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Features
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UNH’s Jeffrey Bolster rethinks our shamed maritime history
From
the days when Native Americans paddled along the Piscataqua River and
out to the Isles of Shoals on birch bark canoes, up through World War
II, when the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was churning out submarines
faster than any other shipyard in the world, the Seacoast has enjoyed a
rich culture around the construction of sea vessels. To this day,
Portsmouth’s working seaport remains a vital part of the regional
economy and identity.
But American maritime history, which has its roots in northern
New England, has long been rife with inaccuracies. That’s according to
Portsmouth resident Jeffrey Bolster, who co-authored the recent book,
“The Way of the Ship: America’s Maritime History Reenvisioned,
1600-2000.” According to Bolster, an associate professor of history at
the University of New Hampshire, the canonical view of the nation’s
maritime history has focused almost exclusively on oceanic ships, and
not enough on the domestic ships that have crisscrossed the country’s
lakes, rivers and coastlines for centuries. The historical focus on
deep water ships and the U.S. Merchant Marine belies the fact that
America’s shipping trade has thrived for centuries in the country’s
interior.
“In other words, the real story of waterborne commerce in
America is a story of Americans trading with each other, of Americans
using ships and tugs and barges to trade with each other,” Bolster
said.
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jazz singer Sheila Jordan reflects on a life in jazz
Sheila
Jordan is one of the living legends of jazz. Jordan, who appears at the
Press Room on Saturday, April 26, as part of the Jazzmouth Jazz
Festival, is an inventive singer who has performed with a wide variety
of jazz greats, from Dizzy Gillespie and George Russell to Steve Kuhn
and Tom Harrell. Passionate about bebop, Jordan received guidance from
Charlie Parker early in her career and studied with the great teacher
and pianist Lennie Tristano. She worked full-time by day while pursuing
her musical interests at night, all while raising a daughter as a
single mom. She has also taught at a number of universities and jazz
schools, passing her knowledge on to new generations of musical
aspirants. An upbeat person with a positive outlook, Jordan has a busy
year ahead, including an 80th birthday celebration at Jazz at Lincoln
Center in November. The Wire chatted with Jordan over the phone
recently on a wide range of topics.
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Billy Collins to headline Jazzmouth 2008
Since its
inception in 2005, the annual Jazzmouth festival has managed to bring
an array of talented poets and musicians into Portsmouth. Last year’s
events included live performances from internationally recognized
Romanian poet Andrei Codrescu and inventive jazz bassist Eric Mingus,
son of the great Charles Mingus. Multi-instrumentalist David Amram, who
has been performing with jazz and literary legends like Jack Kerouac
for more than 50 years, has made it to all three Jazzmouth celebrations
and will return in 2008, joining this year’s headliner, former U.S.
Poet Laureate Billy Collins. The 67-year-old Collins, who has published
eight collections of poetry and has also served as poet laureate of New
York state, is known for his rejection of standard poetic forms and his
retaliation against over-interpretation of poems. He is now a
distinguished professor of English at Lehman College in the Bronx,
where he has taught for more than 30 years. Collins will headline the
Super Beat Night Extravaganza at The Music Hall at 8 p.m. on Friday,
April 25. The following is an excerpt from an interview with Collins
conducted by Chris Elliott on his radio show, “Culture Waves,” on
106.1, WSCA, Portsmouth Community Radio.
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local community development projects could fall to proposed cuts
On
Feb. 4, the Bush administration rolled out its $3.1 trillion budget
proposal for fiscal year 2009. The new budget calls for increased
spending on national defense and foreign aid, while cutting funding for
several domestic priorities. One of the programs that could suffer
under the proposed budget is the Community Development Block Grant, a
federal program that provides funding for local solutions to challenges
like affordable housing, job creation and economic development.
The
cuts could have a crippling effect on communities throughout New
Hampshire, and three Seacoast cities would be among the hardest hit.
Dover, Portsmouth and Rochester are three of the state’s five
“entitlement cities,” meaning they meet certain standards that allow
them to apply for CDBG money directly from the federal government.
