Steve says: If you’re electronically connected — and who isn’t
these days? — a deluge of news is at your fingertips. From the
Internet to TV to radio to your 213-year-old local newspaper,
access to news has never been easier.

So, why are we so uninformed?

The N.H. Survey Center at the University of New Hampshire didn’t
ask residents that question last week, but maybe it should have. It
did ask 527 randomly selected adults several political questions,
including favorable/unfavorable ratings of N.H. House Speaker Bill
O’Brien and Senate President Peter Bragdon.

The general response, in one word: “Who?”

In the survey, 16 percent had a favorable opinion of O’Brien
while 25 percent had an unfavorable opinion; Bragdon’s numbers were
13 percent favorable, 11 percent unfavorable.

Here’s the kicker: Despite more than a year’s worth of news
stories about the state Legislature’s actions, many of them
controversial and polarizing, 50 percent of all people surveyed
didn’t know enough about O’Brien to form an opinion, and 9 percent
were neutral. For Bragdon, 10 percent were neutral and 66 percent
didn’t know him.

Survey author Andrew E. Smith draws this conclusion: “The
leaders of the two Chambers of the New Hampshire legislature are
largely unknown to New Hampshire adults, and perceptions of them
are based strongly on partisanship,” Smith wrote on the survey’s
website.

I’ve long since ceased to be surprised by the electorate’s lack
of involvement — just look at turnouts at the polls unless it’s a
presidential election. But it seems you really have to be avoiding
the news to not know it’s been a tumultuous year in our Statehouse,
with O’Brien as the ringleader. As I write this Thursday afternoon,
I call up msn.com and see the top story is “Cindy Crawford Halts
Daughter’s Career.”

To quote Walter Cronkite: “And that’s the way it is.”

Sherry says: In researching my story about wood banks this week
— supplies of cut and split wood that people can take to help them
get through until another fuel or wood delivery — I was reminded of
our fondness and can-do attitude about wood heat in the region.
Many folks heat partially or completely with wood here in New
Hampshire. And although it’s not as economical as it used to be,
it’s still a reasonable choice for many.

In Hillsborough, young folks in the community can learn to
appreciate wood heat and all that goes with it at a young age.
Peter Brigham, the director for the youth services program there,
runs the wood bank for the town, using the young folks that come
through to do community service as the primary labor force. The
kids aren’t allowed to use the chain saw, but they can use the
splitter and of course, do most of the heavy lifting.

Brigham says the kids are there for a variety of reasons, some
are court-ordered, others are there for community service credits
for school. “I never know who is who,” he says.

The wood shed in Hillsborough has anywhere from four to six
cords of wood available for anyone who needs it. Almost all of the
wood is donated by homeowners in the area who have downed trees or
other wood they don’t need.

Steve says: Check out the Huffingtonpost.com story published
Thursday on Keene’s acquisition of a Lenco BearCat. Much of the
piece centers on opponents who say it will turn the city into a
police state. The story includes quite a bit about the role the
Free Keene group has played in opposing the BearCat.

Whether you agree or not with the tone of the article — it
pounds the police pretty hard — it paints Keene as one of the first
cities in the nation to seriously question the need for a BearCat
“thanks to a backlash from feisty residents.”

By the way, author Radley Balko describes Keene as a “quaint
town of 23,000.” What exactly is a “quaint” town?

Sherry says: While shopping for a card this week, I believe I
actually perfected “the look.” You know the look. It’s the way your
mom looked at you when she wanted you to stop doing something but
she didn’t want to have to speak to you about it again.

My mother had it perfected. She would look at us and we would
… freeze. She didn’t have to say anything.

So while I was looking for the perfect card, a woman walked over
toward me, talking on her cellphone. Loudly. It wasn’t the kind of
conversation that included “Be sure to tell the paramedics that
I’ll meet them at the hospital,” or “Of course I’d love to be a
presenter at the Oscars this year.” I know I was annoyed. And when
I looked at this woman, clearly she knew I was, too.

She said, “I’m sorry.” and then to whomever she was talking,
“Listen, I’m in a store … I have to hang up now.”

