Gary Kasparov Beat, Detained

The latest trend in "democratic" Russia:

Riot police beat and detained opposition leader Garry Kasparov Saturday as they took dozens of protesters into custody at a rally against President Vladimir Putin, his assistant said.

He was later taken to a city court, where he was charged with organizing an unsanctioned protest and resisting arrest. The court proceedings were continuing Saturday evening and it was unclear whether Kasparov would be released.

Kasparov has been speaking out against Putin for quite some time.

Source: AP

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

...though I can't help but lament the naming of this beautiful bird! Find out why!

We'll be back after consuming copious amounts of Turkey! Gobble!

Video: History of Armenia!

Check out this well-made video - complete with a dramatic soundtrack - of the history of Armenia and its people!

Jews Spitting on Armenian Crosses in Jerusalem

Jews have always been Anti-Armenian, but they've reached a new low even by their standards.

On Sunday, a fracas developed when a yeshiva student spat at the cross being carried by the Armenian Archbishop during a procession near the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City. The archbishop's 17th-century cross was broken during the brawl and he slapped the yeshiva student.

"When there is an attack against Jews anywhere in the world, the Israeli government is incensed, so why when our religion and pride are hurt, don't they take harsher measures?" asks Archbishop Nourhan Manougian.

The boy's punishment? A promise of a "trial" and a ban of 75 days from the Old City. Let me go to a synagogue and spit on and break a Star of David and then let's see if I will get a 75 day ban.

And by the way, the source is Haaretz, a Jewish news site, not anti-Semitic nonsense.

Sirusho Chosen for Eurovision 2008!

This just made my day!

Armenian pop singer Sirusho is going to represent Armenia during Eurovision-2008 international song contest. The contest will take place in Serbian Belgrade next year.

According to new rules of Eurovision, the song that will be performed during the contest must be decided in a public vote.

Let's hope the public is able to pick a song that doesn't automatically guarantee failure, like last year's. Unfortunately, it is not yet known whether innocent bystanders will be beat, stabbed, or shot, but keep checking back.

Source: Panorama

Armenians as Original People of Britain?

Now here's something to wrap your head around! On the first page of one of the earliest chronicles of English history, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, it is stated - rather explicitly - that Armenians were the first people of Britain. No, the RedBull you just had isn't playing tricks on your mind!

The island Britain is 800 miles long, and 200 miles broad. And there are in the island five nations; English, Welsh (or British), Scottish, Pictish, and Latin. The first inhabitants were the Britons, who came from Armenia, and first peopled Britain southward.

Whoa there! Are you telling me that Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and Black Sabbath all have Armenian blood? Forget the deeper historical implications, that's great news! Well, maybe not so. Reading the Chronicle further - and you're free to do so yourself with the link on the bottom - we find that there may be a possible error.

We look at the footnotes and find this:

De tractu Armoricano." --Bede, "Ecclesiastical History" i. I. The word Armenia occurring a few lines above in Bede, it was perhaps inadvertently written by the Saxon compiler of the "Chronicle" instead of Armorica.

In other words, it is very possible - nay, probable - that whoever wrote that particular sentence and included "Armenia" intended to write Armorica.

But what the hell is Armorica?

Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast. The toponym is based on the Gaulish phrase are mori "on/at [the] sea", made into the Gaulish place name Aremorica 'Place by the Sea'.

Since my efforts to find reliable maps of Armorica were fruitless, I thus conclude that the history of Armenia & Britain were purposely obscured throughout the ages by opposing forces. Therefore, Armorica never existed and it was indeed Armenians who initially inhabited Britain!

Another mystery solved.

Source: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Armorica on WikiPedia

Bored Armenian Creates "Baby Yoga"

What do you give to the child that has everything? Baby yoga classes, of course!

Itsy Bitsy Yoga is the brainchild of Helen Garabedian, who was born near Boston, has lived in Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale, and now resides in Sudbury, Mass...

"It really does help the kids with sleeping, and helps parents with bonding," she says. "It helps you just feel better as a parent, to be able to be present as a parent, teaching you techniques that calm and comfort the child. And the environment is kind of special. It's a great time for like-minded parents to come together and get to know one another."

I feel sorry for these parents who need to rely on baby yoga to bond or otherwise put their kids to sleep. Sounds to me like a lazy way out, really.

Source: OC Register

The Armenia Blog as LOLCats

This post has nearly nothing to do with Armenia, but it's Sunday and you shouldn't expect anything thought provoking, anyway!

bl0g uv all thing armenia!!??!! www.thearmeniabl0g.com
levon ta petrosyan 2 run 4 president
armenian 2 auction adolf hitla personal globe!!??!!...

If that doesn't make any sense to you, then you're not alone.

Click here to see the entire Armenia Blog front page translated to LOLCats!

Welcome to Hell, aka Georgia

Click to enlarge.

