Muna Al-Fuzai is at it again?

This column by my (favorite) columnist Muna Al-Fuzai in the Kuwait Times prompted me to respond. I’m sorry Muna, but you really need to clean up your act. Lady, please spare me your articles and pursue some other career?

Read the following article found in Kuwait Times: How much do we know about swine flu?

Now I’ll paraphrase my favorite writer:

Swine influenza (also called swine flu, hog flu and pig flu) is an infection of a host animal by any one of several specific types of microscopic organisms called “swine influenza virus.”

I wouldn’t depend on Wikipedia for much, if any of my information. True they started with pigs & humans working with pigs. But in case you haven’t continued reading, the form of flu contracted by humans is an altogether different strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1. This type is genetically related to the swine influenza, but it’s ORIGINS ARE UNKNOWN. Oh and by the way, pigs can be infected by the human influenza. Moving on.

I’m actually going to make this blessedly short because I don’t have much time on my hands right now. But the second part of the article honestly set me off on a laughing jag.

In Kuwait, six people were found to be infected with the swine flu virus. So we must be careful, unless you want to be a pig. We should exercise caution during this time and stay away from people with any kind of flu.

Now tell me what’s wrong with this part? “Unless you want to be a pig.” OH MY GOD WOMAN! What happened to you?! Seriously, I have no clue what was going through your mind when you wrote that single phrase. You see, it’s that specific phrase that prompted me to write this.

Here are my tips for you:

1- Stop plagiarizing. Be original.

2- Wikipedia isn’t a reliable source. Use reliable sources such as WHO and the CDC. (Click on each one to follow link.)

3- Once again as I’ve mentioned 2 years ago, go back to journalism class. Or creative writing. You might have slept through a couple of them.

Thank you Muna and I look forward to reading more of your articles.

~ by Я on June 18, 2009.