For 75 years, the annual Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel, Austria, has produced unforgettable triumphs and heartrending tragedies, a heritage that is full of myths and legends. Nowhere else is skiing celebrated so intensely. The city, the nation, and the entire winter sports world go crazy for the battles that play out on the slopes, and the race down the Streif is the most anticipated event of all – the Superbowl of skiing.

“Streif – One Hell of a Ride” vividly shares this momentous occasion, plus everything done in preparation. This ski race movie was produced by Planet Watch.

It will be shown at Tahoe Art Haus in Tahoe Cit on Nov. 6 at 6pm, and Nov. 7 at 5 and 7:30pm. Go online to purchase tickets.

By Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Robert Gebeloff, New York Times

On Page 5 of a credit-card contract used by American Express, beneath an explainer on interest rates and late fees, past the details about annual membership, is a clause that most customers probably miss. If cardholders have a problem with their account, American Express explains, the company “may elect to resolve any claim by individual arbitration.”

Those nine words are at the center of a far-reaching power play orchestrated by U.S. corporations, an investigation by the New York Times has found.

By inserting individual arbitration clauses into a soaring number of consumer and employment contracts, companies can circumvent the courts, and bar customers from joining together in class-action lawsuits, realistically the only tool citizens have to fight illegal or deceitful business practices.

Over the last few years, it has become increasingly difficult to apply for a credit card, get cellphone, cable or Internet service, or shop online without agreeing to private arbitration. The same applies to getting a job, renting a car, or placing a relative in a nursing home.

Among the class-action challenges thrown out because of such a clause was one brought by Time Warner customers over charges they said mysteriously appeared on their cable bills, and another against a travel booking website accused of conspiring to fix hotel prices. A top executive at Goldman Sachs who sued on behalf of bankers claiming sex discrimination was also blocked, as were African-American employees at Taco Bell restaurants alleging a pattern of discrimination.

Read the whole story

·       Here are the El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra roadwork schedules from Caltrans for this week.

·       The 2016 Mustaches of Placer County calendar is available. All proceeds go directly to Placer County museums, benefitting exhibits, conservation of their collection of photographs and education programs. For more info, go online.

·       The 11th annual Passport to Dining is Nov. 12, 6-9pm at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach. Go online to buy tickets.

·       NaturaMed in Kings Beach recently hired nutritionist Gretchen Dunbar.

·       Kiplinger released a state-by-state tax guide for retirees. Nevada is on the list of places that is favorable to retirees, while California is considered a state not good for retirees.

To the community,

“Gridlock.” “Don’t leave your home.” “Stay off the roads.” Do any of these terms sound familiar to you?

As we observed this summer, with an improving economy comes the return of more traffic on our roadways. Yes, we want visitors to come enjoy Lake Tahoe and help support our local economy. But at the same time there is a risk of “Loving Tahoe to death.” More vehicles, pollution, crowding, and noise impact our environment, quality of life, and visitor experience. Proper planning is needed to ensure we don’t exceed what Tahoe can handle.

But are we already there? Several approved but not-yet-built projects will draw thousands more vehicles to the basin’s already congested roadways (i.e. Homewood Mountain Resort and Boulder Bay). At the same time, major population increases in California and Nevada will mean more people (think: millions more) living within just a few hours’ drive to Lake Tahoe. Extreme increases in greenhouse gases (GHGs) seem unavoidable. Unfortunately, TRPA, Placer County, and corporate developers continue to push for even more large developments in the region.

The pressure for significant growth in the Tahoe region threatens not only the health of Lake Tahoe and surrounding mountain areas, but also our quality of life and economy. Will future generations know what was so special about Lake Tahoe, or will they only see intermittent glimpses of a murky lake through large buildings, cluttered ridgelines, and glaring nighttime lights, all surrounded by a sea of vehicles? If we want to protect what is special about the West Shore and Lake Tahoe, we can not sit idly by and let profit-driven developers call the shots. We need to get involved and demand better for our environment and community.

Sincerely,

Susan Gearhart, president Friends of the West Shore

By Peter Fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle

It was a tough call, but Hugo Von Meijenfeldt thought he detected a hint of astronaut wastewater in the beer that he had just gulped.

