Instagram snappers are on an Armenian adventure. They navigate hot springs, hilltop camping and unexpected homemade hospitality, according to
Фото опубликовано Matt & Sarah (@siconquesoporfavor)
Фото опубликовано Matt & Sarah (@siconquesoporfavor)
Author: Rose Khoyetsian
Armenian Genocide commemoration to be held at Montebello Genocide Monument
Asbarez – In this 101st year of the Armenian Genocide, plans are in place for the Armenian community of Southern California to gather on April 23, 2016, at 1 p.m., at the Montebello Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument to remember and demand justice for the 1,500,000 martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. Traditionally, the memorial event in Montebello has taken place on April 24th, the day Armenians world-wide formally commemorate the horrific tragedy. This year, the event will take place on April 23rd, because the community-wide “Rally for Justice” event in front of the Turkish Consulate will be held on April 24th.
The ceremony at the Montebello Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument will feature a full program which includes political messages and a religious service officiated by all religious denominations of the Armenian community and cultural presentations to honor the memory of those lost.
The United Armenian Council of Los Angeles (UACLA) which is comprised of close to 50 Armenian religious, political, compatriotic, and other active community associations is the organizer of the commemorative event. The UACLA is also organizing other events dedicated to the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. More details about these events will be presented to the general public through subsequent press releases of the UACLA and at the UACLA website www.uacla.com. The UACLA is also active throughout the year by organizing educational events about the Armenian Genocide.
Football: Armenia’s Ararat Yerevan defeats Fresno Fuego – Video
A crowd of more than 3,000 fans braved a chilly Thursday night at Chukchansi Park to watch the Fresno Fuego host popular Armenian club Ararat Yerevan FC, reports.
Ararat won the preseason friendly 1-0, pleasing a pro-Ararat crowd that waved dozens of Armenian flags, large and small.
Davit Hovsepyan scored in the 42nd minute, smashing home a cross from Oumarou Kaina.
Things got chippy just a few minutes later as the Fuego’s Alvaro Nogales and Ararat’s Gorik Khachatryan got into an altercation during a corner kick. Both received yellow cards.
Nogales and Khachatryan continued battling for position ahead of the corner, with Khachatryan sent off after receiving a second yellow.
Ararat played the rest of the way with 10 players, but held on for the shutout behind a clean sheet for goalkeeper Gevorg Prazyan in front of 3,137.
The Fuego continue their preseason Wednesday, hosting the defending North American Soccer League champion New York Cosmos.
Russia Sends humanitarian aid to Latakia residents
Two Russian Il-76 planes have delivered some 50 metric tons of Russian humanitarian aid for residents of conflict-torn Syria, reports.
The cargo includes food, medicine, clothing, school supplies, as well as toys and treats for children. It will be distributed among residents of cities blocked by militants from terrorist organizations, such as Islamic State.
Earlier, a new batch of humanitarian aid prepared jointly by Russia and Syria was delivered to the Syrian city of Deir el-Zour (ez-Zor), besieged by IS militants.
Aleppo fighting displaces 50,000 people, says Red Cross
A surge in fighting in Syria’s Aleppo province has displaced about 50,000 people, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned, the BBC reports.
The humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly, the ICRC added, with water supplies to Aleppo city cut.
The Syrian government is attempting to recapture rebel-held parts of the major city backed by Russian air power.
Turkey is under pressure to allow in 30,000 Syrian refugees stranded on its border.
In a statement, the ICRC said supply routes for aid had been cut, putting civilians under “enormous pressure”.
“The temperatures are extremely low and, without an adequate supply of food, water and shelter, displaced people are trying to survive in very precarious conditions,” said the head of the ICRC in Syria, Marianne Gasser.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has warned that fighting in Azaz, near the Turkish border, has left health systems “close to collapse”.
Syria troops make more gains in Aleppo, near Turkish border
Syrian army troops recaptured a new village north of Aleppo Monday, bringing troops and allied militiamen to within a few kilometers of the Turkish border as part of a major Russian-backed offensive in the area, the Syrian government and opposition activists said, the Associated Press reports.
