Trade marking the spelling of my name

Vaհe H Apelian

My mother did not tell me why she chose Vahe as her first-born child’s name, my name. She has told me that she liked the ancient name. There were no other named Վահէ in our family.  Whenever I have searched for the name, I have received the same information, that it is a pre-Christian masculine given name of Armenian origin. For the purpose of this blog, I did again with ChatGPT, and that is the answer I got; that it is an ancient Armenian name. According to Movses Khorenatsi, Vahe was the last king of the Haykazuni dynasty who fought against Alexander the Great. The name is associated to the Armenian god of fire and war, Vahagn. 

Yes, “It remains a common, cherished name within Armenia and the Armenian diaspora.” But phonetically, the name has its challenges for a Diaspora born and raised Armenian lad. In French the sounding of accented e, is common. When I was a student in Sourp Nshan, I wrote my name in French with é (accent aigu).  Vahé” – with an acute accent on the é to signal that the final է is pronounced like the French é [e], not a silent e. This kept the pronunciation close to the original Armenian sounfing, “Va-hé”.

There is no accented e in English. Consequently, I write the name Vahe, which is often pronounced as Vahey, which takes away from the name. Please do not remind me of the spelling and the pronunciation of my name in Arabic. There is no sounding V in Arabic. I leave the spelling of my name Vahe in Arabic to your imagination.

Coming to trademarking. According to the Google AI, I quote, “A trademark is a recognizable sign, design, expression, or word that identifies products or services as originating from a specific company, distinguishing them from competitors. It acts as a badge of origin and provides legal ownership to prevent unauthorized use (infringement). Trademarks can be registered (®) or unregistered (TM/SM)”.

Lately, I have been reading that countries are contemplating of amending their copyright laws, granting the citizens legal ownership over their voice, face, body likeness to prevent misuse by AI generated look alike fakes. Why not trade mark the spelling of a person’s name.

I am contemplating of trade marking the spelling of my name by replacing the latin “h”, the third character of my first name, with the Armenian հ which is 16^th character of the Armenian alphabet. It so happens that the Armenian հ looks very similar to the Latin h. Consequently, my name will be read and pronounced the same way, had it been only in Latin characters, but it will be spelled as Vaհe.

Trade marking the spelling of my name does not mean that I will be changing the spelling of my name in my official documents. If the laws are permissible, it will simply mean that it is only I, that publicly spells his name with the Armenian character հ, for the third character of my first name. I think spelling my name in this manner ties my name to its Armenian origin, to that ancient Armenian name my mother loved so much that she chose to have her first-born son named Vahe.

For a start, I asked Armenian Weekly to delete my account and reinstituted with my single Armenian character name, to make it stand apart. Although Vahe is a popular name, but not many have the popular Armenian name and are interested to comment on Armenian social media. So should there be comment by a Vahe in the Armenian social media, that would not be I who made the comment, unless the third character of the first name is Armenian. 

 

 

  

Yazidis Celebrated their new year

Vaհe H Apelian

Courtesy Wikipedia

Yesterday, on April 15, 2026, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated the Yazidi community of Armenia and met representatives of the Yazidi community on the occasion of the Yazidi New Year. The PM’s office posted the PM’s address congratulating the Yazidi community of the Republic on the occasion of their New Year, Malake Taus holiday, wishing them Happy Malaka Taus. (for the PM's full text, see the link below). 

I will have to admit I almost know nothing about the Yazidis and about the Yazidi community in Armenia. 

The last time I visited Armenia was in 2015.  I had an interesting encounter with a Yazidi Armenian. He happened to be the driver of the taxi cab I happened to hop in. I do not remember how the conversation came about that he said that he is a Yazidi. He spoke perfect Armenian. I would not have guessed that he is not an Armenian, as I imagine an Armenian in Armenia. When I made a comment to that affect. He said all of the Yazidis speak Armenian. 

The following are key facts about the Yazidis in Armenia AI driven Google internet search engine provided.

History & Settlement: Many Yazidis migrated to present-day Armenia in the 19th and early 20th centuries to escape religious persecution in the Ottoman Empire.

Demographics: As of the 2022 census, 31,079 Yazidis live in Armenia, though community leaders suggest the number is higher, over 50,000. They are primarily concentrated in the Armavir province

Culture & Religion: They practice a unique monotheistic religion, Yazidism, which features elements of Zoroastrianism and other faiths. Their spiritual focus is the Peacock Angel, Malak Ta'us.

