Tom Perry, a popular columnist for the Courier News back when newspapers enjoyed higher circulation, was fond of saying that he was an inveterate newspaper junkie. He once wrote that when on vacation, he would always pick up a copy of the local paper to get a feel for the people and customs of the area.
I like to do the same. That’s how I came across a noteworthy story of how the City of Nashua, N.H. deployed a free, extensive WiFi network, one which blankets the downtown area with seamless and reliable Internet service.
Nashua’s wireless network was designed and deployed under the initiative of the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce, which worked with the support of a prominent consortium of area businesses and a California firm. John T. Barker, IT Director for the City of Nashua, directed much of the technical aspects of the project, working strictly as an unpaid volunteer, contributing, he says, approximately 100 hours of his time. The project was completed for about $40,000. Project bids exceeding $100,000 were thrown out.
We in Central Jersey can learn from this example: The patrons of businesses in downtown Somerville would benefit enormously from the provisioning of a free WiFi network which doesn’t break the bank.
Bridgewater Township, which has no central business area, could prod management of the Bridgewater Commons Mall to establish a free WiFi network to cover the entire Mall area. Similarly, such a network could be made available for public use in the Township’s new, showcase Municipal Building Complex, where space could be set aside for public use.
Even the Bridgewater-Raritan school district should consider opening up the nearby high school on Garretson Road for free public internet access: The school library, located just to the left of the main entrance is a perfect spot for such public use.
We all have the same DNA. Yet, as I travel about, I am always struck as I observe the number and diversity of communities outside of New Jersey which seem to be squeezing so much more out of a dollar than we in Central Jersey seem to have the will to do.
Note: According to Wikipedia, “Nashua was twice named ‘Best Place to Live in America’ in annual surveys by Money magazine. It is the only city to get the No. 1 ranking two times—in 1987 and 1997.”
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
After the Storm
Friday, 24 hours after torrential rains battered the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, morning light dawned bright and clear, and the sun burned off any remnants of mist hanging over the Ossipee Mountain ridge, just across the water. By mid-morning, the rainy dreariness which had covered the lake the day before transformed itself into brilliantly blue sky, with sharp green forest lining the opposite shore; and the lake glistened with calm, welcoming water – barely a ripple breaking the surface.
Time for a walk! Out of the driveway and onto Eagle Shore Road, Priscille and I headed east to Black Cat Island, a small, densely-treed granitic point just off Moultonborough Neck. The access to Black Cat is by way of a steeply arched bridge which permits boats to transit under. It’s a good spot to linger briefly and to enjoy the water and wood vistas.
In such a pristine environment, a person’s mind and thoughts don’t wander much to events in the outside world. Somehow, the race for the presidency gets put into its proper perspective.
The walk around the circumference of the island is scenic, with breaks in the trees where the beauty of the lake beckons a walker to linger. Vacationers and Lake People wave as they drive by, off to daily errands. This is not a place for a frenzied, what-are-we-going-to-do-next vacation. People are friendly and they express it.
Our refreshing walk was somewhere under 3 miles up and down the hillocks of the road. About 60 minutes later, after a second scenic stop on the arched bridge over to Black Cat Island, we returned to our place refreshed for meeting the rest of the day.
Time for a walk! Out of the driveway and onto Eagle Shore Road, Priscille and I headed east to Black Cat Island, a small, densely-treed granitic point just off Moultonborough Neck. The access to Black Cat is by way of a steeply arched bridge which permits boats to transit under. It’s a good spot to linger briefly and to enjoy the water and wood vistas.
In such a pristine environment, a person’s mind and thoughts don’t wander much to events in the outside world. Somehow, the race for the presidency gets put into its proper perspective.
The walk around the circumference of the island is scenic, with breaks in the trees where the beauty of the lake beckons a walker to linger. Vacationers and Lake People wave as they drive by, off to daily errands. This is not a place for a frenzied, what-are-we-going-to-do-next vacation. People are friendly and they express it.
Our refreshing walk was somewhere under 3 miles up and down the hillocks of the road. About 60 minutes later, after a second scenic stop on the arched bridge over to Black Cat Island, we returned to our place refreshed for meeting the rest of the day.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Garden State & the Granite State
New Jersey has an income tax – New Hampshire, none; New Jersey has a sales tax – New Hampshire, none. Yet, despite an enormous gap in revenue sources, there is no evidence that the people of New Jersey enjoy an overall standard of living which is notably better than that of its neighbors up north.
But the vast income gulf between the two states begs the question: Why? Well, for one thing, pick up any newspaper in the Granite State, and you will not find story after nauseating story of governance malfeasance and legally endorsed fiscal abuse, as you regularly will in the pages of the Courier News, the Star Ledger, etc.
Yet, except for regional quirks, language accents, local customs and habits, people of both states are the same. So why then, is New Jersey functionally bankrupt, while New Hampshire, which faces similar problems, is not?
