Aaron

I haven't written anything here in at least 3 years. To read: http://hetq.am/eng/opinion/3362/ I have a lot to say about this (good and bad) but work and time restrictions don't allow me to delve into it! A.

I don't know if this is a myth or if there is a dose of truth in it, but I've heard that at some point Armenians in the diaspora considered buying a piece of land and establish a pseudo-state (probably under protectorate of a bigger power) for the genocide survivors. I've heard this occurred in the 1920s or 1930s when it became clear that western Armenia was lost for good and that eastern Armenia was under tight Soviet rule. Apparently, the territories considered were parts of Madagascar Island and Vancouver Island. Anyone has some sort of info on this? Is it just a senseless rumor? A.

http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniarepor...67727912B39.ASP

Quote " "Nous n’avons pas besoin d’eux, ils ont besoin de nous. La Turquie veut de bons liens économiques avec ses voisins. S’ils voient ce fait et prennent des mesures en notre direction, nous prendrons des mesures en leur direction" a dit le ministre d’Etat. (GIF) « Nous n’avons aucun dialogue commercial ou politique avec les arméniens à cause des problèmes qu’ils ont crées. L’ouverture de la frontière n’est pas malheureusement possible pour l’instant sans que l’Arménie résolve ses problèmes avec l’Azerbaïdjan et change sa position envers la Turquie » a précisé Mehmet SimSek " This is in french and basically sums what I wrote at the beginning of this thread, that even if Armenians are willing to put aside many things and beg for the border to open, the Turks don't really want to. The balance of forces is too much in their favor. They don't need us, we need them! Use google translation if needed. I am for opening the border, and even forgetting SOME issues dividing us, finding a negotiated and moderate solution for our problems ... but it's not gonna happen. If I was Turkish, I wouldn't open the border, since the present day policy does actually have realistic chances of weakening Armenia into submission. "Why change it? What's pressing? nothing right? To sum it up in full honesty: as the most powerful country in the region (Turkey), I do whatever I want!" A.

I have a good friend in the restaurant business, he worked in a restaurant doing all type of jobs for years before opening his own. This type of experience is a must if you want to succeed in this difficult business. Moreover, keep in mind that you have to be constantly present there (no trusting managers or delegating), staff turnover is one of the highest in any industry (few people make a career out of it), and location is key! But if you make it (reputation), you can easily make in the mid to high 6 digits, much better than engineering or research jobs in terms of money. Good luck, A.

I agree with Shiner that you should be in something that makes you feel comfortable ... however cliché this may sound. If you're going to do it for the cash, then you might as well open a small business right now (ice cream counter, café, retail store, etc), you'll make a good living, as good as - if not better than - a Boeing engineer (you'll work more hours though). This way, no need to invest time and money in long years of education and university!! My environment is full of people with very average education (sometimes none) that make a good living with their small businesses, drive nice cars, have a decent house, and go on vacation once or twice a year with their families. If, on the other hand, you want to be challenged intellectually and do a job that you like, you must have balls (if you're a girl ... you get the point, no discrimination) to take the risk of doing something interesting, and have the confidence that you'll find a way to make a living, even if that means changing fields later on! The good thing about engineering is that you can do pretty much anything with it later on: work in engineering companies, work in consulting, banking, IP, etc, go to grad school and pursue research to become an academic, start your business in your field or in something else since you'll have an analytical mind, do almost any other degree, do an MBA, become a surfer, etc. Anything goes !!! Most engineers end up living well, and some become rich. In other words and bluntly speaking, it's a fairly sure bet! Yes, I'm an engineer and I work in research (grad student). It's very interesting, you're at the cutting edge of science and tech, your mind never stagnates and you're always working with brilliant individuals. You definitely get a strong sense of accomplishment. As for the money, I have to be honest, it's not the best ... unless you start you're own business or become a prof/researcher in an Ivy League school, a fairly challenging task ... which should not intimidate you if you feel you have it inside. I'm about to change fields though ... want to try banking/strategy consulting for a few years, and we'll see later on! But, as you can see, my educational background was compatible with banking (in terms of fundamentals, I've never worked or studied finance or business), at least enough so that I could land a job! Good luck in you decision making, hope this helped! A.

Totally agree, we don't need one! Moreover, if it happens, an Armenian from Armenia cannot lead such an organization. I don't refer to arevelahay or arevmdahay, it could of course be an Armenian from Armenia who has significant experience living in the diaspora (not through his function as ambassador or in the foreign affairs). The person must have lived in the disapora and must have been involved in its life to understand all aspects. For example, Vartan Oskanian could potentially do this job, Arkady Ghoukassian, no, he's experienced in telethons and running a state, not dealing with an extremely multicultural structure. Alex Yemenijian could, but it's borderline (he's a businessman). Alex Manukyan, if he was alive, would be perfect! Ara Abrahamian from Russia is also a possibility. Jirair Libaridian, maybe, he's seen both worlds, but someone younger is preferable! Armen Sargsyan, the former prime minister living in London for a while now, is another possibility! Just some random thoughts. And BTW, the origin of Victor Dallakian's last name is ranked somewhere between 15743-15746 on my index of priorities and worries in life, i.e. I don't give a damn! A.

