A young Guatemalan stands on a ridge below the volcanic cone with his horse, or natural taxi, he rents to tourists hiking the Pacaya volcano in Guatemala. Nutrient enriched soil found around volcanos provided a fertile landscape early on for farmers, but continual volcanic activity since 1965 has turned focus from cash crops towards tourism in the national park. Along with the natural taxis, visitors have the option to rent a hiking stick at the beginning of their hike and are encouraged to return it at the end. Pacaya is the most active of the 32 volcanos in Guatemala and has erupted steadily since 1965, when it came out of a dormant state of nearly 100 years.
On a foggy morning the Saturday before Thanksgiving, the 4-H club brought 16 turkeys to be butchered and cleaned by members of the Zook Amish settlement in Gladwin. Two of the residents worked on five turkeys while the group was still there, so they could watch the process. Following the beheading, the turkeys were dunked in hot water, the feathers plucked and bodies cleaned. This was the second year the Tomczak family brought turkeys to the Zook's farm, who find uses for the excess turkey parts, such as the feathers to use in fertilizer for their crops.
An emotionally and physically exhausted Carrie Wilcox is comforted by her husband Doug at a neighbor's home following a fire that left their family of five little more than the home's foundation and the clothes on their backs. The Wilcox's went to the Midland Red Cross for basic essentials after their Porter township home was destroyed. Over a dozen volunteers and friends stopped by bringing everything from clothes to food to a Christmas tree. "It's unbelievable how many people are just willing to help out," Doug Wilcox said responding to the amount of aid they've already received, less than 24 hours following the loss of their home. "People in this community...word spread just like the fire had spread," he continued as more boxes were being brought into the house.
Riots in Copenhagen, Denmark, erupted following the eviction and demolition of Ungdomshuset 'Youth House.' Ungdomshuset was an anarchist/leftist haven for young people since the 1980's. It was a centralized place for squatters, musicians, artists, activists, guests, and a sub-culture of Copenhagen. For years there was conflict between the activists occupying the building and the municipal government of Copenhagen along with the legal owners, Faderhuset, an evangelical Christian group in the city. Despite an offer from the city to purchase the building and avoid predicted backlash from activists around Europe, Faderhuset refused sale and wanted the occupiers gone.
Sadie Moore, 13, center, from Lee, sticks her tongue out at Joe Philbrick, 6, left, from Candia, while the two hang out with friends and 4-H club members near the working steer show on Sunday afternoon, August 15, 2010 at the 2010 Belknap County 4-H Fair in Belmont. Members of area 4-H clubs and their families came to show animals and support.
Family Christmas tree from The Rocks Estate in Bethlehem, New Hampshire.
James Berry, of Manchester, takes his turn while Keith Whittum, of Concord, kisses his daughter, Liliane Whittum, 4, in Whittum's backyard on Wednesday afternoon, November 2, 2011. The two Specialists returned home at the end of August after being deployed on the Kuwait and Iraq border for the past year with National Guard Bravo Company 3643. While deployed, the two were truck commanders, leaders of a convoy security team, where they went on missions into Iraq for a minimum of six days at a time, responsible for the safe transport of supplies and equipment. "It's abnormal to sit here and not have him around," Whittum said about Berry. The two were long-time friends before their deployment and say after returning, they are always keeping in touch and checking up on each other. "You miss having your buddy around," Berry said.
Fartun Shegaw, 9, of Concord, left, plays with clothes hangers while Bailey Carignan, 8, of Concord, walks around the hallway as the two wait for the end of intermission at the 7th annual American Girl Doll Fashion Show held by the Junior Service League of Concord on November 5-6, 2011. The non-profit has over 50 volunteers and the show, which featured local talent and held at the Capitol Center for the Arts, raised money for women and children in crisis.
Debra Wallace, center, is comforted by her friend Patti Linton during a fire that took the life of her daughter, Jasmine Faylor, 3, and family friend, Rylee Finney, 4, at the Lee Township home of her ex-husband, Troy Faylor. Firefighters pulled the two children from the home and Finney was later pronounced dead at MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland, Michigan. Midland County Sheriff Jerry Nielsen notified Wallace that her daughter had passed away.
Laura Hawes, of Lowell, Massachusetts, walks back inside after taking photographs along the beach in Seabrook, N.H., on Sunday afternoon, August 28, 2011. Hawes spent the last month at a home belonging to her cousin in Seabrook and was heading home that afternoon. Hurricane Irene moved north along the East Coast, and was downgraded to a tropical storm once it hit New Hampshire. People gathered at the beach to see the waves.
On his 94th birthday, Joe Valenta ties his shoes in preparation for a walk with his dog Buddy. Setting out from his home, Valenta and Buddy walk a little over a mile through his Midland neighborhood, four times a day. After his wife of 68 and-a-half years, Denise, passed away in January, Valenta's son, Robert, suggested to get a dog to keep him company. After initially disagreeing, he said, Valenta saw a lost-and-found notice listing a Shih Tzu. He placed a call to notify him if a claim was not made and saw the notice appear again several times. After the dog was relocated to a humane society in Brighton, Valenta and Robert took the trip and brought home Buddy.