Echoes from Ancient Leaves
OPINION By Rachel Melikian Remembering the Past Why should we remember the past, the Armenian Genocide, April 24, 1915? Several elected officials, lawyers, and hostesses raised the question this year and delivered a trite response, although good, during a remembrance ceremony marking the 108th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, […]
The King said… They Shall Not Perish
OPINION by Rachel Melikian President Calvin Coolidge and the World’s Biggest Hand-Woven Carpet We leave history behind as time passes. Motion pictures move us while books educate us and documentaries inform us, and a picture is worth a thousand words, as the adage says. A 1930 photograph shows little orphaned children huddled together to create […]
Artsakh is Under Siege
Could everyone please help the people of Artsakh on the New Year? OPINION: By Rachel Melikian An entire Republic does not celebrate Christmas, New Year’s, or Santa Claus or give gifts to children this year, and the future of the nation is uncertain because it is surrounded, running out of food and water, and the […]
OPINION: An Enigma of Gold, Water, Oil, and the Armenian Genocide, plus the 2020 Artsakh War
By Rachel Melikian We would like to know what the reason for committing genocide is, whether it’s about the oil or the gold, or it’s about Noah’s Ark that landed on Mount Ararat after the Great Flood in the Armenian Highland, or perhaps it’s about Jesus Christ and the first Christian nation. World, we need […]
Copernicus Satellites vs. Grandma’s Prayers: Atonement before Peace
By Rachel Melikian Science cannot stop wars to bring peace. It cannot extinguish a deadly wildfire when it’s out of control. Moreover, it cannot stop famine or drought from gaining abundance, nor can it fight against tsunamis and earthquakes to prevent disasters. Science can neither bring justice nor wipe out people’s sins nor buy health […]
The Story of the Armenian Van Cat
By Rachel Melikian Cats are one of mankind’s best friends, and many cultures have stories about how cats came to be so revered. Armenian lore says that the Van cat came down to the Armenian Highland on Noah’s Ark. Grandma Armenia’s cat is beautiful. They are one of the most unique cats, with white fur, […]
RIP Kobe – A Tribute to a Legend
By Rachel Melikian Dedicated on the first anniversary of the death of Kobe Bryant, are my thoughts from 2020. “RIP KOBE” flash LA Metro buses’ destination signs, including the buses still parked at the depot, and then one after another, they resume their routes with the same message. This gives a remarkable impression of a […]
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 […]
Peace Through the Crevice of Hunot Gorge
By Rachel Melikian The Journey to “Gate to Heaven” Movies, politics, culture, and religion each have a different role in highlighting the marvel of nature, showing the potential for its destruction, and bringing us close to the gates of heaven to deliver a message of peace. “Growing up in a war zone, my aim is to preach […]
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 […]