Nov 27
001

The Importance of Paper at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

By Paige Wills in Why Choose Paper?

 

 

Paper Notes left at Vietnam Memorial - Photo by: Paige Wills

          Something that is often overlooked is the importance of paper notes and letters at memorials. I recently visited Washington D.C. and I saw all of the memorials downtown. One thing I noticed was all of the handwritten notes, letters, and poems that are left at the memorials, especially at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

            People travel from all over the world and visit this memorial. These letters were from family members, friends, and complete strangers. Writing a note, letter, or poem is a way to say thank you and pay tribute to those for whom the memorial represents.

           According to the National Parks Service’s website, leaving objects at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has been a tradition since the 1980s.

            Now you may be wondering what happens to all of the objects that are left. According to the National Parks Service’s website, each night, Park Rangers collect and inventory all of the items that are left at the memorial. The items make up a museum collection. The first collection had 554 objects. There are now over 50,000 items in the collection.

            Seeing all of the paper, notes, letters, and mementos at the memorial was awe-inspiring. It makes the memorial come to life. Have you ever left a piece of paper, handwritten note, or poem at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial or a different memorial? Was the letter for a specific person or for everyone the memorial is dedicated to?

            Check out this article below to see pictures and descriptions of some of the items that have been left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Notice how some form of paper note or letter appears with most of the objects.

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Nov 23
000

The Importance of Paper & Advertisements on Black Friday

By Paige Wills in Why Choose Paper?

 

           

A Turkey.

Image via Wikipedia

           Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to get together, eat good food, reminisce, and shop! I don’t know about your family, but my family waits for the Black Friday advertisements. In addition to the food, it is the next “big thing” to do at our family Thanksgiving. Everyone talks about all of the good deals and asks if anyone is brave enough to go out in the mayhem.

            I love flipping through the paper, seeing all of the “good” deals. I usually go through the ads at least twice. Then my mom and I put a plan into action. We pick out the places we are going to go and take all of the other advertisements with us (just in case).

           Now, we aren’t one of those families that wait in line days in advance. Our tactic is a little different. We avoid the malls, go to the smaller, less traveled stores, and shop for smaller items and deals simply because we just don’t have enough gumption to wait in line that long.

          We usually say we are going to get up and get to the stores early. However, sometimes the turkey dinner wins and we decide to sleep a little longer. Sometimes we don’t go out at all. It just depends. I think this year we may try and go out to some of the stores that open at midnight because if we arrive when we normally do (around 10 a.m.) everything might be gone!

          I just couldn’t imagine Thanksgiving without the advertisements. It is something to look forward to, even if there aren’t any great deals. It marks the kick off of the holiday season, which in my opinion, truly is the best time of the year.

         What are your Black Friday traditions? Do you enjoy reading and looking at all of the stores’ advertisements? Or do you prefer to sit back and watch all of the craziness of the day on the news?

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Nov 22
001

Paper & Thanksgiving: Writing What You Are Thankful For

By Paige Wills in Why Choose Paper?

 

          

Thanksgiving Turkey

Image via Wikipedia

         With today’s dreary economy, it is sometimes hard to remember what we are thankful for. However, the holidays are right around the corner. The holidays are a time to get together with friends and loved ones to show our appreciation. This means it is a great time to sit down and write what and/or who we are thankful for.
          Do you remember making paper hand turkeys when you were in elementary school? Everyone traced their hand and made the silhouette of a turkey. Then on each feather, we wrote who or what we were thankful for.
          It may seem like a silly exercise, especially for those who are not in elementary school. In my opinion, however, this simple exercise of writing down what we are thankful for is a nice reminder of what really matters in life. It makes us think in depth and helps us realize what is really important in our lives.
          So this Thanksgiving, if you have a few extra minutes, I believe this could be a fun and rewarding exercise to do with your family. Even if you are too busy to write it down on paper, I ask that you at least think about what or who you are thankful for this holiday season.

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Nov 19
000

Advertisements Tout the Importance of Paper-Based Communication

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry

 

            

U.S. Mail Storage Box

Image via Wikipedia

              With the looming postal crisis, The United States Post Service recently released advertisements meant to display the importance of paper in our society. One of the ads touts that “a refrigerator has never been hacked; an online virus has never attacked a cork-board…” He goes on to say to “…give your customers the added security a printed receipt or statement provides with mail….”

                I believe this ad makes an important point. It is true that printed paper will not give you a virus or be hacked. However, I can see the irony in the advertisements. Some people believe that the Internet is just as safe as the post office. We have all heard stories of postal employees stealing gift cards out of the mail or burglars stealing mail out of people’s mailboxes. So neither the Internet or the Post Office is 100 percent safe; however, I prefer the latter.

                I still put my trust in the paper versions of things. I mean it is a lot harder to walk up to a mailbox and take mail without someone seeing you. Whereas, people can steal things from the internet sitting behind the “safety” of their computer screen. Cyber-theft is a lot harder to enforce and track whereas, mail theft can be tracked. In my opinion, mail thieves have a better chance of getting caught committing the act then cyber thieves.

                Watch the USPS advertisment from YouTube below and tell me your thoughts. Do you think the advertisements get the message across or do you disagree with the message? Do you feel safer sending a check in the mail or using your credit card number on the Internet?

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Nov 02
000

The Importance of Mail: A Possible Solution to the Postal Crisis

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry, Why Choose Paper?

 
USPS service delivery truck in a residential a...

Image via Wikipedia

     I was recently watching the television show, Sunday Morning, and Ben Stein discussed the importance of mail.

     On the Oct. 16 segment titled “Please, Mr. Postman, Raise my Postage!”, Stein talked about the possible closing of many post offices because many people are using the Internet and e-mail instead of paper to communicate.

      He discussed the important role the post office has played in his life. He said on the clip, “But just for me, email will never replace a printed or handwritten letter on an actual piece of paper. The most cunning email, with moving angels and dolphins and music attached, is not as touching to me as a letter some kindly soul sat down and wrote to me.”

     He went on to say in the segment, “I guess it’s because I am 66 years old, and I can remember the anticipation of getting letters and cards from relatives – mostly now long gone – and girls I had mad crushes on in high school.”

     However, Stein said the reason the United States Postal Service is in this situation is because postage is simply too cheap.  He said one dollar for first-class mail sounds like a fair price in order to save the post office.

     I think Stein accurately summarized many people’s feelings about the post office. I’m not sure in this economy if raising postage to one dollar would go over so well. However, if it meant keeping the post office open and preventing thousands of people from losing their jobs, I believe after all was said and done, Americans would pay the increase.

     On the other hand, do you think a major price increase would make others simply stop using the post office altogether?

     He ended the segment by saying, “Please, please, Mr. Postman Obama, let us pay more, but let’s keep mail service as it is – it’s a beautiful thing.”

     What do you think? Do you think Americans would be willing to pay for postage to save the USPS or do you think this strategy would backfire?

     Check out the video below or click here to read more.

     Watch the

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