Graduation

Kingdom Trails: Hidden treasure

“Welcome to Kingdom Trails in Northeast Vermont, a multiple-use trail system unlike any other and recently voted as the best mountain bike trail network in North America by Bike Magazine in their annual Reader's Poll,” reads the home screen from kingdomtrails.com. Kingdom Trails Association was founded in 1994 by local residents and businesspeople with a goal to encourage recreational use of the Northeast Kingdom that is ecologically sensitive and promotes the natural beauty of the region. The Kingdom Trails network is headquartered out of East Burke, Vt. next to the Pub Outback restaurant. The main shop is small but don’t let that fool you; with the help of 55 cooperating landowners, Kingdom Trails has grown to the largest mountain biking trail network in the area. Kingdom Trails offers an array of mountain bike trails in the green seasons and Nordic skiing in the winter months. The Northeast Kingdom is perfect for this sort of adventure because mountains and rivers offer all sorts of terrain. Not only is the community involved, but they have visitors from all around the world with great testimonials of the network. Hailey B. from Boston, Mass. said, “The best mountain biking in the U.S.!” Matt C. from Manchester, Vt. said the trails were worth the investment. “It’s pay to play but well worth the cost because they employ locals and keep the economy rolling all winter.” Not only does the Kingdom Trails offer biking, but often times area athletic teams and cross-country teams come up to the trails for advanced training by running the trails for conditioning, and cooling off after in the swimming holes in the Passumpsic River. Kingdom Trails also has connection to the college, as Tim Tierney, the Executive Director of the trails, coaches the men’s lacrosse team at the school. Tierney was also a member of his town’s school board and was a former high school soccer coach. Kingdom Trails and their employees have strong ties to the Kingdom and have always been there to serve its members. Kingdom Trails does not just exist as the best mountain bike trail network in North America, it exists as a driver to the community and its economy, and helps ordinary people to better connect themselves to the beautiful nature that surrounds them. For more information about Kingdom Trails, call (802) 626 0737, visit their website, or swing in the shop in East Burke, right next to the Pub Outback.

Kingdom Trails

Final Project Ideas

Kingdom Trails and Mountain Biking: We can take some still-shots of Burke Mountain and the biking trails that they offer, and then take some video of bikers going through the trails, going off the jumps, and whatever else they might be doing. The idea for the project is how to correctly bike and where to bike. All group members will be working on the video and pictures.

Video Project 2

For the second video project, our group is going to the Lyndon Dog Pound to talk to Cindy Cady, the Lyndon Animal Control officer. We will talk to her to see what her job is like, how many animals she is dealing with, and how the adoption process works, along with other topics. Kristin and Jesse will take the camera to interview Cindy Patrick will edit the video and write the paper

Revised synopsis

Group 4 has decided to do a video on Black Bears. Vermont State has had a rising issue with Black Bear population. Bears have been traveling closer to non rural areas in search of food. We will video tape black bears hanging out in the back yard Kristen’s family friend. Bears have been coming to this house for a few years now eating out of the bird feeder. The story will tell about a recent bear attack and what one can do to take caution. It will also address the rising issue of black bears in the state of Vermont. We will be using natural sound from the bear rummaging through the yard. There will also be an interview going as the video plays. The video will mostly be natural sound. Some music will play at the beginning and the end of the video. There will be a short introduction with a picture and music. Kristen will shoot the video and do the interview Patrick will edit the sound and the video Jessie will write the story

Video Project 1

Vermont has several laws to protect wildlife. Over the years, black bears have been a rising issue.

Though black bears are known as carnivores, they are true omnivores. Their food sources include plants, small animals, seeds and insects. When spring time comes around, food is scarce. The bears often travel closer to resident’s homes in search of plants and seeds.

 There have been several cases of black bear attacks in the state of Vermont. The bears get into bird feeders and gardens of homes around the state. There have also been several cases where home owners spot the bears and feed them. The bears may seem harmless at first but they can get quite aggressive.

