Our "Doctor Who" hero apparently remained in the Queen City through the devastating February 2010 wind storm, which in addition to felling trees and power lines across the state, also destroyed The Doctor's means of transportation, something the Daleks and a whole host of other nonfriendly alien types have been attempting to do for some time:

I speak, of course, of the Manchester Knit Bomber, who began decortaing downtown parking meters, light poles and street signs with colorful yarn designs earlier this week—at least that's when this parking meter in front of the Association of Bosniaks of New Hampshire, 62 Merrimack St., was first brought to my attention:

And then, not 30 minutes later, I was informed of another such installation a block or so away in front of The ARK Church at 45 Manchester St.:

Alas, this what we here in the Granite State are stuck with:

And here in Manchester, our city flag is just as boring:

And while I'm certainly no fan of the former Alaska governor, I have to admit her New Hampshire strategy is refreshingly unique. While potential rivals like Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty (T-PAW!) are busy with book signings and meetings with business owners here in the Granite State, Palin opted to open a gas station at 15 Willow St. to prove to Granite Staters that she has actual experience when it comes to job creation and stimulating the economy. 

Now according to the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office, the aforementioned gas station is owned by a one Tanveer Akhter, but anyone with half a brain can see right through that not-so-clever ruse. I mean, for starters, just look at the name of the place:

You'll also notice that the former Mayor of Wasilla got all "maverick-y" with spelling of "Maverick," at least on the awning above the gas pumps. I mean, who needs that elitist, East Coast, uppity correct spelling, anyway?

 I'm on to you, Sarah. Momma didn't raise no fool.

Video recording devices are everywhere, it seems. And given the paranoia that has existed in this country since 9/11, this isn't much of a surprise, I suppose, especially inside — and even outside — U.S. government installations like the Norris Cotton Federal Building:

Likewise, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to find cameras surveilling the perimeter of the Manchester Police Department:

The above color-coded map showing the concentration of Manchester kids in private school was created for The New York Times' Mapping America project, with data from 2005-2009 gleaned from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

The North End also leads the city in the percentage of residents who have a minimum of a bachelor's degree, at an average of 47 percent for the city's three northern most east side census tracts. The Center City and lower West Side have the lowest rates, with a low of 5 percent in the West Granite/Squog neighborhood:

Amid the hubbub of Hanukkah and Christmas, it’s hard to escape the public trappings that come along with the holidays: the shopping, the decorations and the music. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining (except maybe about the nonstop Christmas tunes playing on every other music station these days): Manchester, NH, can use all the cheer we can muster as the city begins its annual transformation into a frozen hellscape. So bring on the Christmas lights, Christmas trees and especially the giant menorah outside the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire on Beech Street:

Still, I wonder what how our neighbors of other religions feel about all the fuss.

Ecumenically and otherwise, the city’s other religions are a pretty quiet bunch. Of the “other” religions practiced in Manchester, NH, the Muslims probably have the highest profile, though that’s not saying much. The Islamic Society of Greater Manchester occupies basement digs in the plaza on the corner of Maple and Valley streets, a space that’s all but invisible. Indeed, the only way you’d know it’s there is if you happened to notice the group’s name at the far bottom of the sign outside:

Truth be told, by gifting Organizing for Social Change: the Midwest Academy Manual for Social Activists you’d be doing double gift duty by benefiting not just your Mancunian giftee, but Manchester itself.

For Organizing for Social Change is probably the best book on the market these days that provides the reader the fundamentals of direct action organizing. And Manchester, NH, could use a little more organizing.

Community organizing came to the forefront of our political discourse during the 2008 presidential campaign, when Sarah Palin, et al, derided Obama’s organizing background.

For those who are still unfamiliar with community organizers, they can be defined as those who identify "leaders in a community and then helps those people tackle local problems. They research possible solutions, teach people how to figure out who can help and how to explain their concerns, then try to pressure the powerful into taking action."

As a professional community organizer myself,

That's why when I need a new pair of running shoes I make a bee line to Runner's Alley, where the employees are actually runners who know overpronation from underpronation in addition to what shoe is best for each:

Local businesses, especially specialty shops like Runners Alley, employ folks who are, generally speaking, more knowledgeable about their products than their chain counterparts. And when I'm spending upwards of $100 on a pair of shoes, I want that level of expertise.

I've been making more of an attempt to shop locally the past few years. For while I might pay a few more bucks than at the national chains for the same purchases, those extra dollars are more likely to stay here in Manchester, NH, rather than heading off to corporate headquarters and shareholders across the world.

And I like that. And, apparently, so do the more than one million people who like Small Business Saturday (today) on Facebook.

But shopping locally isn't always easy here in Manchester, NH. Sure, I can pick up my nails and super glue at LeBlanc's Hardware and cat food at Pawsitive Pet Nutrition, but where in the Queen City can I buy a stroller or a pair of jeans and still support a local business?

So I'm curious: what are your favorite locally-owned stores? What do you buy there, and why?

When I moved to Manchester, NH, six years ago this month, I chose to do my banking with Citizens Bank for simple reason that their Elm Street headquarters and adjacent ATMs were just two blocks from my office. I've thought about switching to St. Mary's, Manchester’s hometown credit union, but have never actually gotten around to it.

Now if it were a matter of simply moving an account or two to St. Mary’s I would probably have done so a few years ago. But it’s not that simple. For not only would I have to close my Citizens accounts and move the money to St. Mary’s, I would also have to set up a new direct deposit procedure and switch all of my online bill payments, up to and including the bank draft that takes care of my mortgage payment automatically.

In short, it would be a hassle, which is why I haven’t taken the leap heretofore. But that’s about to change, and it took a trip to Scotland to give me the push I needed.

Being that Citizens Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), I assumed (naively, as it turned out), that I would not be charged foreign ATM fees if I used my Citizens Bank debit card to withdraw money from RBS cash machines. Sadly, that's not the case. In fact, a friendly Citizens employee informed me, I would be charged by both Citizens and RBS for the privilege of using RBS equipment, even though they’re the same company!

Unbelievable.

I know banks are in business to make money, and I’m okay with that, but come on. In addition to RBS making major bank as part of the biggest bailout in the world, they also own the money, literally. Check out this £5 note I picked up in Scotland — it was issued by none other than RBS itself:

You’ll notice the logo above the bank's name. This is the same logo used by Citizens Bank (officially RBS Citizens, N.A.):