“Every
year for the past 30 years, the city has been receiving an entitlement
grant,” said David Moore, community development coordinator for
Portsmouth. This year, the city received approximately $642,000 from
the grant. The amount of funds available to Portsmouth decreased in
each of the last two years, Moore said.
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local manufacturer and regional artists put their best bag forward
At a time when most manufacturing jobs can’t get overseas fast
enough, it’s no small wonder that BaileyWorks has been able to thrive
on the Seacoast. The Portsmouth-based manufacturer is not sheltered
from the stormy winds of international trade, but it has been able to
carve out a sizable share of the messenger bag market while remaining
true to its local roots.
Locally, the bags have a certain
cache. Walking around downtown, you are likely to see at least one
pedestrian or cyclist with a Bailey bag slung over his shoulder. But
the popularity of BaileyWorks extends beyond the confines of
Portsmouth. Wherever a whiff of bike culture exists, Bailey bags are
often present. Jonathan Bailey, owner of the Islington Street business,
has received letters and postcards from as far away as Cambodia, all
from customers extolling the virtues of the simple satchel.
In
this Bailey nation, it’s hard to find two bags decorated the same way.
People draw, paint, stencil and stitch their individuality onto the
outside of Bailey bags. Altering the simple design is a way of
articulating an identity, interest or attitude, without ever having to
say a word.
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RPM bloggers reflect on the trials and triumphs of February 2008
The mainstream music industry is filled with savage competition and
rabid money-grubbing, which has led to some damned ugly situations. In
a nasty demonstration of this trend, Kid Rock recently sucker-punched
Tommy Lee in the face. And remember when Axl Rose publicly challenged
Vince Niel to a rumble? For that matter, remember the Guns N’ Roses
song “Get in the Ring?” Here at RPM headquarters, however, we deplore
violence. The RPM Challenge promotes a sense of collective musical
camaraderie that has been reflected in countless blog entries on the
RPM discussion board. Musicians across the globe found creative unity
in the singular objective of writing and recording 10 songs or 35
minutes of original music in 29 days. Artists who were oceans apart
went through the same daily rigors as they attempted to balance their
RPM projects with day jobs, families and basic necessities, like eating
and sleeping.
The 2,400-plus participants who signed up this
year were propelled forward by a common motivation. The noncompetitive
nature of the Challenge, which offered no reward other than the
personal gratification of finishing, spurred determined participants to
support and encourage one another throughout the month, bolstering each
other’s spirits when they encountered inevitable setbacks, and
congratulating one another when they successfully laid down a track or
wrote a new tune.
Approximately 750 finished albums, all postmarked by March 1,
arrived at RPM headquarters in Portsmouth this year. Hundreds of
listeners will get their first chance to hear selected tracks from
those albums during the citywide listening party on Friday, March 28.
Festivities begin at The Music Hall before spreading to at least five
venues in downtown Portsmouth.
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UNH professor looks back on five years of war coverage
It’s
been five years since the war began, and the U.S. military is still
operating in Iraq. The war, which many believed would be a short-term
engagement, has turned into a long-term disaster. If Americans had
foreseen such a lengthy involvement, would they have been so eager to
invade Iraq? If more accurate information had been available before the
invasion, would support for the war have been so strong?
Joshua Meyrowitz is a professor of media studies in the
Department of Communication at the University of New Hampshire. His
research explores how the war in Iraq has been covered by the American
news media, the challenges faced by U.S. journalists covering this
conflict and how changes in the news industry have tied the hands of
war reporters.
In advance of the five-year anniversary of the U.S. led invasion
of Iraq on Wednesday, March 19, Meyrowitz discusses his findings with
The Wire.
First, could you describe your research methods?
I looked at the headline coverage, the topics that dominated, and I
looked at the stories that were on the back pages or buried on Web
sites and the information that was available online, including
information where people were re-circulating the stories that were on
the back pages.
