Poerty

I've tried my hand at poetry, too. I like poetry, but feel incapable of controlling when I write it. Some one has suggested that our modern concept of creativity is wrong, and that we should go with the flow of the muse, and not worry about our creativity drying up. So much for mass production.

Freshman Essay

This is an essay that I wrote during my freshman year of college. That was about a decade ago. I wonder how you, the reader, will judge my concerns. Has time borne out some of the possibilities?

I also wonder, have I become a better writer over the years?

Safety

Many people fear for the safety of their children. Dua.

Some refuse to keep a gun in the house for fear that a child will get his hands on it and shoot someone, including himself. OK.

But what is the leading cause of death among children in the United States today?

Car accidents.

So what should the advocates of safety demand of our government?

How about raising the legal driving age from a frightening 14-16 to 18? After all, if a child cannot buy cigarettes, vote, sign a contract, or have a credit card, why the hell do we let them operate two to four ton killing machines?

Instructions!

Recently a student asked for some guidance on a project:

"Sorry to bother you again about the project, but I was wondering if you gave anymore guidelines for the project? What kind of format, how long you are expecting it to be, etc. It's been a while since I've written a paper, so the more guidelines I can get the better."

So I gave a utilitious reply.

"I want a cover page, table of contents, and citation. I prefer Chicago style citation, just because! Each section does not need to be longer than it needs to be, but not shorter either."

It has become a pet peeve of mine, but mandating that a paper be of a certain length, rather than of a certain LOGICAL DEVELOPMENT is common in academia. This encourages wordy, snow-filled papers that mask the barrenness if some students minds. Pity!