On May 30^th, 2011, a woman was attacked in Cabot, Vermont.  Jessica Miller claims she was trying to shoo two cubs off of her back porch when her cat ran outside. She immediately grabbed her cat which resulted in the cat letting out a dreadful cry. When the mother bear heard the cat’s cry, she reacted as if one of her cubs were in trouble. The bear attacked Miller leaving her with claw and bite marks on her leg. Miller had apparently been feeding the bears for a few years. She was previously warned by the states game warden not to feed the bears. She claims she had not been feeding the bears that year and it was simply a mishap.

Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife officials says that bears have been poking their noses closer to non rural areas in search for food. Officials claim that the bears usually will not attack unless provoked. They strongly advise that residents take caution to the bears.

Bird feeders should only be used during the winter seasons and garbage cans should be put in a location where the bears cannot get into them. If one see a bear or come in contact with it one should keep their distance and holler at the bear until it leaves. Stay indoors until you are positive that the bear has left the premises. 

It is also advised that all pets and animals are kept inside because bears will eat just about anything that crosses their paths.  Pet food and grills will also attract these bears. The black bear usually will travel around so if you hear a neighbor mentions a bear sighting don’t ignore it.  To avoid a bear attack take all of the previous precautions.

Proposal

Group 4 has decided to make a video about selling a house. People say the housing market is turning around, so we are going to videotape a mock showing of Patrick's family home they are selling. He will walk around and point out the highlights of the home and go over the asking price with the potential buyer. The story will talk about different sellers dropping their prices regularly because the market is still not that great. And also address the idea that people do not actually buy the home, but buy the land the house is on. We will have back ground noise from the house: echoes because it is empty, voices of Patrick and the buyer and outside noises when they take a stroll on the property. Jessie and Kristin are thinking about low background music, but not 100% sold on the idea. Patrick and Kristin will shoot the video and do the talking. Jessie and Kristin will edit the video. Linda and Patrick will work on the story.

Video Project 1

Group 4 has decided to make a video about selling a house. People say the housing market is turning around, so we are going to videotape a mock showing of Patrick's family home they are selling. He will walk around and point out the highlights of the home and go over the asking price with the potential buyer. The story will talk about different sellers dropping their prices regularly because the market is still not that great. And also address the idea that people do not actually buy the home, but buy the land the house is on. We will have back ground noise from the house: echoes because it is empty, voices of Patrick and the buyer and outside noises when they take a stroll on the property. Jessie and Kristin are thinking about low background music, but not 100% sold on the idea. Patrick and Kristin will shoot the video and do the talking. Jessie and Kristin will edit the video. Linda and Patrick will work on the story.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11523469 http://www.hometownannapolis.com/slideshow/1332016330NavydefeatsHolyCross I just noticed that I didn't have these on my blog but I found them for class.

Shoes

Learning how to tie one’s shoes is an important skill that one learns at a young age. Many methods have been used to help children learn this more easily. Some are taught songs, poems, or even dances. Each of these has some kind of catchy rhythm that helps children catch on to this skill and enjoy it while they learn. “Two snakes escaped from the zoo and live the holes in my shoe! In and out they twisted and fought, till their tails were tied in a knot.” This is an example of a poem that children are taught in kindergarten. This poem is fun and keeps kids attention. Teaching people how to tie their shoes is everywhere. There are children’s books, magazines, and computer games. Many children shows have done skits on how to teach children how to tie their shoes, shows including Arthur, Rugrats, Full House and Spongebob. Spongebob even did an episode that had a song at the end. “Just do a loop de loop and pull, and your shoes are looking cool.” This line is teaching kids while persuading them that they will can look cool by learning this skill. Different types of shoes require different types of knots. If one is wearing a sneaker one might want to use the basic knot that he or she first learns. However, if one has shoes that have longer laces, they might want to use the double knot to shorten up the laces, however, double knots are usually a bit more difficult to untie. Boots are a little different. Boots require extra support and lacing. Usually one has to go lace around metal clamps up the ankle and back down just so that way there is some more support. Now days there are hundreds of different types of shoes. Slide on shoes have become really popular along with flip flops and Velcro. The skill of tying shoes is a forgotten talent. Older generations of kids took pride in knowing how to tie their shoes, now; kids have so many different types of shoes that tying their shoes hardly seem important anymore. Tying your shoes is a fun skill that when learned is something one usually never forgets. It sticks with people for life and those people will teach their kids who will teach their kids. Hopefully this skill will continue to be taught by parents, guardians, and teachers.

