Saturday, March 26, 2022

Passé Office Products and Doodads

 

Amazon.com

I was talking with Ara a few weeks ago.  Somehow, we got on the subject of office products that were once popular, even necessary, that we no longer need or use.  We discussed several topics and had a few laughs (you all must know that laughing is important, maybe even the core part, of our interactions).  Ara then suggested that this might be a good topic for me to write about.  I agreed and made a mental note to do just that.

As alluded to many times before, many of the post-its I use for my mental notes have lost their stick.  This was the case with this bloggy idea and the mental note fluttered off to who knows where.  But thanks to a random Amazon ad on Facebook (Social Media Advertising Revisited) the topic was again front of mind. 

The Amazon ad was for an Alessi Chip Paper Clip Holder.  This beauty is bird made of shiny steel that is magnetized to hold the paperclips.  The list price was $62 but could be had for $54.99.  Wow, $54.99 for a paper clip holder.  I have plenty of paper clips.  I have paper clips, two sizes of them, in my desk at work and also at home. 

There is no way I would make this kind of investment for such a doodad when I cannot recall the last time I actually used a paper clip for its intended purpose.  Mostly, when I use a paper clip, I straighten one out and use it to open an inadvertently locked bathroom door or free up a clogged head of an Emer’s Glue.  I even used one to secure a toilet flap chain to the handle last year!

Amazon.com

I realized that my desks at both home and schools are laden with supplies I use a lot less than I used to.   I used to staple papers more often than I ever used paper clips.  I probably used a stapler several times a day.  These days?  I probably use on once or twice a month. For larger sheafs of papers, I loved binder clips.  I still have a large stock of them in three different sizes.  I also used to organize research and work output in binders.  I used three-ring binders, duo-tang folders, and Acco binders.  I used dividers in these binders to further organize things.  I have a three-hole punch and reinforcements in both offices.  The only time I use binders these days is for my music when I play in the University of Chicago Middle Eastern Music Ensemble.  Other than that it is all Evernote, Box.com, Dropbox, GoogleDrive, and OneDrive.

I have straight edges, a protractor, a flow-chart template, and a polygon template from the days when I used to draw my own graphics.  I know I have a compass and a slide rule somewhere in the house.  I never use these things anymore.  I used to use a straight edge or ruler all the time.  Now? Forget about it.

I have scissors and tape dispensers at both my offices.  It is the same story here.  I use them mostly to wrap gifts.  I used to use the tape, I preferred the magic variety, all the time.  I was cutting and pasting like I was in first grade.  I still do, expect it is all on my PC.

Actually, all the office supplies and doodads I have mentioned are passé because they are all geared to doing paperwork from an era of inboxes and outboxes when business was truly conducted on paper.  That is simply not the case anymore.  I use my PCs and my cell phone to do just all transactions, filing, and document creation.  For note taking, ideation, and draft work, I am still old school using my Leuchttram 1917 A5 Notebook, post-its, and, of course, my collection of pens.

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Slice of Life: Driving to Detroit

 

extension.msstate.edu

It is my Spring Break.  I decided to go to Detroit and visit my mother.  She had broken her wrist after taking a tumble on some ice.  She has been living under the care of my sister for almost a month.  I wanted to come and spell my sister for a few days and visit with my mom.  She is doing quite well and on the mend.  While she had to have a plate and screws to reassemble the bones in her arm, she was fortunate to have very good bone density due to her active lifestyle which includes playing in a competitive tennis league.  As a further bonus, I got to see my first grand niece, Talene Frances, who was born on Friday, March 11th. 

The weather was nice when I set out from home.  While there was snow in the morning in Detroit, the weather in Chicagoland was blue skies and predicted to get to 50 degrees.  Actually, I had blue skies all the way to Detroit with temperatures in the high 40s and no evidence of any snow at all.

I set out, grabbed my usual Grande Americano from Starbucks, and was listening to NPR Now.  The traffic through Chicago was bumper to bumper as one might expect but mercifully for only about 20 minutes after which I opened up the accelerator.  As usual, I took the Chicago Skyway which, when I was first making my runs from Detroit in the 1970s, was heavily industrialized with the steel plants around Gary, Indiana.  There is still some vestige of the steel industry there, but what used to look gritty and polluted from the mills and their spewing smokestacks now looks restored and breathtakingly beautiful.  The lagoons of the Grand Calumet near its headwaters by Lake Michigan look pristine and thriving with waterfowl from geese and herons to swans and gulls.  What was once an eyesore to drive through is now beautiful.

Back on I-94 in Indiana heading into Michigan, I got a call from an old Armenian friend Varoujan.  I have known him since my late teens but had not talked for a long while.  As part of a chat group of our contemporaries, our communication was renewed.  We realized we had sympathetic views on politics both American and Armenian.  We texted back and forth before I left the house.  I suggested he call me during the drive to Detroit.  He took me up on it and we talked for an hour and a half.  It was very good to hear what he was up to and learn about his two boys and the men they had grown into.  In turn, I brought him to speed on my family.  I learned he was doing research on Armenian Shamanism and the how it led him to discover the rich parts of our history that most of us do not know.  He is actually writing a book, perhaps in a few volumes, about the fascinating things he has learned.  I do believe it was the longest we have ever chatted one and one.  I look forward to the next. 

