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We all scream for ice cream
By Hippo Staff letters@hippopress.com

Rain aside, the season of hot and muggy is here. And what better to go with steamy days and nights than ice cream?

What is merely a delicious treat in other parts of the country has been elevated to an art form here, with local ice cream makers turning out flavors that rival any national premium ice cream. To celebrate this holiday weekend — or any weekend when you need a cool taste of something sweet — we give you your local ice cream spots, from the places that make their own to the places that serve up scoops from some of the best ice cream makers in the area.

PEOPLE: Two-way property tax
Pay more for land, less for building, UNH prof says
By Jeff Mucciarone jmucciarone@hippopress.com

University of New Hampshire Professor Richard England has a theory for tax reform: tax the land more, and the buildings less. England isn’t calling for the elimination of a property tax, but he’s thinking it would make sense to give communities an option to enact a two-way property tax that taxes land at a higher rate than buildings. A move in that direction, particularly for urban areas in need of new development, would promote smart growth, reduce sprawl and speed development, he says. England co-edited the new book published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Land Value Taxation: Theory, Evidence and Practice.

THEATER: Robots!
Locals create new musical robot comedy
By Heidi Masek hmasek@hippopress.com

With the tagline “Can a chip-for-brains save the galaxy?,” a robot is center stage in a locally made new musical comedy, Hot Buttons.

LONGSHOTS: Declaring independence of how others play the game
by Dave Long

I was watching The Patriot with Mel Gibson on TV Sunday night and my mind drifted to wondering what it must have been like at the time of the Revolutionary War. If you haven’t seen the film, it’s a fictional story inspired by the real-life Swamp Fox, Francis Marion, who kept General Cornwallis and the British at bay in South Carolina during the Revolution.

POP: Dork vs. Dork: Public Enemies
Myah!  You’ll never take Capt. Jack Sparrow alive, Batman! Never, ya hear me! Myah!
By Glenn Given production@hippopress.com & Dan Szczesny dszczesny@hippopress.com

Oh, hello, Public Enemies, I liked you better when you were called Heat. Does Michael Mann seriously think he can rehash the De Niro/Pacino avant-crime thriller that put him on the map just by hurling his one notable concept into the 1930s?

FOOD: The art of the sandwich
La Javanaise offers unique flavors between bread
By Linda A. Thompson-Odum food@hippopress.com

Restaurant owner William Heng faced a dilemma. He wanted to change the menu at his Hot Rize Café in Merrimack to include some unique handcrafted sandwiches, but the restaurant’s menu does well with its established clientele. So instead he opened a second restaurant — La Javanaise in Nashua.

TECHIE: Down with Paint
Anything Windows can do, free can do better
By John “jaQ” Andrews  jandrews@hippopress.com

Hiding out in the Accessories folder of your Windows Start menu, there are some fun and/or useful little tools. Microsoft included them years ago and hasn’t put much thought into them since, so of course there are better alternatives out there now.