12/01/2022 Weirs Times

This postcard of the Country Fare Inn in Moultonborough will soon be included in the Arcadia Publishing “Images Of America” series book on Moultonborough. The Inn formerly at the corner of Route 25 and Old Route 109 was Moultonborough’s first Methodist Church (c. 1843). Later it was the home and office of Dr. Frank Lovering, a boarding house, and a country inn. This postcard shows the Country Fare Inn in the 1970s, when operated by Kenny Smith. The building was demolished in 2017 to build the Berry Pond Center (Dick Wakefield Collection).

LocaL authors seeking oLd Photos

For new Book on MouLtonBorough

Calling all Moultonborough and area residents: we’re looking for old photos of Moultonborough for a new book project! Many are fa miliar with the Arcadia “Images of America” book series, and it’s time

to do one on Moultonborough. Jane Rice, longtime librarian, and Cristina Ashjian, chair of the Heritage Commission, are starting an exciting winter project – put ting together a photo book about

historic Moultonborough. The book will feature many historic photo graphs from the collection of the Moultonborough Historical Society, and photo postcards from Dick

Christmas Cookie Walk In Sanbornton

There will be a Cookie Walk this Saturday, December 3rd, in San bornton.

Bake and bring cookies to Lane Tavern in Sanborton between 8 and 9am.

Plan to put some of that “home town feel” in your Christmas shopping from 9am to 2pm. Invite friends and family to come and see real Sanbornton in action.

Purchase locally-made crafts like Ober’s famous “kissing ball” greens creations, Jackie Bonafide’s photo cards of “here,” Christmas ornaments not the same as those in stores, choice antiques of wrappable size, maple syrup and maple candy, knittedwear, other crafted items. Support local artisans.

The Sanbornton Historical So ciety also runs a gift shop yearround, open that day with old and new items, downstairs and upstairs. Hot cider and coffee.

December 3rd is also the second day of wreaths-pick up across the street.

They have ordered a few extra wreaths if you forgot to order.

A good time in guaranted for all so don’t miss it.

Make Lying Wrong Again

To The Editor:

For many years now, I have observed the shenanigans we call ‘campaigning’ . I do have to say though, the midterm election of 2022 was one of the worst in my memory.

The usual campaign malfea sance of misquoting and taking statements out of context were not only present, but the powers-thatbe outdid themselves this year. Take, for example (and I’ve been

Add to this the fact that the NH Democrats even used Bolduc’s signature artwork (three lines and a star). Perhaps they were unaware that, if said artwork is copyrighted it would be a crime . [see photos]

It seems to me that lying has become a valid campaign strat egy( granted it likely always was to some extent) but now is main stream. Add to that the fact that much of the news media overall has lost credibility, and that there are few left like the Weirs Times that are privately owned, and you

Thanks From Altrusa

To The Editor:

Altrusa International of Mer edith would like to sincerely thank our sponsors-business and friends alike whose finan cial support during our recent fundraiser in partnership with Temple B’nai Israel and the very successful We Care Concert. As the recipient of the net proceeds from this event, your support en ables us to continue our work in the communities we serve. Thank you also to our Ticket Donor Friends whose generosity allowed us to provide free tickets to our local Fire Department, Veterans, and area nursing homes to come and enjoy the show.

told both parties have been guilty in the past) using ‘look-alike’ campaign signs to disparage op ponents ...it LOOKS like the can didate’s sign but has a negative message. I understand that such a practice , although unethical, is legal. This year,however, the NH Democratic Party made signs identical to General Don Bolduc’s signs, but used untruths (in my opinion) such as ‘Don Bolduc will end abortion.’. Don Bolduc NEVER stated any such thing, nor could one construe that any one Senator could ever have the power to do anything that drastic.

begin to understand why people like myself are disillusioned . Not just lies, but the fact that many news media simply omit facts or a key event in the telling; you should not be left wondering “What’s the rest of the story?” as I too often do.

Unfortunately for me, My folks instilled a deep sense of ‘Fight if need be, but fight fair’ and the Boy Scout USA’s reinforced their teaching’ sorry, but I just can’t be that unaffected.

Jim Valtz Belmont, NH.

Our StOry

This newspaper was first published in 1883 by Mathew H. Calvert as Calvert’s Weirs Times and Tourists’ Gazette and continued until Mr. Calvert’s death in 1902. The new Weirs Times was reestablished in 1992 and strives to maintain the patriotic spirit of its predecessor as well as his devotion to the interests of Lake Winnipesaukee. Our newspaper’s masthead and the map of Lake Winnipesaukee in the center spread are elements in today’s paper which are taken from Calvert’s historic publication.

Locally owned for 30 years, this publication is devoted to printing the stories of the people

Winnipesaukee level: Heart and Hands Thrift Shop, Meredith Bay Colony Club, Winnisquam level: Hayward and Company, Wauke wan Level: Cackleberries Garden and Gift Shop, Hart’s Turkey Farm, Lovering Volvo Cars, Mer edith, Overhead Door Options, The Leighton Family, Verizon of Meredith, Mark Titlebaum, Winona level: Ambrose Bros., Inc., Auto Haus of Meredith, LLC, Cerutti Contracting, LLC, Harborside Dental, Inter-Lakes Builders, Inc., Loon Rustics, LLC Lincoln, NH, Meredith Land ing Real Estate, LLC, Meredith Station, Minute-Man Plumbing and Heating, Northway Bank, Paquette Signs, Stephen’s Land scaping, The Platinum Group at RE/MAX Bayside-Chris Kelly, Scott Knowles anda Chris Ad ams, Wicwas level: Anonymous, Bonner Builders, LLC, Bryant Paving, Marsha and Rick Court

and places that make New Hampshire the best place in the world to live. No, none of the daily grind news will be found in these pages, just the good stuff.

Published year round on Thursdays, we distribute 24,000 copies of the Weirs Times every week to the Lakes Region/Concord/ Seacoast area and the mountains and have an estimated 60,000 people reading this newspaper.

To find out how your business or service can benefit from advertising with us please call 1-888-308-8463.

PO Box 5458 Weirs, NH 03247 Weirs.com info@weirs.com facebook.com/weirstimes 603-366-8463

by Debby Montague Weirs Times Book Reviewer

Off The Shelf Off The Shelf

the noveMBer FeeL

The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves, Minotaur Books, September 2022

“Outside it had start ed to rain, a November drizzle, boring like the service.”

Ann Cleeves’ The Ris ing Tide, her tenth Vera Stanhope mystery, con firms that Cleeves does not rest on her laurels as a master of moody crime novels. The Ris ing Tide is just as fine in tone and setting as any of the other Vera Stanhope novels and Cleeves characters are stronger than ever. The book has a November feel to it, gray and cold and sad. But also, like November, there are times when the gray shows a bit of silver, and the sun warms the air. The Rising Tide is set on Holy Island, an ancient and hallowed place in Northumber land in the northeast part of England. Twice a day, when the tide is out, one can cross between the mainland and the island by car. Miss the tide and you are stuck overnight, which can work for good and bad when solving a mystery. De tective Chief Inspecter Vera Stanhope and her main crew, Detective Sergeant Joe Ashworth and Detective Consta ble Holly Lawson arrive on Holy Island to in vestigate the murder of Rick Kelsall, a recently fired television per sonality. Rick and his grammar school friends – Annie, Louisa and Ken, and Philip - have

been coming together every five years on Holy Island to commemorate their school outing fifty years ago. This year is not turning out to be a happy meeting for the old friends. Rick’s death on the first night of the gathering, Ken’s dementia, memories of the death of Charlotte, one of the original re union attendees fortyfive years ago, and se crets long buried make for a less than success ful get-together.

Vera is a skilled and respected detective, ad mired despite her for midable manner. She loves to be right. She nudges Joe, her second in command and Holly, her up and coming de

tective, to dig deeper, do better, work harder but Vera wants to be the best and brightest. She wants to be the one to find the solu tion to Kelsall’s death. Kelsall’s friends are all suspects, all have se crets, and all seem to be succeeding at hiding those secrets much to Vera’s chagrin. Neither she nor Joe and Holly stop probing to find the key to Kelsall’s murder er no matter the profes sional or physical risk.

Each time I read one of Ann Cleeves’ Vera Stanhope mysteries I like Vera more. She put me off at first in The Crow Trap (1999) with her arrogance and harsh manner, but over

the book series she has revealed some reasons for her attitude and style. Her lonely child hood with a selfish, un caring father has made her brusque and seem ingly out of touch. Vera will admit her doubts and her blunders to herself, but only to her self. Joe Ashworth is much less complicated than Vera. He likes the challenge working with Vera entails, except when she wants the moon, or treats him like a new recruit. Joe would probably like a promotion, but he wants to continue to shine as Vera’s number one. Holly Lawson is a quiet, steady investiga tor, not quitting until she has done due dili gence. She would like to be number one with Vera, too, and she’s over the moon when she gets Vera’s praise. If you are looking for a book suitable for a

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra Holiday Concerts Feature

Vocalist Michael Gallagan

Join the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra for two joyous Holiday Concerts on Saturday December 10th at 7pm at the Colonial Theatre in Laconia and Sunday December 11th at 3pm at the Inter-Lakes Com munity Auditorium in Meredith. Tickets with reserved seating are available at www.LRSO.org for all performances.

Crooner Michael Gallagan returns with his personal touch on these classics: Bing Crosby’s “Joy to the World” and “O Come All Ye Faith ful”; Josh Groban’s “O Holy Night”; Andy Williams’ “Most Wonderful Time of the Year”; Tony Bennett’s “Christmas in Herald Square” and “I Love the Winter Weather”; Sinatra’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christ mas”. Lush orchestral favorites include Charlie Brown Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Greensleeves, Festive Sounds of Hanukkah and many more.

These holiday concerts have sold-out in the past so we encourage you to purchase tickets early. Hot on the heels of our tremendous November concert season opener at Plymouth State University we can’t wait to delight you with our holiday performances.

Tickets are $20 - 30 for adults and $10 - $15 for students college-age and under (please no children under age 5) available at www.LRSO.org or by phone using the numbers listed with each concert on the LRSO web site.

