THE JAVA CUP

THE JAVA CUP is a coffee shop that has comeunder new management in town. I visited the first owner's shop shortly after it opened, mostly out of curiosity,but I found that I much preferred the now closed GREEN ACRES. On my visit to the new owner's store/shop, I was warmly greeted and found the coffee in greater variety than the previous shop had on tap, and the bakery products which I did not taste, seemed fresher and more appealing than the one's I encountered on my first visit. Moreover,the prices are reasonable, the staff friendly, helpful and accomodating. The decor of the place was much better and the walls serve as venue for photos and art work by local persons who wish to display such. People came in and out and sat at the chairs and tables which were far different than the previous furniture and they also indulged in conversations and remarked on the quality and type of food served there,which will, by word of mouth, bring in more customers and I highly recommend the JAVA CUP. THE JAVA CUP has a website at thejavacup.net and a facebook page at facebook@thejavacup Youcan also call 603-542-2222 and the place is open MONDAY THRU SAT FROM 6AM TO 6 PM and Sunday from 8 AM to #PM.

GUN CONTROL AND THE BANNING OF GUNS

A great deal of time and energy is spent by advocates of banning guns entirely,partially, or allowing all kinds of gun ownership and has not led to any rational conclusion so clouded up are these issues by sheer emotion and constipated thinking, along with inane arguments and inflexible positions. IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO THIS; WHAT THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND-THEY FEAR! WHAT THEY CANNOT DO THEY BAN.

BANNING OF SKATE BOARDS

Similar to the banning of cell phones, the banning of skateboards is a parallel development that really came earlier as towns and cities really could not understand the appeal of these devices,which are, essentially means of transportation that old-fuddy-duddies cannot fit into their rigid ideas of what people like to do,be free to move and express themselves outside of the portable wombs(cars) that many strap themselves into and shield themselves supposedly from the cold,cruel world. The risks of skateboarding that seem so inherent in the spectacular antices and maneuvers seen done are there to be sure but the fact remains that THOSE WHO SEEK TO BAN THESE HAVE NEVER BEEN ON A SKATEBOARD and if they got on, would quite likely prove to be spastic asses, uncoordinated and inflexible, and,of course, continue to hide behind 'the DOCTRINE OF PUBLIC SAFETY' or some similar item. AGAIN, what they do not understand or have not experienced, THEY FEAR.

DEALING WITH CELLPHONES IN SCHOOL

Since the cell phone and other devices are now gaining an importance in the modern world and for communication,etc. it might we wise, but do not expect such from entrenched educators, to hav e these things used in the classroom effectively by students in tune with things that educators are not. Few educators really appreciate the devices to the extent of knowing how to use them and how to teach such.

SOCIAL NETWORKING AND SCHOOLS

In the future, SOCIAL NETWORKING will be done by electronic devices and 'machines', perhaps implanted into the brains or some accessible place for such on the bodies of people(much like the various pace-makers,etc. are now) and will assume an importance few now comprehend! The communication barriers are disappearing, a fact all governments and corporations fear but which youth continues ot embrace. WHAT THOSE WHO BAN SUCH THINGS AS CELL PHONES,ETC. do not understand, the obviously FEAR! few of these policy makers,whether educators or town officials or what, really utilize these cellphones or or other devices to their fullest extent. IT WILL SOON BECOME APPARENT TO BOTH STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS,who have not really been consulted in the matter,that the policy makers are or will be BATTERING THEIR HEADS AGAINST A WALL THEY ERECTED, similar to that of the Berlin Wall or the Great Wall, to keep the so-called 'safety and sanctity' of education 'pure' and 'sanitary'. BUT WHEN THE GREAT TIDAL WAVE(tsunami) of the vast sea of electronic useage engulfs them and drowns out their archaic protests, they will be lost at sea. IF ALL ELECTRONIC GADJETS & DEVICES ARE TO BE BANNED in the schools, then we should insist that all the present computer systems and media systems(audio-visual) that bureacrats have installed in the schools and many of which they finger and fiddle with all day long be removed from the schools as well.

