Renewing the Voice


Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Tweeting for you

This morning, we launched our new Twitter format which caters more directly to our readers.

Each morning @MontgomeryMedia will ask "what would you like to read today?" Follwers can then respond with something like "@MontgomeryMedia, I would like to read today's local news and sports." Another might respond "@MontgomeryMedia, I'd like to read an opinion piece about health care."

Within minutes we will reply with a story or two which suits you. In addition, we pay attention to who we follow. We read your blog posts and have come to enjoy your work. If we see a story which, based on your tweets, we think you might find interesting, we will tweet that story to you.

This is part of our mission to enrich our readers lives with knowledge. So keep following and we'll keep tweeting.

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Vick: Can America Change Pace?

I think it is important to remeber the real social impact of the Michael Vick issue. As a pet owner, I understand the terrors dog fighting creates. The stories we are hearing through the news outlets right now are horrifying. Dogs with their skin hanging from their bodies, is just one of the phrases I've heard recently which I cannot stop thinking about when I weigh the pros and cons. However, I think we need to begin to see this issue in a different light. A light which shines on the prison system and a possible change of pace.

The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world at 750 inmates per 100,000 persons (Russia comes in second at 624 inmates per 100,000 people). We are spending more money on the prison system than any other country today at an annual cost of $200 billion. But this is not what bothers me. What bothers me is the fact that one in two former inmates will return to prison within three years of their release.

I ask readers to keep this in mind as we continue to debate the issue with friends and the media. Remember that this is a chance for a celebrity to prove that one can serve his time and re-enter the world with a second chance. Vick could be that celebrity model who is put with role models like Donovan McNabb and others with the Eagles organization, only to prove that when given a true second chance former inmates can succeed in the realworld again.

It is sad to see people we know struggle with the legal system enter and re-enter prisons throughout their lives. Perhaps Vick can be the changing factor or even the "mascot" to raise awareness to this issue that those who go to jail need help when they are released. Former inmate rehabilitation is an issue which needs to be mentioned much more often than the current conversation.

Must we really push him back into the black abyss that has become the circle of a former convicts life? Please leave me your comments and let's begin the intelligent conversation our county and country needs.

Information taken from:
Facts About the Prison System in the United States (Oct. 2007)
Retrieved Aug. 18, 2009, from
http://webb.senate.gov/pdf/prisonfactsheet4.html


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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Arachnophobia remedy


Upon my venture to the Academy of Natural Sciences I met with Souderton Resident and lead organizer of Bug Fest Karen Verderame. Quite a fascinating person, Karen has worked with insects since she was twelve. She even interned at Disney's Wild Kingdom working with what else but the wildest creepy crawlers one can imagine.

I must say that I am afraid of just about anything with six or more legs. Even after I left the Academy I thought every tickle on my skin was one of those giant walking sticks shown in the video. A friend reminded me that the most extreme remedy to my arachnophobia was to stand close to the tarantula and give it a few minutes of air time.

After a minute or too of watching Karen hold the enormous arachnid I think I may have grown a bit braver. Just don't test me.

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Saturday, August 1, 2009

How you can help Montgomery County's economy



One thing that the newspapers published by Montgomery News and Ambler Gazette's Editor, Carrie Compton's story assignments have taught me is that buying our newspapers from local businesses is one of the most beneficial ways to stabilize our economy.

One of my first multimedia stories was about the Wissahickon Growing Greener Group. Founded by Erin Crump, the Group aims to educate local residents on how we can be more beneficial to our environment, such as disposing of batteries properly and eating hormone-free and pesticide-free foods from local farms instead of supermarkets.

It was Erin who turned me on to staying away from big grocery stores. She pointed me to Maple Acre Farm in Plymouth Meeting. Maple Acre is a farm which I have driven past virtually my entire life without thinking to stop and buy food.

I was reading the Economist this afternoon when I saw an interesting article about buying local. Maybe this story wasn't about buying food or caring for the environment; however, I think it is a good example for people who see the world in terms of the dollar.

The story was about two local book stores who were about to be put out of business if the city of Austin, as planned, extended a $2 million dollar incentive to a developer who wanted to put a brand new Borders book store in town. The new Borders would end up being built right across the street from one of the local book stores. Big trouble, right? Wrong.

The local stores had a consultant study the benefits of the local businesses compared to the corporate store and they found out that out of every $100 spent at the local stores, $45 went back into the local economy through staff wages and money spent on supplies at other local merchants. At Borders, only $13 went back into the local economy.

The rules are the same in Montgomery County. When we buy from local businesses, those businesses buy supplies and products from other businesses in the local economy. So keep this in mind when you light the grill this weekend. Are those vegetables helping your community or are the profits going cross-country?

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