6/25/2006

Is he my father?
He might not know it, but he has been acting as my surrogate father figure ever since I have been aware of his presence. He might have that same influence on many others most probably.
Most of the time I have been in agreement with his financial moves, specially his position in Chrysler and his takeover of Prim and Mandalay Bay.
His most recent stake in GM is a question that I have not resolved yet.
If he succeeds in shaking up the stale management team, invigorate the stodgy corporate culture, cooperate with the unions to popularize made in USA products that are innovative, at the forefront of technological advances and of high quality than he might be able to turn this old beast around just like the management of Harley Davidson did and help avert the fall of a company that should be an example of American Corporate survival.
I will do my humble analysis of GM's value soon and the probability of returns on investments from this juncture.
So, even though it's a little late, I thank my physical father for bringing me up with the mindset to realize the contribution of all three of the fathers I wrote about recently and the appreciation of their contribution to the society around them and their spiritual guidance for others.
Happy fathers day Dad,
Happy fathers day Kirk Kerkorian,
Happy fathers day Sitting Bull,
Happy fathers day Father Gomidas,
They all serve as my father and their service to me as mentors and spiritual guides is of immeasurable value.
your son

6/17/2006

Is he my father?

sitting Bull.
picture from Historical figures of willow bunch museum
Just as father Gomidas, Sitting bull faced the same issues of preserving the culture of the community he served.
He recognized the dangers of the forced relocations and their impact, the legal restrictions and rules for them.
He spared no effort to preserve what was entrusted to him; the way of life, habitat, traditions, religion, culture...
He witnessed the erosion of the habitat, which he tried to stop but couldn't.
To watch what you love and cherish be violently taken away and realize that the rest will be destroyed thereafter is an excruciating experience that none recover from and very few understand.
A devoted father of his entrusted people.
Happy many fathers day

6/14/2006

Who is my Father!!!
You see, the statue of father Gomidas below raises this question.
As a father of mine and many others, he worked relentlessly to set a good example to his kids. He was keen enough to realize that the cultural treasure passed through generations to his contemporaries was in danger of disappearing and took upon himself the task of rescuing what he could.
He fell in love with the remnants of a culture and did his best to rescue every bit he could, to preserve and restore to its original glory. The genocide, ordered by the turks, killed the people he served but spared him to see the disappearance of his house, his children within with their traditions, cultures and language.
"Sirdess neman e en platz dner" _~ " My heart is just as those ruined houses"
A sentence that meant much more... A
"house" meant the community, it's culture, treasures and traditions.
The genocide not only destroyed the population physically, which in and by itself is a crime to humanity, but it also destroyed the cultural treasures.
His heart could not withstand the pain. Even though they spared him from physical extermination, they could not eliminate the emotional damage that wrecked havoc with his mind. This "cultural genocide" he could not stand, tolerate, or reconcile with the order of the world.

There are three aspects of genocide:
  • Genocide as we know it(the physical extermination of a people such as the armenians, the jews, the kurds....)
  • Cultural Genocide (Through the physical extinction, forced relocation/ deportation, or restrictive laws a group's culture is made to disappear from the world.)
  • Economic Genocide (through the same methods mentioned above rob the group of it's wealth and it's means of survival and the preservation of it's culture.)
  • Any wonder why my father went mad??? Instead of rescuing the cultural treasures carried through generations, sharing it with others(admired by Claude Debussy and othe illustrious cultural figures of europe), composing music... So much of his work disappeared through his adverse mental health caused by the cultural genocide he observed.
Was he not an ultimate example of cultural genocide?
40-50 years of his contributions to armenian music was robbed of him, his people
and the whole world.
What are we doing to counter this trend???
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Is he my father?

Info About Gomidas

6/05/2006

Armenia Wins Gold!


Armenia Took The Gold In The Men's Division Of The World Chess Olympiad.
Upon their return to Armenia, they were Welcomed by Thousands of Armenians in Downtown Yerevan's Freedom Square. The Champions are Levon Aronyan, Vladimir Hakobian, Gabriel Sarkisian, Artashes Minasian, Smbat Lputian and Karen Asryan.
Serj Sarkisian, Who Is The President Of The Armenian Chess Federation, Addressed the Crowd and Said "Our chess players have managed to justify our nation's hopes."
The Welcoming Ceremony Was Followed by a Concert and Fireworks.

37th Chess Olympiad was held in Turin.
China Took Silver And U.S.A Took the Bronze Medal.

(picture at chessvista.com)