YAY!

ANTRIM — Several years ago, some folks in Antrim got together to
form a wood bank to help those in need get through a few days until
a delivery of wood — or perhaps oil — came.

A wood bank supplies wood on an emergency basis if a family runs
out; all the wood is donated by community members.

Local agencies such as Southwestern Community Services in Keene
have been working overtime to provide help with heating bills for
residents in need after federal funding for these programs was cut
in half this year. Wood banks are another effort to fill in those
sorts of gaps.

The wood bank in Antrim was the brainchild of the late John
Vance, who lived in town. Vance’s wife, Kristen, is the director of
The Grapevine, a community center in Antrim.

She says it was his idea to keep the wood bank going after the
folks at the local Presbyterian church were unable to continue it.
The church had always had some wood on hand for people to take if
they needed it. Kristen says a group of volunteers got together
armed with chain saws and wood splitters and started having wood
parties in 2005, to replenish the supply.

The first few years, Kristen says, were spent looking for wood
wherever they could find it; some people had land with downed
trees, others had big logs on their property that they decided not
to put to use. A group of volunteers would go to the site and cut
and split the wood and haul it away.

“It’s gotten easier every year,” Kristen says. The wood bank,
which is at The Grapevine, usually has about 15 cords of wood in
the shed, and some off to the side for people to take.

There aren’t any forms to fill out; people who need wood are
asked a few questions, mostly to be sure they know what options
they have for other services for heat or help with heating bills.
The wood bank is available for temporary assistance or in an
emergency, not to heat homes for an entire season.

According to the UNH Cooperative Extension Service, a cord of
green wood, which is 128 cubic feet, can cost about $250. Dry wood,
which burns more efficiently, can cost up to $350 a cord.

A 1,500-square-foot home with fairly good weatherization tools
in place can go through 4 to 5 cords of wood in one heating
season.

The 2010 U.S. Census reported that there’s been a 99 percent
increase in the past 10 years in the number of New Hampshire and
Massachusetts households that use firewood as a primary heat
source.

This year, because it’s been milder than other winters, the wood
bank is likely to last the winter.

Some years, Kristen says, they hold their breath, waiting for
spring to arrive, hoping the wood holds out.

To keep the wood flowing through the program, each year the
group asks for donations from loggers who cut and sell cord wood
(cut, split and delivered is the best way for it to arrive, but it
doesn’t always happen that way).

One year they received a donation of a grapple load of wood.
Grapple trucks are used to haul wood and are outfitted with a big
hook to move the logs. The truck load equaled about eight to 10
cords for the wood bank and took a few wood parties to cut, split
and stack.

There is a group of about 20 volunteers in town that help with
the wood. Some have splitters or chain saws, some have trucks, some
bring food for everyone to eat and some come to stack and pile the
wood.

In addition to working at wood parties, Kristen said some
volunteers come by on their own time to work.

The people who come to get wood from the bank are families,
older folks on a limited income and, Kristen says, in the last
couple of years, unemployed people. They try to limit the amount of
wood people can take to a “two level-truck load limit,” which means
the back of a pickup truck, filled twice, but not piled up.

But, she said, it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes people
need more.

Although the wood bank primarily serves Antrim, Bennington,
Francestown and Hancock residents, they don’t turn away people from
other towns if there’s wood to give.

“How do you say no?” Kristen says.

Last fall, a group from Peterborough’s River Center came to tour
the wood bank in Antrim, with plans to have one up and running by
this fall.

The bank “makes a ton of sense, “ Kristen says. And it wasn’t
terribly tricky to set it up. It is important, she says, to keep a
fresh group of volunteers rotating in and out.

u For information about the Antrim Community Wood Bank, go to
www.antrimnh.org or call 588-2620.

Sherry Hughes can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1438, or at
shughes@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @sherrysentinel
and check out her blog at www.sentinelsource.com.

Published 11:09am Saturday, January 28, 2012

Franklin resident Howard Boone spends his free time carving wildlife figurines from wood scraps. — Don Bridgers | Tidewater News

FRANKLIN—Although he retired years ago, Franklin resident Howard Boone manages to stay out of his wife’s hair.