The Temple at Aknalich: In 2012, the first temple outside their traditional homeland in Iraq was built in Aknalich. It was later expanded into the huge Quba Mere Diwane temple complex, the largest Yazidi temple in the world.  Aknalich is a village in the Armavir Province/Marz of Armenia, located to the east of Metsamor and known for its lake and the world's largest Yazidi temple

Relationship with Armenia: Yazidis generally maintain good relations with Armenians and fought alongside them during the Armenian Genocide. They hold seats in the Armenian Parliament.

Livelihood: While many live in villages, some practice traditional nomadic or semi-nomadic farming, taking livestock to mountain pastures. 

                                             ***

Link: Every citizen of the Republic of Armenia is equally protected by the state. The Prime Minister attends the event dedicated to the New Year of the Yazidi community: https://www.primeminister.am/en/press-release/item/2026/04/15/Nikol-Pashinyan-Malake-Taus/

 

 

 

 

 

Every day we can find everyday words used incorrectly!

1.          Using "nauseous" for "nauseated. Careful: If you say you are nauseous, that means you are causing someone else nausea. You probably don’t mean that you stink, but that you are feeling sick yourself. When stepping off a rollercoaster, you don’t feel nauseous: You might feel nauseated, which is the correct term

2.      Infamous: Not the fame you want. When did people start using "infamous" interchangeably with "famous"? It’s hard to know, but this mistake is heard often. Remember, "infamous" and "notorious" are adjectives that imply the subject has a bad reputation. Maybe the confusion comes from "famous" being right there in the word, but keep in mind: infamous isn’t the kind of fame you want.

3.            Bemused: Confused, not amused. If you’re bemused, you’re scratching your head, not laughing. "Bemused" gets thrown around as a fancier way to say "amused," but it actually means "confused" or "bewildered." One often isn’t bemused by a funny meme, but a complex set of instructions could leave you bemused.

4.          Decimate: Not total destruction. People often use "decimate" to mean "destroy entirely," but its original meaning is "reduce by one-tenth." It derives from a Roman practice of punishing armies. For example, you could announce that a crop was decimated by pests but that some survived. The confusion is likely because "one-tenth" doesn’t sound dramatic enough. Ironically, modern misuse has decimated the word’s original meaning.

5.            Peruse: Read deeply, not skim. Some people wrongly state that they have perused a magazine when what they did was flip through it lightly. To "peruse" means to read thoroughly and carefully. You could peruse a contract document before signing it, for example. Remember, the verb shouldn’t be used as a fancy synonym for "skim.

6.            Irregardless: A word that’s not a word

7.    Use "supposably" with care, "Supposably" is often (and incorrectly) used instead of "supposedly." While the former does exist, it means "as could be imagined or believed". "Supposedly" means "according to what is assumed or believed".

8.           Irony: More than a coincidence. irony isn’t just a coincidence or bad luck; it’s when there’s a contradiction between expectation and reality. It would be ironic, for example, that a fire station should burn down.

9.            Literally: Not for exaggeration. "Literally" means something is true exactly as is stated. It is often misused for exaggerations to add emphasis.

10.    Jealousy Not to be confused with envy. . You cannot feel jealous of someone who enjoys something that you’ve never had. That’s because, strictly speaking, "jealousy" involves the fear of losing something. "Envy" would be the correct term for referring to the desire to have what someone else does. For example, envying a gold medal when you only achieved the silver one.

11. Disinterested vs. Uninterested: Impartial vs. Bored. Sometimes students claim to be failing a class because they are "disinterested" in the subject, which is an incorrect statement. "Disinterested" means "impartial", or "unbiased". What they mean is that they are not interested, or "uninterested".

12.  Affect vs. Effect: Action vs. Outcome. "Affect" is a verb, meaning "to influence," while "effect" is a noun, meaning "a result." These two are spotted in the wrong sentence way too often. A speech can have an effect on an audience, but it cannot "effect" the audience. It can only "affect" it.

13.               Everyday vs. Every Day: Adjective vs. Frequency. The space between the words (or lack thereof) does affect the meaning! "Everyday" is an adjective meaning ordinary, while "every day" means "each day." Ask yourself carefully which of the two you are using.

Remember, every day we can find everyday words used incorrectly!

