Topical Guide 215
Mark Dorset
Foreshadowing
When I arrived at the gym, Mr. Summers and Robby Haskins were standing in the circle painted on the floor. Mr. Summers was holding a toy gun. I recognized it at once because I had one myself. It was a model of a bazooka. It fired Ping-Pong balls. An involuntary shudder ran through me at the sight of it, prompted by memories of the nasty game my friends and I played with mine, standing one another against a wall, facing the wall, as targets, and teasing the target to make him flinch in fear between the firing of the gun, whoomp, and the impact, smack, of the Ping-Pong ball, feeble and harmless though the impact was. At those who flinched, we laughed, and the laughter was mortifying. This toy bazooka seemed an odd thing for Mr. Summers to have, and I wanted to ask him why he had it, but I said nothing.
Little Follies, “The Young Tars”
Keep your eye on that gun. This is the cover of the Babbington Press’s 2012 pocket-size paperback edition of “The Young Tars”:
Jargon; Technical Terminology
The rest of the Tars were in the bleachers, hanging around, waiting for the meeting to begin. I walked onto the floor, carrying the manual and the box of notes.
“Ah,” said Mr. Summers when he spotted me, “here comes Commodore Leroy with the manual.”
“Yes, sir,” I said. I corrected myself: “I mean, ‘Aye, sir.’”
“‘Aye, sir’?” asked Robby.
“Aye, sir,” I said. “A Tar is supposed to say ‘Aye, sir,’ when answering a Tar of superior rank—to indicate agreement, that is.”
“Was that in my notes?” asked Mr. Summers.
“Aye, sir,” I said.
“Well, good,” he said, surprised again by one of his own ideas. “I’d forgotten that. It’s good. Very good. It’s nautical.”Little Follies, “The Young Tars”
aye, aye
(/ˌaɪ ˈaɪ/) A reply to an order or command to indicate that it, firstly, is heard; and, secondly, is understood and will be carried out (e.g. “Aye, aye, sir” to officers). Also the proper reply from a hailed boat, to indicate that an officer is on board.Wikipedia, “Glossary of nautical terms”
Let not the reader be scandalized by this gravity amid the frivolous . . .
Baudelaire, “The Painter of Modern Life” (translated by Jonathan Mayne)
From “How You Can Help Ukraine,” The New York Times:
1. Direct Relief
Direct Relief is one of the world’s largest distributors of donated medical supplies. Over the past six months, it has provided Ukraine with $26 million in medical aid.Last weekend, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health sent Direct Relief a list of items it needed, such as 500 emergency medical packs. The organization is working to acquire and deliver those supplies.
2. Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps provides humanitarian assistance and community building in more than 40 countries, including Afghanistan and Yemen. After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the organization sent workers to Ukraine’s separatist regions to repair war-damaged houses and deliver water and sanitation supplies.Mercy Corps is sending aid workers to Romania and Poland along the Ukrainian border, where it plans to support local organizations with cash grants in the coming weeks.
3. International Medical Corps
Since 2014, International Medical Corps has provided medical services and prescription medicine to people in eastern Ukraine.To meet the needs of Ukrainians displaced by the conflict, the organization plans to increase its presence in the country, focusing in particular on mental health care and access to food and water.
4. Save the Children
Save the Children has been providing education, food, water and cash grants to Ukrainians since 2014. Over the past year, Save the Children prepared for escalating conflict in Ukraine by helping local organizations stock up on hygiene kits and winter clothes. Since the Russian invasion, it has helped distribute those supplies and provided protective services for unaccompanied minors who are fleeing the country.
Many of the experts we spoke to for this article shared the same advice: If you decide to donate, specify that your gift go toward the conflict in Ukraine. Otherwise, your money may end up paying for a charity’s general operating expenses.
The second big caveat: “Don’t donate to the first crowdfunding campaign or charity that asks,” said Laurie Styron, the executive director of CharityWatch, a charity evaluator.Some nonprofits give a hefty chunk of donations to their executives, and heartbreaking crowdfunding campaigns can turn out to be scams. Do your homework before you sign any checks.
That said, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good when it comes to donating — whether you’re giving $5, $500, or spending an afternoon protesting or contacting elected officials.
[more to come on Tuesday, March 15, 2022]
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