Video: Brow Down

True, true, and true. Enjoy!

September 13, 2007 Update: A live version of this song may be performed somewhere in Glendale, according to a live interview on KROQ. Should you be excited, scared, or should you get your Deagle ready?

Dikran Izmirlian: The Armenian Peanut Tycoon

It is always fun to find out about wealthy and influential Armenian figures around the world, though admittedly more so when their source of wealth stems from a near-monopoly of the peanut!

The firm's principal shareholder has been identified as Dikran Izmirlian, 77, who made his fortune by creating a near-monopoly on the world's peanut market. Izmirlian, who is of Armenian descent, is chairman and chief executive of Alimenta, a company that has built up a big interest in the Gambian peanut, or groundnut, market.

Despite holding a Swiss passport, Dikran Izmirlian has roots in Armenia. In 1994 he established the Izmirlian Foundation in Armenia's capital, Yerevan, to support education and business in the country. Other philanthropic work involves funding construction work at the city's university library, military academy and religious institutions.

I can't promise that my hatred for peanuts will disappear, but at least we have identified another Armenian who has made a mark on the world!

Source: The Sunday Times, May 23, 2004

Zhesht: Armenian Metal

And now for something completely different!

It turns out there is a community of Armenian musicians who have dedicated themselves to metal. System of a Down by comparison is a New Age act! With names like Medagh, pictured, to Vahagn, these guys are truly re-defining our notions of what Armenian music is in Armenia and elsewhere.

If you like metal, heavy metal, black metal, death metal, and so on, visit the Zhesht MySpace page. They also have sound samples there!

Fighting for Animal Rights in Armenia

Yours truly loves animals and so you can imagine my surprise and delight when I ran across a mention of an Armenian organization that aims to, in their words, "Protect animals from the cruelty of human society." In a country where animals are treated poorly, it's great to see someone doing something to change things for the better. The story behind it is inspiring, too:

Yervand [Shlepchyan], a thirty-nine year old civil engineer, began to seek out, among his friends and acquaintances, others who cared deeply about animals. He found a lawyer, a PR specialist and designer, a zoologist, and a program developer. With Yervand as the manager of the team, they formed their new organization: "Animals’ Rights in the Armenian Highlands" or ARIAH for short.

Learn more about ARIAH on their home page. Maybe you'll even find a way to help them out in fulfilling their mission!

Source: BestFriends.org.
Thanks to Onnik Krikorian for picture and original source.

VIDEO: Vic Darchinyan Knocked Out!

This is something I think would happen!

Vic Darchinyan was beaten for the first time in his career on Saturday to lose his grip on his IBF flyweight title.

"I'm very disappointed," he said. "He caught me with a very good shot. I'll be back. I definitely want a rematch."

It should be noted that Vic defeated Nonito Donaire's brother Glenn Donaire last year, so Nonito was hungry for blood. Regardless, I believe that Vic will come back stronger and re-take the title!



Source: BBC

Alvin and the Armenian Chipmunks

Click to enlarge.

You must be thinking that I've lost my mind, right? Well, not quite! If you watched Alvin and the Chipmunks growing up, then maybe you realized one of the names in the closing credits as being distinctly Armenian: Ross Bagdasarian. Well, as it turns out, Ross was the cousin of William Saroyan and his stage name was David Seville! David Seville, if you recall, was the man who took care of the Chipmunks in the shows!

Well, all of this is great, but I really wrote this entry to announce that there will be a Chipmunks movie this Christmas produced by none other than Ross Bagdasarian, Junior, the son of the late Ross Bagdasarian.

Don't miss it!

Tourist's Guide to Yerevan

Thinking about visiting Armenia this summer? Well, even if you're already there, ArmeniaNow has put together a really neat guide with a lot of information for any tourist. Cafes, parks, the Vernissage, walking tours, and much more can be found on their website. Also available in a PDF file.