Category: 2020

Hex Adventure Armenia 20L Day Pack Review

Emil Lazarian
GStyle Magazine
July 9 2020
By Samuel Huang

July 9, 2020

I’m a fan of backpacks. Backpacks to me are almost like clothing items in which you have to have the right backpack to match whatever clothes your wearing as well as for the right situation. I guess that’s similar to how people feel about purses or shoes. Regardless, I have a collection of backpacks and each have their own unique place in my rotation. Of course I’m always down for checking out new ones and that’s exactly what I’ve done with the latest from HEX, the Adventure Armenia 20L Day Pack.

The HEX Adventure Armenia 20L Day Pack is a beautiful backpack that was created to “shine a light” on the beauty of Armenia and support the local economy. The bag was developed as a collaborative project including Harry Kazazian, (Owner and CEO of Exxel Outdoors LLC), Serj Tankian (renowned artist, composer, activist, and lead singer of System Of A Down), and Sako Shahinian (Creative Director for Exxel Outdoors LLC) along with HEX to bring the bag to life.

The Adventure Armenia features authentic Armenian inspired tapestry artwork on the shell and lining along with custom Armenian inspired logo rivets. The bag also features brown vegan leather, coated canvas, silver antique hardware, faux fur lining, and adjustable shoulder straps with air mesh padding. This is a fully loaded backpack that not only features top quality materials, but combines those materials into something that’s more like a piece of art.

Aside from the Adventure Armenia’s looks, it’s also quite functional. The main compartment is rather large and features organizational pockets. There is a place that looks like it’s for a laptop, but that isn’t the laptop sleeve. The laptop compartment is actually its own separate zippered compartment, but I’ll get to that in a bit. Back to the main compartment, it’s lined in this really cool looking orange material and is a great contrast to the darker colors of the exterior.

On the front of the backpack is a smaller zippered pocket that is lined with faux fur. Here is where you can store your tablet or your phone and the soft lining keeps you from scratching up your screens.

The last compartment is for your laptop and this is placed in a rather unique way. The compartment sits where you back would be and is zippered from the side. This too is faux fur lined and feels super luxurious. Whether you have your laptop in a separate sleeve or not, it’ll be handled with love and care in the Adventure Armenia.

I also almost forgot to mention the bottle holder on the side that is designed in such a way that it doesn’t look like one when it’s not in use.

Lastly, the exterior of the back pack has a slew of MOLLE loops so you can attach extra accessories or carabiner clips. Also the orange accents around the bag help draw attention to just how fantastic this bag looks. I want to say that the HEX Adventure Armenia Day Pack is one of the best looking backpacks I’ve ever owned. It’s so well designed from top to bottom and you can’t deny that the bag is a work of art.

With that said, HEX hit is out of the park with this bag as well as all those who collaborated on it. The HEX Adventure Armenia Day Pack is well worth every penny you spend on it. Not only that,a portion of the proceeds from the sale will go directly to HIKEArmenia.org, an organization that believes Armenia can become a premier hiking destination by developing hiking infrastructure and sharing the awesomeness that is Armenia with the world.

The HEX Adventure Armenia 20L Day Pack is available now on their website for $139.95.

Monument at Colorado Capitol Memorialized at White House

Yeghisabet Arthur
WestWord
July 9 2020
Patricia Calhoun | July 9, 2020 | 6:00am

   

For decades, troops of children marched past them on school field trips; lawmakers and lobbyists rushed by as they headed into the Colorado State Capitol. But over the past six weeks, the odd collection of monuments, statues and other memorials on the Capitol grounds have received an unprecedented amount of attention, as they became popular targets of graffiti artists during protests.

Not only was the Civil War Monument vandalized (and later toppled), but the Armenian Genocide Memorial was damaged on May 28, on the very first night of the Denver demonstrations over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

That act rated a mention at a press conference this week at the White House — and stirred up a quick controversy, because “genocide,” while part of the memorial’s official name, hasn’t been mentioned at the White House in connection with the Armenians killed by Turks, today an important American ally, a century ago.

Until now. (In contrast, note this careful statement by Donald Trump on Armenian Remembrance Day in April.)

On July 6, while talking about statues and monuments across the country that had been damaged in protests, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany made a direct reference to the Colorado memorial — by its proper name:

But, look, we’ve got a real problem in this country. When you have rioters who — I have listed off some of the examples of abolitionists — there seems to be zero understanding of history when you’re defacing the statue of Matthias Baldwin and John Whittier and Ulysses S. Grant.

