Eight Tiny Reindeer

 by Andrea Smith, Nature Center Manager 

“Up on the house top, click, click, click…,” this familiar excerpt from B.R. Handby’s now infamous song about the arrival of Santa Claus is a telling of the sound of eight tiny reindeer on our roofs, right? Well, maybe… 

That clicking might be the sound of reindeer on your roof, but let’s consider a few things. The average female reindeer (we’ll get to why I am saying female in a bit) weighs 175 pounds. If you consider there are eight reindeer, which is 1,400 pounds of reindeer, not considering the harnesses, sleigh or the big guy himself. I would be willing to bet if he landed on my roof it would be more of a thud than a click! It is much more likely that the clicking sound the song is referencing is actually that of a ligament snapping across the bones of the animal’s ankle as it walks. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Saturday, December 27th, 2008
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Red and Green Christmas

Andrea Smith, Manager,

Remington

Nature

Center of

St. Joseph 

One day makes all the difference in a season. Can you believe Christmas is only two weeks away? It’s a time of decorations, presents, wrappings, family, joy, and unfortunately, waste. The accumulation of waste is unavoidable; fortunately there are some things we can do to cut down and do our part to help the environment during this time of holly and glitter. Pine boughs and evergreen trees are a holiday must in many households. As your family gathers to choose that perfect evergreen, consider a live tree that can be planted after the holiday. You would still get that fresh pine scent, as well as gain a new addition to your windrow. When trimming branches to make room for all those presents under the tree, consider hanging the cut boughs for more holiday cheer instead of purchasing extra garland for stair banners.  When decorating your tree, use edible ornaments. There is the traditional popcorn garland for you, and the birds! Dried fruits and seeds can be made into ornaments that will add color to any theme and turn your tree into a buffet for wildlife. If you would like to make ornaments specifically for your avian friends, try pinecones stuffed with peanut butter or suet and rolled in seeds. Your yard will become decorated with the birds from your neighborhood. Another way to cut down on holiday leftovers is to cook the right amount of food for the crowd expected. According to the National Wildlife Federation, if every person in the

United States throws away just one bite of turkey, there will be eight million pounds of turkey wasted. So save those leftovers, and enjoy them in the days to come. Keep in mind that it is not good for your pets to chew on bird bones, no matter how much they beg for it, as the hollow bones of birds can shatter and present a choking hazard.  (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Friday, December 12th, 2008
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A Case for Change – Part I

byVince Capell, St. Joseph City Mgr.

It is public heresy and political suicide in some circles to talk about changing

St. Joseph. Some like

St. Joseph just fine the way it is and don’t see much need for changing it. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” or “If you don’t like it, leave!” are the defensive and sometimes fearful refrains one sometimes hears when the topic of change is discussed. Nevertheless, I venture to say that most residents think more constructively and optimistically about change. Most would agree, I think, that we should keep what is exceptional and good about

St. Joseph and toss the rest onto a southbound barge.    

I have been told that some people prefer the familiar, even if unpleasant, to the unfamiliar, even if promising. This human psychology might explain some of the hesitancy to embrace change even by those facing unpleasant or life-threatening circumstances. Perhaps we could lessen this reluctance by understanding that certain cherished parts of our life and community are not likely to change so long as our residents hold the (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Friday, October 31st, 2008
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Audits, Audits and More Audits

by Vince Capell, St. Joseph City Mgr.

There is no such thing as too many audits – not in

St. Joseph anyway. The media has focused recently on three audits including the highly anticipated state audit, the moribund, but now resuscitated idea of internal city audits and, more recently, my call for an audit of

Buchanan

County’s recordkeeping of the

Law

Enforcement

Center maintenance reserve fund. Oh, and there’s a fourth, the criminal audit performed by the FBI with respect to the misappropriation of funds by the former Buchanan County Public Administrator. So, whether it’s called an investigation, audit or merely “taking a look see,” these types of inquiries are probably more similar than different. Audits come in all types and sizes including financial, compliance, performance, fraud, statutory, regulatory, efficiency, productivity, etc… Audits are performed by all kinds of auditors for all kinds of reasons. Just about anything can be audited, probably even UFO sightings. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Friday, October 17th, 2008
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Together We Win.

 By Mary Robertson, Communications Manager

Together We Win. All of us have heard that statement at one time or another. It is applicable to each of us at some point in our lives – hopefully more often than not. For those of us who like to hold out as long as we can and think that independence still means success comes to those who can go it alone, we are a dying breed - if not already six feet under.

