Mindtrap

Has anyone heard human trafficking related stories related to USArmenia?

Look folks, do your homework and use any extra cash to buy buy buy. There are so many wonderful stocks that are undervalued! Youll thank yourself later. "No information on this web site should be considered a recommendation or solicitation to invest in a particular security or type of security. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses of a mutual fund and all other securities carefully before investing."

So what Im saying is Im bullish on the energy sector. Look we bought low and rode it up, pulled out when it got 2 hot and down we are. The cycle will be back and will go on the ride again. Nat gas might be a buy at 8$ bottom??? Lets face it, until we discover some new miracle power source, nat gas and oil are our only alternatives.

I almost forgot to reply; wait until the presidential elections, its gona be a rough ride until then. Regardless of who wins the election people will still invest even if Barac raises cap gains to 30%, where else can you find so many vehicles for your money to grow?

Looks like Ive been missing out on the action in this thread! Democrats and alternative energy...fours years, I see us where we are today give or take. Im not much of a commodity trader, mainly because I dont have the knowledge for it and wouldnt put my money where I wouldnt be able to understand the situation. Anyway, the media has been pushing the ideas of alternative energy sources other than fossil fuels for some time, it seems like the new cool thing! I hear the phrase "dont depend on foreign oil" alot but am yet to see a feasible plan that will take us in that direction. Drill Alaska, we know thats not going to happen anytime soon. Conservatives and Liberals have turned this issue into such a big deal that they have painted themselves into a corner and neither is whiling to give in just yet. G.W. Bush lifted the ban on offshore drilling but until we see anything from that it may take a decade. Solar power is to far into the future for me as well as hydrogen. In order for hydro to be an actual fuel source we need stations, well why on earth would investors put the money into it if there arent enough vehicles using the energy source? Energy is big business just like anything else, it will take time, a long time until we become energy dependent (assuming we ever do). I believe your concern should be on foreign markets such as the BRIC nations and their growth in relation to energy demand. My advice to anyone who is looking for long term investments is this is the time. Everything is on sale, do your homework, analyze, and hold. The daily fluctuations will be hard to stomach but in the end I have faith in the markets and this wonderful country.

I just took a peak at your website, very nice. I hope to finish reading it sometime this week.

AK, I would have to disagree with your views on the risk factor in the current market conditions. After I typed the above, I was hoping I would come back to a mutual fund based question to which I would say "buy an index fund". I am not a big fan of mutual fund, especially the active ones which make up the majority. They have a whole suitcase full of fees, charges, and commission which they try very hard to hid from the average consumer. I don't trade, I invest which makes my situation different from the dogma associated with stock investors. If you do your homework, research the company/industry you are interested in, have guidelines as to what you are looking for, this is the PERFECT time to invest. Let me ask you a question, would you buy a watch for $100 from Target or the same watch that is on sale for $60 at Walmart? Assuming you had the money and were in the market for a watch you would purchase the one that costs less. Well similar to my example (as terrible of an example as it may be =D ) the stock market is having a clearance sale and the smart money says buy buy buy. I understand what your saying and agree with you. For those who are unaware of the market, how it works, and the basics, I say stay away. They are the types of fools that sharks prey on. However, for the smart investor it is always (almost always. 30's 70's 87 was the time to short stocks but thats another chat) a good time to invest. It doesnt matter if the stock market as a whole is moving up or down, because movement and volatility means there is money to be made. On the FOREX topic, Ive been studying the field for a few months and although Im nowhere near where I wanted to be I am learning. The leverage/margin available is incredible and allows you to make great sums of money with minimal changes in PIP and at the same time you can loose the shirt off your back.

It looked like an interesting topic, unfortunately turned into a chat filled with jokes. Abnyway, what kind of investing are you looking into? Securities only or are you thinking about long term goals and using the market as a temporary parking for your money? I didnt read the entire thread but i do recall someone saying stay away? Yes there is risk involved with investing but it doesn't have to be risky. Theres risk in driving but your not a risky driver are you? Depending on the period of time you are looking to invest there are many alternatives you may want to look into. If you will need the money in the short term, lets say up to 2 years from know, maybe you should be looking into mutual funds and other index funds. The S&P index does around 12% (average calculated over years). Something more secure would be money market or CD's. Im not a fan of the money market or bonds (especially at todays 10year note paying 3.?? %) Again, lets get the chat going if your interested. Ill be checking in daily to see if your interested and we can move from there.

