Weekly News Roundup for Friday, October 2nd, 2020
A roundup of the biggest news stories in California this week, including a wildfire update, coronavirus news and the latest from Sacramento. Glass Fire Devastates Napa Valley and Sonoma County The Glass Fire, which started burning on September 27th, has burned over 60,000 acres in Napa and Sonoma counties. It is currently 6% contained, and the […]
News Roundup for Friday, September 25th, 2020
A roundup of the biggest news stories in California this week, including a wildfire update, coronavirus news and the latest from Sacramento. Governor Newsom Passes a Series of Significant Environmental Bills Governor Newsom this week signed several bills plus an Executive Order designed to help California meet future climate targets. The Executive Order signed by the Governor […]
A Historical Glimpse on the Centennial of Wilsonian Armenia
— OPINION — By Rachel Melikian A landmarked historical map carrying the Great Seal of the United States of America, affixed with the signature of the U.S. President, is 100 years old as of November 22, 2020. It was created under the Treaty of Sèvres, signed on August 10, 1920. President Woodrow Wilson arbitrated the […]
The Four Unseen Pillars of Father’s Day
By Rachel Melikian Something can stand on three pillars, but a house needs four. In the home, the father represents all four pillars, without which the home would collapse. Fathers often work silently and without expectation of praise for their sacrifices. This is the work that sustains the pillars and goes unseen on the shoulders […]
The Week in Politics
A weekly roundup of the biggest news in California… Governor Newsom Issues Proclamation Declaring Juneteenth Day of Observance Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring June 20, 2020, as “Juneteenth National Freedom Day: A Day of Observance” in the State of California. The text of the proclamation can be found here. The Latest on COVID-19 […]
The Week in Politics
A weekly round-up of the biggest news in California politics… This was a historic week in California and in the nation. Peaceful demonstrations large and small dominated the news. Millions made their voices heard on the streets of our cities. They expressed sorrow and anger over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery […]
For 2020, a Virtual Vigil for Armenia’s 1.5 million Sanctified Martyrs
By Rachel Melikian The night before the Armenian Genocide commemoration on April 24 there is a candlelight vigil, but this year, 2020, the commemoration of the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was different. It was virtual, without any marches in Little Armenia, or publicly held candlelight vigil nights, due to the novel Coronavirus global […]
The Mysterious Trunk and the Armenian Genocide
By Rachel Melikian A Canadian woman, Wendy Elliott, became a graphic designer because she liked building things, and solving puzzles and mysteries in her childhood. She later became a design instructor in colleges in Ontario out of her love for education; she also had a love for history. Elliott’s interest in history and puzzles took […]
Aurora’s Silent Prayers
By Rachel Melikian An orphaned unknown teenage girl, the greatest, bravest woman in history, miraculously arrived alone in the United States 101 years ago, after three and a half years of wandering on foot from her hometown in Western Armenia. She had escaped slavery and a harem after her entire village had been massacred by […]
MGM and The Forty Days of Musa Dagh
By Rachel Melikian What do Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Franz Werfel, Clark Gable, Sarky Mouradian, and Sylvester Stallone have in common? They were fascinated by the Armenian heroism explored in Franz Werfel’s book, “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh.” This literary-historical gem was published in 1933, translated into 18 languages, and instantly became a national and international […]
“Eat the Peas”
America, We Thank You By Rachel Melikian On Oct. 29 this year 405 Congress members struck a historic bipartisan vote for the house resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide of 1915 to 1923. The H. Res, 296 strives to “commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance.” Sadly, some of the histories of the Americans’ […]
Broken Worlds in a Photographic Gallery
By Rachel Melikian Photographs preserve history and teach us about the past without any language involved, but as the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words. Now most of us are amateur photographers using smartphones to capture selfies and personal photographs, gather images when we travel, and chronicle our personal histories. Professionally skilled […]