“Tower Of Power” At Colonial Theatre

The Colonial Theatre - Laconia will present Tower of Power on Satur day, February 18 at 8pm. Tickets are on sale Monday, November 21 at 12pm at ColonialLaconia.com or by calling 1-800-657-8774. East Bay Grease defined their sound and landed them with War ner Brothers. Bump City, their 1972 debut for the label, was a hit on both the Billboard 200 and the R&B Albums chart, and netted them the hits “You’re Still A Young Man” and “Down to The Nightclub.” The 70s were a boom period with radio clas sics like “So Very Hard to Go” and “What Is Hip?,” and the band continued to tour and record over the years. Castillo says their love of the stage is the same today as it was back in 1968. a Soul band called The Motowns.” recalls Emilio Castillo. “Rocco was the bass player, I was there, and my brother was the drummer. I met “Doc” Kupka back in 1968, and gave him an audition. He came in the band, and we eventually changed our name to the Tower of Power.” The reason for the band name change was that they had a specific goal in mind.

Tickets for Tower of Power at the Colonial Theatre of Laconia on Saturday, February 18 at 8pm are $50-$100 and go on sale Monday, November 21 at 12pm at ColonialLaconia.com or by calling 1-800-657-8774.

Holiday Basket Fundraiser For L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pantry

For the 23rd year, the Wolfeboro Rotary Club and L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pantry will hold their joint Holiday Basket fundraiser to benefit the Food Pantry. Since 1999, the Holiday Basket has been the Food Pantry’s largest annual fundraiser, with its proceeds going to provide food to families in need in Wolfeboro and surrounding towns.

The event will begin on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, and run through Saturday, December 10, 2022. Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Verani Realty has once again offered its office at 22 South Main Street to serve as a drop-off point for donations during normal business hours. Donations may also be dropped off at the Rotary Christmas Tree Sale at the Clark Museum Complex at 218 South Main Street from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Friday through Sun day, mailed to L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pantry at P.O. Box 476, Wolfeboro Falls, N.H. 03896, or made online at lifeministriesfoodpantry.org.

Since the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic the Pantry has operated on a drive-through basis on the first and third Wednesdays of every month. It distributes sufficient food to prepare ten meals per week for each family member, as well as basic household necessities, such as cleaning and personal hygiene items, and provides vouchers for the purchase of milk and fresh produce. During school vacation periods, the Food Pantry provides additional food for children through its Vacation Station Program. It also provides food for families living at the Families in Transition Hope House.

The Holiday Basket makes up a significant portion of the Food Pantry’s annual budget. We are eternally grateful to our donors, whose generous support enables us to provide for our neighbors in need. We thank you for your past contributions, and ask for your assistance in making this another successful Holiday Basket.

Food Packing Event

The Regional Youth Group leaders are coordinating and hosting a food packag ing event on December 11th @ 1pm at the Congregational Church of Laconia, 18 Veterans Square.

This is an intergenerational event! All ages are invited to participate in packing 10,000 meals (yes! 10,000) for distribution to people who are hungry. The Youth Group leaders have committed to packaging 10,000 meals on Dec. 11th @ 1PM. The upfront cost for 10k meals is $3,500. In addition to your help with packing, individuals, churches, youth groups and community or ganizations are encouraged to make a free-will donation to help cover the cost of the food. If you wish to contribute, please make the check out to First Congregational Church of Meredith, and put “Ending Hunger” in the Memo line of your check. The church address is 4 Highland St., Meredith NH 03253. If possible, advanced sign-up would be helpful for our planning.

F OOL

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

i’d rather not know

Over the past several years one of the trendiest new gifts to come on the market has been a DNA test kit.

of English, Irish German and Italian – a mutt so to speak. I’m good with all of that and happy to go about my life as such.

In all honesty, I didn’t even know about the Italian part for a good portion of my life. That was a surprise in itself.

cart is fragile enough and I’ve already had a couple of the wheels replaced.

by Brendan Smith Weirs Times Editor

Yes, we have come a long way from ugly sweaters and ties. Now folks are giving the gift of finding out about eth nicity through genetics, which might end up being be a lot uglier than any sweater or tie. (Except the ones with snow flakes and candy canes. Those can be pretty bad.)

I can only imagine some of those Christmas mornings in different households. The sound or wrapping paper being easily disassembled, the slight increase in breathing as the cardboard packaging itself is revealed. Then the sudden qui et as the recipient studies the unfamiliar box and then, upon realizing what they are holding in their hands exclaims: “Wow, just what I’ve always wanted. A test, that when finished, has the possibility of smashing to bits all of the things I thought I knew about my ancestry all of my life. Thank you so much!”

Okay, maybe I am being a bit melodramatic, but personally I don’t think I’d even want to have my DNA tested to find out where my distant ancestors came from. I’m pretty happy where I am right now with what I know about my more recent ancestors and I don’t feel the need to go back any further. The less surprises the better at this point.

A leaky pipe in the basement is enough stress for me in one day. Add on to that the possi bility that I might be somehow related to Atilla The Hun (or even George Soros) and my day would be completely ruined.

As far as I know, I am a mix

You see, my grandmother, who I have always known and loved and thought of as my grandmother by blood, was really, I was to discover in my early thirties, actually my stepgrandmother. She was Irish and so I always thought I had a lot of Irish blood. My real maternal grandmother was, much to my surprise, actually a full-blooded Italian.

My mom’s real mom died of “consumption” at an early age when my mom was very young. My grandfather, who was Ger man, remarried and then, for reasons too complicated to get into here, there was a falling out between the families and the Italian faction of the family was ostracized.

We were never told as kids all about this. The story goes that the grandmother I grew to know and love never wanted us to know she wasn’t our biologi cal grandmother. As far as we were concerned, she was our real Irish grandmother, so we were in turn, Irish as well.

Finding this out much later in life did come as a bit of a shock. (Though I should have been a bit suspicious as I al ways preferred a good spicy plate of pasta with tomato sauce and a glass of red wine over a bland meal of corned beef and cabbage.)

My dad’s parents were Eng lish and Irish and I take that as fact since I haven’t heard oth erwise and, if that isn’t true, I’d rather not know at this point in the game.

Toady, at sixty-seven, I am comfortable with all of this and don’t really need any more sur prises to upset the DNA apple cart. As I get older the apple

I’m not sure how I would react if I found one of those DNA kits under the tree on Christmas morning. It certain ly wouldn’t be a gift I had been dropping hints about since Thanksgiving. “Boy, if there was someway I could find out if my DNA was totally different then what I have thought for decades and totally disrupt my life, that would be a great gift… hint…hint.”

Still, I would be gracious enough to say something like: “Wow, what a great gift,” while glancing at the tree to see if there might be a package that looks like the 64-inch HD TV that I mentioned in passing more than twice.

I doubt I’d use the DNA kit, but in order not to hurt the giver’s feelings, I might just pretend that I have sent off my DNA to be tested. In the meantime, while waiting for the phony results, I would craft my own interesting genetic his tory.

“Wow…seems my ancestors were most likely Nordic Vikings and a great-great ancestor was also part of Admiral Peary’s historic trip to the North Pole. How about that?”

I’m sure that there are some folks out there who may be get ting one of these DNA kits for Christmas and will be pretty excited about it.

It’s just not for me.

I’d even gladly trade it for that ugly snowflake and candy cane sweater that I’ll never wear and conveniently mis place.

Brendan is the author of “The Flatlander Chronicles”,“Best Of A F.O.O.L. In New Hampshire” and “I Only Did It For The Socks Stories & Thoughts On Aging” All are available at Brenda nTSmith.com.

in Live Free or Die.

*A FLATLANDER’S OBSERVATIONS ON LIFE

by

BLack Youth want FreedoM

Cohen Is Off This Week

Among the key headlines from the 2022 election were gains by Republicans among minority voters.

According to the AP VoteCast survey, Re publican House candidates got 14% of the Black vote, almost twice the 8% of the Black vote that Republicans captured in 2020 and 2018.

The difference between the percentage of Black votes that Democrats got compared to Republicans was 68 points, compared to a difference of 83 points in the 2020 election and 82 points in 2018.

This was even more pronounced among younger Black vot ers, ages 18-44, where the difference between percentage voting Democrat and Republican was 54 points, compared to 76 points in 2020 and 75 in 2018.

The Republican Party is most aggressively taking root among younger Black voters.

Per Pew Research, 28% of Black Republicans are ages 1829, compared to 17% of Black Democrats and 10% of White Republicans.

My own sense is that younger Blacks are less inclined to think of themselves primarily by race and less inclined to think of their future in terms of racial group identity politics.

Pew Research data shows 58% of Black Republicans say that their race is an “extremely or very important” aspect of their personal identity. This compared to 82% of Black Democrats.

Twenty one percent of Black Republicans, compared to 6% of Black Democrats, say their race is of little or no importance to their personal identity.

Also worth noting is that 50% of Black Republicans live in lower-income households.

So, in general, Black Republicans tend to be younger and poorer.

This makes sense. These younger Black Americans are think ing about their future and have a sense of realism that their future is about their own efforts as opposed to racially driven government programs.

the LeFt’s cYnicaL ‘sPeech is vioLence’ PLoY

This week, another evil mass shooter un leashed horror at a gay club in Colorado Springs, killing 5 and wounding another 25. The shooter - whose name I refuse to men tion in order to disin centivize future shoot ers, who seek notoriety - was clearly mentally ill: Just last year, the shooter reportedly threatened his mother with a bomb, re sulting in his arrest. Yet Colorado’s red flag law, which could have deprived him of legal access to weaponry, was not invoked by either police or relatives. The Colorado Springs massacre, then, is yet another example of a perpetrator with more red flags than a bullfighting convention, and no one in authority willing to take action to do anything about him. Yet the national conversation, as it so often does, has now been directed away from the question at hand - how to pre vent mass shootings - and toward broader politics. Instead of seeking methodolo gies that might be effective in finding and stopping deranged individuals seeking murder without curbing rights and liber ties for hundreds of millions of people, our political and media leaders have decided to blame Americans who oppose samesex marriage, drag queen story hour and “family-friendly” drag shows. Disagree ment with the radical Leftist social agenda amounts to incitement to violence, they argue.

