The Importance of Editing

This is too good to pass up. 

I've had it drilled into me that typos can cost you big time. Money. Credibility. And sure, sometimes we think-  no big deal, there are no auto-fails in the real world.  Wrong.

Major auto-fail.  I just wish the headline was better.

Penguin reprints book, peppered with an error, wants it taken with grain of salt

Thanks to @WinnipegEats @jenettemartens

The Great HPV Vaccine Debate

I wanted to include a sample of some journalistic writing on my blog, so I thought I'd post a story on a well-debated topic: the HPV vaccine. While I first wrote this article over a year ago, the topic is still controversial, and I believe, still relevant. It’s one of the journalistic pieces I'm most proud of from my time in Creative Communications and it first appeared in an issue of The Projector, Red River College's student newspaper. I won the Eric and Jack Wells Award for Excellence in Journalism (2009) for this story.

***

When Gardasil was first approved by Health Canada in July of 2006, many people were excited at the prospect of a vaccine that could lower the incidence of cervical cancer in women. Others questioned the necessity of the vaccine when we already have an effective way of managing cervical cancer in Canada. As provincial governments across the country begin to implement vaccination programs for female grade 6 students, the questions continue. With people on both sides of the debate, it would seem that there are still no clear answers.

According to Merck Frosst Canada Ltd, makers of Gardasil, the vaccine offers protection against four types of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which causes “70 per cent of cervical cancer and 90 per cent of genital warts.” Gardasil requires a prescription and is administered in three doses: an initial dose followed by one at two months and one at six months. Each dose costs approximately $135 and is not covered by PharmaCare or Manitoba Health. Some insurance companies have plans that provide full or partial coverage. Women with private health insurance can contact their insurance provider to find out if the vaccine is covered. The Red River College student benefits plan does not cover the vaccine.

HPV is a common virus with over 100 strains, some which are sexually transmitted. The Public Health Agency of Canada (Public Health) says that “75 per cent of sexually active Canadians will have a sexually transmitted HPV infection at some point in their lifetime.” Often, a person exhibits no symptoms and the body’s immune system fights off the infection on its own. In some cases, the virus can remain in a person’s body and if it is a high-risk strain, that is when problems occur. These problems include genital warts, abnormal cervical cells, and vaginal and cervical cancer. Condoms provide some protection from HPV, but the virus can still be transmitted by contact with exposed skin that the condom doesn’t cover. Health Canada, which approved the use of Gardasil for girls and women ages nine to 26, views the vaccine as “a new prevention method…that is expected to at least complement and augment the prevention of cervical cancer, through the existing screening program in Canada.”

The fact that Canada has an existing screening program is one of the reasons groups like The Canadian Women’s Health Network (CWHN) has raised questions about the vaccine. “We’re not necessarily against the vaccine but we feel that more questions need to be asked,” says Ellen Reynolds, director of communications for CWHN. “What’s the rush when there is no epidemic of cervical cancer in Canada?” Reynolds’ concern is that Gardasil vaccination programs will overshadow traditional screening programs. “With all this attention and marketing focused on the vaccine, it may be promoting a false sense of security among young women who may not think they need Pap screening,” she says. “There are other strains of HPV that are linked with cervical cancer that the vaccine does not cover.”

According to Public Health, while cervical cancer is “the second most common form of cancer in women worldwide,” it is only “the eleventh most frequently diagnosed cancer among Canadian women.” CancerCare Manitoba reports that “most women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer have never had a Pap test or haven’t had one in over 5 years.”

“Cervical cancer develops over a long period of time,” says Anita, a public health nurse at Nine Circles Community Health Centre who declined to give her last name. “With regular Pap tests, a doctor should be able to catch changes to the cervical cells before it turns into a cancer.”

Mixed opinions on Gardasil aren’t limited to health professionals. Many women have strong opinions about the vaccine and the drug company that targets them.

“I think that the advertising for Gardasil has been extremely aggressive, which turns me off,” says Elizabeth Stregger, 27. “I doubt that HPV would be the first health issue women identified as being important to them.... I also see it as part of a trend of making sexual issues ‘women's issues,’ and therefore women's responsibilities. HPV will become something women are responsible for, just like birth control.”

Rhonda Varnes, 24, thinks the vaccine is a good thing. “I decided a few months ago to have the shots done,” she says. “I chose this because my grandma suffered from cervical cancer and my ex-fiance had been cheating on me. I figured you never know and I don’t want to end up getting HPV down the line somewhere. It’s just another way to protect [yourself] from one STD at the very least."