Source: https://www.dictionaryscoop.com/article/Decimate-doesnt-mean-what-you-think-Words-often-used-incorrectly

When the conclusion was foregone

 Today I heard Giro Manoyan saying that the conclusion of the Paris, April 11-12 Diaspora Mobilization Conference was that there can be no mobilization in the Diaspora Armenia relations  with the present Nikol Pashinyan government, which must be removed. It will be interesting to hear from the panelists if that was the conclusion of their presentations as well, or the ARF that organized this conference had already, a priori, concluded the outcome of this conference on their behalf. Incidentally Wikipedia tells me that Since 2000, Giro Manoyan has been the Director of the International Secretariat of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau in Yerevan. "An audacious and arrogant mindset".Vaհe H Apelian

If not anything else, it is undisputed that arrogance is indicative of inflated, not to say insecure, sense of self-importance and superiority. 

An audacious and an arrogant mindset drove those who organized the most recent Paris conference If you have any doubt of the veracity of my claim and want to conceptualize the mindset of the organizers of this conference, all you have to do is to read the very first sentence of the closing message Daron Der -Katchadourian delivered on behalf of the ARF about the conference that purported to be for and about Diaspora. It reads, “The Diaspora demands that Armenia's policy be guided by national interests”. (Սփիւռքը կը պահանջէ, որ Հայաստանի քաղաքականութիւնը առաջնորդուի ազգային շահերով” 

I am not even sure if this conference was organized by ARF, as one envisions the functioning of an organization, or it was put together by a vocal elements in the ARF, who have anointed themselves as the righteous guardians of all things Armenian. Obviously, the recent conference I referred to is the conference that was held in Paris from April 11-12, 2026. The organizers of the conference have labeled the conference “Diaspora Mobilizing Conference.” 

Nowhere I read that ARF has organized a conference in Paris, although the ARF press heralded it. Most of the participants of this conference appear to be members of the ARF or affiliated to it. Surely some were driven by the historic good name of ARF, and took part in the panels.  I am not sure if they realized that this conference had an undertone, to help ARF prepare the Diaspora against the present government Armenia, whose PM is running for election as the incumbent. If you doubt the veracity of this claim of mine as well, look for Murad/Patrick Papazaian’s recorded comment that cautions, if not warns of doom and gloom for Armenians should the citizens of Armenia elect Nikol Pashinyan led Civil Contract party. Although he did not make any reference, but it is a fact that ARF in Armenia is led by Robert Kocharyan and is a member of the coalition Robert Kocharyan governs and directs.

It also is a fact of Armenian life, that Diaspora is wearing out. This is not my claim. Nor it is a new claim. It was a claim that Catholicos Aram made, according to records in 2017, in a sixth Armenian wide conference held in Yerevan, where he said, “Armenia is vacating and Diaspora is wearing out” («Հայաստանը Կը Պարպուի Սփիւռքը Կը Մաշի»). According to records immigration from Armenia has slowed down, especially after the popular revolt that brought the present government to power. But Diaspora wearing out is accelerating. Pick any standard that measures the heath of a Diaspora and ask for yourself. In which category of such measures, the Armenia Diaspora has made progress since 2017?. Also ask Youseff, if ARF does not bear responsibility in Diaspora’ wearing down. ARF cannot help in mobilizing Diaspora  to revitalize it, as long as ARF in the Diaspora, as a matter of principle and conviction, does not unconditionally stand with the government the citizens of Armenia elect, which at the present is PM Nikol Pashinyan and the Civil Contract party he leads. 

Diaspora is too complex an entity for any organization. The organizers of this conference said, they will meet again in a few months. It takes time and financial resources to organize such a conference. As long as the organizers have the time and they can secure the finances, the Paris April 11-12 conference may be held again, in Paris or anywhere else, at the organizers' hearts content. But that too will not serve the purpose it purports.  

  

Sunday’s Sermon: Jesus vs. Fear

Rev. Avedis Boynerian graciously forwards me his Sunday service sermon ahead of time. Rev. Avedis Boynerian had titled this past Sunday’s, April 11, 2026, sermon "Jesus vs Fear." With his permission, I reproduced the sermon below and linked to the "When Peace, Like a River", hymn that was on the order of this past Sunday’s service. Vaհe H Apelian

 

The sermon

"Have you ever locked a door not just for safety, but because you were afraid?

Afraid of what might happen?

Afraid of what might come next?

Afraid of what you cannot control?

Sometimes those doors are made of anxiety… uncertainty… bad news… and fears we don’t talk about.

And that’s exactly where we find the disciples in our text (John 20:19-21) (see below)

It’s the evening of resurrection day.

The tomb is empty…

But the disciples are not celebrating.

They are hiding.

The doors are locked.

Fear has filled the room.

