A couple weeks ago during my “spring cleaning” ritual, I was going through boxes of old high school and college papers from my various English Comp and Literature courses. Looking at these rough drafts made me think about this class and the differences, both good and bad, from my online journalism class experience. These forgotten pages were covered with red marks from teachers as well as class peers correcting grammatical errors and giving me helpful storyline suggestions as only an outsiders perspective can give. Reading through these comments brought back to mind the hours I had spent in front of a computer struggling to make my mediocre ramblings into something worth reading. My purpose in bringing this up is to point out how helpful these comments were for me in understanding what I was doing wrong and how to become a better writer. I had been somewhat unsatisfied with the peer commentaries on the blogs as they were limited mostly to variations of “Great Job” and “I really enjoyed your post”. Of course it is always best to be positive and kind when commenting on someone’s writing, but when lacking a proper analysis with honest observations these rudimentary comments can actually have an adverse affect on the development of a person’s ability to write well. I really enjoyed reading every post and I found the distinct differences in writing style extremely interesting but somehow I felt any in-depth critique would seem out of place among the other comments.
These thoughts of course have nothing to do with my feelings about the class in general which has been a fun challenge and a learning experience. I benefitted greatly from the assignments, especially since they gave me a reason to search out things about my community that I had never known before and had taken for granted. I was able to delve more deeply into political situations I hadn’t know much about before such as the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment proceedings and the Vision 2030 plan for Lino Lakes. The freedom Rich gave was a great way to stretch my mental legs and explore the stimulating world of online journalism. I had a wonderful semester reading all your posts and gaining insights from your perspective. Thank You.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The Chicken Or The Egg?
After moving to Lino Lakes from our teeny-tiny apartment in the city, my boyfriend and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to start creating eco friendly habits and a more sustainable lifestyle. We wanted to become “Urban Farmers” - the next step in suburban living promoting a farmer-style love of agriculture in a miniature size that fits just about anywhere.
Along with our container garden and worm composting ideas, we thought that our little backyard farm just wouldn’t be complete without some hardy farm animals. What a great idea! We could raise something small that could be kept enclosed and away from the neighbors, like chickens, and have fresh eggs everyday! While researching the perfect breed of chicken for small spaces and tasty eggs, we found that not every community is geared towards this new eco fad. According to the city ordinances of Lino Lakes, there are no farm animals allowed on suburban properties that measure less than 2.5 acres. Understandably, the city does not want overly excited “farmers”
trying to milk goats in their backyard next the garage/barn while all the neighbors try not to inhale the manure smell when sitting on thier perfectly manicured lawns drinking wine. So where is the happy medium? I’m not quite ready to move to the middle of Nowheresville USA just to have a large enough plot of land to raise my own chemical/hormone-free food. We googled other urban farmers across the country and it seems that we are not the only ones who have come up against this problem. So what’s the plan if the chicken idea has flown the coop? Apparently, others have skirted around the literal meaning of the city ordinances by raising chickens as exotic pets – which is allowed by law as long as they’re not dangerous and can’t get out. For small families who only need to raise enough to sustain themselves, one or two chickens provides more than enough eggs and can therefore be claimed as an “outdoor pet" not a farm animal. I even found an article called “Chickens As Pets” that says chickens make wonderful pets especially if they are raised from chicks and are petted and loved from an early age. As you can see from my picture below, even though we d
on’t have more than 2 acres, there is still a large enough yard to hold two little chickens. We even have a secured area (defined in red) where there is an existing fence surrounding the backyard so they wouldn’t get out to cross the road or bother the rest of the neighborhood. Where you see the yellow ducky is the probable location of where we would build a chicken coop (possible design seen below) next to the house for warmth.
But what about the other potential urban farmers out there? Metropolitan and suburban cities are growing at an exponential rate leaving the farmers on the outside with no other choice but to ship all the food in at great cost to the consumer and the environment. Our ability to cultivate our own crops and raise animals for food has been lost and these small urban farms show the beginnings of family sustainability and independence. But small towns like mine need to be more aware of this shifting paradigm and change the rules accordingly. It seems like a simple adjustment for the community council to make and we can’t keep bending the rules to have the lifestyle we want…….so which should come first – the chicken or the egg?
