Aaron

This is a great video, 100% humor of course, but very original and funny. I know we're miles apart as nations but I've always felt similarities, been interested in irish history, watched every IRA related movie, and read about Ireland's revolutionary movement as much as I could. To friends who would ask me for the reason I havn't joined the ARF, I would jokingly reply that I can't since I'm already in the IRA! Anyways, good job to whoever did it. A.

I came across this on the web. This guy is hilarious. Anybody has seen him on stage? apparently he's from LA and Armenian too! A.

Femme333, if Kocharian, Ter-Petrossian, Serj and the rest are idiots, scums, thieves, criminals, etc, then who can lead Armenia? I know that it's cool to dislike politicians and to complain, and also that expressing a good opinion about our leaders is seen as foolishness. But let's try to put a little more thought in this than during the usual coffee brake conversation where everyone bashes the system. Who can sit at a table and tell gangsters, mobsters, and rich guys to pay taxes and give them instructions on things they can, and things they can't, do? Who can make those gangsters fear the state? Who can convince top military officers of Armenian descent that their place is in the Armenian Army and not in the russian one, or some foreign country where they would live like kings because of their qualifications? Who can negotiate with Russian generals and leaders to get hundreds of millions of dollars worth of military hardware by convincing them that they need Armenia to be strong and that we can actually be useful to them by being their "outpost" in the region? Similarly, who can convince the US that Karabakh is different from Abkhazia and Ossetia and that they should look at us differently, in this case as a little more than just a "russian outpost"? Who can convince CEOs of international companies that they should invest in Armenia, even if we have no access to the sea, are almost in a war, we have 80% of our borders closed, etc. Who can reply to those CEOs when tell you that even if you were very democratic and peaceful, they wouldn't care about investing in this region because of political instability, because of many conflicts on which you have no control, because of a possible war with Iran, because of kurdistan, because of instability in Georgia, etc? Who can lie and convince the EU that we can be democratic and get the appropriate loans the country needs, although we know democracy takes time ... a lot of time for countries in a situation of no war no peace with only a ceasefire? Who can lie and convince the EU that there is actually hope that Armenia will overcome corruption in the short and medium term, that they should not lose hope with us, that a little more patience, and financial support, will suffice for our country to eliminate corruption ... although we all know very well that this won't happen anytime soon? Corruption is present at every level of Armenian society, not to say family, and has nothing to do with the government or the person of the president, everyone that has lived in Armenia knows that our people have a natural predisposition to circumvent the law, not to obey orders, to find ways of doing things their own way by knowing that no one up there, except god, thinks of their well being. Every Armenian family "ir glkhu jarn e nayum yev shad vaghuts arten huys chi dnum ir ghegavarneri vra". Our people know that their family's well being depends on their ingenuity and not on any government's efficiency. Our people do not trust their governments because they have never seen a trustable one in their entire history; Armenian kings were obviously not very democratic ... nor were Persian shahs, Turkish sultans, and Russian Tsars! Secretary generals of the communist party or first secretaries of the Armenian SSR were known to be among the most corrupt humans in history, managing one of the most corrupt systems that ever existed. The first 2 presidents of ROA could not have convinced Armenians in only 15 years that the government is good and that it likes them! Trust takes time. Fighting corruption can't be accomplished by presidential decrees or speeches from Levon, Robert or Serj, it is a long term process, involving the church, the education system from kindergarden, economic growth, stability, peace ... and even then it would work only after decades! So who can lead Armenia to those green pastures? Hot-shot rich lawyers or businessmen from L.A. and Vegas? Brutal gangsters from Moscow? Armenian intellectuals of the diaspora? An Armenian singer from France? Can they do the job, if it requires to be unethical very often, do whatever it takes to move the country forward even if people will hate them? The leaders come from within, from the people ... and Levon, Serj, and Robert came from the people and stood by the people in the worst days of the new republic, winning a war together. They dislike each other now but that's another story! If not Levon who brought crowds numbering hundreds of thousands in 1988, who went to jail for his views and led the country to independence, if not Robert who engineered the Karabakh Army's victories on the battlefield and led Armenia for the past 10 years learning all details about the country, if not the Serj who has dealt with defense, security, and pretty much all shady affairs happening in the republic since independence, then who? Who knows, and actually cares, about Armenia enough to do the job? And if Levon, Robert and Serj, with their backgrounds as good and dedicated patriots, are now scum bags then what makes you think that the next "good guy" that comes won't turn into a "bad guy" fairly soon? To rephrase that; will he turn into a bad guy, or we'll turn him into a bad guy in our heads because he can't make Armenia as good a country as France or the US during his mandate? Will he really be a bad guy or is it that the people are so frustrated and pissed off about everything that they'll hate anyone to feel a little better, momentarily? So, who? Just some random thoughts written quickly, may be full of grammatical mistakes!