State-run news agency SANA said army troops took control of the village of Kfeen in the northern countryside of Aleppo “after wiping out the last group of terrorists there.”
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV and the pro-Syrian, Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen station also reported Kfeen’s capture and aired live footage from the village.
The government offensive around the city of Aleppo has sent tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing toward the border with Turkey. Turkish authorities say up to 35,000 Syrians have massed along the border, which remained closed for a fourth day on Monday.
Turkey has come under mounting pressure to open its border to assist the fleeing Syrians, many of whom have been sleeping in cold weather in open fields near the Bab al-Salameh border crossing.
Charles Aznavour: I hope Armenia will finally live in peace
Photo: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images
In his youth, Charles Aznavour was dismissed as being too short (at 5 feet 3 inches), too unattractive (he often jokes himself about his nose job), and having an unusual raspy, hoarse voice.
However, the French Armenian singer proved his early critics wrong, by building a successful career spanning nine decades, writes.
“They said I shouldn’t sing, but nevertheless I continued to sing until my throat was sore,” he says. His tenacity paid off – and then some.
Now 91, he has appeared in more than 60 films, written more than 1,200 songs, sung in eight languages and sold more than 180million records.
His style revolutionized the classic French chanson style, creating his own “Aznavourian” genre: a mix of French soul music, blues, jazz, ballads, pop music and lyrical poetry.
After starting his career at the tender age of 9 – when he dropped out of school and started performing with his sister Aida in plays – he is still writing and releasing new songs and albums, touring the world and performing live.
Charles Aznavour made his UAE debut with a concert at Dubai World Trade Centre on Friday, organized by Alliance Française Dubai, as part of Dubai Classics.
What keeps him going after all these years?
“My love for life,” he said, in an exclusive interview with The National. “I am very lucky to have found my vocation and met interesting people who have fuelled and nourished my curiosity.
“I was able to lead this life because I was born and raised in an artistic family with few means but rich with love and support. “
Last month, he topped People With Money magazine’s list of the highest-paid singers of 2015, with an estimated $46 million in combined earnings.
He is often described as “France’s Frank Sinatra”. He teamed up with the American legend in 1993 for a duet on You Make Me Feel So Young.
Just a tiny sample of this prolific artist’s French hits include: La Bohème(1965), his signature song; his first hit Sur Ma Vie (1956); Tu t’laisses aller(1960); Il faut savoir (1961); Les comédiens (1962); La mamma (1963); Et pourtant (1963); Hier encore (1964); For Me Formidable (1964); Que c’est triste Venise (1964); Emmenez-moi (1967) and et Désormais (1969).
His signature tracks in English are 1970s hits She, which has been covered by artists including Bryan Ferry, Il Divo and Elvis Costello, and was the theme song for the 1999 film Julia Roberts movie Notting Hill; and The Old Fashioned Way, which was also recorded by artists as diverse as Fred Astaire and Shirley Bassey.
As well as Sinatra, he has collaborated with musical greats including Julio Iglesias, Andrea Bocelli, Elton John, Liza Minnelli and Placido Domingo.
Known for his powerful stage presence and his charisma, Aznavour says a sense of humour has proved important through the years.
“Humour plays an important role in my life because it enables me to face even the most difficult of situations,” he says.
Inspired as a child by another legend, Maurice Chevalier, and having worked with Édith Piaf, whose song La Vie en rose has become a national treasure for France, it is fitting that as the last surviving artist from the golden age of entertainment, he has have earned a seat next to them.
“I have had a beautiful life, for a son of an immigrant,” he says. “I’m grateful for what life has given me. Even though I had to work very hard in my career, working makes me happy. The memories of my family and my childhood are my favourite ones.”
Born Shahnour Varenagh Aznavourian in Paris on May 22, 1924, to an artistic father and mother who had fled the Armenian genocide. The family, including older sister Aida, intended to travel to the United States but a visa never came.
