2013, 13th Annual Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Competition (PHOTO'S)

Another great year of Sand Sculpting this year at Hampton Beach NH.  I shot a few photo's of the great works!  Enjoy!  Click on any photo to view in a larger slide show format.

Tractor Supply - Free Shipping on Riding and Zero Turn Mowers

East about to be overrun by billions of cicadas - Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

East about to be overrun by billions of cicadas - Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

10th Anniversary of the Fall of "The Old Man of the Mountain" May 3, 2003

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on any photo on this page for a larger view

New Hampshire's iconic Old Man of the Mountain fell to the ground 10 years ago on May 3, 2003.

The Old Man of the Mountain, was a series of granite ledges on Cannon Mountain in Franconia Notch.

The Old Man was first observed, in modern times, in 1805. Referring to the sighting, Daniel Webster wrote, "Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoemakers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but in the mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men."

In 1832, Nathaniel Hawthorne visited the formation and dubbed it, "The Great Stone Face."

The Old Man became a symbol of New Hampshire, as depicted on a 1955 stamp.

The Old Man was also featured on the New Hampshire State quarter in 2000, three years before its collapse.

At least two presidents have visited the Old Man: President Ulysses S. Grant in 1869 and President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1955, the 150th "anniversary" of the Old Man's discovery.

Throughout the 1900's, efforts were made to keep the Old Man intact.

Freezing and thawing opened fissures in the Old Man's forehead. By the 1920s, the crack was wide enough to be mended with chains, and in 1957 the state legislature passed a $25,000 appropriation for a more elaborate weatherproofing, using 20 tons of fast-drying cement, plastic covering, and steel rods and turnbuckles, plus a concrete gutter to divert runoff from above.  In 1958, the Old Man underwent it's major repair work as part of the $25,000 appropriation from the state for improved weatherproofing.  A team from the state highway and park divisions maintained the patchwork each summer.

Nevertheless, the formation collapsed to the ground between midnight and 2 a.m., May 3, 2003. Dismay over the collapse was so great that people left flowers at the base of the cliffs in tribute. In 2004, the state legislature considered a proposal to change New Hampshire's state flag to include the profile, an idea that was eventually shelved.

The Profile Plaza was later built. The plaza includes seven profilers, which allow visitors to view the image of the Old Man back on the side of Cannon Mountain.

TIMELINE OF THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN

17th millennium BC–6th millennium BC — An ice sheet recedes from North America, substantially reshaping the mountains, rerouting the rivers, and creating lakes and ponds found on the northern part of the continent.

8th millennium BC — New England undergoes the Wisconsin glaciation, the most recent ice age. Glaciers cover New England and post-glacial erosion creates the cliff which would subsequently erode into the Old Man of the Mountain at Franconia Notch.

1805 — Francis Whitcomb and Luke Brooks, part of a Franconia surveying crew, are the first white settlers to record observing the Old Man, according to the official New Hampshire history.

1832 — Author Nathaniel Hawthorne visits the area and later publishes a story called "The Great Stone Face".

1866 — The "Old Man of the Mountain,"-- A Daring and Ingenious Deaf Mute. - View Article - NYTimes.com http://ow.ly/kIREr

1869 — President Ulysses S. Grant visits the formation.

1906 — The Reverend Guy Roberts of Massachusetts is the first to publicize signs of deterioration of the formation.

1916 — New Hampshire Governor Rolland H. Spaulding begins a concerted state effort to preserve the formation.

1945 — The Old Man is made the New Hampshire State Emblem.

1955 — President Dwight D. Eisenhower visits the profile as part of the Old Man's 150th "birthday" celebration.

1958 — Major repair work to the Old Man's forehead as a result of a legislative appropriation the previous year.

1965 — Niels Nielsen, a state highway worker, becomes unofficial guardian of the profile, in an effort to protect the formation from vandalism and the ravages of the weather.[10]

1973 — U.S. Senator Norris Cotton (R-NH) proposes a "parkway" instead of an interstate highway through Franconia Notch. Fear that blasting for the interstate would bring down the Old Man was one of the main reasons for the proposal.

1986 — Vandalizing the Old Man is classified as a crime under the state criminal mischief law. Under the law (RSA 634:2 VI) it is a misdemeanor for any person to vandalize, deface or destroy any part of the Old Man, with a penalty of a fine of between $1,000 and $3,000 and restitution to the state for any damage caused.[11]

1987 — Nielsen is named the official caretaker of the Old Man by the state of New Hampshire.

