Culture

During the annual Armenian cultural and food festival on Sunday, Osanna Bekarian, 77, and Arsine Aposhian, 72, were making what so many Armenian s have grown up with: hand-braided string cheese. Meanwhile, Nyree Derderian, 38, was lamenting about how similar homemade dishes are less often made at home by younger generations who have grown accustomed to purchasing them at the store. “It takes so much time,” she said. “It's easier to get it at the store.” Bekarian and Aposhian - both La Crescenta residents - are members of the Armenian Relief Society of Western U.S.A., which hosts the festival as a fundraiser for its local and international charities.

Thousands of Armenian Americans celebrated their native land's independence during a festival at Verdugo Park on Sunday that featured dancing, music and, of course, food. The 14th Annual Armenian Independence Day Festival has gained in popularity over the years, attracting more than 5,000 people throughout the daylong event, organizers said. “We enjoy our dancing, our artists, our famous Armenian kebab and our Armenian ice cream and our famous Armenian pastries,” said Garry Sinanian, a member of the Nor Serount Cultural Assn., which puts on the event each year.

Twenty-five women took the stage before a sellout crowd at the Alex Theatre Saturday for an evening of modeling, entertainment and the crowning of the new Miss Asia USA. In the pageant's 19th year, 19-year-old Katherine Sitseri, who represented Thailand, was ultimately crowned winner of the pageant. "It's very exciting, I didn't expect to win," she said after the pageant. She also encouraged any woman who was interested to pursue in participating in the pageant. "If you really want something, you have to do it," she said.

Josh Goldstein GLENDALE -- Practicing steps to the traditional Mexican Folklorico dance, 12-year-old Veronica Cruz was ready to dazzle the audience before going on stage Sunday afternoon, despite some pre-show jitters. While her blue dress represents culture and dances from Northern Mexico, her group's performance was meant for everyone. "It's a unique dance," she said simply. "It's about our culture." Veronica and her Glendale-based Mexican Roots dance club were among the several music and dance groups during the fourth Fiesta Latina festival at Verdugo Park.

I want to thank the News-Press for publishing Ani Amirkhanian's column each week. I've been waiting 20 years for something like this to bridge the gulf between the Armenian and non-Armenian community. Ms. Amirkhanian's column hits the mark because she grew up here and so is an American in much of her thought and culture, but still Armenian in some of her thought and culture -- and, of course, her heritage. I look forward to each of her insightful columns [every other]

The Glendale City Council is reportedly considering passing an ordinance regulating smoking in Glendale’s outdoor public areas, similar to those recently passed in Burbank and other California cities. Will it pass? Well, Armenians have told me it doesn’t have a chance. They say Armenians make up much of Glendale’s population, and smoking is a part of their culture, and there’s no way they’ll let it pass. All countries have cultures, and the United States is no exception.

Why are we constantly being bombarded with facts having to do with events that happened nearly a century ago in an empire that no longer exists? We all have a past, but let's get on with it, folks. I could write about Glendale's Spanish history and culture, too. But this is 2004, and this is America, and we should embrace American life with American customs. Let's move forward to deal with our current lives, here and now, in the present, moving forward.

Alecia Foster NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- Unity and diversity -- that's what a group of local women are hoping to accomplish through Shades of Culture, a newly formed women's club. "It's nice to have a place to meet and talk about the issues," said Glendale resident Catherine Yesayan, who helped start the Glendale chapter. Shades of Culture is an expansion of the Pasadena Interracial Women's Club. The club began in 1948 when white and black women in the area began meeting on a regular basis for dinner and friendship, Yesayan said.

I disagree with Mayor Manoukian, who described Ms. Carrico's words as "words of wisdom." I understand he was trying to be kind, but her words were nothing short of discrimination, and she should apologize. However, I know that there are many in this city that understand what she was trying to say, and this has to be a wake-up call to all of us. To those of us who were here before the Armenians came: What have we done to encourage and help them? Coming to a new country can be a frightening thing.

I watched the City Council meeting (April 23) and was struck by the irony of the many people who stood up to speak only to need an interpreter to tell us what they were saying. One man told us, through the interpreter, that he had lived in Glendale for 23 years! This man did not speak one word of English. I am all for respecting one's heritage, but if you are going to live in America, it behooves you to make some effort to assimilate into the culture, at the very least learn some of the language.