I don’t believe that it takes a boatload of economists and psychiatrists to answer the question. Although the economic, social, and educational issues facing the State of New Jersey, its municipalities, and its school districts are complex, they can be reduced to one clarifying metaphor: Even a pig knows when to stop eating.
But the vast income gulf between the two states begs the question: Why? Well, for one thing, pick up any newspaper in the Granite State, and you will not find story after nauseating story of governance malfeasance and legally endorsed fiscal abuse, as you regularly will in the pages of the Courier News, the Star Ledger, etc.
Yet, except for regional quirks, language accents, local customs and habits, people of both states are the same. So why then, is New Jersey functionally bankrupt, while New Hampshire, which faces similar problems, is not?
I don’t believe that it takes a boatload of economists and psychiatrists to answer the question. Although the economic, social, and educational issues facing the State of New Jersey, its municipalities, and its school districts are complex, they can be reduced to one clarifying metaphor: Even a pig knows when to stop eating.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Lake and the Shore
The distance between our favorite seashore vacation haunt, Cape May, New Jersey, and our favorite freshwater retreat, Lake Winnipesaukee, in mid-central New Hampshire, is about 550 road miles.
However, that difference reflects more than merely geographic distance. The Lakes Region of N.H., about an hour south of the White Mountains National Forest, offers not only recreation and dining: Its relative vastness and isolation forces a person to stop and to seep in the deep, elemental forces of nature. You won’t get elbowed out by anyone else here.
Any person who is active and fit can easily be challenged and rewarded by trekking up mountain trails towards peaks ranging in height to over 6000 feet. Big, ornery ones, like Mount Washington which creates its own weather patterns that can turn from sunny to dangerously nasty in a couple of minutes, are best left to professional climbers.
There are plenty of smaller mountains, like Mt. Major at Winnipesaukee’s southern end, which attract thousands of day climbers, including families and camping groups, each year.
The only traffic problem you’ll have around here occurs on a rainy day, for example, when the light at the four corners on Route 25, in the center of Meredith, causes cars to back up for a couple of miles, as house-bound vacationers seek diversion for themselves and their kids at nearby amusement centers and shopping emporiums.
However, that difference reflects more than merely geographic distance. The Lakes Region of N.H., about an hour south of the White Mountains National Forest, offers not only recreation and dining: Its relative vastness and isolation forces a person to stop and to seep in the deep, elemental forces of nature. You won’t get elbowed out by anyone else here.
Any person who is active and fit can easily be challenged and rewarded by trekking up mountain trails towards peaks ranging in height to over 6000 feet. Big, ornery ones, like Mount Washington which creates its own weather patterns that can turn from sunny to dangerously nasty in a couple of minutes, are best left to professional climbers.
There are plenty of smaller mountains, like Mt. Major at Winnipesaukee’s southern end, which attract thousands of day climbers, including families and camping groups, each year.
The only traffic problem you’ll have around here occurs on a rainy day, for example, when the light at the four corners on Route 25, in the center of Meredith, causes cars to back up for a couple of miles, as house-bound vacationers seek diversion for themselves and their kids at nearby amusement centers and shopping emporiums.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Just Hanging Out
Symbols and images can evoke pleasant memories. That’s what happened to me today, when I was in the midst of searching through my photo files, looking for a summer-appropriate shot. The one depicted in this post was snapped in the outdoor area of a little souvenir hut in Cape May, at Sunset Beach, the spot where Cape May Diamonds are found, and where you can view the famous WWII cement ship, aground in the green offshore waters.
Those seven little guys shown above all hanging neatly in a row against a gray, weatherworn fence seem quite content soaking in the summer sun and taking life easy, waiting perhaps, for someone to purchase them for a home decoration. Personally, I think they look perfectly happy just chilling out, enjoying the natural benefits of a Jersey Shore sun-soaked day. I hope they are still there the next time we come for a visit.
They don’t have to worry about taxes, Iraq, frozen government in Washington, tricky goings-on in Trenton, and talking heads on TV who fill in air time with hot air.
Ah! . . . I suggest emulating those little guys in the picture and forget about all your cares for a day or two this weekend – take a break from problems you can do something about and forget the rest.
Those seven little guys shown above all hanging neatly in a row against a gray, weatherworn fence seem quite content soaking in the summer sun and taking life easy, waiting perhaps, for someone to purchase them for a home decoration. Personally, I think they look perfectly happy just chilling out, enjoying the natural benefits of a Jersey Shore sun-soaked day. I hope they are still there the next time we come for a visit.
They don’t have to worry about taxes, Iraq, frozen government in Washington, tricky goings-on in Trenton, and talking heads on TV who fill in air time with hot air.
Ah! . . . I suggest emulating those little guys in the picture and forget about all your cares for a day or two this weekend – take a break from problems you can do something about and forget the rest.
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