Doggy Driver

The following is a fictional story:
Yesterday, a dog named Breeze made a trip to the local Dunkin' Doughnuts drive through, DRIVING A CAR! That's right, the 4 year-old Great Dane decided she needed a doughnut and took her master's car out for a spin. She drove two miles from her home in Littelton, New Hampshire to the Dunkin' Doughnuts.
I'm sure your asking, "How in the world could a dog drive a car?" There are many reasons:

• Breeze's owner Bruce taught her how to drive a golf cart as a joke.
• The Great Dane could easily reach the pedals because she is 4ft 5in tall while standing on her hind legs.
• Breeze had been to the Dunkin' Donughts many times with her master and knew the way like the back of her paw.

Unfortunatly, this joy ride pooch has had her licence suspended. Annie, the worker at the drive-through window, got Breeze out of the car and called the police. (A very smart move.) Everyone at the Dunkin' Doughnuts thought the incident was hillarious. However, the police weren't laughing. Bruce was fined $500 dollars for Breeze's joy ride. He also had to promise to keep Breeze away from all motorized vehicles unless he is the one driving. Oh well, looks like Breeze has to be content with sticking her head out the window!

3 Principles of writing+editing online used in this article:

• simple sentences
• voice
• bullets

Blog Post 12- Should Twitter be used as a Journalism Tool?

Although I am not a fan of Twitter, newspapers should use it. The Internet is a very big part of today's world. People are always on the Internet. Many people even have the Internet on their expensive new cell phones. If newspapers hope to stay in business, they have to reach new customers. The Internet is the obvious answer because everyone is online.
Newspapers can use Twitter in many ways. Twitter allows newspapers to list quick headlines and posts that draw viewers in. Some are used to draw readers into their sites; others are used as websites with up dates and headlines(a stand-alone channel). For example, during the California wildfires, the L.A. times used a Twitter page to provide updates and evacuation notices. Most importantly, Twitter allows newspapers to find an elusive younger audience. Many young adults do not read the paper and the easiest way to reach them is on the Internet. Therefore, it is a very good idea for newspapers to use Twitter.

Blog Post 8:Free Choice Blog Post: Globe's beginnings

There has been much concern in the last couple of weeks about the fate of The Boston Globe, but where did this paper come from? The Boston Globe was founded in 1872 by six businessmen who were headed by Eben Jordan, also the founder of Macy's. The first ever Boston Globe was printed on March 4, 1872. In 1873 Jordan hired the 27-year-old civil war veteran, General Charles H. Taylor, to help the globe over come some financial difficulties. Taylor was later named publisher, and the position was kept in his family until 1999.

Since its founding, The Boston Globe has weathered many changes. The Globe was originally just a daily morning paper, but in 1877 a Sunday edition was added. The Boston Evening Globe also ran from 1878-1979. The Boston Globe moved from Boston's "Newspaper Row" on Washington Street to its current home in Dorchester in 1958. In 1973 The Boston Globe was bought by Affilliated Publications. Then, on October 1, 1993 The New York Times Company bought Affliliated Publications, including The Boston Globe. Boston.com was launched into the Internet in 1995 and has become one the U.S.'s strongest regional websites. The Globe has also invested in other types of media such as Red Sox and NESN, the Boston Metro, and Globe Direct. Let's just hope the changes in 2009 won't be the end of this great paper.

