We Now Get Electric From N.H. Resident Power.

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…by Anura Guruge

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Prior post: A Plug For N.H. Resident Power. Yes, We Signed Up.
– April 19, 2012.

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Given our pay date is around the 19th of the month, today I got notification of our PSNH ‘May’ bill, payable in June. [I have been with paperless billing with PSNH for eons.] Given that Resident Power had said that it would take 2 months for their service to kick-in, it was about the right time given that I had signed up in mid-April. Sure enough page 1 of my PSNH bill, on the left-hand side denoted that I was now getting power from ‘PNE Energy Supply LLC’ — which is Resident Power. I was happy.

Yes, I am no longer getting power generated by PSNH.

I then looked at page 2 of the ‘May’ bill. Bingo. That was the rate they had promised me.

My new Kwh rate from Resident Power.

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I then went and looked at last month’s bill when I was still getting electric from PSNH.

Last month’s bill when I was still getting electric from PSNH.

Yes, the rate has gone down.

Yes, I used 31 less Kwhs. About 25 of that is because last month’s was a 31-day cycle; this month 30. Not sure where the other 6 Kwh went. Maybe the heating system was still kicking in in March-April.

My bill for electric for May with PSNH would have been $63.07.

So, I saved $5.37. Will not make me rich, but it is better than a kick in the teeth. Cost me nothing. Really didn’t other than maybe 40 minutes of my time.

So, with luck, over the year I will be able to save about $65. That sounds better. That will pay for a meal (sans tax and tip) at the ‘Red Arrow Diner‘ in Manchester. That is how I am going to look at it.

1 year Resident Power = 1 free meal for 4 at the Red Arrow Diner (plus points on my VID card).

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WordPress, the free platform I use for this blog, provides a built-in ‘Stats’ feature. That shows the ‘search phrases’ [i.e., what you type into Google, Yahoo, BING or any other search engine] that resulted in viewers visiting this blog. Of late the most frequent phrase is: ‘resident power scam‘. I can empathize. As I said in my prior post, I too did a search on ‘scam’ and ‘trouble’ before I signed up with Resident Power.

As far as I can see Resident Power is NOT a scam. Period. I could be wrong.

Given that I have got this far, not sure how they could scam me. Yes, they have me locked in for 12 months. So, what is the worst that can happen. By some miracle, PSNH, that just increased their rates, is going to cut their rates and I will be paying a higher rate for (11-x) months — 1 month of the 12 having already passed, so to speak. Yes, pigs may fly.

If Resident Power is a scam, it has to be very sophisticated. They never asked me for any financial details. The info they got from me is basically public domain stuff. And as an IT person with over 35 years experience I know that Resident Power can’t invade my privacy, hack into our PCs, intercept our encrypted network, listen to my brains waves or give me brain cancer over the power lines. So, no worries there.

I don’t know anybody else who uses Resident Power. I also don’t know anybody who works for them. So, I am on my own when it comes to Resident Power. If I find that I was scammed, I will, of course, let you know.

Why Is The Grass Greener In Coos County, New Hampshire?

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…by Anura Guruge

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The green, green grass of Coos County, or ‘Coors’ County as I call it.

On our way up to the Balsams Grand Resort auction last Saturday, May 12, I, for a change did most of the driving (rather than read or nap while my wife does most of the driving). As is to be expected I tend to notice more of the scenery that we are going through when I am driving as opposed to having my eyes glued to a book (with reading glasses on) or having them shut.

I enjoyed the drive. I expected to see more hills, but I guess once you go past the White Mountains I guess you leave most of that terrain behind you. Having grown up in two countries noted for their verdancy, I tend to notice shades of green (often tinged with nostalgia because in my mind there is nothing more peaceful and beautiful as the deeply rich green grass of England, especially when seen from a plane as it banks to land at Heathrow Airport).

As soon as we got on Route 3, just north of the now gone ‘Old Man of the Mountain‘, I started noticing a change in the grass by the side of the road. By the time we got to ‘Twin Mountain’ it was inescapable. Then it became a feature for the rest of the drive through Coos, or as I fondly call it (for obvious reasons) ‘Coors‘ County. The grass was greener than in central NH — by a long chalk (and talking of chalk, lime may be a factor here). The grass is different. It is finer and of a lighter color. But it is devoid of bald spots and weeds as is often the case in Belknap. [Talking of which, on Thursday of this week I saw a large truck, not belonging to the town, spraying the lawns by the side of Alton Main Street. Not sure what that was all about and what budget that was coming out of. How come they don't spray my lawn? Plus, what are they spraying? Will it make my Golden turn green?]

