Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (Sept. 6, 2014)

Japanese Proverb

The loud voice often wins the quarrel.

Rationale for Evolution

God did not create the universe. The universe is in the process of creating God.

From the Word Lab

Origin of “majesty” (sovereign power, authority or dignity): Merriam-Webster Online  states, “Middle English maieste, from Anglo-French majesté, from Latin majestat, majestas; akin to Latin major greater. First Known Use: 14th century.” However, according to E. Cobham Brewer, Ptolemy’s Great Book was called the Almagest (Arabic, al, “the”, majisti, “greatest”) meaning the chief book of astronomy on the geometric system.

Daffy-nition

Vision: Looking farther than you can see.

Triumphal March from Aida

Verdi may have originally intended to use natural trumpets for the job, but finally decided to have special ones made to his specifications by the Milan producer Pelliti.

Six of them were required in the original score of Aida, three in the key of B natural, and three in the key of A flat, rather than standard Bb trumpets.

When Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered, two trumpets were found inside which were thought to date back to 1352 B.C.—one in the key of….. B natural and one in the key of A flat. That was in 1922—over 50 years after Verdi had written Aida

Sigh of Relief

On his seventeenth birthday the boy’s mother pleaded with him, “Promise me you’ll tell me when you start smoking. Don’t let me find it out from the neighbors.” “Don’t worry about me, Mom,” the son replied, “I quit smoking a year ago.”

What’s in a Name?

Ayijian: Turkish in derivation, identified as a descriptive term, ayuhjuh is defined as a bear-leader; course rough man (especially in games).

CK Garabed

CK Garabed

Weekly Columnist
C.K. Garabed (a.k.a. Charles Kasbarian) has been active in the Armenian Church and Armenian community organizations all his life. As a writer and editor, he has been a keen observer of, and outspoken commentator on, political and social matters affecting Armenian Americans. He has been a regular contributor to the Armenian Reporter and the AGBU Literary Quarterly, “ARARAT.” For the last 30 years, Garabed has been a regular contributor to the Armenian Weekly. He produces a weekly column called “Uncle Garabed's Notebook,” in which he presents an assortment of tales, anecdotes, poems, riddles, and trivia; for the past 10 years, each column has contained a deconstruction of an Armenian surname. He believes his greatest accomplishment in life, and his contribution to the Armenian nation, has been the espousing of Aghavni, and the begetting of Antranig and Lucine.
CK Garabed

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