New York Times wrote, “it seems hard to separate (these murders) from a na tionwide campaign of anti-LGBTQ incite ment... They’ve been screaming that drag events... are part of a monstrous plot to prey on children. They don’t get to duck responsibility if a sick man with a gun took them seriously.” Brian Broome wrote in The Washington Post that the shooting could not be “blamed on mental illness”; no, he stated, “It’s right-wing rhetoric that sparks these nightmares... The bottomless list of homophobes and transphobes on the right don’t need to throw the rock and then hide their hands. Instead, they use someone else’s hands entirely.”

The Left’s attempt to lay responsibil ity for violence at the feet of anyone who opposes the transgressive social agenda doesn’t stop with blame - it extends to calls for full-scale censorship. “We’re liv ing in an environment that’s driven by two things,” averred Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. “Politicians who are using us to bolster their careers by creating division and hate, and number two is social media platforms that are monetizing hate, and especially against marginalized communi ties. They’re - they’re choosing profits over hate, and it’s killing, literally killing our community.” Social media, the logic goes, ought to shut down or demonetize any video disagreeing with the GLAAD agenda.

See PARKER on 36

Per Pew, 45% of Black Republicans, compared to 21% of Black Democrats, are more likely to say that the future of Black Americans depends on their own efforts. About half as many Black Republicans compared to Black Democrats -- 44% versus 73% -- see racial discrimination as the main barrier to Black progress and achievement.

Thus, NBC News senior reporter Brandy Zadrozny said, “there is a pipeline. It starts from some smaller accounts online like Libs Of Tiktok, it moves to the right wing blogosphere, and then it ends up on Tucker Carlson or ends up out of a rightwing politician’s mouth, and it is a really dangerous cycle that does have real-world consequences.” Michelle Goldberg of The

This is cynical politics at its worst. It’s also nothing new. The Left routinely cites violent incidents as reason to crack down on free speech with which they disagree. As the inimitably imbecilic Rep. Alexan dria Ocasio-Cortez, D-Instagram, tweeted, “After Trump elevated anti-immigrant & anti-Latino rhetoric, we had the deadliest anti-Latino shooting in modern history. After anti-Asian hate w/ COVID, Atlanta. Tree of Life. Emanuel AME. Buffalo. And now after an anti-LGBT+ campaign, Colo rado Springs. Connect the dots, @GOP.”

Yes, accord

Adriana

by Ben Shapiro Syndicated Columnist

Star Parker Syndicated Columnist

thanksgiving Lessons

farming. The whole community de cided when and how much to plant, when to harvest and who would do the work.

Gov. William Bradford wrote in his diary that he thought that taking away property and bringing it into a commonwealth would make the Pilgrims “happy and flourishing.”

The communal system, Bradford wrote, “was found to breed much confusion and discontent and re tard much employment.”

Young men complained they had to “spend their time and strength to work for other men’s wives and children without any recompense.”

“tragedy of the commons.” No in dividual Pilgrim owned crops they grew, so no individual had much incentive to work.

Bradford’s solution: private prop erty.

by John Stossel Syndicated Columnist

If you ate a nice meal for Thanks giving, thank the Pilgrims. They made Thanksgiv ing possible. They left the Old World to escape religious persecu tion. They imag ined a new society where everyone worked together and shared everything.

In other words, they dreamed of socialism. Socialism then almost killed them.

As I explain in my weekly video, the Pilgrims attempted collective

It didn’t. Soon, there wasn’t enough food. “No supply was heard of,” wrote Bradford, “neither knew they when they might expect any.”

The problem, Bradford realized, was that no one wanted to work. Everyone relied on others to do the work. Some people pretended to be injured. Others stole food.

Strong men thought it was an “injustice” they had to do more than weaker men, without more compen sation.

Older men thought that working as much as young men was “indig nity and disrespect.”

Women who cooked and cleaned “deemed it a kind of slavery.”

The Pilgrims had run into the

He assigned every family a parcel of land so they could grow their own corn. “It made all hands very indus trious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been,” he wrote.

People who had claimed that “weakness and inability” made them unable to work now were eager to work. “Women now went willingly into the field, and took their little

north korea nudges For attention with MissiLe diPLoMacY

North Korea’s petulant and isolated regime wants attention.

It’s thirty-some thing Dictator Kim Jong-un vies for the noxious notoriety which much of the world has focused on Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine or Xi Jinping’s military threats to Taiwan. Poor little Kim had his fire and fury moment back in 2017 until he was put back in his box by the Trump Administration.

of Korea (DPRK) waiting for their moment when global attention and concerns once again turn to the divided Korean peninsula and the implications of a nuclear armed North Korea.

by John J. Metzler Syndicated Columnist

Confrontation cycles are as pre dictable as weather patterns. Dur ing Kim Jong-un showdowns in March 2013, the winds of war returned to the Korean Peninsula and to the shores of Japan and Hawaii as the then newly installed North Korean leader brought a renewed level of both military and rhetorical volatility to the region.

Donald Trump pushed back with firmness and rhetorical salvos of his own warn ing Kim Jong-un that his actions are courting “fire and fury.” Not only did the North Koreans back down but later engaged in unprec edented diplomacy which led to the Singapore Summit in June 2018 and, an unofficial three year mora torium on missile launches.

This year the UN Security Coun cil has met many times in response North Korea’s actions.

So Kim Jong-un and his family sit and stew and plot in the quaintly titled Democratic People’s Republic

Then in 2017 Kim tested the new American Administration with a spate of missile firings and bouts of incendiary rhetoric. President

U.S. Ambassador Linda ThomasGreenfield warned a recent Council briefing, “This is the DPRK’s eighth ICBM launch this year, part of an unprecedented 63 ballistic missiles in 2022.” She warned, “Sixty-three

times this year the DPRK has fla grantly violated Security Council resolutions and attempted to un dermine global nonproliferation.”

Firing of the intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong 17 over Japan has been hailed by the North Koreans as “the world’s strongest strategic weapon.” Despite the hyperbolic propaganda from Pyong yang’s minions, there’s no doubt that the powerful rocket poses a clear and present danger not only to the Japan, but to American bas es in Okinawa, Guam and indeed Hawaii and beyond.

At the recent G-7 economic meet ing in Bali, Indonesia, the Foreign Ministers from the seven nations

See STOSSEL on 36 See METZLER on 35

The

BIRDS For

New England’s Wild Birds & Their Habitats

suPPorting nature

by Chris Bosak Contributing Writer

One of my favor ite places is a small pond in northern New Hampshire near the Canadian border.

It is miles from the nearest house and, in fact, miles from the nearest utility pole. It is truly wild, and over the years I have seen a lot of wildlife there, including dozens of moose, otters, bald eagles and osprey. The pond (technically it’s a fen) is too small for loons to nest on, but there is usually a loon or two using it for hunting and rest.

One morning, I was canoeing there, and as I made my way through a serpentinelike creek that feeds the pond, I noticed a sign attached to a tree. This is a strange place to see a sign, I thought, out here in the middle of nowhere and particularly this far down the creek.

As I got closer, I no ticed it was a sign for the Nature Conser vancy. I hadn’t re ally thought of it be fore, but some entity had to own the land that I enjoy visiting so much. In this case, obviously, it was land owned by the Nature Conservancy.

When you think of it, all land that we en joy our nature watch ing, hiking, or any other outdoor recre ational activity on is

A moose is seen in northern New Hampshire on land owned by the Nature Conservancy.

owned by someone or some thing. One of my favorite photos that I have taken is of a Baltimore oriole sipping nectar from a crab apple blossom. I took the photo many years ago in the spring on land owned by a lo cal land trust. Without that land trust’s pas sion for conservation, I never would have got ten the opportunity to photograph the beau tiful bird, and the land likely would have been a house, condominium complex, or strip mall.

Pretty much any photo or memory of the outdoors that I can think of will have a similar story. The land on which the photo was taken or the mem ory was made is owned

by an entity that cares about land conserva tion and the impor tance of outdoor recre ation. In many cases, the land is owned by a nonprofit organization that relies on philan thropy to support its mission.

Many people wait until December to make their charitable gifts for the year, and indeed, most of these organizations receive the bulk of their gifts at the end of the year. I certainly am not about to tell people how to spend their money, but if you are planning to make contributions to nonprofit organiza tions this year, I would encourage you to at least consider one of the many valuable

conservation organi zations out there.

There are terrific conservation organi zations at the interna tional, national, state, and local levels. I am usually partial to the smaller state and lo cal organizations, but all of these organiza tions are worthy of consideration. The Nature Conservancy, which I mentioned at the beginning of this column, is an inter national entity that has preserved land throughout the world.

I have been looking for years to purchase some land for camping and birdwatching but have been priced out of the market with the recent surge in real

Letters From God

This series of Letters From God is an attempt to put the thoughts of God as revealed in the Scriptures as they re late to individuals and the nation of the USA.

QUESTION: Why Are You And Christians So Judg mental? (Part 2)

In my last letter, in response to your ques tion, why are you and Christians so judg mental, I responded with an answer as it relates to individuals. I did say,“do not judge or you too will be judged.” But in the context, however, I was asking those who practiced unrighteous judgment to first deal with their own sin be fore they ever sought to bring judgment on others (Matthew 7:15) . I drove this home when I also said, “do not judge by the out ward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24).

This led me to ex plain why judging righteously by me and other, including godly Christians, is so vitally important.

As your Creator I established the stan dards of what is right and wrong and what will help you or hurt you. I told you that I, as your loving father, would allow you to exercise your will. If I didn’t, I would be forc ing you to obey, and that isn’t love but co ercion. I made it clear that if you continued to disobey me, I would allow the painful con sequences, as a means of motivation you to

change and return to me and to behavior that will help you not hurt you. That pain will be experienced both in your lifetime but also eternally, since even one act of disobedience sepa rates you from me, my love and the eternal life only I possess and can give.

Fortunately, because I love you, I sent my son, Jesus, who was without sin, to walk among you. I also sent him to die in your place. When he hung on the cross, he died not for his sins but for all of yours (Ro mans 5:8) . His blood, as God, was eternal and without sin.

When he died for you, he paid your eter nal penalty of death so that even though you have transgressed my laws, you could live with me forever (2 Corinthians 5:21). All of this was for indi viduals.

