Tag: 211202

Quality of Life 21/12/02

Holly jolly trolley tours

The Queen City is encouraging residents to decorate their homes with its second annual Manchester Holiday Lights Contest! Register online at manchesternh.gov by 5 p.m. on Dec. 9 and your lights display will be included in the public Manchester Holiday Lights Map, according to a press release. The public will have a chance to vote for their favorites, and prizes will be awarded to the top vote-getting displays.

Score: +1

Comment: Manchester residents are really getting into the holiday spirit: Within a day of the Manchester Transit Authority announcing that it is hosting free Holiday Lights Trolley Tours for families on its Molly Trolley for two weekends in December, all the tickets were scooped up.

Winter weather already causing woes on the road

On Nov. 26 and Nov. 27, when most of the state got anywhere from a dusting to several inches of snow, multiple crashes and spin-outs were reported, according to a report from WMUR. State police were called to about 50 accidents across the state, the report said, prompting troopers to remind drivers to stay home if possible during winter storms, and to drive safely if you must go out. “You’re not going to get to where you’re going as fast as you would normally in the summer months and you’re going to go slower and you need to be prepared for that, so give yourself enough time,” State Police Staff Sgt. Daniel Baldassarre told WMUR.

Score: -2

Comment: According to the report, police also want to remind people about Jessica’s Law, which requires drivers to remove snow and ice from their roofs before driving or risk being fined anywhere from $250 to $1,000.

Easy access to at-home Covid tests

When QOL went to sayyescovidhometest.org to order free at-home Covid testing kits on the day the state announced they were available, it was so easy that it was almost unbelievable. The process took maybe a minute — far less time and hassle than ordering anything online on Cyber Monday. QOL’s order was confirmed, with a message saying the tests would arrive in about a week from Amazon. Of course, it is possible that something could go wrong and the tests might not arrive on time or at all — but for now, QOL is relieved that it was so simple.

Score: 0 (+1 for QOL, -1 for anyone who didn’t have the same experience)

Comment: Two of QOL’s coworkers tried to order the tests with mixed results; one got them just as easily as QOL, and one tried about 8 hours later and the tests were gone. Here’s hoping they’re restocked and available again soon.

High marks for low health insurance premiums

New Hampshire will have the country’s 2nd-lowest health insurance premiums in 2022, and those premiums will be less than they were in 2021, according to a new analysis from valuepenguin.com by Lending Tree. The report said that the average cost of an ACA health insurance plan in the Granite State in 2022 will be $4,320 a year, which is 33.41 percent below the national average and 1.37 percent less than last year.

Score: +1

Comment: Nationally, health insurance premiums will increase an average of 0.67 percent in 2022, according to the report.

QOL score: 77

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 77

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

‘Brady or Belichick’ nonsense

 If you are a football fan you know how the argument goes. Who was more responsible for the Patriots dynasty, Tom Brady or Bill Belichick? “Who’s better than whom” arguments are part of the fun of sports. You know how they go. In Indy, Peyton is better than Tom, while we correctly say, sorry, it’s Tom. But the truth is I’ve yet to see anyone frame the “Brady or Belichick” debate correctly. Many already say it’s Brady because he won the SB in Year 1 away. But there is more to this than just a one-year hot take.

Here’s how I frame the debate.

It’s Always the Player: That’s the way the adage correctly goes because coaches can only do so much, even in football, where they have the biggest impact. Here are three notable examples.

Paul Brown and Otto Graham This coach-QB duo went to 10 straight title games between 1946 and 1955 with the Cleveland Browns (winning seven times). But after Otto retired in 1955 the innovative Brown never even went to a title game again before retiring in 1975.

George Seifert He had the best winning percentage in NFL history after succeeding Bill Walsh while winning two SB’s in San Francisco with Joe Montana and Steve Young. But after leaving them behind he was 16-32 in Carolina before being fired.  

2011 Colts When Indy lost Peyton Manning for the entire 2011 season after neck surgery they lost their first 14 games of the year and finished 2-14.

But when the same thing happened to the Pats when Brady went down in the first quarter of Game 1 in 2008, they still won 11 games because they had Coach B wearing the headset instead of Jim Caldwell. Point goes to Coach B.

Which raises the point I dislike about this debate. It’s how disrespectful it is to all the guys Brady won his rings with because it makes it seem like he won them on his own. While he was the catalyst, if there are no blockers, there’s no Brady. No receivers, no Brady. No defense, especially for the SB wins in 2001, 2003, 2004, no Brady. No Adam V., noooooo Brady legend.  