Aznavour was dubbed “Charles” by a hospital nurse who couldn’t pronounce his name – and it stuck. His parents settled in Paris and opened a small Armenian restaurant, Le Caucase, to which they would invite Hungarian orchestras, and offer free lunches to the less fortunate and friends.
The family’s struggle with poverty, and life on the road as a young performer during the second world war – when his father hid several Armenian and Russian Jewish immigrants from the German Army – made their way into his songs.
“Like most Orientals, we had a very united family,” he says. “I loved my youth, even if it was sometimes a bit harsh – but we could always count on our family and on all the immigrants that were around us.
“We were genuinely happy and it had nothing to do with money or power. We were all just thankful to be alive and together in France.”
Married three times, with six children, Aznavour values his privacy.
“One of the most painful memories I have is losing my son, Patrick, in the 70s,” he says. “I don’t like to talk about it a lot and I try to keep my private life to myself.”
Besides being an artist, he is also a diplomat and a humanitarian, with a special focus on Armenia, “the country of my soul and roots”.
“My culture has traces of Armenian culture but the country of my heart and of my language is France,” he says. “I hope Armenia will finally live in peace and that all the problems will be resolved with its borders. We are all cousins and brothers, when you think about it, and it is only politics and religion that separate us.”
In 1975 Aznavour, wrote the ballad Ils sont tombés to mark the 60th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. In 1988, he launched a fund-raising campaign to help his stricken homeland after an earthquake killed 50,000 people. Unesco appointed him as their permanent ambassador to Armenia. In 2008 he was given Armenian citizenship and, a year later, he accepted the position as Ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland.
“I am not trying to boast but I have to admit that for an uneducated son of an immigrant, I could have done far worse,” he says.
His most recent album was last year’s Encores, which included tracks about his childhood, Piaf and a tribute to the French wartime resistance movement. But do not ask him to rank it against any of his previous work.
“I think of my songs as my own children, so I have no favourites,” he says. “I love them all equally the same – but there are a few songs that I am especially proud of.
“Some of them are not very well known. I could, perhaps, mention L’instant Present because it’s about the present moment, which is challenging to write about. I also like the songs on my last album, Encores, because they are recent – but really I like think of all of them as my babies.”
And if he could change anything, what would it be?
“For myself, I already had a nose job 60 years ago,” he says. “For the world around me, I know it seems a bit cheesy but if people could live together in peace and harmony that would be great.”
Deadly suicide blast has Syrian roots, Erdogan says
The suicide bomber who killed nine people Tuesday in a popular central Istanbul tourist area had Syrian roots, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said – an attack that further demonstrates Turkey’s challenge in confining the violence and terrorist presence in its southern neighbor, CNN reports.
Erdogan did not specify which group his government thinks is behind the explosion, which happened between the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque tourist attractions in the cultural and historic heart of the city.
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus later said the bomber was born in 1998 and was from Syria. No group immediately claimed responsibility.
At least 51 killed in attacks in Iraqi capital, eastern town
Photo: REUTERS/AHMED SAAD
Gunmen detonated suicide vests inside a shopping complex in Baghdad on Monday and a car bomb exploded nearby in an attack claimed by Islamic State that killed at least 18 people and wounded 40 others, reports.
Two bombs later went off in the eastern town of Muqdadiya, killing at least 23 people and wounding another 51, security and medical sources said. Another blast in a southeastern Baghdad suburb killed seven more.
Islamic State militants controlling swathes of Iraq’s north and west claimed responsibility for the attacks in Muqdadiya and at the Baghdad mall, which it said had targeted a gathering of “rejectionists”, its derogatory term for Shi’ite Muslims.
The Iraqi government last month claimed victory against the hardline Sunni militants in the western city of Ramadi, and has slowly pushed them back in other areas.
Monday’s bombings left the biggest death toll in three months. Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan blamed “this terrorist group after they suffered heavy losses by the security forces”, without naming Islamic State.
Seven people, including two policemen, were killed in the car bomb blast near the Jawaher mall in the predominantly Shi’ite district of Baghdad Jadida, police and medical sources said.
