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Nashua football doing just fine

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:00:35 EST

Is this the golden age of high school football in Nashua? Old timers will yell “blasphemy’’ and they are probably right. It’s unlikely we’ll ever see 12,000 people at a high school game, like the crowds who would show up for the big ones at Holman Stadium during the Buzz Harvey Era in the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s. High school football was the biggest topic in town then, subject to daily debates in the coffee shops and diners.

Butter, exercise go hand in hand

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:01:36 EST

There are just some things I will never understand. Including myself. For starters, why did I move our recumbent bike from an upstairs bedroom to the downstairs family room? The answer is simple: To watch TV while doing a boring workout on the bike.

Consider bartering during the holidays

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:01:41 EST

Bartering for goods and services has a long standing history in New England. We’ve all grown up reading stories about how the colonists helped each other out by trading products or services. Hey, I’ve got a dozen eggs – I’ll trade the eggs for help with tilling my garden. These days, bartering is still alive and well.

Before the good weather leaves, get your pruning done

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:01:46 EST

You may think you’re all done with gardening for the year if you’ve pulled the weeds from the vegetable garden, cut down the tall perennials and cleaned up the leaves on the lawn. I haven’t done so, but congratulations if you have. There is still work to do outside while the nice weather holds: This is a good time to do some pruning on your shrubs and hardwood trees. Many good gardeners like pruning only slightly more than preparing Federal Tax Form 1040.

Senior Class - Week 33. Good Fortune

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:59:09 EST

Bob Jaracz has been playing the state lottery each week for about 20 years. He’s won a hundred here, five hundred there, nothing serious, just enough to have spare change on the side. Like any typical stop at the local convenience store on Thanksgiving in 2005, Jaracz had his numbers drawn at random for the Tri-State Megabucks prize. Suddenly, the Jaracz family was $1.

Ryan letting emotion take control

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:59:10 EST

The crying game just continues for the New York Jets. They’ve tried everything over the years, and it just hasn’t worked since Joe Namath’s stunning backup of his Super Bowl guarantee. Only problem was, that was some 40 years ago. Bill Parcells bolted the Patriots for the land of Gang Green and didn’t last.

The Week in Preview: November 23

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:04:43 EST

Thursday Thank you, Mrs. Hale! The Pilgrims may have introduced Thanksgiving to New England, but it was Granite State native Sarah Josepha Hale who brought the holiday to the rest of the nation. As the editor of influential 19th-century women’s magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book, Hale was in a unique position to champion causes important to her, the best remembered of which was the nationalization of the Thanksgiving holiday.

‘New Moon’ madness is all about Edward

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:01:31 EST

Why are teens so unhinged about the undead? I found out this past week when attending one of the premiere screenings of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” the second film based on Stephenie Meyer’s wildly popular “Twilight” series about a mopey vampire and his equally hapless human girlfriend. Seven of Merrimack’s Cinemagic theaters screened the film at midnight Thursday – all of them were packed, mostly with girls tween to teen. Approximately 1,200 of them were there to watch lead vamp Edward pout and kvetch his way into recalcitrant Bella’s heart and blood stream.

After-school program seeks PlayStation entertainment

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:59:27 EST

The hours between the time school’s out and the time the workday ends are a major concern for anyone responsible for the care of young children. In these times of two-income necessity, after-school programs are invaluable to provide a safe, educational, interactive social environment. A local program turns to the Mailbag to provide additional fun! Coming in to play “I work at the local 21st Century After-School program at Dr.

Prepare seniors for cold weather now

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:59:39 EST

Last week, I got out my cane and coat and decided to walk out in the windy yard far enough to see what my son had done to the hemlock tree. I’d seen him piling up branches, but I couldn’t see the part of the yard where he was cutting them. This was necessary because it’s difficult to tease and harass him if I don’t really know what he’s trying to accomplish. So, I walked out into the warmish day with its cold winds to study his work.

Kelly thrives title game’s spotlight

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:08:42 EST

If you’re looking for a Most Valuable Player in Bishop Guertin’s Division II championship win over Winnacunnet of Hampton on Saturday, you might not need to look any further than trainer Jerry Holland. It was Holland’s work on Mike Kelly that paid dividends after the Cardinals speedster scored three touchdowns in what became a 31-0 rout. Remember, Kelly missed last week’s semifinal win with a bad ankle, and that ankle wasn’t getting any better early in the week. “Tuesday or Wednesday, I didn’t think he was going to be able to go,” Cardinals coach Tony Johnson said.

