Opinions

Everyday is a great day to feel good

The past few days I’ve been sick. With classes bearing down on us, homework getting more abundant and stressful all the time, the commencement of the annual plague, and the pressure to join clubs or work until there are no holes in your schedule, it’s difficult to have a positive attitude. It can seem like each day we start out on the wrong side of the bed, put our worst foot forward, and remain in the same depressed state until we collapse into bed at the end of a trying day. My go-to song to lift my spirits never fails to give me some perspective, and a little more spring in my step.

Here to help

Starting college means starting a life where your path and direction are unpredictable. The people you meet over the four years you’re on campus will start to shape your life and change you, sometimes for the better, but sometimes for the worst. College relationships are more adult-like than anything one could experience in high school. Sharing the freedoms of being independent with someone else is new territory for most students and can be wonderful, but slightly overwhelming. Now, there are no parents or school counselors to monitor behavior and becoming trapped in an abusive relationship can easily go unrecognized.

Summer entertainment roundup

The 2016 summer entertainment contained a plethora of disappointment and a sprinkle of happy surprises. DC Comics continued its fall from grace with its next two installments in a long line of comic book movies further proving that Marvel is the only company that knows how to make a superhero picture. Without Chris Nolan’s bleaker Dark Knight trilogy and unwillingness from studios to make creative gambles with their money, films about people in tights and strange uniforms continue to depress critics and dull audiences. “Batman v Superman,” a movie I haven’t seen and will never watch, received a pitiful 27 percent from critics and an unsurprising 65 percent from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. 

No Nawnsense predictions for the 2016 New England Patriots

There is no question about it, the New England Patriots will be a different team without star quarterback Tom Brady through the first four weeks of the season. Plus, Sunday night’s opening matchup versus the swarming defensive-minded Arizona Cardinals could be the toughest in the Bill Belichick era. Deflategate has been a story of its own the last few years even after the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX two years ago. Consequently, commissioner Roger Goodell won the long exhausted battle that Brady did not want to fight anymore. As a result, third year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo gets thrown into the mix. He will make his first NFL start on Sunday night. The moment could not be any brighter for the Eastern Illinois product to showcase his abilities in front of the world on primetime television. Just do not be optimistic in this one Patriots fans. “Jimmy G” is many seasons away from being in the same context as Tom Brady, so pump the breaks because I don’t find 4-0 realistic. 3-1 is possible, but not probable.

Musing on Music

In this world of school shootings and hatred, terrorism and abuse of power, the truly scary thing is how we treat each other on a daily basis. Far from the time when “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me,” we have fallen on dark times where verbal abuse has not only become the norm but is occasionally used as a form of greeting between friends. The pessimism and negativity permeating our world has led to a regression in manners and in the understanding of the meaning and necessity of civil/human rights. Most of the negativity we retain is absorbed from our environment, though for some it relates to one specific traumatic event in their pasts. 

Editorial: The Earth without art is ‘eh’

One of the best parts about college is that a student’s schedule is mostly made up of personal interests. After declaring majors and minors, with the exception of the required discovery courses, classes are tailored to a student’s strengths and talents. It is often the case that after a student completes the required arts credit, that student will never again attend a UNH arts event. We at The New Hampshire think that’s a trend that should change.

Review of the Netflix Orginal “Stranger Things”

Beyond the classroom

As a senior, the first thing I have truly realized, and it dawned on me just recently, is how fast my time here at the University of New Hampshire has passed. I can remember rather vividly, with nostalgia and angst for the future, moving into my freshman year dorm room. It was horribly hot out and I had so many things to move in, not understanding how small my room was going to be. I had mixed feelings of anticipation and dread. These were momentous times. No more parents to tell me to do homework or to find a group to join. Teachers weren’t going to be there for me every step of the way. No bells to dismiss me from class. No knowledge of where to go and who everybody was. That feeling of anxiety over something so serious and new held onto me for a little while, but eventually we all learn to adapt and survive. It’s learning how to survive in an active and positive way that really makes the difference.