And fear still does that today

It locks doors…

It silences voices…

It convinces us that hiding is safer than living.

But here is the truth:

If Jesus does not wait for fear to end—He walks right into it.

 

1.- The disciples' fear locked the doors.

The doors were locked…” 

The disciples are afraid:

Of arrest and of what comes next

Fear is like a house with too many locks.

You lock one door… then another… then another.

Soon, you’re not just keeping danger out. You’re trapped inside.

That’s what fear does spiritually to us

It closes us off: It closes us off…

From people

From hope

Even from God

 

2.- Jesus stood among the disciples

“Jesus came and stood among them…”

He did not knock.

He did not warn.

He did not delay.

Jesus simply appears.

It's just like light entering a dark room.

Darkness doesn’t argue.

It doesn’t resist.

The moment light enters, darkness is gone.

That’s what happens when Jesus steps into our fear.

He doesn’t fight it …

He overcomes it by His presence.

That’s what happens when Jesus steps into our fear.

He overcomes it by His presence.

Because Jesus never promised a life without trouble—but He did promise something greater.

In John 14:27, He says:

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.”

Do you hear the difference?

The world gives peace based on circumstances.

If everything is going well—you feel peace.

If everything falls apart—peace disappears.

But Jesus says:

“My peace is not like that.”

The world says:

“Find peace when the storm stops.”

Jesus says: “You can have peace while the storm is still raging.”

The world’s peace is fragile—

it depends on what’s happening around you.

But the peace of Jesus is unshakable,

because it comes from who is with you.

That’s why when Jesus walked into that locked room

He didn’t change their situation right away—

Rome was still in power.

Danger was still outside. 

Uncertainty was still real.

But Peace Himself was now in the room.

And when the Prince of Peace is present, fear doesn’t have to be fought…

it loses its grip.

Because His peace is not something He explains. It’s something He brings.

 

3.- Jesus greets the disciples by saying, “Peace be with you”

He did not lecture.

He did not rebuke.

That’s what happens when Jesus steps into fear.

The world says: “Find peace when the storm stops.”

Jesus says: “You can have peace while the storm is still raging.”

He said, “Peace be with you.”

Imagine a child in the middle of a violent storm.

Thunder shakes the house.

Wind hits the windows.

The child is terrified.

But then the father walks into the room…

sits beside the child…

and simply says, “I am here.”

And that changes everything.

The storm may still be outside,

But peace has entered the room.

That’s what Jesus does.

 

4.- Jesus showed His wounds to His disciples

“He showed them His hands and His side…” The scars still remained.

A soldier once returned home from war with visible scars.

At first, he tried to hide them.

But over time, those scars became something else—

Not shame…But proof.

Proof that he survived the war.

Proof that he endured the war.

Proof that he overcame the war.

The wounds of Jesus are not signs of defeat. They are evidence of His victory.

 

5.- Here is a wonderful story called “The hospital Room”

A woman once sat alone in a hospital waiting room.

Her husband was in surgery.

Hours passed.

Every time the door opened, her heart raced.

Fear overwhelmed her:

What if he doesn’t make it? What if everything changes tonight?

She tried to pray, but the words wouldn’t come.

She said later: I felt like I was sitting in a locked room inside my own heart.”

Then something happened…

A quiet sense came over her—not loud, not dramatic.

Just a deep awareness:

“You are not alone. I am with you.”

There was no voice she could hear.

There was no visible sign.

But she knew Jesus was with her.

She said: “The situation didn’t change immediately, but I did - I changed.”

That’s what the presence of Jesus does.

He may not remove the situation instantly, but He transforms you within it.

6.- The disciples’ fear turned into joy

“The disciples were glad when they saw (Jesus).”

Nothing outside changed.

But everything inside did change...

Because seeing Jesus changes everything.

 

7.- From fear to mission   

Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

The same disciples who were hiding… are now being sent.

Fear says: “Stay where it’s safe.”

Jesus says: “Go where I send you.”

Where are your locked doors?

A fear you don’t talk about?

         A burden you carry alone?

         A situation you cannot continue?

You don’t have to fix it first.

You don’t have to unlock everything. Ask Jesus to step in…

Right into your fear.

Right into your uncertainty.

Right into your life.

He still says: “Peace be with you. My peace I give you.”

Resurrection means:

Jesus is not distant.

He is near.

He is present.

He is present in your fear.

He is present in your struggle.

He is present in your storm - whatever that may be.

Yes, the doors were locked, but Jesus still came in.