1988 — A 12-mile (19 km) stretch of Interstate 93 (which also runs jointly with U.S. Route 3 through the notch) opens below Cannon Mountain. The $56 million project, which took 30 years to build, was a compromise between the government's desire for a four-lane interstate and environmentalists who sought to limit impact on the notch.

1991 — David Nielsen, son of Niels Nielsen, becomes the official caretaker of the Old Man.

2000 — The Old Man is featured on the state quarter of New Hampshire.

2003 — The Old Man collapses.

2004 — Coin-operated viewfinders are installed to show how the Old Man looked before its collapse.

2007 — Design of an Old Man of the Mountain memorial announced.

2010 — First phase of the state-sanctioned "Old Man of the Mountain Memorial" is unveiled.

COWARDS One Dead and One Captured #BostonMarathon #BostonStrong

Suspect #1 - DEAD 3/18/13

Suspect #1 - CAPTURED 3/19/13

1-800-CALL-FBI

These are the main two suspects that the FBI has identified as the main players in the Boston Marathon bombing.  

They are to be considered ARMED and DANGEROUS and should not be approached under any circumstances.  

Please use the contact information at the bottom of this post if you can contribute any information.








Other photo's are available at:  FBI — Photos http://ow.ly/kcM6T

Resources

To Provide Tips in the Investigation If you have visual images, video, and/or details regarding the explosions along the Boston Marathon route and elsewhere, submit them on https://bostonmarathontips.fbi.gov/. No piece of information or detail is too small.  You can also call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), prompt #3, with information. All media inquiries should be directed to the FBI’s National Press Office at (202) 324-3691. - Boston FBI - Boston Police Depart

WATERTOWN, Mass. (AP) - Lifting days of anxiety for a city and a nation on edge, police captured the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect, found bloodied in a backyard boat Friday night less than 24 hours after a wild car chase and gun battle that left his older brother dead and Boston and its suburbs sealed in an extraordinary dragnet.

"We got him," Boston Mayor Tom Menino tweeted. A cheer erupted from a crowd gathered near the scene.

"CAPTURED!!!" police added later. "The hunt is over. The search is done. The terror is over. And justice has won. Suspect in custody."

During a long night of violence Thursday and into Friday, brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev killed an MIT police officer, severely wounded another lawman and hurled explosives at police in a desperate getaway attempt, authorities said.

Late Friday, less than an hour after authorities said the search for Dzhokhar had proved fruitless, they tracked down the 19-year-old college student holed up in the boat, weakened by a gunshot wound after fleeing on foot from the overnight shootout with police that left 200 spent rounds behind.

He was hospitalized in serious condition, unable to be questioned about his motives.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died in the shootout early in the day. At one point, he was run over by his younger brother in a car as he lay wounded, according to investigators.

The violent endgame unfolded four days after the bombing and just a day after the FBI released surveillance-camera images of two young men suspected of planting the pressure-cooker explosives that ripped through the crowd at the marathon finish line, killing three people and wounding more than 180.

The two men were identified by authorities and relatives as ethnic Chechens from southern Russia who had been in the U.S. for about a decade and were believed to be living in Cambridge, Mass. But investigators gave no details on the motive for the attack.

President Barack Obama said the nation owes a debt of gratitude to law enforcement officials and the people of Boston for their help in the search. But he said there are many unanswered questions about the Boston bombings, including whether the two men had help from others. He urged people not to rush judgment about their motivations.

The breakthrough came when a man in a Watertown neighborhood saw blood on a boat parked in a yard and pulled back the tarp to see a man covered in blood, authorities said. The resident called 911 and when police arrived, they tried to talk the suspect into getting out of the boat, said Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis.

"He was not communicative," Davis said.

Instead, he said, there was an exchange of gunfire - the final volley of one of the biggest manhunts in American history.

Watertown residents who had been told in the morning to stay inside behind locked doors poured out of their homes and lined the streets to cheer police vehicles as they rolled away from the scene.

Celebratory bells rang from a church tower. Teenagers waved American flags. Drivers honked. Every time an emergency vehicle went by, people cheered loudly.

"They finally caught the jerk," said nurse Cindy Boyle. "It was scary. It was tense."

Police said three other people were taken into custody for questioning at an off-campus housing complex at the University of the Massachusetts at Dartmouth where the younger man may have lived.

"Tonight, our family applauds the entire law enforcement community for a job well done, and trust that our justice system will now do its job," said the family of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who died in the bombing.