That means it was a collaboration between a coach and QB who clearly helped each other turn out better than they likely would have been alone. Here are three examples for each.

What Brady Did For Coach B:(1) incredible clutch play, (2) extreme durability that let Coach B have his starter in every game but 2008 and the bogus four-game 2016 suspension, and (3) TB regularly took below-market contracts to allow GM Belichick to have more money to spend on the entire roster.   

What Coach B Did for Brady: (1) He kept Brady as his fourth QB when he saw something special in the not-NFL-ready TB; that hasn’t been done before or since. If he cut him who knows what would have happened — taxi squad, NFL Europe or pickup by another team not coached by Belichick, (2) The short drop and accurate, quick-release pass system played to his strengths and cut down on the big hits people like Manning regularly absorbed, and (3) Superior strategic thinking, game planning and ability to adapt for in-game adjustments made Brady better.    

Finally, it’s not a 20-year argument. The dynasty should really be broken into at least two parts with each having a different impact in each one:

2001-2006: Brady did not become a dominant passing force until 2007. The first three SB wins were built around exceptional defense while the O was built on the power running of Antowain Smith. Plus Brady had little to do with the two biggest non-SB playoff wins, when D intercepted Manning four times (three by Ty Law) as Adam V kicked five FG’s in the 24-14 win in ’03 over Indy and the D held Manning down in the 20-3 win the next year. So the D and Coach B earned the largest share of the credit for the first three titles.

2007–2019: The O took the lead for good in ’07 after BB realized they were going to have to outscore the Colts to beat them going forward. So in came Wes Welker and Randy Moss and away the O went to a record-breaking season. Gronk, Aaron Hernandez and Julian Edelman arrived soon after, as the offense led the way to SB-winning seasons in ’14, ’16 and ’18. So Brady was the leader of the last three.   

The final part of the debate is that it was decided in one year, which is bogus because:

Last year wasn’t apples and apples: The national media make it seem like TB transformed a 2-14 team into a Super Bowl winner. He did not. The Bucs were a 7-9 team that had just thrown for 5,000 yards with a QB who threw 30 interceptions, four being pick-sixes in the final five minutes of losses that provided the margin of victory. Brady wouldn’t do that if he played lefty. Take just those four plays away and they’re 11-5, which is what they were with Brady. So he really was the final piece for a team ready to win. Meanwhile the Patriots lost their best player with no cap room to replace him. So who would you expect to be better in that year? 

Which brings us to the present, where the Pats sit atop AFC East at 8-4 with the heir apparent at QB having a better first season than Brady did in 2001. Plus with Big Mac on a rookie contract the coach/GM has about $20 million more to spend for five years than he’d have with Brady at QB. So it’s now a fair fight, where the final verdict can’t really be rendered until both are retired.

Though given Brady’s amazing longevity that’s probably 10 or 20 years off.

Acting skills

Theater company teaches kids healthy social behaviors

After a year of virtual programming, Plymouth State University’s TIGER (Theatre Integrating Guidance, Education and Responsibility) theater company is back on the road, bringing its social-emotional educational performances to K-through-8 schools across the state. The group, which consists of graduate students and professional actors, is led by artistic director Trish Lindberg. Lindberg talked about the program and how it addresses the challenges kids are facing today.

What is TIGER?

It’s a program that deals with social-emotional learning and helping kids process difficult traumatic events that happen to them using theater, music and dance. … I started it 17 years ago with colleagues at Plymouth State. … It started as a program that dealt exclusively with bullying. There was a lot of trauma around bullying happening in schools, and there still is today. I thought, I’m not a psychiatrist or psychologist or a school counselor, but why don’t I use my talents [in the performing arts] to partner with people [who are] to help kids who are being bullied.

What kinds of issues does TIGER address?

We try to stay very current and in the heartbeat of what kids are feeling now. … We send out writing prompts to get writings from kids to inform the piece … with actual stories about things that kids have gone through. … Kids are dealing with so many things right now that we really wish they didn’t have to [deal with]. … One of the biggest things is, with people being so frustrated with the pandemic … people are choosing not to be kind. That’s why we thought it was really important to do a show about kindness … and the importance of kindness in our lives. … We’re all in this pandemic together. We all have difficult things going on and things that we’d like to do but can’t do. But we can still be kind. That’s something that we want to help kids understand — that even in this crazy world, where there are a lot of things they don’t have control over, they can always control how they act, and even if [a situation] is really hard, they can still choose kindness.

What does a performance look like?