Five more people were shot dead by the gunmen storming the mall, and six others were killed when those same assailants detonated their explosive vests, the sources said.
ANCA WR announces establishment of ‘Walter and Laurel Karabian Foundation for Public Policy’
The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region proudly announced the official establishment of the Walter and Laurel Karabian Foundation for Public Policy. Housed under the ANCA-WR, the Foundation will be the first Sacramento based fellowship program of its kind with the goal of preparing the next generation of Armenian-American policy leaders.
“The ANCA-WR has been looking to establish such a program in Sacramento for many years, and Mr. Karabian’s generosity has finally enabled us to do so. Throughout his life, Mr. Karabian has mentored countless young individuals, paving the way and guiding them in their pursuit of higher education, community service and public office, and it is only fitting that his legacy and work continue through this fellowship program,” noted ANCA WR Chair Nora Hovsepian. “We are grateful to Mr. Karabian for entrusting us with this unique program that will serve our community for generations to come and will empower our youth to seek careers in public policy,” added Hovsepian.
Initially announced in late October in front of over 1,400 supporters, donors, and activists during the ANCA-WR Annual Gala Banquet where the Honorable Walter Karabian was honored with the ANCA WR Legacy Award, the fellowship program is geared toward recent college graduates and is made possible by the Karabian family’s generous funding.
“Having been a legislator and leading a productive life in politics, I know firsthand the value of programs that will develop the next generation of leaders,” stated Karabian. “The ANCA-WR is the leading Armenian advocacy organization and has a strong track record of deliverables, which include internship and externship programs for the youth in the community. For this reason, it is my honor to help plant the seeds for a much needed public policy program for our youth in the Golden State’s Capital. I am confident that under the supervision of the ANCA-WR, this program will expand and flourish in coming years to produce a generation of new policy leaders,” added Karabian.
“It has been a wonderful, productive, and glorious life for me, and I gratefully accept this honor. Do I have any regrets? Yes, several, but only two loom large in my memory. I wish my wonderful wife Laurel could be with us tonight. Having left us a year ago, she would have loved this evening and the continuation of the Armenian Nationalism of her father, Arshag Dickranian. I also regret the fact that I was not persuasive enough to convince George Deukmejian to pardon Hampig Sassounian.”
—Walter Karabian speaking at the ANCA-WR 2015 Anuual Banquet
The year-long fellowship will be divided into two six month long phases. During the first six months, fellows will work on public policy related matters in Sacramento ranging from state office holders and administrative offices, to non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, labor unions and consulting firms. During the second six months, fellows will work exclusively for one legislator in the Assembly or Senate.
In addition to the projects assigned to them by supervisors at the various offices or agencies, fellows will be required to attend networking events and weekly seminars throughout the year, providing professional training, networking skills, and opportunities to meet other professionals within the public policy sector.
Participants will need to make a commitment of at least one year and will be provided a stipend to assist with housing and living costs.
Applications and additional details will soon be forthcoming.
Born in Fresno, California, Walter Karabian is the oldest son of John Karabian and Zevart Shishmanian. Karabian’s paternal family arrived in Fresno in 1896 from Bitlis, and his maternal family was from Dikranagert in Turkish-occupied Armenia.
Karabian graduated from Roosevelt High School in Fresno and later continued his education at the University of Southern California, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History, a Masters Degree in Public Administration and a Juris Doctorate from USC Law School. He was also elected Junior Class President and Student Body President, becoming one of the most successful graduates in that era.
“Little Zevart Shishmanian was walking to school on her first day in rural Sanger, California, 1916. When she arrived at Bethel School, she could not understand her teacher and her teacher could not understand her. Frustrated with a lack of options, the teacher put her in a class for the mentally retarded. She fought her way out ofthat class with a determination to be an excellent English speaker. When Zevart married Hovhannes Karabian in Fresno, they became John and Gladys Karabian. She gave her children the names Walter, Lawrence and Patricia, and she refused to speak Armenian in the house in front of her children. The scarring from the episode in rural Bethel School was deep and permanent. When I arrived in the legislature in 1967, having heard these stories from my youth, one of the first pieces of legislation I introduced was if you were going to test somebody for IQ purposes, you had to test them in their home language. Governor Reagan signed it into law and the burden of being forced to provide IQ testing in the home language was so great that the IQ test was quickly phased out of existence.”