I am my father’s daughter, in that most of my personality traits were passed from him. While I am extremely proud to have inherited these characteristics, they sometimes make for a dangerous combination. To this day, I have been labeled as unreasonable, unbending, hard-headed, hot-headed, too independent for my own good and stubborn as an ass. I usually hear one, or more, of these descriptions frequently. The one about being stubborn as an ass is usually reserved for my best friend. My response…it takes one to know one. (Umm…I should add sarcasm as another gift from my father.) (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Saturday, October 4th, 2008
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A Father’s Advice for the Workplace!

by Vince Cappel,  St.Joseph City Mgr.

 

I have three children, all of whom are, or soon will be, working in the real world. This fact, and the fact that many of my friends are beginning to retire, has made me reflective of certain work place realities that were mastered by my retiring friends and will soon be encountered by my working-world children. The work place can be challenging in many ways so understanding its inherent proclivities and limitations is essential for one to be successful. Successful not necessarily in terms of money, status or position, but in terms of gaining personal satisfaction and reward from the work performed. Every parent wants his/her children to be happy, healthy, wealthy and wise. So, if I could give my children just ten work place pointers, they would be as follows, in no particular order: 

(1)   Respect others while standing up for you.(2)   Don’t appease aggressors. Appeasement leads to more aggression whether the aggressor is a boss, peer, co-worker or employee. Constant appeasement also leads to self-loathing and nothing is worth that. (3)   If you make a mistake, take responsibility for it and apologize before promising to do better. Then, after that, do better. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Thursday, September 18th, 2008
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Lotta Good Stuff Happenin in them thar Western Parts …..

by Vince Capell, St. Joseph City Mgr.

 

We all know about the development and growth taking place in the Eastern and Northeastern parts of our fine city, but what is happening in its Western part?   

I like to build things with my hands and my back, which translates to a personal and professional interest in rebuilding and renewing

St. Joseph’s Downtown and Riverfront. While some would say that little has been done to these western geographic locals, most would probably acknowledge that there has been a sizable and positive transformation of these community assets primarily through various forms of intermittent public and private investment. Objective evidence tells us that the time is right for expediting this investment and the progress that comes with it. First, the City Council has identified these as two worthwhile efforts among its top seven goals. Second, Governor Blunt designated St. Joseph as one of the first 10 Missouri DREAM (Downtown Revitalization & Economic Assistance for Missouri) cities. Third, the Urban Land Institute (ULI), in a study commissioned by Heartland Health, Missouri Western State University and Herzog Corporation, for Riverside Road corridor development cautioned in its finding not to abandon its focus on Downtown, in particular, as well as other community building endeavors, in general. These positive public sanctions may not last forever. Accordingly, now is the time to acknowledge them in an effort to promote the investment of public and private dollars in new offices, retail stores, housing units, conference facilities, hotel accommodations, recreational assets and entertainment venues along our western border in a way that is vibrant, exciting and of benefit to all of St. Joseph. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Thursday, September 4th, 2008
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Thirty Things

 by Vince Capell, City Mgr.

 

This is a reprint of a communication that I had with my directors during a staff retreat a few years ago. I don’t pretend to be the originator of these ideas and readers will recognize them from their own work places. But these ideas, which are listed in no particular order, also apply to the public sector, our municipal government operations, and especially to the fishbowl we call City Hall:    (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
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Out of Gas!

by Vince Capell, City Mgr.

 

I subscribe to Mother Earth News, which has been espousing green ways since its inception in the 1970s. I love this magazine. It contains many interesting ideas about alternative building, alternative fuels, alternative (but healthy) lifestyles, alternative this and alternative that. It’s a magazine that promotes self-sufficiency and can, if one is open to new ideas, change one’s viewpoint or at least cause one to consider new, different and possibly better methods that conserve and utilize rather than exploit and waste. The self-sufficiency part is particularly appealing to me. But, going green is not for everyone. My wife gets really aggravated when she has to park her car in the driveway because my recyclables have consumed all the floor and air space on her side of the garage. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
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Out of Gas!

by Vince Capell, St. Joseph City Manager

I subscribe to Mother Earth News, which has been espousing green ways since its inception in the 1970s. I love this magazine. It contains many interesting ideas about alternative building, alternative fuels, alternative (but healthy) lifestyles, alternative this and alternative that. It’s a magazine that promotes self-sufficiency and can, if one is open to new ideas, change one’s viewpoint or at least cause one to consider new, different and possibly better methods that conserve and utilize rather than exploit and waste. The self-sufficiency part is particularly appealing to me. But, going green is not for everyone. My wife gets really aggravated when she has to park her car in the driveway because my recyclables have consumed all the floor and air space on her side of the garage. (Full story)

Posted by: admin on Friday, July 25th, 2008
Filed under: Joe City, General | no comments

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