Final Draft

Here is is!

(click the link)

The final blog post.

Throughout this course, I have learned many things. Most of them involved strengthening my views or improving my existing writing or reading style. One thing, however, truly originated from this class. The second section of blog posts required reading the news as well as keeping up with two additional blogs. At very first, I assumed this would be a pain and thought that I would only learn a few things here and there that I wouldn’t otherwise hear. The progression of events has proven otherwise. Though I still do not read the news every day ads I likely should, I do read it a few times a week. I have found myself to be more ‘up on the times’ and I have also noticed that I am often times the one sharing the news, whereas before I was the one being informed of it. My assumption that I would learn of very few other topics that I don’t hear about was incredibly incorrect. Literally every time I read the news I discover an interesting headline. I have found that even if I don’t read the story in its entirety, that the headlines and previews are often times enough to stay up to date. I guess that makes me a product of the internet age.

My view has not much changed on reading and writing. I find it rather difficult to write on topics or read about them if I am not interested. Granted, sometimes my lack of interest comes from my lack of knowledge. This means that as I read or write on a topic, my interest sometimes grows. Writing long papers on a single topic remains, in my opinion, a pain. I don’t know if it’s writers block, but no matter then length of a paper, I always come up just short of the minimum. This forces me to reexamine my writing and expand, which I have learned to be a good thing.

Along with my ability to keep up to date with current events, my reading and writing habits have been vastly improved. The most major change extends from my reading habits. When I am assigned a piece, especially one that is fairly brief, I actually read it fully. I highlight it, underline it, and write notes on the margins or on another sheet of paper. I concentrate on every word and its meaning. No longer do I just blankly stare at the words and hope to attain the meaning of them by focusing on the occasional paragraph.

Extending from my ability to shorten the works I read to their basic meanings, is my newfound ability to draft. I learned that my first draft does not have to make sense to anyone, except me. As long as I am able to cohesively review and edit my drafts, I can write in whatever manner I need to. There does not have to be any flow, or at least not initially. The final thing that has changed in my writing is the realization that a rough draft is completely necessary. No matter how good of a writer I become, my first draft will always be my rough draft, even if I turn it in as my final draft.

Draft one... wow.

On April 24^th, 2009, the World Health Organization released their first article titled “Influenza-like illness in the United States and Mexico” revealing details of a newly discovered human strain of the Influenza A virus called H1N1, or swine flu. A total of seven confirmed cases were reported in the United States at the time of this article and another nine suspected cases were still pending(WHO). Later that same day, the director of the Centers for Disease Control Dr. Richard Besser states in a press briefing that “containment (in the United States) is not very likely.(CDC)” This statement made the story of the Swine Flu fly from zero to warp speed.

In what seemed like an instant, Fox, CNN, MSNBC and all other national as well as local news agencies began reporting on this previously unmentioned virus every minute of every day. All other news articles took a backseat as the next possible pandemic was seared into the minds of everyone. Pictures and videos of people wearing masks due to the concern of swine flu suddenly appeared from around the globe. Key statements beginning with “it may be too late…” made everyone stop what they were doing as fear was struck into the hearts of everyone.

As if scaring everyone was not satisfactory enough, the media continued to cover this case on every step of its development. On April 25^th, the news covered the closing of an entire school district to prevent further spread of the virus. This coverage only made this story gain more attention, even from those who were previously unconcerned with the issue. Less than a week later on the 29^th, the first death in America due to the swine flu occurred. From this point forward, nothing else seemed to matter. The story had become king of the media and nothing could remove it from the spotlight; not the recession we are all suffering through, not the healthcare bill which will, if passed dramatically affect our lives, not even the sudden death of a superstar could dethrone the issue of the swine flu.

In perhaps the world’s greatest example of the press-sphere, my life was directly changed by the swine flu stories. Media outlets have a nasty reputation for making everything overly dramatic to make news interesting and gain the viewership of as many people as they can. The case of the swine flu was no different. News reporters jumped at every chance they could get their hands on to make this story seem worse than it truly was.

My life was affected on many levels because of the magnitude of this story. At its introduction, I was not concerned with the swine flu. I attributed its coverage to the news making a mountain of a molehill. However, as schools across the United States began closing to prevent the spread of this strain of the flu for which there was no cure, I became more interested in its destructive path. Superficially, I was the typical high school senior praying for every excuse for a school cancellation, including swine flu. Yet deep down, I was very concerned. The reports began mentioning that the swine flu was attacking and killing young people, who are the polar opposite of the group expected. What if I got the swine flu?