Other women expressed confusion about the information available to them in making an educated decision, something that is a major concern for Reynolds and the CWHN. “We want more unbiased public health information out there on the vaccine,” she says. “Most of the information is coming directly from the drug company. People shouldn’t be pressured by marketing; they need to take a step back and make the decision for themselves.”

©Teri Stevens 2009

Bookworms Unite!

I love to read. I usually have a bunch of books on the go, though I try to limit myself to one piece of fiction at a time so I don't get completely confused. I used to work in a bookstore, where people asked for my opinion on books all the time. These days, I don't get to talk about books much, so I thought I'd share some of my recent reads with you, dear reader. I've had a busy year, finishing an intense education program, so lately, I've been looking for fluff. The novel equivalent of a candy bar. That means lots of genre fiction and mass market paperbacks. My reading list isn't for everyone, but summer is coming up, and who doesn't love a breezy beach read?

I am currently reading:

The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell

The books I've read since January (that I remember):

We So Seldom Look on Love by Barbara Gowdy

The Harper Connelly Mysteries by Charlaine Harris: Grave Sight, Grave Secret, Grave Surprise and An Ice Cold Grave

Long Lost by Harlan Coben

ON/IN/AT- 3 books by Tegan and Sara

6 volumes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 in graphic novel form

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

206 Bones by Kathy Reichs

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

There might be more, but 20 books is pretty good!

As for what's up next: I just bought Generation A by Douglas Coupland and hope to get my hands on Caught by Harlan Coben if my mother lets me borrow it. And of course, there is a new Sookie Stackhouse novel around the corner- Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. It’s coming out May 4th and I can hardly wait!

Hot Thespians in Action!

I have an article in this month's awesome new Winnipeg magazine, Sandbox.  It's on the Winnipeg theatre troupe Hot Thespian Action, who just happen to be doing a best-of show at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival on April 9 at 8pm at the Gas Station Theatre.  Check out the article here to find out how they come up with their wacky, hilarious, and insightful sketch comedy!

Looking forward, Looking back

I've been thinking about transitions a lot lately.  With a little less than two weeks of CreComm classes and about 12 assignments to go, it's sinking in that a major life project of mine is coming to an end.  Sure, there are three weeks of work placement and grad, but as of April 9th the training wheels are coming off, and into the "real world" we go.

There is definitely excitement.  There is fear.  And there will be some tears.  I think all of us have become very attached to the people we see every day, the only people who truly understand why we've been cranky CreComm monsters for the last 16+ months. And there is always a friendly neighborhood instructor there if we run into trouble. School has become a safe place and it's hard to leave.

But leave we will, and we'll do some more learning by doing, and we'll thrive because this program has molded us into people who can pretty much handle anything.

I've taken a meandering path to where I am now.  I look back on the last decade and my head spins at everything I've learned, not only in halls of education, but in coffee shops, and living rooms, and work places.  I've had some truly awesome experiences, and I know that I've only scratched the surface. 

Here's to the next adventure!

Heart Songs

I am a lover of music, and every once in a while I get completely obsessed with a musical artist.  I spent my teens listening to Our Lady Peace, studying their lyrics like poetry and creating art inspired by their songs. I discovered Tegan and Sara on Much Music, back before popular music became synthetic and when Much Music was cool.  I found myself in their songs, and that obsession has stuck with me to this day. 

In university, I owned a couple of CDs by Tori Amos, but I hadn't listened to them much. Then a friend of mine got me to hear her music in a new way, and I fell in love.  Her music was the soundtrack to many nights punctuated with good conversation, red wine and candle light.

There have been other bands of course, like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Metric.  But most recently, it's been Florence + The Machine. I first downloaded Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up) last May. I listened to it at work and needed more.  Her powerhouse voice and music that is orchestral and confessional at the same time.  It pulls you through this emotional journey. I'm still hooked.

Here is a taste:


Florence + The Machine - Drumming Song

Florence and The Machine

MySpace Music Videos

Independence

We're excited!

There is a time-honoured tradition in the Creative Communications program at Red River College. Every year, the second-year students undertake a year-long project, one that lets us apply our skills to a project of our choosing.  Some plan elaborate events, or produce promotional videos.  Others write books or create documentaries. Or a fashion line, a website, a band...

Well, the projects have been handed in and now it's time to celebrate, to show the world just how diverse and talented the Creative Communications class of 2010 is.

(I might be slightly biased since I'm one of them, but if you can't show pride on your own blog, then where can you?)

The presentations start tomorrow at 9am at the Park Theatre, which is a funky little place on South Osborne -- 698 Osborne to be exact. They run Wednesday and Thursday from 9-4, and 9-12 on Friday. 

Come and see the future of Winnipeg's communications industry!