The Armenian students from Journey for Humanity arrived in Denver this morning. I knew Vahe from the Armenian National Conference in Washington D.C. (2004) and I had volunteered with Sargis for YerevanNights.com earlier this year. There are four more students. I invited them to my 20th birthday on Saturday.

http://armeniansforlebanon.com/

Blogian is back. No, things are not better in my life at all: even worse. But I realized that I should not have killed blogian just because I have the worst heartache ever. Blogian does not belong to me, it belongs to its readers, even to the one who broke my heart again and again.

It is raining in Littleton, yes, it is where I live. You might remember the Columbine High School shootings from 1998; I live 10 minutes away from that place in Colorado. It has been raining all day. It actually started yesterday, just the same time when my heart started to pour. It was raining in the morning too, even when I was marching in the Western Welcome Week parade for Heifer International.

I did not want to go to the parade, but I had promised my 8-year-old neighbor to take him to march with us. I would not make a 8-year-old kid to be sad just because I was not in the mood. He actually said he had the best time ever. I am glad he did, but I didn't indeed. Actually it was better for me to participate in the parade, although I had not slept all night. 6 a.m. in the morning I got a call. I thought it was my baby, but she had promised not to call ever again. Long story, very long. The caller was my good friend from Armenia, Lia. She was calling from Paris, where she is staying for a month-long student event. I am glad she called. She is a person I can share my heartache with.

(more pictures from the parade, and other events, at http://newpix.cjb.net/ – my new gallery)

It is still raining. I don't know how long it is going to continue to rain, but I hope not too long. Monday, the day after tomorrow, new life is starting: continuation of my political science courses at the University of Colorado and starting the assistant manager position of Colorado State Capitol's visitor services. Actually I will be out of the Capitol for the first hour and a half of my job. I will be meeting the Armenian students from Journey for Humanity who have an event at the City and County Denver building right across where I work. I don't know most of these guys, but I have seen one of them in Washington D.C. during an Armenian conference. (Speaking of Washington D.C. and Armenian conferences, I will be going to the ANCA Leadership Conference in D.C. in September. A good senior friend of mine already bought me the tickets.) Then I will escort them to the Armenian genocide memorial plague at the State Capitol (I had to get permission from the state patrol to take them to the memorial, since it is fenced due to construction).

I really hate for writing in this tone. Especially when I know some of my closest relatives read blogian. But I am tired of keeping my heartache to myself. After all, this is personal blog, and for an Armenian who lives in an isolated state in the USA, away from Armenia and Armenians, it is difficult to be *happy*.

My birthday is a week from today. I will become 20. I don't know what I will do on that day, but right now I feel like not wanting to do anything in this world.

At the end, I would like to thank those who encouraged me not to kill blogian, especially my friend Artyom from www.iararat.com and …her.

Blogian closes down for personal reasons. Sorry…

Alexander 'Godfather' Givoyed is killed, reports Arminfo.

I know Givoyev, an Assyrian-Armenian, as a vibrant, poorly-spoken "political activist," who claimed to be Armenia's largest 'Godfather:' he baptised hundreds of Armenian soldiers (those who were not baptised in the Armenian church). I am not sure if he knew the meaning of baptism, but I still considered him charismatic (despite being blatantly uneducated).

What I am really puzzled is the way Arminfo reports the murder. It calls Givoyev "WELL-KNOWN UNDERWORLD LEADER BY NICKNAME "'HAY-HOOY' " and says the Assyrian had ties with the Russian mafia. Givoyev seemed to consider himself a cool guy (he frequently mentioned ASALA – the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia – in his interviews, although there is no connection between them whatsoever). He called one of my senior friends in Armenia his "friend." When I asked the guy whether Givoyev was indeed his friend, he said, "Givoyev is not my friend; I have no respect for him."

Anyhow, I kind of felt sorry for Givoyev being killed. He was very provokative and entertaining. I don't really know much about his mafia past, but if he deserves the death, let it be so.

UPDATE: A better media coverage at http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniarepor…6C429839C36.ASP.

Yesterday (on Sunday), I took my Mom to the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, Colorado. Mother Cabrini was the first American saint, born in Italy, and you can learn about her shrine at http://www.den-cabrini-shrine.org/. It was a wonderful place, and although my family is not Catholic (we are Orthodox), we really enjoyed it. The 22-ft statue of Jesus Christ is called the Sacred Heart, and you need to climb a few hundred stairs to get there.

Scientists at Stanford have uncovered one of the ancient and unique writings of Greek mathematician Archimedes (or Archimed in Armenian) from a Christian manuscript. X-rays have revealed some of the writings from the manuscript. Christian prayers had been added to the manuscript, after Archimedes' writings were scrubbed off, 800 years ago. The website of the project is http://www.archimedespalimpsest.org/, the AP article is available at http://www.livescience.com/history/ap_060805_arch_text.html.