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Boys of the Lough plays pre-Paddy’s Day show
Few people
outside of Ireland and Scotland were familiar with Celtic music prior
to the early 1970s. It existed, primarily, in kitchens and pubs
sprinkled across the Irish countryside. Generations of self-taught
musicians fiddled and sang folk tunes while exchanging local gossip,
filling small spaces with colloquial banter and song.
“Irish traditional music existed only in tiny little unknown
ghettos, really,” said Dave Richardson, multi-instrumentalist for Boys
of the Lough. “To a great degree, as far as the general public was
concerned, they didn’t even know it existed.”
When Boys of the Lough embarked on its first overseas tour of
the United States in 1972, the band members believe it was the first
time any professional Celtic folk ensemble had toured in North America.
More than 35 years later, traditional Irish music has thoroughly
infiltrated the United States—especially in New England, where Irish
immigrants maintain a strong presence.
“Other bands saw that we had been able to tour this music, and
it gave them the courage to attempt it themselves,” Richardson said.
“It has turned into an incredible worldwide phenomenon.”
Richardson has been a member of the band for almost exactly 35
years. The Northumberland native joined the group in March 1973,
replacing former member Dick Gaughan. In addition to composing much of
the band’s original material, Richardson plays mandolin, cittern,
concertina and button accordion. He spoke to The Wire by phone from a
hotel in Minnesota last week in advance of the band’s show at the
Rochester Opera House on Sunday, March 16—the eve of St. Patrick’s Day.
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the glory and the terror of dodgeball
I’ve dodged many
things in my life—work, household chores, phone calls from my family
(sorry, mom)—but I am largely incapable of dodging balls. I found that
out on Tuesday, Feb. 26, when Wire editor (and absolute chump) Matt
Kanner and I joined members of the New Hampshire Sports & Social
Club for an evening of dodgeball domination.
I had few preconceived assumptions about the game. The last time
I played dodgeball was in elementary school, and my only other relevant
experience consisted of a handful of viewings of that Ben Stiller
movie. I was prepared for two things, though: a) that I would probably
fail miserably in my dodgeball endeavor, and b) that I would, despite
athletic ineptitude, still kick Matt Kanner’s ass nine ways to Sunday.
Neither of those things happened. However, I was—and remain—impressed
by the absolute intensity of NHSSC dodgeball.
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N.H. Sports & Social Club sends balls flying
Dodgeball
was originally conceived by humankind’s prehistoric ancestors
Australopithecus robustus, who would scratch lines in the savannah
sands and hurl rocks at each other.
The game hasn’t changed
much. Only now, instead of rocks, the players hurl six-inch,
rubber-coated balls and compete on courts with parquet floors. And,
without all the terrible rock-inflicted wounds and concussions, it’s a
lot more fun.
On a snowy night in February, fellow field
reporter Larry Clow and I embarked on an in-depth exploration of the
modern game. We arrived shortly after 8 p.m. at Spinnaker Point
Recreation Center in Portsmouth, where games were underway between
participants in the local chapter of the New Hampshire Sports &
Social Club. There we met local dodgeball organizer Todd Henley,
captain of Casual Encounters, who gave us an introduction to the
awesome world of dodgeball.
The rules are fairly simple. Each
team begins with 10 players, at least three of whom must be women.
Eight balls are lined up on the centerline as teams take their starting
positions at opposite ends of the court. When the ref blows the
whistle, four “runners” from each team dart out to the centerline and
gather balls. They then must drop back behind the “attack line” before
they can begin flinging balls at their opponents.
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tales of glory and tragedy in the White Mountains
The
objective dangers in the winter mountains are many, which are
contrasted by their extraordinary beauty, and the rejuvenation and
peacefulness they can bring us. These factors together create the
challenges that give us the intense fulfillment as human beings and
keep us coming back time and time again. We must be ever on the lookout
for all the hazards we face while pursuing our mountain passions. The
mountains will be here another day. —posted on www.mountwashington.org
Avalanche Advisory page by USDA Forest Service Snow Ranger Christopher
Joosen, Jan. 20, 2008—one day after climber Peter Roux’s body was found.
