Why I came to lecture today

Right, now, 1:03 pm and I am one of 42 students in attendance. Jason and I are manning the back row and no one besides us. It's scary, being somewhat alone, without the rest of the gang, but that's what I do, I am here when you aren't, I am here when all others have given up...I am here to the end. Think about it. Then post if you dare.

Does Russia have the US-of-A by its balls?

1943...Stalin...for whoever remembers...he along with FDR and Churchill met in Iran to discuss alot of things, war strategy, what to do with Hitler and his girlfriend, and the different types of Russian caviar (those who don't know, there are only two...)

In the 64 years, no sane person (not celebrating Ramamdan) has been, seen, smelled or breathed or Iranian air...until...

2007...Putin, now that he has some money from all that oil (oil barrel prices hit $85 today, a record) he is going to ....you guessed it, to Iran to meet with the sympathetic, democratically-elected, Ahmadinijihad. Anyways, he is helping him build some nuclear factors, obtain some more Soviet-era weapons, enrich some uranium...the usual...except that this is the beginning of something big (West v. East Parta Deux) as I have been predicting all along...

Anyways, I was kinda bored so I'd figure someone would have wanted to read this...PS Who would ever want to assassinate Putin (check the news)?

One step closer

The House Foreign Relations Committee voted to approve the Resolution 106 recognizing the Armenian Genocide. This means they have approved to bring the resolution to a floor vote at the House of Representatives. So far so good, however, House speaker Palosi could still back down to pressures from Bush and the Turks, and prevent the bill from reaching the floor for a vote. She said before that she wouldn't, however women have been known to lie, so I ain't going to hold my breath. I'll just wait and see. For those of you who are wondering why I care so much, its not only because I am Armenian. Long story short, my great-grandfather was a genocide survivor. He had to flee his home to another country. Because he had to leave his home, I wan't born in Armenia, I was born in another country of Turks, where 80 years later Armenians would again die by the hands of Turks, and this time it would affect me directly, resulting in me and my family leaving our home behind and becoming refugees, just like my great-grandfather. So as you see, it does affect me, and that is why I care. This shit just doesn't get sweeped under the rug and forgotten. This shit sticks around and changes families forever. Without foreclosure, these families will be forever refugees even if they find a new home.

I know you all don't care, but I care and so I write.

Yo what up yo! So tommarow, wednesday, it is anticipated that Resolution 106 might finnaly be brought to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote. But that all depends if Nancy Palosi decides to actually send the resolution to the floor for a vote. What is Resolution 106? The resolution if approved will recognize the Armenian Genocide, however it is completely nonbinding and therefore only simbolic. Years after years the resolution makes it to the speakers desk only to be postponed because the country is afraid of the damages that the resolution can make with the US relations with Turkey, who every year warns the congress and the president of the US that such a vote would put the US-Turkey relationship in jeapordy. This happend this year too. The president of Turkey today warned president Bush that if this resolution passes, there would be great repurcusions. Usually the resolution never makes it to the floor for a vote. But this year is a little different. Nancy Palosi is sympathetic to the resolution having said before that she would approve it. Also the house now has a Democratic majority and most of the representatives have already signed a petition that says that they would approve the resolution, all that is left is for the resolution to actually make it to the floor for a vote. Well, I doubt it will come to a vote even this year. Turkey is putting great pressure on US to not vote on it, and I'm sure that Bush and others like him will succed in persuading Palosi not to give the resolution to the floor for a vote. Because who gives a fuck about Armenia anyway, its not worth the trouble of losing our wonderful relationship with Turkey over a piece of shit country like Armenia. And it is a piece of shit country, and I know you all don't give a shit, but like I said, its my blog, and I can post whatever I want. Peace y'all!

The Appendix might have a purpose after all!

The good scientists at Duke University Medical School say that the appendix might not be useless after all. It’s true. While at the library, I come over to check my email and what do I see, an article link about the appendix. Being the nerd that I am I immediately clicked on the link and read the whole thing. So here is the main point. These guys did some research and they published a paper and they say the main role of the appendix is to grow and protect the good germs, i.e. your normal flora. As some of you know there are more bacteria than there are human cells in the typical body. We are literally a big sack of bacteria walking around like we all that. Most of the bacteria are good and help digest food, keep us immune, etc. etc. Anyways, sometimes the flora of bacteria in the intestines die or are purged. Diseases such as cholera or amoebic dysentery would clear the gut of useful bacteria. Well the researchers at Duke say that when this happens it is the appendix's job to reboot the digestive system. In a way it acts as a factory and safe house for the good bacteria, and whenever the need arises, the appendix will replenish the GI with a fresh batch. Pretty damn exciting, isn’t it? I mean all these years we thought it was a useless sack of tissue, well we could be wrong. However, don’t start dancing around like joyful circus moneys just yet. As most of you know medical knowledge changes every year, as they find out more and more about the human body and how things work. So my advice: hold on to your butts.

Chess in the Midwesss...

So Ashot and I decided we will have a chess tournament to determine who is number #1 chess player in Toledo...starting tomorrow. It will continue until mid-December, and a second tourament will commence in January. The tournament will include a chess board, polished glasses, lots of water and girls to hold up score cards (we are still looking for volunteers...so don't be shy). If you'd like to lose in less than 15 moves, let us know, your skill or lack thereof will be appreciated.

Btw the two pics above are 2 of the top 8 grandmasters in the world - just out of the 2007 World Chess Championships. One on the left is Armenian, the other is a Jew. The remaining 5 of 6 players are Russians and the 8th grandmaster, who won it all is from India, which happens to be a former Soviet Bloc country, so in other words...R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

I won’t stay, but I’ll keep my eye on things…

That’s what President Putin said when asked if he will have the constitution changed so that he could run for another term as President of the Russian Federation. I will not be the man that will change our country’s constitution, however, I’ll still keep my eye on thing is what Mr. Putin said. Well, me and those who like me are in tune to Russian politics were wondering just what exactly does he mean when he says that he will still keep his eye on things. Will he pick a successor who has the same ideology about the future of Russia as he does? Will he pick somebody to hold the seat warm for him and come back to power legally after skipping a term? Is he just lying and does he plan to run again after all? Or is he just going to show up one day in a Darth Sidious robe and proclaim himself emperor of a new and more powerful Russian Empire? Well most people realized that somehow Putin was going to his hold on power in Russia one way or another, and today we found out a little bit about just how he plans to do it. Putin announced today that he would be the leading candidate on the ticket of Russia’s dominant political party in parliamentary elections in December, and said he might become the country’s prime minister next year. There you go folks, that is how he is going to do it, that is how its going to be done. Earlier this year Putin fired his prime minister and put in place a new one, a man who was largely unheard of in Russian politics, and most people agree that this is the man that Putin wants in his place while he stays backstage and pulls that strings. Now we know how it will be done. As the leading candidate on the ticket of Russians dominant political party, United Russia, Putin will have great influence and control over the Russia government, while his puppet President keeps his chair warm for his return in four years. However, even now the future is still uncertain (always in motion the future is), and if I know Putin, and I think I do (well actually I don’t, but for the sake of this blog lets pretend I do), then his latest public remark is all part of a charade. You see, Putin is fearful of betrayal and of losing his influence in the Kremlin’s mercurial inner sanctum and in the end he may yet reverse his course and decide to serve a third consecutive term despite the constitutional prohibition. And if anybody gives him any shit about the constitution all he needs to do is scream “I AM THE CONSTITUTION!!!”