D.C. may take pride in its reputation for sultry summertime swelter, but Friday seemed the sort of day for wondering what all the fuss was about and whether the reputation was deserved.
Washington, D.C
AYF leads Greater Washington, D.C. vigil in solidarity with “Tavush for Homeland” movement
![AYF leads Greater Washington, D.C. vigil in solidarity with “Tavush for Homeland” movement AYF leads Greater Washington, D.C. vigil in solidarity with “Tavush for Homeland” movement](https://armenianweekly.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/050824_crowdshot.jpg)
Bethesda, Md.—The Armenian Youth Federation – Youth Organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (AYF) Washington, D.C. “Ani” Senior Chapter organized a powerful vigil and rally in support of Armenia’s growing “Tavush for the Homeland” movement, calling for an immediate halt to the illegal surrender of Armenian lands to Azerbaijan’s genocidal Aliyev regime.
The May 8 candlelight vigil took place at the historic “Khatchkar” monument located at Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church, as Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and the “Tavush for the Homeland” protesters arrived in Yerevan, welcomed by tens of thousands of supporters from across Armenia.
“The Tavush region Primate Bagrat Srpazan has issued a rallying call for unity – demanding the Armenian nation stand up and stop the Pashinyan government’s capitulation of Armenian sovereign land – of our homeland and our heritage,” began evening emcee, Homenetmen D.C. Scout and AYF “Ani” Chapter secretary Mary Markarian. “Greater Washington Armenians are gathered here tonight, along with our compatriots in Chicago, Boston, Detroit and Los Angeles, followed by our brothers and sisters in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Providence to say, ‘We are Tavush strong.’”
ARF Sebouh Gomideoutiun member Aram Balian condemned the Pashinyan government’s unilateral concession of Armenian “lands we have lived on for thousands of years, for false promises from a genocidal dictator who is determined to eradicate every last Armenian – including all of us here tonight.” He characterized the “Tavush for the Homeland” movement as “not one of foreign agents, revolution or radicalism. It is one of rationality. It is a plea for stability and cohesion in the face of evil, of treason, of genocidal intent. It is an ask, no, a demand for unwavering strength in the guardianship of our nation, our land, our homeland – in defense of Tavush, Syunik, Lori, Yerevan and more.”
AYF Washington D.C. “Sevan” Junior Chapter chair Meghri Aguilian, in a poignant message shared in Armenian, called the surrender of our strong position in Tavush “illegal and a betrayal of our nation.” She quoted remarks by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan at a May 6 rally: “This will be the beginning of our eternal journey. Armenia is an eternal truth! Armenia has one value – its highest value – and that is its eternity.”
ANCA National Grassroots Director Gev Iskajyan sent an inspirational word of hope from the Greater Washington, D.C. Armenian community: “To the people of Artsakh who have lost their homeland, to the people of Armenia who feel disenfranchised, distraught or downtrodden, know that as long as we are here, you will never be voiceless. As long as we are here, you will never be without a fight. As long as we are here, and even though the world may turn its back on you, you will never be alone.”
Markarian highlighted the united support for the “Tavush for the Homeland” movement from His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and His Holiness Aram I, the spiritual leader of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Homenetmen D.C. Scout and AYF D.C. “Sevan” Junior executive member Sevak Stepanyan and St. Mary’s Armenian Church Youth Organization (ACYO) member Daniel Gevorgyan Poliquin then read solidarity statements by Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate of the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of the Eastern U.S., and Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of the Eastern U.S.
ARF Sebouh Gomideh member Areni Margossian shared the ARF Eastern Region Central Committee statement, expressing solidarity with the movement. “We stand with our brothers and sisters in preventing Pashinyan’s planned May 15 handover of our lands to the genocidal Aliyev regime and support efforts to replace the Pashinyan regime with the patriotic, honorable and resilient leaders our homeland needs and deserves,” read Margossian.
Noting that the illegal surrender of Armenian lands to Azerbaijan not only undermines Armenia’s viability but endangers Armenian cultural heritage, Markarian invited AYF D.C. “Sevan” Junior and Homenetmen D.C. Scout Victoria Penenian to recite Mikael Nalbandian’s immortal poem “Azadoutioun” (Freedom) and asked AYF D.C. “Ani” Chapter members and professional musicians Alexandra and Lilia Yaralian to perform a beautiful piece by Gomidas on the kanoun. Soorp Khatch Armenian Church Board of Trustees chair and choir director Anahid Dardarian ended the evening, leading participants in renditions of “Der Voghormia” and “The Lord’s Prayer.” The solidarity rally was blessed with the robust support of the Homenetmen D.C. Scouts, who sang the U.S., Armenia and Artsakh anthems and stood at attention throughout the program.
That same evening, in front of the Armenian Embassy, one of Pashinyan’s infamous border posts, which was first spotted in Tavush, was seen again, this time with the message, “Save Tavush.” “Neither Pashinyan nor his administration have the right to hand over our homeland piece by piece to the enemy. United, we demand the end to the surrender of sacred soil,” stated an AYF D.C. “Ani” social media post.
Video highlights from the AYF D.C. vigil are available here, and the vigil was live streamed on the AYF D.C. “Ani” Chapter Facebook page.