There has been too much bad news coming from the White Mountains this
winter. It seems like every time I turn around, I hear about another
search and rescue operation on the news or see my fiancé nervously
reading an online news flash about another lost hiker in Franconia
Notch, wondering if the ongoing search is going to find him dead or
alive this time.
I have been going out into the woods for a long time. Growing up
in the ’70s, we had a VW bus and spent most of our family vacations
camping and exploring wilderness. Then, in college 15 years ago, my
desire to climb got solidified on annual spring trips to camp at the
Hermit Lake Shelters and to ski Tuckerman Ravine.
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a spate of mountain rescue missions hits the White Mountains
It
was about 2:30 a.m. when a trio of hikers pulled into the Appalachian
Trail parking lot in Randolph on Sunday, Feb. 17. They hoped to ascend
the Valley Trail and reach the summit between Mount Madison and Mount
Adams before first light so that they could watch the sunrise from
above the tree line. After reaching their initial destination at about
8:30 a.m., one of the hikers, Will Chere, turned around and headed back
to the car. The other two hikers, 30-year-old Alex Obert and
29-year-old Steven “Dewey” McCay, both of Arlington, Va., continued
southward. Their goal was to hit all eight peaks of New Hampshire’s
Presidential traverse and arrive at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s
Highland Center at the top of Crawford Notch by 7 p.m., traveling a
total of 19 miles in a single day. Chere would be waiting there to pick
them up.
They didn’t show. Chere waited as the hours passed, but his
friends did not arrive. He eventually contacted authorities and, at
about 2:30 a.m. on Monday, word reached N.H. Fish and Game that two
hikers were missing in the mountains.
Six rescue teams, each composed of three or four searchers, set
out at first light on Feb. 18 and spent the entire day scouring the
mountains for the two lost hikers. But heavy rains and high winds quite
literally put a damper on their efforts. The rains, combined with
unseasonably warm temperatures, produced flash flood conditions and
caused streams to swell. The weather also made it impossible to use a
helicopter in the search that day. The rescue effort continued well
after the sun had gone down on Monday night, but the searchers turned
up nothing.
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Mexican art exhibits held in Exeter and Portland
Two
Mexican art exhibits are bringing balmy breezes to the Seacoast,
reminding us of warmer climates. “Frida Kahlo: Images of an Icon” is on
display in the Lamont Gallery at Philips Exeter Academy, while “Lola
Alvarez Bravo” can be viewed at the Portland Museum of Art in Maine.
The exhibits, which both portray the lives of Mexican female artists,
were not planned by either curator to coincide. The conjunction of
these two shows provides an unexpected opportunity to get an in-depth
look at the relationship between these two important artists, as well
as a taste of life in 20th century Mexico.
Kahlo, who died in 1954, created wonderfully dramatic
autobiographical paintings—and an equally dramatic persona for herself.
She wore colorful, traditional Mexican dresses with chunky jewelry
covering her fingers, neck and ears. Her hair was often fashioned into
a neatly ornate braid on the top of her head, sometimes with scarves or
flowers woven into it. But, even without all of her favored
accessories, Kahlo was a strikingly beautiful woman. Photographers
described her as a “fascinating subject,” and Kahlo must have agreed,
because the majority of her works are self-portraits.
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is New Hampshire helping to fund Sudan’s genocide?
On
Sept. 21, 2004, President George W. Bush stated before the United
Nations General Assembly, “At this hour, the world is witnessing
terrible suffering and horrible crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan,
crimes my government has concluded are genocide.” For the first time in
history, the United States Government had declared atrocities to be
genocide while they were ongoing. Although many people have been
advocating for an end to the genocide in Darfur for some time, Bush’s
statement added credence to their movement and an impetus for more
people to act.
