random off-topic thread

[Heltonfan]

I am keeping away from the madness to the extent that it's possible to do so, given that I work only a couple blocks away from the epicenter (or, rather, where the epicenter was yesterday; it has moved around a couple times).

There was violence yesterday, but today, from what I could tell, things were peaceful. Of course, it's a very tenuous peace, made possible only because a state of emergency has been declared, major streets have been closed off, and there are visibly armed and alert soldiers stationed throughout downtown Yerevan. So it's hard to be very pleased with the quietness.

Anyone looking for details on what's been going on in Yerevan this weekend should go here. I don't really have much to add. As an outside observer with no dog in the fight, it's just sad to see: the current government is completely corrupt, the elections weren't even remotely fair, and yet the opposition is rallying behind a candidate whose previous stint as president (back in the '90s) was generally considered quite unproductive.

[indianadrew]

i remember i started this thread because i did not know where to mention the fact that i had made some cranberry beer...mmm... well i have now made pineapple wine. it tastes a bit like a merlot. with a hint of pineapple.

[Newman]

OK, I googled map of armenia, and now I can picture it...near Iran and Turkey and the Georgia part of the Soviet Union.

Good luck, HF.

[Newman]

bleh

[Newman]

Originally Posted by BigRapidsJackass

Newman, right now Obama would have my vote. Two main reasons:

1. Iraq. The full scope of the disastrous intervention has not even been realized yet. The latest: Turkey, upset at the prospect of a breakaway Kurdistan (the Kurds acting perfectly rationally when faced with the chaos in Baghdad), claims the "Iraqi" Kurds are making cross-border incursions. Turkey responds (or so they say) by sending their own forces into Iraqi Kurdistan. The Old Guard ("paleoconservative") wing of the Republican Party -- Bush 41, Scowcroft, Powell, etc. -- were right. Stability, even if it was the stability of a tyrant, was better than the alternative. I can't see how McCain, essentially a 100% supporter of the Bush 43 line on Iraq, can ever achieve a positive outcome. Maybe Obama can't either, but at least there's a chance.

2. Overall competence. Iraq is just the worst example of this Administration's blundering. McCain's instincts, I believe, are stronger than W's. But he exhibits a similar inattention to detail.

Don't get me wrong here. As I said, I'm more satisfied with this year's choices (if it is in fact Obama vs. McCain) than I've been with most presidential choices throughout my adult life. My dream outcome would be a modest Republican majority in both houses of Congress and Obama as President, since I'm afraid of the runaway excesses a strongly Democratic Congress will push on Obama. But that ain't gonna happen ...

Jackass aboard the Obama bandwagon.

I note in point 1 of your post where you mention Colin Powell as a Bush 41 advisor. That is what was so disappointing. How is it that Powell could see that an invasion and occupation was wrong under Daddy Bush, but couldn't stand up to W at all? No spine. Sure Hussein was a tyrant, but he did keep that delicate balance of power in check over there.

I see the date of your post. There was more activity recently between Turkey and the Kurds in northern Iraq. Hopefully that won't explode. And why is there peace right now, relatively, in Iraq? It's because that radical sheik al Sadr has decided, for some reason, to tell his tribe to cool it for another 6 months.

Hopefully we'll get Obama and a Democratic congress. Who wants 4 more years of Bush? A vote for McCain is a vote to stay the course, keep the Titanic headed for the iceberg.

Heltonfan sure is in an unsettled region of the world right now. Is he in the peace corps or what? Did he lose a bet with someone? Teaching English in Armenia? Wasn't Pakistan available???

[Heltonfan]

Newman, I'm in Armenia because there's no place I'd rather be at the moment. I came over here on an ASU summer program, decided I wanted to stay, had the good fortune of stumbling into a job, and that's that.

And don't think of Armenia as an intimidatingly foreign place. It's Europe. It's not Western Europe, of course, but it's still Europe. And with the exception of what's been going on recently, it's an extremely safe place to live.