The FBI was swamped with tips - 300,000 per minute - after the release of the surveillance-camera photos, but what role those played in the overnight clash was unclear. State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said police realized they were dealing with the bombing suspects based on what the two men told a carjacking victim during their night of crime.

The search by thousands of law enforcement officers all but paralyzed the Boston area for much of the day. Officials shut down all mass transit, including Amtrak trains to New York, advised businesses not to open, and warned close to 1 million people in the entire city and some of its suburbs to unlock their doors only for uniformed police.

Around midday, the suspects' uncle, Ruslan Tsarni of Montgomery Village, Md., pleaded on television: "Dzhokhar, if you are alive, turn yourself in and ask for forgiveness."

Until the younger man's capture, it was looking like a grim day for police. As night fell, they announced that they were scaling back the hunt and lifting the stay-indoors order across Boston and some of its suburbs because they had come up empty-handed.

But then the break came and within a couple of hours, the four-day ordeal was over. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured about a mile from the site of the shootout that killed his brother.

Chechnya has been the scene of two wars between Russian forces and separatists since 1994, in which tens of thousands were killed in heavy Russian bombing. That spawned an Islamic insurgency that has carried out deadly bombings in Russia and the region, although not in the West.

The older brother had strong political views about the United States, said Albrecht Ammon, 18, a downstairs-apartment neighbor in Cambridge. Ammon quoted Tsarnaev as saying that the U.S. uses the Bible as "an excuse for invading other countries."

Also, the FBI interviewed the older brother at the request of a foreign government in 2011, and nothing derogatory was found, according to a federal law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official did not identify the foreign country or say why it made the request.

Authorities said the man dubbed Suspect No. 1 - the one in sunglasses and a dark baseball cap in the surveillance-camera pictures - was Tamerlan Tsarnaev, while Suspect No. 2, the one in a white baseball cap worn backward, was his younger brother.

Exactly how the long night of crime began was unclear. But police said the brothers carjacked a man in a Mercedes-Benz in Cambridge, just across the Charles River from Boston, then released him unharmed at a gas station.

They also shot to death a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer, 26-year-old Sean Collier, while he was responding to a report of a disturbance, investigators said.

The search for the Mercedes led to a chase that ended in Watertown, where authorities said the suspects threw explosive devices from the car and exchanged gunfire with police. A transit police officer, 33-year-old Richard Donohue, was shot and critically wounded, authorities said.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev somehow slipped away. He ran over his already wounded brother as he fled, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation. At some point, he abandoned his car and ran away.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev died at a Boston hospital after suffering what doctors said were multiple gunshot wounds and a possible blast injury.

The brothers had built an arsenal of pipe bombs, grenades and improvised explosive devices and used some of the weapons in trying to make their getaway, said Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

Watertown resident Kayla Dipaolo said she was woken up overnight by gunfire and a large explosion that sounded "like it was right next to my head ... and shook the whole house."

She said she was looking at the front door when a bullet came through the side paneling. SWAT team officers were running all over her yard, she said.

"It was very scary," she said. "There are two bullet holes in the side of my house, and by the front door there is another."

Tamerlan Tsarnaev had studied accounting as a part-time student at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston for three semesters from 2006 to 2008, the school said.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was registered as a student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Students said he was on campus this week after the Boston Marathon bombing. The campus closed down Friday along with colleges around the Boston area.

The men's father, Anzor Tsarnaev, said in a telephone interview with AP from the Russian city of Makhachkala that his younger son, Dzhokhar, is "a true angel." He said his son was studying medicine.

"He is such an intelligent boy," the father said. "We expected him to come on holidays here."

The city of Cambridge announced two years ago that it had awarded a $2,500 scholarship to him. At the time, he was a senior at Cambridge Rindge & Latin School, a highly regarded public school whose alumni include Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing.

Tsarni, the men's uncle, said the brothers traveled here together from Russia. He called his nephews "losers" and said they had struggled to settle in the U.S. and ended up "thereby just hating everyone."

Art the osprey touches down in NH

Art the osprey touches down in NH | Local News - WMUR Home

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center

BRIDGEWATER, N.H. —Art, an 8-year-old osprey rigged with a global tracking device, has touched down at its summer nest in Bridgewater.

With a mix of high-pitched chirps and swooping dives, Art announced its arrival to its mate at their home atop an old, wooden electrical pole along the Pemigewasset River.