Titans can’t wait for Turkey Day

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:00:39 EST

Like any team following a close loss, especially in a game as monumental as a championship, members of the Nashua High School North football team will play back Saturday’s 28-21 loss to Salem in their minds for months. They’ll think of all the game-changing moments in a contest that had dozens of them, and they’ll play the “if only” game. Head coach Jason Robie and his coaching staff will probably do the same thing. It’s the inevitable component of a game in which a decision – like going for a first down on fourth-and-two – can be debated for months.

Where’s the economic recovery? It depends on whom you choose to ask

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:01:29 EST

The news came fast and furious last week and the plot is thickening. Is the economy recovering or not? Investors that are long stocks insist it is. Conversely, the shorts stand firm that other shoes will drop soon.

Challenged early on, Hudson man lived; it’s no different now

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:00:31 EST

Jim Sullivan was always a philosophical kind of guy, someone who could package deep, personal reflection with an astute awareness of what’s going on around him at the moment, all while keeping a step ahead of everything with the razor-sharp organizational skills he still loves to hone every day. Some may say Jim was dealt a tough hand that summer day three decades ago, and yes, the hours and days that followed those sudden seconds of disbelief and confusion in the Hampton Beach tide were undoubtedly the scariest any 18-year-old could encounter. But Jim doesn’t see it that way. It was just one of those freak, one in a few million things.

Just another day at Grant Field for coach Rozumek

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:59:16 EST

The last time Salem High School won a football championship, Adam Rozumek played a key role in the victory, tossing a pair of touchdown passes in a 13-7 victory over Londonderry in the 1995 Division II title game. The Rozumek name is big in the Salem-Lawrence (Mass.) area. His uncle, David Rozumek, who grew up just over the border in Lawrence, is Salem’s athletic director – and a former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker who was a collegiate standout at the University of New Hampshire.

Real Christmas trees may be better than fake ones

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:59:58 EST

Christmastime is a stomach turner, and I don’t mean from the food. Personal spirit seems to be the only antidote for watching the waste pile up. It seems the evidence of consumerism and lack of accountability hits us right in the face. On the other hand, it’s fun to look at lights and decorations in the middle of shorter, colder days and limited outdoor time.

Escaping into a good series of books

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:03 EST

I am not actually here now. I am writing this from the village of Three Pines, sitting in Olivier’s bistro, sipping a cafe au lait with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec. We are discussing his latest case. “Juin?

There’s no crying in picking games

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:01:37 EST

Yes, Rex Ryan was in tears this past Monday. So was yours truly after looking at his results from this past Sunday. As the HC of the NEP would say, “Not what we’re looking for.” The record is what it is – lousy.

Former Alvirne student’s teen film offers inspiration from the inner city

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:00:31 EST

It’s a story that has been in Tim O’Donnell’s head for the past five years. Next week, that story will be on the big screen in O’Donnell’s home state. O’Donnell’s first documentary, “George: Wrestling with Resistance,” will be screened at Chunky’s in Pelham on Wednesday. There is no charge for admission.

Now’s the time for neutrality

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:00:58 EST

With all this talk of changing the divisions of New Hampshire high school football, it’s time for the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association to go all the way and make one more major move. It’s time to move all the championship football games – yes, all six of them – to neutral sites. Last weekend is a perfect example as to why. Two days before the games were to take place, the NHIAA made the call to postpone everything that was supposed to be played on Saturday to Sunday because of the risk of poor weather.

Hear a cough, do the math, find pneumonia

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:00:10 EST

Can a tiny company so geeky that its motto is “We do the math so you don’t have to” really tackle one of the globe’s biggest killers? Joel MacAuslan, of Nashua – a man with a Ph.D. in astrophysics, so we’re talking serious geek – thinks so.

Making decisions not an easy task

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:00:23 EST

I have to admit that I am a bit obsessed with how people make decisions. In my business, I spend a lot of time and energy helping clients make the right choice. When you boil it all down that’s really what I do. I help people make the right business decision.

If investing the time into them, coupons can be worth it

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:59:47 EST

I’ve never been much of a coupon user. I’ve always justified it by saying that I usually don’t buy the type of preprocessed foods that usually have coupons. Lately, though, I’ve started to rethink that. I’ve checked out a few Web sites and talked to a few people, and there is a lot to be said for using coupons.

Finding a job that pays very well

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:59:52 EST

I just applied for a job that pays about $120,000 per hour. I know what you’re thinking. “Mike’s probably auditioned to be Daniel Craig’s body double for the next James Bond movie.” Not quite, though I’m often confused for leading Hollywood types.

