There . . .

. . . most resent pitcher . . .

(from http://www.teachthought.com/industry/12-data-points-detailing-the-crisis-of-poor-writing-in-america/)
1. Four out of five students are not proficient writers.


2. Even with spell check and a thesaurus on hand, just 27% of students are able to write well-developed essays with proper language use.


3. Even worse, 26.2% of college graduates produce writing that rates as deficient.


4. Fewer than 50% of college seniors feel their writing improved during college.



5. SAT writing scores are falling, too.


6. About 17% of college freshmen require remedial writing classes.


7. The average fourth grader spends fewer than 3 hours per week writing.


8. Students struggle with reading.


9. Poor writing cost employers $3.1 billion per year.


10. Many students prefer texting over composition.


11. Male students are struggling worse than female students.


12. Writing isn’t considered fun by today’s students.

What do you think?

Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html  or at
http://www.ohomusic.com 


OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak.  Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com 


My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music will be released April 7, 2014  Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Un-Make . . .

In a recent essay at www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/20156-an-open-letter-to-you, William Rivers Pitt expresses an extreme helplessness at some recent events in the news which are representative of some of the major problems in modern American society.

The Democratic politician who smashes all the worldly belongings of people who live on the street because he hates homeless people;  the video game based upon the Sandy Hook tragedy which was banned post-haste while nothing was done about the causes of the initial tragedy;  and the young, 99 percent-er who died of a treatable ailment because of the inability to get health insurance.
Details can be pursued through the hyperlink above.

There's not much to add.  And I certainly could not add anything that would be as eloquent as what Mr. Pitt has composed. I do feel the need to quote this particular portion though:

". . . I hope it is not a hollow room, a hollow country, a hollow soul I speak to, because these three stories happen all the time, and every day. This is where you live, and this is who you are. If you have a conscience, it makes you feel dirty in your heart.

We are responsible for this. We are all part of this thing that is dismantling our basic humanity brick by brick.

We can un-make it.  We simply have to. . ."


LET'S . . .

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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