Dear Colleague:

Election 2000 has now passed from an exciting extra inning game into a mara= thon event. It reminds me of the 1969 movie -They Shoot Horses, Don't They. The movie's intricately interwoven plot centered around a marathon dance contest taking place in the 1930's. The poverty stricken participants struggle to survive during the hard times of the Depression.  Poverty remains an eyesore on the American landscape, however, I wager few of us care to experience the discomforts of the 1930s.

Being a card carrying member of the Optimist Party, I'm duly bound to unearth some good from our current American mess. Many citizens are rightfully proud of our democracy's resiliency, citing what would have occurred in other countries experiencing similar stress. Something else has also held up well - the English language, both spoken and written. Now don't get me wrong. Neither Al Gore or George Bush belong in the same debate with FDR or Winston Churchill (or Bill Clinton for that matter). But listening to these two gents and their spin doctors plead their cases wonderfully demonstrates the flexibility of language. Few pundits correctly predicted these strange turn of events but a select group certainly have a way with words. Take the time to read New York Times columnists William Safire and Frank Rich. These guys stand at opposite ends of the political spectrum but their Op Ed pieces are carefully crafted examples of grace via word power.

Three cheers for the great experiment called democracy and a well deserved toast to words - spoken, shouted, spat, splattered,  and written.

E-Mail EdTalk@HomeBase8.org

 

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Guidelines for effective writing.
http://www.nettrekker.com/subject/?ctgry_id3DX105913
Types of writing.
http://www.nettrekker.com/subject/?ctgry_id=3DX105915&en=3D1

The writing process.
http://www.nettrekker.com/subject/?ctgry_id3DX105914&en=3D1

Grammar
http://www.nettrekker.com/subject/?ctgry_id3DX105919&en=3D1

Capitalization
http://www.nettrekker.com/subject/?ctgry_id3DX105921&en=3D1

The Caldecott Medal
http://www.ala.org/alsc/caldecott.html

The Newbery Medal
http://www.ala.org/alsc/newbery.html

Shakespeare Online
http://www.shakespeare-online.com