Author suggests perennial plants hardy to the area

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:59:59 EST

As the author of three gardening books and a serious gardener, I am always interested in chatting with other garden writers and learning from them. Recently, I phoned Dr. Steven Still, a retired horticulture professor from Ohio State University who is the author of the “Manual of Herbaceous Ornamental Plants,” which has long been my bible for growing flowers. His book is more than 800 pages long and provides everything from the hardiness zone and soil requirements of each plant, to the size, shape and growing characteristics.

Committee should consider consolidation

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:59:59 EST

It’s time for the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association to send a message to its football committee. The kind of message a parent might send to a child after looking over a hurried homework assignment. Something like: “Get back in that room and don’t come out until you’ve come up with something better than this.’’ Because after the attempt two weeks ago to make everyone happy, they came up with a six division plan more watered down than a cup of Coke at Fenway Park.

The Week in Preview: November 16

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:02:27 EST

Tuesday Yesteryear, right here Attention, history buffs. Tonight, we encourage you to set aside your plans for a time machine and fire up your car. You can hobnob with some of your favorite historical figures through free living history presentations at the following locations: • Steve Blunt presents John Hutchinson of Milford’s Hutchinson Family Singers, nationally known in the 1840s for their efforts in the anti-slavery movement, at 7 p.m.

Senior Class – Week 32. Beyond Beauty

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:01:09 EST

Diane Durkin, 62, of Portsmouth, is confident, to say the least. A few years ago she wanted to compete in a golf tournament in Rye, so she learned the sport. Hours upon hours of practice later, she won the tournament. Not just once: four years in a row to be exact.

For holidays, family just wants legal status

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:59:46 EST

With holidays approaching, Christina Mendoza fears her family will spend Christmas separated – half in Nashua, half in Mexico. Mendoza was single mother of a 2-year-old baby when she met a young Mexican worker back in 2000. Christina asked not to name her husband because he entered the United States by illegally crossing the Mexican border 11 years ago. We’ll call him Juan.

Telling truth may hurt

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:00:45 EST

This week, I’m going in a different direction. Not because of a lack of economic news. I could have focused on the greater-than-expected decline in unemployment claims. Continuous claims, a better indicator of overall employment, also fell to their lowest level since November 2008.

Expanded gambling not always sure thing

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:01:54 EST

For those who think video slot machines at the racetracks will solve all the state budget problems of the future, you had better think again. The proposal of Millennium Gaming and other racetracks for video lottery terminals creates a new kind of problem all its own. As it turns out, VLT gaming appears to meet the definition of a state lottery game. Voters approved more than a decade ago an amendment to the state Constitution which says that all profit from lottery games has to go to education.

Both parties can stubbornly debate

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:01:59 EST

“Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party.” That was the first sentence I learned in typing class. It was a relief then to be actually typing words. Up to that time, we were just learning where the letters were and doing exercises to the questionable rhythm of Mr.

Church seeks winter gear for kids in need

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:02:05 EST

“A great number of families right here in Nashua have parents who have been out of work for a very long time” is a reminder included in a letter from longtime Mailbag reader, Jackie P., of Nashua (LTR 1,743). “Pay attention to your neighbors, tell them you care and want to help. Don’t wait for the holidays, it’s cold out now.

Patriots’ season officially begins tonight in Indy

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:02:57 EST

Now this is the football season. No more 0-for Tampas in London, or winless Tennessees at home. The New England Patriots are now playing meaningful football, against tough teams, and this is when we find out the truth about them. Remember, it was this time last year when they flunked a major test, losing to the New York Jets at home.

It’s the same old game for Lavigne

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:00:18 EST

Paul Lavigne thinks today’s high school kids have way too many distractions, including the electronic ones they carry around in their pockets. He thinks the interference of parents is far worse than when he was coaching high school football in Milford in the 1970s and later in Manchester for West. “If you lose two games in a row,’’ Lavigne said, “there are a flock of them talking up in the stands, plotting to get a new coach.’’ But when he’s out on the practice field every afternoon, it’s still football.

Chaotic clash of our 2 worlds

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:04:07 EST

We live in two worlds, and we often confuse them. One of our worlds is filled with laws. Rules and protocol, filing dates and forms, penalties and courtrooms and even prisons. As an adult, you can’t realistically pretend this world doesn’t exist, but you probably do imagine that it’s quite distant.

Those disturbing murder photos cried out for another option

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:04:12 EST

It’s a cliche that a picture is worth 1,000 words, and like most cliches there’s an element of truth in it. This cliche seems particularly apt in the case of some recently published photos of some of the suspects in the recent stabbing death of a woman in Mont Vernon. The pictures, which ran on Page 1, illustrated the suspects’ apparent fascination with cutting instruments and violence. When I saw the paper that day, I wondered if there would be some reaction – and there was.