And I will be back after finals to add my 0.02

Good for them! Whos been taking care of it for all these years? Im just waiting for all the whiners to hijack this thread and scream about "Russia is taking over Armenia" and "Armenia is for sale" GET OVER IT!

Just wonderful. Well made and funny.

I hope there isn't one gram of truth to this because it makes my heart race and body tremble! I don't want to imagine those SOB's anywhere in our territory.

You hit the nail on the head. Its not a money problem we have, but an ethics problem that has mysteriously emerged in a large portion of our youth. We lack popular hero's for these individuals to look up to and because they are not made aware and taught about our culture, they automatically look toward the tough, rich, and powerful. I understand this issue has been brought up time and time again, but the question is, how do we change it? As ive grown (just a bit) Ive begun to notice this drift in the Armenian youth. We have a portion that is going to school, educating themselves and trying to be a positive part of the community. In contrast, I witness the other half (stereotype alert) "cruzin in their benzo bumpin game" (which im guilty of doing as well) and trying to live the life they see on MTV. Its an epidemic and I may be dreaming but we need to somehow, somewhere do something to change our future. Again, I understand my tone was rude and harsh but our youth is a subject that I am very passionate about. Ive worked with an after school program for many years and see it all happening before my eyes. I see Armenian children who's parents are not together, father ran off, sibling from other parents and so forth. So...

I think Charles and Diana had a more modest wedding. I completely understand where you all coming from and I see how my comments have been harsh. However I think we should see the other side of the issue as well, regardless of my belief in it. I think there are so many phsycological issues to be dealt with in accordance to this wedding. Somehow (and Ive seen it in Armenian here and there) we have become a society (not everyone but a good portion) of material things. Everything is "bigger and better" with us and we try to out do our neighbor. Again, I dont want to direct this toward everyone but a good portion of our society falls under this category. We have a bigger problem here, that problem is the loss of our Armenian identity in the coming future. There is this divide that grows larger by the day. It is like the rich and poor, but in our case, the "traditional" for lack of a better word and the modern.

The reasoning for my paranoia is based on other experiences ive had on Armenian forums. As soon as I was in disagreement with the mods, I was "accidentally" blocked from the website and had to contact administrators to get the issue resolved. I eventually left. I absolutely understand what the objection is for and what was meant, however I sense an underlying resentment for those with wealth from some individuals. Not only from the forum but in life. Life in Armenia is not a breeze but we shouldn't make it out to be some type of miracle people have food. It is hard, just as hard as things were/are in other second world nations. I try to visit every few years and have seen a tremendous growth in the city of Yerevan and other regions. When we visit, we stay in a home by ourselves, do our shopping and try to get an understanding on what it takes to live there daily. The last time I was there (2005) it coast approximately $6 a day to have a decent life and be able to have the common ammenities and luxuries most have. I understand its difficultly and don't what to minimize the situation, but look how far we've come. Its nothing less that amazing! Do we need more to be done, of course. Seeing how far off course ive traveled, lets take it back to the wedding issue. If Gagig Tsarukyan were to have a small wedding in a small banquet hall with on performers and the other lavish things we see, the citizens of Armenia would bad mouth him for the next decade. Our actions and life are governed in part by our economic status. If you are making $200 a moth, you live like it. If you are one of the richest people in a country, you live like it. This is the system we as a people chose, now we will live by the "consequences" of our actions.

I agree with you Domino, these are recent and more research needs to be done. Although I have a lack of knowledge about these specific issues, like julian said, there were ulterior motives behind this. We can be sure people were kidnapped, treat horribly under the severest conditions thought by men HOWEVER me must NOT call them POW's! This provides another holding point for the turks to argue the Genocide as a war instead of a one sided massacre of the innocent. P.O.W.-Prisoner of War. A person who surrenders to (or is taken by) the enemy in time of war. Armenian were certainly not POW's because there was no war. It was a one sided annihilation of a specific group of poeple based on their religion and culture, a GENOCIDE.