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Washington, D.C
D.C.’s Friday weather seemed special for being ordinary
![D.C.’s Friday weather seemed special for being ordinary D.C.’s Friday weather seemed special for being ordinary](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/AZSILVEBCMI6XPRCGLJTDWDVGA.jpg&w=1440)
But Friday failed to inflict on the District the harsh meteorological extremism of many days earlier this month — including the four with temperatures above 100 degrees.
However, if averages mean much, they may suggest that days such as Friday cannot readily be relied on to appear here always or often in July.
The average temperature in Washington on Friday’s date now stands at 90 degrees. So it would seem that part of Friday’s allure lay in the five-degree gap between its temperature and the District’s average July 26 temperature.
Possibly Friday’s sense that summer had a benign side, might have been earned physiologically. The many days of extreme and above average temperatures this summer have likely caused acclimatization and a process of adjustment.
But cloudy skies also played an obvious part in moderating Friday’s conditions.
For much of the day, clouds shielded the city from the wilting effects of the summertime sun. It is just a little more than five weeks since the sun was at its absolute annual acme.
Feeling its full late-July strength for protracted periods in the glare of streets without shade, with solar rays reflected from concrete and marble would have made Friday seem far less comfortable than it did.
A major contributor to Friday’s welcome as a well-behaved emissary of summer was the humidity. Or the relative absence thereof.
When summer seems to be at its most intolerable it is ascribed to the joint effect of severe heat and oppressive humidity. Friday was neither too hot nor too humid.
To know the absolute temperature was to know the “feels-like” temperature. Through the day, they were close to identical, meaning that humidity declined to make an 85-degree day seem worse than it was.
This was reflected in the day’s dew points, which were confined to the 50s, a location regarded as comfortable.
Washington, D.C
D.C. Bars and Restaurants Getting Into the Olympic Spirit
![D.C. Bars and Restaurants Getting Into the Olympic Spirit D.C. Bars and Restaurants Getting Into the Olympic Spirit](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ymK3CEFAEwy6RHwLczpMSNZgvn0=/0x301:4200x2500/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25547430/ASTRO071824_0006.jpg)
During the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo, we were just emerging from the pandemic and the competition was played in front of a mostly empty audience. Fast forward a few years, and Paris is the backdrop for sport’s biggest stage and millions are expected to descend upon the City of Lights to watch their country hopefully bring home a medal.
For those opting to remain stateside, there are plenty of restaurants in our nation’s capital getting into the Olympic spirit. Think fabulous French bites, themed beverages, and live broadcasts of select events. There are enough participating spots to visit a different one every day of the Games (July 26-August 11). Eater just obtained D.C.’s list of 74 bars that got the okay to stay open around the clock — and serve alcohol from 6 a.m. to 4 a.m. — during the duration of the Olympics, which includes well-known names like Service Bar, Vera, Mission, Capo Deli, and Midlands.
Scroll on to find out where to cheer on Team USA’s athletes while partaking in limited-edition food and drinks.
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Washington, D.C
Bigger, stronger, safer: DC’s new Douglas Street pedestrian bridge reopens – WTOP News
![Bigger, stronger, safer: DC’s new Douglas Street pedestrian bridge reopens – WTOP News Bigger, stronger, safer: DC’s new Douglas Street pedestrian bridge reopens – WTOP News](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_3170.jpg)
The Douglas Street pedestrian bridge’s construction took three years and $17 million to rebuild, after it collapsed in June of 2021 after being struck by the load of a large truck.
Thousands of pedestrians in Ward 7 will be safer Thursday thanks to the reopening of the Douglas Street Pedestrian Bridge over Kenilworth Avenue.
“It’s safer, it’s wider, and it’s better lit,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser at the bridge’s grand opening on Thursday. “It has improved sidewalks.”
At the inaugural walk across the new bridge, the mayor — joined by the city’s Department of Transportation and members of the community — pointed out that people of all abilities will have an easier time using the bridge.
“Whether they are using a cane or a wheelchair, they will be able to access this very important pedestrian asset,” Bowser said.
The bridge crosses over the I-295 corridor in Northeast and will help those that live in the neighborhoods of Parkside, Mayfair and Eastland Gardens get to the Deanwood Metro station.
The bridge’s construction cost about $17 million.
“I’m 61 years old, I don’t like going all the way around,” said Claude McCain, of Kenilworth. He told WTOP that the new pedestrian bridge will save him 40 minutes of extra walking a day.
The original Douglas Street Pedestrian Bridge was built in the 1950s and had become structurally damaged and was deteriorating, according to D.C. officials.
“It was low. It ended before the service lanes. It was really unsafe for pedestrians,” said Sharon Kershbaum, acting director of D.C.’s Department of Transportation. “This is an upgrade in every sense of the way.”
She told WTOP that nearly $14 million of the $17 million bridge was funded by grants from the federal government.
After the inaugural walk across the bridge, Mayor Bowser expressed appreciation to the members of DDOT that were in attendance.
“I want to say thank you to all the people you see in the yellow jackets because they were able to get this bridge up and keep the highway open,” Bowser said.
WTOP’s Ciara Wells contributed to this report.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Douglas Street Pedestrian Bridge collapsed in 2021. The Lane Place bridge actually collapsed in 2021 after being struck by a truck. Our article has been updated with the correct information, and we apologize for the error.
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