Who Let the Cats Out?

Rare and Dangerous Leopard Missing from Durham Zoo 

Major search efforts are underway after an "extremely dangerous" 146-pound leopard has been reported missing from its Durham Zoo cage since 9:30 this morning. 'Fluffy', the only known female Romanian spotted leopard known in existence, was last seen in her cage Sunday night at 9 p.m.

 The New Hampshire State Police and state Wildlife Department have set out with high powered rifles and tranquilizer guns to find the leopard before it endangers nearby bystanders or itself. The National Guard has also provided five helicopters with infrared sensors to aid in the search.

"We will first search every inch of this zoo," said Police Chief William Blair. "If possible, Fluffy will be shot with a tranquilizer gun. But, if necessary, we shoot to kill."

Blair says that if they have not found the cat by 11 a.m., they will begin to search the bordering neighborhoods.

"We are concerned because this is a residential neighborhood with an elementary school and many daycare centers and we don't want Fluffy wandering around after the kids get out of school," Blair said. "We have got to find her by 2 p.m. If we don't it could be a very messy night."

According to the zoo's chief zoologist, Kitty Smith, Fluffy has never been violent towards any of the zoo staff. However, if  it feels threatened, the leopard can present a great deal of danger to those nearby.

" "Fluffy is a wonderful, warm gentle cat who has never hurt anyone," Smith said. "But if these cats are cornered- or encountered on a dark night or in a dark alley- their defense is to kill and to kill quickly. They take the 'kill now, ask later' approach to life."

Smith has advised anyone who may come in encounter with Fluffy to  "get slowly to the ground, go limp, and lay still" and to "avoid eye contact at all costs."

At this time it is not clear how the 10-year-old rare cat escaped her cage or where she might have gone.

"We have no idea what time Fluffy escaped or where she went," said Gerry Durrell, director of the Durham Zoo. "We are searching the grounds of the zoo, but so far we haven't a clue"

According to Durrell, there are no signs of tampering with the door or fencing in Fluffy's cage.

"We are doing everything we can to find her and bring her back. We love that cat, and we don't want to lose her," Durrell said.

I drink your milkshake, I drink it up!

So I was thinking, maybe the best way to really kick start my radio career would be to guise myself using a DJ persona. Not one of those kooky radio names that rhymes (Mark the Shark is one of my personal favorites), but rather a name that comes with a whole identity and devout, yet invariably creepy, niche audience. 

I humbly present to you my friends, DJ Dracula. 

Catchy, right? Don't worry I have the voice down-pat. You're probably thinking, why not something more classy... and German! I considered Nosferatu, but I feel that allusions to 1920s German Expressionist films ages me quite dreadfully. 

It goes without saying that this show would centered around a Marxist approach to foreign policy. I know what you're thinking, Katie there's way too many of those shows on the radio already!

But here I must kindly remind you, fellow journalists, that not many of those shows include voice-over from a politically-inclined vampire. 

Quick Poll: Would you tune into DJ Dracula's show? 

*someone take this blog away from me

Don't Meet Your Heroes

So last week I had anticipated on covering a lecture given by a contemporary feminist author. As I often do with my stories/ life in general, I had planned out the delayed lead I would use with the story before the events even happened. I had known that a small group of students, self included, were going to have dinner with the author before her presentation. The dinner was enjoyable, yet nothing about the author's presence was inspiring or particularly interesting. Burdened with the internal repetition of a nondescript male voice saying "don't meet your heroes!!", I reminded myself maybe she's just not particularly emotive..yes, there's a certain mystique about her. Perhaps she's more of the brooding activist...yes, she's scribbling down haikus on her napkin while she eats her spinach cranberry salad.

But no. There was no mystique, there was no haikus, not even a damn spinach cranberry salad.

Disappointed by my own neutrality to a night I had anticipated for weeks, I hoped that the actual lecture would deliver something that would inspire some type of particular sentiment, whether it be good or bad. But that didn't happen. I almost fell asleep during the lecture and couldn't bring myself to write about it. So once again fellow 621-ers I look to you. You are to me, as the north star is to a sailor lost at sea. Woah guys, that got pretty emotional and hyperbolic.

 How do you keep readers engaged in a story about an incredibly vapid event?

Video Killed the Radio Star

Well not really, I mean have you seen Rush Limbaugh? Admittedly, that was a low blow. Anyways, just like Jack, I've been involved with WUNH lately and have taken a great interest in radio journalism. Although I am currently training to be a dj for a general programming show, I hope to eventually incorporate journalism into my radio segment. Perhaps something akin to "This American Life", People-centered stories which incorporate interviews with experts on the respective subjects, as well as time for listener participation. Or maybe I should just do a dating advice radio show. With all the internet traffic UNH Crushes is getting, it is clear that college students are just as clueless about socially appropriate ways to interact with people they find attractive as every cinematic character Michael Cera has ever played.