Ok, I meant Biomedical Engineering and Engineering Physics

This may not be in the right section but it is the closest I can think of. I'm a soon-to-graduate student and am naturally asking some fundamental questions about the type of organization I would like to join afterwards. I just wanted to have opinions from people in this forum. After all, everybody knows someone who knows someone, etc ... who has worked in a given area/sector/industry/company and could provide experienced advice based on what he/she has seen! First question related to engineering (my major): A first job with a strong technical component vs. one that is more management/business oriented? I've done my research on this but just wanted some forum-member feedback. Opinions, examples, etc, are appreciated. Regards A.

So former president Ter-Petrossian broke his silence on Independence day, bashed the Kocharian administration, and said things are so bad for us in the Karabakh issue that he does not know how to get out of the mess Kocharian-Sarkissian created. Your opinions? A.

Aratta No matter how hard liner one is, he can't deny that Armenian leaders (past or present) have been ready to cut a deal with the enemy. A deal which would somehow involve the return of some (not all) territories versus a final recognition of Artsakh's independence by the International community and most importantly Azerbaijan ... otherwise, what is it that's being negotiated for over 13 years ?? Whether such a deal is reachable or not, given Azerbaijan's stance, is another story! In any case, I think you did understand the point I wanted to make in my first post i.e. that Azerbaijan is being maximalist and that they would be responsible for a second war. A.

It's mostly stuff we already new. We never considered, because of Azerbaijan's inability to reasonably assess its 1994 defeat, that a second war was improbable. At least we know we were ready to go for concessions, bargain territories versus independence, a referendum, let refugees return, etc. Our demands were not maximalist or unrealistic, it's just that Azeris wanted Everything back to the 1988 status. They have unimaginable wealth, natural resources, all possibilities to become a developed nation and live well ... but they still demand what isn't theirs, they still want more. It kind of reminds me of the "The fisherman and the goldfish" from Pushkin. We could have not done better and this makes the second war an imposed one, not one we looked for or intentionally asked for. There should be no regrets, extreme feelings of responsibility, or guilt from our part for what is to happen! As Stratfor puts it, it was almost inevitable from the very start. Let's just hope we'll win it too. A.

I saw the film. I'm a little disappointed! A.

Hi For those HF members from Montreal, the movie will be shown within the Film Festival at the following times and locations LA MASSERIA DELLE ALLODOLE, 2007 / 35 mm / Couleur / 122 min, Réal. Paolo & Vittorio Taviani, Italie - Bulgarie - Espagne - France. Horaire : 25 août 2007 • 21:30 • CINÉMA IMPÉRIAL • CI.25.6 • 26 août 2007 • 18:20 • CINÉMA QUARTIER LATIN 9 ÉCRAN LA PRESSE • L9.26.5 • 29 août 2007 • 18:00 • CINÉMA QUARTIER LATIN 9 ÉCRAN LA PRESSE • L9.29.5 • 2 septembre 2007 • 21:20 • CINÉMA IMPÉRIAL • CI.02.6 • I'm going for sure A.

Can people post pictures of the games please, any picture is good. A.

Where did you see the film? Golden apricot? When will it come to US-Canada, any idea? Any news from the armenian translation of the book? I know it was in the making. Thanks. A.

I'm actually reading the book right now (the english translation). Very well written! The movie should come to Canada in the fall probably, I'll see it then. A.

Asdvads chani, yete griv versgsi, heshd baderazm chilinelu. yergu goghmern el irens goyutyan hamar en grvelu. An armenian defeat would not only mean the loss of artsakh but certainly that of Syunik as well, on the other hand, an Azeri defeat may result in the disintegration of Azerbaijan. But the issue is not in that ... the issue is that we may have no choice at all but to fight, the alternative being even worse than defeat ... massacres, and ethnic cleansing. All of this has probably been analyzed and thought over and over by our military leaders. Let's trust them. A.

Did anyone follow the meeting of Aliev and Kocharian? The result is that there is no result! See? Was there a need to panic, to call the president a weak man, a sell out, a traitor? of course not. As I had said, Robert (or Serge) will never yield if we don't have the deal we want. The deal is based on 3 principles announced in many interviews or documents by Armenia's leadership since Kocharian came to power in 1998. Those principles are non-negotiable. They are: 1) Horizontal relations between Stepanakert and Bakou. i.e. indepedence of Karabakh or impossibility to subject karabakh to Azeri rule (attachment to Armenia) 2) Impossibility for karabakh to remain an enclave. i.e. Lachin (and hopefully Kelbajar) are not to be returned. 3) Strong security guarantees for Karabakh. May be interpreted in many ways: UN peacekeeping troops, CIS troops, keeping control over more territories that reinforce Karabakh security (best option), Union with Armenia which is a UN member, etc. This is the official stance of Armenia and for an official stance it is as gutsy as it can be. You can't act tougher than this in diplomacy, when dealing with superpowers. Perhaps our guys know azeris will never agree to those demands and that may explain our stance. In any case, don't worry and don't panic ... nobody will sell Artsakh. Things are ok! A.

