Got a favorite writing resource?

To answer the question, I don't. Not currently anyway. I have only a few things I keep handy when writing, and I don't use them as often as I probably should. But when I do pull them off the shelf, they're not very helpful. My grammar book is a college textbook that doesn't explain anything very well. My thesaurus and dictionary don't always have the words I'm looking for. (What's up with that?)

I think it's time for some updating, hence the question. If you have a favorite, I'd like to know. I've been trying to find a good grammar book and there's so many to choose from. Perhaps it doesn't matter as long as I have one. But if you have one you swear by, post it below please.

I wish I had something to offer in return, but I don't. Instead, this is just me asking for help from all you wonderful writers. :)

No More Cursive?

Beginning this Fall, Indiana schools will no longer be required to teach cursive.  And for those of you who are unaware as I apparently am, Indiana is not the first state to take this step.  The reasoning behind this move is so teachers can focus on teaching students keyboard proficiency.  Although I certainly agree students need to be able to use a computer, I'm not sure I agree that cursive should no longer be taught. 

Thinking back to the times I've used cursive, I wonder what my college professors would have said if I had printed my essays rather than using cursive.  In one particular class, every test was an essay test in which at least five essays had to be written out.  Would I have been graded differently if I had printed? Maybe not as long as I discussed the topic appropriately.  What about other important tests such as the SAT which require essays? College applications? Maybe I'm too far behind the times.  Are prospective students now typing their essays and attaching them to their college aps? Hmm.  Perhaps someone can enlighten me on this.

I have to admit, I'm not sure I completely agree with this move.  The sad thing is I can't really say why! Should cursive be taught simply because it always has been? Things change, times change, etc.  But my first reaction to this was...extreme.  Why don't they stop teaching math? We have calculators.  Why don't they stop teaching spelling and grammar? Word processors have spelling and grammar tools.  I hope you can sense the sarcasm.  I do not believe math or spelling or grammar should stop being taught in schools.

Maybe I'm reacting a bit harshly.  What does everyone else think about this? Leave a comment to let me know.