Letters to the Editor

Need a Good Reaso for Spotting the Newt?

This month’s lucky (and fearless) newt spotter will receive a basket filled with Harry David’s praline-pecan pancake mix, a spatula, pure N.H. maple syrup in a glass maple leaf bottle, one Newfound B&B mug, a mix of teas and a $50 gift certificate toward a stay at A Newfound Bed & Breakfast (http://anewfoundbnb.com).

A Newfound Bed & Breakfast is a proud member of NH Made (www.nhmade.com), the state’s official non-profit booster of locally generated products and services. (Just for the record, New Hampshire Magazine is a proud member, too.)

Last month’s “Spot the Newt” winner is Cindy Cantlin, New Port Richey, Fla. February issue newts were on pages 8, 13, 31 and 76.

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Heart Smarts
Karen Jamrog interviewed me for part of her column [“Staying Well”] in the February issue of New Hampshire Magazine, and I wanted convey how impressed I was with the way she distilled the information into a concise, coherent and thoughtful piece. It is very difficult to write effective summaries of complex medical information for a lay audience, and I think she did it admirably. I hope you will forward my thanks to her.

Daniel M. Philbin, M.D.
Manchester
Dr. Philbin is a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist at the New England Heart Institute.

A Bit of Bias?
Frankly I am upset with the January issue. Two items of Republican Party sympathy and not a single mention of the Democratic Party. Not only no mention of New Hampshire Democrats, not a single word of the extraordinary, historical achievement of the Democratic president-elect to be sworn into office later this month. I hope, perhaps, the Democratic Party of New Hampshire will be noted in the next issue.
I do not know if this was a coincidental oversight on the part of your magazine or if I have in fact erroneously subscribed to a politically biased print.

Louise Clark
Gonic

Editor’s Note: Thanks for the note. We are not politically biased, except as individuals, and there the staff is all over the map. We cover politics because it’s part of the fabric of the state, but we avoid all political entanglements to the best of our ability. Still, sometimes such coincidences occur and they are usually noticed by someone on the ignored side of the fence.

The piece on the Republican future was appropriate for January, since the state has been so visibly aligned with that party, historically and socially, that it’s really a story about the Democratic Party without even having to mention them. The Democrats are getting plenty of press, good and not-so-good, all by themselves and I can’t see why we need to gild any lilies.

We rotate our Capitol Offenses column between liberal, conservative and libertarian perspectives, sometimes featuring pure non-partisan befuddlement. If you know of anyone who could provide 600 well-crafted words of any of the above in an opinionative manner with a sense of humor, send them my way.
We do have a piece in the February issue written by a stalwart Democrat, though it’s not exactly a partisan piece any more than was Glenn Currie’s Jan. Capitol Offenses about how the Republicans couldn’t even get him a decent sign for his yard.
Bear with us. You’ll eventually find something that will tick off the Republicans in our pages. And we’ll hear about it, believe me.

Wrong Turn
I was a bit puzzled by an article in the December issue [“Sweet Rides”] that seemed to suggest another road tour column was about to begin. Does this mean that the current “Road Trip” feature will be ending? In the December article, most of the places and routes he mentioned are ones that have already been covered by the current series.
I turn to Road Trip first when I pick up the magazine, and I clip and keep all of them handy for my frequent drives through New Hampshire.
Frankly, I don’t care what kind of car someone is driving. To me, it’s all about the places, and I would hate to see the current series end, and with it its author’s seemingly endless store of knowledge about the state’s back corners. Say it isn’t so!

Fran Folsom
Cambridge, Mass.

Editor’s Note: It’s not so. “Road Trip” will continue to be a monthly feature. We like it, too.

Taking Issue
I got the February issue yesterday and read the article by Jane Wingate about how she was “bursting with eight years of pent-up frustration …” Was this supposed to be humor? Her reference to “George the Shrub” is not funny. It’s just an extension of all the spite and hate that has spewed forth from many Democrats during the entire Bush Reign. Enough!

Even though you devoted a few pages to the North Country (at last), I was put off by the article by Darren Garnick, titled “Living Large for Less.” The “fur” remarks made by Amherst consignment dealer Heather Bodholt were ludicrous. She says, “Fur makes you feel wealthy.” What hogwash!! I donated old furs to a thespian group because wearing fur symbolizes the cruelty of electrocution and traps and breeding ranches. Even vintage furs from animals who suffered long ago to give some woman the feeling of wealth should not be paraded around today as though it’s perfectly all right.

When I first subscribed to New Hampshire Magazine, I thought I’d find stories about native New Hampshire locals. The stories are endless that could be written about the White Mountains; the legends and the wonderful people. Also there are animals … wonderful and interesting.

You can’t make everyone happy all the time. But I just haven’t found the kind of reading here that would interest me. I will not be renewing my subscription.

M. Lisy Meyers
North Haverhill

Making Martinis
In your December issue on page 68, there are recipes for “Eat, Drink and Marry the Two.” I would love to make the Two Turtle Doves Dessert Martini from the Inn at Danbury but cannot find the Daily’s Divines cocktail mix à la mode flavor.
Would you please advise us where to purchase it?

Chris Schwidder
Meredith

Editor’s Note: We’re told you can get the mix at any major grocery store, including Shaw’s, Market Basket and Hannaford.

Well-chosen Directions
Bravo! and thanks on behalf of the North Country. N.H. Magazine’s coverage of what to do, where to go and what to eat and shop was very well done. There are so many worthwhile destinations and your writers chose well. Hopefully, you will have someone who is ready with the same kind of info about spring, summer and fall. The ice cream shop at the Colonial Theatre should receive attention as should the Colonial. I’ll send the program of live entertainment when it is complete.

Len Reed
Bethlehem