It is now widely acknowledged to have been the first true genocide, and Western sources sometimes point to the sheer scale of the death toll as evidence for a systematic, organized plan to eliminate the Armenians. The event is also said to be the second-most studied case of genocide. To date twenty-one countries have officially recognized it as genocide.

While Turkey acknowledges that during World War I many Armenians died, it also states that Muslims died as well and that massacres were committed on both sides as a result of inter-ethnic violence and the wider conflict of World War I. The Turkish government also does not accept the deaths were the results of an intention from Ottoman authorities to eliminate Armenian people indiscriminately.

Read more about the genocide

Here is a picture of Laura and Hranush at the beach last Saturday. This was Harnush’s first time to the ocean.

The article in the top right on the Alaverdi Copper factory was especially intriguing to me because Laura and I lived in Alaverdi during our Peace Corps service.  The fact that the hazards arising from the pollution are being exposed is a step in the right direction.  Many of the local people felt that the factory is a problem but that it was important to the economy for it to stay open.  I am not sure this true.  The factory employees 400 employees in an area of 20,000 people.  I think that by shutting it down, their will be health improvements, the local vegetation will improve, and more tourists will choose to visit and STAY in the area.  Right now, tourists quickly shuffle in to see the churches and then leave, staying maybe an hour or so.  Eco-tourism has huge potential in the area.  The site of the factory turns many people off to the idea of this venture. The economy can improve more if the factory was not in service.
The other articles are important in shedding some light on the environmental/human rights issues that plague Armenia.  Restructering of the government needs to be done in order for any of these issues to be dealt with properly. If the people continue to unite, to speak up and to encourage the government to listen to their concerns, I think that there may be some hope.  All the issues are difficult to work with because of the instability of the infrastructure and the weak economy, though it is improving.

To view the top two articles, “This Land is Our Land…” and “The Breath of Death…”, click the link next to the English link in the top right corner.  This link says “Armenian” and is spelled in the Armenian language.  Once it is in Armenian, click the article, you will view the article in Armenian, then click the English link in the top right corner again to view.  For some reason these two articles are not linked properly, otherwise the others can viewed just fine.

Alaverdi School #8