How to Tie Your Shoes

How to tie your shoes synopsis

Learning how to tie your shoes is an important skill that many learn at a young age. Some kids are taught a pretty basic way but other has different techniques and tactics while going about it. Group 4 is going to interview one person and ask them how they tie their shoes. We decided to switch up roles this time. We will be breaking up in editing and taking on new positions. Patrick is going to interview his coach. He will ask him basic questions and take pictures with each step that he responds to. Kristen is going to be doing a lot of the sound and video editing. She will also find music that goes along with the story. Jessie and Linda will be helping out whenever they can on the audio editing as well. Jessie will be writing the synopsis and the 400 word story that goes along with this project. She will show the story to the rest of the group to make sure everyone agrees on it. When we are all finished with our parts, we will come together for the final cut and collaborate all of our individual work. Group 4 is going to show an old skill in a new light.

Slideshow Idea

How to properly tie a shoe

CBS Atlanta - Both Critiques

The CBS Atlanta Facebook does a great job at giving the public instant access to information. They can update their Facebook page whenever they want to and they do a great job with the visuals. They have videos and hundreds of pictures about the stories that they are posting. They have a lot of action shots as well, which you wouldn't see on a lot of the major news networks. This gives them an advantage because people really want to get as close to the stories as possible. The best attribute about the website is the fact that the pictures and words jump out at you as a reader. I know that my reaction to the website when it loaded was that of shock because I didn't expect the page design to be appealing at all. Coming from a background where the hometown paper isn't that great and the website is even worse, it was nice to see that CBS Atlanta has a lot going for them. There is instant access to a numerous amount of stories with ranging topics, and everything is easy to get to. I like the webpage a lot.

Slideshow

Slideshow uploaded to Kristin's blog

Student-Athlete

Student athlete. That is a common term here around Lyndon State College. These are students that have decided to play a varsity sport or an intramural sport during their college career. Lyndon offers a variety of extracurricular activities for students with the stipulation that being a student comes first. Notice how the term is not Athlete Student. How do these men and women balance being a student, an athlete, work and a social lift? I think maybe they are cloned. But seriously, how do people learn to multitask and where do they learn time management skills? Many people have different systems; some prefer the trial and error method, some talk with employers and some utilize their resources that coaches and teachers offer. Any way you look at it these are lifelong skills that students cannot learn by just opening a book in the classroom. Lyndon offers students these extracurricular activities to help broaden their skills for the job market. Baseball just doesn’t teach you about the sport, but offers students a chance to travel to other states and see the other sights of New England. All of the sports here at Lyndon offer that chance to students. Along the way students learn how to plan accordingly for papers and projects. Students work as a team to help each other with homework and find ways to work through the stress that is accompanied with high education. Coaches work closely with their players to make sure they are on the right track to graduation, because at the end of the day that is the main goal. Student athletes don’t just come in the form of a varsity player though. Lyndon offers intramural sports as well. These are teams that are formed by students with no coaches. They do not have to “tryout” and “cuts” are not made. These sports a little more laid back in the fact that there are not practices to attend, but it is just as time consuming as the varsity teams. These students have to make sure that they have all the players for their teams and that there are enough teams to play. Not only do they play they help organize. Even though these students do not have a coach to help them through, there are many other faculty members that can and will help. In the end it is up to the student to make sure that they have their priorities straight. Student comes first and athlete comes second. Lyndon encourages students to pursue any extracurricular activity they are interested. It helps build those skills that are not taught in a book or on the computer. These are valuable skills that will help everyone through life.

