Circus Clown Helps Set the Stage

The other day, my 5-year-old grandson sat upon by knee and was ready to talk business. He had that look of impishness upon his face.

Portraying a circus clown was certainly a laughing matter.

“Grandpa, what did you want to be when you were growing up like me?
“Oh, lots of things,” I told him. “A train engineer, [...]

Electronic Era Facilitates Armenian Meetings

Remember the days when we attended an AYF meeting and the secretary actually took minutes by hand before typing them on another sheet of paper?

Armenians with their electronic gadgets enter a new era.

Then copies would be run off on a mimeograph machine and distributed to members at the next meeting for their approval?
Not any more. [...]

One Woman’s Campaign to Remember Hrant Dink

YEREVAN—I often think of Hrant Dink.

Yerevan woman remembers Hrant Dink at Dzidzernagapert on April 24. (Tom Vartabedian photo)

I think about what I would have done had I been in his shoes as a journalist working in Turkey.
Would I have been so profound and daring with my editorials? So controversial and vigilant? Or would I have [...]

Vartabedian: The Best Kept Secret in Town

“Pssst!
“Can you keep a little secret? I just hit a lottery ticket for $100,000. But don’t tell anyone. I don’t want the whole world to know my business.”
“You know me, Al. Mum’s the word. I can keep a secret. What do you plan to do with the money?”
“Well, get my affairs in order. Take a [...]

Sweating out Another IRS Season

I measure out my life by five seasons. We have the usual four. Add another: a season to file my tax returns and sweat out the protocol.
I’m a complete ninny when it comes to forms. My CPA has been my best friend for as long as I’ve dealt with the IRS. Could be that I [...]

103-Year-Old Survivor Calls for Justice

WORCESTER, Mass.—Heghine Minasian considers her life miraculous on two accounts.

'Obama promised us recognition and delivered us empty words,” she says. “It bothers me and all other Armenians, too. He failed to live up to his promises.'

First, that she survived a horrific genocide in her village of Kharpet. And second, that she’s still alive and kicking [...]

True Love Knows no Boundaries with Shrestinians

ANDOVER, Mass.—“He’s still my rock. I hope I’m still his”

Ara and Ginny Shrestinian have lived their wedding vows for 52 years, even under duress with Alzheimer ’s disease.

Ginny Shrestinian sat beside her husband, Ara, feeding him lunch. First soup, then a sandwich. One hand was wrapped around the food—the other around his.
It was a special [...]

Vartabedian: Life Is Chock Full of Surprises!

Tell me, reader, is there anything more stunning—or revolting—than to walk into a room totally off guard and see your best friends and family all gathered?
Yes, it’s one of life’s vagaries to which we’re accustomed. The element of surprise can subdue us all and send us into delirium.
Wish I had a dollar for every time [...]

Vartabedian: My Last Letter to a Dear Penpal

You may not know Lenny Panaggio unless you lived around Newport, R.I., and read the Daily News.
Lenny was a regular columnist since 1983, when he retired as the state’s tourism director. He died the way any devoted journalist would have wished—with his words clicking on all cylinders. His last column appeared a week before he [...]

Vartabedian: The Evolution of Change: Is It Good?

As Father Time approached Baby New Year, I caught him whispering something in the child’s ear. The news couldn’t have been anything good because it led to a frown.
More unemployment maybe? Higher gas prices? More foreclosures? Another conflict perhaps?
Whatever may be in store for 2012, count on progress being somewhere in the mix. For better [...]