Armenian Shamanism?  A google search showed references to learn more.  One was a 2008 book, The Shamanic Themes in Armenian Folktales by Michael Berman, which I might have been tempted to purchase but for Amazon saying it was out of stock with no foreseeable restocking date.  Another was a Wikipedia page on Hetanism which I took only semi-seriously with several grains of salt.

When I entered Michigan, I noticed two things.  First, I was kind of amazed by the number of billboards for cannabis shops.  I know cannabis is practically legalized, but I have never seen this level of advertising.  These cannabis billboards were in stark contrast to Illinois where I see none and Indiana where every other billboard is an advertisement for personal injury attorneys.  The only law firm that I recall was, not surprisingly the Armenian named one, Sarkisian and Sarkisian.

The second thing I noticed in Michigan was a bit more subtle.  I was behind a non-descript sedan and noticed a bumper sticker, “Containment vessels being transported.  Stay 500 feet back.”  My first thought was “Huh?” which, of course, sparked my curiosity.  As the car was going too slow, I decided to pass it.  It all made sense when I noticed the Ghostbusters logo prominently on display on the driver’s door.  This person was a serious Ghostbusters fan.  I thought nothing more of it until maybe a half-hour later when I saw another sedan that was displaying the deathly hallows one side of the trunk lid and lightening script HP on the other.  This car was clearly owned by a serious Harry Potter fan.  I decided to pass it to see what might be on the driver’s door… which was unadorned.  I was wondering if movie themed cars had become a thing in Michigan.  I was on alert to finding more but, alas, there were none.

Just outside of Jackson, I saw my first bald eagle… ever.  I saw a big bird, which I easily surmised to be a bird of prey, cross the expressway in some distance ahead of me.  It soared to the left and merged above the oncoming lanes of the expressway.  I noticed what I thought was a white head and then a white tail.  Could it be a bald eagle?  I noticed the yellow beak and graceful majesty of our national symbol as it soared by me.  It was a truly cool way to see my first bald eagle.  I know there has been a resurgence in population of bald eagles, but this sighting was most special.

Of course, the best part of the trip was at the end when I saw how well my mother was doing and got to meet my great niece Talene! 

Saturday, March 12, 2022

World Gone Crazy

 


The war in Ukraine started on February 24.  While it is still very much in the news, I fear we will lose interest in soon while worrying instead about the inflation and the price of gas.   As this happens, we will also find a way to politicize the war with the midterm elections coming up.

The Trump half of us want to blame Biden for the war and inflation which almost reached 8% this past week.  They will say he is weak and too old to lead decisively.  If Trump were still President, we wouldn’t have inflation and Russia wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine.  The other half of us, blame Trump and seemingly odd relationship with Putin and the pressures applied to Zelensky to open up a probe on Biden’s son Hunter in 2019.  This faction still believes that the Russians influenced the 2016 election that got Trump elected.  Trump actually called Putin savvy when the invasion of Ukraine began.  I have no clue no idea where the truth lies in this quagmire of false news and conspiracy theories.  Thankfully, there is no shortage of friends and family that see all of this clearer than I do and are willing to educate me.

Right now all of this seems to be in check and mostly our focus is the war and the death, destruction, and refugees associated with it. 

The world is looking at Ukraine with great concern.  They are trying, via diplomacy and sanctions, to get Russia to cease hostilities and withdraw.  The sanctions will have some impact eventually.  What we don’t know is the unintended consequences on the global economy.  While the world is focued and verbal about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Azerbaijan is shelling Armenian villages in Nogorno Karabagh once more demanding they withdraw from the villages on the border with Nakhichevan.  In this case, no one but Armenians are watching and crying out.

Even with the eyes of the world on Ukraine and even with the some serious sanctions in place, the war wages on.  At some point, military actions can only be halted with military action.  In Ukraine, Biden has made clear we will not be committing troops nor will we establish a no-fly zone.  So, Putin keeps advancing his troops.  There is already speculation that Putin may not stop in Ukraine and could threaten the Baltics.  There is worry that China may attack Taiwan or North Korea invading the South.  If any of these happen who will stop them?  Who would take the risk, expenses, and loss of life that war brings?  My fear is Azerbaijan and Turkey could invade Armenia and the Nogorno-Karabakh Republic.  Who would care?  Who would stop them?

The world and mankind seem to be at an inflection point.  The world is smaller.  We are faced with the pandemic which hopefully is waning.  We have to deal with global warming.  And, now, we have to deal with wherever Putin’s megalomania is taking us.  I have little faith in any of our options for leaders to be able to navigate this quagmire.  I have even less faith that the people will miraculously rise up and refuse

I find it rather unsettling.