Furthermore, most of the grass was already mowed. Coming back that afternoon seeing people mowing was common, some with tractors others with push mowers. On one farm I saw two lawn tractors being used in tandem to mow. Was I impressed. Back home I had only seen one person mowing their lawn and he is retired ‘snow bird’ who appears to be compulsive about moving is lawn and blowing away leaves from his drive. He seems to do it everyday. All his lawn mowers (and he seem to have one for each day of the week) and his leaf blowers have defective mufflers, which is kind of ‘OK’ with me — but here is the funny part. The guy is deaf as a lamp post and wears hearing aids in both ears. I always wonder whether he has ever made a connection between his lack of hearing and the defective mufflers.

So what is the deal here. Per my limited knowledge of horticulture the grass should not be greener in Coors. They have a longer winter. My wife reckons that the snow might help. It is marginally possible that the cooler temps up there prevent the grass from getting burned (as it does down here). That could be a factor. I would have thought that the soil was worse up there than here; but I could be wrong on that front. I am sure it is a different type of grass and in general, from what I could see, the type of grass and its quality was consistent across the county. It was like they laid a fine green carpet. I have talked to a few people this last week, at hardware stores etc., as to why the grass is greener in Coors. Some say that it is because the properties along Route 3 (that I was driving on) are ‘old money’ and as such have well established lawns. That is possible, but Belknap isn’t all red neck country either. So if you could shed some light I would be most interested and grateful. Thank you.

I Am Genuinely Sorry To See Steven Ross, Assistant Principal, Leave Alton Central School (ACS)

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…by Anura Guruge

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I have known Steve Ross since 2007 when my then 7-year old daughter started attending Alton Central School (ACS).

Since Steve was in charge of discipline, I soon got to know him; my daughter far from an angel. Steve Ross was always fair, understanding and even fun. Yes, we crossed swords once, but we were both cool. We continued to ‘josh’ with each other when we met in the parking lot or at a school event. He would tell me about his son who used to visit China on a regular basis.

I would like to have seen Steve as the new Principal. He told me that he would not apply because he was extremely happy with his current job. That is why I was shocked to read yesterday, in the BaySider newspaper, that he was leaving.

I sent him an e-mail this morning and basically echoed the sentiments I am posting here. He was a good ol’ fruit, and despite some differences we have had, I will genuinely miss him. I felt a sense of safety with Steve being there; you could always tell that deep down, despite what he might try to portray, he cared — he was a caring father.

Not sure what is happening. Though he thanked me for my kind words he would not tell me why he was leaving. I am hoping that it has nothing to do with the new Principal.

I also see we are getting a new Superintendent. I don’t know him, but I hope he at least knows that Pluto is no longer a planet. [See this post for background.] I have read that he is a big athletics coach. I just hope he is not just a jock. I wish him all the best. He doesn’t have a very high bar to clear. I just hope he really cares about the kids, their education and well being, rather then being a self-serving politician, who specializes in euphemisms to brush off the real issues facing ACS. In reality we don’t need two full time administrators to do that.

We Went To The Balsams Grand Resort Auction

It was fun. We had never been to the Balsams. I have stayed at the Mount Washington a few times (twice for Thanksgiving I think) but had never made it to the Balsams. Actually I had never been further than Errol. So this was an experience. I was suitably impressed with the Great North Woods.

The Balsams looks spectacular from a distance. It had to have been quite the resort. Obviously it is not at its best right now.

The inside was depressing, cold and musty. Though it was the nicest day, weather wise he had had in weeks, it was chilly inside the hotel and I (usually warm blooded) kept an insulated vest on all day.

There was a lot of people. Parking was crazy though we got there by 9am. Everybody though was in good cheer and convivial. It was a party atmosphere. We enjoyed the experience and was glad we made the effort to drive the ~160 odd (and some of it was indeed very odd) miles.

