By Elizabeth Landau, CNN

When Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 with 71 passengers and crew crashed shortly after takeoff from Reno in 1985, there was only one survivor: George Lamson Jr.

The CNN Films documentary “Sole Survivor,” features Lamson and others who’ve struggled after being the only survivors of large plane crashes.

The ordeal often includes a huge emotional burden. In the film, Lamson reaches out to fellow sole survivors, who open up about their complex feelings related to survivorship.

Disasters that take the lives of everyone involved except for one may leave a survivor feeling guilty for receiving the gift of continued life when no one else did.

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By Sue Shellenbarger, Wall Street Journal

Procrastinators, take note: If you’ve tried building self-discipline and you’re still putting things off, maybe you need to try something different. One new approach: Check your mood.

Often, procrastinators attempt to avoid the anxiety or worry aroused by a tough task with activities aimed at repairing their mood, such as checking Facebook or taking a nap. But the pattern, which researchers call “giving in to feel good,” makes procrastinators feel worse later, when they face the consequences of missing a deadline or making a hasty, last-minute effort, says Timothy Pychyl (rhymes with Mitchell), an associate professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a researcher on the topic.

Increasingly, psychologists and time-management consultants are focusing on a new strategy: helping procrastinators see how attempts at mood repair are sabotaging their efforts and learn to regulate their emotions in more productive ways.

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It’s not often that it’s a good thing when people associate you with Scrooge. But Scrooge is the legacy of Dorothy and Brian Farnon.

Dorothy Farnon

Dorothy Farnon died Jan. 3. She was 87.

Brian died in 2010.

The couple wrote an original production of “Ebenezer Scrooge”, which was staged of Harrah’s Lake Tahoe from 1982 through the late 1990s. It was a productions that is still talked about today by those who saw it or were in it.

Dorothy was born in Pennsylvania on Aug. 26, 1926. She and her family later moved to Chicago where she began taking dance, gymnastics and piano lessons. Being a gifted lyricist from a young age, she wrote the alma mater for her university.

In Chicago she danced at Chez Paris where she met her future husband, Brian Farnon, who was performing alongside such notables as Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.

They moved to Los Angeles where she continued her dancing at the Moulin Rouge. She later formed The Farrells, a song and dance duo.

Dorothy was a talented choreographer and lyricist, teaching hundreds of students to dance and perform.

She and Brian wrote the Christmas song “Christmas Land” performed by Tony Bennett.

Dorothy, Brian and their sons moved to South Lake Tahoe in 1967. She had a thriving dance studio in South Lake Tahoe for many years, presenting annual recitals.

She will be remembered for her quick wit, love of animals and people, life, and Christmas.

Dorothy was philanthropic, donating to such organizations as Barton Memorial Hospital, Lake Tahoe Humane Society, Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, and Lake Tahoe Boys and Girls Club. To continue this tradition, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dorothy’s name to: Lake Tahoe Humane Society, P.O. Box PET, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96158 or Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, 1485 Cherry Hills Circle, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.

Dorothy is survived by her sons, Michael and Brian Farnon; grandchildren, Matthew Farnon and Meghan Farnon Tompkins; great-grandson, Brody Tompkins; and stepdaughters, Sharon Crigler, Charmian Carr, and Darlene Parker.

There will be an open house to celebrate Dorothy’s life on Feb. 8 from 10am-1pm at Edgewood Tahoe in Stateline. Click here for details and to RSVP.

By Kathryn Reed

The 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley set the stage for future Games in ways that organizers could not have foreseen. It was the first to have the athletes housed in a contained area close to the action, the first for a downhill racer to use a composite ski, the first to have a computer to tabulate scores, the first to have a theatrical opening and closing ceremony, the first for biathlon and the first to be broadcast live throughout the country.

David Antonucci spoke Jan. 7 to a crowd of more than 60 people at the South Lake Tahoe Library about how the Olympics came to the Tahoe area 54 years ago and what they were like.

Antonucci is the author of “Snowball’s Chance: The Story of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games Squaw Valley & Lake Tahoe” and “The 1960 Winter Olympics” – the latter being more photos than words.

His interest in the Games occurred somewhat accidentally. The Tahoma resident began investigating the trails he could see around his house. They turned out to be cross country trails used during the Games.