There seems to be a lack of understanding and historical knowledge when the Armenian Genocide Memorial, remembering victims of all crimes against humanity, including slavery, is vandalized.

Meanwhile, here in Denver on July 8, Governor Jared Polis made sure that Colorado will continue to share understanding and historical knowledge when he signed into law House Bill 1336, Holocaust And Genocide Studies in Public Schools. That measure guarantees that Colorado students will continue to learn about such horrors as the Holocaust in Europe during World War II, the Armenian Genocide…and the Sand Creek Massacre, which one day could have its own memorial on the Capitol grounds, where it is currently remembered with a plaque.

For the record, here are the other monuments at the Capitol, both directly around the building and in Lincoln Park below (which is also the home of a major encampment today), with descriptions from the official state site:

Armenian Khachkar: Armenian Genocide Memorial
East Lawn
This khachkar, crafted in Armenia, is a monument dedicated to the victims of genocide. It was dedicated in 2015, on the 100th anniversary of the start of the genocide.

Armenian Garden and Pine
East Lawn
This garden area was planted in memory of the between 1 and 1.5 million Armenian victims of the first genocide of the twentieth century, which occurred in Turkey beginning on April 24, 1915, and continued to 1923.

Cannons
West Portico
The 1,250-pound brass cannons were manufactured by the Revere Copper Company in 1852-’63 and 1864-’65. “No one knows for certain how the cannons arrived in Colorado.”

Colorado Symbols and Emblems Fence
Lincoln Avenue
This fence was placed along the sidewalk at the bottom of the west steps in 1999.

Cornerstone
Northeast Corner of the Capitol
Members of the Grand Masonic Lodges of Colorado dedicated and laid the inscribed granite cornerstone of the Capitol on July 4, 1890. In its rough state, the cornerstone weighed twenty tons and required sixty mules to haul it into place.

Time Capsule
Northeast Corner of the Capitol
This concrete slab with inscription is embedded in the lawn. Dedicated on August 4, 1990, the time capsule commemorates the passing of 100 years since the laying of the Capitol cornerstone.

Pearl Harbor Memorial
East Lawn
This stone bench and marker were dedicated in 1983 by the Colorado members of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. The inscriptions say “Keep America Alert” and “Remember Pearl Harbor.”

“Closing Era”
East Lawn
This bronze statue of a Native American hunter examining his prey, a buffalo, represents the end of the traditional lifestyle of Native Americans in Colorado. At a meeting of the Capitol Building Advisory Committee, Metropolitan State University history professor Derek Everett noted that back in 1893, the initial proposal for the piece called for placing it on the west side of the Capitol, so that the future would be looking at the Rocky Mountains — and at a way of life that had passed. “There was a massive outcry from the aging pioneer community about former competitors getting the front door of the Capitol,” he told the committee. The statue wound up on the east side.

USS Colorado Memorial
East Lawn
Dedicated in 1997, this stone bench and marker are dedicated to the men who served aboard the USS Colorado.

Volunteers of the Spanish-American War Flagpole
Lincoln Park
This flagpole is dedicated to the Colorado volunteers of the Spanish-American War of 1898. The flagpole has a red sandstone base, and it flies the American and POW-MIA flags.

Liberty Bell
Lincoln Park
This full-sized replica of the Liberty Bell was one of the 53 replicas cast in France in 1950 and donated to the U.S. government by “American industry and free enterprise.” One went to each state, plus the District of Columbia.

Colorado Tribute to Veterans Monument
Lincoln Park
Dedicated on November 10, 1990, the Colorado Tribute to Veterans Monument is both a memorial to the dead and a tribute to veterans of the past, present and future: World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf and peace-time.

Joseph P. Martinez Statue
Lincoln Park
This twenty-foot-tall bronze statue honors Joseph P. Martinez, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1943 for acts of conspicuous bravery in the Aleutian Islands; he was the first hispanic Coloradan to receive the Medal of Honor.

Ten Commandments Tablet
Lincoln Park
“The origin, dedication, and permission for placing this four-foot granite tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments are somewhat unclear,” says the Capitol’s website. “Written records regarding the tablet seem to have been lost.” But the tablets themselves have not been forgotten, and periodically inspire lively discussions of the separation of church and state.

