Chidem Inch: Kharpert in Winter

     I just changed the wallpaper photo on my personal laptop. I changed it to a winter scene of Kharpert when the Armenians lived there. My guess is it was just after a snowfall as the branches of the trees are still heavy with snow. There is a lone man riding a horse down the road. Being far removed from my agrarian roots, it could have been a donkey. The man on the horse might have been a priest. I only say this because his dress looked like robes, and maybe he had a priestly beard and hat. He could have been anybody of means from a merchant to landowner. There was something peaceful and serene about the photo of a place and time long gone. It was like a calm before the terrible events of the Genocide that emptied the Armenian Highlands of Armenians. I fell in love with the photo when I first saw and downloaded it so long ago; I have no recall of the source. As many images of the Armenia that once was and is no more, it both elated me and sat heavy on my heart.

     I was pretty certain it was the part of the city they called Veri Kaghak or Upper City. But wanting to know more about this photo and its history, I googled “Kharpert in winter.” I clicked on one of the images. It led me to a March 7, 2016 posting in the Armenian News Network/Groong. The very interesting article by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor of Long Island was “Winter in Kharpert area: How much detail do we have on the use of a ‘kourss’ to keep the family warm in winter?” The article talked of the use of clay bricks, called kiremits, used to heat beds and of the kourss, which was a heavy table cloth/blanket. A pan (mangal) of coals would be under the table; the kourss was large enough for folks to sit under it and keep warm.

     Between the explanation of the kiremits and the kourss, the article presented the photo of the Veri Kaghak in winter and gave the origin of it.

Photograph of Harpoot and the Euphrates College area taken by Ernest W.[ilson] Riggs, President of Euphrates College. Riggs was president of Yeprad College from 1910 to 1915, so the photo would have been given to Louise Carroll Masterson, Consul Masterson’s wife some time before 1914 when the Mastersons left Harput to go to the Consul’s new posting at Durban, South Africa.

     I do believe that my grandfather, Aram Gavoor, went to Yeprad College and probably traversed the road in the photo countless times.

     The photo was colorized and turned into a postcard with the caption or title: Harpoot Series No. 11, American Mission Premises in Winter, Harpoot. I wonder how many postcards were in the series. Needless to say, I searched again for “Harpoot Series postcards” and got more images of No. 11 and other postcards/photos of Kharpert but without the “Harpoot Series No.” on them.

     I am amazed by the thoughts and reveries one old photo can generate.

 

Note:  Originally published in the Armenian Weekly.  Both photos from the Groong article.

 

 

The M. S. Rau Company

 

There is a company, M. S. Rau, that sells antiques, jewels, and fine art.  Mostly, the advertising I see from them are for amazing, antique furniture.  The prices for their furniture offerings are impressively high.  I loved many of the pieces they offer but know, short of winning a lottery jackpot, there was no chance I would ever acquire one.

I am not sure when I first saw their ads.  It may have been in the late 1970s but more likely in the 1980s or 1990s.  For sure, by the time I was commuting to NYC and reading The New Yorker, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal more regularly, I was seeing their very classy print advertisements.

M. S. Rau was founded in 1912 and has been family run since.  I just assumed they were located in New York no doubt because of where I saw their ads.  Today, upon going to their website for the first time ever (what took me so long), that they are based in New Orleans where they have a 40,000 square foot gallery with over 3,000 items in stock.  Third and fourth generation family members Bill and Rebecca Rau now run the company.

The item I saw this week, that prompted me to write this piece, was a billiard table.  It is not just a billiard table.  It is a circa 1870 French marquetry billiard table.  I had to look up marquetry to learn that it means inlaid decoration composed of small pieces of wood and other materials often multicolored and often used on furniture.  This gorgeous billiard table is a work of art.  It is breathtakingly beautiful and is offered for a cool $88,500.  With one click, I could have added it to my cart assuming that, one, I even wanted a billiard table and, two, I could or would ever spend that much money for one. 

I did wonder if it came with free shipping or if I could negotiate the price.

Before this billiard table, the most impressive item I saw offered by M. S. Rau was a partners desk which is a huge desk where two people could sit on opposite sides and work.  It was ornate, mahogany, with a top of inlaid leather.  If memory serves me well, I want to say it was in the neighborhood of

$250,000.  They do not currently have a partners desk listed.  In looking at their desk offerings, they have a circa 1840 Royal Italian writing desk and armchair.  It is listed fir $266,500.  I only imagine the kind of office I would need to house such a work of art.

Well, if I were to buy such a desk, I would need an appropriate work of art to adorn the room.  In browsing their fine art collection, I found a painting by Claude Monet, Nympheas.  The price for this piece is available upon request.