The 83-year-old spends most of his free time in a shed in the couple’s backyard, carving wildlife pieces from wood scraps.

The former Union Camp mill sheeter operator has had the hobby for at least 60 years, but doesn’t really know how it started.

“It was just something to do, something to pass the time,” Boone said. “It’s just a hobby. I can’t just sit around like a lot of people. When they retire, they retire. When I retire, I don’t.”

Boone carves birds, waterfowl and mammals, including buffaloes, giraffes and zebras as well as rabbits and cats.

Cypress is his wood of choice, but it’s hard to find. He mainly uses white pine because it’s soft, has a fine grain and doesn’t splitter as badly as other varieties of pine.

Boone’s wife, Jane, said her favorite carvings are a rabbit, a zebra and a redbird, which was the first thing he ever carved for her.

“I think he does a good job,” Jane Boone said. “It gives him something to do since he’s retired.”

Howard Boone spends up to two to three days on one carving.

He sells and donates them throughout the area. A former deacon of Franklin Baptist Church, Boone carved turkeys for place settings at the church during a Thanksgiving service. He also sets up a booth at Founders’ Day in Courtland, where he sells his carvings for $10 to $15.

Howard and Jane Boone have three sons, Donny, Henry and David.

Recording telephone calls for broadcast can be tricky. Photograph: Associated Press

Do you have any recommendations for equipment and programs to record telephone interviews for radio packages, please? I’m a trainee broadcast assistant working for a community radio station. Schedules don’t always facilitate face-to-face interviews, but people will usually respond via email or talk on the phone.
Darryl

Although I’ve done quite a lot of radio, it’s been as a guest, so the hardware side of a broadcast desk is still a mystery to me. However, I’m told that you need a telephone balance unit or TBU, especially if you want to put callers live on air. The TBU connects the incoming phone call to the mixing desk, so that you can talk to (and listen to) the caller using the mixing desk’s microphone and headphones instead of the telephone handset. The TBU splits the incoming and outgoing audio streams, which allows you to clean and balance them (so the presenter doesn’t swamp the caller, or vice versa), and also fade the caller in and out.

A TBU such as, for example, the Sonifex HY-03 costs £619 plus VAT. If your radio station needs one, you could search for a cheaper model or try to pick one up on eBay.

Of course, most radio packages and podcasts are produced without using a TBU, and there are several different approaches.

The problem is that it’s very difficult to record broadcast-quality audio over a standard phone line, and I’ve spent decades demonstrating this. I’ve mostly used a cheap telephone line splitter (aka telephone recording splitter) which plugs into a standard RJ45 phone socket. I’ve then plugged the output jack into a Sony WM-D6C Professional Walkman or, more recently, a Roland R-09HR (aka Edirol) digital recorder. It works, but I always end up sounding too loud and too close while the caller sounds too quiet and too distant, as well as being in crackly mono instead of crystal-clear stereo.

You may be able to get more acceptable results if you put the caller on a decent speakerphone and record your interviews using a Roland R-09HR, Zoom H4N or similar digital recorder. You will have to experiment to find the best positions for you, the speakerphone and the recorder. The main drawback is that you may also capture outside noises (dogs barking, fire engines etc), unless you can do the recording in a studio. But, sadly, the days of decent-sounding wood-veneered executive speakerphones have probably gone…

You can get much better results if you can record both ends of the conversation at the same time, which is called a “simulrec”. I’ve done this with Scott Cawley, the expert soundman who produced the Guardian’s TechWeekly Podcast for the past couple of years, but is just going freelance. Basically, he recorded our telephone conversations at his mixing desk while I recorded my replies on the Edirol, then emailed him the resulting MP3 file (or other format of choice). He could then replace the phone parts of his recording with my high-quality Edirol parts. Since the two files are in sync, this isn’t too hard to do in multi-track digital editing software.

Scott says he’s now doing simulrecs with people who have smartphones, because most of them have a voice recording application. After the interview has finished, the caller simply emails him the file.