Here's what the BBC has to say on the issue, which seems to be winding down:

In an address on state television on Thursday, Mr Saakashvili gave in to opposition demands and brought presidential elections forward to January.

A day earlier, he had imposed a state of emergency after riot police used force to put down opposition protests in the capital, Tbilisi.

Something tells me that we haven't see the last of the Georgian stormtroopers.

Andranik: The Comic!

Click above to enlarge. Note: it will take some time to open up!

Apparently published in 1930 in "NY Journal American," this cool comic-like art speaks highly of the great Andranik. This picture was sent to me anonymously so if you have any more information, let me know.

Read the whole thing!

ArmoBlog is now WWW.TheArmeniaBlog.COM!

I wanted to announce our new domain name: www.TheArmeniaBlog.com! The old http://armoblog.blogspot.com will still work, but go ahead and put the new address in your favorites.

It's easier to remember, too!

Turkey to Change Article 301 Laws

This certainly won't bring Hrant Dink back nor return to Orhan Pamuk the time he lost overseas.

Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said a new bill would be put before the Turkish parliament in the coming days. The law, known as Article 301, bans perceived insults to Turkish identity or the country's institutions.

It has often been invoked by nationalists against those who argue the Ottoman empire committed genocide against Armenians. Earlier on Tuesday the European Commission said restrictions on freedom of expression were blocking Turkey's progress towards EU membership.

No, the Turks haven't decided to be decent: they just want to be a part of the EU really, really badly.

Source: BBC

Azerbaijan Boosts Military Budget...Again

Frankly, reporting on Aliyev's threats and his ever-skyrocketing defense budget is tiresome.

He [Aliyev] told a government meeting that the military budget will grow by $300 million to $1.3 billion in 2008.

"The insincere behaviour of Armenian occupation forces, dragging out the negotiation process, forces us to devote greater attention to military issues," Aliyev said. "Azerbaijan must be ready to liberate its lands by any means."

Good ol' Ali hasn't lost his sense of humor, even if he may have lost 20% of "his" country.

Source: Reuters

Youth Palace Doppelganger or: The Rise & Fall of "Krtsats Kukuruz"

Our beloved Kukuruz is gone now for the second year, falling victim to the desires of capitalist pigs! The iconic building was "sold" by the "government" for a mere $740,000 to monopolist Avangard Motors Company, the owner of which hopes to build a modern hotel in its place. Blasphemy!

In all seriousness, the Youth Palace was a familiar symbol of Yerevan in postcards and elsewhere, the Armenian version of the famous Hollywood sign. It was unlike any other building in the Yerevan skyline - one that looked like eaten corn - and it will be missed.

Even though fundraising for the building began in the early 1960s, it took more than a decade to be completed. Before its demise in 2005, it served as a hotel with some 500 beds, a concert hall, a restaurant (spinning, if I recall), and other goodies. Here is a picture of it:



What a beautiful and original look, right? It was designed by a group of young Armenian architects some 40 years ago. But what if it was a copy of a building on the other side of the world?





A ha! The two pictures above show Marina City in Chicago, a pair of residential towers designed in 1959 and built in 1964, well before the Youth Palace was ever committed to paper. Further, both buildings appear to be built around a central backbone of reinforced concrete. Oh, and Marina City is known as "Corn Cob Building" to the local residents!

So what should we do? Bow our heads in shame and never speak of it or proclaim that they copied us? Or further, continue to celebrate our beloved Kukuruz regardless? First and foremost, we must keep in mind that there exists a third possibility of two separate architects designing something similar. The use of concrete and designs reminiscent of futurism were all the rage in those years, and that vision towards tomorrow wasn't limited to just Western countries, either. If it was indeed copied, so what? Walt Disney's architects copied Neuschwanstein Castle for Cinderella's Castle in Disneyland.

And isn't imitation the sincerest form of flattery? When this was conceived and built, in the 1960s and 1970s, every young person in Communist countries wanted freedom and they all looked to the United States as a beacon of a society without limits and one with opportunities and openness. It could very well be the case that those architects were defying Communist ideals and striving for something greater, hoping that a Corn Cob building in their own country would never cease to amaze and inspire a generation of Armenians to come.

And for that reason we can never cease to respect and remember our Kukuruz!

Further reading:
ArmeniaNow
Marina City on WikiPedia

Levon Ter Petrosyan to Run for President

This is for the 12 people amongst you who haven't yet heard this bit of rather interesting news.

Levon Ter Petrosyan, the former and first president of the Republic of Armenia announced his candidacy to run for becoming the 3rd president of the Republic of Armenia.

This announcement was highly anticipated, but experts doubted that Ter Petrosyan will not run for presidency unless he knows that he can win.

However, his support in Armenia is not widespread because people blame Ter Petrosyan for weak management of the government, the start of wide-spread corruption and for all the misdeeds of today's social life.

I'm one of those people. Down with Petrosyan!

Source: Huliq