Armenians History

Officials of the Ararat Home of Los Angeles are transforming a winding, tree-shaded sidewalk at the 10-acre retirement home and cultural center in Mission Hills into an etched timeline spanning 5,000 years of Armenian history. The $30,000 timeline, framed by red, blue and orange tiles representing the colors of the Armenian flag, will document Armenian history from the Bronze Age to the present.

A controversial measure to officially recognize the Armenian genocide, which only days ago appeared headed for approval in the House, has begun to lose support. The change comes in the face of furious protests by the Turkish government and warnings of possible repercussions for U.S. military operations in Iraq. Seven representatives withdrew as cosponsors on Monday, followed by at least four more Tuesday. Since Jan.

A tentative multimillion-dollar settlement was disclosed Wednesday in a Los Angeles class action lawsuit filed on behalf of heirs of Armenian genocide victims who accused New York Life Insurance Co. of failing to honor valid insurance claims. New York Life has agreed to pay at least $3 million to Armenian civic organizations in addition to paying 10 times the face value of the policy on an estimated 2,500 valid claims.

Just as Steven Spielberg reached a point at which he was prepared to tackle the Holocaust, in which some of his own relatives lost their lives, with "Schindler's List," Canada's boldly idiosyncratic Atom Egoyan became ready to deal in his own way, in his audacious "Ararat," with the less well-remembered genocide of his own ancestral people.

Officials of the Ararat Home of Los Angeles are transforming a winding, tree-shaded sidewalk at this 10-acre retirement home and cultural center into an etched timeline spanning 5,000 years of Armenian history. The $30,000 timeline, framed by red, blue and orange tiles representing the colors of the Armenian flag, documents Armenian history from the Bronze Age to the present.

The state Department of Education paid a Thousand Oaks man $50,000 to make a documentary on the massacre of Armenians by the Turks, but has refused to distribute the film to schools after expressing concerns about alleged interference from the Legislature and about the quality of the film. J. Michael Hagopian, who was born in Turkish Armenia in 1913, the son of a surgeon, was nominated twice for Emmy awards for earlier films on the subject.

Lifelong friends Garen Yegparian and Ara Oshagan decided two years ago to use their artistic talents to show the world a portrait of a dark and largely ignored period of history: the 1915-23 genocide of Armenians carried out by the Turkish government. The result is the Genocide Awareness Project, a photo exhibit featuring portraits of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, which opened Tuesday at Los Angeles City Hall and runs through April 30.

The witnesses emerge from darkness. "We wanted the backgrounds of the photographs to be all black to represent the abyss, says Ara Oshagan, who, with Levon Parian, photographed "The Genocide Project," which chronicles 65 survivors of the Armenian genocide of 1915-17. About 1.5 million Armenians were murdered on the orders of the Young Turk government, which ruled the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. "The light that surrounds them is the light that survived," Oshagan says of his subjects.

Just as Steven Spielberg reached a point at which he was prepared to tackle the Holocaust, in which some of his own relatives lost their lives, with "Schindler's List," Canada's boldly idiosyncratic Atom Egoyan became ready to deal in his own way, in his audacious "Ararat," with the less well-remembered genocide of his own ancestral people.

The more athletic members of Los Angeles' Armenian community on Sunday wrapped up the 24th annual Navasartian Games, a four-day festival that is part sports games, part cultural celebration. Held at Birmingham High School, the Navasartian Games--named after an ancient Armenian holiday--attracted a record 35,000 people, according to festival organizers, making it one of the biggest events in the local Armenian community.

A tentative multimillion-dollar settlement was disclosed Wednesday in a Los Angeles class action lawsuit filed on behalf of heirs of Armenian genocide victims who accused New York Life Insurance Co. of failing to honor valid insurance claims. New York Life has agreed to pay at least $3 million to Armenian civic organizations in addition to paying 10 times the face value of the policy on an estimated 2,500 valid claims.

The more athletic members of Los Angeles' Armenian community on Sunday wrapped up the 24th annual Navasartian Games, a four-day festival that is part sports games, part cultural celebration. Held at Birmingham High School, the Navasartian Games--named after an ancient Armenian holiday--attracted a record 35,000 people, according to festival organizers, making it one of the biggest events in the local Armenian community.

The witnesses emerge from darkness. "We wanted the backgrounds of the photographs to be all black to represent the abyss, says Ara Oshagan, who, with Levon Parian, photographed "The Genocide Project," which chronicles 65 survivors of the Armenian genocide of 1915-17. About 1.5 million Armenians were murdered on the orders of the Young Turk government, which ruled the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. "The light that surrounds them is the light that survived," Oshagan says of his subjects.

Officials of the Ararat Home of Los Angeles are transforming a winding, tree-shaded sidewalk at the 10-acre retirement home and cultural center in Mission Hills into an etched timeline spanning 5,000 years of Armenian history. The $30,000 timeline, framed by red, blue and orange tiles representing the colors of the Armenian flag, will document Armenian history from the Bronze Age to the present.

Officials of the Ararat Home of Los Angeles are transforming a winding, tree-shaded sidewalk at this 10-acre retirement home and cultural center into an etched timeline spanning 5,000 years of Armenian history. The $30,000 timeline, framed by red, blue and orange tiles representing the colors of the Armenian flag, documents Armenian history from the Bronze Age to the present.

Lifelong friends Garen Yegparian and Ara Oshagan decided two years ago to use their artistic talents to show the world a portrait of a dark and largely ignored period of history: the 1915-23 genocide of Armenians carried out by the Turkish government. The result is the Genocide Awareness Project, a photo exhibit featuring portraits of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, which opened Tuesday at Los Angeles City Hall and runs through April 30.

A controversial measure to officially recognize the Armenian genocide, which only days ago appeared headed for approval in the House, has begun to lose support. The change comes in the face of furious protests by the Turkish government and warnings of possible repercussions for U.S. military operations in Iraq. Seven representatives withdrew as cosponsors on Monday, followed by at least four more Tuesday. Since Jan.

The state Department of Education paid a Thousand Oaks man $50,000 to make a documentary on the massacre of Armenians by the Turks, but has refused to distribute the film to schools after expressing concerns about alleged interference from the Legislature and about the quality of the film. J. Michael Hagopian, who was born in Turkish Armenia in 1913, the son of a surgeon, was nominated twice for Emmy awards for earlier films on the subject.