Author: Chmshkian Vicken

A moment wyh Michael “Red” Berberian
By Sarah Menesale/ Staff Writer
Friday, August 25, 2006 – Updated: 01:24 PM EST
Westborough News, MA
Aug. 25, 2006
Sitting on the porch in his rocking chair, reading the paper and
enjoying the weather is how Michael “Red” Berberian spends most of
his retirement days.
Traffic whizzes by his home on Otis Street, once a skinny dirt
road. Now it’s home to many industrial buildings and soon a housing
complex. Along the porch rail grows tomato plants ripening in the
sun. They’re the last vestiges of a once booming farm.
Berberian, 91, stopped working the fields long ago. Now they’re the
playground of weeds and wildlife. But ask him about his life and
plowing the fields, and he immediately jumps in with a story about
Billy, his horse.
A true character, Berberian is known for his sassy wit and
unpredictability, whether he’s sharing his opinions at Town Meeting
or during his term as a selectman years ago. Plus he’s sure to tell
you he’s Armenian. One friend called him, “always entertaining but
not afraid to get under people’s skin.”
But his cantankerous nature is endearing, and he’s gathered up bushels
of friends over his more than 80 years in town. Many came out for
his 91st birthday earlier this month, gathering at his home on Aug. 6
(his birthday is Aug. 5) to eat hotdogs and hamburgers and toast him.
The sign outside his home for Red’s Farm Stand, while no longer open,
reads “Happy 91st Birthday Red,” and many cars drive by with a honk
in acknowledgment.
The News sat down with Berberian this week to reminisce on a life
well lived, the many changes in Westborough over the past century
and what it’s like to be a farmer.
How did you get your nickname?
I was loaded with freckles and had red hair. They’re all merged now
into one big freckle. I got my nickname when I was really little.
We used to live in Worcester on Chandler Street across from the
Chandler Street School and the cop on the beat used to hold my hand
and walk me across the street saying, “Come on Red.”
How did you get into the farming business and what are your most
vivid memories of that time in your life?
I was born in 1915 and my family moved to Westborough a few years
later. My father bought this 34-acre farm on Otis Street for $1,500.
The only building on it was a chicken coop. The previous owner had
burned the house and barn to collect the insurance money.
I’d get home from school. I was just a little boy, this high (he
raises his arm waist level.) I’d hitch up the horse Billy and start
plowing. On Saturdays and Sundays my whole family used to plow.
My parents, Mike and Agnes, were only home to work the farm on the
weekends. They worked in Worcester. When we were done we started
planting. It was all done by hand. I liked everything about farming.
It was my job. We had cows, goats, cats and dogs. I loved the
animals. I miss the horse more than anything.
I’d take the produce to Salem Square, the farmer’s market, and sell
our crop. Rte. 9 used to be a dirt road with big rocks in it. It used
to take three hours to get there with the horse and wagon.
Whenever the horse needed a break I’d stick a big rock under the wheel
to stop the wagon from rolling down the hill. We had a market garden
so we had all kinds of vegetables.
We used to go swimming in the afternoon after we finished the rows
at Hoccomocco Pond.
How did the farm progress over the years? And why did you stop?
I took the farm over for my parents. We had the farm stand for
years. My wife, Isobel Mitchell used to take care of it. We did a
good business here.
I stopped farming. I don’t want to farm it anymore. And my kids don’t
want to farm it. I enjoy my retirement so much. Now I’m resting on
my laurels. Let the rabbits and woodchucks enjoy it. I’m letting my
farm rest.
I sit on my porch on the rocking chair. A few people visit and sit
with me a few minutes. But, I’m mainly alone.
What was your education like as a self-described “farm boy”?
The farm kids had it all over the city kids. I graduated from
Westborough High in 1933. I wasn’t a dumb kid but I wasn’t the smartest
either. I had to do my homework by the light of a kerosene lamp. We
didn’t have electricity. I loved going to school. The bus used to
pick us up right in front of the house.
Armstrong was the superintendent. I don’t remember his first
name. There’s a school named after him now. He gave me permission to
come in later after going to market.
What are some of your favorite memories? When you think about your
life what pops out?
We used to go to Nantasket beach with my mom and dad. They’d buy us a
hot dog or an ice cream cone. It didn’t take much to keep us happy. I
hate salt water. The first time I went swimming I got a mouth full
and that was it. From then on I only swam in fresh water ponds.
I remember the tornado. I had to go pick my sister up at the top
of the street. The wind was whipping by and the chicken coop and a
bunch of bushel barrels went flying by me. Our neighbors never did
give back those bushel barrels.
My wife, who’s from Marlborough, died a few years ago. She used
to work in Worcester and my sister worked in Worcester for two
attorneys. I don’t remember how we met. I think Isobel was going to
Salter’s secretarial school with my sister and she used to come here
visiting with my sister. So that’s how we met. I have three children,
Richard, Cindy and Scott and a couple of grandchildren.
I used to be a selectman. The only thing I hated about it was the
lack of privacy. Someone would call me up at two in the morning
complaining. If I wanted to I could still be a selectman. I was a
good selectman and I was fair to everyone.
My sisters Irene and Betty both died within the last few years.
Irene was a WAAC (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp) in the war. I got
deferments because I was working a farm. I belonged to the state
National Guard, that’s the closest I came to Army life.
That’s the nice thing about getting old. You reminisce. I think about
all the things I’ve done in my life. I remember the good people and
the stinkers.
What kinds of changes have you seen in Westborough?
When I was growing up those were the good old days. You knew everyone
in town and they knew you. You went to Town Hall and paid your
bills. Then drove down to Uhlman’s and bought an ice cream cone.
It was a big celebration.
We used to shop on Main Street at the bakery, the butcher, McDonald’s
grocery, the drug store, Chamberlain’s newspaper store, the Strand
theatre. It was all downtown.If you had a dime in your pocket you
were rich.
Now in this country it’s a lot of hurry up and wait. This country is
full of (crap). Everyone has their hand in the till.
We have a nice town, a nice Town Hall and nice schools. The town’s
been good to me and I’ve been good to them.
How was your birthday celebration?
My birthday is August 5. There was a big celebration (held Aug.
6). It was a surprise. There was a sign out front that said “Happy
Birthday Grampy.” The yard was full of cars. It was a hell of
a party. There was grilling and the rotisserie and hot dogs and
hamburgers. Anybody who’s anybody was here.

ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES THANKED FOR SHELTERING REFUGEES FROM LEBANON
ITAR-TASS, Russia
Aug. 21, 2006
YEREVAN, August 21 (Itar-Tass) — United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres thanked the Armenian government
for the effort to give shelter to refugees from Lebanon who had to
leave the country because of Israel’s recent military operations.
This applies to Lebanese of the Armenian and non-Armenian origin and
to citizens of other countries, Guterres said upon the conclusion of
the talks at the Armenian Foreign Ministry.
Guterres said cooperation with the Armenian government in assisting
refugees from Azerbaijan is excellent. He said the office of the
UNHCR is interested in peaceful solution of the Karabakh conflict.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan said Yerevan is satisfied
with the level of cooperation with the office of the UNHCR, which
gives vast assistance in integration of refugees and solution of
their problems.
Gagik Yeganyan, the chief of Armenia’s migration agency, said some
300,000 refugees from Azerbaijan stay in Armenia. Eighty percent of
them received Armenian citizenship. Yeganyan said the overwhelming
majority of refugees had been accommodated, specifically in hostels,
boarding houses and hotels.

PACE RAPPORTEUR ON MISSED PEOPLE TO VISIT NAGORNO KARABAKH
ARMENPRESS
Aug 23 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS: The PACE rapporteur on prisoners and
missed people Leo Platvoet is planning to visit the South Caucasus
in September.
“I visited the region in June. I was in Baku, Yerevan and Tbilisi
where I met with the authorities, officials and relatives of the
missed people. In September I am going to visit Abkhazia and Nagorno
Karabakh,” Trend news agency quoted the rapporteur as saying.
Leo Platvoet also informed that the report on the prisoners and missed
people in the South Caucasus will be ready in the beginning of the
next year.

