There's a lot of buzz going on in Indiana -- or has been over the past few months, anyway -- about schools possibly doing away with teaching cursive. In fact, I didn't realize kids still had to learn cursive writing that looks like this: See, I learned to write in italics: Sure, I connect my letters, but the letterforms of the print and cursive versions are essentially the same (which can hardly be said of traditional cursive). Learning, and using, handwriting is faster that way and it's still legible. When I learned cursive, I didn't have to start all over. Now that I use it, I can write legibly without having to lift my pen at the end of every letter. (I took no trouble over that little scrap, but just wrote how I normally would. That's probably obvious on my terminal Hs and Ns -- I'm terrible at writing those properly unless I think about it.) Cursive is not a script which alone promotes legibility and ease of use; nor is it the only way to...

Apparently this was the week that the world decided to intrude itself into the U.S. news consciousness. Egypt’s government is slip-sliding away; Tunisia’s was/ doing the same; Jordan’s may be showing signs of… something; Yemeni people are standing in solidarity with the Egyptians; and the U.S. isn’t exactly sure what to do with it all. But in other news—there was a bit of good news. South Sudan voted to secede from the North, and its independence is being recognized. (Picture by Mark Allen White , relative of a friend.) There are still some things that need to be smoothed out—one region on the border is claimed by both the North and the South, for one thing—but so far, so good. As long as the unrest in the other countries doesn’t spread to the Sudan and mangle things up. Praise the Lord for this bit of good news, though. He knows South Sudan needs it…

Ross Douthat wrote a fascinating column for the NYT yesterday called “ The Roots of White Anxiety ,” in which he explored how the admissions process at elite private universities, aided by affirmative-action policies, tends to make white, working-class students a minority in those theoretically diverse student bodies. Nieli highlights one of the study’s more remarkable findings: while most extracurricular activities increase your odds of admission to an elite school, holding a leadership role or winning awards in organizations like high school R.O.T.C., 4-H clubs and Future Farmers of America actually works against your chances. Consciously or unconsciously, the gatekeepers of elite education seem to incline against candidates who seem too stereotypically rural or right-wing or “Red America.” Maybe it’s best that I didn’t bother applying to Harvard. I was president, secretary, and news reporter for several years in my local 4-H club, and was secretary for a couple years in the coun...

As you may (or may not) be aware, I’m writing a few articles this summer for my local paper. My latest one was just published yesterday—in the Sunday paper, on July 4th , and just inside on page A3—and it was about a little old lady who’s recently decided to be an artist. The link will only work for a couple weeks, maybe a month, before it sinks into the pay-per-view archives, but until then you can check it out. A little tidbit that’s not in the article: She’s painted a rendition of the famous “Christ knocking on heart’s door,” and won a ribbon with her painting at her town’s festival. She gave her most recent painting, a waterfall scene, to her doctor, who plans to hang it in his lobby.

I read an article on Yahoo! News today about a man who killed another person in Montana back in the 1950s, skipped out on parole about 20 years after that, and managed to hide in plain sight for several decades until the victim’s grandson tracked him down. This man, Frank Dryman, went by the name Victor Houston while he lived in Arizona, started his own wedding-chapel business, and even married a woman (who knew nothing of his past until he was apprehended). "They [law enforcement] just forgot about me," said Dryman, in his first interview since being caught and sent back to the prison he last left in the 1960s. "I was a prominent member of the community." And what does he have to say about his misdeeds? Well, to quote the article, “he is not kindly disposed to the victim’s grandson,” who found him with some private investigative help. "I can't blame him for what he did," Dryman said. "But I think it was so wrong he spent so much money get...

One project that I had worked on quite a bit, but had to give up, was a story on a nonprofit organization that had just started providing job training for former prison inmates in New York . I didn’t want to give it up, though, so I didn’t really. I kept corresponding with my contact, and though I could not put together a convergence project (i.e., a story with video and slideshow and audio to accompany it), I ended up with a decent print story with a few photos. That story was just posted online today. And the best part about this story was working with my contact. She was amazingly cooperative—not a common experience for a journalist—and even went so far as to stay up late just to find me an official document stating New York’s recidivism rate. I have an e-mail from this lady date-stamped at 11:26 at night, after she was already worn out after a full day at various New York prisons and looking forward to the Memorial Day weekend. I would never have asked her to do that, but she we...

My most recent WJI news project is now up: New York libraries are facing a huge funding cut . For this project, the video was the key piece, and I’ll go ahead and embed it here. Take a look!

Miracle for alternative transit on 34th Street I couldn't resist the allusion. EDIT: The website was slightly reworked, so the old link no longer works. Please follow the new one.

I read a blog post over at World Magazine's blog related to the recent Russian adoption fiasco , where a family sent an adopted child back to Russia. This story was about another family who had managed to keep their adopted children, also Russian, instead of giving up. These children were all under 5 years old when they were brought into their new family. Now-- Ruggiero’s younger daughter is 17 and still screams. Ruggiero wrote poignantly that she doesn’t really have any real relationship with her older daughter who’s 19. Their 20-year-old son left home and lives on his own; he doesn’t communicate with the family. “There isn’t any doubt that we love them,” Ruggiero wrote, “but I think it’s hard for them to understand what love means.” I continued through the story, and started reading the comments. Some people mentioned something called reactive attachment disorder , which is apparently a big problem with children adopted from orphanages in Eastern Europe. I never knew this...

ABC just obtained over 2700 images previously unreleased by the New York Police. Not that I needed a reminder... but wow. Powerful photos.

In the middle of suppertime--or rather, while Mom was making supper and talking to Dad, so we hadn't even eaten--my family got a call from our U.S. Representative inviting us to listen in or participate in a tele-Town Hall. So, my siblings and I have been listening, and Mom and Dad are doing so as they can (Mom's still cooking, of course).