Lav Karen, I agree that 42000 km2 is a minimum for Armenia's physical security. I spoke of territorial concessions not because I like the idea but because I have the impression that we have no alternative. How can we tell Russia, France and the US? "mind your own business, we're not giving back anything. We have all legal, moral and historic rights to keep those territories, leave us alone" What do you suggest? What would you do if you were president? Maybe there are things that I don't know, and maybe we can actually afford to speak that way with powerful countries without grave consequences. Maybe concessions are charyats medsaguynn yev votch pokraguynn. But I really want to know what can be practically done not to make those concessions. You're elected pres. tomorrow, what do you do? Hartsn part e, jnshumn el dsanr odarneri goghmits! A.

Everybody, Who's speaking of handing over Artsakh? All of this is Azeri propaganda. I understand that some of the territories were taken during the war and may be used for "arevdur", but there are some that are non-negotiable. In other words, territories can be classified according to their tactical or strategic importance. Of course, keeping everything would be the best option ... but the fact that a claim is legitimate does not necessarily make it realistic. We'll have to give back some territories, that's what "negotiations" and "compromise" imply. Even if we don't like it we'll have to do it? The minsk group countries have plenty of ways to make sure we bow to their demands in case we don't. But I don't see a sell out of Artsakh or national interests, I think Armenia is much stronger now than in the early 90s. Our leadership is stronger too and we have more confidence than before, we are not scared of possible threats. We'll sign a compromise based deal if necessary (and if Azeris agree to it, which I doubt), but it will be within reason and will definitely account for the security of Armenians both in Artsakh and Armenia. Plus, have a little confidence on our leaders please, Kocharian and Sarkissian have been generals during the war. If we start believing whatever is written left and right, Armenia would be in a mess. Robert and Serge were born and raised in Armenian families, fought for Armenia, and have been leading Armenia for about a decade ... without concessions. They are from "us" and are not to be seen as enemies. So no need to panic! Personal opinion on what will happen: Armenians will make constructive compromises but Azeris will refuse asking for everything back, which will of course be refused by us. The status quo will continue and everything will be done to maintain a military balance to prevent a war ... for years and years ... just like it has been since 1994! A.

Yes Gamavor, at this stage and age stability is non-existent, we're forced to move for employment. I will begin my career soon and although I'd prefer working in Montreal, I have to admit it is tempting to go see what's out there in big cities or industrial centers where major decisions are taken, gain valuable and unique experience and hopefully/by all means come back to live here ... but a house in Armenia is always in my mind and I'll get it as soon as I can, promised ... and rest assured that all worthy hyeforum members (minimum of 100 serious posts) will receive an invitation for the inaugural party!!!lol What else am I supposed to do? Who knows, I may even end up in Texas, they say it's a good place to work, how is the armenian community there? I like having a good community, it's like an extension of your own, you'll always find people with whom to click. Later A.

You never know where you will end up, you can only have preferences. I have lived in Montreal for the last 17 years and I love my city very much, it is one of the best places to live in the world if you ask me (and I've traveled around to compare with other places)! I most probably will end up living here ... I hope! Spain, Italy and the rest appeal to me very much of course (just like everyone) and I would definitely not mind being there ... but it is the people that make a place right? My family and friends are in Montreal and Armenia, therefore I see myself juggling in between. If I was to plan living in every single place I liked, then I would live in southern Italy first, Paris, Lebanon for a while, western Canada because of its beauty, New York because of its identity and dynamism, perhaps even spain, etc. See, you can't move all your life because you like one place or another, there are other factors that count as well. Us armenians have moved so much that we have forgotten what stability means and in order to create it, I have the impression that I have to force myself to move less. A.

Hey femme333 One option you should consider is subleasing the car. Your ex had a lease contract of how many months? You simply switch owners for the remaining number of months on the contract ... just have to find someone who's looking for a similar car. I'm actually in the process of subleasing a car. There are websites dedicated to this. ex: www.leasebusters.com First try returning the car, if it doesn't work try subleasing (unless you can't ... I didn't read the details of your story)! Good luck! A.

Of course leasing a car will make you loose money ... but unless you have the thousands of dollars you expect to spend on the car in your bank account, you have no alternative to leasing. So people lease and accept to lose some money instead of having no car at all. It's basically the lesser of two evils! A.

That's the only way to operate if you want french to have a slight presence in a North America with over 300 million anglophones. Some people may complain ... but there is no alternative! A.

Quick question everyone (I will give a presentation on this, I need answers) Let's say you have proven your armenian ancestry, and I checked, that is the main criteria. It's open to pretty much every Armenian. What does the law allow you. To a) Instantly become a dual citizen of Armenia with all rights and responsibilities Become a dual citizen of Armenia only after 3 years of residency in Armenia c) Instantly become a dual citizen of Armenia but be eligible to vote or to be elected only after 3 years of residency in Armenia d) Become a citizen of Armenia if you have lived in Armenia for at least one of the past five years I've heard so many rumors that I don't what to believe. I downloaded the armenian version of the law from armeniadiaspora.com but that version itself constantly refers to articles of the previous law to modify them ... and I don't feel like reading the entire law with all mini-nuances. Let me know please A.

I keep reading the posts and still agree with Shahan on almost all points! A.

I agree with Shahan!