The world is a continuously surprising place. I was in Moscow last week and spoke to a jammed-packed public auditorium of young Russians seeking both a vibrant and trusted path to the future. This week’s surprise was at an airport book store in San Francisco when I came across Yerevan, a beautifully art-directed and substantially populated magazine about Armenian people and culture, with not a Kardashian in sight. Yerevan is a serious diaspora connection for Armenians worldwide, mixing three “I”s – information, ideas and inspiration. Who knew? Armenian achievers in motor-racing, art and photography, rock music, fashion, retailing… the best story being a feature on international spy Gevorg Vardanyan who with his wife Gohar prevented assassination attempts on Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. Armenia, for the 2013 diary.