Town’s safety preparedness more than that for one teen

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:00:39 EST

One minute. Around 500 of them fly by on a typical workday. I spent several just waiting for my computer to open this story. Usually, a football field or basketball court are the only places where a lot can happen in one minute.

Committee or not, she’s still keeping busy this month

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:21 EST

“June, I thought that you were not on the auction committee this year,” my husband said. “I’m not.” “Really? Then why are there two rolls of cellophane wrap on the butcher block work top?

Allergies don’t just affect people – dogs get them, too

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:28 EST

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Peter Kintzer will write this column on the second Friday every other month. Yes, dogs can become allergic to various things. One of the most common types of allergies diagnosed in dogs is environmental allergies, also called atopy.

Some big games in Week 10

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:34 EST

Breaking up is hard to do, but enough is enough. We’ve stuck with the Giants, 49ers and Bears too long. All they’ve done is let yours truly down – week after week. Well two of them, Da Bears and the 49ers, played last night, too late for a pick here.

City Year youth describe humble efforts

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:00:28 EST

After spending his first year in the City Year program working at an elementary school in California, 18-year-old Nate Howland wanted to dedicate his second year to helping students in his home state of New Hampshire. Some of his friends in the national service program asked why he wouldn’t want to stay in California. Howland, a native of Hampton, said there is a perception that there isn’t any real need in New Hampshire. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, he said.

Pop goes physics class

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:04:14 EST

Did you enjoy physics class in school? Would you have enjoyed it more if one problem involved calculating the physical constraints of that “Indiana Jones” scene where Indy steals a golden idol on a weighed pedestal and replaces it with a bag of sand? “It turns out that it would have to be 19 times larger than the bag Indiana uses, for it to work,” said UMass Lowell Professor Dan Wasserman. As you may recall, Indy’s miscalculation leads to lots of problems – poison darts, a giant rolling boulder; that sort of thing – which carries its own lesson for those entering the sciences: “That shows how much trouble you can get if you mess up an estimation.

NH case is a model for what fresh hires should never do

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:03:31 EST

A case pending before the U.S. District Court in New Hampshire provides employers and employees with a good example of when competitive acts have gone too far and will result in litigation. The case involves a college that sued a former faculty member and her new college for attempting to take an academic program, faculty and students with her to the new job.

Injuries hindering Pittsburgh’s progress

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:04:24 EST

We were hoping to get a taste of what should have been the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, that was in uniform only. Both the Boston Bruins and defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins have their share of top players out – most notably the Pens’ Evgeni Malkin and Boston’s Marc Savard and Milan Lucic – but it’s still a treat to see the descendents of Mario Lemieux come to town. “Obviously when you play the defending Stanley Cup champions, even if they have their share of injuries, so do we,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien at the team’s Tuesday morning skate, several hours before his team turned in perhaps its best performance of the season, a 3-0 win at a sold-out TD Garden.

Yes, he is making people fatter

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:10:00 EST

People love me. The same people hate me. Who are these conflicted people? Why the indecision?

Gift ideas and recipes

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:56:38 EST

I was talking with a friend of mine, who also has a handful of kids and an extended family that includes lots of cousins. We found ourselves trying to strategize on how we could have a nice holiday celebration for our broods without spending a ton of money. The goal was to make sure the kids still had fun and received gifts that were useful and meaningful. One suggestion was to make decorative pillowcases.

New book gives greater insight

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:56:48 EST

When a book was published last spring to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1979 NCAA basketball championship game between Larry Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores and Magic Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans, it was missing something. Author Seth Davis talked to a lot of people for “When March Went Mad: Magic, Bird and the Game that Transformed Basketball.’’ But he wasn’t able to add new insights from the two principals, Bird and Johnson. The obvious assumption was the two were working on their own book.

Great players the difference for Pats

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:57:11 EST

In the visitors dressing room, the usually quotable Miami Dolphin linebacker Joey Porter was offering no quotes at all. On the New England Patriots side, wide receiver Randy Moss said he’d answer two questions and that was that. Or, this and that. Hey, these AFC East contests can really take a lot out of you.

In rough times, need for help even greater

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:57:34 EST

It’s overwhelming. There are hundreds and hundreds of people in our community who, for the first time in their lives, don’t have the money to make Thanksgiving dinner, buy a winter coat for themselves or put a Christmas gift under the tree for their children. Many of them don’t even have a home in which to put a tree, cook a turkey or hang a coat. It’s bad.