Vardy helps Van Nistelrooy to first win with Leicester as Guehi defies the FA with religious messagePublished 12:00 am Monday, December 30, 2024 By Guest Columnist The death of cursive handwriting reared its ugly head during the recent presidential election. Since 2010, according to Yahoo News, many states have dropped cursive writing from their curricula as they shifted to Common Core State Standards for English. As a result, many Gen Z Americans lack a distinctive cursive signature, which posed a problem for Gen Z voters who used mail-in ballots last month. Since officials had great difficulty matching Gen Z mail-in-ballot signatures to the signatures the government had on file for them, many of their ballots were tossed. This problem has renewed interest in the cursive debate. As it goes, the origin of cursive dates back centuries. It was the result of technological innovations in writing — inkwells and quill pens made from goose feathers. Since the ink dripped when you lifted the quill from the paper, it made sense to connect letters and words together in one flowing line — and cursive writing was born. My mother and father were taught to master cursive in the 1940s. Both mastered incredibly elegant handwriting. I grew up in the 1970s, the era of Bic ballpoint pens. Such pens didn’t leak and, technically, didn’t re quire cursive writing. But the good nuns of St. Germaine Catholic School made us master it anyway. They’d be horrified to see the chicken scratch I write now, though I have an excuse. I am a product of the electronic era. I do all my writing on a computer. I’ve become very fast at keying-in my thoughts. When I write by hand, though, I am so agitated by the slowness, I rush it along. My dad joked that I should have been a doctor! In any event, with such modern technological innovations, some argue that cursive is no longer needed and is also costly and time-consuming to teach. Curses to that, say others. More than a decade ago, Katie Zezima argued in The New York Times that if people are not taught cursive, they’ll be more at risk of forgery; printing in block letters is much easier to replicate. And the development of fine motor skills will be thwarted, she added. Besides, she asked, how will people unfamiliar with cursive read important documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution? To be sure, it has become such a growing problem that the government is spending taxpayer money to transcribe historical cursive documents, so that Gen Z can read them. I’m certainly a proponent of moving forward with innovation. I’m able to run a communications and video-production business from anywhere on Earth without any need for cursive handwriting. Then again, I wonder that in our eagerness to advance, we tossed out the baby with the bath water. The mail-in-ballot issue certainly should make us see the need for distinct cursive signatures, but there’s a human element to keeping cursive, too. One of my most prized possessions is a letter written by my father’s father in 1924 consoling a woman whose mother had just died. He wrote the letter when he was 21. I was given the letter in 1997 by the son of the woman my grandfather wrote the letter to. I was struck by how similar my grandfather’s writing style was to my father’s — how similar his writing style was to mine — and I was moved by the beauty and artfulness of his signature. I can’t imagine a world in which letters written in cursive are no longer left behind for future generations to cherish. See Tom Purcell’s syndicated column, humor books and funny videos featuring his dog, Thurber, at TomPurcell.com. Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com.
Making Money in Real Estate Stocks
The introduction of a new variety of rice known as the "lifesaving straw" has captured the attention of farmers, scientists, and investors alike. This genetically modified rice has been shown to have remarkable drought-resistant properties, allowing it to thrive in arid conditions where traditional crops like corn would struggle. With climate change continuing to pose a threat to global food security, the potential of this new rice variety to withstand extreme weather conditions has sparked discussions about its impact on the agricultural landscape.
As Zhou Qi continues to rehab and train, Xu Limin is confident that he will be able to make a strong comeback and showcase his true talents on the court. With his size, skill, and experience, Zhou Qi has the potential to be a game-changer for his team and make a significant impact in the world of basketball.In conclusion, the recent series of airstrikes by Israel in Syria has significantly escalated tensions in the region and raised concerns about the possibility of a wider conflict breaking out. It is crucial for all parties involved to exercise restraint and seek peaceful solutions to their differences to prevent further suffering and instability in the already troubled region.
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Montana lawmakers narrowly voted down a proposal Tuesday that would have banned transgender women from using the women’s bathroom reserved for legislators between the House and Senate chambers. The biennial legislative session starts in January and legislators were meeting to propose changes to the rules that will dictate how they operate over the 90-day term. While the amendment to the joint rules that govern both the House and Senate garnered an 11-7 vote of support from senators on the Joint Rules Committee, it failed among House members 10-12. The proposal needed to pass both chambers separately to advance. Support came only from majority Republicans, while all minority Democrats and a handful of GOP lawmakers opposed the idea. “We don’t need this distraction,” said Republican Rep. David Bedey, of Hamilton, before he voted against the amendment. Hamilton man accused of brandishing gun in Thanksgiving Day road-rage incident Kalispell man killed in head-on crash over holiday weekend Malta's Blaine Downing commits to Montana State Bobcats for football Montana leads nation in reported cases in salmonella outbreak, CDC says Former Montana Grizzly running back Joey Counts dies at age 31 Application for fence crossing Bitterroot River tributary withdrawn, new one expected Annual Hamilton Christmas Stroll set for Saturday, Nov. 30 Sheriff’s Office seeks info on unsafe shooting in Stevensville Laurel police kill Highway Patrol dog as it was mauling a man Open Lands Board approves funding for 21-acre nature park in Victor An influx of outsiders and money turns Montana Republican, culminating in a Senate triumph Trapping setback requirements removed from most seasonally closed roads in Ravalli County Searchers ask for assistance in finding missing Bozeman man Softly into the Night - An end of life love story Big Sky Notebook: Several conference players plan to enter transfer portal The proposed change was brought by Rep. Jerry Schillinger, a Republican from Circle. Over the last several legislative sessions, GOP lawmakers have brought a handful of bills that would limit the ability of transgender Montanans to update their driver's licenses, block trans girls from playing on girls’ school sports teams and more. In the 2023 session, operations on the House floor ground to a halt when one of the state's first trans lawmakers, Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, was blocked from speaking when the Republican speaker censured her after comments she made on a bill to ban gender-affirming care for minors. The website PolitiFact notes that at least a dozen states have some sort of laws related to blocking transgender people from using the bathrooms that are in line with their gender identities. Most recently, a federal representative introduced a resolution to ban transgender women from using women's bathrooms in the U.S. Capitol. Bedey said Tuesday he felt a change to the rules was unnecessary. “I do think that taking this particular action is a distraction from us doing our duties. We have a reasonable accommodation that we put in place. This particular action will have the effect of making people famous in the national news and will not contribute to the effective conduct of our business,” Bedey said. Rep. Jed Hinkle, a Republican from Belgrade, said last session there were locks on the bathroom doors between the Senate and House chambers and people could lock the door if they were uncomfortable. But he also said he knew of “multiple women” who did not use the bathroom and instead went to one across the Capitol building. “It may have worked for some females who were comfortable, but there are a number of females in both chambers who are not comfortable,” Hinkle said. Bedey said there was no evidence of people missing votes because they were unable to use the facilities between the House and Senate chambers. The rules package advanced by lawmakers Tuesday will be debated and voted on by the full House and Senate after the session starts Jan. 6. Author twitter Author email