RIVER

Monday, March 24, 2008

Every time I sat by a river
my life was changed.

Is it because there are few rivers left
or because I don't usually sit anywhere,
but on a chair?

River.
River.
River.

I know of rivers of blood.

::: ::: :::

[Picture: Food by reading_is_dangerous]

Blessing of the Bikes

Sunday, March 23, 2008
Every spring, near Alto Pass IL, people gather for a blessing of their bikes. This photo was taken by a friend last April. Some find it odd, that bikers seek a blessing. I think it's marvelous, and a testimony of an inclusive love, that comes from God Himself.

The Bald Knob Cross stands on a bare hill in Southern IL. On Easter Sunday it stands above a multi-denominational celebration of the Ressurection of Christ. In years past, the bald knob was used by river pirates to spy on flat-boats that travelled the Ohio River, that is visible from the bald knob.

I hope to get more photos this spring, and I will add them to this post.

Khor Virap Monastary - Mt. Ararat

Khor Virap ("Խոր Վիրապ" in Armenia, meaning deep dungeon) monastery.
( This Photo is large! If you click on Photo, your computer may crash! )

Armenian Empire

Armenia

TER-PETROSYAN WITNESSED [06:39 pm] 01 March, 2008

Friday, March 21, 2008
I stayed in the Square for 2 hours until 8.35 a.m.. I set down smoked, drank water, no one approached me again. Later Sarkisov came up to me and said that I should leave; I repeated I would leave if they carried out my demands.


( As reported by A1+, in a related report Levon Ter-Petrosyan recalls the events of March 1 )

Levon Ter-Petrosyan remained in the Liberty Square long, and today under the home arrest he conducted a press conference and many international journalists participated in it. The RA First President tells about the incident in detail.

“At 6 a.m. I was waken up and told that special troops from Parakar and Davitashen were moving in our direction, but they were not armed. I talked to the people. We did not think that something would take place. To secure us in case of emergency we turned on the microphones to be able to communicate with people. The troops were observed at about 6.30-40 a.m.. They made a circle in the neighboring streets and arrived in the Square. The troops came in rows from the right and left and stood in front of the people. I told the people not to complain or attack on the troops; I asked them to be patient and not to talk with them. I asked them to wait until we found out what the police wanted from us. This was my last word. The rows of the troops moved forward and began beating the people. I saw two things - truncheons and sparkling electric shocks. You could see the blue sparkles all the time, nothing else, no guns, no gun-shells, no gas, no tear gas, no cars pouring water. The mentioned two weapons were used for protection. People were resisting them, but they were beaten severely. Some times later the officers of the president’s security service headed by Grisha Sarkisov appeared on the platform. My bodyguards were protecting me, but they represented the mentioned department and they obeyed Grisha Sarkisov. My bodyguards were protecting me, only Grisha Sarkisov’s men were able to evacuate them from the platform. Then Grish Sarkisov and someone else hold my arms and descended from the platform, then my men surrounded me and I said I would not leave the Square, I said they were free to arrest me, since I would leave only in handcuffs. I asked them to appeal to the General Prosecutor Aghvan Hovsepyan, let him give sanctions if they considered that it was an illegal rally and I had organized it. No one else is responsibility for the rally and only in that case I would leave the Square. Everything happened within 10-15 minutes, the Square was emptied swiftly, you could not see anyone in the Square, but the policemen. The troops surrounded the territory of the Opera, then they began ruining the equipments on the platform, tents and began looking for some things, some cudgels, I saw how they spread the cudgels and recorded it. They had operators with them who were recording it. I stayed in the Square for 2 hours until 8.35 a.m.. I set down smoked, drank water, no one approached me again. Later Sarkisov came up to me and said that I should leave; I repeated I would leave if they carried out my demands. He came and left several times, maybe they were consulting, then the police rows came, moved my bodyguards away and demanded me to follow them, but I resisted again, then they held my arms made me get onto the car, and brought me home, later I found out that they had locked my both gates.

Then I sent the head of my bodyguards to find out whether I was under home arrest or not. They said that I was not under home arrest I simply had no right to leave the house and no one had the right to come to my place. Some of my friends tried to come to my place; they did not allow them in. This is the whole story. I have tried to contact with my friends, I managed to talk to 4-5 of my people. Many people were injured, I saw how a young man was beaten, he ran in the wrong direction. 7-8 policemen beat him with truncheons, if my guards did not save him, he would probably be dead’.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan also informed that police did not warn them anything. “If only they had warned, maybe the crowd would disperse, but they did not say anything”.

A grandmother and her four grandchildren set themselves on fire

Friday, March 14, 2008
Photo and text from russianspy.org


A grandmother and her four grandchildren set themselves on fire outside the Presidential Residence in Yerevan, in an act related to the murder of a relative, ArmeniaNow reported today.

The five victims were taken to hospital. None of the injuries is believed to be life-threatening. Gyulizar Avdalyan, the grandmother is in worst condition, with burns over 15 percent of her body.

The children, ranging in age from 11-15 were burned mostly on their wrists and faces.

Liberty Square, March 1,2008.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008
These photos were posted on; http://hnazarian.blogspot.com/

Photos taken shortly after the police attacked the protesters.



Listening is risky

Before I learned to think properly, I learned to speak. Sometime later I learned to listen. Somewhere along the line, I learned to read ( I've heard that reading is dangerous ). I am just now learning to write ( and that is not without some risk ).

And that is why ambiguity is so wonderful! Can you 'square' a thought?


    WE are the people
    we ARE the people
    we are THE people
    we are the PEOPLE


I count six disctinct messages in the words above,

    six thoughts,
    six ways to say them,
    six ways to hear them,
    six ways to read them.
    six ways to write them.
    six ways to be the people.


I'm looking for a seventh, got any new ideas?

Goats for Progress

Sunday, March 9, 2008
If you use a dial-up connection you will probably not be able to view this video.



How many goats does it take bring a nation into the twenty-first century?

r_i_d

Thursday, March 6, 2008
hello Wally,

Thank you for your messages.
That's very generous of you.

I surely cannot talk. I'm already borderline here,
and things could very quickly change to the extreme worst.

It's probably to late for Armenia already.
The US wants Moscow to let them do whatever they want with Kosovo,
and that probably means Washington won't ask anything from Moscow who
controls what's happening here in Armenia.
This is just a rough approximation.

I'll tell you more when I can. It should be a warning to Americans themselves--
You'll see.

Your friend,
S.