Along with our container garden and worm composting ideas, we thought that our little backyard farm just wouldn’t be complete without some hardy farm animals. What a great idea! We could raise something small that could be kept enclosed and away from the neighbors, like chickens, and have fresh eggs everyday! While researching the perfect breed of chicken for small spaces and tasty eggs, we found that not every community is geared towards this new eco fad. According to the city ordinances of Lino Lakes, there are no farm animals allowed on suburban properties that measure less than 2.5 acres. Understandably, the city does not want overly excited “farmers”
trying to milk goats in their backyard next the garage/barn while all the neighbors try not to inhale the manure smell when sitting on thier perfectly manicured lawns drinking wine. So where is the happy medium? I’m not quite ready to move to the middle of Nowheresville USA just to have a large enough plot of land to raise my own chemical/hormone-free food. We googled other urban farmers across the country and it seems that we are not the only ones who have come up against this problem. So what’s the plan if the chicken idea has flown the coop? Apparently, others have skirted around the literal meaning of the city ordinances by raising chickens as exotic pets – which is allowed by law as long as they’re not dangerous and can’t get out. For small families who only need to raise enough to sustain themselves, one or two chickens provides more than enough eggs and can therefore be claimed as an “outdoor pet" not a farm animal. I even found an article called “Chickens As Pets” that says chickens make wonderful pets especially if they are raised from chicks and are petted and loved from an early age. As you can see from my picture below, even though we d
on’t have more than 2 acres, there is still a large enough yard to hold two little chickens. We even have a secured area (defined in red) where there is an existing fence surrounding the backyard so they wouldn’t get out to cross the road or bother the rest of the neighborhood. Where you see the yellow ducky is the probable location of where we would build a chicken coop (possible design seen below) next to the house for warmth.
But what about the other potential urban farmers out there? Metropolitan and suburban cities are growing at an exponential rate leaving the farmers on the outside with no other choice but to ship all the food in at great cost to the consumer and the environment. Our ability to cultivate our own crops and raise animals for food has been lost and these small urban farms show the beginnings of family sustainability and independence. But small towns like mine need to be more aware of this shifting paradigm and change the rules accordingly. It seems like a simple adjustment for the community council to make and we can’t keep bending the rules to have the lifestyle we want…….so which should come first – the chicken or the egg?
Friday, March 6, 2009
City of Lakes
I’m pretty excited that this class has given me the excuse and the incentive to reach out and learn more about things I’ve always dismissed or taken for granted – like the underlying machinery of a small town keeping the city together.
I wrote to the City Council of Lino Lakes and was contacted by Jeff O’Donnell who is one of the four termed members. When I asked him what he thought were the most pressing issues facing this growing town, I already had a pretty good idea what he might say. The economic crises has been at the forefront of almost everybody’s consciousness and conversation as evidenced by random chit-chats overheard and even some of the blogs I’ve read in our class. According to Jeff, the 2009 budget had already been created very conservatively in anticipation of the tough federal
cuts that were sure to come. It seems that the budget wasn’t conservative enough as heavy cuts to the state funding have caught the Council off guard in their attempts to “maintain the level of city services that our citizens expect.” Hopefully, as the rest of the year progresses, they can continue to balance comfort and affordability on a city-wide level. The second topic he said was most prevalent in the Council Meetings is actually something I have written about before, Vision 2030, a Comprehensive Plan about the future development of Lino Lakes. A lot of time and thought has been spent already in just the beginning stages of the Plan and it's too late to slow down now. Things such as formal planning committees, a complete citizen survey and town task forces are all converging into one entity that is steamrolling towards the hopeful future of what our fair town could be with a just a little effort from it’s populace. In his response, Jeff goes into a nicely detailed overview of the three primary aspects of what the city development will entail (read Jeff’s email). This critical project has already been set in motion and the development process must move forward regardless of the depletion in our city funds.
