Tag: 240912

Quality of Life 24/09/12

Public service

As reported by WMUR on Monday, Sept. 9, Gov. Chris Sununu saved a choking victim Sunday, Sept. 8, at the Hampton Beach Lobster Roll Eating Competition. “Contestant Christian Moreno began to signal for help, tapping on his chest and looking to get the stuck piece of lobster out of his windpipe as he began to struggle to breathe,” according to the story. “I started saying, ‘He’s choking, he’s choking,’ … So I just moved forward and immediately started to kind of give him the Heimlich,” Sununu told WMUR. Gov. Sununu reported that the most surreal part of the experience was what happened immediately after he had cleared Moreno’s airway. “He went right back to the contest, which I couldn’t believe. He ate another seven lobster rolls after that,” Sununu said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to Hampton Chamber of Commerce representative Colleen Westcott, the contest was won by perennial contestant Chris Thurston of Somersworth.

That’s Dewey Decimal code 690

The Manchester City Library reported in a Sept. 4 blog post, that on Tuesday, Sept. 3, a slow leak in the ceiling of the Carpenter Memorial Library building began trickling water into the building’s mezzanine and into the nonfiction stacks. The volume of water leaking from a broken pipe increased, and as the blog post read, “This leak sent water raining over and into the mezzanine and then down into the nonfiction stacks below it. Quick action from the city’s Facilities division stopped the leak, but not before the water threatened those special collections on the library’s mezzanine as well as the nonfiction collections behind the Circulation Desk.” Library staff gathered and worked to move vulnerable materials to safety. The blog post reported, “It was a very large, heavy and intense job.”

QOL score: -2

Comment: The library will remain open during repairs, but parts of its collection might be temporarily unavailable.

Robotic cat on lend

In other library news, the Nashua Public Library has announced the opening of a new collection called “The Library of Things.” As reported in a Sept. 3 online article by WMUR, Nashua library patrons will now be able to borrow tools or other useful items from the library. The library’s website describes the items available, which include ukuleles, a telescope, a metal detector and a robotic cat companion.

QOL score: +1

Comment: At press time, the robotic cat was checked out and due back by Sept. 24, according to the library’s website.

Fades, braids and school supplies

On Sunday, Sept. 1, Manchester barber shop Get Faded gave free haircuts and school supplies to students. Shop owner Kim Lazoda said in a telephone interview that the event brought together talents from across Manchester’s hair community. “There was about 400 kids that came through the event,” she said. “[Two barbers from] West Side barber shop combined with our barber shop to help us out.” Electric Avenue Tattoos donated school supplies and painted faces, and Liana Locs and Nana Torres of Nana’s Hair Braiding braided hair for students who wanted it. Students ranged in age from very young to 12th grade.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Lazoda is also a certified Sensory Safe stylist for customers on the autism spectrum or with sensory issues.

QOL score last week: 80

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 81

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

Pats were tigers vs. Bengals

The Big Story – Mayo Era Begins: Well, I didn’t see that coming, especially from the maligned offensive line. The Jerod Mayo era began on an unexpected high note Sunday when his Patriots pretty much stunned everyone with a 16-10 win over the Bengals — on the road, no less — to put early check marks in the boxes of the O-line, GM Eliot Wolf, owner Bob Kraft and Mayo.

And with Seattle flying cross-country for the home opener, being 2-0 seems possible. Which would blow everyone’s pre-season predictions out of the water.

Sports 101: Name the four NFL teams who’ve never played in a Super Bowl.

News Item – Sox on Life Support: They’re not dead yet, but it ain’t looking good, as after stumbling through an awful three wins in 10 games they start the week with three teams ahead of them and four games out.

And while the hitting wasn’t great, the relief pitching was awful as (a) Kenley Jansen and Rich Hill issued three straight bases-loaded eighth-inning walks to turn a 3-1 lead into a 4-3 series-sweeping Mets win last Wednesday and (b)Zack Kelly gave up five runs in the ninth to the woeful White Sox in Sunday’s 7-2 loss.

News Item – 4 Pats Stars: (a) Kyle Dugger for saving TD’s on consecutive plays by first yanking the ball out of Mike Gesicki’s hands at the last second in the end zone, then stripping Tanner Hudson on the 1-foot line that was recovered and returned 17 yards by Marcus Jones; (b) Jonathan Jones for making a great tackle when it looked like Cincy was going to get a key first down on fourth and 2 from the 35 in the third quarter. (c) Keion White — as predicted by your not so humble scribe, Matthew Judon wasn’tmissed because KW filled that void with 2.5 sacks; (d) Rhamondre Stevenson (and the offensive line) for his 120 rushing yards and especially picking up three gigantic first downs on the final drive to run out the clock.

The Numbers:

46 & 46 – homers and stolen bases for Shohei Otani, asafter stealing numbers 44, 45 and 46 in one game alone last week and hitting two more homers, it’s looking likely he’ll become the first to enter the 50-50 club.

111 – losses for the White Sox to keep on pace to have the worst record in baseball history.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – NFL Replay: They probably didn’t like it in Maryland, but a second look at the apparent TD that would have tied on the final play of the NFL opener between KC and Baltimore showed the value of the replay, as receiver Isaiah Likely’s toe actually was (barely) on the back line. So no TD.

It also correctly took away the Gesicki non-TD in the Patriots-Bengals game.

Thumbs Down – Injury of the Week: For seeing Washington Spirits rookie Croix Bethune somehow tearing her meniscus throwing out the first pitch at a Washington Nats game to honor her being part of U.S. Women’s Soccer winning gold at the Paris Olympics.

Barf Inducing Moment of the Week: Gonna sound like a get off my lawn grouch, but it was the first sight of the so-called “modernized” throwback uniforms worn by the New York Giants on Sunday. Yuck.

In Case You Missed It – Ceddanne Rafaela: The rookie’s versatility achieved a first in baseball history by playing 68 games at shortstop and 61 in center field. Which should be a big entry on the resume in voting for rookie of the year.

Random Thoughts:

By the way, after pointing out last week Andy Reid has a chance to surpass Bill Belichick in career wins I didn’t say it’s because he’s as good at designing offenses as Coach B is at D.

If you’re interested, it was five tackles and a ½ sack for Judon in his Atlanta debut.

After seeing his QB Will Levis average a microscopic 4.0 yards per attempt on Sunday, I wonder if Calvin Ridley was second guessing picking Tennessee over the Patriots in free agency.

Sports 101 Answer: Jacksonville, Houston, Cleveland and Detroit are the franchises who’ve never made it to the Super Bowl.

Final Thought – Garrett Crochet: Remember when everyone (including me) wanted the Red Sox to get the White Sox lefty at the trade deadline?

Well, Crochet has not gone more than four innings in any of his 11 starts since July 1. And while he’s not hurt, he’s only thrown 19.1 total since the deadline, including lasting just two innings against the Sox on Saturday when he gave up four earned runs.

Throw in his refusal to be dealt to a team unless it gave him an immediate multi-year deal. Meaning he took staying with the worst team in baseball history over going somewhere to win.

So while Craig Breslow didn’t get any help at the deadline, Crochet’s JD (blood and guts) Drew mindset tells us they dodged a bullet by passing on him.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

Uncle Vanya ish

Theatre Kapow and their new season

Marco Notarangelo is the Vectorborne Disease Surveillance Coordinator at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in New Hampshire. He spoke to the Hippo about Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV), what it is and what people in the Granite State can do to stay safe. Visit dhhs.nh.gov for more information.

Theatre Kapow will be starting its 17th season with Life Sucks, a play described as a “brash and revelatory reworking of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.” The show will run Friday, Sept. 20, and Saturday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 22, at 2 p.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com). The Hippo spoke with Director Matthew Cahoon and Managing Director Carey Cahoon about the upcoming performance and season. Visit tkapow.com.

How have the last 17 years been for Theatre Kapow?

Carey Cahoon: It both seems really fast and kind of unbelievable. I would say that everything in life feels like it’s broken down into the before-Covid years and the with-Covid years. We’ve been going back because we’re redoing our website and looking at photos and reminding ourselves of what shows we did in those early seasons and it’s really been a lot of fun and reminds me of how far we’ve come. Also, it’s a good reminder of why we started doing what we do and what we really love, and I think we stayed true to that.

Can you expand on this year’s season theme of ‘Conversation’ and what it means?

Matthew Cahoon: We like to do shows, we have done a few over the course of 17 years, that have an element of meta-theatricality where there is no fourth wall between the audience and the actor. As we were reading shows this year that theme just kind of kept floating to the surface. All three of our shows this season are very heavy in terms of the audience’s impact on the piece. In the first show there are direct questions to the audience that need to be answered. In the second show there’s actually audience members who are pulled into the show and help the storyteller tell the story. In the third show, again, the veil between the audience and the actors is very thin and there’s this interactivity. When we have conversations with one another we better understand each other. I think that we are in a polarized time and place in our society but when we actually just treat each other like people and have conversations we find we have a lot more in common than we do have differences, so that was the impetus for this season.

Why was Life Sucks chosen to start the season?

CC: Life Sucks is an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. We really like working with pieces of quote ‘classic theater’ unquote. Sometimes that literally means classic theater like from the ancient Greeks but also Strindberg, Ibsen and Chekhov, who are these great European masters of drama. We had done Stupid [F-ing] Bird before, which is another of Aaron Posner’s adaptations of Chekhov, that’s an adaptation of The Seagull. Uncle Vanya is seeing a resurgence, it is everywhere right now. I think there were at least two productions on Broadway this past season; one of them might still be open. There were several productions in London and I think that speaks to that show being very relevant to what’s happening right now in our times and this kind of existential dread, ‘Who am I? How am I going to get through my life?’ The reason I really like Life Sucks is that it’s a contemporary adaptation. The language is very accessible, the language is very funny and we were really drawn to this breaking of the fourth wall that Posner does in this script.

Are there any particular acting schools of thought or disciplines that you all employ?

MC: We really pride ourselves on training being a part of our process. I think what makes us a little bit different is that all of our company members come from different disciplines. Carey has done a lot of work in practical aesthetics and in viewpoints work. Peter, who’s a company member, does a lot of work in Michael Chekhov technique and a little bit of Uta Hagen too. Myself, I came through Double Edge doing some Grotowski-based movement work and more recently some work with the Tectonic Theatre Project and what they call moment work. We kind of play in this witches’ brew of different approaches to making theater, and we hold these open training sessions once a month during which one of us will lead and really explore different approaches. That’s kind of what differentiates Theatre Kapow a little bit, because our actors in the space may be approaching the work from their own comfort zone, from their method. As a total company we’re really trying to incorporate all these different pieces to make the whole stronger.

—Zachary Lewis

Life Sucks
Presented by Theatre Kapow
When: Friday, Sept. 20, and Saturday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 22, at 2 p.m.
Where: Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord
Tickets: $33.75; $26.75 for students and seniors
Info: tkapow.com and ccanh.com

Note: The show contains “Strong Language, Adult Situations, Gunshots. Recommended for ages 13+.”

Featured image: Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 24/09/12

Fox Forest field day

According to a press release, the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands will host its field day at the Caroline A. Fox Research and Demonstration Forest in Hillsborough on Saturday, Sept. 21, starting at 9 a.m.

In a statement, Inge Seaboyer, a program forester at the Division of Forests and Lands, said that “while we’re surrounded by New Hampshire’s forestland every day, not everyone knows about the complexities of our forests and the myriad of ways they’re used. Fox Forest Field Day is a really fun way for folks to come together and learn more about how our forests work and the work that comes from them.”

Activities and demonstrations at the free event include a tour led by Seaboyer from 9 to 10 a.m. of an active timber harvest taking place on site (sturdy walking shoes are recommended). From 10 to 11 a.m. Urban Forester A.J. Dupere will mill Norway spruce harvested from Fox Forest into boards using a portable sawmill, and from 11 a.m. to noon Diane DeLuca from NH Audubon will discuss pollinator gardens and their effect on forests and other landscapes.

From 1 to 2 p.m. the milling of Norway spruce continues, and throughout the day artist Jim Hallene of Goffstown will be demonstrating woodturning and the Baldwin Center building will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for an exhibit of works by New Hampshire artists.

The event will take place rain or shine. For more information email [email protected] or call 464-3453.

Spiny water flea

According to a New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) press release, the spiny water flea, an invasive microscopic animal, has increased in number across Lake Winnipesaukee this season, based on feedback from anglers who report fouling of fishing lines with dozens of these animals.

The spiny water flea is not harmful to humans but it can be a nuisance to anglers when it accumulates on fishing lines. Boaters and other on-water recreation enthusiasts play an important role in stopping the spread of the flea and similar aquatic invasive species, according to the release.

The NHDES will conduct formal surveys this fall but early indications show that densities of the invasive plankton have increased since its discovery in fall 2023 by state biologists, according to the release.

State biologists warn transient boaters and fishermen to always clean, drain and dry their recreational gear between bodies of water, but especially after being in Lake Winnipesaukee, as well as the two downstream lakes, Lake Opechee and Lake Winnisquam.

All fishing gear, especially fishing line, should be wiped down and left to dry for at least 24 to 48 hours before being used in another water body since these organisms spread by moving with transient boats, fishing gear and other equipment that comes in contact with the infected water, according to the release.

The spiny water flea is a type of zooplankton that is native to Europe and Asia and was introduced to the United States Great Lakes in the 1980s via contaminated cargo ship ballast water, according to the release.

Other Northeast locations of spiny water flea infestation include Lake Champlain in Vermont, as well as Lake George and a few other water bodies in New York.

The tiny animal was likely introduced here by a transient boater who visited a water body with an existing infestation, and then transported live organisms or eggs to Lake Winnipesaukee on recreational gear or in a water-containing structure like a live well or bilge, according to the release.

The spiny water flea has negative impacts on the aquatic food web by shifting plankton communities (microscopic plants and animals), which results in reduced gamefish population, especially trout and salmon, and there are no treatments available to control this species once it is established. The only management option is preventing introduction into uninfected waterbodies.

State biologists will be monitoring spiny water flea populations in September as part of a routine sampling event, according to the release. For more information or to report a potential new infestation, contact Amy Smagula at [email protected] or 271-2248..

Deer archery season

The fall archery deer season starts on Sunday, Sept. 15, and, similar to 2023, deer hunters now have the option of registering their deer online by visiting wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/deer-hunting-new-hampshire/how-register-your-deer.

Physical registration stations remain a choice for those who prefer the experience of in-person registration. To allow for the collection of biological data, online registration will be unavailable on the first two days of muzzleloader season, Saturday, Nov. 2, and Sunday, Nov. 3, and the first three days of firearms season, Wednesday Nov. 13, to Friday, Nov. 15. Hunters must check in their deer in person on these dates.

To accommodate the online registration system and streamline the tracking of deer registrations, hunters are reminded that New Hampshire Fish and Game no longer issues metal deer seals and instead will provide successful hunters with a confirmation number that will serve as their proof of registration, according to a press release.

Online registration provides a modern and convenient way for hunters to register their deer harvest. But for a list of in-person deer registration locations, visit wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/check-stations-registration.

The Grazing Room at Colby Hill Inn in Henniker (33 The Oaks, colbyhillinn.com, 428-3281) will hold an “Into the Woods Wild Game & Foraging Dinner” on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m. This is a six-course dinner with a bourbon tasting and a tented dessert station. The cost is $150 per person.

To Share Brewing Co. in Manchester (720 Union St., tosharebrewing.com) will hold its Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 14, beginning at 1 p.m. The day will feature live music, brats topped with kraut, a stein-holding competition and more.

See some Faberge Imperial Easter Eggs on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. at the Merrimack Historical Society (10 Depot St., Merrimack, 424-5207) as part of the New Hampshire Humanities (nhhumanities.org) selection of fall events.

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