LOL, hagop jan, I hear you on that tax part, but Armenian is a devolving nation, they need to understand these things take time. I just love hearing reports like this (and assume them to have some truth) because it provides more ammunition for those who whine and moan about how terrible Armenian is. Their level of confirmation bias is amazing, they seem to almost black the positivity of the nation.

Take it as you please, I speak only truth seen through my eyes. Are we looking for scapegoats? Blame the rich for the problems of the poor just because its easier to do that than fix our economic problem. We all parade around here demanding recognition of the genocide and preach to not repeat the future. Hippocrates! Are you not doing the same by putting the blame on this man because of his wealth? Its is unfortunate you feel hurt but would be far worse if you continue to live without understanding the ramifications of your language on others and our community. Yes I have conservative beliefs and im tired of all the liberal crap that is flung around like we are in a grade school "cafeteria. I almost forgot, your half-baked attempt to stir up action with your comment "This post is rude...Do i have to reply??? I don't think so..." only puts a smile on my face. If you honestly felt like you don't have to respond why did you? Please, get off your stool and calm down. Your just as human as the rest of us. Now, lets see what kinds of feedback I get from this? Maybe you will stick to your word and not respond, maybe youll have something intelligent to say and try. however, there is always the option of complaining to the mods and having me booted, fortunately there is much more sense amongst them here compared to other forums. Take care.

What dream world do you live in? Life is worse elsewhere, you've just been trained to not see it. Do we not have that in the United States? This is how capitalism works, a few are rich, most are NOT! This sounds like the typical Armenian complaints that you hear from the people. They became "independent" and don't want to understand how it works or put the effort in to improve the situation. How many of you here make over $200k a year? Any millionaires among us? so why doesn't anyone here bi*ch? Secondly, how would you be aware of the mindset and mood of those present? Do you know all those people, because if you don't you shouldn't make assumptions. Oh, I understand, road closures are difficult because we all know there is only one road in Yerevan that EVERYONE uses right? Oh wait, this sounds similar to actors in LA filming for a week and closing off our major roads for a movie. The list goes on and on, my point is, don't make assumptions and degrade a person just because you want to follow the crowd and appease the majority point of view. Its a good thing he is who he is. Can you imagine how many people work and how many families eat because of him? He sure is doing more for the people than the government is. I'm tired of hearing all this liberal bull from all around. Instead of complaining get up and be productive! You love your country so much, then go start up some business's and improve the economy. Educate your people, but please don't perpetuate the rumors and lack of responsibility that has stricken our people.

you so scared and think "what the hell am I doing up here?!" but thats only the way up because once your out of the door and the initial fear is gone, its a rush of adrenaline and an amazing feeling. You don't really feel scared, just anxious.

lol, yea 200lbs or less and 2man jump. i think they call it "tangen" or something. either way, its still GREAT! go bungee Mos, its fun as well. 300$ is expensive, BUT how many ppl do you know that have jumped out of an airplane at 13k feet and lived to tell about it You know, im still to be convinced that vegas buffets are anything but a well thought out scam to exploit your money for mediocre foor, hey kinda like their slots!

Im not sure where you guys are from but if you live in Los Angeles, you can go bungee jump for about $60 for one jump, 120$ for 3 and so forth. If your interested in sky diving its 300$ including DVD and is AMAZING!!!!! It will change your perspective on life. Its difficult to explain unless you do it. Next stop, base jumping!

I would love to see our 7sates given back but I highly doubt that day will ever come. I think our best bet will be to try and enforce the Sevres treaty which all parties agreed to. However, the assuming we win that lottery and have Armenians borders expanded, who will occupy this new territory? We hardly have any inhabitants as it is.

They've always been the #1 threat in recent history (what an oxymoron huh? lol). The one thing we have on our side, they don't have the guts. Just like in the 90's where they outsourced their military they will do it again. As long as we have Russian troops on Armenian soil, we will be ok.

Only in an ideal world. They will never do such a thing, even if the bill passes. That is the reason a Turk is called a Turk.