A move that could block a residential development on the Verdugo Hills Golf Course hit a stumbling block last week when the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission voted unanimously to recommend it not be made a Historic-Cultural Monument. More than a dozen speakers voiced support for the nomination - both Sunland-Tujunga locals and descendants of Japanese-Americans who had been interned at the Tuna Canyon Detention Station, which was located on the site during World War II. However, the commissioners ruled that because all historic buildings and structures were demolished in 1960, the site, which is a Crescenta Valley resource, didn't qualify.

Murals, performing arts programs and lighting upgrades to the Civic Auditorium to showcase art exhibits are among the top priorities for city commissioners who are trying to reshape Glendale as a public arts draw. The Arts & Culture Commission met this week to start strategizing after the City Council on Tuesday unanimously supported a five-year plan to transform Glendale into a popular arts destination, not unlike Pasadena and Santa Monica. “We're on our way with this,” Mayor Frank Quintero said.

The next hip residential complex in Glendale may be stationed on YMCA property. The City Council, acting in its dual role as the Housing Authority, approved a plan to turn about one acre of land owned by the YMCA into an apartment complex focused on attracting arts and entertainment lovers. Glendale and YMCA officials plan to work together to attract a developer to build the facility at 140 N. Louise St. Those projects with arts components, such as a gallery, or a willingness to partner with the YMCA on joint programming are preferred.

Fern Dell, a garden oasis of ferns, trees and picturesque bridges in Griffith Park, was selected Thursday as one of 14 historic American landscapes in urgent need of preservation. The Cultural Landscape Foundation, a Washington nonprofit that aims to increase awareness of historic landscapes, made the selection as part of an annual program to draw immediate attention to valuable but threatened spaces. Other California landscapes selected were Jack London Lake in Glen Ellen and the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden in Los Angeles.

Thousands of Armenian Americans celebrated their native land's independence during a festival at Verdugo Park on Sunday that featured dancing, music and, of course, food. The 14th Annual Armenian Independence Day Festival has gained in popularity over the years, attracting more than 5,000 people throughout the daylong event, organizers said. “We enjoy our dancing, our artists, our famous Armenian kebab and our Armenian ice cream and our famous Armenian pastries,” said Garry Sinanian, a member of the Nor Serount Cultural Assn., which puts on the event each year.

Armenian and Korean immigrant communities have been living side by side in the pockets of Los Angeles for decades, but beyond the namesakes of Little Armenia and Koreatown, they've quietly and mutually called the Crescenta Valley home too. So when the idea came up a year-and-a-half ago among community leaders to collaborate on a multicultural festival, it almost seemed like a non-question. In less than three weeks, the Korean Armenian Cultural Festival - organized by the Korean-American Federation of North Los Angeles and the Armenian Community and Youth Center in Montrose - will make its debut at the Crescenta Valley Park.

Recently, there has been a great deal written about Glendale Water & Power in the press. Much of it has been controversial - smart meters, leadership changes, a budget deficit, proposed rate increases, poor public outreach, the revenue transfer to the city's general fund. In the absence of straightforward and concise answers, folks are tempted to believe the worst. As the city manager, I understand why folks may be concerned. Just as important, I know that my city council and community expect answers, success and stability - and they expect it now. Thus, over the last six months, I have come to the following conclusions: One, SmartGrid technology is a valuable tool for serving our customers in the future.

Fewer Armenian Americans are speaking the language of their native country, eroding the ability of the diaspora to preserve its culture, according to an expert at UCLA who addressed a conference organized at the Central Library on Saturday. Since 1970, the use of the Armenian language has decreased dramatically in all areas of diasporan life, including weddings, baptisms, schools and newspapers, said Hagop Gulludjian, a lecturer of Armenian studies at UCLA. Language is key to the survival of ethnic identity, particularly because the Armenian diaspora appears to be permanent, he added.

During the annual Armenian cultural and food festival on Sunday, Osanna Bekarian, 77, and Arsine Aposhian, 72, were making what so many Armenian s have grown up with: hand-braided string cheese. Meanwhile, Nyree Derderian, 38, was lamenting about how similar homemade dishes are less often made at home by younger generations who have grown accustomed to purchasing them at the store. “It takes so much time,” she said. “It's easier to get it at the store.” Bekarian and Aposhian - both La Crescenta residents - are members of the Armenian Relief Society of Western U.S.A., which hosts the festival as a fundraiser for its local and international charities.

Am I the only one who thinks people getting tattoos is getting out of hand and not at all attractive? Tattoos have become mainstream, with more people on television and in high profile jobs showcasing the ink all over their extremities. That's why so many college basketball players are looking like they belong in a circus; they are emulating their NBA idols.  Isn't it funny how people spend so much money in order to combat skin blemishes and aging, but marking one's body with ink is appealing?