Archive for September, 2010

Yerevan Gets a Taste of TEDx

Yerevan Gets a Taste of TEDx

After months of anticipation, the global non-profit conference known as TEDx (Technology, Entertainment and Design, with the ‘x’ denoting its independently organized nature) made its debut in Yerevan on Saturday to an invitation-only crowd at the Ani Plaza Hotel. Hosted by  Reddit.com founder Alexis Ohanian and TEDxYerevan initiator Kristine Sargsyan, the “Beyond Borders” event featured [...]

Armenia 2 Comments

Iran: World’s Worst Jailer of Journalists

Iran: World’s Worst Jailer of Journalists

While China once held the title of being the world’s worst jailer or journalists in the world, Iran has grabbed the title, with at least 37 journalists behind bars and an additional 19 detainees free on short-term furloughs, according go the Committee to Protect Journalists, stemming from the crackdown following the June 2009 presidential election. [...]

The Melting Pot 1 Comment

The Big Picture: Expect the Unexpected in the Armenian Realm

The Big Picture: Expect the Unexpected in the Armenian Realm

A few unusual photographs with Armenian-related subject matter.

Arts & Entertainment 5 Comments

Home and Homeland: The Zurna and Me

Home and Homeland: The Zurna and Me

This is the second in the series called “Home and Homeland,” an exploration into the Armenian Diaspora’s connection (or sometimes lack thereof) with Armenia, repatriation, identity, culture and more. On the corner of Sunset and Cahuenga Boulevards in Hollywood, sits a gigantic record store called Amoeba Records – a Los Angeles treasure with so many [...]

Features 1 Comment

Overheard on the Net: Juicy Booty, Coffee and Carelessness

I have now discovered why Lynda has a young attractive boyfriend (Ebong, love that name). Have you seen that ass? Based on her last name, I think Lynda is Armenian. Between her and the Kardashians, I think Armenia’s main export is juicy booty. I know I just wrote an entire opinion piece on gender inequality, [...]

In The Nose 4 Comments

Armenians in Divorce Court: Just Another Case of Gender Inequality

Armenians in Divorce Court: Just Another Case of Gender Inequality

Last Friday afternoon, a quiet  storm seemed to be brewing on social networks across Armenian Diaspora. One by one, a video featuring subject matter still to this day perceived as taboo in Armenian cultural and social spectrums kept popping up on Facebook, a site which now boasts more than 500 million active users. Armenian couple [...]

Commentary 17 Comments

Armenians and Azeris Take a Seat to Discuss Each Other

Armenians and Azeris Take a Seat to Discuss Each Other

While most of us don’t expect political and cultural discussion when we pull over a taxi cab to get to where we need to go, a handful of Armenians and Azeris got just that thanks to a innovative social experiment called “The Passenger.” A documentary created by Armenian journalist Christina Vardanyan and Azeri journalist Framana [...]

Armenia, Society 3 Comments

The Khohanotz: Faloodeh

The Khohanotz: Faloodeh

Among the many things that remind me of the hot Los Angeles summers of my childhood, Faloodeh is perhaps the most symbolic. Summer in a tub, as I like to call it. Known as one of the earliest frozen deserts (The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food by Gil Marks dates it back to at least 400 [...]

Food, The Melting Pot 1 Comment

Yerevan Hopes to Shine as Literary Capital in 2012

Yerevan Hopes to Shine as Literary Capital in 2012

While it dates back thousands of years, with notable authors including Hovaness Toumanyan and Gostan Zarian, Armenian literature has largely remained overlooked by the international community, but that might be changing in 2012, when Armenia’s capital city Yerevan will hold the title of  UNESCO World Book Capital. Granted by the International Publishers Association (IPA), the [...]

Armenia 4 Comments