The auction, however, was appalling, both in terms of organization and execution!  I can’t claim to be a connoisseur of auctions but I have been to some. This was beyond a joke. It was like a parody of an auction; a Saturday Night Live (SNL) skit making fun of us yokels in NH trying to hold an auction. I have no experience of North Country Auctions, but they should be ashamed. When I heard on WMUR this morning that the auction made around $250,000, after selling ~2,400 items, it confirmed my worst fears.

I had, as is my wont, visited the North Country Auctions ‘Web site’ twice before we set off. The Web site looks like it was designed in the 1950s by color-blind, visually impaired wall-paper hanger with just one good arm. Huge type in red seems to be their idea of finesse. Technology was conspicuous by its absence. In August 1967, when we were leaving Ceylon to move to Buffalo, my parents auctioned off the contents of our (fairly large) house in Colombo. The auction yesterday, in terms of technology, was no different! All they had was a portable sound system. There were no laptops, let alone iPads and no jumbo displays to project the items being auctioned. It was pitiful.

I remember at least 4 auctions that were arbitrarily re-called and redone. If I had been the winner of one of those I would have been very upset. There was confusion as to prices and actually what was being auctioned. They claimed they were auctioning 4 lots of 3 antique movie projectors. That was supposed to be a typo! They only had 4 projectors. It was pathetic.

We didn’t bid on 2 many items. I bid on the 2008 Presidential tally board — from when Obama was elected. I went up to $300. It eventually sold for $400 (according to WMUR), though I though it stopped with the bid after mine (and I kind of suspected that the house was bidding against me). I also tried to bid on a plastic Coke bin. Though I was standing up on a chair waving my card, they ignored my bid and sold it to a lady for $10. C’est la vie.

After the auction I am not impressed with the business acumen of the two (supposed) businessman who are the new owners of the Balsams. Their choice of Auctioneer let a lot to be desired. Organization was dreadful and while I know that that far up north there are very few laws, I am sure that they still managed to violate a few (but, I could be wrong). With all those people in attendance, I did not see a single uniformed policeman, a security guard or an ambulance (and I walked the entire perimeter of the hotel twice). There were a lot of old people there. Security was bad! Items were being taken from rooms and job lots. All they did was make announcements pleading with people not to steal. I did not see any checkout process. This was a joke. They could have done much better.

Squam Lakes Science Center — Always Uplifting And Relaxing

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…by Anura Guruge

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I have been visiting the Squam Lake Science Center since at least 2001. Typically we try to go at least once a year – last year being the exception when we didn’t make it up there at all. In the Summer of 2009, Teischan and I used to go for a 75 minute visit one or twice a month, well into October! We had Boston Museum of Science (MoS) membership that gave us free admission, and Deanna had a part-time, bi-weekly, 90 minute, merchandizing gig in Meredith. We would tag along, drop her off in Meredith and go to the Science center. So we know it well.

This Saturday was their annual, ‘New Hampshire’ day — $3 entrance for all NH residents. Bar last year, we typically try and make it for this ‘special’ day. The weather cooperated, partly because we planned to get their around 1pm which is when the clouds were supposed to clear. It was glorious. Sunny and high 60s. It wasn’t too packed, most having left by the time we arrived.

It is always such a pleasant, uplifting experience, especially the walk back through the meadow (other than the time when a Kestral being shown to the guests by a volunteer, flew off his hand and attacked Teischan who was 3 years old at the time and was sitting in a stroller — luckily doing no harm other than scaring all of us).

They now have 3 Bobcats, two males and a female (and no, we will not see any kittens because, alack, they are, for their own reasons, not a breeding facility). They only used to have one. Teischan likes the Bobcats. Once, when there was just one in the enclosure, it came down to the glass and tried to play with the strap of our camera. It was memorable.

We were there when the two Mountain Lion cubs were brought to the center c. 2004 (or 2005). So we have seen them grow. One of them has also ‘played’ with us through the glass on one of our many visits. I am never sure about the black bear exhibit. Something about it. But, overall, a wonderful, always educational experience.

Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH – Well Worth A Visit, Small, But A Resplendent Gem

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…by Anura Guruge

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Jan Gossart

Yesterday we visited the Currier and had a wonderful museum experience. It is a small collection, but they have some outstanding works (by the likes of Monet, Constable, Degas, Picasso, Edwin Church, Homer, O’Keeffe, Wyeth), very well presented in a tranquil, conducive setting. I had been to the Currier before, but that was about 6 years ago. I was suitably impressed on that visit too. Since then they have done some major renovation. I had remembered the ‘man with a hat’, the Gossart, from my prior visit. I was looking forward to seeing it. I was not disappointed. I love the way the texture and the decorations on the hat are captured. I always find Constable arresting; the brushwork is divine.