If your callers have access to a PC, then Skype is probably the simplest way to record an interview, using software such as High Criteria’s Total Recorder on Windows or Rogue Amoeba’s Audio Hijack Pro on Mac OS X. There are several alternatives designed for recording Skype calls, including Pamela and (free) Call Graph for Windows and Call Recorder for Mac OS X.

Scott points out that you can record a Skype conversation even if the caller doesn’t have a PC. In this case, you’d probably use the SkypeOut service from a PC running Skype to call a normal voice phone. SkypeOut isn’t free but you can buy minutes, like any pay-as-you-go service.

In the UK and some other countries, you can also buy a SkypeIn phone number and circulate it like any other phone number. Callers dial in from their normal phone but you receive the calls on your PC.

Skype’s audio quality is somewhat variable and can suffer from bad echoes, jitter, and latency problems. It can also sound much better than a normal analogue phone connection. Try running some tests with up-to-date versions of the Skype and see how it goes.

An alternative to Skype is Audio TX Pots, which is claimed to offer “ISDN quality over a standard analogue telephone line”. As you may know, many broadcasters (including the BBC) started using ISDN digital lines to connect to remote studios before the internet became popular, and these used pre-internet codecs. However, since Audio TX Pots software is for Windows only and costs £500, it’s probably not worth downloading the free trial version.

When it comes to audio software, many people start with the free, open source Audacity for recording and editing sounds. It’s very capable but can be a bit of a struggle for beginners. There are also many well known commercial programs, such as Adobe Audition, Avid’s Pro Tools 10, and Sony’s ACID Pro 7 and Sound Forge Pro 10. Sony also sells Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 as a low-cost option for home studios.

Scott recommends Reaper digital audio workstation software, which is similar to the SADiE systems used at the BBC and in many recording studios. The website describes Reaper as “a complete multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing, and mastering environment.” It costs $60 for personal use or $225 for a commercial license, but you can download a full copy to try before you buy.

However, the cost of pro software is ultimately irrelevant. Ask around to find out which one is most likely to get you a job in the future, and learn it well.

All Seasons Landscaping (2,627 pins) won the team event of last weekend’s Wood River USBC Open city bowling tournament over The Drilling Room (2,610) and Twisted Splitters (1,608) at Mountain Sun Lanes in Bellevue.

Doubles winners were Mark Martens and Mike Tackett with 1,409 scratch pins. Each had 705 series. Handicap singles winner was Deena Seig (726). All events scratch winner was Mike Tackett (2,025) and he also captured all events handicap (2,025).

High individual games throughout the tournament were bowled by Mike Tackett 258 and, for the women, Rosie Soto with 261. Mike Weems claimed the distinction of highest series in the team event with a 700.

The following are top five by event. For more complete results check today’s Express Web site:

Team: 1—All Seasons Landscaping 2,627. 2—The Drilling room 2,610. 3—Twisted Splitters 2,608. 4—Rednecks Out Drinkin’ You 2,418. 5—Power Engineers 2,415.

High series, team event: Larry McKenzie 634, Mike Tackett 682, Mike Weems 700 and Tracy Peterson 629.

Doubles: 1—Mark Martens and Mike Tackett 1,409. 2—Matt Adamson and Mike Adamson 1,337. 3—Mike Widdison and Alan Flinn 1,312. 4—Rosie Soto and Mike Weems 1,311. 5—Dave Boutelle and Tracy Peterson 1,275.

6—Larry McKenzie and Isaac Chilcote 1,273. 7—Don Karst and Mike Brunker 1,271. 8—Vicky Saul and Nancy Urbany 1,265. 9—Deena Seig and Tonya Brooks 1,193. 10—Tommy Richardson and David Mercer 1,095.

High series, doubles event: Mike Tackett 705, Mark Martens 705, Mike Weems 668, Mike Adamson 636, Rosie Soto 635, Alan Flinn 621 and Mike Brunker 616.

Singles, handicap: 1—Deena Seig 726. 2—David Mercer 670. 3—Nancy Urbany 652. 4—Alan Flinn 648. 5—Tommy Richardson 644.