BANNING CELL PHONES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

THE CELL PHONE,for those who do not as yet know it, is rapidly developing to the point where desk top monitors and equipment may be entirely replaced by populations on the move everywhere, even in teh everyday workplace and schools where people will no longer sit rigidly confined at desks or machines, but enjoy a freer environment. Few people wil understand this, until they wake up some morning to find out, that the world they once knew or thought they knew and felt so comfortable in, secure in their fantasies, no longer exists and they must either adapt or perish. To go a further step- cars,driven by fossil fuels, will undergo further changes until their entire elimination, and the familiar gas pumps and 'service' stations(convenience stores mainly) will become fewer and far between, which will also change the nature of the highways system and the layout of towns and cities will also change, of course, to an as yet unappreciated drastic alteration.

BANNING CELL PHONES & OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES

BANNING cellphones and other electronic devices in Schools in CLAREMONT will not bring Stevens High School or any other school in town 'INTO THE 21st CENTURY as the touters of the present building plan are proposing will happen if and when the new high school plan is adopted or voted on. REACTIONARIES to the increasing demand for and the use of these devices and opponents of local,national, and global social networking, communication and information have, under the guise of educating youth, BANNED THESE INSTRUMENTS. WHAT THIS TELL US:-the old methods of instruction are still prevailing which will lead to more dropouts,truancies, and the like-THAT CLASSROOM TEACHERS will become CLASSROOM COPS instead of pedagogues and have tghe added duty of confiscating such devices if used without permission from the Principal who must, like Solomon, decide these issues and teachers will have to 'harvest' the phones prior to classes, have them safeguarded, and then redistribute them to their owners after classes. SUCH A POLICY, as this recently reported in one of the local newspapers, show that administrators and educators have litttle understanding of the changes going on in and at all institutional, economic, political and social levels in this coutnry,outside of the sound bytes they may receive via CNN etc.

BANNING OF CELL PHONES IN CLAREMONT SCHOOLS

A recent decision was made by 'officials' in Claremont to ban the use of cellphones in the schools.In another state, newpaper headlines mentioned the 'banning of chocolate milk' as well. Both policies reflect a growing trend to restrict certain 'choices' and 'personal freedom' in this country. I can remember when comic books and certain toys were banned and confiscated when I was in school. Toy guns, jackknives, and other things are also banned today for the most part. TO BAN OR NOT TO BAN, that is the question and a lot of things have led to' certain states of hysteria' among educators, school systems, state and local governments as well as teachers and parents and has resulted in many extreme, well-intentioned, no doubt, consequences but none of these things have really solved the problems of education or of schools in this country as yet and never will, despite a growing trend of both radicalism and conservatism that pit segments of the populace against each other in the name of education.

MORE DRUGS COMING TO CLAREMONT-THE RETURN OF CVS

According to reports CVS is coming back to Claremont but as what costs? First, situating it on Broad Street is no guarantee anyone will patronize the place and will lead to traffic problems that no amount of stop lights will solve in an already over-crowded street system and inefficient traffic flow, that is in some cases, as most pedestrians on Broad Street know, downright dangerous! With the White Whale/White Elephant still attesting to the plight and blight of Claremont, which is empty-store fronts and buildings as well as to innumerable empty lots and its attendant virus of more parking lots, erecting another monstrosity in the town seems beside the point. Claremont tends to cater mostly to big corporations in hopes that this will somehow magically improve the town, increase tax revenues, create more employment, and bring in more people,etc. This has yet to be demonstrated so that everyone feels this in their pocketbooks,except for those who manage to stay on the rolls of tax-paid income for their endeavors. the best that can be said for CVS is that it will perhaps give some minor degree of competition to the other pharmacies,particularly Rite-Aide.

CLAREMONT'S NEXT BIG PROJECT FOR TAXPAYERS

Years ago there was a common expression circulating around Claremont,the town that pretends it's a city, which was, to the best of memory, this:"PUT A ROOF OVER THE TOWN OF CLAREMONT AND IT WOULD MAKE A GOOD WHOREHOUSE"! In keeping with modern trends, so evident on some street corners and byways, this can be amended to: PUT A ROOF OVER CLAREMONT AND IT WOULD MAKE A GOOD 'CRACK' HOUSE."!