Emile Meyer

To my delight I discovered another painter, the French Emile Meyer,  of amusing cardinal pictures to complement Francesco Brunery. There European collection, though limited, is a gem. I could spend hours just in that gallery.

Siri, by Wyth. Not at the Currier. But she is my wife’s Aunt.

My wife got a kick from seeing a Wyeth; a 1950s painting of an ol’ rowing skiff used for lobstering. She, a daughter of lobsterman, as a ’10 year’ old knew Wyeth who was a neighbor in Cushing, Maine. Wyeth used to give her quarters to buy candy. ‘Siri‘ that he often painted, c. 1970, was her Aunt by marriage. [Talking of 'regional' art museums I am a great fan of the Farnsworth in Rockland, ME (Wyeth's museum so to speak) -- and wish they would let me write a book about how they acquired their initial collection thanks to a little red checkbook.]

My favorite, serendipitous, find yesterday was James Aponovich, a local, still alive (5 years older than me), still-life artist. There were two of his works on display and they took my breath away. Wow. I became an instant fan. Came home and bookmarked some of his works. This was one of the two that were on display yesterday.

The bottom line here is that I strongly recommend that if you like art and want to have a glorious few hours in a quiet, airy, beautifully laid out museum think about visiting the Currier in Manchester. It is ‘inexpensive’ too — with many specials that you can find on the Web (such as two for $10, with kids always free).

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In case you are wondering what experience I have of art museums, other than the Farnsworth, I will have to confess that as somebody who has lived in Paris and London, and used to bum around the worlf quite a bit since he was 14, I have done my share of museums, especially art museums. I was trying to work it out; I am sure I have visited the Lourve at least 25 times. I even used to have a 17 minute tour of the Lourve for visitors from Ceylon who wanted to say that they had ‘done the Lourve’ but didn’t want to spend too much time doing so. I was at the d’Orsay shortly after it opened. I have also toured the Hermitage. Closer to ‘home’ I visited the Getty the year it was open and go to the Met whenever I can. I once had to write an IT Case Study on MoMA and enjoyed visiting it after I had written the piece. As with the Met, I am no stranger to the museums on the Mall in D.C. Off the top of my head I also know that I have visited the key art museums in Brussels, Geneva, Albany and Boston. So, I have seen enough art museums to have some appreciation. All the best. Cheers.

P.S., I have also written a children’s book on artists, ‘Teischan’s ABC Book of Great Artists‘.

A Plug For N.H. Resident Power. Yes, We Signed Up

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…by Anura Guruge

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Click to access residentpower.com. You should definitely look.

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Given that I am, at best, a sporadic viewer of WMUR (Channel 9), and tend to skip over commercials, it was a longtime before one of the ‘Resident Power‘ ads finally got through to me. I had heard about them and had seen them on the Winnipesaupkee forum that I skim through last thing at night, usually around 12:20 am. But, once it was lodged in my mind I checked them out on the Web. I read the FAQs (but didn’t watch the video). It made sense to me. I could see any downside or obvious ‘gotachas’. As ever I did a few Googles using ‘scam’ and ‘trouble’ as keywords. It all seemed kosher. From all I could see, I couldn’t see how I could lose. Yes, I had to signup for a year, but there did not appear to be any fees to signup. One bill — from dear PSNH. So that would stay the same — and they direct debit me anyway. So, the only way I could lose was if by some miracle PSNH decided to lower their rates after I signed up. Well, pigs might fly too.

So, I bit the bullet and applied, online. I have to say that they have gone out of their way to make the sign up process straightforward. Yes, they needed a couple of items from my PSNH bill but had very clear instructions as to exactly where on the bill I would find the requisite information. I am not sure whether they did get back to me within the 2 weeks they promised. I think it took longer. At one point I thought that they were not going to get back. But, a few days after that I did get their ‘sign up’ e-mail saying that my fixed rate for 12 months would be $0.07695/kWh. That was a 7.5% discount on PSNH. The 7.5%, however, is not against the whole bill. The PSNH power delivery rates stay the same. The 7.5% is just off the power generation portion — which is roughly 50% of my bill. So the initial saying were about $5/month. The way I look at it is that that is still better than a kick in the teeth. [I don't think I still have seen the discount because it takes 2 months for it to kick in, and I only got my 'sign up' e-mail last month.]

