Friday, August 28, 2009

Ովքեր էին Մարտի 1-ի բանդաների պարագլուխները

Բացի ժողովրդի վրա հարձակվելուց այս բանակը բնականաբար միտված էր նաև հսկելու ավազակներին, նրանց տներն ու օբյեկտները: Համազգեստը նրանց բերում էր բանակի հովանոցի տակ:


Գույքի տեսակից ակներև է դառնում այս բանդայի գործողության բնույթը: Ձմեռային համազգեստավորները պետք է գործեին դրսում (մարտի մեկը ցուրտ օր էր) իսկ մնացյալը փակ տարածությունում: Իհարկէ հնարավոր է, որ նույն բանդիտի համար նախատեսված էր և ձմեռային և ավելի թեթև համազգեստ: Սա միգուցե Վաչոի դեպքում էր և միգուցե մասամբ Դոդի Գագոյի:


Չպետք է անտեսել գլխարկները: Սա իմ կարծիքով ամենակարևորն է ցուցակում: Ընդհանուրը 140 է: Գլխարկը ձմեռային է և այն քողարկում է հագնողին կամ նրա սափրած գանգը: Այսինքն դա կրողը պետք է երկար ժամեր գտնվեր դրսում և լիներ քողարկված: Իսկ կլոր թիվերը ցույց են տալիս, որ ամեն մի ավազակապետի հրամայված էր մատակարարել կոնկրետ թվով բանդիտ կազմելու համար ընդհանուր թվով 140 հոգանոց խումբ: Իմ կարծիքով սա է այն թիվը որ գործել է ժողովրդի դեմ:

Դոդ - լիսկա 49-51 հարաբերությունը միգուցե մրցակցության նշան է որտեղ Լիսկան ցուցադրում է իր մրցունակ և ավելին անելու կերպարը:

The cutest little kids.


Pigh has posted a picture of little kids in Meghri. The little girl is holding a peach in her hand - it's almost as big as her head.

Just remembered a funny moment.

Once I was talking to a director of an oncology center. We were talking about Varian linear accelerators (it's a device used for cancer radiation therapy). I had no idea about the brand names of these devices at the time and thought we were talking about ovarian linear accelerators (i.e. radiation therapy for ovarian cancers).

:) It was a brief embarrassing moment at the time but it worked out OK in the end.

I remembered this incident when came across a Varian ad on LinkedIn.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Big loss today.

RIP, Ted Kennedy. America lost a great fighter of progress today.

Who will fill his shoes now?

Friday, August 21, 2009

This is why I keep blogging.


Here is the generation that will fight to build the liberty in Armenia. These are the kids who, despite everything that the regime throws at them, keep taking to the streets.

Filling the state coffers.

The Armenian police has started enforcing the seat belt rules. Each offense adds 5,000 Drams to the state coffers. The Prime Minister has personally endorsed this enforcement.

Unfortunately, he continues to travel around Yerevan in cars without license plates.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

I don't like it.

There now have been a number of incidents when protesters of the health care reforms have openly carried arms, in at least one case an AR-15 assault rifle, during the protests where the President was giving a speech. Even though I am for the ownership and carry rights of firearms, I do not like someone carrying a handgun or a rifle at a public protest even if it is legal to do so (in Arizona, where the man with the AR-15 was seen, allows open carry of any legal firearms). A protest is a mass event, there are emotions that may get out of hand and there should not be anyone with a firearm that can be seen as intimidation.

I am seriously thinking about taking a pro-health care reform protest if Obama comes to town simply to counteract to what I see as unacceptable tactics by the opponents. I have an open carry permit but will not use it.

Mariam Sukhudian

Here is a small puzzle for the readers.

Let's assume someone visits an institution where small children are in foster care. That institution is administered by the state. One of the children describes being physically and sexually abused by one of the administrators. The visitor then publishes the story.

Task 1. Apply logic and determine what would happen next.

Task 2. Apply "Armenian logic" and determine what would happen next.