After completing his education, Karabian served as Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County for two years. Soon after, Karabian became an active political figure in the Democratic Party and focused on a career in politics. In 1966, he was one of the youngest men to ever be elected to the California State Assembly and only the third American-Armenian to be elected to public office in the history of the United States.
While a member of the Legislature, Karabian published various articles and gained a reputation as a significant legal author as well as Legislator. He made substantial contributions to the development of California law concerning crime, prison reform, education, civil rights, free speech, and the preservation of endangered species in California. Notably, Karabian used his influence to bring awareness to the Armenian Genocide in California. In 1967, at a time when most people were not aware of the Genocide, Karabian authored the first resolution commemorating the Armenian Genocide in the State Assembly, paving the way for future successes through the community’s activism, including for Armenian Genocide recognition and education.
In 1972, Karabian introduced California’s ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment which was designed to guarantee equal rights to women. Karabian also authored the first Freedom Act protecting sources of news information, the Endangered Species Act, which preceded the National Endangered Species Act.
Based on the trauma endured by his mother when she was wrongly labeled as being mentally retarded as a child simply because she was unable to successfully take IQ tests in school because English was her second language, Karabian utilized his position in Sacramento to introduce legislation requiring that child IQ testing be completed in the child’s native language.
In 1972, he was selected to serve in the powerful position of Majority Leader. At the time, he was only 33 years old and became the youngest Majority Leader in California’s history. Later, he would become a member of the important Rules Committee.
Following the devastating 1988 earthquake in Armenia, all Armenian organizations in California joined together in a historic coalition to rush aid to our crippled Nation. Karabian was chosen as Chairman of the coalition which came to be known as the United Coordinating Committee for Armenian Earthquake Relief.
Continuing his life-long dedication to service, he is a Trustee of the George Ignatius Foundation. Since 1985, Karabian and his Co-Trustees of the George Ignatius Foundation have been responsible for donating discretionary fun
ds to Armenian organizations totaling over $5 million dollars.
Karabian’s dedication to the Armenian Cause is well-known throughout the world and has had a lasting impact over the Armenian community. In addition to countless other initiatives, Karabian is a founding member of the Armenian Bar Association and the Armenian Film Foundation.
Along with his partner John Karns, Karabian’s law firm earned a reputation for its political networks and legal aptitude, expending its time and resources to assist various institutions throughout the Armenian community by providing legal representation to ANCHA (American National Committee to Aid Homeless Armenians), the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church, AGBU, Holy Martyrs Armenian Ferrahian High School, Armenian Mesrobian School, and the Arshag Dickranian Armenian School where Karabian’s children attended.
Karabian has served on the USC Law Center’s Board of Councilors, is a life member of Legion Lex at the USC Law School, a life member of Scapa Praetors at the School of Public Administration, a life member of USC’s Presidential Associates, a member of the Widney Society for the million dollar donors at USC, and is a Pepperdine University Life Endowed Associate.
In 1988, Karabian married Laurel Dickranian at St. Sarkis Armenian Church in London. They were blessed with a daughter Madeline Araxie who is a senior at USC, double- majoring in Italian and Television Writing. His other children are Benjamin Karabian who is the Supervising Deputy City Attorney for Central Criminal Trials in the City of Los Angeles and Katharine Sarine Giovanardi. After 28 memorable years of marriage, Karabian lost his life partner when Laurel sadly passed away in late 2014. Laurel was the youngest daughter of benefactors Mr. and Mrs. Arshag and Eleanor Dickranian of Beverly Hills whose resourcefulness and dedication have positively impacted nearly every major Armenian organization both locally and abroad.