By David Bruce, Otago Daily News

A possible sister-city link between two “world mecca” gliding centres – Omarama in North Otago and Minden in western Nevada – is being investigated.

As well as gliding, both regions have much in common, including the recent introduction of centre pivot irrigation on to dryland areas and recreational attractions such as boating, fishing and hunting.

The proposal, from Glide Omarama’s Gavin Wills, has won the support of the Omarama community and now the Ahuriri Community Board has asked the Waitaki District Council to investigate the possibility.

Wills has regularly visited Minden (population 2,500) in Douglas County for the past 12 years to fly gliders and teach cross-country soaring.

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By Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Sun

Former Nevada Gov. Richard Bryan, who developed the first Governor’s Conference on Tourism more than two decades ago, will be honored at December’s revamped two-day event.

But a representative of the Nevada Commission on Tourism’s marketing committee warned that if the event is more fluff than business, it could be the state’s last Governor’s Conference for the state’s leading industry.

“The Governor’s Conference took a hiatus, and it’s coming back in a new format,” said Commissioner Ferenc Szony in this week’s marketing committee meeting. “But when people come back to their businesses after the event, they’ve got to be able to say that this either taught me a lot or ‘I met the right people.’ If this gathering is a boondoggle, it’s going to be the last one we ever do.”

The conference has been the top gathering of tourism professionals in the state for 24 years. But in 2008, the event was abruptly canceled when Gov. Jim Gibbons called lawmakers into a special session to solve the state’s budget woes days before the event.

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Sierra Nevada College is expanding the fall literary lineup with the introduction of Writers in the Woods, readings and workshops offered by a cast of luminary literati. Nevada Writers Hall of Fame author Joanne Meschery will kick off the series with a reading on Sept. 24, followed by a Saturday morning fiction workshop.

Catherine Brady will present a reading Oct. 22, and lead a nonfiction workshop Oct. 23; and Brian Turner will give a reading Nov. 19, then lead a poetry workshop the next day.

The Saturday workshops — 9am-noon — are open to the community for a $50 registration fee, as well as to SNC students, and may be taken for credit or non-credit. This group of writers offers something for a wide range of interests — from history to science, drama, politics, comedy and, of course, literature. The Friday night readings (7-9pm) remain free and open to all.

Writers in the Woods: The Lineup

Sept. 24-25: Joanne Meschery

A long-time resident of Truckee, Joanne Meschery was born in Gorman, Texas; spent her early childhood years in Boston, moved with her family to Modesto, and went to high school in Fallon. She is the author of three novels: “In a High Place” (1981); “A Gentleman’s Guide to the Frontier” (1990), which was nominated for a Pen/Faulkner Award; and “Home and Away” (1994), recently reprinted by the University of California Press as part of its California Writers Series. She is currently working on a novel set in Nevada. Her work has been awarded two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, along with numerous other prizes. She studied at the University of Iowa Workshop and was a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. She is a regular presenter at the Squaw Valley Writers Conference and a member of the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame.

Oct. 22-23: Catherine Brady

Catherine Brady’s biography about Elizabeth Blackburn — one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2007 — tells the story of molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn’s life and groundbreaking work on telomeric DNA, which launched the field of telomere research. (Blackburn made headlines in 2004 when she was dismissed from the President’s Council on Bioethics after objecting to the council’s call for a moratorium on stem cell research and protesting the suppression of relevant scientific evidence in its final report). The journal Science magazine wrote of Elizabeth Blackburn and the Story of Telomeres: Deciphering the Ends of DNA, “Catherine Brady’s Elizabeth Blackburn and the Story of Telomeres offers a commanding account of an inspiring effort to overcome gender bias along with advice about doing science, conquering academic politics, and taking responsible positions on science policy.” Brady’s most recent collection, “The Mechanics of Falling & Other Stories”, was published in 2009. Her second short-story collection, “Curled in the Bed of Love”, was the co-winner of the 2002 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction and a finalist for the 2003 Binghamton John Gardner Fiction Book Award. Brady’s first collection of short stories, “The End of the Class War”, was a finalist for the 2000 Western States Book Award in Fiction. Her stories have been included in Best American Short Stories 2004 and numerous anthologies and journals.

Nov. 19-20: Brian Turner

Iraq veteran soldier/award-winning writer Brian Turner most recently published “Phantom Noise” (Alice James Books) in 2010. Turner’s “Here, Bullet”, a collection of poetry about a year he spent deployed in Iraq, has garnered a number of literary awards, including the 2006 PEN Center USA “Best in the West” Literary Award in Poetry, the 2007 Poets’ Prize, and selection in The New York Times “Editor’s Choice.” Here, Bullet, writes the New Yorker, “is more sandy than muddy, has plenty of blood (as well as ‘grease guns, pistols, RPGs’) … and offers its share of sweetness, in the form of date palms, chai tea, and off-hours prostitutes observed through the lenses of high-powered binoculars.” Said Carolyn Forché on Turner’s latest effort, Phantom Noise, “With courage and an uncommon willingness to see the world as it actually is, Brian Turner returns in Phantom Noise with a bullet-borne language in which helicopters hover like spiders over a film of water.” Turner was featured in a profile on Page A1 of the New York Times this past February and joined SNC’s English faculty on a full-time basis beginning fall 2010.