Photo Gallery

Lyndon offers many extracurricular activities for its students. But how do students balance school, work, friends and the extracurricular activities they are involved with? Group 4 is going to explore how student athletes manage their time. We will speak with a variety of students that play sports to discuss challenges they face on a daily basis. Everyone in the group knows someone on a sports team, so everyone will take part in the interviewing process. Group 4 wanted a wide variety of students and sports so limiting the interviewing to only one person would be hard to do. Everyone will also contribute to the pictures for the slideshow. Linda knows students that participate in outdoor snow sports; Jessie knows students that play intramurals; Patrick and Kristin know multiple students on the varsity teams and some of the coaches. The four of them will take pictures of the sports they interviewed about to help create that story through the slideshow. Group 4 did decide to break up the editing. Linda and Jesse will work on the sound editing; intermixing the interviews and music. Kristin and Patrick will work on editing the photos and arranging them in a fun and interesting pattern. Then all four group members will collaborate on the final project; putting the sound and photos together. The group is hoping to shed some light on the responsibilities and time management skills it takes to be successful as a student athlete.

Podcast Paper

Valentine’s Day Podcast Valentine’s Day is a holiday that can divide our opinions as much as any other major holiday we celebrate. Some people really love the holiday and give more love on February 14 than any other day. Other people might think that this holiday is good but that they should show love every day of the year. And then you have those people who think that this holiday is the worst thing ever and a complete waste of time. Here at Lyndon State College, we see those same divisions as there are wide arrays of opinions even in this small community. Our group ventured out into the world of Lyndon to see these very opinions. Upon walking the halls and computer labs of campus, as well as some off-campus apartments, we noticed that Valentine’s Day was greeted with hate and love. First, we find one student in the Hornet’s Nest thinks that a night in with a bottle of wine and a movie would be the best way to spend the day and night. She valued the holiday as a way to treat herself and have a nice night in. We then interviewed faculty and staff who are both married and they saw the holiday as a way to spend time with the ones they love. They were both going to spend time together and have a nice dinner together. They saw the love of one another every day so this was a nice change of pace for them. After we interviewed a few people that were married, we then interviewed some students who all had different ideas on the holiday and who were mostly spending it the same way. They saw the holiday as an unnecessary day because that if you are with someone that you love, that every day should be like Valentine’s Day. One student even said that Valentine’s Day was a, “crock of shit.” But either way they look at it, they are all single and they didn’t see a reason to celebrate more than they would any other Tuesday. They all believed that if they were in a relationship with someone, they would probably see the benefit of having a Valentine’s Day so they could, “spend more money that I could be saving.” I thought it was pretty funny. Although Valentine’s Day was originally a day to show love to your significant other, by hand-writing out cards and giving flowers, it has transformed into something much bigger than that. This holiday has grown from something small into the chaotic day that is February 14, Valentine’s Day remains popular and seems to keep growing every year.

Slideshow, no sound

http://www.moderntimephoto.com/ipad_index.php This slideshow is of wedding compilations and the pictures before and after the ceremony. This can tell a story pretty well because most people know what a wedding procession is like and will be able to follow the story based on the photos. If there was sound either from the wedding or some songs in the background, it would have been a lot better but at the same time it was pretty efficient to see the progression in the pictures.

Slideshow, with sound

http://www.marcodilauro.com/ This slideshow with sound definitely told the story in the best way of the three. This slideshow told the tale of war through photo and video clips that it showed and included sound that would reflect the picture. The sound played a huge role in the seriousness and severity of these photos as it shows some people actually dead. The emphasis of the photos are backed up with the soundtrack and the music puts the viewers in the moods as if they were actually at the photo scenes themselves. Sound makes all the difference in the world when it comes to setting the tone of the story.