What you need to understand is that I gave these same clear standards to Nations as well. Like individu als, I made it clear that if you break my stan dards, you too would experience suffering and pain and if it con tinued, you would ex perience national col lapse and destruction

If you look at all the Nations since the be ginning of time, the av erage years they pros per before they fail, and die is around 200 years. I bless them, they take it for granted and stop trusting me and rely on the pros perity I gave them. Then they reject me and my will and dis

obey me. I try to win them back with pain ful consequences, but they continue in their rebellion and wicked ness until I allow them to face the full fury of the consequences of their sins or acts of disobedience.

Letters From God

lions against your laws with little or no vet ting to ensure they will build up your nation instead of tear it down. Drug infestation is killing many of your youth each day and so many more indicators of my judgment.

You must know that you, as a Nation, have departed from me and my will in the most egregious way. The wickedness you are practicing is brazen and vile. The Psalmist spoke of nations like you when he said, “the wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men (Psalm 12:8).

There is no longer shame and instead, a spirit of pride in wick edness and defiance and desecration of my moral standards. It is being promoted from the highest levels of leadership and prac ticed throughout your land.

The Psalmist said it best when he said, “the arrogant mock me without restraint.” (Psalm 119:51 ). In light of this he con cluded, “it is time for you to act, O Lord; your law is being bro ken.” (Psalm 119:126).

Perhaps you have noticed the many ways your nation is suffer ing in recent years. It is evident in economic downturn, political power grab and cor ruption and interna tional failure in con flicts as well as disre spect and dominance by other nations. It is in deep divisions that are tearing you apart, unprecedented vio lence in your streets and an invasion of mil

I have been whisper ing with judgment, but since you failed to heed my loving re buke, I will begin to shout. When I do, it will be fatal. I love you so much, but I am grieved at your decay. I have sent my Son, Jesus, to be your Savior. I have offered you forgiveness and continued prosperity if you will turn from your wicked ways. My pa tience is long but not endless. Take heed to my rebuke, “if my peo ple who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Will you beat the deadline?

Oh, how I love and long to restore you to me and my love.

God

These letters are written by a New Hampshire pastor.

Not So LoNg Ago

...

Exploring ThE lEgEnd & lorE of our graniTE STaTE

who wrote the PoeM? rock Me to sLeeP, Mother

written the poem fol lowed. Then half a dozen or so people from the Northern states were each reported to have claimed to be the au thor.

by Robert Hanaford Smith, Sr. Contributing Writer

“Backward, turn back ward, O Time in your flight -

Make me a child again, just for to-night!

Mother, come back from the echoless shore, Take me again to your arms, as of yore;

Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care, Smooth the few silver threads out of my hair; Over my slumbers your loving watch keep, Rock me to sleep, moth er, rock me to sleep.”

This is the first stanza of a poem expressing the longing of an adult child to experience once again the younger days of the past when she felt the comforting care of her mother.

The piece was titled “Rock Me To Sleep, Mother” and became a popular song during the Civil War, though its authorship has been the cause of much dis cussion.

The melancholy na ture of the piece seems to have been appropri ate for the Civil War era,

however, and is said to have been first pub lished in the year 1861 after which it appeared in many newspapers which resulted in a large reading audience.

Seeming to portray a young woman long ing to once again expe rience the loving care of her mother, it may cause some, however, to imagine some of the sentiments as being the war-worn utterances of soldier longing for his childhood home.

“Backward, flow back ward, oh, tide of the

years;

I am so weary of toil and of tears;

Toil without recom pense – tears all in vain, Take them – and give me my childhood again!

I have grown weary of dust and decay, Weary of flinging my soul-wealth away, Weary of sowing for others to reap, Rock me to sleep, moth er, rock me to sleep.”

The publication of the six stanza poem, with a pseudonym being used for the poet, discussion as to who might have

The original publi cation was under the name of “Florence Per cy,” and eight differ ent composers were re ported to have set the poem to music, and many thousands of cop ies were sold. One pub lication revealed that the real author was one Mrs. Elizabeth Akers and “..that the poetry was written in North Carolina. The article,

Elizabeth Akers Allen

by Mike Moffett Contributing Writer

That awesome qua drennial sports spec tacular known as the “World Cup” is un derway in Qatar of all places. It’s being played in November/Decem ber because summer temperatures in that Arabian Gulf nation often reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit. It will still be hot there, but not too hot—at least weath erwise.

When the weather is hot, many sport fans seek to enjoy cold beers. Actually, many sports fans enjoy cold beers even when it’s cold out.

(Those NFL fans we see shirtless at snowy foot ball stadiums every De cember almost certainly imbibed libations to fortify themselves.)

When Qatar sought to host the World Cup that country agreed to allow for beer sales in and around the soccer ven ues—despite alcohol use being proscribed in many Muslim coun tries. Consuming booze is considered “haram” (or forbidden) in Islam. Muslim prelates and scholars cite verses in their holy book (the Quran) which refer to intoxicants being “the work of Satan.”

(Such scholars may want to avoid America’s big league ball parks and stadiums.)

But in what many sports officials are now calling a classic “bait

and switch,” Qatar re versed its position on beer and ended up lim iting its sale outside soccer venues. Repre sentatives from Eng land’s hooligan commu nity were not consulted. I’m not sure if Qatar allowed for a BYOB op tion. Anheuser-Busch had already paid for beer rights.

Budweiser’s loss was the prelates’ gain. But the World Cup is more about fútbol than alcohol. After failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup (hosted by Russia, which naturally allowed booze, includ ing vodka) Team USA made it to 2022’s big dance. The Americans were placed in Group B, along with Wales, England, and Iran.

(Although Wales, like Scotland, is part of the United Kingdom, those places considered sepa rate countries for World Cup purposes. Maybe we should have a Team California for 2026? Or is that a silly SportThought?)

Anyway, Team USA tied Team Wales 1-1

in its Group B opener, setting the stage for a showdown with Team England, cheered on by the presumably sober hooligans. Inevitably, soccer folks hearkened back to the 1950 World Cup match in Brazil where the USA stung England 1-0, in one of the greatest World Cup upsets ever.

(Although last week’s Saudi Arabian 2-1 win over Argentina ranks right up there among huge upsets. Perhaps there is something to that alcohol abstention thing.)

As has been men tioned in this space be fore, my Groveton High School French teacher, Gerard Gaetjens, fan cied himself a soccer expert. We GHS soccer players thought of him as a soccer snob. After all, he was from Haiti, which was not exactly an international sports powerhouse. But it was Monsieur Gaetjens’ brother Joe who scored that penultimate goal for Team USA in that epic 1-0 triumph over the English Limeys. As

Joe Gaetjens was Hai tian, one wonders how he ended up playing for America. He was a dishwasher in New York City when they threw Team USA together in 1950.

But I digress. Our 2022 Team USA was slated to play Iran on Monday, Nov. 28, a match that would de termine if the Ameri cans would advance to the next round. This being written before that game was played, I can only hope that the Americans prevailed over the abstemious Iranians—who have a long history of refer ring to our country as “The Great Satan.” But if Team USA did make it to the Round of 16, feel freed to crack open a beer during our next game.

I’d recommend Bud weiser.

Sports Quiz

Who is the defend ing World Cup Soccer champion? (Answer fol lows)

Joe Gaetjens.

3 new engLand Pike hotsPots

by Tim Moore Contributing Writer

It’s been chilly, but the temperatures are still fluctuating, enough so that some anglers are still look ing for open water op portunities in their boat or kayak. I’m one of those anglers. With temps fluctuat ing enough that some waters are still not frozen, I thought it was appropriate to recon nect with an old favor ite of mine, late season fishing for northern pike.

New England isn’t one of the first places most northern pike

anglers think of when planning their next destination fishing trip. In fact, most an glers (even local ones) are surprised to learn that there are north ern pike within a twohour drive of central New England. They are even more surprised to learn that there are several trophy pike fisheries where an an gler can target fish in the 40” range. Here are three New England pike hotspots that you might want to add to your list of future fish ing destinations.

Connecticut River, New Hampshire

/Vermont

The Connecticut Riv er forms the border between New Hamp shire and Vermont. The six southernmost dams of this stretch of river create numer ous setbacks, most of which hold northern pike. The river is also dotted with both car top and boat launches providing easy access to most of the setbacks for boaters and kay akers. An angler can expect pike to aver age 5 pounds, but fish over 40” are caught frequently enough that anglers should be rigged and ready for

fish of that size. Large inline spinners or big spinnerbaits, soft plas tic baits such as the Daddy Mac Whisperer rigged on a 3/0 offset Trokar hook, topwater glide baits, and large paddletail shads are my favorite lures for shallow water fishing.

Moore Reservoir, New Hampshire /Vermont

Moore Reservoir is actually a 3500-acre impoundment on the Connecticut River that is formed by the 178’ high Moore Dam in Lit tleton. There are a to tal of five boat launch

Covering water, even when it doesn’t look promising, can often produce untouched fish.

es around the lake, giving boat and kayak anglers equal access to prime spots. This undeveloped lake is where the current New Hampshire state re cord, a 44 ½” – 26 lbs. 9.44 oz. beast, was caught in 2013. I have personally caught fish there that were over 40” and have lost fish that were staterecord contenders. Metal lures such as the Juice Mini 8 from Bigtooth Tackle are deadly, but a 3” red Daredevil or ½ ounce spinnerbait also works well. Expect fish here to average 8 pounds, but be ready for a gi ant because there are many.

Belgrade Lakes, Maine

The Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine is one of Maine’s top fish ing destinations. The Belgrades are a chain

of seven lakes. Four of these lakes (Great Pond, Messalonskee Lake, Long Pond and North Pond) contain trophy pike upwards of 20 pounds. Like Moore Reservoir, met als are the preferred

lures by the majority of anglers. My biggest pike in the Belgrades to date was 11 lbs. 3 oz. and came on a White Whisperer, but I have seen fish over 40” on a number of occasions.

