Envelope, please – capsule reviews of all the Best Picture nominees
As you may know, when our resident food critic The Food Snob isn't stuffing his craw with the finest delicacies Concord has to offer, he's stuffing his eyes and brain with movies. And, with the Academy Awards taking place just last weekend, he's a bit more stuffed than usual. Before you seek out and watch this year's Best Picture nominees, check out his reviews. You might save a couple of hours or a couple of bucks.The...
Brady's got Academy Award fever
(Editor's note: While on an expedition in his yard Brady Carlson claims to have caught a case of Academy Award fever, and has written this column under the assumption that he has just won an Oscar in the heretofore non-existent category of Best Moral Support for a Walrus in a Musical or Animated Feature.)Thank you all so much! Wow, this is turning into a truly magical evening for all of us here, except for Joan Rivers, who has...
Notes on hiking and the camaraderie of the trail
I have never come across another hiker where I have been hiking this winter in the back woods northeast of Concord – until today. At first, I saw a small dog coming toward me in the trail ahead and then a hiker pushing his way through the brush. As he came closer he said, “I never expected to see anyone else back here this deep in the woods.”I said, “Likewise.””My name is Doug Ponusky,” he...
Grow your own salad greens for pennies a day
Salad greens for pennies a day? Yes, it's possible – and it's easy. So easy, in fact, that I'm stumped as to why everyone's not doing it.Growing sprouts in the kitchen, year-round, is one of the simplest and least expensive ways to incorporate fresh, organic greens into your diet. From seeds to sprouts in a matter of four or five days, you'll soon be chomping on the best quality sprouts you've ever tasted...
A.J. Silva seems to find Concord a good fit
Name: A.J. SilvaOwner, BravoHow long have you been making gowns?Going on 26 years.What inspired you to get into dress making?My niece got married and couldn't find a headpiece she liked, so I went ahead and bought the materials and I made her one. People told people, and it just gave me the inspiration to go into it. I'm entirely self-taught. It just snowballed from there.What led you to open Bravo in Concord?I sold my...
Raise your glasses to the toastmasters
Fear of public speaking is enough of an epidemic that it has its own doctory word and everything: glossophobia. To some, the thought of getting up in front of strangers and muttering even a few phrases can lead to crippling anxiety.We have it easy at the Insider. Our work is read by editors before it is received by millions of faithful readers – not that we ever make mistakes, mind you. But if we did, they'd never see the...
A college overview
Merrimack Valley High School will present “A College Overview for Juniors and their Parents” on March 6 at 6:30 p.m. Applying for college admission – and financial aid – can be overwhelming. There are applications to be completed, deadlines to meet, essays to write, award letters to be interpreted and complex language to understand. This evening session is intended to educate the high school junior and his or...
New original play
The New Hampshire Humanities Council has commissioned a play as the culminating project in its Fences & Neighbors: New Hampshires Immigration Stories three-year initiative.Dreaming Again is an original dramatic play written by Genevieve Aichele, director of the New Hampshire Theatre Project, and based on the stories of Granite State immigrants and refugees, past and present. The play will take shape from the authentic voices and...
Irish songs
On March 11 at 2 p.m. at the Concord Public Library Auditorium, Irish balladeer Paul Carroll will perform Irish songs and stories, accompanied by guitar and drum. Please join us for an entertaining and informative program sure to put you in the mood for St. Patrick's Day. Call 225-8670 for more information.
Book of the week
For more information about the Concord Public Library, visit concordpubliclibrary.com.Hera's RevengeWendy Dingwall2011, 213 pagesFictionThe curator of the National Museum of Athens arrives at work to find his night watchman dead and a priceless dagger and small gold statue of Hera, the original symbolic mother, gone.At the Pinkerton Travel Agency in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Yvonne Suarez signs up the last person for her customized...
City briefly
Each week, City Manager Tom Aspell puts on his tuxedo, waltzes on stage and dances all French-like. Then he delivers a moving, heartfelt city memo – silently! We at the Insider all wait around for the DVD to come out, then we pause the title screens, transcribe them and print them here.Safety firstFire permits availableThe Concord Fire Department is pleased to announce that it is now accepting fire prevention permit applications...
Crash into these missed connections
We at the Insider often scour Craigslist Missed Connections for any mention of ourselves journalistic reasons. As always, the items are presented without edits.in this boys dreamHike up your skirt a little more And show your world to me In a boys dream. In a boys dreamCandy – Supercuts – m4wCandy you are goddess-like beautiful . . .and the ultimate fantasy! I'll give you $1,000 to spend the weekend with me!!! :)Woman...
This Week in Concord History
Feb. 28, 1894: At Sewalls Falls, George and Charles Page of the Page Belting Co. open the second hydroelectric dam of its kind in the United States. The powerhouse is equipped with four 2,300-volt, 225-kilowatt generators driven by leather belts from reaction-wheel water turbines. Sewalls Falls will generate power until 1968.Feb. 28, 2003: Two men have been charged with brutally beating a McDonald's night janitor earlier in the...