Photo Gallery critique

http://www.virginiasports.com/PhotoAlbum.dbml?&&&&&DB_OEM_ID=17800&PALBID=436335 This photo gallery is of the University of Virginia's baseball team in their game against William and Mary on February 24. I don't think that this photo gallery does a good job in terms of telling a story because we have no idea what is going on in the majority of these pictures. Often times when there was a picture of a pitcher or fielder making a play, we do not know whether there was anyone on base, what the score was, or who was on the other end of the play. There are a lot of parts to the story that are trying to be told but simply cannot without context. This game could have been a history-making game in terms of a win streak, or a single player's achievements but we cannot tell this just from the photo gallery itself. This style of photo gallery is not a great storyteller.

Valentine's Day Podcast

Podcast Idea

Outline – Valentine’s Day Podcast

Our podcast will end up being about Valentine’s Day on campus and with the Lyndon community as a whole. We are interviewing students, faculty, and staff about their opinions on Valentine’s Day while incorporating a brief history of the holiday and any other relevant information we can find on the topic. We hope to get people who love and hate this holiday, and hopefully we get some interesting responses to our questions because this holiday is all over social media and the news and it seems to create a lot of interesting debates on relationships and love for everyone involved. 

Podcast Pickin'

As I am sure is the case with everyone in the class, I chose my podcasts based on my own interests and what I would be willing to sit at my computer and listen to. As I was searching on iTunes and through the hundreds of podcasts, I couldn't settle on three podcasts at first. I found out that there was a lot more going on in the world that I could be learning about. So as a solution to my problem, I went to twitter. I took one computer screen's worth of posts and read them from the groups or people that I follow, and came up with the following three podcasts - The Onion News Network, ESPN First Take, and Official Barclay's Premier League Podcast. I am in love with playing and watching soccer; The Onion has always cracked me up and; I can never turn down well-thought, intelligent sports debates which is what ESPN First Take is all about.

My sister first introduced me to The Onion News Network a few years ago when social media sites were finally getting popular (it takes a while for things to reach little old Vermont). She watched the videos online and had always read them to me and wanted me to follow up on them. Since I dove into Twitter, and instantly fell in love with it, I followed TheOnion's verified account and not a post goes by that I don't laugh. Once I subscribed to the podcast, I found out that the same was true. Something about the little one-liners and punch-lines makes me laugh so much that I couldn't resist subscribing to their podcast. One thing that I disliked about the podcast is that they are really short; once they finally get going it seems like they are over. But after listening to the podcast, I fell in love with The Onion all over again, and it won't even make your breath stink.

As mentioned earlier, soccer is my favorite sport to play and to watch. And, by far, the most popular soccer league in the world is the Barclay's Premier League. Some of my favorite teams in the world play in this league (Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal) and my favorite player (Steven Gerrard, Liverpool midfielder) is a player I watch and follow very closely. I love statistics and listening to the recap of the week and listen to how my players did in their matches. Sadly though, one of my best teams is in a pretty bad spell and the news isn't always good to hear. My biggest complaint about this podcast is the British accent that all of the newscasters have. I'm not trying to be racist, country-ist, or any other -ist that someone could call me, but I get annoyed by accents, especially the southern accent that my brother has acquired after living in Jackson, Miss. for the past ten years or so. Any time I talk to him on the phone I tell him to talk normally which only makes him more annoying to me. I can get over it though.

Out of the three podcasts that I subscribed to, ESPN First Take is by far my favorite. Back before I had 9:30 a.m. classes to attend four days a week (ugh) I would always watch ESPN First Take with one of my roommates. It plays most weekday mornings at 10 a.m. and it stars the great debaters Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith. The great thing about this show is that I love Skip and I hate Stephen A. Even better, my roommate hates Skip and loves Stephen A. The topics that are debated range from any sport to any athlete to any relevant topic in the athletic world. I like listening to this podcast because now that I miss the show, I can still be up-to-date on the beatings that Skip Bayless can put onto Stephen A. I follow them on Twitter and Facebook as well and their debates go on past the show. I like the podcast because it goes the length of the show so nothing is left out, but at the same time it is over an hour and a half long. One thing that I would change is that I would have little clips of specific topics instead of the full-length show.