GALUST SAHAKIAN: “ACTIVE ACTIONS ARE EXPECTED IN POLITICAL FIELD IN AUTUMN”
Noyan Tapan
Aug 21 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, NOYAN TAPAN. “Political processes in Armenia
are still in changeable state: active actions will be in the
autumn.” Galust Sahakian, the head of the “RPA” faction of the RA
National Assembly expressed such a prevision at the August 19 press
conference. In his words, as much parties are organized, as much
the electoral mass will activize. According to the speaker’s words,
the most important task of both ruling and opposing forces is to
guarantee transparence of the expected elections. Speaking about
electoral falsifications, G.Sahakian mentioned: “Those scenes that
we had during the previous years, either will not exist or will be
milder.” According to his words, unification of the opposition will
also help accomplishment of just elections.
RPA faction head disproved rumours spread in press about strained
relations between him and Hovik Abrahamian, the RA Minister of
Territorial Administration. “Display of bad attitude towards a
politician is not proper for my political posture,” G.Sahakian said.

ARMENIA LAUNCHES DEVELOPMENT OF STATE CONCEPTION OF INFORMAL EDUCATION
Arka News Agency, Armenia
Aug. 17, 2006
YEREVAN, August 17 /ARKA/. The Armenian Ministry of Culture and Youth
Affairs started implementation of the conception of informal education,
which is included in the program of strategic actions on the state
youth policy for 2006-2007.
The press service of the ministry reported that the work on the
document was included in the plan of actions of the government
for 2007.
With the aim to work out the conception, the ministry of culture
created a working expert group that consists of representatives of
both the public sector and NGOs.
Establishment of cooperation with all the interested structures: public
authorities, international and non-governmental organizations, is to
be carried out within the frameworks of working out the conception.
It is planned to conduct public discussions over the preliminary
version of the conception, which will be organized on
and
The working out of the conception was preceded by a conference,
participated by experts of Informal Education in Armenia and interested
persons on March 3-6. The conference addressed the issues of creating
an effective system of informal education and the current situation
in this sphere.

NAGORNO KARABAKH SITUATION TO BE RAISED AT NATO PA SESSION
Today, Azerbaijan
Aug. 17, 2006
British MP Brain Cock will deliver a report on the situation in the
South Caucasus, including in Nagorno Karabakh in the autumn session
of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly scheduled for November in Canada.
Azerbaijani parliament’s first vice-president, head of standing
commission for security and defense affairs Ziyafet Asgarov told
journalists, APA reports.
“We have offered our proposals regarding this issue. NATO Parliamentary
Assembly is to take a concrete position on this matter which has been
included into the Assembly’s agenda. It is much likely there will be
an acceptable decision,” Mr.Asgarov said.
The vice-president also said NATO Parliamentary Assembly president
Pierre Lellush will visit Azerbaijan in September this year.
“Though Mr.Lellush has twice visited Azerbaijan, this will be his
first visit as the Assembly president. During the visit, we’ll inform
him about the ongoing process in Azerbaijan,” he said.
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ARF CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF LEBANON ISSUES STATEMENT
Yerkir
17.08.2006 14:26
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)
Central Committee of Lebanon discussed at its August 16 meeting the
developments following the adoption of the United Nations Resolution
1701 and issued a relevant statement.
The participants of the meeting underscored the human and material
damage caused by the recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the spirit
of unity of the Lebanese in defending their lands, rights and dignity.
The party welcomed the heroism in resisting the adversary.
The CC of Lebanon also welcomed the UN Resolution 1701.
Regarding the presence of international forces to be deployed in the
region, the CC confirmed that inclusion of troops of any country should
be approved by all the Lebanese and political forces of the country.
The CC reiterated the Lebanese Armenian community’s opposition to
inclusion of Turkish troops in the forces to be deployed in southern
Lebanon, expressing hope that the Lebanese government too would resist
the idea of the presence of the Turkish army in Lebanon. Turkey,
during its black history, has been an enemy of many nations, including
the annexation of a part of Cyprus.
Turkey has had a bloody past with many massacres, and among them
the Armenian Genocide, still denied by the Turkish government. Not
mentioning the military agreement with Israel that constitutes a
threat to the peace process in the region.
Everybody knows that Lebanon did not stay away from the Ottoman
Empire’s tyranny facing Turkish violence; exploitation, starvation and
slaughter when Turkey opposed everyone who wished to live in freedom
and independence. Turkey applied to measures that have nothing to do
with humanity.
Turkey should revise its past before sending peacekeepers.
The approval of a UN resolution that envisages a presence of the
Turkish army in the international forces to be deployed in Lebanon
is a step that offences the collective memory of the Armenian people.
ARF Central Committee of Lebanon August 16, 2006 Beirut

