Rogers Park Review

Now that I’ve finished with my own personal review, this shift in focus will obviously have an affect on what is written on this blog. As most things, it will evolve so I don’t want to put myself in too small a box just yet so I’ll just talk about what I know now.

More than ever and especially in this election year, I see a need for some unbiased reporting of events and initiatives that are taking place in Rogers Park. Everyone obviously has opinions and I’ve added enough of my own over the past year. But the blogging community is a small group relative to the population of the entire ward and what is written and commented on, for the most part, involves a small geograghic area of Rogers Park.

Objectively, when someone takes a look at the blogs on any given day, they might think the neighborhood is coming apart at the seams. And it might be. Honestly, I don’t know anymore because I have spent so much time in front of the screen taking all this information in, I honestly don’t know if that’s the truth or not. And I guess that worries me a little.

It struck me the other day when someone who was just in from Ohio posted a comment and a question asking if Rogers Park was really as bad as it was being portrayed. I guess that’s my question too. I tried formulating an answer but I honestly couldn’t because my view has become totally biased.

“Oh, it must be bad because………”

I really start to distrust my own judgment when I find myself knee jerking my reactions because I’ve never been an ideologue. I’m more of a pragmatist with a healthy cynicism of all things beauracratic. I try and give people a fair hearing no matter what their history is with others.

One of the reasons I took some time off and away from the screen was to refresh my own view and take advantage of the warm weather and hit the streets and find out what some of my other neighbors think about Rogers Park from their perspective and in other parts of the ward. I think I’ll take my camera with me because sometimes pictures tell a better story than words do.

And I’ll also try and develop a behind the lens, objective eye when I report on the people and events that happen to interest me. I am not a reporter and I have no training but I think I can set aside my own opinions and let others tell their story. I’ll give it a shot, anyway. These reports will be written by a new persona, The Objective Observer, if only to remind myself.

I’m not sure yet if I want this blog to be considered a community blog or just a personal blog. I like the simplicity of personal blogs a lot. There isn’t any pressure to teach, or to keep anyone informed or to necessarily accomplish anything. I think I just want to keep meeting people in our neighborhood and try and find out for myself, what is happening in Rogers Park from the images and the people who live and work here. I’d like to have a little more fun too. All this political stuff makes for a deeply, furrowed brow and at my advancing age, well…not good.

I like talking on the blogs but I don’t want us to gossip, be mean or offensive but that doesn’t rule out disagreements because I like a healthy debate every once in awhile. I just don’t see the point in arguing and if we ever get to that point, we’ll just take a breather and sleep on it.

I think Blogger should develop a software package with a delay called “Are you sure you want to print that comment?”

The Rogers Park Review will accept press releases and event notices from any reputable political candidate or community based organization. If you have an event that needs a wider audience, I’ll post it for you. If you have someone who you would like to know more about or a business that has a story to tell, let me know.
Please send the info to RogersParkReview@Hotmail.com

And if you have any suggestions let me know and thanx a lot for your support and comments.


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