6—Mike Tackett 638. 7—Isaac Chicote 630. 8—Matt Adamson 623. 9—Mark Martens 611. 10—Don Karst 599. 11—Tracy Peterson 582. 12—Mike Brunker 581. 13—Vicky Saul 577. 14—Mike Weems 572. 15—Mike Widdison 571. 16—Rosie Soto 569. 17—Larry McKenzie 561. 18—Dave Boutelle 556. 19—Mike Adamson 542. 20—Tonya Brooks 538.

High individual scratch games throughout tournament: Mike Tackett 256 and 258; Mark Martens 246 and 256; Tracy Peterson 225; Vicky Saul 224 and 221; Larry McKenzie 221 and 240; Tommy Richardson 257; Isaac Chilcote 226; Rosie Soto 261; Alan Flinn 223; Mike Weems 242 and 245; Mike Brunker 215 and 235; Mike Adamson 214; and Matt Adamson 218.

All events, handicap: 1—Mike Tackett 2,025. 2—Tracy Peterson 1,984. 3—Vicky Saul 1,946. 4—Mike Weems 1,940. 5—Mark Martens 1,905.

6—Matt Adamson 1,900. 7—Isaac Chilcote 1,893. 8—Larry McKenzie 1,892. 9—Deena Seig 1,884. 10—Don Karst 1,868. 11—Mike Brunker 1,843. 12—Rosie Soto 1,801. 13—Dave Boutelle 1,784. 14—Nancy Urbany 1,781. 15—Mike Adamson 1,760. 16—Tonya Brooks 1,755.

All events, scratch: 1—Mike Tackett 2,025. 2—Mike Weems 1,940. 3—Mark Martens 1,905. 4—Mike Brunker 1,780. 5—Rosie Soto 1,777.

6—Isaac Chilcote 1,731. 7—Tracy Peterson 1,726. 8—Larry McKenzie 1,724. 9—Mike Adamson 1,679. 10—Don Karst 1,658. 11—Matt Adamson 1,609. 12—Vicky Saul 1,598. 13—Dave Boutelle 1,574. 14—Deena Seig 1,431. 15—Nancy Urbany 1,232. 16—Tonya Brooks 1,092.

Recent bowling league results

Tuesday Night Open

Team standings (Jan. 31, 2012)

1—Team One 276-164. 2—All Seasons Landscaping 259-181. 2—Peak 258.5-181.5. 4—The Drilling Room 232-208. 5—A-1 Professional 196.5-243.5 (points won and lost).

Week of Jan. 31 top scores

Individual scratch games: Mike Tackett 258, Mark Martens 247, Mike Weems 247, Rosie Soto 244, Jamie Ulrich 235. Individual scratch series: Mike Weems 715, Mike Tackett 668, Mark Martens 661, Rosie Soto 662, Jamie Ulrich 595.

Individual handicap games: Mike Tackett 258, Dave Mercer 257, Tommy Richardson 253, Rosie Soto 252, Jamie Ulrich 249. Individual handicap series: Mike Weems 715, Tommy Richardson 690, Alan Flinn 690, Rosie Soto 686, Jamie Ulrich 637.

Wednesday Night Ladies

Team standings (Jan. 25, 2012)

1—Power Engineers 54-22. 2—Wood River Glassworks 44-32. 3—D.L Evans Bank 41.5-34.5. 4—Duke Speed 39.5-36.5. 5—Silver Dollar 31-45.

Week of Jan. 25 high scores

Individual scratch games: Elisa Tobia 220, Jamie Ulrich 214, Debbie Castle 200. Individual scratch series: Jamie Ulrich 571, Elisa Tobia 538, Debbie Castle 514.

Individual handicap games: Maureen Smith 232, Debbie Castle 224, Toni Willingham 222. Individual handicap series: Kim Meyers 649, Maureen Smith 627, Toni Willingham 623.

Thursday Night Mixed

Team standings (Jan. 26, 2012)

1—Runners-Up 21-11. 2—Easy Rollers 17-15. 3—Out Drinkin’ You 16-16. 3—Busted Bowlers 16-16. 5—Redneck Mafia 14-18. 6—Strike Force 12-20.

