Great response, Fish; you've given your usual problem solving ability to the question. However, in this situation you are perhaps being overly, yet entertainingly, analytical.

There is no correct answer - not even my own simplistic one. Moreover, it's not even something I've given a lot of thought to. Just a little thing I decided to toss out there before heading off on vacation.

As for my simplistic answer, it's simply that no one in the office has been told to dispose of the useless pair of scissors. The often frustrating ineptness and recalcitrance we encounter in China can often be traced back to such a simple answer. Chinese, in general, have not yet reached that plateau where they can act without direction. Spontaneity, even in small ways, has been culturally bred out of them it seems.

The proximity of the Dean's office is apropos not only by the fact that he can't have not noticed the useless scissors, but also that he is easily accessible - he could easily be asked what to do about the stupid scissors. I mean, after all, the staff has seen us laughing about this seemingly trivial thing.

Well, who knows, maybe they, the staff, are just effin with us.

Now, if there is a point to all of this, it can perhaps be found here: Last year, as a coordinator, I made a decision that had important consequences for all of the first year students at this college. I had been quite sick for an extended period of time and had to foist some responsibilities on other members of my group, fully expecting that they would work together to write, edit and proofread the midterm exam. I recovered only in time to help invigilate the exam, which, by the way, had been approved by the Dean. As it turns out, and as I discovered at the time I was invigilating in one of the classes, the test was a shambles. Grammatical mistakes were rampant, but the most glaring error was a twenty point question that was totally inappropriate for the level of the students and for the subject matter of the exam, and therefore totally unfair to the students. My decision? Drop that question and spread the point totals into the other questions so that we'd still end up with a 100 point exam - a necessary yet annoying rule in itself.

Consequences? All hell broke loose after I went to 15 different classrooms and told them to forget that question. Why? Spontaneity not allowed. No meeting to discuss the ramifications. No decisions allowed without going through the proper channels. Chinese culture methinks. And so you roll with it. You try to adapt, but sometimes it reaches a point where frustration abounds. The scissors, then, are just a metaphor for my own frustration. In addition, although, I'm still coordinating, I have no real meaningful relationship with the Dean. I can't be trusted. All well and good, but it is rather amusing, if not irksome, to see that the schmoozers and yes men still have a cozy relationship with him.

Pardon the wandering observations....................and, last but not least, glad to see you back, Fish. And glad to see you still outwitting the Turnip bunch.