best popular

I’m sure you all have seen the studies decrying the new lows of American high school students.  It’s even made it’s way to the national magazines and news here, where the German asks in shock if it can possibly be true that 1/3 of American high school students do not graduate.

There was also much shock expressed at the inability to identify Adolf Hitler.  This led to a greater discussion of whether or not Adolf Hitler is the most well-known name in the world.  The German believes so, I tend to disagree, however, I am unable to offer any alternatives aside from Britney Spears.  While Google Trends agrees, I’m not sure it’s the most accurate predictor.

So, fair readers, any thoughts?  Who would you say is the most-recognized person in history?  And I mean real history – sorry, J.C.

a cultural fascination

Today is Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day, and for those of you who are not quite settled on a favorite former member state of the Soviet Republic, some interesting facts to consider when making your choice.

1.  Armenian is the home of Mt. Ararat, where Noah’s Ark landed.  Okay, technically, the mountain is in Turkey, but it’s RIGHT NEXT to Armenia and most Armenians claim it as their national symbol, even including it on their coat of arms.

2.  The Armenian Genocide is generally agreed to have occurred between 1915 – 1917, commencing with the imprisonment of 250 Armenian intellectual and community leaders and leading to roughly 500,000 deaths (although some claim up to 1.5 million).  This is why Armenians don’t like Turkish people.  Much like how Chinese people don’t like Japanese people.  These dislikes are similar in that few people outside of the countries are aware of it.

3.  Glendale, CA has the largest Armenian population in America.  It also has Glendale Galleria.

4.  Armenia was the first non-Baltic state to cede from the Soviet Union.

5.  Most Armenian last names end in -ian or -yan.

For further details, please contact your local Armenian embassy.  Or, the next time you meet someone with a name ending in -ian/-yan, try asking them.  I have a 6-0 record.