They Say / I Blog

Mightier than the sword: Markham Heid on the benefits of handwriting

Most elementary schools in the US no longer teach cursive writing, and many educators, psychologists, and others have lamented the change. Philadelphia-based health and science writer Markham Heid summarizes some of the research showing the benefits of longhand writing and adds an argument of his own in this September 2019 essay in elemental+, a Medium blog.

Markham Heid–"Bring back handwriting: It's good for your brain"–elemental+, 12 September 2019

 

Field not level: Scott Martelle on NCAA and California

The NCAA is in the news again, and it’s not even March or bowl season. What’s going on? A new law in California gives student athletes the right to be paid for the use of their names and images, and the NCAA is strongly opposed to it. Veteran journalist and LA Times editorial writer Scott Martelle has a few things to say about the controversy in this October 2019 column.

Scott Martelle, "NCAA's response to California: Don't stop our exploitation"

 

Getting unhooked: Nellie Bowles on screen addiction and responsibility

We already know this. People spend a lot of time—maybe too much—on their phones and other devices, and it’s a troubling trend. But who is ultimately responsible for changing the habits and fixing the problem? Does the responsibility lie squarely with individual users to make changes? Should designers and developers of apps and devices make modifications to their products to make them less addictive? Both? Neither? San Francisco-based New York Times writer Nellie Bowles explores these questions in this October 2019 article.

Nellie Bowles, "Addicted to screens? That's really a you problem"

 

Trusting the foxes: Rob Eshman on the challenge of opening our hearts

What if your very life depended on trusting people that you had learned explicitly to hate, feat, and distrust? Yikes! What a terrible question, right? You may not be able to answer it easily, but most likely you will never find yourself in such a dramatic situation, so no worries. Writer and former publisher of the Jewish Journal Rob Eshman talked with someone who did face that question, and he writes about their conversation in this October 2019 Los Angeles Times essay.

Eshman, “The Yom Kippur lesson I learned from a Muslim man”

 

Time or money: Robert Roy Britt on life values and happiness

What’s more important to you, time or money? Crazy question, right? But science writer Robert Roy Britt reports on numerous studies that demonstrate that, as his title declares, “time can make you happier than money.” Check out his September 2019 essay published in elemental+, a Medium blog.

Britt, “Time can make you happier than money”

 

In a word: Debbie Cameron on the role (and the power) of dictionaries

It might be fair to say that dictionaries generally operate in a kind of stealth mode—we probably don’t think about them too often, they’re seldom added to anyone’s wish list, and if there’s a big one in your house, it’s likely used more often as a booster seat for toddlers at the dinner table than as a reference work. Still, we often trust the dictionary to be the High Authority for settling bets or arguments, and even, sometimes, for helping with schoolwork. We trust the dictionary, and we rely on it, and we seldom question its judgment. But maybe we should. Linguist Debbie Cameron examines the problematic nature of the role of dictionaries in this July 2019 post on her blog, Language: A feminist guide.

Cameron, “Dissing the dictionary”

No app-etite: Christy Harrison on children and weight loss efforts

These days, there’s an app for everything—things you never thought you needed (and probably don’t). Christy Harrison, author and registered dietitian nutritionist, contends that Kurbo, a diet app for children, is not only unnecessary but downright harmful. In this August 2019 New York Times essay, she argues that trying to impose weight loss regimens on children is a really bad idea.

Harrison, “I help people recover from disordered eating. Don’t buy your children this app.”

Skin deep: Linda Villarosa on race-based myths in medicine

In everyday English, to say that someone is thin-skinned means that they’re easily insulted or offended, and it’s usually not a compliment. The opposite, thick-skinned, is said about someone who is not deterred or troubled by criticism, a favorable characteristic. But these metaphoric phrases have been—and continue to be—applied literally and with opposite values in the service of racial discrimination and biased medical treatment. Linda Villarosa, writer, journalist, educator, and New York Times contributor, examines the history of beliefs about skin depth and other physical features and traces how those beliefs influence US health care today. Her August 2019 essay is part of the 1619 Project, an initiative of the New York Times.

Villarosa, “Myths about physical racial differences were used to justify slavery—and are still believed by doctors today”

No thanks: Kate Miller on farmers and gratitude

Perhaps you’ve seen the message on a bumper sticker; there are a lot of them around. It says something like, ‘If you’ve eaten today, thank a farmer.’ Kate Miller, an Arkansas rancher and beef producer, explains why she won’t be thanking a farmer in this March 2019 essay published in Pork, a Farm Journal magazine.

Miller,  “I will not thank a farmer”

Genuine need or narcissism?: F. Diane Barth on emotional support animals in public spaces

Dogs and cats, of course. But pigs, peacocks, and even squirrels? These are some of the animals that people have been bringing with them as “emotional support” on buses and planes, in stores and restaurants, and the trend shows no signs of abating. The concerns of those who claim to need their animal companions at their side at all times are pitted against the concerns of other people with fears or allergies that make the animals’ presence uncomfortable or even health-threatening. This June 2019 NBC Think essay by psychotherapist and author F. Diane Barth works through the causes and consequences of the situation.

Barth, “Is an emotional support animal serving a person’s needs or their narcissism?”