Yesterday, I got another e-mail from Resident Power saying PSNH, as of April 16, 2012, had increased their rates to $0.0875/kWh. My discount just jumped. So I am even happier.

I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago that I had gone with Resident Power. He lives on the Alton/Wolfeboro border and gets his power from Wolfeboro Electric (town run) as opposed to PSNH. He thought that his rate was 1/2 that of PSNH. I checked. His rate is $0.1564/kWh. That is twice what I am paying.

My sincere recommendation: check out Resident Power. What do YOU have to lose other than a few minutes of your time … and you could end up saying at least $5/month.

Huge, Heartfelt THANKS to Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s Office

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.by Anura Guruge

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This had to do with an arcane law that taxes what is called the ‘workman’s comp offset‘ in one’s Social Security disability. At a time when the fairness of the overall tax system is being debated it is very germane to talk about this since it taxes one on benefits that one did NOT RECEIVE! Yes, you read that right. You pay taxes on SS benefits you did NOT receive. ‘Workman’s Comp Offset’ applies to those disabled that received a Workman’s Comp. settlement in addition to the SS disability they receive. The ‘OFFSET’ is the amount that SS deducts from your SS disability to compensate for what you got from Workman’s Comp. That is perfectly fair and valid.

[Here is a very crude, and probably unrepresentative example just to show you what we are talking about. Lets say your SS disability calculations based on all the formulas they use is meant to be $162/month. You receive a Workman's Comp settlement, say a lump sum, which per the laws of most states, including NH, is then reported to the SS as an amortized MONTHLY payment spread over the recipient's life expectancy. For this example lets say that SS was using a Workman's Comp monthly payment of $32. SS would now reduce the $162 by $32 and only pay $130 a month. Get it?]

Here is the CATCH. SS, in the annual SSA-1099 tax document they issue and send to the IRS, states the ‘Offset’ as part of the taxable benefit. So, per my crude example above, they would report $32 x 12 months, $384, to the IRS as the ‘workman’s comp offset’. That $384 is taxable, though it is actually the monies the SSA never paid the recipient. To be fair, this is also ‘OK’ because you don’t get taxed on ALL of your SS payments. So by the time you have done all of the ‘1/2 of line 2 times 0.85 of line 16 less 1/3 of line 38‘ the numbers become manageable. Quite a few people don’t pay any taxes on their SS anyway.

But, if the SSA makes a $58,958 ERROR in what they report on your SSA-1099 you are in deep trouble! Since it is reported to the IRS there is no wriggle room.  That was what happened to my wife. We were very fortunate that Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s office, in particular Cara Osborn, Special Assistant for Constituent Services, of the Dover Office, jumped in, contacted the Social Security Administration (SSA) and helped us get a new, amended SSA-1099 – with just enough time for us to file our tax return without having to seek an extension (something I had never done and was very nervous about having to do). Thank YOU, Cara … and Mrs. Shaheen.

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My wife who had been a Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) for over 9 years got badly injured in mid-2006 when she and another LNA were trying to transfer an elderly patient from her bed to a chair. During the transfer the patient ‘let go’ — basically stopped trying to support herself. Though both LNAs were using the ‘transfer belts’ that they are supposed to use, my wife ended up supporting a person considerably heavier than her. She herniated multiple disks in one go. She was off work and is still in pain despite major back surgery. She got a Workman’s Comp settlement in 2008 and after a hearing with a judge, in ‘late’ 2010, SSA disability. So, that is the background.

Since her SSA disability only kicked-in in late 2010, SSA didn’t get around to doing all of the Workman’s Comp calculations till 2011. So everything, which is backdated etc., was included in the 2011 SSA-1099. As soon as I saw it I knew that something was wrong. The reported ‘workman’s comp offset’ was close to three times her ENTIRE workman’s comp. settlement. Even with backdating etc. I could not see how any offset could end up being three times what was being offset. My wife called the SSA. This was in mid-January, 2012. After 40 minutes she spoke to a lady. At one point this SSA lady came to the same conclusion as me: ‘how can the offset be so much bigger than the original amount‘. She promised that she will get it looked at and that we will receive a letter in a month.