When the water warms later in the morning, pike will move up to shallow flats to bath in the sun, or to shallow weed lines to feed. Be ing a resident of New England I can person ally tell you that the scenery is breath tak ing, which only adds to the experience of fishing for a species with the power and ferocity of northern pike. If you’re a fan of catching big pike and you’re looking for a pike-fishing vacation destination, you may want to add one or all of these New England hotspots to your list. You will appreciate the late morning bite, which means you can sleep in. As always, be safe. Cold water/ weather fishing has its dangers. Falling in could not only ruin your day, it could also end your life. If you’re kayak fishing, wear a dry suit and regard less of your vessel… always wear your PFD.

Tim Moore is a fulltime licensed profes sional fishing guide in New Hampshire. He owns and operates Tim Moore Outdoors, LLC. He is a member of the New England Outdoors Writers Association, and the producer of TMO Fishing on You Tube and the Hooked with TMO Fishing Pod cast. Visit www.Tim MooreOutdoors.com for more information.

Northern pike are often highly underrated in New England. Most anglers don’t realize their potential.

The Simple Feast

chicken Pot Pie

The Simple Feast

Simple

by Eric N Gibson Contributing Writer

This particular Satur day was a rare Fall treat. Convincing my wife to abandon all thought of wasting a gorgeous fall day doing much needed yard work, we set off to enjoy an afternoon of rooting for our alma mater at the local ¨U¨ Lumberjack meet. With the late start we arrived at the mill in time to see the end of the cutting events and turned our attention to the Log Roll, Pulp Toss and Fire Build and visited with some familiar faces for the re mainder of the day.

The Simple

The sun receding in the western sky and the wind picking up, clouds began to roll in and temps were drop ping. My daughter, an assistant coach for the team, and her husband and my son volunteers, all were still a few hours away from final tabula tions and cleaning up.

But, my three “Lum berjacks” were looking tired and hungry, so my thoughts turned to din ner. I was certain they would want hot hearty fare with this chill in the air. Knowing what I had on hand and what would come together fast, why not Chicken Pot Pie? It is simple, quick, and hot!

It is said that Pot Pie´s origins extend back to

the Greeks and the Ro man Empire. Recorded history notes that the Greeks were the first to cook a meat mixture in open dough. The Ro mans quickly followed, lining their pots with dough, filling it with meats and vegetables in a ¨gravy¨, and placing a dough over the top to cook until done.

With the progression of time came global explo ration. Many foods not known in the old world were being brought back and placed at the feet of those who financed the efforts. With these new discoveries food was be coming more adventur ous with greater variety and flavor while cooking methods became more refined. There was more time to experiment and create. Cooking was be coming as much about pageantry as it was about placating one´s palate.

Remember the old Nursery Rhyme ¨Sing a Song of Sixpence¨?

Sing a song of Six pence, A pocket full of Rye. Four and twenty Black Birds, Baked in a Pie.

When the pie was Opened, The birds began to Sing.

Now, wasn´t that a dainty Dish, To set before the King?

Personally I think it is less quaint and more akin to a scene out of Hitchcock’s The Birds. However, while the met aphorical interpreta tions are lost to history, as usual, there is a bit of truth rooted in verse. It seems that, at one time,

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FOSTER’S TAVERN

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JOHNSON’S TAPHOUSE

At Johnson’s Seafood & Steak 69 Rt 11, New Durham 603.859.7500 eatatjohnsons.com/ newdurham

Lone Pine -Brightside Widowmaker -Blue Comet Shipyard -Smashed Pumpkin

Jack Abby -Red Tape

Muddy Road -1762 Porter Northwoods -Autumn Buzz ...+30 More On Tap

MORRISSEYS’

Porch & Pub 286 S. Main St., Wolfeboro 603.569-3662

Morrisseysfrontporch.com

Smithwick’s

Guinness Harp

Concord Craft Safe Space

Concord Craft Coffee Stout

Stella Artois

...+11 More On Tap

OVER THE MOON FARMSTEAD

1253 Upper City Rd., Pittsfield overthemoonfarmstead.com

A Little Fling - Strawberry Rhubarb mead 6.5%

IPA 7.8%

Scotch Ale 5.4% Octoberfest 5.7%

Chili Lime Ale 4.5% White Knight Wit 5.1% ...+8 More On Tap

PATRICK’S PUB

18 Weirs Rd., Gilford 603.293.0841 Patrickspub.com

Patrick’s Slainte House Ale

Great North - Moose Juice

Guinness Clown Shoes - Bubble Head 603 - Winni Amber Ale

Tuckerman - Pale Ale ...+9 More On Tap

THE WITCHES BREW PUB

At The Craft Beer Xchange 59 Doe Ave., Weirs Beach 603.409.9344

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Kettlehead – 101.1 Quad IPA

Oskar Blues – Mama’s Little Yella Pils

1911 – Cider Donut Cider

Able Ebenezer – Veterans Blend IPA

Cigar City – Maduro Brown Ale

Left Hand – Peanut Butter Milk Stout ...+30 More On Tap

** Tap listings subject to change!

Chicken Pot Pie Biscuit Top.

Chicken Pot Pie.

by JoAnn Derson Syndicated Columnist

here’s a tiP

a mixture of wa

and a little fabric softener until damp.

that’s wrin

* While we’re on ironing tips, here’s a great one from T.C. in Alabama: “If you have mineral deposits on your iron, use a toothbrush and tooth paste (mild abrasive) to polish them off your iron’s face. Rinse with water, and next time, use distilled water for steaming.”

* “When driving a nail into a plaster wall, first put down a piece of tape at the spot where you will insert the nail. Tap the nail in right through the tape, then pull it away to discard. It often will keep the surrounding plaster from crum bling at the site of the nail.” -- W.L. in Oregon

* When your cabinet door magnet locks are too strong, try putting a piece of tape over the magnet. It decreases the strength of the magnet.

* If you paint your radiators, make sure that the paint you use is intended to be heatresistant. To get the best finish, paint while the radiator is warm.

Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlan do, FL 32803.(c) 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.

ney, Dow Realty Group/ Keller Williams, Hermit Woods, NH DIRT PROS, Christopher P Williams Architects, LLC. Ticket Donor Friends: Anony mous, DAK Financial Group, LLC, Jeff and Marilyn Elsmore, Don and Martha Hodgeman, Gina Galasso, Keller Williams/ Starr Real ty, Lake Homes Realty, LLC, Connie Van Dam, Ruth and Brian Nei

Charles and Ca mille Northrup, Chuck and Karen Thorndike, Wamesit Fire Compa nies Relief Association, Wescott Law, PA, Tim, and Sue Yeaton. Spe cial Recognition: Scott Burns Landscaping, LLC.

Altrusa Club of Meredith MaryAnne Skawinski

seLecting and keePing Your christMas tree Looking its Best

by Melinda Myers

The hunt for the per fect tree is oftentimes an important part of fam ily tradition. Buy local whenever possible by supporting local Christ mas tree growers. Pur chasing locally grown trees also reduces the risk of spreading un wanted pests into your landscape. Your local University Extension Service and Department of Natural Resources provide updates on any threats.

Family tradition may

Proper selection and care of your Christmas tree will keep it fresh and looking its best throughout the holidays.

dictate your tree choice. Many prefer the fra grance of balsam fir and needle retention of other firs like Fraser, white, Grand, and No ble. Though not a true fir, Douglas fir needles have a wonderful aroma when crushed. White pine lacks the fragrance that many prefer. Its pliable branches only support lightweight ornaments, but the soft needles have less bite than the popular Scots or Scotch pine. This evergreen has stiff branches that support heavier ornaments and its needles hold

when dry. Check for freshness. A fresh tree will last throughout the holi days. Run your hand along the stem. The needles should be pli able yet firmly attached to the branch. Avoid trees with lots of moss, lichens, vines, broken branches, and other signs of poor care.

Look at the overall shape and size of the tree. Stand the tree upright to make sure it will fit in the allotted space. Check the trunk. It should be straight and the base small enough to fit in your tree stand.

Make a fresh cut, re moving at least an inch from the base of the trunk before setting it in the stand. Straight or diagonal cuts work equally well. A diagonal or V-shaped cut may make it difficult to prop erly support the tree in the stand.

Proper watering is key. Fill the stand with wa ter and check it often. Fresh trees can absorb as much as 2 quarts of water in the first 24 hours. Keeping your tree stand filled with water is the best way to keep your tree looking its best throughout the season.

Once your tree is in place, you can add lights and decorations. Then take time throughout the busy holiday season to relax with your favor ite winter beverage and enjoy the beauty of your Christmas tree.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, includ ing the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gar dening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syn dicated Melinda’s Gar den Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a col umnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and her web site is www.MelindaMy ers.com.

tuBachristMas returns to woLFeBoro

Ring in the holidays by attending the eigh teenth TUBACHRIST MAS concert in Wolfe boro on Saturday, De cember 10 from 2 to 3 pm at All Saints Episco pal Church, 258 South Main Street. Bring your family and friends to en joy a free public concert of holiday music and traditional carols, which will be performed by a low brass ensemble.

The concert features the low brass instru ments, such as tubas, baritone horns and eu phoniums, usually seen at the back of the band. Donations will be grate fully accepted and will go directly to the L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pan try to help provide food and other necessities for area residents.

The Wolfeboro TUBA CHRISTMAS concert is a regional event with players from various community, university, and school bands, as well as professional mu sicians, both working and retired. Any low brass players interested in performing should contact the local TUBA CHRISTMAS co-coor dinator or visit TUBA CHRISTMAS at www. tubachristmas.com.

According to the con ductor, “The arrange ments are wonderful, very fresh, and appeal ing, for they focus upon the melodic capabilities of the instruments and their rich, mellow sound when played together in close harmony. For the audience, it’s very much like listening to familiar music being performed

in an interesting new way, quite warm and welcoming.”

Harvey Phillips, a re nowned tuba virtuoso and Distinguished Pro fessor Emeritus at Indi ana University, School of Music, founded TUBACHRISTMAS in 1974. He conceived it to honor the great tubist and teacher, William Bell, who was born on Christmas Day in 1902. The famous American composer, Alec Wilder, agreed to arrange a few carols for low brass en semble, and the very first concert was held on the Ice Rink Stage of New York City’s Rock efeller Plaza in Decem ber 1974, with over 300 participants. Since then, the popularity of TUBA CHRISTMAS has grown considerably among per formers and audiences alike, and in 2022, con certs are scheduled in cities and towns across America, plus several

foreign countries. Clau dia Bissett, who holds a Masters degree in Musi cology from the Univer sity of Massachusetts at Lowell, is joining us this year as the Conductor of the Wolfeboro TUBA CHRISTMAS. She is a member of the Strafford Wind Symphony, the Cate Park Band, and is also the flute soloist at All Saints Episcopal Church in Wolfeboro.

