Author: Lainah

Remember when TV’s weighed 1000 pounds, and the main source of entertainment they provided was the news? Or how about computers? Who else remembers the age of dial up internet? If you’re under twenty years old you probably don’t know what I’m talking about. Our generation is the very last of it’s kind. The very last to have grown up with minimal technology, and for this I am thankful.

Despite this reminiscent blast from the past, it can’t be denied that social media has it’s benefits. People from all around the globe are able to communicate. Quicker and faster information is always at our fingertips, and there are many sites that allow us to form connections with others, for example, blog sites, common interest sites, facetime, dating apps, and more. But what do we define as a connection?

Extremely easy access to one another’s lives comes with it’s own challenges, and in my opinion, many of them are less than beneficial. The bridge between learning how to communicate with others and form relationships is deteriorating. Take dating for example. Working up the courage to talk to someone you like can be nerve wrecking, especially if you don’t have the social skills to properly engage in such an interaction. With the option of social media, this route to connection is often lost, and people everywhere are building less and less in person relationships. So what does this mean for future generations? When dates become a dime a dozen, and people don’t have to put in the time or the energy. Just take a look at the statistics..

In 2017 in the US alone, 59 million people on average used 2.4 different dating services, with Tinder in the lead at a whopping 42%. But the harsh statistics don’t end there. 52% of online daters admitted that dating apps have made them more judgmental of people’s looks, and the industry is estimated to be worth a hefty $3billion dollars. (DatingSitesReviewers.com, Nov 5th, 2018)
But dating apps are only on small slice of the pie that is social media. And to truly understand the negative impact social media is having, we must turn to future generations. So how is social media affecting the kids of today?

I’ve witnessed first hand, the impacts this new era is having on future generations. In fact, It’s more than likely that you have as well. Have you ever thought a park seemed just a bit to quiet? Or seen a child just a bit too young to be grasping that phone? I know I have. An unfortunate and inevitable element of life is that we all have a set amount of time. What we do with this time makes all the difference. Social media is robbing us of this time. To truly experience childhood, or any point in life for that matter, we must put down our phones and live.

https://www.datingsitesreviews.com/staticpages/index.php?page=Online-Dating-Industry-Facts-Statistics

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Lainah Daling

Dear Vegetarians,

To put it bluntly my friends, homosapiens are in fact omnivores. This means we must consume the nutrients from both plants and animals in order to maintain a health body. But as many of us are aware, this widespread debate doesn’t simply end there. The controversy between Vegetarians and Meat-eaters has many roots, but the most common focuses for this conflict are ethics and of course, health.

So, does becoming a vegetarian make you more ‘ethical’ or even healthier? The answer is no, and here’s why.

Say the world’s population all turned Vegetarian over night. To all those animal lovers out there maybe this sounds like a dream come true. BUT, this would actually raise a vast number of problems for civilization. Animal product production makes up for an unmeasurable amount of industry and jobs. Not only would this effect things like overall health and life span, we would be left without many of the resources we depend on such as animal hides, fats, eggs, whey, oils and more… and let’s hope your family doesn’t live on a farm.

Also, just in case you were wondering.. no, the increase in plant production would not make up for an even slightly comparable number of jobs.

Now let’s take a moment to focus on health. Many believe that a Vegetarian life style is a healthy choice. Sorry plant lovers, wrong again. Humans depend on meat for many essential vitamins and nutrients found in animal products that would not be accessible simply by eating plants, such as omega 3 fatty acid, and vitamin b12. Not to mention BMD. Bone mass density is an important part of physical health that is largely impacted by meat consumption, and it has been proven that vegetarians bone mass is a whopping 4% lower than that of an omnivore. (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Nguyen, 2009)

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/90/4/943/4597049

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Lainah Daling

The creation of my profile has been a difficult journey, and is still ongoing. Since the beginning of this journey I’ve made countless changes to my writing. From slight tweaks of wording, to an entire rearrangement of major paragraphs.

Forming an authentic voice for my writing has been on of the less challenging aspects for my profile. Although I sometimes find writing challenging, It has always been a task I find joy in, especially when the task requires a personal choice in topic.

Narrative coherence however, can be a major roadblock for me. Transitional language may seem more or less simplistic. With each beginning of a new paragraph, a transition word must be smoothly incorporated in order for the body of writing to maintain a sense of unity. But finding the right words can feel impossible. Often I find myself struggling most when it’s time to integrate a new paragraph. Nothing seems to fit quite right, like a puzzle missing an important piece, the writing feels incomplete.

Vivid descriptions are the source of my joy when writing. In my own experience, vivid details are the heart of any good piece and can make the difference between the story being lifted off every page and a total snooze-fest. Since having begun my profile writing, I’ve elaborated significantly on the senses of my experience at Wonderland.