My next concern came months later as my older brother prepared to leave for Greece. I remember the reports saying how everyone should avoid air travel if possible because of the spread of the flu. We discussed cancelling his nonessential trip for fear of him contracting the it- or worse yet, getting sick once overseas. The decision to keep his original agenda was not a stress free choice due to this. The only thing we could do was start him on a tamiflu regimen before he left and hope for the best. As the summer droned on, the coverage by the news continued but hopes were high for a vaccine so concerns were lessened.

My distress has faded into inconvenience as the news began reporting actual numbers instead of just predictions. Early last month, the school adopted its “Stay Well or Stay Home” policy. Prior to the swine flu, class attendance was encouraged or even mandatory. Mentally I have been affected because now I question the severity of every sniffle or sneeze I have. My nurse mother made sure that as soon as possible, she bought tamiflu for my dorm room, just in case.

The University of Louisville, in an attempt to keep its campus healthy, may possibly have surrendered to the dramatic spin from the news. In addition to its “Stay Well or Stay Home” policy, the dorms and classrooms have systematically installed hand sanitizer dispensers. I have received goodie bags in the mail containing fliers of facts about the swine flu and of course- hand sanitizer. The walls of elevators and halls have been plastered with instructions on how to sneeze and cough without spreading germs.

Within the last few weeks, the University has begun offering a free swine flu vaccination to go along with the seasonal flu vaccination. The true sentiment of the severity of the swine flu was revealed as I along with many of my classmates chose not to receive the vaccine. It seems as though the fear of getting the swine flu from the vaccine overshadows the concern of getting it from an outside source.

Though the swine flu could possibly still affect as many people as original estimates stated, it has yet to come close to even the most conservative estimates. On average, the seasonal flu kills 36,000 people in the United States alone. Comparatively, the swine flu has killed about 4,000 Americans since April, well under the number killed by the seasonal flu on just an average year. I believe that the media created a firestorm of an issue that could have simply been a back page story. The main reason this occurred was because of the group of people who were being affected and killed by swine flu. Unlike the deaths from seasonal flu, which occur predominately in those who are immune-compromised already, deaths from the swine flu occur often in children. Of the 4,000 swine flu deaths since April, 540 of them have been in children.

Other stories that are closely related to the issue of the swine flu are subjects such as the vaccine for it, which has been surrounded in controversy since its creation. Most recently, a tamiflu resistant strain of H1N1 has reared its ugly head. Other non-human strains of the virus are also coming about. On November 18^th, the first death from the feline strain of the swine flu was confirmed. This brings about a whole new realm of health concerns.

The development of this story will likely be monitored by all Americans, especially those who will have the greatest chance of being affected. Since the administration of free or low cost vaccines has begun, the stories of swine flu will likely take a back seat to other issues. The issue of the swine flu will live on forever in the minds of all whom lived through the endless barrage of news and media coverage. April 24^th, 2009 is a day which will go down in history as not just another day, but a day that shook the world. Days that truly change the way or path of life are few and far between and for that reason, the swine flu scares of 2009 will likely rank among the top stories of the decade, likely shadowed only by the events of September 11^th.

Approaching the end.

Maybe it’s just me, but the chapter titled “Taking an Approach” in Joseph Harris’ book Rewriting is by far the most challenging to understand. The assignment requires a moderate understanding of the material and I feel as if I lack it. However, I am going to do my best to define it in my own terms (which will probably be quite far off topic).

While reading the chapter, the ideas of forwarding and countering kept popping back into my head. I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that maybe, just maybe, Taking an Approach was a combination of these two terms. The way I understand it, Taking an Approach is simply using the writing styles or the words of others to validate your own writing. From the beginning of the chapter, Harris seems to illustrate this idea. He says “By noting what others have had to say on a subject… you can make your own stance as a whiter all the more clear (Harris 73).”

Using those ideals, another way of Taking an Approach is one we may never mean to do. Often times before writing, the author refreshes on information pertaining to his topic. He may take notes or just simply read. By combining the thoughts and approaches of others, one can Take an Approach and never realize it. The chances are, after the aforementioned piece is written, there will be hints of the writing styles or even the words of others. This manner of Taking an Approach is much harder to point out and falls in a grey area.

I could just be getting more off track by the second, but Andrew Sullivan illustrates another way Taking an Approach. In his blog, he often uses forwarding to illustrate his points. Others will send their thoughts in and he will put them in his blog. It is when he does this and responds to their words that he is Taking an Approach. It is very difficult to retain your own style or writing and your exact subject matter when responding directly to someone. Sullivan, in a way, is forced to take the approach of another so that he may forward their words.

