Did He Think This Through?

I want you to think when you write. Is that really too much to ask? I just read an article on CNN's website explaining the pains that people in Camden, Alabama are feeling over gas prices. These people, shelling out some 13% of their paychecks for gas, are really feeling it. To this I have to say, "Well duh!" They paid this journalist, Steve Hargreaves, to tell us that fuel prices are high and that they hurt poor people who drive a lot more than others!
Take this example from the story's lead: "Corey Carter spends a quarter of his paycheck on gas." I feel for this guy, but I don't have any sympathy for Hargreaves, who doesn't give me sufficient information to know what to make of this story. How far does Carter drive to work? Why doesn't he carpool? What does he drive? If he's driving some 1978 Lincoln or other gas chugger, then might he not consider trying to downsize? It's possible that Carter drives a highly tuned hybrid from his mountain-top retreat where he cares for his mother who can't be moved and works a shift that nobody else who lives on his side of the plant works. Maybe, but with this fine writer--who apparently did most of his legwork for this article at a filling station--we'll never know.
Similarly, when he says, "For local businesses, an extra dollar spent in the tank means one not spent at the restaurant or hardware store," you wonder if you really needed to be told this bit of wisdom. An extra dollar spent on the cellphone bill or on the cable bill or on the lights or the water or taxes or anything else is also a dollar out of the local economy. How about a dollar spent on lottery tickets, Steve?
Just because Mr. Hargreaves gets paid for his writing does not make it good. I urge you to think harder than this guy thought before you sit down to pen your next grade-gathering effort.

Mind Mapping

While we're worrying ourselves about the mind, I'd like to say a word about mind-mapping. Actually, I'd like to say several words.
Word #1: Just what is mind-mapping? For all you visual thinkers, it's a powerful technique for taking notes and organizing thoughts. I saw a demonstration of it in a class once and was so impressed that I've shamelessly plagiarized that demo in my own classes. You might want to check out Tony Buzan's book on the topic.
Word #2: Isn't there free web-based software for just about everything? Well of course. You can scoot over to Mindomo to see how easily (and cheaply) you can make one of these little delights. Granted, it's not as fun as having a whole box full of colored pens, but you can't have everything--at least not in PHP.

How to Think

Is that a practical title, or what? This little bit of wisdom is written by somebody a lot more science-oriented than I am, but his ten methods for thinking will translate nicely to just about any discipline.

Why Should We Study?

In "A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law" (1765), John Adams admonishes his readers not to presume that the spirit that led to the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution of 1688 had died out entirely in less than a century. He instead assured his readers that such a spirit still existed, not only in England but in America as well. However, Adams added a warning to his assurance of the spirit's continued life:

This spirit, however, without knowledge, would be little better than a brutal rage. Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.

You can find the last sentence of this quotation now at the top of a large placard advertising the new HBO miniseries about Adams. I saw it today in the post office. Given the general cluelessness of many high school graduates today, I have to wonder how seriously our society takes this admonition. Adams does not simply suggest that we "dare to read, think, speak, and write." He suggests it for a very specific reason, so that we do not descend into brutishness, so that we can be worthy of the political and social liberty that our heritage has bequeathed to us.
As a home-schooling parent and a teacher, I would urge those who read Adams' words to look beyond that one-sentence quotation and read this Founding Father's words in their original context. Should we fail to dare for the reason that Adams proposes and simply dare to descend into self-absorption and trash, we'll find the cause of liberty to be a lost one.

Get a Dictionary!

It isn't available online yet, but the last page in the April Atlantic has a marvelous response to two letter writers asking for definitions on two different words. The Word Court writer points out that while dictionaries cannot be expected to define every possible word that you might want it to define, good dictionaries cover an amazing amount of turf. He specifically suggests two dictionaries that I would also recommend:

• The American Heritage Dictionary
• The New Oxford American Dictionary

Yes, they cost a bit of dough, but if you're serious about using words--and any person with an eye on success in our world should be--then think of these as more of an investment than as an expense.

Are You Smart or Stoopid?

If you'd like to test your relative excellence in matters cerebral, check out this little test. Feel free to share your results for all to ridicule.

The Famous Final Line

Maybe you've been waiting to finish that great American novel with a truly inspired final line. Some people think that the opening line is the most important thing, but, let's face it, the final line is the lasting impression that people get. At least those people who manage to finish the book. You'll find a list of the 100 best concluding sentences in novels here.