Thursday, May 7, 2009

Northeast Kingdom Summer Swimming Spots!


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Summer Swimming TEAM 1 Write-up

Popular Summer Swimming

For our final project, we decided to pick a topic we were all looking forward to: swimming! Since each member in our group comes from a different part of Vermont, we chose six popular swimming places we all enjoy during the summer.

Joe’s Pond is located thirteen miles west of St. Johnsbury and twenty-five miles east of Montpelier. The depth of the pond is over one hundred feet and the altitude is fifteen hundred feet above sea level. Loons, deer, moose and bear are popular critters to be seen around the pond. Joe’s Pond is most famously known for its Ice Out contest, which has been a local tradition since the 1980’s. Basically, people buy tickets and guess when a block will fall through the ice, winning up to four thousand dollars (last year’s winner.)

Lake Memphremagog is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport Vermont, and Magog, Quebec Canada. The lake is 27 miles long with 73 percent of the lake's surface area in Canada, where it drains into Magog river. Three-quarters of its watershed is in Vermont. The total is 687 square miles. Some claim Lake Memphremagog contains a reptile-like monster named Memphre, that has been spotted way back since the 18th century. Memphre has claimed to been seen in 2000. Lake Memphremagog is a popular tourist spot during the summer months, and really boosts Newport’s economy, not to mention it’s beautiful sunsets.

Lake Seymour is located in Morgan, Vermont and is a very hip scene for young adults to go and “hang out.” Beach bums, water skies, sea-doos, boats and barbecues take place among many, many campers that rent out small cottages during the summer. It has two local stores within walking distances for all your cook out needs, and the people are extremely friendly.

The Four-Corners swimming hole in North Troy Vermont is a truly hidden gem. It is a little nippy, even in the summertime, because many trees block the hot sun. Large cliffs provide lots of jumping opportunities and the rope swing is a must try. This swimming hole is polluted with swimmers all summer long! Swimmers cannot be shy because of this, guarantying you will never swim alone.

Lake Willoughby is considered by lots of people to be the most beautiful lake in Vermont. It’s nickname is the Lucerne of America, and is located in Westmore, Vermont, thirty miles north of St. Johnsbury. Lake Willoughby is known for it’s crystal clear water, amazing scenery, sandy beaches and terrific fishing.

Cummerford Dam is well off the "beaten-path" but worth the drive to find it. While it doesn't offer a large beach it does have a well known rope swing, as well as picnic tables and grills to enjoy a full day. It has a boat access to the Connecticut River and lots of great spots for kayaking or canoeing as well.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Final Project

I will be working in a group with Emily, Michelle, and Tara. We plan to make an audio slideshow detailing great swimming places near Lyndonville.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Video Project Assigment - Elements Restaurant

Elements Restaurant is located on Mill Street in St. Johnsbury, VT. This exquisite restaurant supports local and New England farms, bakeries, markets, and breweries. They serve a variety of unique foods including specialty cheeses from Kingdom County Market in St. Johnsbury. Elements is big on supporting small businesses in the area and incorporating their products in many of the items on the menu. Elements prides themselves on creating an atmosphere for great conversation and food. They strive to make their customers comfortable and satisfied.

Many positive reviews of the restaurant show just how much people really enjoy the food and ambiance. Fodor put out a review stating “In a converted mill, this restaurant seeks to provide the "elements" of a fine dining experience. Local ingredients, such as farmstead cheeses and homemade breads, are used for the seasonal menus, which might include striped bass with pepper slaw and wasabi mashed potatoes or smoked trout and apple cakes. You can eat indoors or on the deck overlooking the Passumpsic River. Lunch is served Tuesday-Friday from Memorial Day through Columbus Day.” Many more reviews of the restaurant give positive and encouraging feedback.

Executive chef Ryan O’Malley has dedicated much of his time to the smooth running and execution of Elements. After receiving a culinary degree from Paul Smith, he has gone on to show his culinary talent at Elements. He has described the food at the restaurant as both “high end cuisine” and a place to eat “comfort food.” O’Malley also loves the diversity of the restaurant: it can be a place to take the whole family out to eat or to go out for a special, more intimate setting, such as a birthday or anniversary.

If you are looking for a quaint and delicious place to bring out of town guests or just relax enjoying good food, stop by Elements on Mill Street in St. Jay.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Newspaper Videos

(1) Times Series Newspaper - "Ice Home from Home": This video from a newspaper online out of England is a good example of a local story that is interesting and entertaining. The video captures some local English friends making igloos in the streets. The video was high quality and had an explanation of exactly what was going on in the video. Because this video was easy to follow it could be viewed by a diverse group of people. Click HERE to view the video.

(2) New York Times - "Vows: Kristen and Bill": This video was a little boring for me to sit through. It was about 4 minutes in length and told the story of how this couple, Kristen and Bill, got engaged. The actual video footage wasn't that terrible, it was just the story itself that didn't excite me. I noticed that NY Times shows video of different couples and their engagement stories. Personally, I wouldn't have chosen to post this particular video. Sorry Kristen and Bill, I do wish you the best. Click HERE to view the video.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

iReports

After navigating through the site I found that many of the iReports were already on CNN. I had to search around to find some that hadn't been aired on cnn.com.

(1)Pacific Science Center in Seattle - this was a report with two slides in it describing the science center in Seattle and what was offered. There was about a paragraph under the two slides that mentioned the attractions within the center. I really didn't find this iReport to be interesting- both the text and the two pictures weren't enough to encourage me to visit the science center. This really shouldn't be considered news. The report was just telling the viewer that this was something to someone could go see, without any real purpose. CNN doesn't need to add this slideshow to their programming. The authors would need to beef up the slideshow, adding both more text and pictures.
This iReport can be seen here

(2)Coast Guard Rescues Stranded Motorists From Ike Flood Waters- This video of Coast Guard rescuers attending to stranded motorists in Galveston, Texas, is very interesting and informative. You are able to see footage from a helicopter and hear the communication between the Coast Guard attending to the flood victims and the dispatcher. The only complaint about this video would be the sound quality. However, it is obvious that the sound wouldn't come in crystal clear due to the circumstances. This is a video I would want to see on CNN and I am sure others in the country would take interest.
This iReport can be seen here

(3) Let's Make the World a Better Place- This video was created by June Rochelle; she sings and demonstrates her appreciation for her right to vote. Her song tells how both men and women tried to make the world a better place many years ago, alluding to the right for women to vote and equality for all. She has a voice that a certain type of audience would enjoy. Personally, I did not like the video as a whole. However, I did like clips of the video that show change and reflect on history. I don't think this particular video needs to be shown on CNN.com.
This iReport can be seen here