The consul general for the Netherlands — who, as representative of the second-largest exporter of beer in the world, purports to know his way around a brewery — declared with some authority that the robust brew he had just tasted was the one made out of recycled wastewater supplied by NASA.

He was wrong.

“I liked the one that was less hoppy, which I thought was not the recycled beer,” said Von Meijenfeldt, one of two people on a five-judge panel at the Meeting of the Minds sustainability convention taste test in Richmond who couldn’t tell one potation from the other.

The blind tasting was an attempt by Maverick’s Brewing Co., an affiliate of Half Moon Bay Brewing Co., to bring attention to the importance of using wastewater as a resource and combat what water officials call the “yuck factor.”

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By Anna Callaghan, Outside

Helmet-mounted GoPros have become a common sight at ski areas. The next step: ski-run footage shot from drones. As UAVs get more accessible and affordable (the Federal Aviation Administration predicts 1 million drones will be sold during the holidays this year), some organizations fear they could become just as ubiquitous as—but more dangerous than—action cams.

That’s why the National Ski Area Association (NSAA), the trade association for 330 ski areas in the United States and Canada, released a sample policy that bans drones without prior authorization. An overwhelming majority of the organization’s resorts, from Aspen to Jackson Hole, have already put that ban in place, or soon will.

“Drone technology is relatively new, and given that ski areas tend to be at high altitude and in cold climates, which affects the battery life of drones, their reliability remains untested,” says Dave Byrd, director of risk and regulatory affairs at the NSAA. “We’re also concerned that they may crash into chairlift towers, fall onto people, or startle people because of their noise and cause collisions. Also, having noisy drones flying all over the place goes against the grain of the sort of skiing-in-nature experience.”

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By Trevon Milliard, Reno Gazette-Journal

Nevada has achieved the largest decline of any state for its rate of children without health insurance, according to a new report by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families.

The number of uninsured Nevada children fell by 35 percent in one year, dropping from 14.9 percent uninsured children in 2013 to 9.6 percent last year, reports the university, using information from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

In one year, the state went from 98,500 uninsured children to 63,700.

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El Dorado County Connections – One Stop has free services to help people who need a job.

Through the county’s Dislocated Worker Program, unemployed and underemployed residents can receive free assistance, including help with job searches and paid on-the-job training, money for vocational or technical school tuition, or for specialized certifications, and more.

The program can assist individuals in all occupations, from blue collar workers to high level executives. Applicants do not need to be low income to qualify, however certain restrictions may apply. Up to $8,000 in benefits is available to each person accepted into the program.

Free orientation sessions about the program are open to the public every Wednesday at 10am at 3047 Briw Road in Placerville. Preregistration is not required.

Connections One – Stop has an office in South Lake Tahoe at 3368 Lake Tahoe Blvd., open Monday-Friday from 10am-4pm. For more information, call 530.573.4330.

By Erin Beresini, Outside

It’s probably happened to you. Deep into a long training day you start craving a bacon cheeseburger and suddenly that pile of ground meat is all you can think about. Turns out, you’re not alone. Even the best athletes lust after certain foods during a race or run. Here are a few of the things athletes crave, plus a biological explanation of why these cravings happen.

The reason for most cravings is simple: you crave what you need. “It’s a good thing—it’s a survivor thing,” says San Francisco Bay Area-based sports nutritionist and ultra-athlete, Sunny Blende. “An ultrarunner wanting something salty, they probably need more electrolytes. If they’re craving sweets, they probably need more calories. Coke probably means they’re tired.”

Jerky, peanut butter, and burgers can signal a protein deficit. “You get those cravings because you’re breaking down muscle,” she says.

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Loki

Loki is a 10 year old Shiba Inu mix. He weighs about 35 pounds and would like a home as an only dog or with a mellow female dog and no children under 12.

Loki has just had his teeth cleaned and his blood work shows that he is a healthy boy. Due to our wonderful partnership with Umbrella of Hope we were able to obtain the dental care that he needed.

He would be excellent at keeping cats out of his new yard.

He was surrendered by his owners when they moved.

Loki is neutered, microchipped, heart worm negative, and vaccinated. He is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs and cats who are waiting for their new homes. Go to the Tahoe animal shelter’s Facebook page to see photos and descriptions of all pets at the shelter.

Call 530.573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet. For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.

— Karen Kuentz