Letters to the Editor

Need A Good Reason to Spot the Newt?

This month’s lucky (and fearless) newt spotter will receive a spicy gourmet condiment assortment from Spicey Mike’s Gourmet Ketchup & Condiments (pictured below). This company describes its products as “the healthy way to make your day.”

Spicey Mike’s 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.)

About Spot the Newt

Spot four newts hidden on ads in the issue, tell us where you found them and you might win an assortment of great gifts. To enter our drawing for a free gift basket, send your answers to:

Spot the Newt
c/o New Hampshire Magazine
150 Dow St., Manchester, NH 03101

E-mail them to: newt@nhmagazine.com

Fax them to: (603) 624-1310.

Last month’s “Spot the Newt” winner is Penny McKinnon of Littleton. July issue newts were on pages 76, 81, 108 and 110.

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Letters

Eye-Catching Cover
What a treat to see such a pretty girl on the June cover. I don’t know of a better way to catch someone’s eye and draw their attention to vacationing in New Hampshire. Seeing such a beautiful photograph of her in the water under the words “New Hampshire” was perfect marketing, not only for promoting New Hampshire but for your magazine sales as well. Great job!

Michael Johns
Bow

Not Sports Illustrated
I was surprised to see a young lady scantily dressed in a bathing suit on the front cover of your June issue. Summer Escapes in N.H. could have shown families, children enjoying outdoor activities/festivals instead. This is not a Sports Illustrated publication. I hope you will consider appropriate covers in the future. 

Gertie Kanner
Hancock

Terrific To-Dos
Another great issue [July 2009] packed with summer to-dos – not the least is to bake the Firehouse Brownies & Blueberry Tart for a wonderful N.H. 4th celebration! Other articles of interest included “Visit Keene, N.H.” as we will be driving through there in July on our way to an overnight in Bennington. Plus, it’s always interesting to find out the Best of the Best of N.H.!

Cathy Thorgerson
Goffstown

Family Fourth
The July issue arrived today and I think your piece on 4th of July in Center Harbor with my family was wonderful. Photos are great, text is engaging, fun and warm. Gee, I’d like to be with that family for the 4th! You did a sensitive, “all-American” take on the day, which, actually, it turns out to be that way anyway! Well done!

Barbara Lauterbach
Center Harbor

Reading in Bangladesh
I am e-mailing you from Bangladesh. I own a house in Bethlehem, N.H., but am currently living in Bangladesh. I enjoy reading my New Hampshire Magazine monthly. Unfortunately it takes a while for my issues to reach me here. I just received the June issue yesterday. I hope my Spot the Newt entry is not too late. My daughter, Brooke (age 11), and I enjoy looking for the newts every month.

Regina Hallisey
Bangladesh

Pleased by Recognition
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, staff and membership of the League of N.H. Craftsmen, I thank you for selecting the League as a Best of NH award for 2009. We are extremely honored by this recognition and look forward to seeing the July issue listing all of the winners.

I appreciate that the editorial staff of New Hampshire Magazine has chosen the League at this time in its 77-year history. The League was founded in 1932, during the Great Depression, as an organization focused on encouraging the traditions of fine hand craft through education and providing a means to promote and market the work.

New Hampshire has the distinction of being the first state in the nation to have granted initial state funding to support the creation of the League thanks to then-Governor John Winant. The League, originally known as the League of NH Arts and Crafts, had its beginning in Center Sandwich and Wolfeboro, towns that continue to have a League presence today. The organization currently manages seven retail galleries throughout New Hampshire; produces a nine-day craft fair at Mount Sunapee Resort beginning the first Saturday of August; and partners with other arts organizations, NH Made and the Dept. of Travel & Tourism to produce a statewide NH Open Doors event over Veterans’ Day weekend annually.

I encourage you to visit our Web site for more information. We are looking forward to the celebration on June 25. This is timely recognition for the League and is greatly appreciated.

Susie Lowe-Stockwell
Executive Director
League of N.H. Craftsmen

Missing Category?
I am a nurse at the Wound Center at Concord Hospital. A specialty not included in your survey is Wound Care. It is a specialty that many do not know much about, until they or someone they know have a wound that will not heal. Some of our patients have been coming for years. They have multiple chronic conditions that stand in the way of healing. Our patients often come to us as a last resort after other doctors have thrown in the towel. Many have no financial resources.

Dr. Joseph Snow, formerly a vascular surgeon, is our medical director. I could quote so many of our patients who tell me that he is the best doctor they have ever had take care of them.

Please consider adding the category of Wound Care when you take your “Top Docs” poll next year. I am sure Joseph Snow would make your list!

Vanessa Foley, RN
Concord

Mistaken Identity
While I was honored when writer Lisa Brown called to interview me for your publication, I was disappointed to find my first name misspelled and the name of my former company both incorrect and with a punctuation error. As the owner of a company where language is an integral part of my work, I understand the challenges accuracy can present. While the errors in the article will most likely go unnoticed by your readership, they left me questioning the accuracy of other information in your publication. While this may seem unfair, I suspect it’s a common reaction.
Sheree Burlington

(former owner of You’re Fired – Paint Your Own Pottery/Owner/Designer
Museware Pottery)
Manchester
Editor’s Note: Oops, sorry. We’ll re-double our efforts to be error-free.

Not to be Missed
I submit a recent contact with the best roadside ice cream spot found in years, anywhere in the Northeast. It is the best value, akin to 50-year-old standards. This is “Slicks” ice cream stand on Rte. 10 just north of Woodsville. The ice cream is smooth and creamy and the choices historic (grape nut, raspberry, orange pineapple, etc.).

The “small” cone for $1.50 has two and a half scoops; the medium, four. The fresh strawberry milkshake for $2.50 is made with ice cream, not frozen custard or milk-based gas frozen product and is too-thick-to-drink-à-la-1948-’55. Their sundaes are similarly priced at this family spot. Don’t miss it.

Andrew Taylor
Grantham

Promote Pain Relief
I am writing today to call your attention to the omission of the nationally recognized specialty of Pain Management in N.H. Magazine’s “Top Docs” list.

The National Center for Health Statistics reports that more than one-quarter of Americans age 20 or older, an estimated 76.5 million adults, suffer from persistent chronic pain. What’s more, the debilitating effects of chronic pain result in $100 billion a year in lost income, lost productivity and medical expenses. The good news is that relief may be found through pain management medicine, a relatively new medical specialty that offers proven treatment to patients suffering from chronic and acute pain.

The statistics for 2008 indicate that of the approximately 850,000 physicians in the U.S., only 3,500 have completed the requisite sub-specialty training in Pain Management. Despite the relatively small number of full-credentialed Pain Management physicians nationwide, we are fortunate to have 34 qualified specialists practicing here in New Hampshire.

As a specialty group committed to improving the lives of our patients we believe that the inclusion of Pain Management in your “Top Docs” list will provide critical information and education to your readers. Thank you for your kind consideration of this issue.

P.K. Suchdev, MD, DABIPP, ABAPM
Nashua
(Dr. Suchdev is president of the
N.H. Chapter of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.)