The answer to task 1 would be to investigate the incident and place the administrator on leave while the accusations of abuse are investigated. That is something that would happen in a normal society.

The answer to task 2 is the exact opposite of what a normal society would do, i.e. the application of the "Armenian logic" is the anti-logic. The "Armenian logic" says that the publisher of the story must be prosecuted for the infamous "false accusation" article in the criminal law and imprisoned for 3 to 5 years.

Since this incident took place in Armenia, it is not surprising that the "Armenian logic" has been applied and the person who published the story, Mariam Sukhudian (incidentally, part of the ecological movement "Save Teghut" fighting to preserve forests against mining interests), is being charged for "false accusations".

To see what has been going on, check this post on Unzipped.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Who should be treated with more lenience?

Let's assume that two people have been arrested by the police.

The offense of the first person is that he has given an interview to a newspaper and has expresses his opinions. He is charged for spreading a 'false accusation'.

The offense of the second person is that he has shot and killed someone.

The first person is a veteran of a past war. The second person is a member of the ruling party.

If you said 'the second person', congratulations to you. You have mastered the Armenian logic!

If you said 'the first person' then you are burdened with reason and you are not a good fit in Armenia.

The first person is Sargis Hatspanian serving a 3.5 year sentence for his interview. The second is Sayad Shirinian who was let go today under the recent amnesty. As of now, all people serving the banditocracy (looters, killers and such) have been freed. 22 political prisoners still remain and their number keeps growing.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Անծայրածիր Տափաստաններ:

Yesterday was a pleasant day so we pulled the top down and went for a drive through the rural areas in Indiana. As an Armenian who originated in a small mountainous country, I love the endless steppes of the US: let me loose and I will drive a thousand miles non stop. But I digress.

It is in the corn and soy fields of the Mid-West that you realize why this country is so almighty. 4.6% of the population are in the agriculture and yet the country is self sufficient in food production and manages to feed a large chunk of the world population as well. In the process we have managed to destroy the nature (Indiana was mainly wetlands before the people started draining the land and cutting down the woods) but that's the price we are going to pay.

Fortunately, despite being called tree-hugging nut cases, there is a large chunk of progressive people who fight to preserve whatever little has remained. Going against special interests in the bio-agriculture, chemical, fast food and mass farming interests, and greed in general, is not easy but they still manage to have victories now and then.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Hunger in the US.

It may sound like somewhere in the third world but it's Detroit, Michigan, complete with urban farms with goats and chickens.

[...] DETROIT (CNNMoney.com) -- On a side street in an old industrial neighborhood, a delivery man stacks a dolly of goods outside a store. Ten feet away stands another man clad in military fatigues, combat boots and what appears to be a flak jacket. He looks straight out of Baghdad. But this isn't Iraq. It's southeast Detroit, and he's there to guard the groceries. [...] the rest on CNN.com

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Maintaining a sense of humor.

[...] After this [a 10-15 lap run] you then use the 2 liter Coca-Cola bottle which contains warm enough water that has warmed up during the hot night. After the exercise you splash your body with the water; if you want, you can bring more water, wet yourself nicely and sunbathe under the newly rising sun. There are no technical issues. The only problem is that, they say, the tan you acquire in the KGB walk area turns out to be patterned after a cage.

A rough translation from the latest chapter of Nikol Pashinian's KGB experience: 18. ԿԳԲ-ի պադվալից վեր

Photo of the day.


This cracked me up this morning. Former Russian president Putin somewhere in the Gorbataya Gora mountains in Tuva, Russia.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Hopefully it's not too late.

Arman Babajanian has been released and will undergo a surgery outside Armenia as soon as possible to remove a brain tumor.

Monday, August 03, 2009

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Sayat Nova, psychic readin'

The Sayat-Nova restaurant somewhere on Ohio Street in Chicago. Nothing special about the menu but not bad either. The 2nd and 3rd floors offered psychic reading for ten bucks (unrelated to the restaurant, just an interesting fact).