Vandalism can be recovered after 800 years by not vandalizing the vandalizm itself.

This is particularly interesting for Armenian manuscript art, since it is known that every single Armenian pagan (pre-Christian) writing has been destroyed. It is not impossible that some of the ancient Armenian bibles could have been written on scrubbed off pagan manuscripts.

This is the same idea that some foreigners in Azerbaijan used by photographing the scrubbed off Armenian writings in the village of Nizh, Azerbaijan. I did not mention this in my Hetq article, but now you know it. Although the Armenian writings had been scrubbed off, the special photography was able to capture the Armenian trace.

The vandalized Armenian inscription of Nizh church is not totally lost. Special photography still shows the traces of the ancient Armenian letters.

I received two letters from both Colorado senators regarding my concerns of firing Amb. Evans. A serious and well-spoken follow up call had both senators get back to me right away. I didn't forget to mention where I work :

July 31, 2006

[…]

Dear Simon:

Thank you for writing to share your concerns on the recall of John
Marshall Evans, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia. I appreciate you taking
the
time to write.

It has been over ninety years since the deliberate genocide of more
than a
million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire. For eight years Armenians
were
murdered, tortured, or forced into exile from their homeland. These
atrocities have been labeled as one of the most horrible tragedies of
the
20th century, and I believe it is important that the United States
recognize these appalling acts as genocide.

As you know, John Marshall Evans, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, was
recalled
in early March. Although I do not personally agree with the
Administration's policy to refrain from using the term genocide, it is
important to understand that Ambassadors are assigned to communicate
the
Administration's position on foreign policy.

I understand your concerns regarding this issue, and have co-sponsored
Senate Resolution 320, which calls on the President to ensure that U.S.
foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding of the Armenian
genocide, and characterizes it as such. The legislation has been
referred
to the Foreign Relations Committee, and if passed, I hope to see the
Administration modify their position and recognize the events of the
early
20th century as genocide.

Thank you for writing to share your thoughts on this important matter.
I
look forward to hearing from you again. If you would like more
information on issues important tot Colorado and the nation, please log
on
to my website at http://allard.senate.gov.

Sincerely,
Wayne Allard
United States Senator

Dear Simon:

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on the dismissal of John Marshall Evans, the United States Ambassador to Armenia. I appreciate hearing from you.

I can certainly understand your frustration over the possibility that Ambassador Evans was recalled for speaking out about the Armenian genocide – a tragedy that I have long believed must be fully recognized by the U.S. However, all foreign ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the President, and I look to him to provide an adequate explanation of the reasons behind Evans' dismissal.

As you may know, I was proud to co-sponsor S. Res. 320, a resolution calling on the President to ensure that the foreign policy approach of the U.S. reflects sensitivity to and understanding of the plight of the Armenian people who were persecuted, tortured, killed, and deported by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. You should also know that I joined many of my colleagues in signing a letter urging the President to recognize the mass slaughter of Armenians as genocide in his recent commemorative statement on the 91st anniversary of the persecution.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has delayed a confirmation vote on the Armenian Ambassador-Designate Richard Hoagland, asking that Hoagland answer questions about the guidance he has received from the State Department on reaffirming the Armenian genocide. I look to my colleagues on this committee to see that Hoagland explains his approach properly, and I would hope that that approach reflects a deep sensitivity to the tragedy of the 1915 Armenian genocide.

I will continue to keep your thoughts – as well as the memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide – in mind as the Senate continues to deal with this issue.

Again, thanks for writing.

Sincerely,
Ken Salazar
United States Senator

http://www.hayasapictures.com/clip.asp?clip=shakar

GOP Senator Opposes Ambassador Nominee

Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte…6080201402.html

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER
The Associated Press
Wednesday, August 2, 2006; 6:09 PM

WASHINGTON — A Republican senator is planning to vote against President Bush's nominee for ambassador to Armenia because the nominee has refused to refer to the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide.

"I continue to be troubled by our policy that refuses to recognize what was a historical reality," Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

The Bush administration does not question that Turkish troops killed or drove from their homes 1.5 million Armenians starting in 1915. But it has omitted the word "genocide" to describe it.

Turkey strongly objects to the use of the term, and U.S. policymakers are wary of antagonizing an important strategic NATO ally.

On Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on which Coleman serves, postponed a vote on Richard E. Hoagland's nomination until next month.

"As someone of the Jewish faith, I bring a heightened sensitivity to the reality of genocide and mass murder, and the importance of recognizing it for what it is," Coleman said.

"I was brought up believing you never forget the Holocaust, never forget what happened. And I could not imagine how our ambassador to Israel could have any effectiveness if he couldn't recognize the Holocaust."

While other senators have raised concerns about Hoagland's nomination, Coleman is the first to say publicly that he will vote against it, according to the Armenian National Committee of America.