Community relevance has become apparent in my writing as I’ve progressed. My profile shows community relevance by it’s basis on a topic that we all have some experience with. Whether you love Halloween more than life, or you despise it with passion, it’s a holiday that has in one way or another, affected our lives.

All things considered, I am proud of my improvements as a writer. With every obstacle, I have the opportunity to think harder about what can be improved and in turn, gain more experience with writing.

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Lainah Daling

My greatest strength when it comes to writing would have to be passion. I don’t consider myself to be a talented writer, but I find myself in a constant tango with what I want to talk about. One of the strategies best at hand for this is fairly uncomplicated. I pick something that I love! For me, creating a thoughtful and interesting piece of writing starts with simply picking the right topic!

A writing challenge I’ve been more heavily focusing on throughout the creation of my profile assignment has been adding detail. Many of the thought provoking articles we’ve read throughout our blogs have inspired this notion.

Before having been in this course, I hadn’t considered what kind of emotional response my writing could foster for it’s reader. I didn’t question why writing was good or bad, or how detail may have impacted this.

Since having progressed in writing, I’ve found myself consistently asking myself “what will this make the reader feel?” or “does this paint a picture for my reader?”

This tactic has helped immensely with my profile’s early stages as well as my TIB. It’s amazing what a couple descriptive words can do I’m terms of improvement.

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Lainah Daling

Usually my first draft of a writing piece begins with many different topics and ideas jotted down into a jumbled mess of notes, not without detail, but strongly lacking clarity and structure. Much like Beth Shopes’ comparison of a writing style that represents a cluttered house rather than an unfinished one.

Each writing style possess it’s own unique challenges. One of the more common struggles I face when forming a second draft is being willing and able to let go of some portion of what I’ve written. This can be difficult for many reasons.

First and foremost, I don’t want to leave any sentence behind. Some portions of the writing many be unfitting or unnecessary but it seems like removing it could be taking away from the finished product.

Second, knowing what should and should not stay. One of the biggest challenges when writing a second draft Is knowing what portions of the piece can be removed to create a new and improved version without taking away from the writing.

Finally, feeling content with the second draft’s more compact product. No one want’s to read something that goes on and on without purpose or direction, but reading something bland can be just as painful. Detail is a valuable component of any piece of writing but must not being confused with rambling. For me, the line between the two is drawn thin.

The most beneficial advice that can be gained by reading ‘True Writing I Rewriting’ would be to “consider what you’ve just written as something to be played with, a lump of clay to be molded into a pleasing shape.” (Shope, 2002)

Considering this new insight has helped me to better understand the necessity of the rewriting process, and allowed me to take this into consideration next time I’m struggling with my second draft.

Shope, B. (2002). True writing is rewriting. In G. Lazette, (Ed.) Vision: A Resource for Writers. Retrieved from Vision@sff.net

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Lainah Daling

Brain Cable wrote, “Like most people, I have preconceptions about what an undertaker looked like. Mr.Deaver fulfilled my expectations, entirely. Tall and thin, he even had beady eyes and a bony face. A low, slanted forehead gave way to a beaked nose. His skin, scrubbed of all color, contrasted sharply with his jet black hair. He was wearing a starched white shirt, grey pants, and black shoes. Indeed, he looked like death on two legs.” (Cable, 2002, The Last Stop)

In my opinion, Brian Cable’s writing in The Last Stop was very well written and involved several descriptive passages that created a vivid image for it’s reader. I chose this passage in particular because of it’s creepily accurate portrait of the man he describes. His description of the funeral director truly is the image of death.

This passage improves Cable’s profile by drawing you in and helping you to see through his eyes. One way I judge a piece of writing is by how it makes me feel and more importantly IF it makes me feel. The quoted paragraph did just that. Reading about the appearance of Mr.Deaver made me feel nervous and uneasy, it even caused goosebumps.

Another way the passage improves the profile is by adding to the overall vibe of the writing as a whole. As you read you begin to understand what being there was like for Cable. He get’s your to think in the direction of his choice and is able to conjure emotions, thoughts and questions from his readers.

Reference
Cable, B. (2002). The Last Stop. In R. B. Axelrod, & C. R. Cooper, The Concise Guide to Writing (3rd
ed., pp. 57
60). New York,
NY: Bedford/St. Martin’s

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Lainah Daling

Why is non verbal communication important? Well, as Jory MacKay states in his article “What someone is telling you goes beyond the words themselves.” (MacKay, 2015)

I strongly agree with this concept. In MacKay’s article he also asks some questions to the reader about specific signals and the meanings behind them, such as the positioning of one’s feet, and the size of their pupils, giving the reader an idea of some specific cues to look out for and provoking thought on what other potential signs an interviewee might display. This can be crucial not only when conducting interviews but in all the interactions we experience though a life time.

