago - illegally. He left after a few months and came back with a business visa. Rafal Kopal now works as a delivery driver for Michelin tyres. "The reason why? I am sure why all Polish people come to England. "They are looking for a better life, for work ... and money. First thing, I think, is the money." Medical facilities stretched Shirley is the heart of Southampton's Polish community. The Polish Deli stocks a taste of home for 100s of people. But so many new people are putting a strain on health facilities. Some GPs report a huge increase in their workload. And schools say there is a shortage of Polish speakers to help youngsters whose first language is not English. Church role The Polish Church Committee is now trying to improve relations with the new settlers. "We are now trying to organise English lessons for adults at the Polish Community Centre in the hope the newcomers will attend regularly." "The elders have been keeping Polish traditions going." But whilst some Poles are keen to make a new life in England, many others are just here to earn money before they return home. The Politics Show Join Peter Henley live from Southampton on the Politics Show on Sunday 25 June 2006 at 12:00 on BBC One.

This topic is closely related to another hot topic: the race of Armenians. Although the issue in complex, in general ethnic identity comes from within the group, whereas racial categories are imposed from the outside. Armenians have for centuries defined themselves as Armenians, so what's wrong with just keeping it that way? When I'm in a group of Middle Easterners (e.g. Arabs, Turks, Persians), I feel different from everyone around me although on the surface I might pass for one. On the other hand, I might have the same religion and the same "western" outlook on life as an Englishman, a Russian, or a French person, but I still don't feel like I'm one of them. Doesn't that mean that Armenians are unique and it's just a waste of time to try to put ourselves in a broader category? Of late there have been people of all kinds of ethnicities (including Armenians) trying to get themselves categorized as non-white, obviously because being different from wasps is "in." An Armenian is an Armenian is an Armenian. The truth is that unlike some other people out there (e.g. the Arab world is huge, so is the Slavik world, as is the Turkic world) Armenians don't have any close relatives, so it's futile to try to find any. If some scholar says Armenians are X or Y, or white or Asian, I'll comply with what they say as far as checking the box, but I'm certainly not going to let them influence how I define myself.

History buffs would consider going to Armenia, although backpackers (who are a huge chunk of tourists) certainly wouldn't. They don't refer to it as an "open air museum" for nothing.

Whenever I see her in magazines, I can't help but look at the shape of her mouth. It's very unusual. How come nobody has said how attractive Nelly Furtado is? I think she's not only beautiful, but very striking...very interesting bone structure and eyes.

I'm glad he didn't mention he's Armenian, not because what he did was embarrassing, but because it would've diminished his panther character had he mentioned anything human (such as nationality). Anyway, I liked him and I hope I get the chance to see him live. I think there's a chance they'll ask him to come back at the end of the show...he's in LA where the show is taped, and they like to invite the memorable ones. Emil, if you run into him, please tell him he has at least one secret admirer.

I think the cable guy who came to my apartment last weekend was beautiful. I'm so glad he wasn't able to get the cable working then; that means he's coming by again this Saturday.

Hell yes

In case you missed last night's "American Idol," there was an Armenian guy who tried out in LA. His name is Martik Manoukian and he's destined to be a star. I couldn't stop laughing when I watched his "eccentric roar." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux9Ll0s3BAM

It's a funny movie, but I don't think I like Sacha Cohen, now that I've had more time to think about him. He tries so hard to embarrass certain segments of Americans and Kazakhs (as well as other "primitive" people), but I've never seen him make fun of Jews. He makes fun of anti-Semitism, but not its victims. That, combined with the fact that he made his fiance convert, makes me think that his nationalism is pretty extreme. I doubt that he would find a similar movie about upper middle class Jews amusing.

Yes it is. It's becoming more common, but women like that have always existed. Ashton and Demi are just like Khadijah and Muhammad. I had this in my family, too: one of my great-grandmothers married a man 14 years her junior. Pretty progressive for an illiterate woman.

You're right. Many of those other republics have stopped using Russian as their primary language; so, there's another reason why they can't move back. It all seems so absurd to me, being an American and being around people of completely different appearances. In my opinion, the physical differences between a Russian and an Armenian are miniscule if you look at the entire spectrum of people in the world. With some Russians, though, it seems that minor differences are blown out of proportion.

That last sentence was right on point. We agree on one thing.

Why does everyone assume it's a woman's career that gets in the way of having a family? When people say that, they're essentially portraying women who claim that they don't want to join the bandwagon as social impotents; in other words, people who'd LIKE to have a family but CAN'T because their career doesn't permit it. You'll find lots of women nowadays who don't want to have kids (at the moment) not because of a career, but because they don't feel the rush, they want to take their time finding "the one," and they just feel too confident in their looks (and otherwise) to jump at the first opportunity to marry. Besides, sperm banks aren't such a bad idea. When you look at the divorce rate in the US and what people go through, it might be better to just do it with the help of sperm.

If you have enough money, you can conceive at 60. But even if you're poor, it's possible to have a child at 40. I've met women like that.

Isn't sharing a plate with a bunch of other people unsanitary?

Yeah, exactly. But I still think that sleeping pills are not a long-term solution. I used to have a really hard time falling asleep sometimes, but it's gotten better recently. I think three things have made a difference: 1) less stress, 2) very comfortable air mattress (much more comfortable than regular mattresses), and 3) a walk outside every day. As for the last point, I've found that taking the metro to work every day instead of driving has made a huge difference. As a result of doing that, I don't even need to go to the gym much because I walk about 16 blocks every day, and it's time I spend breathing fresh air and people-watching (which is interesting and relaxing). If you go outside every day, you'll probably see more than a few changes in how you feel.

I don't think sleeping pills are addictive, but I also don't think that's the only thing to worry about. I relied heavily on sleeping pills when I was studying for the bar because when I tried to fall asleep, my brain kept going and I kept thinking about the things I learned that day. Sleeping pills helped in that they helped me have a restful sleep; I didn't wake up in the middle of the night and felt relatively good when I woke up. The thing about sleeping pills, though, is that after a while they stop working. That happened with both Ambien and Lunesta. I started taking two and then even two didn't work that well. Besides, given what has happened with Paxil (and other antidepressants), Celebrex, and sorryyyyy, I'm sure that in a few years they'll say some of them can have harmful side effects. For that reason I'd make some lifestyle changes instead. They're still really good for crunch times or for a temporary and very stressful period.

1. In the beginning, there were no elliptical trainers or low-fat/high-fiber muffins, and so people lived to only about 40-something. Maximum. Meaning, the pressure was on to get married before age 25. However, today, thanks to medical advances, we can all hope to live to 80. Easy. Meaning? Even if we marry at age 40, that's still 35, 45, even 55 years to be with a mate. Plenty of time to be married. What's the hurry? 2. Married people are not necessarily better catches simply because they were caught. I mean, have you taken a look at some of the married people out there? Seriously. Even Frankenstein got married. Obviously married people are not superior people. These are very true! I plan on getting married and having children at 40. Right now I'm too selfish to spend my free time or extra money on a husband or children. Plus, there are sperm banks now and you can even freeze your eggs, so having a man isn't even necessary and there's no rush to have kids. By the way, in the US, people who get married later in life tend to have more successful marriages (i.e. they last longer).