David Antonucci talks Jan. 8 about how Alex Cushing secured the 1960 Winter Games at Squaw Valley. Photo/Kathryn Reed

At the time they were all on private property so all the structures were torn down. But now much of the land is part of Sugar Pine Point State Park, trails have been resurrected, and cross country and biathlon events are staged there.

Antonucci recognized Martin Hollay, who was in the audience. Now in his 90s, Hollay helped build the 20-kilometer trail system.

With all the construction, the cross country events had to be moved 15 miles south near Tahoma.

Much has been written about how Alex Cushing, then owner of Squaw Valley ski resort, didn’t expect the U.S. Olympic Committee, let alone the international folks to award his one lift, two-rope tow resort the Olympics. But they did. And in the intervening four years a destination for the world to embrace was created.

Antonucci explained why Highway 89 between Truckee and Tahoe City is so wide. It was so three lanes of traffic could get to Squaw in the morning and three lanes could leave when the day’s competition came to a close.

Plans for Interstate 80 were on the drawing board. Construction between Sacramento and Truckee was put on the fast track to get people to the Games.

Blythe Arena was built so the heat extracted from the ice-making unit would melt the snow on the roof. Someone forgot about that fact and in 1983 the roof collapsed because of a heavy snowload.

Two A-frame structures allowed spectators to watch multiple events at once. Only the men’s downhill finished mid-mountain.

The Seabees were brought in to make a temporary parking lot out of snow and sawdust.

“Originally they wanted to pave the meadow,” Antonucci said.

IBM needed an entire building for its one computer that was used for scoring. This was the first Olympics where athletes didn’t have to wait hours to know the results. Twenty-six people were needed to operate the 5 megabyte machine.

Antonucci had many stories to tell of athletes in various sports for different countries, including the original hockey team that beat the Russians and took home gold after beating the Czechs.

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Notes:

David Antonucci will speak and give a slideshow presentation at the Museum of Sierra Ski History in Tahoe City on Jan. 16. The Olympic Museum Mixer is from 5:30-7:30pm and is part of the Olympic Heritage Celebration.

By Erin Beresini, Outside

It’s possible sports victories trigger local baby booms. In fact, a study published in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal claims just that.

On May 6, 2009, Spanish researchers wrote, Football Club Barcelona’s Andrés Iniesta scored a last minute goal against Chelsea FC, earning Barça a spot in the UEFA Champions League Final. That night, Catalonians celebrated by shooting off fireworks, and banging pots and pans, among other things. Nine months later, the Catalonian birthrate shot up 45 percent, according to an informal survey of five local hospitals.

While not scientifically investigated to the extent of Catalonia’s so-called “Iniesta generation,” other sports victories have also been fingered in local baby booms.

Take the “Red Sox phenomenon” of 2005, for instance. Nine months after the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series, the Boston Globe reported anecdotal evidence that a lot of Red Sox fans had, um, banged pots and pans in celebration.

New Zealanders got busy after the All Blacks defeated France—in Oz—to win the Rugby World Cup in 2011. Nine months after the victory, the New Zealand Herald reported that maternity units at local hospitals were overflowing with women in labor.

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By Lauren Weber, Wall Street Journal

It’s Jan. 9. Are you feeling frazzled yet?

Lake Tahoe News reporter Susan Wood on assignment. Photo/LTN file

You might be — especially if you’re a soldier, public-relations executive, newspaper reporter, or airline pilot. Those are among the most stressful careers for 2014, according to a new ranking from job-search website CareerCast.com.

Every year, CareerCast.com compiles lists of the ten most and least taxing jobs, scoring 200 occupations according to 11 different stress factors including physical demands, deadlines, competitiveness, and the amount of travel the job requires. The scores are then added up to give a total, with higher numbers signaling higher stress. (Sources for the data include government agencies such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but also private surveys. See the full methodology here.)

It’s a cruel fact that some of the toughest positions in today’s economy, according to the lists, pay salaries that barely account for the shoulder-crunching tension they tend to inflict.

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Corey Rosalie McCauley, who graduated from South Tahoe High School in 1996, died Jan. 3 after a valiant battle with cancer. She was 35.