In terms of culture and geography, New Hampshire is about as far
from Sudan as you can get. But, as the world becomes more
interconnected through trade and communication, the Granite State is no
longer as isolated and distant from world conflict as it may seem. In
fact, unbeknownst to most residents, money from New Hampshire could be
finding its way into the hands of the Sudanese government, which many
people believe is responsible for carrying out the genocide. A bill
currently before the N.H. Legislature is aimed at stemming the state’s
unwitting financial contribution to the Darfur genocide.
Located in northeast Africa, Sudan is endowed with vast oil and
mineral reserves. However, having never developed its industrial
sector, the nation lacks the infrastructure and technical expertise to
exploit its own resources. Instead, foreign-owned companies are invited
to come in and extract resources in exchange for a hefty commission.
According to the Sudan Divestment Task Force, 70 percent of Sudan’s oil
profits go into the nation’s military.
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The Red Door celebrates four years of its Monday night music series
It’s
easy to walk past The Red Door without even noticing that it exists.
There is no sign beckoning customers to the State Street location in
downtown Portsmouth, just an unadorned entrance between AK’s Bar and
Bistro and Dos Amigos Burritos. The windowless door would be entirely
inconspicuous were it not painted blood red, which makes it stand out
slightly against the white façade of the building.
Once you open the door and climb the narrow staircase on the
other side, however, you discover a thriving metropolitan alcove with
wood floors, leather sofas and all-red walls. The scene within varies,
depending on the night of the week. On Tuesdays, DJ Beat Pervert hosts
an evening of experimental soul and hip-hop called the “Scissor Test.”
On Wednesdays, the Green Lion Crew hosts its popular reggae night. On
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, a range of guest DJs and artists
provide house music. And, on Sundays, hip-hop ensemble Pharos
improvises fresh beats.
But for many Seacoast music fans, Monday is the most exciting
night of the week. While most residents sink into the dreary onset of
another work week, a reliable group funnels into The Red Door for an
intimate evening of live music. Whether it is a solo folk act with an
acoustic guitar or an electric punk band with drums and bass, the act
onstage is tucked into the audience, as if performing in your living
room.
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author Peter Francese discusses New Hampshire’s path toward a gray future and what we can do to fix it
Judging
from the demographics, New Hampshire communities seem hell-bent on
chasing out young people with legal pitchforks and torches, while
rolling out the welcoming mat for old retirees. The result: The Granite
State is rapidly going gray. And, if the exodus of young people and the
influx of old people continue, it will have devastating long-term
consequences for New Hampshire’s economy.
That’s the basic premise behind the new documentary and
accompanying book “Communities & Consequences: The Unbalancing of
New Hampshire’s Human Ecology, and What We Can Do About It.” Co-author
Peter Francese will discuss the book at Portsmouth’s RiverRun Bookstore
on Wednesdsay, Feb. 20.
According Francese, a demographic analyst who lives in Exeter, a
spate of perilously misguided perceptions among community leaders and
planners has triggered the out-migration of young people from New
Hampshire. Foremost among those misconceptions is the belief that
children create a financial liability that communities cannot afford to
absorb.
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Seacoast communities are taking the ‘LEED’ on green building. But what does LEED really mean?
Like
it or not, dramatic change is headed Portsmouth’s way. Within a couple
of years, the outdated Parade Mall office building that is currently
nestled between Deer, Hanover and Maplewood streets will be replaced
with massive new development. As motorists head east on Maplewood
Avenue toward downtown, they will be greeted by four gigantic brick
buildings with large windows reflecting the azure sky. The ground level
of each building will feature shops, cafés and restaurants with outdoor
patios lining broad brick sidewalks. On Deer Street, an extended stay
hotel with 128 rooms will hover over retail spaces, and 28 new
residences will fill the top four floors of a building on Hanover
Street. The two other buildings will offer a combined 160,000 square
feet of office space abutting Deer, Hanover and Maplewood streets.
Carving through the middle of the development, stretching from
Deer to Hanover, will be a one-way vehicular thoroughfare referred to
as the “Broadwalk.” Lined with trees, flowerbeds and café seating, the
Broadwalk will connect all four buildings and provide
pedestrian-friendly access to storefronts. Tucked underneath all the
development will be an underground parking garage with approximately
650 spaces.