The public is invited to attend the Wolfeboro TUBACHRISTMAS con cert, which will begin at 2pm in the sanctuary of All Saints’ Episcopal Church on Saturday, December 10.

For more information about this concert, con tact the local TUBA CHRISTMAS co-coor dinator, Joe Ewing, at 603-569-3861 or visit the TUBACHRISTMAS website.

ON SLATE

aMerican indePendence MuseuM to host hoLidaY tavern oPen house

On Thursday, Decem ber 1 from 4-8pm, the American Independence Museum will host Holi day Tavern Open House at Folsom Tavern (c. 1775). Presented by Kennebunk Savings, the free event will fea ture light refreshments, make and take crafts, and a silent auction with proceeds to benefit the museum’s programs and tour experiences.

“This is a chance for people new and familiar to experience the Tav ern, which will be beau tifully decorated for the holidays,” said Jennifer Carr, executive director. “We look forward to con cluding a terrific 2022 season with this fun and festive event.”

Highlights from the 2022 season included

The interior of Folsom Tavern, site of the event, decorated for the holidays from a past year.

the continued travels of the museum’s Trav eling Trunk program, which provides students across the nation and older adults with in sights into the Revolu tionary War and its con nection to the present.

“The program continues to expand and engage people of all ages,” said the museum’s Sarah Jaworski, who manages the program.

The museum also held its annual American In dependence Festival in July, which in recent years has evolved to in clude a theme of inclu sivity and diversity of historical perspectives.

“History is not static nor can it be told from just one perspective,” ex plained Carr, who said

2023 will feature exhib its with “more inclusive storylines.” “We have a responsibility to inter pret history in broad contexts that invite mul tiple perspectives.”

In commenting on Holiday Tavern Open House, Carr said she hopes it serves as an open invitation to the community. Holiday Tavern Open House takes place from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 1 at the American In dependence Museum’s Folsom Tavern, 164 Wa ter St., Exeter. Atten dance is free.

To learn more, visit independencemuseum. org.

a PLaYhouse hoLidaY tradition: ‘white Mountains christMas’ returns!

The sights and sounds of the holi days are wrapped up like a hug in the origi nal, live production of A White Mountains Christmas onstage at North Country Center for the Arts in Lincoln. It has grown into a tra dition in the heart of the White Mountains, even presented during the pandemic – for free – as a limited streamed series.

But live is better, and each December audiences have re sponded to the sights and sounds of the full staged production, usually modified a bit with additional music and performers. Many of the original case will return, includ ing Catherine Cormier Martinez and Caity Jeanne Glover, and be joined by some faces and voice familiar to the popular Playhouse audiences. And, of course, the cast will be joined by a very jolly ‘White Mountain Santa’ himself, Robert Wetherell.

Written and di rected by NCCA Pro ducing Artistic Di rector, Joel Mercier, A White Mountains Christmas was con ceived and designed to be a holiday cel ebration in traditional songs and stories that appeal to every gen eration. “And,” said Managing Director, Lyn Osborne Winter, “Joel’s vision is as con tinues to deliver the smiles that come from

holiday standards that take waken memories of days – and years –gone by, delivered with heart from some won derful performers.”

A White Moun tains Christmas per forms Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 pm, with a mid-afternoon matinee on Sunday, December 4 at 3:00 pm. Info and tickets available online at www.jeans playhouse.com; and the Box Office is open Thursday & Friday af ternoons from noon until 4:00 pm.

Also avail able online now are pre-2023 subscrip tion packages; plus Cooking CenterStage, a beautiful cookbook

woLFeBoro FestivaL oF trees kicks oFF saturdaY, deceMBer 3rd

The Wolfeboro Fes tival of Trees kicks off its twenty-third season this Saturday, December 3 at 10:00 a.m. at the Wright Museum. This an nual charity event features 70 uniquely decorated trees placed throughout the muse um, a record number for the festival, and continuous live enter tainment. New to the festival this year on opening day is a Craft Fair featuring 13 ven dors! Get a jump start on your holiday shop ping with unique gifts created locally. Santa visits on Saturday, De cember 10 from 12-3. Back by pop ular demand is the Scav enger hunt with prizes donated by local busi nesses.

The fes tival is a multi-week end event with dates and times as follows: Sat urdays, De cember 3rd, and 10th from 10-4; Sundays, December 4th and 11th from noon-3 and Wednesday, December 7th from 6-8 p.m. General Admission tickets are $8, chil dren under 8 $2, and families, $20. Admis sion is at the door with

both cash and cards accepted. Proceeds from this event will support The Friends of the Public Library, The Carpenter Elementary

School PTO, and The ACTS Assistance Ca nine Training Services. On the entertain ment stage to kick-off the festival at 10:00

a.m. is Gingerbread Amy demonstrating the art of gingerbread house making. A lucky audience par ticipant will win the completed ginger bread house. Moose Mountain String Band follows from noon2 followed by David Gormley on the piano and finishing up with The Sweetbloods, an acoustic duo from Meredith, at 3. On Sunday December 4, Randy Zimmerman starts off the day with the bagpipes at noon followed by Jane O’Brien on piano at 1:00 and Sue Sam ple Caci at 2:00 p.m. Don’t miss lo cal favorite The Caro lyn Ram say Band Wednesday night (De cember 7th) from 6-8 p.m. playing blues, rock, folk and pop. Check out the new festival web site for the complete schedule of entertain ment and all festival details in cluding a list of craft vendors at www.wolfe boroholidayfesti valoftrees.com.

aLtrusa Food drive

seeking christMas dinner voLunteers

Continuing a de cades-old holiday tra dition in the Lakes Region, Hope Minis tries of the First Unit ed Methodist Church and the Laconia Rod and Gun Club will pro vide a free dinner on Christmas day (Sun day, December 25) at the church at 18 Wes ley Way (off of Route 11A near the 3/11 bypass) in Gilford.

The meal is free, but space is limited so reservations are required. Please con tact the church office at (603) 524-3289 or email office.nhhope@ gmail.com by Friday, December 18. If leav ing a message, include name, phone number and the number in your party. Church hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 to noon.

for the

second food drive of the year at the Meredith Community Center on Saturday, December 3rd. Altrusa will be collecting non-perishable food items, paper products and toiletries from 10am to 1pm to support food pantries in Meredith and Moultonborough.

The doors of will open at noon for fel lowship, music and appetizers. At 1pm dinner will beserved in the church’s fellow ship hall, featuring a baked ham dinner and homemade desserts.

Volunteers are need ed for preparation on Dec. 24 th and cleanup on Dec 26 th . In terested individuals should call Carol at (603) 455-9455 and leave your name and phone number.

Financial donations are welcome to ensure this wonderful tradi tion continues. Please drop off at the church office or send to the church at Hope Min istries at FUMC, PO Box 7408, Gilford NH 03247.

Moulton Farm

Meredith Altrusa members from left, Judy Hodges, Barbara Goren and Karen Truberg are preparing

club’s

hoLidaY hoMe PreParednesskeeP saFe this christMas season

by Courtney Klosterman Hippo.com

Holiday home pre paredness is key to keeping homeowners and their families feel ing protected against some of the most com mon hazards that come up during the holidays, to help avoid unwanted home insurance claims.

In a survey of home owners, Hippo found that:

Holiday decorating

•More than half (52%) of homeowners who are decorating for the holiday season will put up a live tree, but only 1 in 5 (16%) say they will water it daily as recommended, which is a leading risk of house fires during the holiday season.

Tip: Make sure to monitor your tree for

freshness; The fresher the tree the less likely it will pose a fire haz ard. Water it daily and change the water every few days to maintain ample freshness; You

can tell when a tree is getting too dry by touching the needles, spray the needles with water in a spray bottle for additional hydra tion.

If you plan to be away from home for an ex tended period of time during the holidays and have a live tree in your home, have a neighbor periodically come by to water it, or take down your tree early.

•We all love to dec orate our homes for the holidays to make it feel warm and festive. But keep in mind that decorations like light ing, wreaths, trees and garland can also create safety hazards.

•In addition to read

See SAFE on 30

With over 40 of the best of Brendan’s weekly columns he covers everything from politics to health to technology to shopping and more. This is the perfect sampling of his unique humor which has been entertaining readers of The Weirs Times and Cocheco Times for twenty years.

*Flatlander’s Observations On Life

ing any and all manu facturer’s instructions for best practices, it’s smart to take a few other precautions as well. You can:

Outdoor String Lights:

•Safely attach lights to your house with clips that are made for it; avoid hammering tacks or nails into electrical cords.

•Inspect your strings of lights for damage like frayed wires or missing bulbs. If lights can’t be repaired, discard them immediately.

Outdoor inflatable decorations:

•Prevent electric shock by plugging any outdoor inflatable deco rations or lighting into circuit protectors with GFCI (ground fault cir cuit interrupters).

Electrical cords:

•Prevent trip and fall risks by tucking away cords or decorations that may be on the ground or floor.

•Observe all ladder safety best practices whether you’re indoors or out.

Fireplaces

•A favorite holiday tradition for many when the temperature cools down or while en tertaining at home is to light a fire. This always sets just the right at mosphere to enjoy the holidays.

•Hippo’s survey of homeowners found that over one third (38%) of respondents plan to use their fireplaces more often than usual this year, but only half use protection around the fire. Surprisingly, only one-third (35%) say they have a fire ex tinguisher handy.

•To make things ex tra concerning, 1 in 4 (25%) respondents say they are likely to keep a fire going overnight. Tips

•Clean fireplaces af ter each use.

•Install smoke alarms and detectors, and change the batteries on these devices before they lose power.

•Keep a fire extin guisher nearby.

•Keep flammable ob jects (like Christmas trees), as well as pets and children away from fireplaces.