 Last year, researchers from the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center were able to attach a GPS tracking system to the bird that allowed them to study its winter migration.

 The osprey left its Bridgewater nest in September and traveled south to Florida, across the ocean to Cuba, then Haiti, then 400 miles over the Caribbean Ocean to South America, until finally landing in Brazil.

The trip lasted 38 days and covered almost 5,000 miles.

 Art's journey back to New Hampshire was 21 days and ended Wednesday morning with what experts call a "sky dance" just before 10 a.m.

Art's mate was waiting, and the two quickly got reacquainted with each other before Art went off to catch a fish.

Osprey expert Ian MacLeod said the two will mate hundreds of times in the next couple weeks before the female lays three to four eggs.

Art will provide the family with food during that time. By the end of the summer, the young will leave the nest, and a short time later, the pair will part, with Art heading back down to Brazil, where he'll spend the winter before his return trip to the same New Hampshire nest next spring.

Acadia National Park's Spring Opening Delayed By Budget Cuts

Spring will arrive a month later than normal at Acadia National Park, as budget cuts necessitated by the federal sequestration have forced park officials to delay opening roads and facilities.

In a bid to trim $390,000 from the park's $7.8 million budget, officials decided to extend the winter closure of park facilities for one month. Typically, the Park Loop Road and the Hulls Cove Visitor Center open on April 15. This year the Park Loop Road, including the Cadillac Summit Road, and Hulls Cove Visitor Center will not open until May 19. The Sieur de Monts Nature Center will not open until May 25.

Additionally, the cuts mean five permanent positions will not be filled this year, bringing to 23 the number of vacant permanent positions that funding reductions have forced the park staff to do without in recent years, park officials said in a release. On top of that, a dozen seasonal positions will not be hired this year, and 32 seasonal positions will have their appointments reduced between two and six weeks each.

The reduction imposed by sequestration is in addition to budget reductions realized in 2011 and 2012. To compensate for the decreased funding in 2011 and 2012, the park has reduced spending for travel, training, overtime and supply purchases. Additionally the park reduced the number of permanent employees, which left few options to compensate for the 2013 budget cuts. The only remaining alternative to achieve the 5 percent sequester cut is to reduce the level of visitor services that can be delivered this year.

Along with the delayed opening and staffing redutions, the number of free ranger-led programs will be reduced by 30 programs/week this year. Programs for which a fee is charged will continue unchanged from 2012 levels.

Seasonal staffing will be reduced across all operations. That means there will be fewer employees to provide visitor services and operate and maintain park facilities. As a result, there will be reduced hours of operation at the visitor center and Islesford Historical Museum; fewer school education programs; and fewer rangers to respond to emergencies, to provide visitor services, and to answer visitor questions.

Acadia officials say the direct impact to park visitors will be much less by opening facilities later in the season as compared to the alternative of closing facilities earlier in the fall. Visitation in April and May is approximately 220,000 visitors while visitation in September and October is 650,000.

No reopening in sight for Ellis Island

Iconic site damaged by Superstorm Sandy

The National Park Service announced that there is no projected reopening date for New York's iconic Ellis Island due to extensive damage it sustained during Superstorm Sandy last October.

This uncertainty comes days after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's announcement that the Statue of Liberty is set to reopen to the public by the Fourth of July.

Although there is little damage to the museum collection in the Immigration Building, there is significant damage to the infrastructure as a result of the storm, according to the National Park Service. During the storm, water filled the basement of the Immigration Building, and there was also significant damage to mechanical systems and the building's fire suppression system.

The National Park Service stated that it is "working hard to prioritize all the projects needed to reopen and will announce this information as soon as possible."

According to the National Park Service, Salazar stated that repairs to both Ellis Island and Liberty Island could cost as much as $59 million.

Located in Upper New York Bay, Ellis Island served as a gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States from 1892 until 1954. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum opened in 1990 and attracts 3 million visitors each year.

Stop Shell in America's Arctic!

The arctic is facing the double-whammy of climate change
impacts and oil drilling. Tell President Obama to address
both issues by immediately cancelling
Shell Oil's Arctic drilling permits - I did!

To take action on this issue, click on the link below:
http://action.sierraclub.org/site/Advocacy?s_oo=5fMfG5mxEGINVRFdYpHg1w&id=10049
If the text above does not appear as a link or it wraps across multiple lines, then copy and paste it into the address area of your browser.