Training Tips-Touch It

It's always fun to teach your dog a new trick. One simple trick you can teach them is "touch it". To teach your dog this trick you will need lots of really smelly treats that can be easily broken into small pieces (lunch meat is a good idea) and a clicker. A clicker is a training tool that when pressed makes a click noise. This signals to the dog that he has performed the trick correctly. Clicker training can be used with any type of dog. (Some people even use clickers to train other types of animals such as horses or giraffes.)
First, you will need to teach your dog to associate the sound of the click with a treat. Just click the clicker and then immediately give your dog a treat. Be sure to have your treats readily available. If you take to long to give your dog the treat, the concept of the clicker won't sink in. Also remember to use verbal praise as well. Act like your dog has just invented IPods. Keep doing this [click, treat, click, treat, click, treat] until you get to the point where your dog will automatically look at you for a treat when they hear the click. Try to keep your training sessions short, 15 minutes at the most, otherwise your dog will get bored and loose focus. Clicker training should be happy, and fun, never a chore or punishment. If you or your dog gets frustrated end your training session for the day.
Next, get your dog to actually touch your hand. Rub smelly treats on your hand and place it a couple inches away from your dog's nose. Do not give your dog the "touch it" command yet. Your dog will sniff your hand anyway when it catches a whiff of the treats you rubbed on it. When your dog touches your hand to sniff it, click and treat. Try to click exactly when the dog's nose touches your hand, no later and no earlier. Dogs are smart and as they catch on they may try to cheat by just getting close to your hand instead of touching it. Do not praise this, wait until your dog touches your hand. Also, always treat with the hand that is not being touched. It will train your dog to look for the treats hidden in your hand not to look at you for a treat.
Finally, when your dog is comfortable with sniffing your hand for a treat introduce the command "touch it". When your dog touches your hand say "good touch it", click, and treat. Keep repeating this and your dog will eventually catch on. Try moving your hand further away from your dog's nose. Soon, you will be able to wean your dog off the clicker. You will be able to just say "touch it" and your dog will rush over.
For more fun, try pointing to objects and saying “touch it”. Start with big and bright colored targets (food container lids work well for beginners) and use the clicker at first to help reinforce praise. Do not praise your dog until he touches the target. If you are having trouble, try putting a treat on the target. I find that peanut butter works with my dog because she will lick it and "touch it" at the same time. I have even trained her to work a bellhop bell! You can also use the clicker to teach other commands. Just catch your dog doing the behavior click and follow the same steps for "touch it". So, get out there and have fun training your dog.

(above)my dog Thistle performing "touch it" with a bell

So Long Scrubs

On Wednesday March 6, 2009 "Scrubs" fans said goodbye to J.D. (Zach Braff). Since J.D. was the very essence of "Scrubs", Wednesday's episode was also most likely the series finale. It certainty did not disappoint. The "Scrubs" humor fans have known and loved for eight years was still present even though it was the last show. Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) was finally able to show his emotional side and praised J.D. as "the best that ever came through this dump". The fans finally learned the Janitor's(Neil Flynn) name, Greg Mathews, but knowing the janitor it was most likely a lie. ;) At the very end J.D. walks through a hallway filled with past patients, girlfriends, and friends, who added up to more than 50 guest stars. Then, JD imagines what will happen next and it plays like a movie before his eyes. You see what he hopes happens with his relationship with Elliot, how close he'll stay with his Sacred Heart friends, and what his son grows up to be like. It was a very emotional ending to a truly sensational series.

Movie Review "Earth"

The new Disney Nature film "Earth" takes you on an amazing journey with three families of animals. Viewers go on a journey with a polar bear family in the arctic, an elephant family in the Kalahari Desert, and a humpback whale and her calf on their summer migration to Antarctica. The movie shows the families as the struggle on to their destination. You hope with all your heart that the baby elephant and her mom find their way back to the herd and want to see the polar bear dad survive his long swim in the ocean. The movie also shows viewers the lives of the animals living around the families. Pods of dolphins and sailfish attack a bait ball. A cheetah chases a thompson gazelle. (The action was so fast that they had to use slow motion) However, they show the animals in real life. What you see actually happened. These aren't Disney cartoons, they're real life animas. If you don't want to see predator and prey sequences, this is not the movie for you. If you want to learn more about the animals on our planet and the habitats in which they live in this is defiantly the movie for you. Be on the look out for the next Disney Nature film "Oceans" coming to theaters next Earth Day.