Each show teaches five concepts … represented by each letter [in ‘TIGER’]. … For example, [when teaching about] how important it is for kids to take care of themselves, ‘T’ stands for ‘Take care of you;’ ‘I’ stands for ‘Imagine;’ ‘G’ stands for ‘Grow your confidence;’ ‘E’ stands for ‘Empathy;’ and ‘R’ stands for ‘Respect yourself and others.’ … Then, we have songs and skits around those concepts. … It’s really cool, because at the end, when we ask the kids what each letter stands for, they always remember … because they’ve had it taught to them in multiple ways.

How is performance art an effective way to communicate with kids about difficult subjects?

Theater, music and dance helps kids to see themselves in scenarios that they’ve experienced themselves while being able to take a step back and watch it happen to someone else. … They’re safe; it’s not actually happening to them, but they can see the scenario played out. … It helps them understand what they’re going through from another perspective … and in a deeper way, and that can be a real catharsis for them. … I think one of the most powerful things about the arts is that it has the ability to touch hearts and minds and really resonate with people on a very deep, emotional level.

How do you keep yourselves and the kids safe while visiting schools?

Some districts have mandates where they’re not having any assembly programs of any kind, but many districts have been willing to have us. … Schools have chosen to do different [safety precautions]; some are comfortable having us do a regular performance in the gym. Others have us perform for a smaller audience or live-broadcast into the classrooms. … We’re willing to follow whatever protocols the schools have, in addition to [the safety precautions] we’re already doing ourselves. … All of our actors are fully vaccinated and tested every week … and we wear these wonderful face masks … that are made for performers. They’re full-face masks, and they’re clear so the kids can see our expressions and energy.

What impact has TIGER had on kids’ lives?

We had [a mother] call us … and tell us that her son came home from school [after a TIGER program] and burst into tears; he had been bullied for three months at school and had never told anyone. He said that TIGER taught him that he needed to tell an adult, so he told his mom, and the mom went to the school, and they were able to get help. … That’s what we’re all about — making a difference in kids’ lives, even if we’re performing for a school with 500 kids and we’re able to help just one kid.

Learn more about TIGER and how to bring them to your local school at campus.plymouth.edu/tiger.

Featured photo: Trish Lindberg. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 21/12/02

Covid-19 update As of Nov 19As of Nov 29
Total cases statewide 150,813 160,287
Total current infections statewide 7,604 7,078
Total deaths statewide 1,662 1,694
New cases 3,979 (Nov. 16 to Nov. 19) 9,474 (Nov. 20 to Nov. 29)
Current infections: Hillsborough County 2,368 2,124
Current infections: Merrimack County 846 751
Current infections: Rockingham County 1,386 1,251
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

Covid-19 news

During the state’s weekly public health update on Nov. 23, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that New Hampshire averaged nearly 1,000 new infections of Covid-19 per day over the previous week. “We’re currently experiencing the highest level of Covid-19 in our communities that we’ve seen at any point during this pandemic,” he said.

Later during the press conference, Gov. Chris Sununu announced a new executive order to address hospital capacity across the state due to record numbers of Covid cases. The order directs state health officials to help hospitals set up “internal surge centers” within the campuses of individual hospitals, similar to those that were in school gymnasiums and fieldhouses last year. “We’re adding flexibilities to increase bed capacities at rehabilitation facilities, [and] we’re asking the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification and other boards that license our health care professionals to streamline licensing and to increase eligibility to assist the health care system in the coming months,” Sununu said. As of Nov. 29 there were 377 active hospitalizations statewide attributed to Covid, a record high since the start of the pandemic.

Sununu also announced a new “booster blitz” initiative to encourage people to get their booster shots before the holidays. On Dec. 11 the state will host more than 20 pop-up community sites where booster doses will be administered. Appointments can be booked online through the state Department of Health and Human Services website. Booster shots can also be scheduled at participating local pharmacies or doctor’s offices — go to vaccines.nh.gov to make an appointment and check availability.

As of Nov. 29, Granite Staters are now able to order free at-home rapid Covid-19 tests through DHHS’s website. About 100,000 free PCR tests are also going to be available to schools, as well as federally qualified health centers, homeless shelters and other locations throughout the state’s Public Health Networks.

Mandate on hold

The mandate issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requiring that workers at health care facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid benefits be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will not be enforced for the time being, Gov. Chris Sununu and Attorney General John Formella announced on Nov. 29. New Hampshire, along with nine other states, challenged the mandate on Nov. 10, requesting a preliminary injunction. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri has granted the injunction so that the mandate is not enforceable in the 10 plaintiff states, pending a trial or an order of the Court.

Winter parking

The odd/even overnight winter parking ban is in effect in Manchester now through April 15, the city’s Department of Public Works announced. Between 1 and 6 a.m. all motor vehicles must be parked on the odd-numbered side of a street during odd-numbered calendar months, and on the even-numbered side of the street during even-numbered calendar months. On streets on which parking is only typically available on one side, drivers may continue to park on that side. Overnight parking on the circular portions of dead-end cul-de-sacs is not permitted and there is no parking on any city streets between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. while a Snow Emergency is in effect. Snow Emergencies are indicated by flashing beacons at traffic intersections throughout the city. Residents and visitors may also sign up to receive Snow Emergency alerts via text or email at manchesternh.gov/snow, or call the Department of Public Works for updates at 624-6444. Drivers can park for free during set hours during a Snow Emergency at Victory Parking Garage, Pearl Street Parking Lot and behind West Side Arena.

Warming station

Hope for New Hampshire Recovery, in partnership with 1269 Cafe, is offering an overnight warming station at 1269 Cafe on Union Street serving people experiencing homelessness. Every night from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., now through March 31, the station will be staffed, providing warmth and coffee to those in need of its services. “Hope and 1269 Cafe want people to stay alive and be healthy this winter,” Keith Howard, Executive Director for Hope for New Hampshire Recovery, said in a press release. The two nonprofits are asking for the community’s support in raising $65,000 to fund the warming station. More than $5,000 had been raised as of Nov. 26, according to the release.

A French teacher at Pembroke Academy is the 2022 Janis Hennessey World Language Teacher of Excellence for New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Association of World Language Teachers’ Board of Directors recently announced that Adriana Cauley won the honor as “an excellent, creative and innovative World Language teacher … [and] a leader of World Languages within her school and community,” according to a press release.

Former Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to come to Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 8, to speak at a New Hampshire State Senate Republicans fundraiser. According to a report from WMUR, Senate President Chuck Morse confirmed Pence as the headliner for the event. Pence is being considered a possible presidential candidate in 2024, according to the report.

The daughter of astronaut Alan Shepard of Derry is going to space. On Dec. 9, Laura Shepard Churchley is scheduled to join five other passengers aboard a Blue Origin flight on a spacecraft named New Shepard after her father, according to a report from WMUR. One of the other passengers is Good Morning America anchor and former NFL player Michael Strahan, the report said, and the flight is expected to last 10 minutes — five minutes less than the 1961 Mercury flight that Alan Shepard was on.

Tell your story

Everyone has a story to tell. As a doctor, people share their stories with me related to their health and their lives — often about sickness, suffering and loss, and also about celebration and wonderful things. I’m a receiver of stories — and it’s an incredible honor to be entrusted with such a privilege.

Lots of people are now telling their stories on social media platforms, sharing to larger and larger audiences, where stories are often rewarded with “likes” and going “viral.” Thanks to Covid-19, we have been living through historic times that will be remembered like the Black Death of 1350 or the Spanish Flu of 1918 — “history” in the making!

A new storytelling initiative in New Hampshire offers an opportunity for all of us to tell our own stories from this unprecedented time we’re living through. Our Story: Reflections from the Pandemic and Beyond (ourstorynh.com) is a forum to create, share and collect stories across New Hampshire via multiple media and from multiple sectors of life, experience, feelings, hopes and thoughts of life during and before the pandemic and in anticipation of a post-pandemic reality.

Storytelling is transformational. Research has revealed that storytelling benefits both the person sharing and the listener. In fact, listening to other people’s stories has been shown to activate parts of the brain as though we were experiencing the events ourselves, creating a powerful connection to both the narrative and the storyteller. Stories can inspire and motivate and be uniquely memorable as they engage both head and heart. Perhaps this is why storytelling has existed in every culture across time.

What most inspired me to volunteer to help bring the Our Story NH project to fruition is its grounding in an ethical framework that intentionally centers equity. The primary goal is to create a space for self-expression, healing and an opportunity to be heard where participants tell their own stories on their own terms and where the storytellers completely own their stories. There is a therapeutic dimension to telling our stories via whatever medium we choose. Our Story NH will offer a number of ways to capture people’s experiences and personal histories including listening stations around the state as well as digital storytelling workshops. And a community council to inform and guide the project is in development — perhaps you might be interested?

For now, I invite you to share your story via the website (ourstorynh.com) — in text, audio, video, photo or artwork form. We all have stories to tell. Won’t you join us in telling yours?

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