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lottery players buying up high priced scratch tickets
In
October 2007, the N.H. Lottery Commission made available a $30 scratch
ticket called Polar Express. Offering a top prize of $1 million, it is
the highest priced instant lottery ticket ever to be sold in the state.
The odds of winning the lowest possible prize of $40 are one in six.
The odds of winning the $1 million prize, however, are one in 150,000.
Good luck.
The $30 ticket represents the latest development
in a state and national trend of lottery players requesting higher
priced scratch-off tickets with bigger payoffs. It was only a couple of
years ago, in fiscal year 2006, that New Hampshire first unveiled a $20
scratch ticket. The state now offers at least five different $20 games
and one $30 game, and higher priced tickets could be on the way. Texas
began offering a $50 scratch ticket last year, and other states could
soon follow suit.
“There’s always a discussion on how we can
make better products that appeal to our players,” said Maura McCann,
spokesperson for the N.H. Lottery Commission. “We are continually
assessing our products to make them more entertaining to our players,
more fun for our players to be a part of and that sort of thing.”
Lottery
critics contend that Americans with low incomes and limited education
tend to spend the most money on scratch tickets. Opponents also argue
that higher priced tickets lend themselves to problem gambling and
addictive habits typically associated with casinos.
“This
is hammering the poor. We know that,” said Tom Gray, spokesman for the
National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. “Have you ever stopped
at a gas station and watched who’s in line where the tickets are sold?”
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The Wire’s 2008 legislative preview
The New Hampshire
primary has come and gone, and while most of us are still nursing
political hangovers and wondering what sort of terrible, strange
surprises democracy has in store for us next, the political work that
matters most to Granite Staters is already underway. The New Hampshire
Legislature is back in session, and more than 400 members of the House
and 24 members of the Senate are in Concord, ready to debate,
pontificate and maybe even pass a law or two. Some of the topics up for
discussion this year are familiar to voters—debates over how to fund
education in the state, questions about spending cuts and so on—while
others are new and, occasionally, weird (why is the legislature talking
about peeing in public, anyway?). Here’s a look at what lawmakers will
be talking about during the legislature’s 2008 session.
the big two: education funding and revenue shortfalls
While
legislators debate the merits of hundreds of bills scheduled to be
heard in the House and Senate this year, policy watchers in the Granite
State believe that, ultimately, only two topics will matter: the
ongoing education funding debate and Gov. John Lynch’s request for $50
million in spending cuts.
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new laws take effect in 2008
It’s 2008, and the new
year brought a number of fresh laws into effect in New Hampshire. From
highly publicized bills, like the passage of civil unions, to lesser
known mandates involving dog penalties and hunting regulations, the new
laws will have varying degrees of impact on the average citizen’s daily
life. But, after a full year with a Democratic majority in Concord, New
Hampshire’s basic ideologies seem to be undergoing changes. While
Republicans see the latest policy changes as evidence of a left-wing,
“nanny state” government, Democrats feel they are making long-awaited
and necessary changes for the betterment of the Granite State.
Surely the most controversial law to take effect this year was
House Bill 437, which “permits same gender couples to enter civil
unions and have the same rights, responsibilities, and obligations as
married couples.” The state made available applications for civil union
licenses beginning in early December, and a flood of applications
followed. Dozens of homosexual couples entered into civil unions during
ceremonies held just after midnight on the morning of Jan. 1.
Other major pieces of legislation that passed in 2007 include
Senate Bill 42, which prohibits smoking in restaurants, cocktail
lounges and other enclosed public spaces. The divisive smoking ban was
approved in June and became effective 90 days later, on Sept. 17. Gov.
John Lynch’s initiative to raise the required school attendance age
from 16 to 18 also passed in June, although it will not become
effective until July 2009. It may or may not be a coincidence that the
high school dropout bill was numbered Senate Bill 18.