Cub-Napped

The following is a fictional story:

At noon yesterday, a Milton man was arrested for stealing a tiger cub from the Franklin Park Zoo. The 32 year-old man was named Charles Ray. In order to steal the cub named, Tony, Ray lured the cub to the edge of his cage with a picture of a female tiger. Once the cub was close enough he shot Tony with a tranquilizer gun. Zookeepers then observed Ray stuffing the young tiger into his knapsack. Police caught and arrested Ray as he tried to leave the zoo. Eyewitness say that a teary Charles Ray shouted, "But that tiger likes me! He was purring before I injected him!" as he was being put in a police car. Ray is being charged with a larceny of $250. Tony was checked by the zoo's veterinarian and the scared cub was returned to his mother.
But, why did Charles Ray do this? What made him want to steal a tiger cub? Friends, family, and eyewitness offer their account of the event.
As a kid Charles Ray always wanted a pet. His favorite animal was a tiger and he wanted an American Bobtail cat, which has stripes like a tiger. Unfortunately, his father was allergic to cats. "I would have loved to get Charlie a kitty, but Burt was just so horribly allergic. We tried to get him another pet like a dog or rabbit but his mind was made up. He wanted a cat," said Fredia Ray of her son Charles. Even after he left his parents home Charles hit road blocks in his quest for a cat. His college roommate was allergic, his first apartment didn't allow pets, one of his girlfriends was afraid of cats, etc.
But, in April of this year things started looking up. Ray was promoted at his job to the Vice President of Sprinkle Quality Control at the Dunkin' Doughnuts' bakery in Rockland. With the money from his raise Charles found a new apartment that allowed cats. He was even being reviewed for the adoption of a one year old American Bobtail kitten. "He was the happiest he'd been in years. All his dreams came true and Charlie could hardly believe it," said Mei Yow, Ray's best friend since childhood.
But, those dreams were ripped away from him. Three weeks after his promotion Ray was demoted to sprinkle checker. A customer had complained about rotten sprinkles and then sued the company for $1.5 million. No longer able to pay the rent on his apartment Charles had to move to an apartment with a land lord who hated animals with a passion. The adoption of his kitten was denied due to his new housing arrangements. "He was crushed he had been waiting 32 years for that cat and it was snatched away from him just like that!" exclaimed Kit Ekat, Charles girlfriend, "He was so down that I decided to take him to the zoo to see Tony the new tiger cub." Kit went on to say that he sat in front of the Tiger enclosure for a half an hour just watching Tony. "Charlie told me that he had a lot of fun and seeing the tigers really cheered him up. I hadn't thought it was unusual that he watched the tiger cub so long, a lot of people did the same thing. But then, he started to go there everyday," Kit commented. Zookeepers reported that Ray had come to the zoo everyday for the past week. "He would sit by the enclosure from the time the zoo opened to the time the zoo closed," said Franklin Park zookeeper Anne Malia, "It was kinda weird, but he wasn't bothering anyone so we let him sit there."
Soon, harmless cub-watching turned into cub-napping. "He left our apartment at 8 in the morning and said he was going to drive up to his parents house in Littleton, New Hampshire," recalled Kit, "He seemed nervous and upset. I figured there had been some kind of family emergency, and sensing his distress, I didn't question further." But, Charles didn't go to New Hampshire he went to the Franklin Park Zoo. According to security tapes he snuck in by climbing a tree and climbing down a rope ladder he'd brought with him. He then snuck into an open window in the veterinary office and stole a tranquilizer gun. The on call vet and most of the zookeepers were attending to the distraction in the zebra enclosure Ray had created to avoid being spotted. (He had placed a couple of Garter snakes in the enclosure, which freaked all the zebras out.) After securing the gun Ray hid in a supply closet until noon when he could sneak out into the crowd. He then made his way to the tiger enclosure to capture Tony. Meanwhile, the vets discovered that a tranquilizer gun was missing and called the police. Across the zoo Anne Malia and three other zoo keepers, Ben Galtiger and Panthera Tigris, were in hot pursuit of Ray. "We were feeding the red pandas when we heard the shot and rushed over to the tiger enclosure. Then, we saw Ray stuff poor Tony into his knapsack. We told him to stop and when he took off, we followed him. We weren't going to let him get away with Tony!" exclaimed Malia. The police had already arrived to investigate the stolen tranquilizer gun and caught Ray as he was running out. The zookeepers took Tony away and returned the cub to his mom. An exciting ending to an even weirder story.