Gregory Paul Johnson – Personal Update 201305 | 31 May 2013 | Friday
Dear Friend,
Here’s my personal update for May 2013. If we’re not already connected on Facebook, please visit my Facebook page and send me a friend request.
Starbucks Encounter. Today I had the pleasure of meeting Kirk Ferentz while waiting in line at Starbucks. I posted about this on Facebook. Since Kirk is a celebrity and beloved football coach, I really wanted to pay for his cup of coffee. So, I did.
Small House Movement. This week on Tuesday, May 28, I had an opportunity to be interviewed on Huffington Post Live with four other small house advocates. The format of the show was well done and it’s an innovative approach to online content creation. Huffington Post is broadcasting live television over the Internet and then archiving each segment as a recorded show dedicated to a specific topic. This will give them substantial live viewers as well as an abundance of video content that will draw people to their site as it becomes a searchable database of videos and other content.
Justice System Reform. I’m continuing to volunteer for the Johnson County Justice Center project. Currently, the centerpiece of the project is a discussion group on Facebook exploring a broad range of topics relating to justice system services. The biggest news from this past month is that I’ve been able to reach out to those who’d been opposed to the previous Justice Center proposal, and I’ve now had positive exchanges with four of the five panelists from an opposition event in April (the fifth I’ve not had a chance to reach out to yet). Several of the exchanges were initiated by those in the opposition group. My hope would be to see a diverse coalition established that can help guide the formation of a Justice Center group for our area (an idea that was proposed by several people locally). The Justice Center I’m looking to as an example to follow is the Council of State Governments Justice Center. One goal I imagine for a Justice Center would be to support and promote existing programs that help reduce crime and recidivism. A good example of this is the Alternatives to Violence Project. Last month I began volunteering to help our local Iowa City AVP group by designing, hosting, and managing their website. [View]
Health & Fitness. Earlier this month I reported on my success with weight loss for the first two weeks of the month. I’m tracking my progress using the Super Shrink Me website. [More…]
Inspiring Music Videos. In February 2011, I created Inspiring-Music-Videos.com as a website dedicated to finding and promoting inspiring music videos. Since that time, the site has risen to the top positioning for a Google search on Inspiring Music Videos. Family members will enjoy seeing my uncle Craig and his family playing in some of the videos. Click here for a video of Craig playing (he’s the guitarist in the middle).
Photography. I purchased my first ‘serious’ 35mm SLR camera in 1980 while in Madison, Wisconsin, and since that time have had an unceasing interest in photography. In the past, I’ve promoted my photography through the Resources For Life website, but in February 2012 I started IowaCityPhotographyArtist.com as my own independent photography website. My personal photography continues to be secondary to my greater passion of helping other photographers achieve their goals. In recent years, I’ve worked with over a dozen local Iowa City photographers in helping to promote their work. Shortly after creating my own photography website, in February 2012, I created IowaCityPhotographersGuild.com as an online resource for showcasing local photographers. There are also meetings where photographers can meet to share their work and discuss business ideas. I’ve written more in an article on the website. [More…]
Other News. As is usual, I continue to be busy with technology consulting, website design, and my work at the University of Iowa. As you’ll see from the recent documents posted, I’ve also been busy writing.
Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.
~ Gregory