Cars line up for $2.99 gas in Epping | Local News - WMUR Home

Cars line up for $2.99 gas in Epping | Local News - WMUR Home

 ......On Saturday, the Next Level Church in Epping stepped in to help alleviate some of the drivers’ pain.

 "I love it. I think it's great," said Bonnie Fallow, of Raymond. "This was our opportunity to show the people in this community that we care about them," said Lead Pastor Joshua Gagnon.

 On Saturday, the church bought 3,000 gallons of regular gas at the current price. It then teamed up with a local Sunoco to sell the gas for $2.99 a gallon.

 "That's a good gesture by them. It's going to help people around here a lot," said Greg Champoux, of Raymond.

 "It's wonderful. It's awesome. I seen it on the news last night, and I told my kids, ‘See, when people give back, good things happen,’" Fallow told News 9.

 Cars lined up, stretching more than two blocks as word spread about the event.

 "I'm glad I got here early," said Karen Drelick, of Newmarket.

 "We expected a lot of people. I don't think gas has been at $2.99 for some time," said Gagnon.......

Ice Climber Killed In Mount Washington Avalanche « CBS Boston

Ice Climber Killed In Mount Washington Avalanche « CBS Boston

Walmart Caught Shortchanging Customers Using Gift Receipts

Walmart Caught Shortchanging Customers Using Gift Receipts:



Walmart's slogan is save money; live better. But you could actually lose money if you return an item using a gift receipt. Karen Anderson reports.

Sure go ahead and regift that present your friend bought for you at Walmart, but whatever you do, don't return it. The world's largest retailer is apparently slacking off on giving full refunds to customers with gift receipts, at least according to a recent report by CBS Boston.

When a producer from the network attempted to return a TV originally purchased for $248 using a gift receipt, she was only able to get back $228 -- the unit's new on-sale price. A cashier told her simply that the register "will just generate however much [the original buyer] paid for it,” even though in this case the original purchase price was higher. This is far from the first time such allegations have been made against Walmart.

Last year, the same CBS affiliate aired similar reports that Walmart was shortchanging customers on gift receipts. The confusion may have to do with the simple fact that such receipts don't show how much money was originally paid for an item.

Consumer advocate Edgar Dworsky says he doesn't think Walmart is perpetrating the scam on purpose, but the retailer clearly has a problem on its hands.

 “The best scam is when you don’t even know you’ve been taken,” Dworsky told CBS Boston....... MORE: http://ow.ly/gY8hq

Avalanche Advisory for Sunday 1-20-2013 » Mount Washington Avalanche Center

Avalanche Advisory for Sunday 1-20-2013 » Mount Washington Avalanche Center



This advisory expires at 12:00 midnight, January 20, 2013

All forecast areas of Tuckerman Ravine have Moderate avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are unlikely and human triggered avalanches are possible. The only exceptions to this rating are the Lower Snowfields and Little Headwall, which have Low avalanche danger. In these two locations, natural and human triggered avalanches are unlikely.

All forecast areas of Huntington Ravine have Moderate avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are unlikely and human triggered avalanches are possible. The only exception to this rating is Escape Hatch, which has Low avalanche danger.

Escape Outside: Learn to ski and snowboard for free in NH Beginning Jan. 12

Learn to ski and snowboard for free in NH | Escape Outside - WMUR Home

PARTICIPATING DOWNHILL SKI AREAS FOR 2013:
Bretton Woods (age 13+)
Cannon Mountain (age 13+)
Cranmore Mountain Resort (age 13+)
Dartmouth Skiway (age 13+)
Granite Gorge (age 5+, Sunday only)
Gunstock Mountain Resort (age 6+)
King Pine at Purity Spring Resort (age 13+)
Loon Mountain (age 13+, Sunday-Friday only)
Pats Peak (age 6+, Monday-Thursday only)
Ragged Mountain (age 13+)
Waterville Valley (age 7+)

PARTICIPATING CROSS-COUNTRY SKI AREAS FOR 2013:
Bretton Woods XC (age 6+)
Dartmouth XC (age 6+)
Great Glen Trails (age 6+, Monday-Friday only)
Gunstock Mountain Resort (age 6+)
Jackson XC (age 13+, Sunday-Friday only)
Purity Spring Resort XC and Snowshoe Reserve (age 13+)
Waterville Valley (age 7+)
To get more information call Ski NH at 603-745-9396 or send an email to info@skinh.com.