In order to build connections with the people around us, it’s natural to ask questions and inquire about others’ personal views, opinions and experiences. Asking these questions allows us to build relationships. But how do we go about asking the right questions? Not everyone is willing to verbally express exactly how they’re feeling at any given time, in fact it’s usually quite the opposite. This is why reading between the lines and picking up on any and all signals is such a valuable and useful skill.

Observing body language and other visual signals that are present can change your entire interpretation of what is being said. Like all skills, practice makes perfect. As journalists or as individuals in general, this is a practice I believe we should all take part in, not just to better ourselves, but to better understand all who cross our paths, and in turn help shape who we are.

Reference:
MacKay, J. (2015, April 8). How to interview like a journalist (no matter what your job is). Crew. Retrieved from
https://crew.co/blog/interview-questions/

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Lainah Daling

I feel as though Cable’s piece is a well written profile on the business he’s describing. Some things that make this piece of writing so strong, in my opinion, are all the points he covers when explaining his take on the many questions and thoughts that would naturally cross through our minds when thinking about death. Cable talks about how such a natural part of life tends to go unnoticed or perhaps just ignored by society, because it’s something that the living don’t want to face. Cable has a way of making such a discomforting topic interesting to read about. Having your own curiosities about a topic such as this confirmed by another person in written form shines a light on an otherwise gloomy topic, and brings out a subtle feeling of connection between the reader and the writer.

Another thing that strengthens this piece is the detail that’s used when setting each seen. As a reader, you can really imagine yourself being there, you can easily picture each room and almost imagine it being you there. Even though you are reading the experience second hand, it helps satisfy some of your own questions in the process of breaking down what he was seeing, feeling, thinking about etc.

And finally, my favourite part about Cable’s profile. He uses humour! Death and humour are not two things often paired, for somewhat obvious reasons. But it makes his work more compelling to read. I feel as though being able to make someone laugh or even crack a smile when reading through such a serious topic without also bringing up any feelings of discomfort or offense takes talent, and that’s just the kind of talent Brian Cable posses.

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Lainah Daling

A question I’m sure we all have asked ourselves at least once in our student lives… is Wikipedia a credible source?

I find this to be a difficult question to simply answer yes or no to for a number of reasons. On one hand, Wikipedia is in fact a public platform and therefore open to the public. One could argue that because of this, Wikipedia is not a credible source due to inaccurate information from those who may choose to post unreliable info. If just anyone can create an article, there is plenty of room for misinformation, not to mention bias writing. Sure, the information you’re receiving could be factually correct, but it could very well be written by the standpoint of someone with a strong pre-existing opinion of the subject matter.

Now all of this may be true, but consider this. Wikipedia is always evolving, and the amount of changes being made to what can be posted has changed dramatically since its creation. Wikipedia has moderators that are constantly at work processing all the information and “correctness” of each article before it can be posted, and with the website’s ever-growing popularity, the guidelines on what is acceptable to be viewed is getting more and more strict.

My reason for arguing both sides is simple. Wikipedia is an extremely helpful source of information and is one of the top 5 most frequently visited websites in the world! Taking advantage of the wealth of facts and information on wiki is something pretty much the entire world does, so they must be getting some things right at least, right? It is there to help you and if you choose to use it that’s great …BUT… it is strongly advisable that you check your work! Regardless of what website you use, fact checking is a crucial step in creating a well-done assignment, so be sure to visit other websites and as painful as it sounds, maybe even pick up a book or two.

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Lainah Daling

“The first draft is like the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place.”

What I believe Lamont means by this, is that much like a child, a rough draft for any good piece of writing may start out messy and unorganized and grow into something beautiful.

As we start to write, we begin with the raw, uncut version of our thoughts, freely expressed onto paper with no specific direction. This ties in with what Lamont refers to as “romping all over the place.”

“Romping” gives writers the opportunity to consider several different approaches to their work and create new ideas they may have otherwise been unable to reach. For example, sometimes when you begin to write without giving thought to each word, you may find yourself with several more points to make about your topic than you would have if you were to simply write out and edit/adjust your first body of writing.

This is why making drafts before finalizing any form of writing is so crucial to one’s success as a writer. Making several versions of an essay, story blog, etc. gives your mind room to expand and consider all angles. As you complete your writing, however many drafts you deem necessary to do so, your writing piece will grow and mature, leaving your final draft as what Lamont may consider, the “adult draft.”

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Lainah Daling