Also, for such a desk, I would have to have the proper pen to sign important documents, write in my journal, and writing personal notes and cards.  It would have to be a fountain pen.  M. S. Rau offers a Montblanc Autumn fountain pen which is part of the four seasons collection.  It only dates to 2008 and is made from “18K yellow gold case is dotted with diamonds within an intricate vine motif.”

Of course, I would need bookcases, a Tiffany floor lamp, and ornate clock all of which I could acquire at M. S. Rau.  The desk, painting, and pen seem like a nice grouping and a very impressive start to my fantasy office. 

If I am ever in New Orleans, I simply have to visit M. S. Rau.

 

 

All photos from M. S. Rau

Powerball: $1.9 Billion!

 

In these hard post-Covidian days of inflation, high interest rates, and uncertain economics, we will have a Powerball drawing on a pot that is $1.9 billion.  This is a crazy high amount of money that a mere $2 will allow you a sliver of a chance of winning.

This is the largest jackpot ever... anywhere in the world.

This past Saturday, the jackpot was $1.6 billion but no one won.  The jackpot is so high because no one has won for forty draws.  279.269, 971 tickets were sold for that drawing.  Let’s see what the number of tickets sold for tonight’s drawing will be.  I bought five tickets for the Saturday drawing and was part of a group that have bought forty tickets.

None of my tickets had any numbers match.  In the group, we won a whopping $12 which we decide to let ride in tonight’s drawing.  I bought myself another five tickets as well.

Prior to this insane jackpot, the previous two highs have been $1.6 B.  One was in 2016 for Powerball and another was a Mega Millions jackpot in 2018.  I blogged about the 2018 jackpot, A Little Disappointed, that I didn’t win. 

In all likelihood, I will not win this time either. 

I am kind of hoping no one wins tonight.  I would love to see the jackpot get to over $2 billion. 

Come to think of it, 2018 might have been the last time I bought a lottery ticket.  I only buy lottery tickets when the jackpot reaches the level where it becomes a lead news story. 

In 2018, I asked three questions. “What would I do with that much money? What would I do for family and friends? What I first do for myself?”  It was funny to read that I would have bought a Maserati for myself.  Would I do the same this year if I were to win?  Surely, I would set-up college fund for my grandkids.  I would pay off the mortgages held by my immediate family. 

What would I do for myself?  In 2018, I thought about a Maserati.  This time around, I would buy a spacious home with an ocean view, perhaps in Wisconsin.  I would buy a Bentley or Rolls.   

Would I keep teaching?  Sure, for a short while.  I would fund some amazing guest speakers, outings, meals, and field trips for students.  We would have a lot of fun.

But I am happy to say that all in all, I agree even more with closing of my 2018 blog post and that is a very good thing.

 At the end of the day, sure, I was a little disappointed. But, when I reflected on the kinds of things I might do with the money, I only thought about getting myself that Maserati paying off some bills, and then… I thought about charities and family. It dawned on me that I was already one fortunate person and life was indeed pretty good. So, while I was amongst the throng of folks a bit disappointed that we did not win the $1.6 Billion, I feel like I won something bigger in the long run.

A No-Hitter in the World Series

 

The Astro's Pitchers and Catcher
Stubhub

I watched Game 4 of the World Series Tonight. 

It was a doozie!  It was a no-hitter.  The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0 behind four Phillies pitchers:  starter Cristian Javier and relievers Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero, and Ryan Pressly.  Javier pitched six innings and had nine strike outs.  Each of the relievers pitched for one inning in this historic game

It was the second no hitter in World Series history.  The first was, of course, the Don Larsen perfect game on October 8, 1956 in Game 5.  Larsen pitched for the New York Yankees, they played the Brooklyn Dodgers led by Duke Snider and Jackie Robinson.  The Yankees won the subway series in seven games.  Until this year, Larsen’s perfect game was the only no-hitter in the World Series.

In the playoffs, there has only been one no-hitter in a playoff game.  It was a Phillies pitcher, Roy Halladay, on October 6, 2010 in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Cincinnati Reds.  The Phillies won the series by sweeping the Reds.  They faced the San Francisco Giants for the National League Championship.  The Giants advanced to the World Series beating the Phillies 4-2. 

Larsen and Halladay pitched complete games.  This year’s feat was a team effort of four pitchers though the hero of the day was Cristian Javier.  He was amazing.  He had great control of his fast ball.  He was dominant.  He struck out half of the batters he faced.  Until this game the Phillies batters were on fire.  As the no-hitter was unfolding, I was wondering if the Astro’s manager, Dusty Baker, would let Javier throw a complete game.  That is what I wanted.  While I, and I suppose many other fans, would have love this, it was not the smart move.  It was not the ”what is best for the team” move.  It was not the money move.  The objective is to win the World Series.  Baker relied on his bullpen.  The Astros won the game 5-0, tied the series at two games a piece, took a game in Philadelphia, and saved his very hot pitcher for another start in Game 6 or 7. 