The literary lineup will continue in the spring with standup comedian Steve Hofstetter performing on March 4 and leading a comedy writing workshop on March 5.In April, the ever-popular annual slam competition will return, offering contenders a chance to win the coveted title of Tahoe Slam Champion 2011.

For more information on the series, contact June Saraceno at jsaraceno@sierranevada.edu or at (775) 831.1314, ext. 7514.

The chilly night air lit up like it was the Fourth of July on Sunday. It was the annual Labor Day weekend fireworks extravaganza.

The pyrotechnic display shot off from a barge off the South Shore of Lake Tahoe can be seen from various locations. The fireworks are set to music to make it all that much more fun.

Creating designs with fireworks.

A variety of colors light up the night sky.

Fireworks from Lakeside Marina. Photos/Howie Nave

By Mark Glover, Sacramento Bee

Parents who have been riding their kids about playing too many video games might want to reconsider.

That gaming obsession might be the ticket to a college degree and a high-paying job.

The Washington, D.C.-based Entertainment Software Association said last month that 300 American colleges, universities, art and trade schools will offer degrees in video game design, development, programming and art during the 2010-11 academic year.

That’s a nearly 20 percent increase over 2009-10, and California leads the way with 50 institutions of higher learning offering game-related degrees – including the Art Institute of California-Sacramento and Sierra College in Rocklin.

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What kinds of life inhabit extreme environments? What strategies do they use to survive? What significance does this research have for the history of life on Earth and future studies on other planets?

As an overview of Alison Murray’s current research, this program will provide a better understanding of the unseen life forms that dominate this planet and connect the study of life on earth and studies elsewhere in the Universe.

The discovery of a Martian meteorite in the Antarctic with evidence of microbial life resulted in a new field of science called Astrobiology. This field has grown rapidly in the last 10 years as evidence of water on Mars and the moon of Jupiter and other bodies in the solar system have been discovered.

Murray’s research in aquatic and ice-laden environments utilizes new approaches for exploring the diversity and complexity of microbial life in order to understand how life functions and adapts to its surroundings here on earth. The implications of this work have far-reaching significance for understanding the history of life on Earth.

Murray has led a research program at DRI since 2001 focused on studying free-living and symbiotic aquatic microorganisms and their ecology to understand their capabilities for survival in often extreme environments. Murray’s research utilizes molecular tools to examine diversity, activity, community composition and genomic structure. Her work is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing upon oceanography, geosciences, computational biology, and chemistry. She has also worked in Lake Tahoe to characterize the diversity of organisms throughout the water column.

Date: Sept. 9

Time: 6:30pm no-host bar/door opens; 7pm program

Cost: $10. No-host bar.

Location: Assembly Rooms 139 & 141 Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village. (On the campus of Sierra Nevada College.)

“180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless”, a true story of exploration and adventure directed by former pro surfer Chris Malloy, follows nomadic wanderer Jeff Johnson and a few of his friends as they attempt to duplicate the 1968 journey undertaken by his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins from California to Chile’s Patagonia region.

The film, whose thesis might best be summed up by “It’s the journey that matters,” is being screened in Incline Village on Sept. 14th at Sierra Nevada College in the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences 139/141 at 6:30pm.

The film was chosen in part for the parallel themes it shares with the book “The Alchemist”, which was selected for SNC’s fall 2010 One Book, One Campus program. This free event is open to the public and will include door prizes donated by the Reno Patagonia store.

According to a review on Gear Junkie, Johnson “catches boat rides, surfs, mingles with locals and attempts to learn about the struggles of the area. … 180 Degrees South is not really a surf film, or a climbing film, or even an environmental film, yet it functions as all of these somehow. In a melancholy, yet beautiful and thoughful way, the film tells a story of true exploration and adventure.”

“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho is described as the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way is a lesson about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, above all, following our dreams.

Sierra Nevada College continues the One Book, One Campus program begun in fall 2009, with all incoming fall 2010 students being asked to read “The Alchemist”. Inspired by the popularity of book clubs, a growing number of college campuses are adopting common reading programs. The idea of a common reading selection rests on a simple idea: that reading the same book brings people together as a community by creating a common ground for discussion.

For more information on the film screening or on the Common Reading Program, contact Betts Markle at (775) 881.7511 or emarkle@sierranevada.edu.

The North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, in collaboration with the North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce, is accepting applications for its 2010-11 Community Marketing Grant Program. The deadline to apply is Oct. 8 at 5pm.

The majority of grants awarded will be in the $500 to $2,500 range, with possible $5,000 grants going to large-scale events.