The Council has a long and tedious road ahead of them and I definitely don’t envy the fine line the whole City Government must walk with these difficult decisions. Even so, after gaining a quick glimpse into the inner workings of the Council Chambers and how they have prepared to tackle these issues, I must say that I am pretty confident that they can keep our town running smoothly and moving forward.
View my article (subdi)VISION 2030
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Lunchroom
Sitting in our comfortably decorated offices, we seem so far removed from the topics of poverty and social services that seem to pop into our lunch table conversations everyday. Our program, Community Action Energy Conservation, works very closely with the Energy Assistance program for Ramsey and Washington County and operates as a non-profit program that meets the needs of low income families regarding their energy costs, energy related repairs (i.e. fixing or replacing heating systems), home weatherization and conservation education. Because we spend a good portion of our time talking directly to the people we are helping, it’s easy to see why the issues relating to our surrounding community is so prevalent in our conversations.
As I listen to my colleagues, it’s interesting to see the difference in opinions on almost every subject. Barb, as the first contact with potential clients, is subjected to a lot of the personal stories of the families we help so it’s very understandable that she could easily be bogged down by the intensity of these conversations which then brings a slightly pessimistic viewpoint. Just last week she was telling us about an elderly lady in St. Paul who can't afford to heat her house and has been spending her days in the bathroom with a book because it is the smallest and easiest room in the house to heat with her little electric space heater. Barb speaks very passionately about the shortcomings of the social systems in place, specifically regarding senior citizens, and the fact that not everyone is getting the help they need and some who don’t need help are getting it anyway. Our senior auditor Rodney on the other hand, sits quietly everyday with his newspaper and listens to the conversation with an air of “everything is going to be OK” and injects calm and hopeful thoughts like rainbows just over the next cloud. I admire his viewpoints on life and find it so inspiring that he can maintain a rosy outlook when he sees more of the dismal side of our city than any of us. He goes into the homes and sees first hand how these people live but he never seems to let the sadness of the situation affect him. He chooses instead to focus on the ways he is personally able to improve the situation such as multiple contractor visits, conservation education and home maintenance tips.
Listening to these two people I very much respect, I find myself teetering on the edge of the proverbial fence. I am still too young and democratically idealistic to fall prey to complete cynicism of our social structure but I have seen and talked to people who have such a low quality of life that it makes me want to agree with Barb when she says that “to be the richest and most powerful country in the world and still have this growing level of poverty is absolutely unacceptable”.
As I listen to my colleagues, it’s interesting to see the difference in opinions on almost every subject. Barb, as the first contact with potential clients, is subjected to a lot of the personal stories of the families we help so it’s very understandable that she could easily be bogged down by the intensity of these conversations which then brings a slightly pessimistic viewpoint. Just last week she was telling us about an elderly lady in St. Paul who can't afford to heat her house and has been spending her days in the bathroom with a book because it is the smallest and easiest room in the house to heat with her little electric space heater. Barb speaks very passionately about the shortcomings of the social systems in place, specifically regarding senior citizens, and the fact that not everyone is getting the help they need and some who don’t need help are getting it anyway. Our senior auditor Rodney on the other hand, sits quietly everyday with his newspaper and listens to the conversation with an air of “everything is going to be OK” and injects calm and hopeful thoughts like rainbows just over the next cloud. I admire his viewpoints on life and find it so inspiring that he can maintain a rosy outlook when he sees more of the dismal side of our city than any of us. He goes into the homes and sees first hand how these people live but he never seems to let the sadness of the situation affect him. He chooses instead to focus on the ways he is personally able to improve the situation such as multiple contractor visits, conservation education and home maintenance tips.
Listening to these two people I very much respect, I find myself teetering on the edge of the proverbial fence. I am still too young and democratically idealistic to fall prey to complete cynicism of our social structure but I have seen and talked to people who have such a low quality of life that it makes me want to agree with Barb when she says that “to be the richest and most powerful country in the world and still have this growing level of poverty is absolutely unacceptable”.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The 2030 (subdi)VISION
I love my new community. My boyfriend and I just bought the most perfect house this summer in Lino Lakes, a small rural town about 30 minutes outside of the twin cities area. We are surrounded by large lakes, protected forests, meandering bike paths, lots of city parks and acres of restored prairie lands. Because small Minnesota towns like Lino Lakes are so simplistically beautiful in comparison to the clustered lifestyle of metropolitan outskirts, they have been statistically showing massive growth rates year to year. In response to the demands of this constantly enlarging population, Lino Lakes and other towns like it must create comprehensive plans that strategize ways to not only accommodate people in terms of living space but also to encourage retailers and industrial businesses to locate within the city limits. This creates jobs for the new citizens and allows the money earned to be recycled back into the city's economy to pay for community amenities and ultimately – even more future growth.