THE STORE WINDOW SHUFFLE

Claremont as of this writing is undergoing 'the GREAT STORE WINDOW SHUFFLE' as stores and store fronts continue to become vacant in and around TREMONT SQUARE & PLEASANT STREET. TREMONT SQUARE,which at present is more of a 'rotary' than a square, has been given the name of 'OPERA SQUARE' which I always refer to as 'HORSE OPERA SQUARE, an apt name because of the once existing Magnet and Tremont Theaters! At any rate, when the square was re-designed, fifty-four parking spaces were lost. In a time when parking meters were used to garner revenues, this was quite a loss. Even though more parking lots are being build on a continuing basis in Claremont, the town that pretends it's a city, more spaces are actually being lost on the streets themselves!

SECURITY AT STEVENS HIGH SCHOOL

Many have expressed concerns over 'security' at the new project for Stevens High School but very few know what that actually entails and exactly what is needed, except for a few people who are expert in this area or who have experience with such. Simply restricting entrances is not the entire solution and also makes evacuation of the school sometimes a greater problem, especially if and when such doors or entrances are 'chained' as I have seen in some city schools that experience high crime incidents,etc. in around their buildings,etc.

STUDENT PARKING AT STEVENS

The State of NH has apparentluy mandated that student parking be set up or the proposed project involving Stevens High cannot be done. What exactly entitles high school students to free parking or being allowed to park on either city or school property? I have modestly proposed that all students, who will park on such lots around the school(s), if such is required and mandated and the project of property acquisition and demolition undergone, PAY A FEE, AND ALSO HAVE PERMITS ISSUED BY THE CITY, with residents of the city paying a lesser fee than out of towners, and HAVE PROOF OF INSURANCE, AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY HAVE CARS THAT ARE NOT CLUNKERS, ARE ENERGY-EFFICIENT,ETC. or not parking for them at these lots. Another alternative is to have students who drive pool to a MUNICIPAL PARKING LOT constructed for that purpose and taking a shuttle bus for that purpose to the school. Special contracts for such buses,etc. very feasible and a transit bus system already exists.

SOS

SOS can stand for,'SAVE OUR SHIP' or it can stand for the old, 'SHIT ON A SHINGLE' that many have eaten, but in CLAREMONT'S CASE it stands for 'SAVE OUR SERVICES'. The assumptions arrived at by some papers and people seem to think a sort of 'victory' has been achieved and that the people of Claremont have made a decision by voting in certain candidates. Whether or not the assumptions that Claremont wants progress and to continue moving has yet to be proven or determined, since it is only the small number of voters that voted are considered. If the votes for city mayor are tallied it might well show that the voters were not all 'property owners' or, if they are or were, perhaps their houses were already up for sale and their bags packed to get out of town when the tax increases escalate. Actually, the votes for mayor were nearly split evenly and in the next two years it will be interesting to see what occurs in Claremont. Progress in Claremont and movement can be determined by the number of empty store fronts on Pleasant Street that diminish during that time and the number of vacant lots that are filled with housing, despite the proposed demolition of other housing in Claremont.

THE WHITE ELEPHANT OF WASHINGTON STREET

The White Elephant of Washington Street stands/sits diagonally across from the corner of Winter Street that intersects with Washington and is the VACANT building constructed by a pharmacy chain whose former arrogant CEO,who has been aptly described elsewhere in news media, attempted to monopolize Claremont by first changing the historic landscape by demolishing buildings in a certain area and secondly, driving out via 'business negotiations' another pharmacy chain in order to reduce competition adn to maintain high prices-although they are still unable to match "WALLY'S" distinctive, generic medications. A simple visit to any of the local 'FARMS"/PHARMS will reveal just how hooked and dependent people in Claremont are on drugs and one wonders why health care is such an issue!