The Copa America summer soccer preview

It’s that time of the year in sports where the dreaded doldrums of summer baseball begin to creep in ever so closely. The NBA and NHL will soon crown their respective champions, and the landscape of sports will start to run dry. However, there is a figure in the distance. Is it a mirage? Thankfully no. It’s soccer, and before all of you American football fans start to groan, the good old United States national team is involved, so you might want to take an interest.

Summer Issue: Entertainment Buzz

For those staying in Durham this summer, one question is certain to come to mind: What can I do here? While I may not be the most in-tune with certain outdoor activities or night-life outside of Durham, I am staying here for most of the summer, so out of pure selfishness I have researched and compiled a list of what I believe to be the best on-screen entertainment out this summer. My movie and television show recommendations are as followed:

Summer Issue: Abroad, cross-country and at home

If you’re planning a trip abroad or seeking an alternative to the typical tropical vacation, here are a variety of places that might fit your fancy:

Summer Issue: Swimming in New Hampshire

Summer is one of the best seasons to be in New Hampshire, as the weather allows for plenty of time to explore the immense amount of natural beauty the state has to offer. Luckily, the seacoast has plenty of great swimming holes where you can go enjoy the warmth of the season, as well as revel in New Hampshire’s beauty.

A proactive adventure

Any way you look at it, summer is a pretty phenomenal time of the year. The weather is warmer, it stays light outside later and we New Englanders can ditch our heavy winter coats for some lighter attire. When you think back on your childhood summer vacations, memories of swimming, watching fireworks and maybe taking sports lessons or going to camp might come to mind. Now that you’re older, even though summertime probably still has an exciting connotation to it, chances are it’s not as carefree as it once was.

Summer Issue: Volunteering in New Hampshire

The Waysmeet Center

Summer Issue: What to do in the Seacoast without spending a cent

Although the Seacoast is home to many societal elites, fun can still be found for those who want to save money, are broke or are out of work. I fall under the latter category. While I’m in college full time, I’m also unemployed, so I can relate to the struggle of having little to no spending money. I therefore  recently decided to explore my options for free summer entertainment, and the results were wonderful, stressful and interesting.

Summer Issue: Best of Portsmouth

Restaurant: Moxy Moxy is a modern American tapas restaurant with the best whoopie pie sliders (served with chocolate dipping sauce) you will ever eat. Located at 106 Penhallow St., it’s a perfect date restaurant, or a place to share unique dishes with a loved one. Some popular menu items include fried pickle chips, chili pepper cornbread, beef short rib marmalade and fried clams. Moxy puts a contemporary twist on traditional New England cuisine that will have you craving more.

"Oh! The places you’ll go...”

Congrats, grad. You made it through four years of hard work, tears of joy, tears of stress and maybe even the freshman 15. But after four years and a completed college degree, your most important life lesson was probably learned in kindergarten, from a childrens’ book. “Oh, the places You’ll Go,” Wildcats, is a classic work by Dr. Suess that gives the best advice you can get for leaving the wondrous world of Durham and starting your life. All this time, you might have thought you hadn’t a clue what you should do with your life after leaving UNH, but almost everything you need to know is contained within the pages of that book. Let us begin.

Reflections of a non-traditional student

As a veteran and UNH senior, I feel the need to salute the kids and faculty at our school before I graduate next month. Have any of you been to a sporting event where they fire rolled up T-shirts into the crowd, out of something that looks like a Gatling gun and would probably dislocate your shoulder if it hit you square on the clavicle? Well, that’s how fast I feel like I am being propelled toward graduation; the last two semesters have flown by like nothing.

Reduce, reuse, recycle, repeat...

Since the 1970s, UNH has had the right idea. Sustainable living has been a core value for our university ever since a grassroots leadership group of faculty, staff and students began to research the environment and its many issues several decades ago. In fact, the sustainability program at UNH is the oldest endowed, university-wide sustainability program in U.S. higher education, according to the university’s website.

Musing on Music: Historic battle and silly prattle

“The Battle of New Orleans” is a song about a historic battle during the War of 1812, the first war after the American Revolution, where the founders of our nation were able to stand their ground and keep the U.S. separate from Britain.