Corey was born March 7, 1978, in South Lake Tahoe.

She earned an associate of arts degree from Lake Tahoe Community College in 2003 and an associate of science degree in nursing from Sierra College in Rocklin in 2011.

Corey Rosalie McCauley

She was employed at Barton Memorial Hospital for 17 years. Her last job was as a registered nurse at Barton’s Skilled Nursing Facility.

Corey loved the outdoors and enjoyed an active Tahoe lifestyle. Her favorite activities were hiking, trail running, biking and spending warm summer days at the beach. She also enjoyed playing softball and volleyball. Her leisure time was enjoyed by working on arts and crafts projects, building miniatures, watching movies, listening to music and enjoying her technologies and social networking.

Corey is survived by her husband, Dan; daughter Danica and devoted stepdaughter Morgan; mother Linda Baysinger of Gardnerville; brother Doug Glover of South Lake Tahoe; mother-in-law Frances McCauley of Sacramento; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her father, Michael Glover.

There will be a celebration of life Jan. 10 at 3pm at the Lake Tahoe Christian Fellowship, 3580 Blackwood Road, South Lake Tahoe. A reception will follow the service. Attendees are requested to bring a single flower which will then become a unified arrangement. In lieu of other flower arrangements, an educational fund has been established for 23-month-old Danica. Donations may be written out to Danica Faith McCauley and given in love at the service.

Dana Benedict, the founder of Pinnacle Real Estate Group in South Lake Tahoe, died Dec. 30. He was 53.

Dana was born June 10, 1960, in Willows. He was raised in Boulder Creek, attended San Lorenzo Valley High School and graduated from the University of Oregon. Those that knew him well were drawn into his passion for the Oregon Ducks and life in the mountains.

Dana Benedict

Always an entrepreneur, family and friends smile with memories of his many ventures such as raising and selling earthworms, Christmas wreaths designed from computer punch cards and packaging ashes for sale from Mount St. Helens.

He helped create Tahoe Property Management and Pinnacle Lake Tahoe Getaways.

His lifelong passion for the outdoors began with numerous family trips to the Sierra. That passion grew to include camping, fishing, skiing, snowmobiling and dirt bikes. Among his personal outdoor highlights was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

He supported every activity his kids participated in, never missing baseball or football games, or cross country meets.

Dana is survived by his wife, Michelle Blue Benedict, and their children Sarah and Todd. Siblings include Kent and Paula Benedict, Barbara and Spencer Kimball, Carolyn and Charlie Baird. Also left behind are 14 nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Arje Benedict and Kathryn Kent Benedict.

A celebration of life will be Jan. 25 from 4-6pm at Lake Tahoe Golf Course. Those looking to make a memorial donation are encouraged to contribute to the children’s college funds. E-gift pages may be found online. Todd’s account number is 616075329 and Sarah’s is 616075310.

Falco

Falco is a very cute little white Bichon Frise who will be even more handsome once he gets a good grooming.

Falco was brought to the shelter in bad shape. He hadn’t been groomed in many months, and his fur needed to be cut away to enable him to walk correctly. He’s on the shy side, but he warms up quickly and will be happiest receiving lots of attention. Falco has a very sweet disposition, gets along well with other dogs and is OK with cats.

Falco is neutered, microchipped, 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 online 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

By Jennifer Shaw, Contra Costa Times

Veronica Tucker would have done the same thing if the man she helped save had been anyone else.

“Someone would’ve been waiting for him to come home,” the sixth-grader at North Creek Academy in Walnut Creek says of her valiant efforts.

In this case, she and a new summer camp cabin mate Grace McAdoo, both from Concord, instinctively teamed up to save Veronica’s dad.

The girls are being recognized with a proclamation by the Concord City Council, which will be presented at the meeting Sept. 9.

The girls were in the midst of enjoying a weeklong experience at Camp Concord at Lake Tahoe in July, where her dad was volunteering as a chaperon.

The elder Tucker, a diabetic — whose recent change in medication, coupled with the altitude and cold temperature of the lake — suddenly lost control of his extremities, struggled to breathe when his “chest locked up,” and managed to shout out for help, before the former longtime search-and-rescue volunteer started to sink beneath the water’s surface.

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