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 […]
The Week in Politics

A weekly round-up of the biggest news in California politics…. Feinstein and Barnes developing legislation to protect California and Montana communities from wildfires: Senator Feinstein, with Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) are developing bipartisan legislation to protect communities from wildfires. The legislation seeks to protect public safety by expediting and expanding the removal of dead, dying […]
Behind the Muddied Glass: A Doctor’s Look at Untreated Mental Illness

By Susan Partovi I met “Carrie” while making rounds at the Los Angeles County women’s jail with a group of mental health professionals. A woman in her mid-50s, she had no clue what day it was. Naked and thin, Carrie ambled over, peering through the muddied glass of her jail cell. But it was not […]
The Week in Politics

A weekly round-up of the biggest news in California politics…. Massive Chevron oil spill near Bakersfield is revealed to the public: A massive spill at a Chevron oil field in Kern County has dumped close to 800,000 gallons of oil and water into the landscape, various news outlets revealed last week. (The incident was first […]
The Week in Politics

A weekly round-up of the biggest news in California politics…. Officials employ efforts to protect communities from planned ICE raids statewide: Elected officials across California have responded to President Trump’s threat to begin ICE deportation sweeps across the nation starting this weekend. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti affirmed that L.A. law enforcement does not assist […]