Vanishing cursive, assaulting language

I didn't write earlier this week as it was a bad one at work. I actually worked through the night Tuesday on an issue we had, then was back around noon Wednesday. Long nights at work is a tiring ordeal, but thankfully it isn't all that frequent for me.
The long work hours seemed even longer since it was early autumn when I started, and we had snow when it ended! We had snow on the ground this morning. I can't believe it is already here.

Some stories for the day:
Cursive writing is being forgotten. 15% of SAT essays were written in cursive handwriting in 2006. A lot of schools are scaling back or dropping instruction in cursive as more and more computer use takes its place.
Quote from one of the teachers in the article:

"I can't think of any other place you need cursive as an adult other than to sign your name," she said. "Cursive -- that is so low on the priority list, we really could care less. We are much more concerned that these kids pass their SOLs [standardized tests], and that doesn't require a bit of cursive."

I think this is sad because it feels like a good skill is vanishing. Cursive writing is faster for note taking (and there will always be times when you don't have a keyboard to write with), and it helps with cognitive development. According to the article, kids instructed in cursive end up better able to express thoughts. So, I certainly hope this trend turns around.

In other news, watch out what you say to VP Cheney! According to this story, this man was arrested for "assault" for calmly telling Cheney "Your policies in Iraq are reprehensible." I would hope that is not true, but it wouldn't be the first report of someone being arrested for a peaceful expression of opinion against the administration.