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winter sports thrive in ’08
More than a foot of new
snow settled across Sunday River’s eight peaks during the overnight
hours between Jan. 1 and 2. By the time the lifts opened the following
day, the mountain had surpassed 100 inches of total snowfall for the
season, just two days into 2008.
According to Sunday River
spokesperson Alex Kaufman, a typical December brings about 24 inches of
snow to the resort in Bethel, Maine. In December 2006, a measly eight
inches fell, Kaufman said. December 2007, however, was a different
story. Kaufman had not yet tallied the final sales numbers for the busy
holiday week that encompassed Christmas and New Year’s Day, but he
knows they were significantly higher than last winter.
“It
was potentially record-breaking,” Kaufman said. “It was head and
shoulders above last year, as far as snow conditions and visitation.”
Reports
from New Hampshire ski resorts were similar. At Attitash, located in
Bartlett, ticket sales for holiday week were double the previous year,
according to spokesperson Krissy Fraser. She expected all 75 of the
mountain’s trails and glades to be open by Monday, Jan. 7, and December
was highly successful.
“We’re already at 66 inches of snow on
the season, which is more than triple what we had this time last year,”
Fraser said on Jan. 2. “For the industry, it’s just an absolute
blessing.”
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a roundup of polling places for the first-in-the-nation primary
New
Hampshire voters have had ample opportunities to meet the 2008
presidential candidates. In anticipation of the Granite State’s
first-in-the-nation primary, candidates from both parties have spent
months trekking along the campaign trail that stretches around the
state. If you haven’t had a chance to get out and see the candidates,
you have less than a week to educate yourself on their policies and
make a choice. Primary ballots will be cast on Tuesday, Jan. 8, in
every New Hampshire community. With a field of eight Republicans and
eight Democrats to choose from, it’s time for you to decide who will
best represent your party as we head into the general election next
fall. What follows is a list of polling hours and voting locations in
southern New Hampshire. Help determine the nation’s future and vote!
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a guide to Seacoast happenings on New Year’s Eve
Why do
we celebrate New Year’s Eve? As a wise man with a weird
mono-nomenclature once said, “Nothing changes on New Year’s Day.” It’s
true—when we wake up on Tuesday, Jan. 1, not much will have changed
from the previous day, other than the date on the calendar. It will
still be cold and snowy outside, you will still have the same banal day
job, and your gambling debts will still be unpaid.
But that’s a pessimistic view. If New Year’s Eve is nothing more
than an excuse to temporarily break free from the tethers of your
inhibitions and celebrate life with friends and family, there’s nothing
wrong with that. Still, it broaches the question of what to do on New
Year’s Eve. Expectations of extraordinary fun are high, and time is
running low. So decide!
Around the Seacoast, there are attractive New Year’s Eve options
for music, dining, dancing, comedy and theater. Depending on a variety
of factors, including your budget, your aversion to crowds, your noise
tolerance and your entertainment preferences, you should be able to
hunt down the perfect celebration. The Wire wants to assist you on your
hunt. What follows is a guide detailing some of the Seacoast’s most
anticipated New Year’s Eve concerts, bashes, balls, parties and other
festivities.
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besieged icon of Christmas battles political correctness, criminal impersonators
For
years, terms like “consumerist holiday” and “bah humbug” have been
flung at Christmas like monkey detritus, besmearing the holiday’s
shimmering, tinsel-draped spirit. This year, even Father Christmas
himself has come under attack, accused of using offensive language
every time he rears back for a good belly laugh.
A number of media outlets have reported, with a mix of horror
and fascination, that Santas across Australia and some parts of the
United States have been advised to veer away from their traditional “ho
ho ho” greeting because it is offensive to women and frightens some
children. The jolly laughter sounds too close to the American slang
word for prostitute, argue representatives from Westaff, an
international supplier of Santas. Therefore, the famous elf is advised
to instead bellow “ha ha ha.”
In Cairns, northern Australia, a Santa even reports that he was
fired from a shop for singing “Jingle Bells” and saying “ho ho ho.”
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