The Billionaire

[Darorinag]

That's another way of seeing it, and many people, including myself, would agree. A solid infrastructure, however, will lead to a stronger economy. Better roads, for example, will lead to better business, and renovated museums and other touristic attractions will bring in more tourist money. And all this renovation is a very good short term solution to poverty. Many people can find work in construction now.

OK, that's all fine and dandy, but what about those who are starving to death or begging their daily bread every day? I'm not even talking about the humilitation - just talking about the physical nature of things - the cold, hunger, thirst, etc. How much can tourism bring in? A country that relies on tourism as its main source of income is a country that is economically unstable. This is what happened in Lebanon. When civil war broke out and the country was entirely damaged, the economy TOTALLY collapsed because all of it was based on tourism. And until they can rebuild everything and re-start the tourism industry, I'm afraid the economy will have to suffer for another 10+ years.

Moreover, I am talking about remote villages, not the city itself.

Public services are more important than highways. Hospitals, health care, housing - these are the essentials of life, without which you can have neither toursim, nor cultural development.

[xBaron Dants]

As I said, I agree. Work IS being done in the regions too, though obviously we still have problems. As I said, a major part of the Lincy Fund is allocated to hospitals, health care and housing, so it's not as if these problems are being ignored.

Tourism will always be big for Armenia because of the Diaspora. In Montreal at least, Armenia is becoming THE destination among Armenian youth, and that is a trend that is probably more important to the Diaspora, than it is for Armenia. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with making your capital city (or any other city) nicer. Many people will say that they didn't like Yerevan because the growing wealth there isn't a true reflection of what Armenia is outside of it. I say that I loved Yerevan because it gave me hope that we CAN achieve prosperity. A strong capital city (where about 35-40% of the population is located) will encourage business, and the rest will eventually follow.

Best way for Armenia to prosper is to find employment. Once that is settled, we will not only see the stop of the emigration, but also the beginning of a repatriation movement.

[xBaron Dants]

Really? Weird, I have no idea what's going to happen in Amenia, but I feel us getting stronger around the world in Diaspora. And I don't see there being too big of a problem with language preservation.. I know some Armenians that are 2nd or even 3rd generation that speak pretty good Armenian.

We feel we're getting stronger because we're getting richer. I can already see a major detachment from anything Armenian in the Montreal community, which is considered to be a very strong one. For this, I blame the school system and the community leaders, who have found other "priorities" to chase.

[Genuine_Stud]

Just out of curiosity, what had Kirk Kerkorian done in terms of helping the Armenian community?

Actually, when I went to Armenia a few weeks ago.... I found out that Kirk Kerkorian had donated millions to rebuild about 129 new schools throughout Armenia, to remodel some of the old buildings (Opera House, etc.) and build new buildings throughout Yerevan.

[Darorinag]

Therefore, there is nothing wrong with making your capital city (or any other city) nicer.

I never said there's anything wrong with it. I'm all for it. But it shouldn't be at the expense of other villages. I see pictures of Armenian girls in Yerevan wearing short skirts that basically expose all their bodily parts, just because "it's the cool thing to do," whereas people are freezing to death in the poor villages on the outskirts of the city. And while someone might argue that this contrast is present in other countries as well, I'd like to point out that it's not to that extent. Yes, there are the wealthy and the poor in USA, but the poor at least have somewhere to go, someone to turn to for help - shelters, community housing, daily food, free hospitalisation, etc. Not that I'm saying we should achieve all that - it'd be impossible to do that overnight, but - there's a difference between spending billions of dollars on a highway (albeit very much essential), and spending billions of dollars in building houses and shelters, and education facilities for villages.

[xBaron Dants]

there's a difference between spending billions of dollars on a highway (albeit very much essential), and spending billions of dollars in building houses and shelters, and education facilities for villages.

Which is why we love Kerkorian. He's spending billions of dollars on both!

As for the girls of Yerevan following the latest trends, it's the emergence of the middle class. A few years ago, their families were probably also freezing in their appartments.

[Darorinag]

Middle class?! That's middle class? I beg to differ. Why this extreme shift? If it's a shift from lower class to middle class, I doubt it would be this extreme.

[xBaron Dants]

Middle class?! That's middle class? I beg to differ. Why this extreme shift? If it's a shift from lower class to middle class, I doubt it would be this extreme.

That IS the middle class. Just like middle class teens want to follow trends here, middle class teens there also want to follow trends. It's not as if they're riding around in Rolls Royces or living in mansions anyways. The shift is not that extreme. It's teenagers being teenagers, and their parents wanting to make them happy, as much as their means will allow them to.

[Darorinag]

Please.. teenagers being teenagers? There's something called conservatism. Not to mention, some can't even afford to pay rent, but would rather spend the money on looks, just because of what their neighbours might think. That's the kind of mentality I'm talking about. Also, it's not about happiness. Happiness is not and should not be a function of how much clothing you have, or how trendy your clothes are. Not even in Lebanon would you see loose morals as in Armenia.

[xBaron Dants]

Please.. teenagers being teenagers? There's something called conservatism. Not to mention, some can't even afford to pay rent, but would rather spend the money on looks, just because of what their neighbours might think. That's the kind of mentality I'm talking about. Also, it's not about happiness. Happiness is not and should not be a function of how much clothing you have, or how trendy your clothes are. Not even in Lebanon would you see loose morals as in Armenia.

I beg to differ. You're just making a whole lot of assumptions. Why would they be more conservative there, if teens like to follow trends in almost every other country in the world?

And your "true definition of happiness" thing is cute and all, but PEOPLE FOLLOW TRENDS! You may or not find something wrong with it, but that's how it is.

As for loose morals, just go and talk to them before jumping to conclusions.