Daniel Ellsberg (The Pentagon Papaers), Sibel Edmonds (Turkish money in U.S. politics), Julian Assange/Bradley Manning (Wikileaks), and now Ed Snowden (NSA-phone-gate [that’s my invented term]).

A shiver ran down my spine when I saw the news item “US Geological Survey Completes Armenia Shale Gas Resources Study”.

The parallels seem deliciously endless in number and category. A week’s worth of unrest in Turkey, spreading from Constantinople (Bolis) to other cities, could go to unpredictable places, both good and bad.

The organizers of the Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival put on their fourth show two weeks ago in Orange County. These seem to be occurring roughly once every year-and-a-half.

It has been almost three years since any person or organization won the much-coveted “SpitRain” award, but boy-oh-boy does this winner deserve it in a grand way.

This year, April 24th started quite early in the day, with a 6:30 meeting time for a commemorative hike organized by AHA (Armenian Hiking Association), which is just getting off the ground.

Since early 2012, we, as Armenians, have been in “elections mode”, especially those of us living in the U.S., and (arguably) more so those of us living in the Los Angeles area.

This year’s commemorative trail began on April 14, in Encino, for me. The AYF’s Sardarabad Chapter had organized the fourth (if memory serves me correctly) “Cycle Against Denial,” a roughly nine-mile loop starting at the Ferrahian School. This is a great idea, but the participation was markedly lower this year.

The guy writing this article is currently very frustrated and very excited, simultaneously!

As always, elections produce some great stories, some funny, some sad, and many frustrating. Burbank’s April 9 General Election was no exception. As you read these, please keep in mind that Burbank’s municipal elections are “all-mail” with all registered voters receiving a ballot at home.

I’ve been reminded of a sad situation twice in recent weeks. We may soon preside over the death of Western Armenian, handing Talaat and Ataturk yet another murderous victory.

That’s the dilemma we all face, right? “For whom should I vote?” is what we’re pondering as we’re lumbering to the polling booth to vote or mail box to send in our ballots.

Once upon a time, bands of marauding horsemen started moving westward across Asia. They gained infamy for their brutality and established dominion over many native peoples.

Last week, the City of Burbank held its biennial primary municipal election. As usual, the Burbank Armenian National Committee of America participated with endorsements, fundraising, and most importantly GOTV (get out the vote) work. It paid off! However, there was also a down side.