When I click on it, it does open. In any case, go on www.armenialiberty.com and it's today's headline about Azerbaijan further military budget increase. http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniarepor...B3FB87FCB44.ASP A.

More bad news, http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniarepor...B3FB87FCB44.ASP Should we provoke this war now when the balance of forces is still in our favor, before it's too late? A.

I received this from a friend. Is it true or just a joke? If real, I wouldn't be surprised at all and probably not a bad thing for Armenia either. " According to the data from RA energy circles, the second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan has been offered a post of deputy Chairman of "Gazprom" OJSC's managing Board. According to the source, R. Kocharyan received the proposal even before expiry of the term of his office. Moreover, RA second president will have to supervise the south direction of the gas monopolist's activity. There is no information yet about Robert Kocharyan's response to this proposal. " Who knows, one day he'll run for a Russian government post, he has experience changing environments after all. All that would be needed is for the Kremlin to pass a law that allows individuals born in the former Soviet Union to be APPOINTED to political posts, and if Rob is in good terms with Putin (who controls the parliament A to Z), then the rest becomes a technicality ... Just for fun, imagine the possibility of Rob becoming russian president, the joke about Artsax conquering the world will become true after all !!! A.

LK82, I voted for scenario A, and I expected to see results where 100% of votes would have gone to option A, I was surprised to see most people actually went for B ... although only 7 have voted! In my opinion, the scenario you described is too good to become reality now. Armenians don't have so much power and negotiating leverage to bring Turkey to make even those small, minimal concessions. Armenia and Armenians bother Turkey as much as, or probably less than, native americans bother the US government. It is as unthinkable for Turkey to return lands and make concessions to Armenia as it is unthinkable for the US to concede to the natives by offering them a portion of US territory (something more than reservations) or reparations for everything bad through history, let alone create a country for them ... I wish Turkey would negotiate on such issues ... but why would they, when a real possibility exists to get away with their crimes and not even look at Armenia's face. Armenia is nothing for them, an easy opponent they can crush! Change can happen, only when Armenia turns a bit stronger ... nothing close to Turkey, but more than what it is today. When the rapport of forces and power becomes less unbalanced than it is today, things can slowly change. I know it's not very encouraging! A.

Elle, I'm also not for LTP, you know it, but what you saw on TV is official news, the guy's confessions and stories don't mean anything, he may have been forced to say that by the NSS (new KGB). Moreover, I don't think it's all over, it's impossible that the situation will remain like this, SS will become president and everything will be forgotten! The tension in the country is extremely high regardless of what you hear from official news. I spoke to Erevan yesterday, and apparently most agree that there need to be serious, almost concessionary, actions to diffuse tension. Leaders need to understand that a sizable portion of the population "tkadz uni" on the government now and has even hostile attitude towards it! There IS a problem, and it won't go away by ignoring it. Tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters did go to the streets for a reason, even if we don't agree with it. The sooner this issue is fundamentally tackled (I don't mean by tanks and guns, politically), the better! It's a matter of national security to reduce enmity between people immediately, I still believe new elections in 6-8 months are the best way to do that ... no doubt LTP would lose though! A.

Nazarian and Alpha, Whatever you write about the necessity for Armenia to become a normal country by normalizing relations with neighbors and considering the republic as an actual country with people and an economy ... rather than a besieged fortress, makes total sense. Everyone with a minimum of common sense agrees that this would be THE positive and reasonable thing to do. OK, but ask yourself a question about the feasibility of this plan or how much support it would garner from people in Armenia and Artsakh. Try to see the difference between what should and what can be done today in the caucasus and convince me that I'm wrong. I'm not saying this with sarcasm. I really want to be convinced! Once again my view is explained with a little more detail here http://hyeforum.com/index.php?s=&showt...st&p=229066 A.

Translate the main point please, I don't know russian, A.

Sulamita, yes LTP has written a history book called "hayere yev khachagirnere" about the relations between crusaders and Cilicia Armenians 12th to 14th century. It's a first volume, I believe a second is coming. It's a serious scientific work, I have read two chapters (the book is thick and I didn't have much time to go all over) and the topic is interesting, although appropriate for a specific and connoisseur public, those who are really into history and care about all details. No doubt that he's an intelligent and serious academic! Nobody contests that. Spoke to my family in Erevan yesterday. Things are ironic and absurd: I was mostly against LTP ... but just learned that my brother was at the demonstrations Saturday night ... and my dad was among the anti LTP demonstrators in 1996 ... and now he's kind of sympathetic to LTP because of the government use of force against the population ... one family with the full spectrum of political inclinations one might say! Our people have gone crazy! A.