Although, incidentally, I did sort of get attacked yesterday. My dad was in town visiting, so a couple of my co-workers and I set up an outing to a historic site, a 1600-year-old monastery about an hour outside Yerevan. And on our way back, as we were passing by a small village, our car was accosted by four boys (probably age 13 or so). They were just standing on the road, spaced out so that we couldn't pass through without running over at least one of them - as far as we could tell, their goal was simply to force us to buy flowers from them. My friend who was driving managed to disperse them a little by inching the car forward ever so slowly... but that didn't shake the resolve of the boy who was hanging on to the front of the car. So my friend Alex (big, intimidating guy) got out of the car and scared him off. The boy returned a few seconds later, armed with a cattle prod in each hand, trying to stab Alex before he could get back in the car and, having failed at that, trying to bash the car as we drove away. Interesting experience.

[RockieRooter]

Georgia is a separate country. One of the first to split off from the old Soviet Union. In fact the Russians countered Georgia's departure by sponsoring and arming rebels to get the northern provinces of Georgia (Abhasia (sp?)) to split off and rejoin with Russia. There's a connection because most Abhasians are long gone and the population is now mostly Armenian and Russian. By the way, Georgian wines can be extraordinarily good.

[TheIncredibleRox]

Wow. Take it easy on yourself over there man... like you said, I know it's not the Congo... but still. From the news we hear, seems somewhat amazing this was an acceptable weekend for sightseeing.

Practically everyone I know who's spent some time in the former Eastern bloc comes home with stories that remind you democractic society doesn't just happen because a wall fell. It's a slow transition. You mentioned the government.... does day-to-day life seem horribly corrupt as well? One of my roomates lived in Budapest for a while (and Hungary is pretty well thought of in terms of Eastern Europe).... he needed serious emergency medical care (he was very near dying), and when the ambulance came it was 'how much money do you have?' They weren't taking him anywhere unless he could grease them, death or not. I hear so many stories of this kind... has Armenia yet held similar experiences?

[Newman]

This is why you have to travel while you're YOUNG. I have very little experience outside of the USA. Some in Canada as a kid and all I remember were good times, huge 4 decker ice cream cones for a quarter.

Then there was Mexico, and the poverty, and the begging, and not feeling too safe there, the deeper we went in to Mexico that is.

Q: why didn't you just buy the flowers?

Lucky the boy returned with a cattle prod and not a gun. That's my American mind thinking...and one of the reasons I don't travel much. Who wants the hassles?

I've often wondered what it would be like if I couldn't follow my beloved baseball. I suppose you can get everything you need on the internet, box scores, games, and US here at Fanhome of course

But you can't get the local chit chat from the bartender or patron, the comfortable "how 'bout that Tulo last night" kind of comment. Of course I don't go to bars anymore either; so I wouldn't be much missing that.

Is soccer the sport of choice over there? Or IFC? Are you dominating the fantasy soccer leagues yet? How 'bout that Ronaldo?!

Good luck. Stay safe. Be alert.

[Heltonfan]

Q: why didn't you just buy the flowers?

Because that would have been letting the terrorists win? Seriously, good question. It didn't occur to us.

I suppose you can get everything you need on the internet, box scores, games, and US here at Fanhome of course.

Yep. The only thing I can't do is actually watch or listen to the games, because I'm on a dial-up connection (broadband exists, but costs like $125 a month. It's insane).

Soccer is indeed the sport of choice here. But it seems to me that sports in general aren't as popular here as they are in the States. At any rate, the concept of sports fandom is nowhere near as well developed. Sports are not water-cooler conversation here. Probably because Armenia is too small to have leagues of its own, and is also too small to field competitive teams on the international stage. Except in chess. Armenia won the world chess championships a couple years ago (beating big brother Russia), which was a huge thing.

I hear so many stories of this kind... has Armenia yet held similar experiences?

Not that I've seen or heard of, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least. And on a related note, I am quite afraid of what the quality of medical care here might be. I have yet to need to avail myself of it.

[Newman]

HF, how is it that you can teach English in Armenia? I mean can you speak Armenian as well? How did you happen on that skill? Or what language do THEY speak over there? Just wondering how you are pulling that off.

Are you teaching them about baseball as well? Sabremetrics? Liberal politics? Do you wear your Obama button as you teach your class? What is class size like over there? Are there any hot Romanian babes in your class and do you give them preferential treatment? Hey - enquiring minds want to know.

