Final Blog

I really enjoyed blogging this semester. I really liked the class, and I don't think that there was anything that didn't work for me. The class was a little bit different than I thought it was going to be. I thought we were going to be actually blogging for a newspaper, and I was kind of nervous. I just read the description of the class wrong. I really enjoyed doing the blogs and the articles. It was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be because I don't typically blog about things. I know now that you can blog about pretty much anything, and I like the idea of that. I really liked how this class was set up, and I wouldn't want anything changed.

The Economy

It's amazing how bad the economy is getting. I know so many people that are getting laid off to save money. My dad is one of them. He recently got a letter saying that in July he was going to get laid off. There are so many stories of this it's unbelievable. It's almost impossible for anyone to find a job right now because of the economy. I travel around the country a lot and I have seen a great increase of homeless people walking around a lot of cities. It's sad. What can we do to boost the economy? The government isn't doing anything to help us. It's bad that important industries are having to let people go. Schools for example are getting rid of teachers, and we know that means more students in each class. Shouldn't education be most important? I think that is one area where there shouldn't be people getting laid off. I'm young and I don't even support myself. I couldn't imagine trying to support a family, and being able to pay for my house and bills. I just hope that soon everything will start picking up, but I think that it'll get worse before it gets better.

Greenbush Township

Just recently a friend of mine got a letter in the mail saying that he couldn't park his two semis in his yard. It's funny how ridiculous people are getting. The trucks are his way of life; they are his career. He bought this place, and he doesn't even have control over what he can have in his yard. The letter also said that he had to get rid of some of his cars, but what no one seems to realize is that 11 people live in the house. There has to be a lot of cars for people to get around in.
The township doesn't seem to be bothering anyone else, and there are a lot of yards that have way more stuff, semis, and more cars then he does.
I guess I just don't get how people can tell you what you can have in your yard, especially if it isn't harming anyone. I think since he pays for it he should be able to have what he wants in his yard. I guess everything seems to be getting worse and more strict.

The Mid-America Truck Show

In Louisville Kentucky there was a very popular event that many people wait for every year. It was the Mid-America Truck Show. The Mid-America Truck Show is the largest truck show in the world. It ran from March 19-21. I went there on the 19th with my boyfriend and one of his friends. It was huge! 71,992 people attended, there were 935 vendors, and the whole show was located within 1 million square feet.

Here are a few pictures I took when I was there.

There were two main sections to the show. There was an outside part and an inside part. The outside part was where all of the show trucks were. There were quite a few. There were a lot that were stretched and had awesome graphics painted on them. There were a lot of newer trucks and a lot of older trucks.

The inside was much bigger and more interesting. Inside is where most of the vendors where. They were promoting many new things that had to do with fuel efficiency such as things that you put on your trailer that help you get better mileage. The also had games, drawings, and contests. I won a $25 dollar gift card in a drawing.

The pictures that I took and added above were pictures that I took of a truck inside. It was a very large International truck, and I really liked the graphics that it had.

Princeton Leaders

I chose to do the Princeton Community.
Some of the Key leaders in Princeton, Mn are:
Mayor Jeremy Riddle

Councilor Victoria Hallin

Councilor Dick Dobson

Princeton is a statutory Type A city with a Mayor/Council form of government. The mayor and four councilors are elected at large for two and four year terms. The current City Hall located at 705 Second Street North was purchased by the City in 1994 and houses the Administration, Finance, Community Development and Police Departments. The City Council has regularly scheduled meetings in the Council Chambers at City Hall on the second and fourth Thursdays and a study session on the first Thursday each month(http://www.princetonmn.org/).

Mayer Jeremy Riddle says that the top priority for 2009 is money. By this he means budgeting. Federal Government economic-stimulus money could be part of the city's business agenda. The city officials will be seeking for ways to save money in operating the city in light of more potential cuts in aid by the state. With the number of foreclosures, and job losses he is hoping to help build up the economy in Princeton.

He also had a list of utility and street projects that he said the council hopes to accomplish, some possibly with federal help. An example he gave was continuing to plan for the scheduled replacement of the Highway 95 bridge just east of Rum River Drive in 2010.

Here is the website for the city of Princeton if anyone is interested. You can look at many things such as all of the different city officials, agendas and minutes of meetings, community service, and many other things.
http://www.princetonmn.org/index.asp?Type=NONE&SEC={C95886E9-A690-4DBC-B6E7-2B12780E5E7F}

Blog # 3

In Greenbush Town ship, the people in this area meet at the town hall. Greenbush Township is located in Mille Lacs County. The town hall is located at 5445 120th Ave., Princeton, MN. Greenbush Township is pretty small, and the town hall is located pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There are only about 1,135 people in Greenbush Township.

The people in this township meet here to talk about issues and vote on things such as tarring roads. This is also the place where the City Planner talks about ideas that they have.

The outside of the town hall looks like an old gray school house.
There isn’t very much on the inside. The inside looks like a church or court room. There's a podium on a stage, and there are pews on the left and right when you walk in. There is a television and microphone system. There are also some chairs, and a table. All of the windows are covered, so there are no open windows in the building. It also smells a little like older people.

It's very old style, and I think could use a little work and renovation, but then again it gives a sense of history of the township that maybe shouldn't be messed with.

Covering Communities

I remember when I was younger there was only about 5 houses within 5 miles of my house. This was about 16 years ago. I remember cars rarely driving down my road. Our neighborhood was the kind of neighborhood that when someone drove by they always waved at you, and everyone knew and was friends with everyone else. Also if something happened everyone knew about it right away. Now a few years later, there are a lot more houses, a lot less friendliness, and a lot less trees. Now only few people, mostly the ones that lived here in the first place, wave when they pass by. What use to be deep country west of Cambridge is now turning into the city, and it makes me sad. I miss going and picking berries, and watching herds of deer behind my house in the fall. I haven't seen even one deer in the area for more than two years.

Blogging

1. I think there are many things that makes a blog. I think blogs are something that are an opinion, facts, or information. Blogs can also be something such as a frequently updated online journal. Blogs also usually have a comments place where readers can comment on the writer's blog. So basically I think a blog is a blog if it has someones opinions or thoughts, or if it is like a news report. I'm sure it's much more than that, so I hope to learn more.
2. My favorite thing about blogging is that you can talk about whatever you want. You can write about things you like. Also, people can reply to your blogs, and they can give you constructive criticism.
3. The most challenging thing about blogging for me is that I've never done it, so I don't really know how it works. I don't really know how the comments and posts works , but I'm learning!