 

I close with the lyrics of Edwin Starr’s War (1970)

 

 

War

Edwin Starr

 

War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, uhh
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it again, y'all
War, huh (good God)
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, listen to me, oh

 

War, I despise
'Cause it means destruction of innocent lives
War means tears to thousands of mother's eyes
When their sons go off to fight
And lose their lives

 

I said, war, huh (good God, y'all)
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, just say it again
War (whoa), huh (oh Lord)
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, listen to me

 

It ain't nothing but a heart-breaker
(War) Friend only to The Undertaker
Oh, war it's an enemy to all mankind
The thought of war blows my mind
War has caused unrest
Within the younger generation
Induction then destruction
Who wants to die? Oh

 

War, huh (good God y'all)
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it, say it, say it
War (uh-huh), huh (yeah, huh)
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, listen to me

 

It ain't nothing but a heart-breaker
(War) It's got one friend that's The Undertaker
Oh, war, has shattered many a young man's dreams
Made him disabled, bitter and mean
Life is much too short and precious
To spend fighting wars each day
War can't give life
It can only take it away, oh

 

War, huh (good God y'all)
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, say it again

War (whoa), huh (oh Lord)
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, listen to me

 

It ain't nothing but a heart breaker
(War) Friend only to The Undertaker, woo
Peace, love and understanding, tell me
Is there no place for them today?
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord knows there's got to be a better way, oh

 

War, huh (God y'all)
What is it good for? You tell me (nothing)
Say it, say it, say it, say it

War (good God), huh (now, huh)
What is it good for?
Stand up and shout it (nothing)

 

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Barrett Strong / Norman Whitfield

War lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

The Chekist

 

https://i.imgur.com/GnJhLY3.jpg?1

There seems to be a sense of foreboding, a general angst, or gloom weighing on people.   I know I am fighting off such feelings while trying to stay upbeat for my students and basically to just live life.  Most of us are basically doing the same.

The main source for these worries is the Russian invasion into Ukraine.  Putin is the man behind this.  For the life of me I cannot fathom what is behind this.  The easiest conclusion to draw is the one that is most common and commonly reported in this country:  Putin is a madman.  I just read an article in The Atlantic, “I Was Wrong About Putin” by Sergei Dobrynin who works for Radio Free Europe.  In the article, he related what his academic mentor, Vladmir Arsenyev told him about Putin in February 2000:

“He is a Chekist,” he said, meaning an agent of the secret police. “Once a Chekist, always a Chekist. He is pure evil.”

He has succeeded in throwing the world into chaos and fearing escalation of the war in Ukraine to a wider conflict.  Energy prices have skyrocketed.  Global supply chains, which were already weakened from the pandemic, are further compromised. 

The West is afraid to engage militarily.  Will this embolden Putin attack other countries or for China to do the same in Taiwan?  There are plenty of sanctions which will impair and possibly perhaps implode the Russian economy.  Will this make Putin even more dangerous? 

Diplomacy does not seem to work.  We could see the invasion coming.  We predicted it.  Biden tried to reason with Putin to no avail.  Putin knew we would not have a military response because we basically said we wouldn’t. 

Are we being manipulated by our government and the press?  I don’t believe so.  Because, I agree with Vladimir Arsenyev on Putin.  Once a Chekist, always a chekist.  I was giving him the benefit of the doubt on being pure evil.  But, no more.  He is either pure evil or a madman. 

The Russians agreed to cease fires only keep positioning their troops and then break the cease fire.  They agree to humanitarian corridors, again, only to violate them.  They fire rockets and artillery on cities… why? 

Putin wants to conquer Ukraine by destroying it.  To what purpose?  To beat Zelensky who dared to defy him?  To teach NATO a lesson for flirting with Ukraine?  As a prelude to rebuilding the Russian Empire more commonly known as the USSR?  Who really knows.  I certainly don’t.

I have many Armenian friends that have posted a graphic on social media that says, “Excuse me if I can’t feel anything, 2 years ago I felt too much, and the world was silent.”  They are referring to the Armenia/Artsakh war with Azerbaijan.  It was in the news, somewhat, but there was essentially no outrage excluding strong words from France and no sanctions on Azerbaijan or Turkey who backed the Azeri’s with mercenaries, drones, air support, and command and control.  It is stark contrast to the coverage, concern, and outrage being shown for this war.  Armenians are further uncaring because of Ukraine took the Azeri side in that conflict. 

I am sympathetic to my fellow Armenians but wrong is wrong.  The Azeri war in Artsakh was wrong.  This Russian invasion of Ukraine is wrong no matter how much global outcry one war got and the other didn’t.  Outcry or no outcry, both wars continued.  Sanctions or no sanctions, both wars continued.  Only force can end wars.  The Chekist knows this quite well and counted on such.  A sad and scary state of affairs indeed.