Well, you could be in worst places, like Colombia apparently. I wonder if Hugo is about to invade his neighbor?

[TheIncredibleRox]

I feel for Columbia; pinched between Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez, with both of them funding terrorist guerilla units within your borders.... iiiick.

My sister spent two years in Japan teaching English/American culture to young Japanese students. She didn't speak any Japanese when she went over. HF, as a linguist I'm sure you can appreciate the ridiculousness of that task; it's a crazy, massive set of alphabets with a foreign set of grammar rules, and entonation matters a lot. And talk about a culture shock!! She wasn't in a major city with any Western influence/accomodations.

One of her major schticks would be teaching classrooms about her family. I was 14/15 at the time, and she identified me as 'Adam, the baseball player.' Baseball burns so strongly in those people it makes the 1950's American fervor look disinterested by comparison. She told me I had a fanclub of 13-year old Japanese girls over there. Indeed, maybe a dozen students sent her letters after she returned to America (in horribly disfigured English... but who can blame them)... all the girls had inquiries about me. Tip; if you ever find yourself at a bar in Japan, and you're looking to score, just mention baseball... you're in.

[Heltonfan]

I mean can you speak Armenian as well?

Of course. I studied it at ASU before coming here; I'd never want to live somewhere without knowing the language.

TIR, nice story about your sister; that's a bold adventure indeed. Japanese scares the hell out of me. I'm restricting myself to European (or near-European, depending on how you categorize Armenia) languages for the time being.

One can get by with either Armenian or Russian here, but I haven't yet managed to develop my Russian to any useful level. It always cracks me up that Armenians are so convinced that their native language is extraordinarily difficult, when their second language is much, much harder.

Are you teaching them about baseball as well? Sabremetrics? Liberal politics? Do you wear your Obama button as you teach your class? What is class size like over there? Are there any hot Romanian babes in your class and do you give them preferential treatment? Hey - enquiring minds want to know.

I have wanted to take half an hour sometime and explain baseball to one of my classes, but since 80% or so of my students are girls, I fear that it wouldn't be very well received.

They don't need to be taught about liberal politics (and if they did, America would be a rather lousy example to use...). As you might imagine, by the very fact that they are devoting considerable time to studying English, they are pro-Western and non-insular in their thinking.

Class size depends on the institution. Where I'm teaching (at a private center), classes are 10 students at the most. The same class, at a university, would have probably double that amount (and I would imagine that lecture classes are an entirely different ballgame, just as they are in the States).

I can't give the hot babes preferential treatment, because "hot" is more or less the default here. It's rather incredible. Took me a couple months to adjust to the point of not being constantly distracted.

[Newman]

"Hot is the default here?!" Lucky you, I guess. I can only wonder what it's like being young and hormonal, like you, and teaching a bunch of foreign good looking young women. Students always look up to their teachers, in any culture, no? Isn't that a given? Well, this is moving to the realm of daydream material. What an enviable position you are in, HF, well, minus the violence. I wonder if there's a movie that would mirror your life at this time, teaching English to a bunch of western European super models?

My thinking is that foreigners learn about America thru our movies and tv shows. I wonder what your girls would think of Juno? Probably not a good movie suggestion. The dialog is too fast and too snappy. I wouldn't advise showing them No Country for Old Men either. Too grim, violent, and weird.

From my reading and watching movies it seems that foreigners were always taken by tv shows like Dallas or Knots Landing and that they get the idea that every American is super rich and very good looking. What is the top rated tv show today? American Idol? Yuck. What do you show them, when you want to take a break from teaching syntax and grammar, HF?

TIR that was an interesting blurb on your sister in Japan. I liked the comment about 1950s American baseball. How times have changed here. Now it's football that dominates the culture and the chit chat and the fantasy sports and talk radio.

[Newman]

Tomorrow evening, 6pm Denver time, on FSN, which is Ch 26 on my cable system, they are showing a program entitled "21 days". I think it depicts the incredible run of the Rox last year, when they went 15-1 to just eek into the playoffs, by getting the NL Wild Card, and then getting in to our first World Series.

Might be worth taping for posterity...or at least watching, to get into the mood for baseball again.