The month anniversary came. No letter. We waited 3 days and my wife called again. This time an even longer wait. They said ‘Oh, you should get a letter by March 15‘. I was getting worried. We went down to the local SSA Office in Concord and waited in line. They were MOST HELPFUL. We spoke to two agents. They both said: ‘there is something wrong‘. They then also went onto say: ‘we can’t fix it here. It has to be fixed in Baltimore and you are looking at at least 2 months‘. That would have put us beyond April. I asked if there was anything else we could do. They said you could try contacting one of the US representatives or Senators. I decided to contact Mrs. Shaheen given that we have always been very impressed with her. We wrote to the D.C. office. Within 72 hours we had a call. We had to sign and return a ‘release’ form so that they could contact SSA on our behalf. We did that forthwith. Cara, from Dover, handled all of this graciously — always supportive, ever helpful. On March 19 we got an amended SSA-1099, with the offset $58,958 less than that originally reported. I had time to do our taxes.

Thank you Mrs. Shaheen, Cara …, all at Mrs. Shaheen’s multiple offices, and all those at SSA that helped us out. [Yes, my wife has had two lawyers. The ever impeccable Shawn Nichols of Wescott, Dyer, Fitzgerald, & Nichols, PA, who handled her Workman's Comp and another who handled the SS hearing. My wife contacted them both. There was nothing they could do. This problem had to be fixed by the SSA.] So, I hope this helps anybody else that finds themselves in a similar bind.

Resounding Endorsement to the ‘Red Arrow Diner’, Manchester, NH (Not That They Need One From Me)

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…by Anura Guruge

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Click image for the 'redarrowdiner.com' Web site

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Given that I am far from being a fussy eater (especially since I stopped being primarily carnivorous) I generally do not rave or disparage eating establishments. Provided that they are not downright rude to me (as was the case once at a pretensions Alton restaurant that did not like the color of my skin), I tend to be an uncomplaining, undemanding, habitually polite, always proper diner that goes out of my way to be pleasant to the servers and generally tip above the norm. Given that for much of my life, when I traveled way more than most, I frequented eateries on a routine basis, I tend not to get too worked up about most restaurants. Kind of ambivalent. But, today was an exception. Part of it was that it was so serendipitous.

We had hoped to go to the Currier Museum in the morning and then see ‘Lorax‘, in 3-D, at 4pm in Concord. Though I had called them up on Friday they forgot to mention that they would be closed on Sunday for Easter! I though about going to Parker’s Maple Barn not having visited it in a decade. But it was Easter and I knew that the wait time would be in hours. So, I drove around Manchester seeing inspiration. I turned into Lowell St. (off Elm) since what used to be my favorite restaurant in NH was on the street — ‘Richard’s Bistro‘ (that has now changed hands with Richard’s retirement). My wife, Deanna, ‘spotted’ the diner. We have drive by it hundreds of times before but had never really taken mush notice of it given its unprepossessing exterior. We all fancied a good meal in a diner. I had pancakes in mind.

It was noon and it was packed. People lined up against the wall waiting for one of the five tables (each capable of seating four). We decided to wait. It was warm and pleasant enough. They had good music. We waited about 25 minutes for a table. The kids were remarkably patient.

The food was exceptional — and coming from me, that means a lot. The portions were generous, it looked it, it tasted right, the prices were realistic and the service divine.

I had their ‘famous’ pork pie with banana pancakes, scrambled eggs and baked beans. It was very good. Deanna, as is her wont, had a BLT with fries. It was huge and had to have been beyond good because she, uncharacteristically, ate it all. Usually we bring some home. Devanee had Belgium waffles (with the works) and Teischan, one fussy and finicky eater, had a Mickey Mouse chocolate chip pancake with bacon. They both cleaned their plates. That is even rarer than Deanna finishing a BLT in one sitting. That alone was memorable to me.

We were served by a bright and cheerful young man. High school student; the owner’s son. He said he loved working their and it showed. All the others were fun too.

Now, this is one place that does NOT need my endorsement. Judging from the pictures and newspaper clippings on the walls, not to mention the name plaques of famous people that had sat in those chairs, they are BEYOND famous. [Al Gore had sat in my seat, which made me happy.] Check them out. You won’t regret it. I am sure of that.