LEBANON: ETCHEGARAY ENDS VISIT, ALL MUST WORK TOGETHER
Agenzia Giornalistica Italia, Italy
Aug. 16, 2006
(AGI) – Vatican City, Aug 16 – Today, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray,
Emeritus President of the Papal Council of Justice and Peace, finished
his visit as a special envoy of the Pope in Lebanon, where he spoke
with the religious and political authorities to bring the concrete
and spiritual solidarity of Benedict XVI to “that population” and to
“all those who suffer in the Middle East”. The Holy See issued a press
release saying that the cardinal met the Lebanese President, the Prime
Minster and the Vice President of the Shia Higher Council on Monday
14, then paying homage to the Republic’s Grand Mufti, to the Metronite
Patriarch and visiting the Caritas main office in Lebanon. Yesterday,
for the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Cardinal Etchegaray held
mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon at Harissa, which was
attended by Cardinal Pierre Nasrallah Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch of
the Maronites, and then visited a refugee centre at Haret Sakher and
met with the Catholicos of Armenians, Aram I. Before leaving Lebanon,
Etchegaray met the Maronite bishops in Bkerke’ and declared that the
truce made in recent days “must allow the deployment of all peace
forces”. The special papal envoy also said, “And thanks must go to
the various levels of national and international organisations which
worked obstinately to create a path for collaboration: nothing can
be left out.” The Cardinal said that the path is “long and steep”,
but that it is also a spiritual path. “No effort will hold if it
is not supported by the peace of spirits and hearts. Therefore we
have prayed in the Sanctuary of Harissa and the Lebanese people
also understood, as many attended it despite their troubles.” Only
“submission to God” can fight the evil “which holds men marked by
blind and suicidal violence”. Cardinal Etchegaray also said that
after the talks with the local religious and political authorities,
“I can say that Christians and Muslims are ready to do everything
necessary to rebuild the injured country together.” The Cardinal said
some words also for the refugees in southern Lebanon who try to find
their own lands and homes “often in tears”. “I ask that all government
and non-government institutions not slow down but rather intensify
the aids which will be necessary for a long time yet,” he said.

HISTORY IS NOT AZERI PRESIDENT’S FORTE
By Aghavni Harutyunian
AZG Armenian Daily
16/08/2006
Political elite of neighboring Azerbaijan comes out with new kind of
statements. “Baku will never allow creation of the second Armenian
state on its territory,” Azerbaijani Interfax quoted president Ilham
Aliyev as saying during his meeting with Azerbaijani ambassadors.
Aliyev junior is not punctilious in picking up right words when
speaking about inadmissibility of creating the second Armenian
state. There is already such a state that functions in its own historic
territory. On the other hand, one has an impression that the first
Armenian state is located somewhere in Azerbaijani lands.
“We know there are national minorities in many countries. But being
a minority does not mean to have the right to engage in secessionism
and claim lands.
They say that the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh have the right to
self-determination. There are Armenians in other countries too, and
they also can use this right,” this was the “logic” of Ilham Aliyev
in instructing his state’s diplomats.
If the leader of a state with $1 billion budget does not see any
difference between the Armenian Diaspora and Artsakh, it can by no
means be surprising that the knowledge of Azerbaijani ambassadors
does not go beyond such observations.

PROFIT TAXES FROM COMPENSATION SUMS GIVEN TO FORMER RESIDENTS OF AREAS DEVELOPED IN YEREVAN TO BE PAID BACK
Noyan Tapan
Aug 14 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 14, NOYAN TAPAN. It is likely that in November 2006 the
Armenian government will make a decision to pay back the 10% profit
taxes charged from the compensations given to the former residents
of the areas developed in Yerevan. It is envisaged to return these
sums within two-three months after the governmental decision. The
Armenian President Robert Kocharian stated this at the August 11 press
conference. He said that about a months ago, during a consultation
with the participation of all sides concerned, a decision was made
to pay back the 10% profit taxes from the compensation sums of the
residents of Yerevan’s Northern Avenue and Main Avenue. According to
him, at the moment of paying these compensations, the legislation was
imperfect from the viewpoint of their taxation, thus giving cause for
various indefinite comments. According to preliminary estimates, the
sum to be paid back totals about 1.3 bln drams (about 3.17 mln USD).