Sadie M. Likens Drinking Fountain
Lincoln Park
Unveiled on July 7, 1923, this bronze drinking fountain with plaque commemorates Sadie M. Likens for her constant care and treatment of war veterans. Upon her death on July 20, 1920, a group of veterans from the Grand Army of the Republic began raising funds for a monument to Likens. The fountain was completed and dedicated on July 7, 1923.

Memorial Pods, South: Amache Camp Plaque
Southeast Lawn
The south pod is designated for plaques recognizing individuals and groups that have been influential to Colorado’s heritage. The south pod contains two plaques, one commemorating former governor Ralph Carr and the other in remembrance of the Amache internment camp in southeastern Colorado, where Japanese-Americans were held during World War II.

Memorial Pods, North
Northeast Lawn
The north pod is designated as the location for plaques recognizing significant events in Colorado’s history, and houses one donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of their organization.

Space Shuttle Challenger Aspen Grove
East Lawn
This grove of aspen trees commemorates the seven astronauts who lost their lives when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986.

Civil War Monument (currently in storage, but the stand remains)
West Portico
The statue of a Civil War cavalryman, dismounted with rifle in hand, honors the Colorado soldiers who fought and died in the Civil War. The statue was designed by Captain Jack Howland, a member of the First Colorado Cavalry; it was erected in 1907, and the names of Coloradans reportedly killed in the service were added in the ’20s (though one was actually shot escaping a brawl in Denver).

TEAM Telecom Armenia receives license for TV and radio broadcasting

Chmshkian Vicken
iTEL, Armenia
July 9 2020

On July 9 the Television and Radio Commission of Armenia has held a meeting, during which the members of the commission have discussed the matter of license for cable TV and radio broadcasting, requested by TEAM Telecom Armenia LLC.

According to the statement issued by TEAM, the commission has considered the company’s request and granted the license.

Today marks the centennial of the Armenian Coat of Arms

Parkev Tvankchian
Public Radio of Armenia
July 9 2020

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On July 9, 1920, the Government of the Republic of Armenia approved the Coat of Arms created by Aleaxnder Tamanyan, President Armen Sarkissian reminds on Twitter.

The law ‘On the State Coat of Arms of the Republic of Armenia” was adopted on April 19, 1992, by the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Armenia.

It is a rendition of the Coat of Arms of the First Armenian Republic (1918-1920) designed by member of the Russian Academy of Fine Arts, Architect Alexander Tamanian and artist Hakob Kojoyan.

Following the constitutional reform of November 27, 2005, a new RA law on the State Coat of Arms of the Republic of Armenia was adopted on June 15, 2006.

The Coat of Arms of the Republic of Armenia is a national symbol of the Republic of Armenia. It has a shield at its center depicting Mount Ararat with Noah’s Ark and the coats of arms of the four kingdoms of historical Armenia; Bagratuni, Arshakuni, Artashesian and  Rubenyan Dynasties.

The shield is upheld by an eagle (on the left) and lion (on the right). There is a sword, as well as a branch of a tree, a bundle of spikes, a chain and a ribbon pictured below the shield. Golden is the main color of the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Armenia.

The colors of the kingdoms of the historical Armenia are as follows: from top to left – red, from top to right – blue, from bottom to left – blue, from bottom to right – red, with orange-painted Mount Ararat positioned in the center on a shield. The colors emblematize the colors of the national flag of the Republic of Armenia.

ECHR rejects request to apply interim measure in case over constitutional changes in Armenia

Toneyan Mark
Panorama, Armenia
July 9 2020

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decided on Wednesday not to apply an interim measure requested in the case Gyulumyan and Others v. Armenia concerning the recent amendments to the Constitution of Armenia.

The four applicants, Alvina Gyulumyan, Hrant Nazaryan, Feliks Tokhyan and Hrayr Tovmasyan who were judges of the Constitutional Court (CC) of Armenia at the time of the constitutional reform, requested in particular that the European Court indicate to the Armenian government that they freeze enforcement of the constitutional amendments and preserve their offices.

The court decided to reject the request as outside the scope of application of Rule 39 (interim measures) of the Rules of Court, since it did not involve a risk of serious and irreparable harm of a core right under the European Convention on Human Rights.

ECHR reminds that in 2015 the Constitution of Armenia was amended, introducing a 12-year non-renewable term of office for Constitutional Court judges and establishing a 6-year non-renewable mandate for the president of Armenia’s highest court.