Read more: http://www.wmur.com/news/sports/escape-outside/Learn-to-ski-and-snowboard-for-free-in-NH/-/17752420/17987476/-/vqanap/-/index.html#ixzz2GuyLIsKc

2 p.m. Saturday storm update

Latest Fox Forcast 2 p.m. Saturday storm update: Fox 25 meteorologist Sarah Wroblewski provides an update for the snow storm moving through Mass. Saturday

Final goodbye: Roll call of some who died in 2012

Dick Clark

Neil Armstrong would always be taking that first step onto the moon, and Dick Clark was forever "the world's oldest teenager." Some of the notables who died in 2012 created images in our minds that remained unchanged over decades.

Sadly, for others an established image was shattered by a fall from grace. Whitney Houston ruled as a queen of pop music, but years of hard living harmed her voice while erratic behavior and a troubled marriage took a toll on her image. And Joe Paterno, Penn State's longtime coach, won more games than anyone in major college football, but was ultimately fired amid a molestation scandal involving an assistant coach that scarred his reputation.

Whitney Houston

Some whose deaths we noted weren't known by image or even name but by contributions that changed our lives — like Eugene Polley, inventor of the first wireless TV remote control, and Norman Joseph Woodland, co-inventor of the bar code that labels nearly every product in stores. Other scientists who died in 2012 included Lowell Randall, Martin Fleischmann, F. Sherwood Rowland, George Cowan and Bernard Lovell.

Among the political figures who died were George McGovern, Democrat presidential nominee who lost to Richard Nixon in a historic landslide, and ex-Sen. Arlen Specter, the outspoken Pennsylvania centrist. Others from the world of politics: Bill Janklow, Norodom Sihanouk, Charles "Chuck" Colson, Warren B. Rudman, Andrew Breitbart and Miguel de la Madrid, and most recently "Stormin' " Norman Scwarzkopf.

Larry Hagman

"Stormin' " Norman Scwarzkopf

The year saw the deaths of a number of TV stars including Larry Hagman, who played oil baron J.R. Ewing on "Dallas," and Jack Klugman, often remembered as the messy one of the 1970s roommates in "The Odd Couple"

Others in entertainment and the arts who died included: Etta James, Andy Griffith, Ernest Borgnine, Sherman Hemsley, Maurice Sendak, Donna Summer, Robin Gibb, Doc Watson, Richard Dawson, Nora Ephron, Phyllis Diller, Michael Clarke Duncan, Don Cornelius, Jan Berenstain, Ravi Shankar and Dave Brubeck.

Here is a roll call of some of the people who died in 2012. (Cause of death cited for younger people if available.):

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

Read more: http://ow.ly/gqk5V

Final goodbye: Roll call of some who died in 2012 - Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

Life is Good!

Life is Good!

Enjoy your family and friends!

I Saw this heart warming story today and thought I would share! Merry Christmas to everyone!

Local Police Convoy Heads To Virginia To Deliver Cards To Boy Fighting Cancer

Police cruisers lined up for the journey to
Virginia Wednesday. (Photo courtesy: Seekonk Police)

BOSTON (CBS) – If you saw a massive police convoy on a local highway Wednesday morning, it‘s for a good cause.

About 250 officers from all over New England gathered at the Burlington Mall before sunrise to take part in a ride to Virginia.

Follow this story on twitter: http://ow.ly/gedMG

Read the rest of the story here:
http://ow.ly/gec7I

---
Merry Christmas!

We can't let it happen

From: "Tom Kiernan, NPCA" <takeaction@npca.org>

To: All Outdoors People
Sent: December 8, 2012 9:00 AM
Subject: We can't let it happen