(And the same Jesus, 

who walked into that fearful room—

Can walk into your life today.

Yes, He can walk into your life today.

(So don’t let fear define your future,

Because when Jesus enters the room,

Fear doesn’t stand a chance

Your doors - whatever they may be, they are not locked to Jesus."

Note:

—-

 

 

Randal Pinkett: Donald loves Donald

Vaհe H Apelian

President Trump erupted at the Pope and drew backlash, reported NY Times today. The incident remained me of what Randal Pinkett, an Apprentice winner, said about Donald Trump I had captured in a blog. I reproduced it below. 

I have not seen a single episode of the popular The Apprentice, the American reality television series. But like most adult Americans, if not all, I had heard of the popular television series. 

Randal Pinkett is one of The Apprentice’s winners. I came to know about him in the Netflix documentary, “Trump, An American Dream.” I have watched that documentary more than once to get to learn more about Donald Trump, although I did not vote for him.  As to Randal Pinkett, it turns out that he is a distinguished person in his own right. I quote Wikipedia ;” with an education background in engineering and business, Pinkett is both a Rhodes Scholar and a Walter Byers Scholar, and hold five academic degrees. Before entering the reality show, Pickett had already established a career in business and had become the co-founder of business consulting firm BCT Partner in 2001. As winner of The Apprentice season 4 in December 2005, Pinkett undertook a yearlong apprenticeship with Trump Entertainment Resorts in Atlantic City, New Jersey.”

This is what Randal Pinkett said about Donald Trump in the Netflix documentary “Trump, an American Dream.”

“I remember the day I arrived at the Trump Tower for my first day of apprenticeship. Donald was seated at his desk in his office at Trump Tower. He had this stack of magazines and newspapers on his desk, each of them had a Post-it note, a little yellow note inside it. He would grab one the stacks and he’d put it on his desk, and he’d open to the Post-it note and he’d read and he’d close it and grab the next one. I’m thinking “what is it, current events, stocks?” So I leaned as he’s going through this ritual, and he did not stop it while we’re talking, he continued with it. I see each one of the Post-it note was placed in the magazine or newspaper to an article about Donald Trump, that Donald Trump was basically reading about himself and that someone’s job is to gather all these materials, I suspect on a daily basis for Donald to read about Donald because Donald loves Donald. 

Donald runs his company with a very tight-knit inner circle, very tight. Primarily his children. He trusts them. They trust him. There’s a level of loyalty that’s “beyond just business”, but rather blood relationship that they have and I believe he looks them his much-trusted confidantes. Ivanka seemed to be the one who was most prominent among his children. I think he trusts the most. 

Donald’s philosophy in business is very adversarial. He believes that “for me to win, somebody has to lose.” The culture of the organization very much reflects that.”

My take is that the Donald Trump and the Trump family’s wealth came about in the aftermath of the World War II, and because of the economic policies America advocated. What a restrained global power America was at that time! The world history would have been much more different had any other power held the monopoly of the nuclear power, America did during and in the immediate aftermath of the WWII.

Thirty years before, in the aftermath of WWI, the European powers that ruled the world at the time, had dealt with Germany they had vanquished very harshly, imposing upon it inordinate harsh punitive terms, in the Paris Peace Conference of 1918 in Versailles, France. Yes, at that conference, the Wilsonian Armenia was dangled in front of the Armenians. Historians claim that it was those draconian punitive demands upon Germany that gave rise to the Nazis. 

But in the aftermath of WWII, America helped built Germany and Japan, it had vanquished, along with them the rest of Western world. In the words of the Winston Churchill, it was the doing of the English-speaking peoples of the United States and of England, that shaped a better future of the world on the west of the world portioned by an iron curtain. It was that American brand inclusive economy that also enriched America and enabled its post WWII inordinate economic growth, of which Trump family became a beneficiary. But it is this growth, that America built in the aftermath of WWII as its own of economic model, that Donald Trump is disturbing by imposing punitive tariffs and alienating NATO America will need, in this emerging multi-polar world order. 

The personalization of power that Donald Trump is pursuing,  is very concerning. 

I am reminded of Julius Ceaser and the demise of the Republic of Rome. In transitioning the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire, Ceasar did not become an emperor, nor the Senate was abolished. It was its legislative power of the senate and the institutional checks and balances of the republic that were being curtailed in favor of an individual, Julius Caesar. 

The average Roman citizens, caught in  their day to day struggles to make ends meet, might not even have remained aware of the historic change that was taking place in Rome, as it is happening in the U.S.A.