An update from Serj Tankian's latest visit to Armenia...

Text & Photograph by Serj Tankian (reposted with permission)

Here's some quick updates from my travels in Armenia. I recently visited the Tumo Center-- it's an incredible non-profit high-tech venture that brings technical training on animation, web design, film making, etc. to the youth in Armenia. The founder, Dallas native Sam Simonian, took me on a tour of the building. Google would be jealous of the design and setup, I was extremely impressed. The show I am playing tomorrow will be in front of the center to celebrate its opening in Yerevan, Armenia. Very exciting stuff!

I also visited the Lori region early this week and was taken aback by the beauty of the lush forests, rivers and countryside. The Teghut Forest is in that region and will be completely devastated by mining if it's not stopped. You can learn more about the Teghut Forest and how to help prevent the mining disaster from ruining the natural beauty, resources, and homes to many endangered species by clicking here. I strongly encourage you all to take a look.

Peace,
Serj

August 15 Update: Serj participated in this public forum for NGO's hosted by Civilitas Foundation. Topics of discussion included deforestation and mining, genetically modified food, governance and activism. The entire session is available on video here: