Armenian ‘orphan rug’ is in White House storage, as unseen as genocide is neglected

"Armenian ‘orphan rug’ is in White House storage, as unseen as genocide is neglected"

Philip Kennicott 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/armenian-orphan-rug-remains-in-white-house-storage-as-unseen-as-genocide-is-neglected/2013/10/21/90458518-3a6d-11e3-b6a9-da62c264f40e_story.html

Shortly after the devastating genocide committed by the bloody hands of the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian peoples, the modicum percentage of Armenians who had survived were left devastated. In the the early 1920's, a group of Armenian orphans who had survived the genocide had woven a rug to thank the American Government for their aid. That rug was formally sent to then president, Calvin Coolidge's, home: the White House. Coolidge had proudly displayed it due to its symbolic and sentimental value and it's delicate and appealing touches. Ever since Coolidge's term, it has been put in the White House storage. Author Hagop Martin Deranian had hoped that for the launching of his new book, President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug, he could display the rug. Considering his launch was at the world renounced Smithsonian museum, he had assumed the White House would budge and let him display the rug. Due to an important relationship with the Turkish government, a rug that has been in storage for years - with probably no sentimental value to any president past Coolidge - the White House turned him down. A rug might not be billions of dollars in oil rights, an important military, or yearly funding, but it is a sign of appreication that should be of importance to the American government. 

Education

What is education? Education is the distinct knowledge that completes a man. If one wants to be a doctor, one does not just rush to the nearest hospital and beg to execute the next procedure. One would receive the proper education to fulfill the gaps in their knowledge in the given field. Aside from the proper knowledge in the field, one must have real-life experiences to complete their learnings. School systems are too heavily dependent on students' results on standardized tests. Testing, I agree, is a valid way of determining a student's understanding of a topic; but as the great intellectual Albert Einstein once quoted, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” This quote proves that if a monkey, a fish, an elephant, and a tiger  were in the same classroom, and the teacher tested them on their ability to climb a tree; the monkey would prevail, the tiger would be mediocre, and the elephant and fish would fail. But if the fish were tested on its ability to swim, the tiger on its ability to hunt, and the elephant on its ability to control and empower, the test results would make more sense. The schooling system needs to include vast opportunities of classes and/or testing systems which directly correlate to the real-life experiences. I will never need to know how many children Thomas Jefferson had or what a eukaryotic cell is unless I choose those paths as my majors; but I sure as hell need to know how to pay taxes, how to handle money when presented to me, and how to buy a house. The school system refers to education as knowledge based on textbooks, graded based on how well students could memorize boring facts. 

Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix, Mexican Drug Lord, Killed By Assassin In Clown Costume

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/20/francisco-rafael-arellano-felix-killed-assassin-clown_n_4132174.html?utm_hp_ref=world&ir=World

Hunter Stuart

10/20/13

Superman? Batman? Anybody? No superheroes were present when the infamous drug lord Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix was reigning the streets. The oldest brother for the Arellano Felix cartel was shot in the chest and head by an unusual assassin: a clown. As ludicrous as that may sound, this occurred at the Cabo San Lucas Resort in Baja California. Although the motive of the disguised assassin is still unclear, one could assume that it was because of the enormous drug cartel that he and his brothers ran for decades. The cartel not only ruined many lives because of their extravagant drug distribution, but also the brutality and the murder of innocent civilians, along with law enforcement and members of competing drug cartels. Although Francisco may not have been one of the top influences of the cartel due to his numerous years spent in prison, he had left his mark on people's lives. It is said that the cartel is now ran by Francisco's sister Enedina and her son Fernando - who is referred to as the "The Engineer"- for quite some time now. If a clown could murder one of the members of a lucrative drug cartel, then one could assume that inviting a clown to your only child's sixth birthday is not of the greatest ideas. All jokes aside, this brave man committed a heroic deed that many men wish they could have done themselves.

Syria: Seven Red Cross workers abducted, aid group says

http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-red-cross-kidnapped-syria-20131013,0,2700781.story

Patrick J. McDonnell 

10-13-13

For months and months, especially being surrounded by and being a part of the Armenian community, for most of whom have relatives in Syria, we have been hearing about the countless devastating occurrences in Syria. As the rebels are relentless in their attack, receiving much indirect support from the Americans, on their way to dethroning their president they have harmed thousands of innocent civilians. Here we have another story of how seven workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross were waylaid by gunmen at a humanitarian convoy in northern Syria. Numerous amounts of these kidnappings have been occurring on Syrian roadsides all along northern Syria. Aid groups have theorized that they are holding these innocent men ransom to take whatever money they can get ravish from the loved ones of their captives in efforts to expand their rebellious efforts. Along with these Red Cross workers have been foreign journalists and even bishops. For the most recent Red Cross kidnapping, witnesses say that the terrorist groups could have assumed that it was a religious symbol because of the red cross, but they should be aware of the international symbol for the Red Cross. As a human being myself, seeing these reckless rebels stop at nothing to hurt the innocent civilians to "send a message" to the government is just flat-out ridiculous and stupid.

Karnie's and Rita's Speech Presentation

Karnie and Rita did a wonderful job on their presentation. Not only was their PowerPoint informative, clear, and to-the-point; but their presentation skills were exceptional as well. The one aspect that caught my eye and maybe not another's was their choice of subject. The Holocaust is not an event that we have been through, but as Armenians who have seen one of the most grueling genocides, this was the closest to it. I appreciated the connections they made with the literary devices and SOAPST analysis. Their entire presentation was stellar, especially how they - probably mistakenly - mentioned classical oration, induction, AND deduction which is super difficult to do. Speeches usually choose one or other, or a combination of induction of deduction, but hardly ever three. To spot that takes immense skill and knowledge. Great job on the overall project and, once again, great choice of speech, allowed an audience of Armenians and one Native American - who has unfortunately seen the likes of the Trail of Tears - to truly connect on Elie Wiesel's dramatic speech on the holocaust. The connections, the material, the presentation, and overall efforts that went into this presentation paid off and left a great impression on the audience.

Obama on Redskin's Name Change

 " Obama Would 'Think About Changing' Washington Redskins Name If He Owned Team "

Julie Pace 

10/05/13

At a time of such concern for the citizens and government of the United States, one would expect the President, a man we hold responsible for all that happens in our country, to mention the government crisis and give us citizens hope. Barack Obama sat down and discussed the now controversial name of Washington's NFL team - the Redskins - because of its racist aspects towards the Native-American population. Obama claimed that he would have changed the name of the team of he owned it because the name offends a "sizable group of people." There are many other teams who have named their teams after Native American people such as the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL and MLB's Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians. The Redskins have faced loads of controversy over the name which included a huge bill by the Native Americans preventing them from federal copyright protection - but it is not passed yet. Team owner Dan Snyder vowed to never change the name of his beloved team, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated that, contradictory to his previous statements, actions have to be taken place in opposition to the Redskins because of the fans and citizens the name offends.