Viewing this on a mobile device? Click here to double your gift. Double your support to protect the parks. Dear Reader, There's never been a better time to protect the parks with a gift to the National Parks Conservation Association. Thanks to an extraordinary matching gift from a generous former member of NPCA's Board of Trustees, any online donation you make between now and midnight, December 31 will be doubled … up to $300,000! Think about it. By giving today, you'll give twice as much to NPCA and all of our ongoing efforts to protect America's beloved national parks. So don't waste another minute! Take a moment right now to make a tax-deductible year-end gift to NPCA. In just a few short weeks—unless Congress can reach a budget agreement—our national parks could be subjected to a devastating across-the-board sequester that would slash budgets by 8 percent or more. And even if we can avoid the sequester, we could still see equally drastic cuts proposed for parks down the road. The effects would be dire: thousands of park ranger positions eliminated, school trips cancelled, visitor centers and campgrounds closed. Even worse, entire parks could be shut down indefinitely! We simply can't let this happen. We have to remind our lawmakers how vitally important our national parks are, both as economic engines and as harbors of our natural, cultural, and historical heritage. But to make that case as powerfully as we can, we need the help of special friends like you. By taking advantage of this limited time matching-gift opportunity, you will give NPCA the resources we need to defend parks in the halls of Congress and around the country wherever they are most threatened. These are dangerous times for America's national parks. But with your help, we can rise to the enormous challenges awaiting us in 2013 and safeguard these exceptional places for many generations to come. Please make your special year-end tax-deductible gift today so your support will go twice as far to help us protect the parks! Sincerely, Thomas C. Kiernan President P.S. Your tax-deductible gift will be matched up to $300,000 ... but only until midnight December 31. I hope you will take advantage of this great opportunity to double your gift for the parks! If you prefer to send your gift by mail, please be sure to enclose this PDF donation form to make sure you gift is matched. Thank you!

E-mail us at TakeAction@npca.org, write to us at 777 6th Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20001, or call us at 800.NAT.PARK (800.628.7275). Can't see this message? View it on the NPCA Website.

NPCA | 777 6th Street, NW | Suite 700 | Washington, DC 20001 | 800.NAT.PARK | npca@npca.org

PUBLIC'S HELP SOUGHT IN FINDING MOOSE POACHER IN BERLIN, N.H.

LANCASTER, N.H. -- N.H. Fish and Game Conservation Officers are seeking help from the public in identifying suspect(s) in the case of a moose killed illegally in Berlin, N.H., and left to rot.

On the evening of November 30, 2012, authorities from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department were alerted to the presence of a dead moose off Kilkenny Loop Road in the town of Berlin. Arriving on scene, Conservation Officer Geoff Younglove discovered one of the most egregious cases of poaching that Conservation Officers have seen in the North Country this year. A mature cow moose lay in the woods approximately 30 yards from the road, having died from multiple gunshot wounds. Tracks in the snow confirmed that an individual had walked up to the moose, fired a final shot into the animal’s head, and then simply walked away. No meat had been removed from the animal.

Conservation Officers were able to recover evidence from the scene and are continuing a vigorous investigation into this incident. As an integral part of the investigation, Conservation Officers are asking for the public’s help in generating leads and possibly identifying suspects. Authorities believe that the moose was most likely shot either Wednesday, November 27, or Thursday, November 28. Although evidence in the snow indicated that only one person had walked up to the moose, it is believed that multiple people may be involved with this incident.

Anyone with information that may be relevant to this case is asked to call N.H. Fish and Game's Region 1 Office in Lancaster at 603-788-4850, N.H. Fish and Game Dispatch at 603-271-3361 or Operation Game Thief at 1-800-344-4262. Online tips may also be received through the Operation Game Thief website, http://www.HUNTNH.com/OGT. Callers may choose to remain anonymous, and all information is welcomed.

NH FISH AND GAME ACQUIRES BOAT ACCESS SITE ON LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE

CONCORD, N.H. -- On November 21, 2012, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department purchased a private marina known as Downing’s Landing at the southern tip of Alton Bay. That means Fish and Game, after many years, has finally acquired a boat access facility on Lake Winnipesaukee, the state’s largest lake.

"This is exciting news for New Hampshire's outdoor enthusiasts because it creates the first state-owned and controlled public boat ramp with parking on Lake Winnipesaukee," said Fish and Game Executive Director Glenn Normandeau. "For years, we've wanted to provide the public with a boat access site on the big lake, and I am thrilled that we've been able to do it."

The Downing's Landing facility includes an existing boat launch with paved parking for vehicles with trailers, as well as a handful of cartop parking spaces. The site includes two buildings and several docks that will allow for excellent shorebank fishing opportunities, particularly during the spring salmon season. The facility will be open to the public for launching boats and shorebank fishing with no fee.

The site may be temporarily closed while Fish and Game transitions ownership and determines what maintenance and repairs are necessary. Since the general use of the property will not change, it seems to be for the most part a "turnkey" facility that can be opened to the public with minimal work. This is quite different from most acquisitions of undeveloped property, which can take months or even years of planning, permitting and construction before a boat access site can be opened to the public.

In the near term, parking configurations will be evaluated and maximized for the upcoming boating season. Future renovations will be planned as Fish and Game moves forward. Improvements may include dock repairs and installation of a newer concrete boat ramp. Fish and Game officials hope to have the site open this winter in time for the ice fishing season.