However, pursuant to a transitional arrangement, judges who had been appointed before the entry into force of these amendments were to continue serving under the old rules, according to which CC judges were appointed until their retirement. Similarly, the president of the CC was to keep his mandate until retirement

Recently, it was decided to amend the Constitution in a manner that all judges of the CC would have a 12-year term of office, regardless of their date of appointment. The six-year non-renewable mandate of the Constitutional Court head was also to be applied. Failing the ability to hold a planned referendum due to the sanitary crisis, these amendments were adopted by parliament and entered into force in June 2020 and effectively terminated the term of office of the first three applicants in the case, judges of the CC, and the mandate of the fourth applicant as president of the top court of Armenia. 

Sports: Denis Djorkaeff appointed adviser to Armenia’s football chief

Ani Kharatian
Public Radio of Armenia
July 9 2020

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Hakob Simidyan and Denis Djorkaeff have been appointed advisers to the President of Armenia’s Football Federation.

Member of Parliament, Secretary of My Step faction Hakob Simidyan will advise FFA chief Armen Melikbekyan on ties with the Government of Armenia (on voluntary basis).

Deputy Mayor of the French city of Decines Denis Djorkaeff will advice the football chief on international affairs.

Djorkaeff is also an Ambassador of FeedConstruct, which provides real-time data and digital content for the most popular sporting events around the world



Armen Benyan named new health minister of Russia’s Samara

Garnik Zakarian
Panorama, Armenia
July 9 2020
Health 13:58 09/07/2020World

Armen Benyan has been appointed Minister of Health of Russia’s Samara Oblast (region). On July 8, he was awarded a certificate, Tvsamara.ru reported.

The post was vacated after Mikhail Ratmanov submitted resignation in March to start a new job in Moscow, the source says. 

Armen Benyan is a doctor of medicine. Since April 2019, he was heading the Samara Regional Clinical Hospital, which turned into the main hospital fighting against COVID-19 in the region in spring 2020.  

Sports: Armenian wrestling teams resume trainings

Tambiyan Samvel
Panorama, Armenia
July 9 2020

Sport 19:31 09/07/2020Armenia

Armenian wrestling teams will resume trainings after a break, the National Olympic Committee reports. As the Wrestling federation informed, the training camp started on July 8 in Tsakhkadzor resort town headed by head coach Habetnak Kurghinyan.

Meanwhile, Greco-Roman wrestling team led by the head coach Edvard Sahakyan will leave for the sport on July 15. The trainings will be held in closed format, the source said.

Armenpress: Armenian defense minister receives outgoing Head of CoE Office in Yerevan

Frangulian Shushan

Armenian defense minister receives outgoing Head of CoE Office in Yerevan

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 10:09, 9 July, 2020

YEREVAN, JULY 9, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Armenia Davit Tonoyan received on July 8 outgoing Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan Natalia Voutova, the ministry told Armenpress.

The meeting sides summed up the results of the actions taken at the first phase of the project “Human Rights and Women in the Armed Forces in Armenia” being implemented by the CoE Yerevan Office and discussed the upcoming actions on the sidelines of the second phase.

Both highlighted the importance of the introduction of this project in terms of raising awareness on human rights in the armed forces, developing educational capacities, supporting the institutional reforms of the defense ministry, etc.

The Armenian defense minister thanked Natalia Voutova for the productive cooperation established since 2016 and wished her success in her new position.

The project is implemented within the framework of the CoE 2019-2022 Action Plan and is funded by Germany, Ireland, Lichtenstein and Sweden.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenpress: IRI conducts online poll on organization of remote learning in schools

Anna Tamamian

IRI conducts online poll on organization of remote learning in schools

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 10:17, 9 July, 2020

YEREVAN, JULY 9, ARMENPRESS. The International Republican Institute (IRI) has conducted an online poll in May-June 2020 over the organization and implementation of remote learning in public educational institutions, Armenia’s ministry of education, science, culture and sport told Armenpress.

The poll aimed at collecting the opinions of teachers, school principals, parents and students over the issues and challenges of conducting remote learning under the state of emergency.

1932 teachers, 151 school principals, 558 students and 1717 parents participated in the survey.

35.2% of the teachers stated that they have undergone a respective training of remote learning. 63.5% of them said the trainings have been organized by the ministry’s National Center for Educational technologies, and 15.7% said they have been organized by the school directorate.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan