Dear Sharon: April showers and trusting the universe
read more…: Dear Sharon: April showers and trusting the universeIt’s said that from all things awkward or uncomfortable, messy or less than pleasant comes the fruit, the light and the wonderful.
Community Bulletin Board
Weddings, anniversaries, engagements, Valentine’s Day love notes, military promotions or accolades, graduation shout-outs, obituaries or tributes to a loved one, pet obituaries/tributes, and other personal news and milestones shared by you, the community.
Also a place where conversation happens – from Letters to the Editor and Op/Eds to The Soapbox, you’re welcome to tell us how you really feel.
New Hampshire’s chance to finally go green is with HB 1598
read more…: New Hampshire’s chance to finally go green is with HB 1598The “Live Free or Die” state is still dragging its feet on legalizing recreational cannabis. However, the 2022 legislative session offers something seldom seen, a legalization bill with the potential to pass. HB1598, legalizing the possession and use of cannabis, is a beacon of hope for many Granite Staters.
Will Smith’s slap should wake us all up
read more…: Will Smith’s slap should wake us all upAs I re-read the essay to discuss with my classes, in light of Will Smith’s “slap heard around the world,” which all my students were buzzing about, it occurred to me that—maybe—both stories were speaking to the same issue, something so ingrained in American males that it often goes unnoticed.
The Soapbox: What are NH GOP priorities?
read more…: The Soapbox: What are NH GOP priorities?It’s incomprehensible to us how Republican elected officials can say “We don’t have enough money for Paid Family Leave,” as they write checks in the form of tax cuts to the largest corporations in and out of the State of New Hampshire.
You may be right, I may be crazy – but Maggie hears the things that go bump in the night, too
read more…: You may be right, I may be crazy – but Maggie hears the things that go bump in the night, tooLounging on my couch, as I have for the last umpteenth number of nights, spun out in a rank stupor, now I have ghosts exhaling in my ear after dark, just when the wounds start to freshen. Stay with me…
The Class B Felony and My Autistic Son — Part III
read more…: The Class B Felony and My Autistic Son — Part IIIThat evening, I took a call from an acquaintance, a former liaison at the Bureau of Developmental Services. She told me about a law that states that adults with disabilities who have been found guilty of serious crimes in NH can be sent to secure group homes in the community that are monitored 24/7 rather than in with the general prison population. She said to make sure the lawyer, and more importantly, the judge knew that my son gets adult services in NH. This information brought me little comfort. I tossed and turned that night.
The Class B Felony and My Autistic Son — Part II
read more…: The Class B Felony and My Autistic Son — Part III glanced at my watch and replied, “Let’s go out. We have time to eat before we meet the lawyer. I’ll drive.” I grabbed my keys and looked over at him. He never did master the art of grooming and hygiene. He looked decent in the clothes I bought for him yesterday. He’d taken a shower before he came downstairs. He’s a good person, very bright and full of potential. But the world sees a sloppy-looking overweight man with long hair and a tangle of a beard. And the world notices unexpected behaviors. If I didn’t know better, most days I’d say he looks like a homeless person.
How to have an existential crisis like a middle-aged man with high cholesterol
read more…: How to have an existential crisis like a middle-aged man with high cholesterolIt’s the day before your birthday so stop reading the news. Stop thinking about that megalomaniac waging war in the Ukraine as soon as the pandemic started to wane. Stop obsessing about gas prices, and inflation, and your daughter’s college tuition, and the fact that being a human being of modest middle-class means these days is absolutely untenable. After all, you’re a just speck of dust in the dust-coated chaos of an eternal abyss.
The Class B Felony and My Autistic Son — Part I
read more…: The Class B Felony and My Autistic Son — Part IIt wasn’t long before a young officer approached me. He told me, “I don’t think we should be making this arrest. These are two people with disabilities.” He paused and said, “But it’s out of my hands. They’re taking him to the police station now.” I was told that my son is being charged with a Class B felony — second-degree assault — and faces up to seven years in prison. My heart pounded. I feel the contents of my stomach turn to liquid. My God, I’m the one who told him to call the police. What have I done?
The Soapbox: Surviving inflation and rising prices
read more…: The Soapbox: Surviving inflation and rising pricesEconomists may start using the term hyperinflation, which obviously sounds scary and can trigger the kind of run-on limited goods and services we saw at the beginning of the pandemic. It is typically based on war or current events. But don’t panic.
Dear Sharon: Is love blind?
read more…: Dear Sharon: Is love blind?At the absolute end, the couples were asked by the hosts, “is love blind?” They all said yes, but I have to disagree.
Milo, Otis and my fragile masculinity
read more…: Milo, Otis and my fragile masculinityHowever, when Rocco and Buster became best friends under my roof and turned the house into a scene set from “The Adventures of Milo and Otis,” it was time to turn in my Man Card.
Everything you need to know to be a New Hampshire soccer referee in about 2500 words
read more…: Everything you need to know to be a New Hampshire soccer referee in about 2500 wordsNew Hampshire is in desperate need of soccer referees. It can take a lifetime to get good at being a referee, but you can learn the bare minimum pretty quickly – here’s what you need to know.
Save lives: #VoteBurkush
read more…: Save lives: #VoteBurkushSince this election is likely to have a huge impact upon the local homeless community, as well as the rest of the city residents who are affected by homelessness in Manchester in their own ways, I was asked to share my perspective publicly.
Jim Burkush works hard for Ward 9
read more…: Jim Burkush works hard for Ward 9State Rep. Joshua Query makes a case for Jim Burkush in the Ward 9 Special Election.