New Hampshire's Public Boat Access Program is funded through boat registration fees and federal Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funds, a true user-pay, user-benefit program. Fish and Game's Facilities and Lands Division acquires land for public water access sites, refurbishes existing sites and builds new public boat access areas. Fish and Game maintains more than 140 public boat access sites throughout New Hampshire.

VT man claims to have proof of Bigfoot

(NECN: Jack Thurston, Hubbardton, Vt.) - Self-described sasquatch researcher Frank Siecienski insists he captured one of the legendary hairy beasts on a camera he set up outside his Hubbardton, Vt. home.

"This is where the creature was crouching down in this position right here," Siecienski said, demonstrating for New England Cable News how the purported giant creature was hunched over.

Siecienski told NECN he set up the camera because wanted to know who or what was taking all the apples from the tree in his front yard in September of 2010. His photographs produced shots of a coyote, then of a blurry figure near a hemlock tree. That figure has been nearly impossible for most people to identify.

"Both my wife and I, at the exact same time, said, 'My God, what in the world is that?'" Siecienski remembered.

He got some help answering that question this month, when the network Animal Planet aired an episode of "Finding Bigfoot" on TV and online. Folks from all over contacted Siecienski with ideas.

"I just got an email and a call from Australia," the retiree noted Wednesday.

Siecienski believes the figure is a long-haired female sasquatch, about 400 pounds, with a baby in tow.

"Evidently it was either protecting its young or picking it up," he claimed. “We just don’t know.”

One biologist NECN reached with Vermont's Fish & Wildlife Department in Rutland didn't even want to talk about this on-camera, hinting it was a waste of his time to even give it attention. Siecienski admitted he is used to skeptical responses.

"They're gonna call you a nut," he said. "They're gonna call you crazy."

Others have told him what he photographed is more likely an owl. But he said he's not budging, and even bought the vanity plate "BIG FT" for his car.

"I've gotten a good response from that," Siecienski said, claiming it has been a conversation starter that has led to other people reporting their Bigfoot sightings to him.

The homeowner even has decorated his lawn with Bigfoot statues.

"That's exactly what one would look like right there," he said, pointing to a muscular lawn ornament with a long head and broad face.

Until he gets a clearer view of the "real thing," Frank Siecienski said he will keep battling the non-believers and searching for more evidence that Bigfoot is roaming the Northeast.

"It can't be anything else but," he said of his photo.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/fFfMg

Salem NH Police Rescue Bald Eagle from Trap

Dave has shared the following article from Salem Patch:

Salem Police Rescue Bald Eagle from Trap The rare bird was caught in a beaver trap off Garabedian Drive.... By Marc Fortier An Eagle was unfortunately caught in a metal beaver trap on Thanksgiving day!  Thanks to a pair of concerned hunters, Salem Police were able to rescue a snared bald eagle caught in a trap on Thanksgiving Day. Around 3 p.m. Thursday, Salem Police received a call from a man saying that he had found a bald eagle caught in a trap off of Garabedian Drive. The caller, James Ransom of Methuen, Mass., and a friend were scouting possible hunting areas when they came across the distressed eagle. Read more »

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Now Reading: The Racketeer By: John Grisham

Synopsis:

Given the importance of what they do, and the controversies that often surround them, and the violent people they sometimes confront, it is remarkable that in the history of this country only four active federal judges have been murdered.

Judge Raymond Fawcett has just become number five.

Who is the Racketeer? And what does he have to do with the judge’s untimely demise? His name, for the moment, is Malcolm Bannister. Job status? Former attorney. Current residence? The Federal Prison Camp near Frostburg, Maryland.

On paper, Malcolm’s situation isn’t looking too good these days, but he’s got an ace up his sleeve. He knows who killed Judge Fawcett, and he knows why. The judge’s body was found in his remote lakeside cabin. There was no forced entry, no struggle, just two dead bodies: Judge Fawcett and his young secretary. And one large, state-of-the-art, extremely secure safe, opened and emptied.

What was in the safe? The FBI would love to know. And Malcolm Bannister would love to tell them. But everything has a price—especially information as explosive as the sequence of events that led to Judge Fawcett’s death. And the Racketeer wasn’t born yesterday . . .

Nothing is as it seems and everything’s fair game in this wickedly clever new novel from John Grisham, the undisputed master of the legal thriller.