One day I really should also write about Richard’s. I first went there in 1997 having heard about it from a local contact. I was blown away. Over the next decade I frequented it frequently. I got to know Richard who was a wonderful person. I would coax business clients staying in Boston to drive up for dinner there. Without exception all would say that it was well worth the 1-hour drive from Boston! Two well heeled clients, one a CEO from London and another a V.P. from Dallas said it was one of the best meals they have ever had. That is mighty praise. Well, the Red Arrow is a different experience, but to me it ranks among one of the best I have had in a long time. Thank you.

Destination Imagination (DI) New Hampshire, Appraiser Conflicts of Interest Bothers Me

I have a long, and until now very positive, history with New Hampshire Destination Imagination (NH-DI). All 4 of my kids have taken part in DI. Consequently, I have been involved one way or another with NH-DI since 1996. My son, who did NH-DI for four-years, won State twice, in 1999 and 2001, and went onto DI Global Finals in Knoxville, TN.

Last year I was an Assistant Team Manager. This year my wife and I were both Team Managers. I was also an Appraiser and appraised at the Sanborn Regionals (Kingston) on March 17, 2012. My wife and I both attended DI Team Manager training workshops this year, and I, in addition, did the online Team Manager and DI Appraiser training offered by the ‘DI University’. [That our 11-year old ended up as the Gnome at Kingston was a bonus.]

So, I have no axe to grind with NH-DI. I have been a great proponent of NH-DI and have enjoyed being a part of NH-DI.

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So what is my gripe?

When my elementary team competed on March 10, 2012, at the Kearsarge (N. Sutton) Regional Meet, in the ‘Coming Attractions’ challenge, I was shocked to see that two of the appraisers were from our school! One of them had even attended our last dress rehearsal the week before and had spoken at length with the kids about their performance.

Until that point it had never crossed my mind that NH-DI permitted such Conflicts of Interest.

Right after their performance the kids (ranging in age from 8 to 11) asked me how it was possible that they were judged by two of their teachers! They found it incongruous.

We did not do well in the challenge, mainly due to stage fright. But, we came 4th out of 10. Here are the results. Given the blatant Conflict of Interest we feel that there should be an asterisk next to our placing! We don’t feel good about it because we know of the Conflict.

So there is my issue. Plain and simple. NH-DI should let all concerned know, from the get go, that it is possible to have Conflicts of Interest when it comes to appraising. That is it. Period.

I just want transparency. NH-DI should publish a list of all the appraisers and their affiliations. That way everything is all above board.

Yes, many sports employ ‘partial’ judges and Olympic ice skating and free style skiing comes to mind. But, the affiliations of the judges are always disclosed.

To me, having these secret conflicts of interest totally undermine the integrity and credibility of NH-DI.

In my opinion, it is not fair on the kids. They put a lot of effort into the competition. Let them have a perfectly level playing field — SANS suspicions of Conflicts of Interest.

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What have I done?

Right after the competition, on March 14, 2012, I e-mailed Jim Heedles the Regional Master for that event. I also contacted, via e-mail, Kara Swedlow, the NH-DI the Affiliate Director. They, for obvious reasons, want to play down this issue. I also tried AskDI@dihq.org but they just referred me back to NH-DI!

I have also spoken, by e-mail and in person when I attended the March 17 event, with a number of NH-DI officials. All of them expressed ‘surprise’ at what I had to say and ‘promised’ to look into it. But, nothing has happened — and I can fully appreciate that NH-DI does not want their results and reputation to be compromised.

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The young lady coordinating my appraising on March 17 had asked me via e-mails whether I had any conflicts of interests. I informed her that I had none at the meet that I was officiating — but told her what had happened at the March 10 meet. She assured me that they try very had to avoid such conflicts.

So imagine my shock when one of the appraisers I was judging with, on March 17, informed us that he was a teacher at the school that had just performed — and he had appraised!

I spoke with the coordinator. She was aware of it, but said that the teacher had assured her that he did not know any of the kids in that team.

Come on! All I am asking for is transparency. With DI there should never be any doubts or suspicions that the kids did not get a fair shake of the stick.

Thanks for reading this. I feel much better now that I have got this off my chest.

Anura Guruge