Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (Aug. 15, 2015)

The Way Out

If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you but answer, “He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.”

… Epictetus

Italian Proverb

There are some who despise pride with greater pride.

From the Trivia File

The song, variously called That Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze or more simply The Man on the Flying Trapeze or just The Flying Trapeze, was first published in 1867. The “daring young man on the flying trapeze” refers to Jules Léotard (1842-70), a French acrobat who developed the art of the trapeze. Coincidentally, Léotard also popularized the leotard, the body suit commonly worn by dancers and gymnasts.

The Field of Waterloo

On Waterloo’s ensanguined plain

Full many a gallant man was slain;

But none, by bullet or by shot,

Fell half so flat as Walter Scott

… Anonymous critique of Walter Scott’s poem

From the Word Lab

Bagh abour (cold soup) is a term we Armenians use to describe a person who is rather apathetic or not very responsive.

What’s in a Name?

Shahbazian: Persian in derivation, identified as a royal appellation, shahbaz is defined as royal falcon; champion; hero.

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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.

Latest posts by CK Garabed (see all)

• A Reminiscence: John Najarian - February 19, 2020
• Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (Aug. 5, 2017) - August 7, 2017
• Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (July 22, 2017) - July 22, 2017