In 2007 the City Council of Lino Lakes passed a plan called the 2030 VISION detailing each area in which expansion is required over the coming decades and where the new neighborhoods, roads and commercial development sites will be located. The concern I have, and the reason for my choice of topic, is that the community that I prize so highly for it’s pristine landscapes and homey appeal will not even exist by the time the year 2030 rolls around. Ecologically friendly city planning is - thank goodness - on the rise and the "Vision Plan" is no exception with it's acknowledgement of the responsibility we have to our surroundings. But even though green sanctuaries are incorporated in the plans there will inevitably be a loss. Progress is obviously a necessity to any community, however I think one of the most valuable assets this area can boast to potential citizens is something that might be paved over and turned into a strip mall.
In 2007 the City Council of Lino Lakes passed a plan called the 2030 VISION detailing each area in which expansion is required over the coming decades and where the new neighborhoods, roads and commercial development sites will be located. The concern I have, and the reason for my choice of topic, is that the community that I prize so highly for it’s pristine landscapes and homey appeal will not even exist by the time the year 2030 rolls around. Ecologically friendly city planning is - thank goodness - on the rise and the "Vision Plan" is no exception with it's acknowledgement of the responsibility we have to our surroundings. But even though green sanctuaries are incorporated in the plans there will inevitably be a loss. Progress is obviously a necessity to any community, however I think one of the most valuable assets this area can boast to potential citizens is something that might be paved over and turned into a strip mall.
Lino Lakes Marketplace
On Lake Drive
Welcome to
Lino Lakes
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Assignment One - About A Blog
A weblog journal is different from a typical web page in that it is usually formatted as a cascading style sheet, listing articles in order of posting and forcing all the information onto one long page rather than multiple screens linked together. Where webpages have generally been used for advertising, sales, mainstream newspapers, directories and miscellaneous information, this new era of webmasters has given a breath of fresh air to the internet through personal blogging. The flow of information has shifted from the mass media to the masses – individual expression, creativity and personal experience becomes the new form of knowledge sharing as each person is now able to contribute on a level that reaches millions of potential readers. Each entry can be supplemented with pictures, links, polls and commentaries all specified by the author to create a distinctive experience for the targeted readers.
A blog can be absolutely anything you want it to be!
This new form of writing not only gives the unique perspective of the author, but also allows instant feedback through comment postings and message boards, giving readers the ability to be an active participant in the exchange and discussion of information and ideas. The most appealing aspect of digital journalism is that anyone can create a blog and write about any topic in the world. Never before have we been able to incorporate personal interests and individual originality into our very own corner of the World Wide Web. Whether through an article giving advice about gardening, a whole blog devoted to extreme sports or an in-depth discussion of a particular belief system and social ideal, a weblog journal provides an outlet for expression and takes that sliver of knowledge and adds it to the global consciousness. The only challenge with this much freedom? How do I choose what I want to write about first?!
A blog can be absolutely anything you want it to be!
This new form of writing not only gives the unique perspective of the author, but also allows instant feedback through comment postings and message boards, giving readers the ability to be an active participant in the exchange and discussion of information and ideas. The most appealing aspect of digital journalism is that anyone can create a blog and write about any topic in the world. Never before have we been able to incorporate personal interests and individual originality into our very own corner of the World Wide Web. Whether through an article giving advice about gardening, a whole blog devoted to extreme sports or an in-depth discussion of a particular belief system and social ideal, a weblog journal provides an outlet for expression and takes that sliver of knowledge and adds it to the global consciousness. The only challenge with this much freedom? How do I choose what I want to write about first?!
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