Week of Jan. 26 top scores

Individual scratch games: Marty James 259, Larry McKenzie 210, Mike Brunker 201, Mike Adamson 201, Vicky Dick 229, Vicky Saul 189, Linda Rowe 179. Individual scratch series: Marty James 721, Mike Widdison 558, Alan Flinn 553, Vicky Dick 601, Vicky Saul 559, Deena Seig 489.

Individual handicap games: Marty James 264, Bill Seig 237, Mark Lube 232, Vicky Dick 254, Lorenia Rodriguez 227, Vicky Saul 225. Individual handicap series: Marty James 736, Bill Seig 655, Mark Lube 627, Vicky Dick 676, Vicky Saul 667, Deena Seig 624.

Added: (Fri Feb 03 2012)

Pressbox (Press Release) -
LogSplitterWorld Launches New Products Just in Time for Christmas

LogSplitterWorld, part of the Plumbworld network, has launched a new range of log splitting products just in time for the wintry weather.

Many people are discovering the delights of a woodburning stove and as Christmas approaches what better way to enjoy the cosy indoors than to be warmed by logs you have cut yourself?

Woodburning stoves add a refined and sophisticated touch of class to any home; they are a little touch of affordable luxury. And, as the name suggests, they are fuelled by wood and this wood often needs to be cut to size. This is where a log splitter is ideal. Making the job of cutting logs effortless and even enjoyable, a log splitter couldnt be easier to use.

LogSplitterWorld offers a range of manual log splitters which are extremely easy to use, as well as electric and petrol splitters for the more adventurous. Or, if you prefer to warm up through some good old-fashioned manual labour, there are a range of chainsaws, axes and bow saws. (Oh and plenty of first aid equipment, just in case!)

Lee Taylor, General Manager, of LogSplitterWorld said: The weathers getting colder which, for me, signals the time to get the log splitter out. Theres no better way to enjoy the Christmas season than by sitting around enjoying the warmth of your fire or woodburning stove using logs youve split yourself. Whether you use a manual splitter, a petrol powered splitter or axes and saws, there is a real satisfaction in enjoying the fruits of your labours though really its not that difficult!

Included on the website is the latest range of manual and powered log splitters as well as some fantastic chainsaws and axes. The new products have been integrated seamlessly with the existing groups and products on the website, creating a simple and functional website that is easy to navigate and that provides an impressive level of detail on a variety of products.

Scott Morris, E-Commerce Manager, said: We know there will be a demand for log splitters as well as the other accessories such as axes and saws, so weve taken great care when adding our new range of products to the website. Weve ensured that all the relevant information as well as high quality images are there for each product. Wed like to think the website is really easy to use so it should be really straightforward for customers to find what theyre looking for.

LogSplitterWorld is another project from Toolbox, the sister company of the ever expanding Plumbworld empire. Plumbworld was an early pioneer of online trading, started by James and Anita Hickman in 1999 and was sold to the Grafton Group PLC in December 2006, Plumbworld now employ more than 50 people in their purpose built warehouse and offices and boast an astonishing 50 websites selling everything from nailguns and bathrooms to barbecues and woodburning stoves. The business has a turnover in excess of 18 million and is growing at more than 20% year on year.

Toolbox is the UK’s fastest growing online specialist retailer of tools.

It is the sister site to www.plumbworld.co.uk the UK’s largest online specialist retailer of Bathrooms which has been trading online since 1999.

The business is owned by The Grafton Group Plc a publicly listed company with a turnover in excess of 3 Billion Euro’s a year.

www.toolbox.co.uk

###

Submitted by:Scott Morris
Find out more.

Disclaimer: Pressbox disclaims any inaccuracies in the content contained in these releases. If you would like a release removed please send an email to remove@pressbox.co.uk together with the url of the release.

In mild winter, Staunton-area firewood suppliers feel the heat

Most of us have enjoyed the unusually warm winter, but then most of us haven’t spent the last few months hacking up fire wood in an effort to make a buck.

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