Turkey frying/ Holiday cooking

•Finally, we all know that the holidays aren’t complete without a few great meals shared with friends and family. In fact, nearly one third (28%) of homeowners say they have experi enced damage to their home related to holiday entertaining and/or cooking accidents.

•However, many might not realize that the kitchen is the most common place in the home for house fires. Yet, 1 in 10 home owners say (12%) they will fry a turkey this year, with those in the Southern and Western regions of the U.S. are 180% more likely to be frying a turkey this year.

Tips

•Do not deep-fat fry a turkey indoors. This

includes your garage or any other out-building.

•Keep a fire extin guisher handy - under the kitchen sink is a great spot

•Have working ven tilation in the kitchen - either above or near the stove.

•Change the bat teries in your smoke alarm.

•Don’t leave items unattended in the kitchen, on the stove or in the oven.

Keep alcohol away from flammable areas while actively cooking.

Package Theft

•38% of respondents say that they have been the victims of pack age theft during the holiday season. Those in multi-family homes were 113% more than likely than average to have had their holiday packages stolen.

•Tips: There are a number of cost-free ways to prevent the risk of porch piracy.

•Smart devices like simplisafe or ring, both hippo partners, can help deter unwanted visitors.

•Stay home on days they’re expecting a de livery.

•Schedule package deliveries for the week ends.

•Seek out delivery methods that require a signature; this is a great option for high er priced or valuable items.

•Remove them from your porch as soon as possible.

Gilford,

•Encourage delivery drivers to place pack ages behind a plant, piece of furniture or other structure on your porch.

SAFE from 29

Winnipesaukee Holiday Cards, Tree Ornaments Metal, Acrylic & Traditional Matted Prints

the practice of baking live birds covered with a dough was an entertain ing artifice of the royal culinary staff. I, how ever, would fail to find the humor in cutting open a delicate pastry only to have a score and four raptors screeching at me in prelude to pan

demonium.

It is said that one of the first “Chicken Pie” recipes here in the New World was published in a cookbook as early as the late 1790´s. Were people making it before this? Probably. And the term “Pot” Pie didn’t ac tually come into vogue until the last quarter of

the 1800´s; prior to this it was just Pie. And what about frozen pot pie? Well, with the advent of the freezer section making its segway into nearly every American grocery by the 1950´s we can thank Mr. Swan son for making chicken (and beef and turkey) pot pie an American

CHICKEN POT PIE

Yield: 6-8 Servings Per “Pie”

Time: 9 mins. or less (depending on shortcuts noted in article

INGREDIENTS

Four or five Chicken Thighs (cooked and pulled)

1 Medium Onion Diced

2 Stalks Celery Diced

2 Large Carrots Diced

4-5 Small to Med. Potatoes (small dice)

4-6 Sliced Mushrooms

1 Cup Frozen Peas

1 Cup Frozen Green Beans

2 Tbsp. Butter

4 cups Chicken broth or water

2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes

(low sodium)

1 packet Chicken Gravy Mix

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

1-2 Tbsp. Poultry Seasoning

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

¼ tsp. Nutmeg (optional)

1 tsp. Salt (or less for re duced sodium diets)

2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

Other seasonings if desired Pie or Biscuit Dough for two 10 inch tops

Preparation Instructions

- 1 Tbsp. butter into stew pot and heat to melt (do not brown)

- Add in diced onion, diced celery, diced carrot and saute until carrots and celery are tender.

- Add in diced potato and second Tbsp. of butter, stirring to coat the veggies with the butter. Let sit for 5 minutes over heat then add water and the boullion cubes. Let stand for 5 minutes then stir to dissolve. Add ing gravy packet and sour cream, again stir to mix. Should be simmering.

- Add in sliced mushrooms, peas, green beans, and seasonings. Bring back to a simmer, keeping uncovered to reduce to thicken. Taste for sea soning, add more if needed.

- While stew in thickening prepare pie dough or biscuit dough using your favorite recipe. If using packaged dough, prepare according to directions and preheat the oven. For packaged biscuit dough remove from the can and cut each biscuit into quarters then lightly ¨flatten¨ the quarters. (They should puff back up a little.)

- Once the stew has thickened, ladle into one or two casserole dishes or pie plates. (You may divide stew and cool and freeze half for a differ ent time, use all for a large crowd, or make two ¨pot pies¨, (one to share).

- Place biscuits over top of stew filling the top. If using pie dough, lay the dough on top of the dish. Bake according to package directions until dough / biscuits are done.

- 5 minutes before done, carefully remove from the oven, lightly wash the top with mixed egg or butter if desired and place back in the oven for about five minutes.

- Serve stand alone or with veggies and mashed potatoes.

classic.

For homemade pot pie the basic recipe has not changed over the years. First, make a stew from leftover meat; typically poultry or beef, with a gravy thickened to your liking. Add vegetables of your desire; fresh, canned, or frozen and cook to proper tender ness. Line a pie plate or casserole dish with pie dough (if you like a bottom crust). Some say to par bake this dough before gently pouring or ladling in the stew. Top with the second pie dough or biscuit dough and bake it in a hot oven until the dough on top is cooked to a golden brown crust. It really is that simple!

This recipe will make enough “stew” for two 10 inch round by 3 inch deep casserole dishes without overflowing or two pie plates plus a bit more. I made my top crusts using a pie dough and a quick homemade biscuit dough. Buy ing one package of pie dough will give you two top crusts or a top and a bottom. Buying two cans of biscuits will give you enough for two tops. For those in a hurry you can use low or no sodium canned and or frozen mixed veggies to skip the ¨cutting¨ time and reduce your cooking time. With winter and the holidays coming, this recipe for Chicken Pot Pie is a basic recipe ready to embellish with seasonings and veggies of your choice and is a great way to stretch left over meat. Rooted in old world tradition, Chicken (or any) Pot Pie is defi nitely a timeless classic made for the Simple Feast. Enjoy!

tos, and they want to hear more.

For example, Harry Richardson’s original barn on today’s Route 25 was destroyed by fire in August 1938, in an explosion that also leveled his adja cent Red Top store and filling station busi nesses. Richardson’s

replacement gambrel barn (shown at left) under construction c. 1939 is the present lo cation of Goodhue Ma rine and Firearms. The stone silo at the rear of the structure was later removed, but there is still a door where it once stood.

Cristina by e-mail to: moultonborobook@ gmail.com or call ei ther Jane (603) 2793454 or Cristina (603) 476-8446. They thank you in advance for your help with this ambitious project.

Wakefield’s collection (such as the Country Fare Inn postcard seen on the front page). The two are asking resi dents and area friends to check their family albums for historic im ages of buildings and

other places around town.

The target timeframe is 1890-1960.

If you have historic photos (stereoviews, black and white pho tos preferred) showing what Moultonborough looked like in the early

20th century, please contact them. They are interested in build ings, farms, roadways, boats, and other his toric scenes.

They have been hearing great stories from people that go with their family pho

Christmas in the Village Open House at the Farm... Sat. Dec 3rd 9-4 & Sun Dec. 4th 10-3

SPIRIT FARM

Contact Jane and

BOOK from 1

Hunters at Lilac Farm on Moultonborough Neck, which many still know as Mary Smith’s farm. Reuben Smith acquired the former Hilton farm property in 1866. This photo shows the sliding side door of the large structure that once connected the farmhouse to the barn; over time, this ‘back house’ was removed (Mary Smith Collection).

Today’s Goodhue Marine and Firearms is located in Harry Richardson’s large gambrel barn built c. 1939 to replace his barn that burned down in August 1938. The Richardson farmhouse on Route 25 (now the Casual Cape business) was formerly the historic Major Bean house (Richardson Family Collection).

Shown here is a float in the September 1924 Grange and Town Fair parade on Route 25 in Moultonborough Village. In the background is today’s Lacewood Group building, remembered by many as Doctor Ratsep’s home and office. Historically this was the home of Dr. W.H. H. Mason, who wrote the Moultonborough history section in the 1889 History of Carroll County (Moultonborough Historical Society).

of unknown date to me, said that Mrs. Akers had “only recently, at that date, been able to es tablish her claims to the authorship of the piece. The article lamented that others had received “untold sums” from the poem, “yet this poor wid ow whose verses have, and will please millions, never received a farthing for its composition.”

That was not the last word, however. Mrs, Elizabeth Akers, for merly Elizabeth Chase, who wrote other po ems, was actually from Maine, and her second husband had been Paul Akers, a sculptor. But, another poet who was mostly unknown and unpublished came for ward and claimed to be the author of the poem.

Mrs. Akers said that she wrote the poem in the year 1860, but Al exander M.W. Ball said that he had written a 15 verse version of the poem and evidence was brought forth in an at tempt to prove that it was in existence in the year 1857. A United States Representative to Congress even wrote a 70 page book trying to show that Bell of Eliza beth, New Jersey was the real author of the

poem. Representative Oliver A. Morse pub lished his book in 1867.

That is not the end of the story either.

A correspondent to the Petaluma Crescent publication in Califor nia insisted that an un named girl from Frank lin, New Hampshire ac tually wrote “Rock Me To Sleep, Mother.”

The story was told concerning a man by the

name of Mart Taylor from California who was invited to perform at the Fourth of July celebration in Frank lin, New Hampshire in the year 1849. Tay lor was described as being at that time “a young man of talents and commanding ap pearance.” While in Franklin Mart Tay lor was said to be a guest at the home of

one of Franklin’s lead ing citizens. There was a daughter in that home who was, according to the California correspondent, “surrounded with every luxury that wealth could buy,” but was easily en ticed by the attractive visitor to her home. She left that home and went off with Mart Taylor to Boston where they were married. After two days, the story goes, he de serted her and returned to California and never returned or sought to support the girl he had married. The unnamed young lady was too proud to go back home, choos ing instead to stay in Boston where she found work to support herself.

Her mother was strick en with grief which re portedly led to her death. In the course of time the girl in Boston gave birth to a baby boy and one night, with the baby in her arms, she sobbed with grief as she remem bered the home from which she came, and the loving, caring mother who had passed away.

It was that night that she was said to have wrote the poem begin ning “Backward, turn backward, oh, time in your flight.”

