Saturday, May 12, 2007

light-hearted post

i realize i've been writing lots of very long blogs on not so fun topics. so, i thought i'd post a short lil somethin. i can't get over this clip. i think i've watched it a billion times. am i crazy?

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

don't be jealous

to all my so-cal folks...

i went for a jog today - along a little river/creek. and i didn't have to drive 25 minutes on the five (or 35 minutes on the 2/210) to get there. muahahahahah. (you know you wish you were here!)

(and no, the "la river" DOES NOT COUNT - i'm talking mud banks not concrete man-made stuff)

honestly though, it was one of the most relaxing things i've done in a long time. it felt great. the little path is so peaceful - lots of trees (and those white and pink ones - are those cherry blossoms? anyway, they're very pretty!).

i managed to crank out a good 45 minutes at a steady pace. i really really didn't think i'd be able to do more than 20. it was probably the surroundings... oh ya, and the fun lawschool podcasts. because listening to civ pro (personal jurisdiction, minimum contacts etc) is freakin energizing.

anyway, i have SOOOO many blogs to post but it'll be a week before i can do it. see you folks then!

Saturday, May 05, 2007

should April 24th be a holiday

of course there's been a debate in the gnp on whether kids should get the day off from school - one armenian guy said - basically - look, my kids feel very strongly about it and they go to the events and protests - they don't sit at home and play xbox. and the non-armenians responded with - its a slippery slope - do we close schools everytime kids want to protest something? and its not an american holiday. our schools lose money. yada yada.

response:

Re: School's Should Leave Comfort Zone.



Several school districts throughout the United States have been handed off to private businesses because the district itself is not able to manage the schools. To be fair, the districts are not always to blame – dropping enrollment and depopulation of areas leads to fiscal problems that are beyond the districts control. Those concerns are not alien to our own district today.



But what does a private business do that a school district might not? I believe private businesses are able to make fiscally proactive decisions with less reliance on community politics.



When you have a large number of students not in class on a given day of the year, you are losing money. We can all sit around and discuss the politics of Genocide Recognition and the importance of being in school but at the end of the day, a large segment of this community feels strongly that missing math class one day of the year in order to stand up for and commemorate the memory of your great grandparents is a worthwhile trade-off.



Thus, the district has two choices – either accept that we are losing money and do something proactive to change it or listen to residents complain about the money that the district loses on April 24th each year. Once a person is able to remove their personal emotions from this debate they will realize that it is essentially a business decision (although of course I personally feel strongly about the symbolic importance of it as well).



As for the slippery slope suggestion; as a law student I have learned that "slippery slope" is always used as a cop out when someone doesn't want to take a stand. Don't be afraid to draw the line. For at least the last 10 years, GUSD has lost money on April 24th. This is much different than an unforeseen student protest against animal testing (which probably would not attract half the student population). Moreover, school districts across the country have embraced local holidays that reflect their student bodies. For example, although "Yom Kippur" is not like "Cesar Chavez Day" or any other "American" holiday, Beverly Hills High School students had October 2nd off last year (along with a spring break that coincided with Pesach).



Though it seems that the residents of Glendale are not quite ready to tackle this debate, I nevertheless encourage to consider it. The district will continue to feel the impact of the loss of revenue and the community has the opportunity to weigh in on our schools' future. The choice is ours.

Friday, May 04, 2007

a clip

i emailed this out so if you're reading it twice - sorry... and be sure to click on link!

I came across something and wanted to share some thoughts on it…

All too often, people ask us (Armenians) why we care about Genocide recognition… I mean, it happened 92 years ago. Get over it. Its not TODAY'S Turkish officials that committed Genocide. It was those pesky Ottomans.

But the truth is that we can't get over it. We can't get over it – not because we don't want to – but because, we can't get over something that is still going on today.

As my favorite (survivor) quote says – Denial is killing twice. Denying the past is a genocide of its own – a genocide of the memories of those who were killed.

That, however, is only half the story. The other half is the cultural genocide. I'm sure you've all heard the stories – the Khachkars being destroyed, animal names being changed, churches being converted – all in an effort to erase any traces of "Armenian-ness" from the villages. Then there's that great holiday Turkey celebrates on April 24th – world children's day.

And perhaps that doesn't outrage you.

But this should.

http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/special-reports/FRANCE-24-Reports/Reporters-FRANCE-24.html

Armenians being forced to deny their heritage, being targeted and taunted, being called infidels…. Sounds vaguely familiar. Oh yes, we went through this in many times before… including 1915. In reality, IT never ended. The death marches ended but the hatred and animosity towards Armenians continues today. While we all look at Istanbul and the other big cities and note their "democratization" or "westernization," the rest of the country lingers in the same mental state it was in 100 years ago – and the government is complacent.
I hope you all take a moment to watch this video. If you are not Armenian and have ever questioned why Armenians feel the need to carry on with these protests and marches and vigils, I hope you will understand where our hurt and anger comes from. I hope you understand that until we don't get official recognition, we will continue to feel and BE threatened. If you are Armenian, I hope this sparks something in you…. Angers you. Because we can't afford to be complacent – we can't afford to join Turkey in saying, "oh well… that's the way the cookie crumbles." It's not about waving a flag on April 24th each year. That helps. But its not enough. Take an interest in your community, the international community – do something. You don't have to be a politician to be an activist – you can be an activist in your every day life in your own way – your contribution to the cause can be yours uniquely. And above all else, don't forget who you are. People are trying hard to erase your ancestors from their memory – don't give them a hand by forgetting yourself.

(And if you're looking for an easy way to do something… pass this on).

(PS – for those of you on here who are involved, I realize I'm preaching to the choir… I just wanted you to see the clip).