I can definitely see myself continuing to follow these podcasts, especially if I can't make a show of First Take or if I miss some things on my social media sites from the Premier League or from The Onion. I don't see myself putting them on my iPod but that can change if I get into them more than I expect I will. For now, though, I'll keep them on my iTunes.

Big BFG Blog Bumpin

The title doesn't really have anything to do with this post, I just wanted to use some words that started with the letter 'b.' 

I tried to pimp my blog, but it turned out to be a memorial to my old lifestyle before I had classes that made me stay in and do my homework. I searched through my phone and found the craziest, wildest picture of myself to upload as my blog background - and I did.

I wanted to share some YouTube videos on my blog, so I added the gadget on the side to show some primetime ginger videos on the web. Some of them are a little crude, but that just makes them all the more hilarious for everyone. 

I also noticed that the only two pictures that I had of myself on my phone I was making a half-hearted attempt to "blaze my guns" so I thought, "Why not put this picture up on the blog and make fun of myself?" So I did that too. I think it adds a little comic relief to those lost souls who probably think I am a psychopath.

I like stats, so I put a pageview tally up on the sidebar as well as a redhead-related poll question which got a grand total of two (that's right, two!) responses. One of them was from myself, and the other was from Kristen who has the unfortunate circumstance of sitting next to me in class. I made her vote.

In a nutshell, that is my pimped out blog, with hopefully some more dope pimpin' to go along in the future.

Catch Me if You Can

A man is on the run in northern Vermont and a cashier needs a new pair of boxers as a Swanton Sunoco was robbed at gunpoint December 6 in the early morning hours.

The assailant, a white male close to six feet tall, ran on foot from the crime scene with cash and prizes from the store with no injuries reported.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Vermont State Police in St. Albans at 802-524-5993 or the Franklin County Sheriff's Office at 802-524-2121.

Who's hunting who?

There was yet again another hunting accident in northern Vermont this fall.

The investigation into the hunting accident began October 20, 2011 where Conrad Masse, 76, Craftsbury, and Wayne Goff, 58, Wolcott were hunting bear with hounds together.

Despite the use of GPS and radio telemetry, the hunters took part in dangerous antics as they set up along the road to track the bear. As it turned out, the bear crossed the road right between the two hunters.

And that is when things went wrong.

Masse unleashed his .30-06 rifle and fired a minimum of three shots; one hit a tree, one hit the bear, and one hit  Goff in his midsection in the pelvic area. Goff was transported to North Country Hospital and then transported to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center where he has been released in stable condition.

Masse was issued a court date to appear February 28, 2012 on an aggravated assault charge. On top of the charge, he was issued tickets for shooting from the road, having a loaded rifle in his vehicle, and not properly displaying his hunting permits.

I don't know who I would rather be in this situation, Masse or Goff.

Blog Critique

My favorite writer is ESPN sportswriter Rick Reilly. I've been an avid follower of Reilly ever since I was old enough to read the final column of Sports Illustrated Magazine, where Reilly's column was always there. I follow him on Facebook and Twitter, and every day his material makes me laugh and think. His blog is very similar and it is some of the most provocative and thoughtful words in the sports world.

'Go Fish' is Reilly's blog, and lately it has had a lot of talk about Tim Tebow and the hype that he has brought into the league. His blog is updated almost daily (at the minimum weekly) and there are thousands of comments and reader interactions with every post. Reilly even started out one of his most recent posts about the thousands of comments and positive/negative responses. Reilly uses a lot of advertising in his blog with ESPN and the NBA because the readers that follow him are just as sports-inclined as he is.

I really like his posts because I agree with a lot of his ideas in sports, but the main reason is that the way he writes gets me to laugh and put myself in place of his characters and subjects of his writing. I almost feel like a celebrity when I read his material; its like I am put into the global world of fame and fortune through the superstars of the sporting world.