I just saw on Yahoo! News that a Belgian man who was thought to have been in a coma wasn't really. The catch? He was in that supposed coma for 23 years !! (From the U.K.'s The Guardian .) Then a neurologist rediagnosed him... and figured out that he knew everything that was going on around him, just was severely paralyzed. So they gave him 3 years of intense therapy, and now he can use a finger and a touchpad to communicate. Experts say Laureys' findings are likely to reopen the debate over when the decision should be made to terminate the lives of those in comas who appear to be unconscious but may have almost fully-functioning brains. Now, I'm opposed to "pulling the plug" on a patient in a coma (or severely paralyzed, or what have you) on principle--but this just makes one ponder what could happen should a patient in a coma... not be in a coma... and have the life support stopped.

I wish our local newspaper had a much bigger world-news section. Then maybe I'd be learning a little more about the whole hullabaloo in Iran lately. As it seems a lot of Iranians are unhappy (to say the least!) with the elections, the Iranian government has been cracking down on information transmission... the Internet, and foreign journalists, too . (Thanks to my cousin for the link.) Eyewitnesses are reporting that fully-credentialed foreign journalists are similarly being detained all over Tehran today. The deputy head of the Ministry of Guidance just told me on the phone that other journalists have also been beaten, and that the official permissions no longer work. Also, foreign journalist visas are not being extended, so all of those people who were allowed in to cover the elections are now being forced out in the messy aftermath. Nobody is going to believe that the election wasn't rigged. Not when the government is responding like this.... Mild rant: I just want to yell...

I wanted to title this one "Observations upon the economy, engagement, and work environments" but that's just a little too long for my taste.... but observations they are, notwithstanding any title change, and here they follow. 1. My itty bitty town's largest employer announced today it will close in a year. This little town practically subsists upon the tax revenues from this particular business. And now... the town's already facing deficit issues, and this will only exacerbate the problems. Not to mention the twelve hundred or so who will soon be unemployed. Throw in a union and you have quite a little mess. 2. My pastor's daughter got engaged to her boyfriend of... three or four years! I knew it was coming, and probably this summer was my guess, but his asking her on the top of the Eiffel Tower at night was a perfectly lovely way to do it, in my opinion (and in probably everyone else's too!). (She was on a school trip in Europe, and he flew there f...

Wow. Just saw a little news article on the Social Security Administration's new top-names list. For once my name isn't in the top ten! (Hasn't been since 2002, as I just found out.) Even my sister's name beats mine. How very odd. And Isabella? Who knew that it would be the second most popular girl's name this past year.... The guys' names are all pretty predictable, though. I am quite glad that Alexander and Anthony got on! I like those names. ( Curious where yours falls? )

So, apparently the students on staff at Cedarville University's student newspaper won't stand for the PR department looking over their shoulder . "...the PR department’s excessive attempt to censor Cedars necessarily violates our operating model, and the Cedars staff has thus decided to cease publication," the students write. "Review by the public relations department undermines our ability to think critically and engage culture. We grieve the loss of free expression and healthy discourse once found in your newspaper, traits that ought to characterize all vibrant institutions of higher learning." ( More over at World Blog. ) Sure, it's a private institution, and sure, it's a bunch of students who are still learning the ropes. But this is much farther than most (if not all) colleges take their privilege of reviewing the student newspaper. Especially since it's the PR department that's doing this. It smacks a lot of prior restraint (which i...

I sent off my red envelope last Tuesday.... and the White House has received it, along with over two million more .

We're in a recession... worldwide... and the government decides it's time for a spending spree??!!?? On top of the last one, the bank bailout?? They're basically ruining any chance I have in the future of establishing a secure economic foundation.... of getting a good job, saving up enough to buy a house, etc. And it's not just Americans... we'll have to borrow the funds. From where? Other countries, I guess... who are just as indebted as we are, or almost. Then where else? Switzerland? They haven't got that much money... So it's going to be printed. Yay, more valueless money floating around... lessening the value of the "money" we (and countries that rely on U.S. currency) still have. This is why the gold standard ought to have been maintained. It would have kept such spendthrift politicians in check. What is this world going to do....

Seriously. One of my better-liked magazine writers, living in China, posted a couple things on his blog about it: I have been more affected by the preceding 2.5 years in China than I thought. For instance: ...I would have taken it for granted if certain live dispatches from the US or Europe suddenly disappeared from the screen.... But from within the US on this trip, I realize that it's actually quite incredible that Chinese broadcast authorities-- representing the world's most populous nation, the one whose relations with the U.S. will make a huge difference to the entire world's future, the country that presented itself to all other countries as a full, major, mature power with its Olympic games -- would pull the plug on live coverage of Barack Obama's inaugural address just because Obama began talking about the virtues of dissent. More here and in his second post about it . There's also the question of whether Chinese authorities rip open your mail packages...

...the anniversary was yesterday. Phil Keaggy--"Little Ones" Who will speak up for the little ones? Helpless and half-abandoned. They've got the right to choose life They don't want to lose, I've got to speak up, won't you? Equal rights, equal time, for the unborn children. Their precious lives are on the line, How can we be rid of them? Passing laws, passing out Bills and new amendments. Pay the cost and turn about, And face the young defendants. Who will speak up for the little ones? Helpless and half-abandoned. They've got the right to choose life They don't want to lose, I've got to speak up, won't you? Many come and many go, Conceived but not delivered. The toll is astronomical, How can we be indifferent. Little hands, little feet, Tears for Him who made you. Should all on earth forsake you now, But He'll never forsake you. Who will speak up for the little ones? Helpless and half-abandoned. They've g...