We've been talking a lot about crime in the neighborhood. Sunday night there was an armed robbery that led to a CRPD officer getting wounded.
The CRPD responded to this and to the increase of crimes in the area by announcing they would open up an office right here in our neighborhood--on 1st Avenue. See the Gazette article here.
You might recognize the building--it used to hold a furniture store. I wonder if having a greater police presence in the area--the chief said "we'll go live there"--will help.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
A Time to Blog
"I can't figure out a time to blog"
"It was such a busy week--no time to blog"
"Facebook I can remember, but I forget about my blog."
I have a colleague who figured out a way to keep her blog fresh. She writes every day at the same time. The time? 6 a.m.!
She gets into her office early and blogs before she starts work. Most of her posts are short, usually with a link or pictures and some commentary.
I'm thinking that might work for this blog of mine. I will open it up and post when I first get in to Coe--or before I leave the house.
How about you? When will you post on your blog? Leave a comment!
"It was such a busy week--no time to blog"
"Facebook I can remember, but I forget about my blog."
I have a colleague who figured out a way to keep her blog fresh. She writes every day at the same time. The time? 6 a.m.!
She gets into her office early and blogs before she starts work. Most of her posts are short, usually with a link or pictures and some commentary.
I'm thinking that might work for this blog of mine. I will open it up and post when I first get in to Coe--or before I leave the house.
How about you? When will you post on your blog? Leave a comment!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Ghost Twitterers
Perhaps there might be a future in freelance twittering!
According to this article in Friday's NY Times, many celebrities like to be on Twitter, but don't actually like to make posts. So they hire "ghost writers."
I have two thoughts on this:
According to this article in Friday's NY Times, many celebrities like to be on Twitter, but don't actually like to make posts. So they hire "ghost writers."
I have two thoughts on this:
- What does 50-cent twitter about?
- Could a person make a living being a ghost twitterer?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Weather!
Some people say the first sign of spring is robins returning to the north.
But at Coe, some robins stay all year round, hunting near the steam lines.
The true avian sign of spring?
Buzzards.
Those majestic and majestically ugly birds, more formally known as turkey vultures, return to Cedar Rapids at the same time every year--round about March 14, my younger son's birthday*. We are very aware of this in our family--first, because I'm a birder, and second, because the buzzards in Cedar Rapids roost at Brucemore, which is just a block from our house.
Every evening, before the sun goes down, they circle in the sky above their roosting place. Gorgeous from far away where you can't see their bald heads. Read more about them, and take a look at their winter and summer ranges at Cornell University's cool bird pages.
"Look, Eli," I say. "The buzzards want to tell you Happy Birthday."
*In Hinckley, Ohio, near where I grew up, there's an annual "Return of the Buzzard celebration" every year on March 15, complete with an "official buzzard spotter."
But at Coe, some robins stay all year round, hunting near the steam lines.
The true avian sign of spring?
Buzzards.
Those majestic and majestically ugly birds, more formally known as turkey vultures, return to Cedar Rapids at the same time every year--round about March 14, my younger son's birthday*. We are very aware of this in our family--first, because I'm a birder, and second, because the buzzards in Cedar Rapids roost at Brucemore, which is just a block from our house.
Every evening, before the sun goes down, they circle in the sky above their roosting place. Gorgeous from far away where you can't see their bald heads. Read more about them, and take a look at their winter and summer ranges at Cornell University's cool bird pages.
"Look, Eli," I say. "The buzzards want to tell you Happy Birthday."
*In Hinckley, Ohio, near where I grew up, there's an annual "Return of the Buzzard celebration" every year on March 15, complete with an "official buzzard spotter."
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Obedience story: Aggregation
Sometimes bloggers aggregate, or collect together lots of websites/stories to share with their readers.
I'll aggregate a few sources on obedience training that I found helpful. Aggregate=brief summary plus link.
One that was nicely written and had an interesting history was Dog Owners Guide. The page that discussed how to find a good obedience school or trainer was very helpful to me as I prepared to interview my source. This source also approves of "positive only" training.
And this is cool: they used to be a print publication in Cincinnati OH. They now have a website and can help dog owners all over. But I wonder what they've lost by losing the local angle.
I also looked at the Humane Society's Website (I won't link it because of an annoying popup) and was easily able to find a succinct article on finding an obedience class/trainer for your dog. I liked the alternative story form of this--Q/A and a list. Nice for a website.
After I visited the school, I needed to find out about "prong collars." I don't have a dog, but I've seen these collars. I wanted to see what a manufacturer would say about them, so I went to a site that sells them.
Does anyone else have any good sources about dog obedience?
I'll aggregate a few sources on obedience training that I found helpful. Aggregate=brief summary plus link.
One that was nicely written and had an interesting history was Dog Owners Guide. The page that discussed how to find a good obedience school or trainer was very helpful to me as I prepared to interview my source. This source also approves of "positive only" training.
And this is cool: they used to be a print publication in Cincinnati OH. They now have a website and can help dog owners all over. But I wonder what they've lost by losing the local angle.
I also looked at the Humane Society's Website (I won't link it because of an annoying popup) and was easily able to find a succinct article on finding an obedience class/trainer for your dog. I liked the alternative story form of this--Q/A and a list. Nice for a website.
After I visited the school, I needed to find out about "prong collars." I don't have a dog, but I've seen these collars. I wanted to see what a manufacturer would say about them, so I went to a site that sells them.
Does anyone else have any good sources about dog obedience?
Story in Process: Obedience School
I'm working on a story for City Revealed this week that's been a lot of fun. The magazine apparently does stories about pets and gardens each spring. I said I would do a story on obedience school--why dog owners might consider enrolling in an obedience class with their dog.
After educating myself a bit with some online sources (which I'll share in another post) I quickly found some sources by using my trusty phone book. One obedience training place, Pawsitively Paws was on E Avenue, close to Coe, and very near where I used to live. I wrote up some questions, and called them late in the day. The person I talked to was enthusiastic and eager to talk with me and share her knowledge.
The "Pawsitively" in their title refers to the way they train, only through positive reinforcement. They don't use prong collars, choke collars, hitting, etc. They use voice, treats, and lots of repetition.
"We're not in this for the money." Two of the trainers I talked to told me this. All of the trainers are working without pay now. "We do this because we love dogs and we want to help people with their dogs," said Connie, the trainer in the photo above. That's not going to be in my story, but it's interesting.
BTW, my son took photos for me. He's doing a photog internship with me. I told him I'd pay him $5 for every photo he took that was used. That gets me off the photog hook!
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