NYT article on literacy and the internet

A very interesting story in The New York Times this morning about literacy and the effects of teenagers' doing so much of their reading on the internet. I've included a portion I found particularly disturbing. (Though it's somewhat ironic that I only read the Times on-line now.)

Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?

Last fall the National Endowment for the Arts issued a sobering report linking flat or declining national reading test scores among teenagers with the slump in the proportion of adolescents who said they read for fun.

According to Department of Education data cited in the report, just over a fifth of 17-year-olds said they read almost every day for fun in 2004, down from nearly a third in 1984. Nineteen percent of 17-year-olds said they never or hardly ever read for fun in 2004, up from 9 percent in 1984. (It was unclear whether they thought of what they did on the Internet as “reading.”)

“Whatever the benefits of newer electronic media,” Dana Gioia, the chairman of the N.E.A., wrote in the report’s introduction, “they provide no measurable substitute for the intellectual and personal development initiated and sustained by frequent reading.”

Writing Tips

I've published some tips on how to become a better writer, originally published in Writers' Digest magazine. They're on my website at www.secondsetofeyes.com. I think I need to create a permanent page for the tips because they provide the simplest and most concise guide I've seen.

An update... Oso Grande recognized the "great" typo after several weeks of it being there, and it's now fixed.

Not so "great"

Ouch! The educational system in this country definitely needs reform! (And I'm very sorry to say this is my daughter's school.)

More pictures

Here are a couple more photos from our vacation, just because they're so beautiful. The one on the top is from Echo Lake again. The one on the bottom is from the American River, near Strawberry.

Not everyone should work as a copyeditor...

Would you hire this person as a copyeditor or proofreader? (Name deleted to protect the not-so-innocent.)

From craigslist:

Hi there! My name is ------ and I am offering my services as an editor/proofreader. I have 5 years of experience in the editing field and have a true passion for and command of the English language. My prices are extremely competitive and my turn-around time is lightning fast. I work from home, so I have no distractions and can focus completely on the task at hand. I realize that some documents entrusted to me might be highly sensitive. I can assure you, as I have an extensive medical and legal background, your documents will be treated with strict discression.

So, if you need professional assistance with ANYTHING English, this includes tutoring, just email me. I would love to work for you!

A vacation from writing

We just spent a wonderful week at Tahoe and other parts of the Sierra. I thought I'd do lots of writing, but realized what I really needed was to relax, be with family, and rejuvenate. I've posted a couple of photos from Echo Lake, my favorite spot in the world, but may post other Sierra vacation pictures from time to time, just because seeing them makes me happy.