I don’t really follow baseball these days.  It is a shame.  I used to love the great American pastime growing up.  I lived and died with the Detroit Tigers.  I would dutifully check the standings and league leaders in The Detroit Free Press every day.  I had the eternal hope that the Tigers would make a surge in the standings even if they were ten games out when school started.   I looked to see if a Tiger made it into or jumped to the top of the  ERA, RBI, batting average, or home run ranks.  It was a frustrating habit until, of course, 1967 and 1968.

Why did I lose interest in baseball?  I am not sure.  My passion became football, Michigan Football in particular.  That transition began a year later with the spectacular Michigan upset over Ohio State in 1969 and was solidified when I got my first season tickets as a student in 1971. 

I could have still followed baseball.  I loved the game.  But I just didn’t.  For many years, I blamed it on free agency.  Free agency has been around since 1975.  I should have easily gotten over it by now.  The honest truth is I do not know why my interest waned.

There seemed to be a fair amount of buzz about this year’s series.  Both the Astros and Phillies were playing well, the Phillies more so recently.  In scrolling around the guide on my TV for something to watch, I saw the ball game had just started.  A pang of nostalgia, and truly not finding a movie that interested me, got me to dial in and watch the game.  I really did not know any of the players except that ex-Tiger Justin Verlander is a pitcher for the Astros and ex-Cubs Kyle Schwarber is the Phillies leftfielder who has hit 50 homeruns this season.  I watched the game with no clue who Cristian Javier was and thought I would be watching the Phillies offense put on a show.

What I got was a no-hitter and a brilliant performance from Javier.

I might actually tune into Game 5 tonight as the 39-year-old Verlander gets the start for the Astros.

The Attack on Paul Pelosi

 

Pelosi Home - Reuters

A news story broke about an intruder breaking into Nancy Pelosi’s home in San Francisco.  The suspect, one David DePape, only found Pelosi’s husband, Paul, at home.  He demanded to know the whereabouts of Nancy Pelosi and summarily beat Paul with a hammer, cracking his skull.  He is expected to recover.

I found the news disturbing.  On reading that the suspect, per the LA Times, had online posts about QAnon and others that were antisemitic and antivaccine, I attributed this attack to the polarization and crazy conspiracy theories floating all about. 

My friend Maged posted the following on Facebook:

This is seriously getting out of hand. What would anyone gain from attacking Pelosi’s husband?

No matter what you think of her or her policies, is this what we’re becoming now as a nation? 

It is insane.  What has become of us? 

At the same time, a conspiracy theory was being floated around.  Friends of mine that are not fans of Pelosi, related that the glass of the house was broken from the inside and that DePape was a male prostitute Paul Pelosi hired.  They got drunk, had a dispute, and violence ensued.  Needless to say, my friends had no issues truly believing this and posting it.

BuzzFeed reported that:  “Just days after officially buying Twitter, Elon Musk used the platform to float an anti-LGBTQ conspiracy about the violent attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband from a right-wing website that frequently spouts conspiracy theories.”  The article went on to report that same theory my friends posted. 

As I have said, I listen to NPR and read the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times primarily for my news.  The New York Times reporting mirrored that of BuzzFeed’s.  The Wall Street Journal didn’t report on the Musk tweet as yet, but opened an Op-Ed, The Assault on Paul Pelosi, with: "The home invasion and assault on Paul Pelosi on Friday is another sickening example of political violence in our increasingly disturbed culture. We’re glad to see the attack denounced by partisans on the right and left, but we wish we could say this will be the last such assault.”

The WSJ is a conservative newspaper.  I agree 100% with what they said.  I am very worried about political violence in our “increasingly disturbed” and polarized culture.  I would not be surprised to by the number of people who believe the conspiracy version and might even think Pelosi had it coming.  They have been programmed to believe that Pelosi is evil and to hate her.  It is not a surprise that her home was invaded by someone who brought rope to tie her up and a hammer with which to break her kneecaps if she lied to the questions he intended to subject her to.

Another friend posted the following on Facebook: “Tell Pelosi release all security video and end speculation! Let the sun shine on facts!!Why Not???”  This feeds the contrarian story and casts doubt on the police report.  It feeds a conspiracy theory. 

We are in a world where nothing is as first reported.  We twist the news for our own purposes.  We vilify those we disagree with?  Bring up Pelosi or Trump in a group where there are liberals and conservatives.  Most likely any discussion will turn into name calling and yelling.  I have seen it happen.  I am sure you all have as well.  Most of us don’t even see ourselves being manipulated because we are fed dogma that creates confirmation biases and then reinforces it. 

I don’t know if we were ever smarter or more aware a nation.  But, right now, this polarization and hate seems worse than anything I have seen in my lifetime.

I am sure we will see more violence like January 6 or this attack on public officials and their families.  It is shameful.