The gains of taking an approach are limitless. There is almost always room for improvement in ones writing ability and Taking an Approach provides the perfect opportunity to improve. It is also much easier to communicate with people if you can adapt your writing style, or change your approach. The limits of this move, much like forwarding, deal with originality. One may say that by Taking an Approach you emulate one or more authors. However, no one has a writing style which is fully original. The best we can hope for is to stand out.

Does this make me Bipolar?

When thinking of where I get my news, there seems to be two parts of my life: the part that is before October 18^th, 2009 and the part that is after. The only thing that changed is that I was charged to follow two blogs plus the New York Times. By simply reading these sites (at very least once a week) I have been kept current on the news. In my earlier blog, Round Two, I mention how one must read several sources to get the truth; this fact has not changed. By separating myself from my predisposition to lean right, I have picked blogs that are quality, but that might not always agree with each other. This allows me to get a good sample of the news.

It is very evident that my sources have changed since October 18^th. In fact, just two blog posts after I wrote Round Two, I write all about my reading of the New York Times. “One story I have seen over and over is about anything to do with the H1N1 vaccine or the virus itself. “ This one simple phrase illustrates several things. First and foremost, because that passage is a reference to the New York Times, it proves that I have been reading the news online. The second thing is proves is that I have become more independent. I no longer rely on others to mention news.

My life has not dramatically changed since I began reading online. It is rather handy to have news and blog sites bookmarked so I can catch up anytime. Before this section, I would never have had those bookmarks. The most drastic change is that now, when people talk about the news, I can be a part of the telling, not the listening.

This blog post was written in response to my own Round Two blog. I decided that I would counter that blog with an update in my reading habits. However, I have both countered and forwarded. By updating my previous reading habits, as mentioned in paragraph one, I have successfully countered myself. However, in paragraph two I quote myself (which I’ll admit was kind of odd) and use my words to prove a point. This is known as illustrating (Harris 39).

As an aside, through this blog post I have learned that countering and forwarding are both very natural parts of writing. We do them like second nature. The complicated part lies in discovering what we have written. Our basis for writing is already there and so all we must do is develop our skills. This class is not teaching us to write, it is teaching us to realize what we write.

First thoughts on forwarding...

Forwarding an email is the act of simply passing to another source information that was received. Being a child of the electronic era, this is the simplest of connections to make to forwarding in writing. Forwarding in this case is simply the passing of information.

To take a step deeper, the movie Pay It Forward comes to mind. In this movie, good deeds are not repaid to those who initially did the good deed. They are simply passed on so that it never stops. This can easily be compared to forwarding because rarely when using the words of others do we tell them. We (should) give them credit and that’s as far as it goes. Writers simply pass on the information in hopes of better educating or influencing the reader.

The examples of forwarding are found throughout Anthony Sullivan’s blog. He takes the words he receives from others , which have previously been private, and publishes them as their own blog topic. He rarely adds his opinion or even any information to the article. Even this simple act of straight posting illustrates all four of the terms Harris mentions: Illustrating, authorizing, borrowing, and extending. Sullivan again illustrates all four of these principles by quoting the public works or words of others.

Forwarding seems to have a positive effect on the writing of its users. It adds depth to writing, proves a point, and at times simply gives alternate views. Forwarding even shows care in writing. The more forwarding there is in an article (to a certain degree), the more care is shown in the writing. The negative effects of forwarding were much harder to ascertain for me and the list is singular in length. Simply put, forwarding could theoretically make a piece less original. With regards to news, this is not really a problem.

Countering

Throughout this unit, I have constantly mentioned how news agencies disagree with one another on the material they present. I have repeatedly said that to get the whole story, one must look at multiple sources from multiple vantage points. In Harris’s chapter on countering, another effect of differing vantage points in brought about.

Aside from the fairly viscous way television news counter one another, there are also constructive ways to counter.

As I was thinking of examples of countering, our class discussions about forwarding kept coming to mind. In that discussion, we examined an article on Andrew Sullivan’s blog regarding gay rights. In it were quotes from Abraham Lincoln. I view this as countering because, as we stated in class, everyone loves Lincoln; however, I do not think that he would agree with the topic his words were used for. I believe the type of countering that Sullivan was shooting for was ‘uncovering values’.

The word my group invented was “contexting”, which is simply taking someone’s words out of context. After reading the chapter on countering, I believe that contexting could be another form of countering. This is because in most valid arguments (or countering), one side usually uses the words of another to make his point.

When countering, the only lost is respect. This is because some people (including myself) are not amused by the bantering of professionals, even if it is friendly. In my opinion news is supposed to be unbiased and there should, because of that, be no argument. I do however believe that in countering something is added. That something is very difficult to name because it depends on the context of the argument. That is to say that often times when someone is being countered, it is because they have made a statement which was likely not their main point and it was subsequently made into the focus of another’s ambush.