The Community Marketing Grant Program provides marketing and promotional support to special events or projects and programs that bring visitors to the region; generate local and regional business revenue; provide local and regional media exposure; and opportunities for public relations. Grants cannot be used for capital investments, salaries, operational overhead, food and beverage, entertainment and supplies.

Because the funding for this grant program comes from Placer County transient occupancy tax through the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association the public revenue and other benefits generated must accrue principally to areas within Placer County.

The North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce staff will review all Community Marketing Grant Program applications, followed by the Chamber of Commerce Advisory Committee during a regular public meeting. If approved by the Chamber of Commerce Advisory Committee, the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association board of directors will then consider the grant applications, typically as a Consent Calendar item on its regular board of directors meeting agenda.

For more information about the Community Marketing Grant Program and/or a Grant Funding Criteria and Application Form, call Kym Fabel at (530) 581.8764 or kym@puretahoenorth.com. An application form may also be downloaded off the North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce website, click on Programs & Documents.

By Carla Roccapriore, Reno Gazette-Journal

Being on equal footing with other children is a rare occurrence for many living with muscular dystrophy.

However, that chance was available at the statewide summer camp for Jerry’s Kids held Aug. 15-21 at the Nevada State 4-H Camp in Stateline.

Local Muscular Dystrophy Association officials said the camp is the highlight of the year for many participants.

Activities included a derby car race. Each participant carved a car out of pine wood, added wheels and decorated them, and cheered as the vehicles raced in groups of three down a ramp.

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Machete

Rated R

1.5 bagels out of 5

By Howie Nave

Writer/director Robert Rodriguez is by far one of the trippiest filmmakers when it comes to framing a story. Long before the “Twilight” movies made vampires sexy and brooding Rodriguez in the last century was freaking us out with “From Dusk to Dawn” by making vampires what they should be: not of this planet and scary as hell.

Then there was this century’s “Grindhouse” which handsomely paid homage to those cheesy B-movies reminiscent of those classic exploitation films of the ’70s.

Ironically, it was during “Grindhouse” in 2007 that we first caught a glimpse of what would be “Machete” in the way of a fake movie trailer. In that trailer were many who would wind up starring in this movie. Rodriguez continues his “Mexploitation” genre with his latest outing, “Machete.” Fans of his work will remember 1992’s “El Mariachi” which follows a similar thread (as a Mexploitation flick) and like that flick “Machete” offers up plenty of in your face, non-stop violence, a maxed out gore factor coupled with topical political issues (primarily illegal immigration complete with angry Tea Party types) that will surely piss some folks off. Part comedy in the darkest sense of the word with plenty of blood shipped in, “Machete” is anything but mainstream and will appeal primarily to Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino fans. Others will probably leave the theater scratching their heads wondering if someone had slipped something in their popcorn.

What a role of a lifetime for character actor and Rodriguez regular Danny Trejo. Usually he’s relegated to playing crooks in secondary roles that get bumped off and not the title character. You’ll probably recognize him in mainstream movies such as “Desperado” and “Con Air.” Most of his past wardrobe usually consisted of prison garb or leftover outfits reminiscent of “The Postman.” Trejo easily fits in with other former heavies that include Steven Seagal and former “Miami Vice” star Don Johnson in roles that would have had their fans screaming, “Say it ain’t so!” as drug lords playing against their one-time good guy image. Hey, it worked for John Travolta (Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction”) revitalizing his stalled career, so maybe these guys were thinking the same thing when they agreed to sign on.

Oscar heavyweight Robert De Niro plays U.S. Sen. McLaughlin who hates everybody and gets a contract put out on him for his efforts, but more on that later. Then there’s the women who are anything but Barbies here. Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba and twins Elise and Electra Avellan probably won’t be in any Disney movies after this. And then there’s troubled actress Lindsay Lohan. Who knew that the character she plays here would have carried over into her real life? She plays April (which I believe was the same month she appeared in court for the second time) and yes, she’s topless and drugged out. Many have speculated that she wasn’t acting at all, but merely playing herself. I can’t be too tough on her as easy as it is because Alba, although she looked hot, was less convincing as an INS officer. Although I wouldn’t mind being interrogated by her. I think they dressed her up so provocatively to take your mind off of her bad acting.

Regardless, I respect Robert Rodriguez because he takes chances (some work, some don’t) but here the thin premise rests pretty much on revenge, bad stereotypes and really bad humor. Machete (Trejo), he’s a former Mexico federale who is hired to kill the senator and I thought he should have wounded the writers (written by both Robert and his cousin Alvaro Rodriguez). And just like the city of South Lake Tahoe, nepotism is a big part of Rodriguez’s movies. In addition to cousin Alvaro Robert’s sister, Rebecca, Rodriguez serves as editor with Roxie Rodriguez working in the capacity of production office intern.

If you love this picture, than fear not because there’s talk already of another one in the works. “Machete” is rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, language, some sexual content and nudity with a running time of 1 hour and 42 minutes.

Howie Nave is host/emcee/manager of The Improv at Harveys. You can hear him Monday-Friday 6 to 10am on KRLT FM-93.9.