Sierra Nevada Alliance’s annual conference is Sept. 21-22 at Embassy Suites in South Lake Tahoe.

For more information, go online.

By Janet Morrissey, New York Times

The hotel industry, struggling to recover from the depths of the recession, has begun to contemplate a group of travelers it sees as crucial to its economic growth — those in their 20s to mid-30s who are obsessed with technology, social media and design.

Many hotel owners and operators are remodeling existing hotels or introducing new ones that offer free hotelwide Wi-Fi connections; large, welcoming lobbies with plush, comfortable furnishings; state-of-the-art fitness areas; in-room power consoles to plug in iPads, laptops and other devices; and stylish bars that spill into the lobby.

Some are also scheduling nightly social events, like happy hours and free wine tastings, aimed at luring the iPhone-toting generation to their hotels.

“All of the major brands — Hilton, Starwood, Marriott, InterContinental — have developed hip products that are targeted at the younger traveler,” said Chris Klauda, a vice president at D.K. Shifflet & Associates, a travel and hospitality market research company.

Travel spending by these younger travelers rose 20 percent in 2010, making them the fastest-growing age segment, according to American Express Business Insights, though they still lag the baby boom generation in overall spending.

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Rick Springfield will be at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe on May 12 at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $65 — 800.786.8208.

By Martha Irvine, Washington Post

They have a reputation for being environmentally minded do-gooders. But an academic analysis of surveys spanning more than 40 years has found that today’s young Americans are less interested in the environment and in conserving resources — and often less civic-minded overall — than their elders were when they were young.

The findings go against the widespread belief that environmental issues have hit home with today’s young adults, known as Millennials, who have grown up amid climate change discussion and the mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle.” The environment is often listed among top concerns of young voters.

“I was shocked,” said Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University who is one of the study’s authors. “We have the perception that we’re getting through to people. But at least compared to previous eras, we’re not.”

This study, published online this month in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, looked at the life goals, concern for others and civic orientation of three young generations — baby boomers, Generation X and Millennials.

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By Michael J. Boskin and John F. Cogan, Wall Street Journal

Long a harbinger of national trends and an incubator of innovation, cash-strapped California eagerly awaits a temporary revenue surge from Facebook IPO stock options and capital gains. Meanwhile, Stockton may soon become the state’s largest city to go bust. Call it the agony and ecstasy of contemporary California.

California’s rising standards of living and outstanding public schools and universities once attracted millions seeking upward economic mobility. But then something went radically wrong as California legislatures and governors built a welfare state on high tax rates, liberal entitlement benefits, and excessive regulation. The results, though predictable, are nonetheless striking. From the mid-1980s to 2005, California’s population grew by 10 million, while Medicaid recipients soared by seven million; tax filers paying income taxes rose by just 150,000; and the prison population swelled by 115,000.

California’s economy, which used to outperform the rest of the country, now substantially underperforms. The unemployment rate, at 10.9%, is higher than every other state except Nevada and Rhode Island. With 12% of America’s population, California has one third of the nation’s welfare recipients.

Partly due to generous union wages and benefits, inflexible work rules and lobbying for more spending, many state programs and institutions spend too much and achieve too little. For example, annual spending on each California prison inmate is equal to an entire middle-income family’s after-tax income. Many of California’s K-12 public schools rank poorly on standardized tests. The unfunded pension and retiree health-care liabilities of workers in the state-run Calpers system, which includes teachers and university personnel, totals around $250 billion.

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By Mandy Kendall

The Vernal Equinox at the beginning of this week announced the official end of winter and heralded the beginning of spring. Great news for the sun worshipers, but not so great for the more than 40 million Americans who suffer from seasonal allergies.

The unseasonably warm weather so far this year has also meant that the allergy season has been afflicting many people much earlier than usual.

Mandy Kendall

Allergens (a substance that causes an allergic reaction) come in all shapes and sizes and from different sources including animals, insects, pollens, materials and foods. All allergy sufferers will have their own tactics to deal with the often-daily onslaught of itchy running eyes, stuffy blocked noses and lack of sleep. Often remedies will include medications, and lots of them, however there are plenty of things that can be done to limit your exposure and boost your immunity too.

So, here are this week’s Qwik-e tips on how to help protect you against those pesky, fun spoiling, sleep depriving allergens:

Get tested — If we know exactly what it is that irritates us, we can be much more focused, and effective, in eliminating it from our lives. (This can be said for most things I think.)

Pets — If you have a pet with fur, short of shaving your beloved friend, there are others ways to minimize the affect their fur and dander (dead skin) can have on you. Keep them clean and brushed, especially when they’ve been outside and are trying to bring half of the forest back into the house. Try rubbing them vigorously with a towel outside before letting them indoors. (Wear a protective mask if you’re the one with the allergy!)Also your hair can trap plenty of pollen and dust while you’re outside, so try wearing a hat or washing your hair before you go to bed (or at least brushing it out well). Keeping pets out of our bedrooms and off our sofas can also make a huge difference to the amount of allergens present in the areas where we spend a lot of our time.

Allergens in the home — I hate cleaning, but it has to be said that regular vacuuming and dusting (with a slightly damp cloth to capture the dust rather than just moving it around!) will do a lot to reduce the amount of allergens around your living space.

