i think that i'm tom cruise

Armenia does NOT want a war. Armenia VALUES the lives of the soldiers. Armenia was unnecessarily attacked. Armenians all over the word protested for the aggressions to stop long before they were attacked but no one listened. We PROTESTED FOR PEACE. No one listened. These attacks have been planned and it’s a pit that soldiers are dying because Azerbaijan defiled the ceasefire.

My heart goes out to all the soldiers affected on both sides. My heart goes out to the families who lost their loved ones to the border war.

A note from Anita:

Every April 24th we mark the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, when 1.5 million Armenians were systematically exterminated at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. Every year we try to get people to remember, recognize, and accept that this horrific act that we feel in our bones, passed down through generations, is really, truly a genocide, and every year we face denial and dismissal of this undeniable historical reality. It’s sad and stupid, ridiculous and infuriating and heartbreaking that this is the case. Yet again, on this 102nd anniversary, it remains so.

Those of us with direct ancestry to the genocide grow up hearing the horrific tales. Tales like my great-grandmother leaving some of her babies behind to be raised by supportive Turkish neighbours, children who are never to be known or heard from again because it was too dangerous to take all her children with her. Both of my grandmothers could barely share their stories because they couldn’t talk about what happened to them without bursting into tears. Trauma like this endures over generations, passed down in the memories of things spoken and unspoken, living on in the enduring anguish that comes from how even today, my family and I can’t see where we come from because it is land occupied by Turkey. So here we are again, telling the same stories, year after year after year, because recognizing atrocities is a part of healing and trauma recovery. Recovery that we have not been allowed.

Sayat Nova, The Color of Pomegranates (1969) - Wide master shots

Traditional fashions of the Balkans and the Middle East (Ottoman), 1873

Ruins of Zvartnots, an ancient cathedral in Armenia (built in the year 652)

Get into this luxury BLACK WOMAN OWNED bridal shop. I can’t wait to get my wedding dress here.

These are especially fabulous because even with so many gems, they are arranged in such a way to guide the eye to certain focal points.

In the last pic, the blue stones almost act like a picture frame, breaking up the white but also guiding your eyes to the central stone.

The second picture has two points of interest, the center stone and the green accent. Adding color to the rings can break up the blinding monotony of all white diamons.

So here’s a true story: my father, sometime in the 70s was looking for his first job. He went to the local McDonalds and told the staff, [manager’s name] said I was supposed to start today. They took his word for it and started training him and by the time the manager saw him and asked who he was, people just said “oh that’s the new guy.”

Somehow this actually worked. My dad worked there for a couple of years as a cook. He even won an award plaque which he had on the wall until the day he died.

Meet Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the black woman who invented that rock and roll sound 

You know what’s sad, before I even read this article I was ready to refute this because I grew up believing Chuck Berry created Rock and roll. It’s said how so many knew of this great woman yet none spoke on her greatness.

I also discovered Big Mama Thornton, who’s another hugely influential early inventor of rock and roll — I’m pretty sure Hound Dog was originally popularized by her, before Elvis stole it.

Love Sister Rosetta Tharpe! #BlackGirlMagic

A few of her performances:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeaBNAXfHfQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9bX5mzdihs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR2gR6SZC2M

Also I heard she was bisexual…