That story seems to have itself taken flight to

parts unknown in favor of what appears to be the truth. The strong consensus seems to be that the girl from Strong, Maine, Elizabeth Ann Chase Taylor Akers Al len did indeed write the poem and that Mr. Ball added his verses to hers.

Her poems were also first published under the name “Florence Percy.”

She also married a Mar shall Taylor in 1851, but they were divorced after he deserted her and their

infant daughter after a marriage of perhaps a few years. She married a Maine sculptor, Ben jamin Paul Akers, but the marriage lasted only about a year because of his death. She married Elijah Allen in 1865.

I do not know if Mar shall (Mart?) Taylor ever performed at a Fourth of July celebration in Franklin (maybe a Franklin historian can add to this story), or if Elizabeth and Marshall were married in Boston.

Strong, Maine, is in Franklin County, as is Farmington, where Elizabeth lived dur ing much of her child hood. Elizabeth Chase’s mother apparently died when Elizabeth was a baby, so perhaps she was expressing, in her poem, the longing for a Mother’s love she never experienced.

And, perhaps the lesson to take away, from the poem that was claimed by many poets as theirs, and some still claim to be Alexander Bell’s, is to always use your own name.

Don’t fake it.

Grave Memorial of the poet . She lived her last years in New York State.

Benjamin Paul Akers, Elizabeth’s husband, who died of TB after about a year of their marriage.

said that repeated missiles launched by North Korea “further destabilizes the re gion.” The Summit members slammed the recent missile launch es as “reckless.”

Kim Jong-un told his state run media that the regime’s “ultimate goal is to possess the world’s most powerful strategic force, an ab solute force unprece dented in the century.” Talk about illusions of grandeur!

Tough sets of UN sanctions followed earlier North Korean missile and nuclear tests; but agreement in the Security Coun cil came amid a degree of cautious coopera tion between the Western coun tries such as Britain, France and the United States alongside China and Russia until 2011.

But during the past decade, Council uni ty is long lost given the polarizing Syrian conflict; now there’s a logjam among the members to cooperate on matters of inter national peace and security when those agreements touch on the interests of Beijing and Moscow. Thus deadlock now extends to the long standing question of the DPRK’s nuclear proliferation.

Since 2006, the UN Security Council has passed a dozen reso lutions on North Ko rea for its nuclear and missile proliferation. The reclusive commu nist regime has tested six nuclear weapons between 2006 and 2017; another nuclear test is soon expected.

The Kim cult and the enduring legacy of East Asia’s only Marxist Monarchy sit in judgement in their surreal capital Pyong yang. Kim’s powerful sister Yo Jung who

serves as the prima ry voice of North Ko rea’s dialogue with the South has denounced and insulted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for plan ning additional sanc tions on Pyongyang, calling them “idiots” and “loyal dogs” to Washington. Na tional economic sanc tions against DPRK are planned given that any Security Council agreement would be highly unlikely giv en China and Russia stance.

UN Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield added significantly, “We are prepared to meet without precon ditions, and I call on the DPRK to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy.” Is there still room for diplo macy given the Kim regime’s apocalyptic fantasies?

John J. Metzler is a United Nations corre spondent covering dip lomatic and defense is sues. He is the author of Divided Dynamism The Diplomacy of Sep arated Nations; Ger many, Korea, China.

ing to AOC, virtually ev ery major mass shoot ing of the last seven years is the result of her political opponents - none of whom has called for violence. But in the world of the Left, disagreement is vio lence merely waiting to be unleashed. Which is why censorship, they believe, is the only way to achieve a more peaceful world.

Ben Shapiro is a grad uate of UCLA and Har vard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling au thor; his latest book is “The Authoritarian Moment: How The Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dis sent.” To find out more about Ben Shapiro and read features by oth er Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syn dicate website at www. creators.com.

Born Today

That is to say, sports standouts born on De cember 1 include famed Austrian soccer striker Franz Binder (1911) and the great English soccer midfielder Ken Willingham (1912).

Sports Quote

“Enthusiasm is every thing. It must be taut and vibrating like a gui tar string.” – Brazilian soccer superstar Pelé.

Sports Quiz Answer

France beat Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 World Cup Final.

gray winters’s day with shots of silver this is it. Ann Cleeves’ The Rising Tide has great char acters, a wonderful, brooding setting, an excellent mystery with lots of turns and twists, and that November feel. Enjoy!

estate value. Land is expensive, finite and valuable. I am grateful for the organizations that understand the importance of outdoor recreation and keep their land available to the public. These organizations are certainly worthy of support.

Now In 5th Printing! The Flatlander Chronicles

State

Representa tive Mike Moffett was a Sports Management Professor for Plymouth State University and NHTI-Concord. He co-au thored the award-win ning “FAHIM SPEAKS: A Warrior-Actor’s Odys sey from Afghanistan to Hollywood and Back” which is available on Amazon.com. His e-mail address is mimoffett@ comcast.net.

Weirs Times F.O.O.L columnist, Brendan Smith’s first book with over 30 of the best of his original Flatlander Columns.

From learning to Rake The Roof to Going To The Dump to Buying Firewood for the first time and everything in between, Brendan recounts the humorous tales of his learning to fit into New Hampshire life as a Flatlander from New York.

Order your autographed copy today for $13.99 plus $3 for shipping. (Please include any inscription you would like the author to personalize your copy with.) Make out checks or money orders for $16.99 to Brendan Smith and mail to: The Flatlander Chronicles, c/o The Weirs Times, PO Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247. Order online at www.BrendanTSmith.com (Pickup autographed copies at the Weirs Times)

So, change is under way, and this is good news. More in the up coming generation of Black Americans see themselves as the civil rights movement wanted all Black Americans to be seen -- as unique in dividuals.

But this change must be greater and faster to slow and stop the left ward movement of the country.

Per analysis from the Brookings Institution, in 2022, among voters 65+, 76.3% were white; ages 45-54, 68.2% were white; ages 30-44, 62.2% were white; and 18-29, 56% were white.

This demographic snapshot shows the fu ture ethnic profile of the country. It is becoming dramatically less white. In 2022, 72% of voters were white, and 58% of them voted Republican, accounting for 42% of

the overall Republican vote. If the overall pro file looked like it does among 18-29 voters, 56% white rather than 72%, with no change in the percentage voting Republican, 58%, white voters would be deliver ing 32% of Republican votes rather than 42%.

It should be clear that with the percentage of the American popula tion dramatically shift ing to non-white Ameri cans, there must be a corresponding dra matic increase in the percentage of non-white Americans voting for Republicans or we can expect the country to continue to transform to big government and moral relativism.

Despite the improve ments, 14% of Black voters and 39% of His panic voters voting Re publican in 2022, this is not enough.

Republicans should

be taking a closer look at the positive dynamics driving young Blacks to the Republican Party and use this message to reach more minority Americans.

That is, don’t bank your future on racial politics. Every American should be considered a unique individual, per sonally responsible for their own life. The job of government is to protect life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness for everyone.

Star Parker is presi dent of the Center for Urban Renewal and Ed ucation and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writ ers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.cre ators.com.

ones with them to set corn,” wrote Bradford.

The Pilgrims learned an important lesson about private property.

Unfortunately, peo ple keep repeating the Pilgrims’ mistakes.

Socialism is more popular than capi talism among college students. Many want everything shared, in cluding their student loan debt.

President Joe Biden wants to give them that by forgiving some of their student debt.

Of course, then the debt would become a common, to be repaid by all taxpayers.

That would punish people who had long ago paid off their debt.

It would punish people who studied, worked hard, got jobs and were working to pay off college loans.

It would people who

went to trade school or no school at all.

It would punish poor people because stu dent loans are mostly held by the relatively rich.

Government granted student loans already create bad incentives: People who don’t like or benefit from college are encouraged to take out loans they can’t afford and go to expen sive colleges anyway.

Colleges increase their tuition, know ing that government will pay what students don’t.

Forgiving student debt would make all that worse.

Fortunately, Biden’s student loan forgive ness program ran up against legal challeng es. I hope it’s dead.

Students should learn from the Pil grims: take respon sibility for your own

THE CLASSIFIEDS

debt, work hard to pay it off, and don’t expect the public to fund your bad decisions.

Bottom line: In a common, everybody takes as much as they can. That creates shortages.

Private property cre ates prosperity.

Every Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for that.

Every Tuesday at JohnStossel.com, Stos sel posts a new video about the battle be tween government and freedom. He is the author of “Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Be came the Scourge of the Liberal Media.”

All Antiques: American and Continental furniture, paintings, oriental rugs and bronzes.

Historical documents, old books and maps, nautical items, barometers and sextants. Old prints, movie and travel posters. Old photography, cameras and musical instruments. Gold and Silver U.S. and foreign coins

Civil war and all military items, guns, swords, medals and old flags.

Old advertising, wooden and metal signs, vintage whiskey and wine, old weathervanes, old pottery, old jugs, crocks and textiles, lamps and lighting, glass and china.

Old toys, banks, trains, sports memorabilia and comic books.

Over 40 years experience in the antique business. Chinese and Asian arts, jade, ceramics, oriental textiles, furniture and art.

Classic car s and motorcycles, gas pumps, oil cans and signs 25 year s and olde r.

All estate and contemporary jewelry, diamond rings, brooches, Patek, Rolex, all watches and charm bracelets.

All Fine Gold and Silver Jewelry

Sterling silver flatware, tea services, trays and all silver and gold.

Certified by Gem School of America

Member: New Hampshire Antique Dealers Assn.

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Super Crossword

PUZZLE CLUE: EASY PEASY

B.C.

by Parker & Hart

Caption Contest

Runners Up : An exhibit of mannequins at a fake ticket counter obviously has Sam fooled!

- Jean Cram, Pittsfield, NH.

¨Hat Check? Oh, I thought this was the line for the rest room.¨Eric Gibson, Lee. NH.

Frank didn’t get his bet in, due to women who were betting on the brown horse with the rider wearing bright colors.

David Doyon, Moultonboro NH..

Little man gives up and not rile five taller, classy women who overpower him.. - Kathleen Allen, Peterborough, NH.

Send your best brief caption to us with your name and location within 2 weeks of publication date... Caption Contest, The Weirs Times, P.O. Box 5458, Weirs, NH 03247 email to contest@weirs.com

The Winklman Aeffect by John Whitlock