Nasal rinsing — A simple saline solution will help rinse out the majority of irritating allergens and a layer of Vaseline just inside the entrance to your nostrils can help trap larger allergen particles, preventing them from going farther up your nose and causing more irritation. (Maybe that’s where the phrase “getting right up my nose” came from?)

Anti-histamines — Allergens can cause us to produce histamines, which can in turn cause the symptoms of an allergic reaction. Anti-histamines counteract these, calm things down and help the immune system. However, histamines get to work long before you start to experience the symptoms of an allergic reaction. So to be most effective, it is important to take any anti-histamine well before you come into contact with the allergen (two to five hours if possible) or just take them on a regular basis to be constantly covered. Some great natural anti-histamines include green or chamomile tea, and honey made by bees in your local area.

Foods that aggravate allergies — According to traditional Chinese medicine, there are certain foods that can exacerbate allergies. These include dairy (for their tendency to increase mucus production, so not good for any kind of asthma sufferer either) and sugar (which has a hugely negative impact on the immune system). Other specific foods that can weaken resistance to allergies include corn, peanuts, shellfish, wheat and the nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. I’m not saying these are bad for you; just maybe keep an eye on how much of these you eat when you’re experiencing an allergic reaction. However, too much Omega-6 fatty acid rich food can be very inflammatory. Foods high in Omega-6 include corn, sunflower oils, processed foods such as salad dressings and fast food. Saturated and trans fats and partially hydrogenated oil can also trigger the release of inflammatory chemicals. A monosaturated olive oil would be a much less inflammatory choice of oil as your primary source of fat.

Foods that fight allergies – Spices such as turmeric and ginger have anti-inflammatory properties. Omega-3 fatty acid rich food such as salmon, cod and haddock (flax seed or a good supplement if you’re vegetarian) also provide natural anti-inflammatory protection.

Holistic treatments — There are a plethora of holistic therapies that can help with allergies and it’s well worth calling some of your local therapists and asking them if their form of therapy is effective for helping with your kind of allergy.

(You nose it makes sense!)

Until next time.

Mandy Kendall operates Health Connective in South Lake Tahoe. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an email at healthconnective@gmail.com, visit us on Facebook, or keep an eye out on Lake Tahoe News for regular Qwik-e tips on how to make healthy changes one Quick and Easy step at a time.

To the community,

On the question of consolidating the fire department with Lake Valley, the most important consideration is who will be the sovereign? The city was created to give the citizens of the city sovereignty within the limits of the city. Thus, there would be self-government within a general law city. It is clear that if the Lake Valley Fire Department absorbs the city’s fire department with its board determining the policies of the district, the city’s sovereignty will be diminished. There will be a loss of self-government. Is that a wise thing to do if the city wishes to remain a city? Is it self-destruction? If an agreement is reached to consolidate and then we get more of the same, self-government will be a lost cause.

Bill Crawford

Presently, it is a question as to whether or not there is a city of South Lake Tahoe because in many ways it is not a city. Examples: The largest source of city revenue is grant money. After 40 some years the city does not have a city hall. There is no heart, no central location. No home. So where is the city of South Lake Tahoe? In my view the community is a place name on a map. As a city it never matured. And the visitors authority summed it up in its attempt at marketing with what they say is a brand, Tahoe South. Yes, we are on the map and that’s about all there is to it.

Bill Crawford, South Lake Tahoe

By Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon

It’s a great day to be a cow.

One serving of red meat a day significantly increases risk of heart disease, according to new study.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health announced that just a single serving of red meat per day dramatically increases your risk of death – by 13 percent. The odds of developing cancer or heart disease start around 14 percent — and they climb even higher for people who eat processed meats like hot dogs and bacon. As MedSNBC summed it up, “Americans’ love of meat likely accounts for about 1.5 million excess deaths every decade.” Damn you, bacon.

It’s just another blow for an industry with a reputation that’s only slightly worse than Lindsay Lohan’s. Despite the continued, relentless urgings that beef is “what’s for dinner” and the shudderings of manly men like Herman Cain (remember him?) at the thought of a pizza piled with vegetables, meat consumption in America is on the decline. In fact, meat’s had an image problem ever since Oprah declared she was through with burgers after the mad cow disease outbreak of the 1990s. The problem continues with the latest controversy over “pink slime” (beef scraps treated with ammonia) being served in our children’s school lunches.

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Edgewood Companies is having an open house March 29 from 5:30-7pm to explain the Edgewood Tahoe Lodge project. The meeting will be at the clubhouse of the Stateline golf course.

The lodge project includes a LEED-designed hotel with environmental improvements located adjacent to the current Edgewood clubhouse. It will include 194 hotel rooms, a bistro-style restaurant, spa, links to nearby bike and walking trails and a public beach.

The draft environmental impact statement is expected to be released this month for a 60-day review. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board is expected to vote on the project in September. Construction could begin in 2013.

South Lake Tahoe cycling enthusiasts are going after the world record for the largest bicycle parade.

Slow Rollers bike club is sponsoring the May 17 event at 4pm. Riders will go from the Y in South Lake Tahoe to MontBleu in Stateline.

Preregister at Sports Ltd. in the Village Center or call (530) 544.3979.

Come in costume for a chance be named Best of Show.

A party after the ride will be at Mo’s Place on Highway 50.