Movie review

The Hurt Locker
What is a hurt locker? A slang term describing a serious physical condition suffered by an individual or individuals as a result of illness or injury by accident or other outside agent.
So here we are in a docudrama produced by a veteran documentarian, Ms. Bigalow. She produced the film with the current Mid east war as the focal point of interest. It is not you typical war story: there is no story. It is a film that follows the brief time of several soldiers during their deployment to the Mideast as part of the American military effort in the region. One could assume either Iraq or Afghanistan, you pick.
The tension and interest is created by focusing on the unit responsible for defusing roadside explosives or IED's. The nameless actors are young, career oriented soldiers coping with the job requirements that are source of deadly encounters. The film highlights the urban warfare/ terrorist landscape found throughout the region. The national newspapers report the daily carnage caused by these devices on innocent civilians and unsuspecting military personnel. Will it drive them to drinking? Apparently, so, as indicated by the drinking bouts engaged in by the actors.
Throughout the film, the director highlights the interactions of the soldiers with local civilians: tense observations from behind screened windows and doorways; suspicious individuals observing the soldiers' work from nearby perches; shouted orders in a language obviously incomprehensible are ignored to the grief of each party.
The film illuminates the landscape found in urban warfare, or here, urban terrorism conducted against innocents by religious fanatics and ideologues gone rogue. Essentially, this is police work. Participants are not on alert 24/7, they can retreat to protected venues to relax, and they have a time table for rotation out of the zone. No, it is not warfare as we know it, but police work as we know it to be, albeit with a foreign context.
Definitely worth viewing for those making an attempt to understand some of what is happening in the Mideast.

weekend conditions @ slopes of Homewood

Rise and shine
Fresh powder awaits you and crowds will be minimal. Looks like conditions are perfect,again. Several inches of fresh snow have fallen overnight and thw weather is clearing. Have fun, be safe, and party hardy when the sun sets in the west.
Olympic Games Update
2 weeks from today, the opening ceremonies take place outside Vancouver, B.C. signifying the beginning of the Winter Olympic games. Catch the excitement on a myriad of websites dedicated to all things Olympic, all things British Columbia, and all things ice skating, downhill racing, slalom, biathlon, and don't forget everybody's favorite: Curling!
Snow @ Blackcomb is significant; however, @ the board sites(at lower elev), snow levels were lower than officials preferred and they ordered more to be trucked in from higher up on the mountain. Long term forecasts look good for spectators, athletes, and local residents trying to enjoy the media spotlight for the duration of the contests. The Wall St. Journal's mag-Smart Money recently published an article about former Olympic sites and how they did post -event. Apparently, not all sites flourished as promised in the afterglow. It did point out Blackcomb has many advantages enjoyed by only a few: great history with ski enthusiasts; fine location relative to population centers; modern facilities complete with transportation, and wide open spaces. The mountain overall has approx. 8000 acres of mountain to use for skiers. That is the equivalent of 1/4 of the City of San Francisco or better put: all the area of the Presidio of SF, the Marina Dist., Northbeach, Fishermen's Wharf and Pier 39, the Financial Dist.; and Chinatown thrown in for good measure. It's a large space.

With the advances in telecom, hi tech cell phones, ipods, iphones, etc, the coverage will be over the top. Every spectator will be a videographer/ newsanchor. What fun! The bloggers will be using up bandwidth at a record pace. Look out AT&T.
The most difficult part will be getting there from all the four corners of the world. But, it will be done. More to follow.

Snow, snow and more snow

Our prayers :answered!  

      And here we are, well into the 2010 ski season with a most favorable outlook.  Timely snowfall has left the Westshore blanketed with copious amounts of the white stuff. Yahoo is what one hears from local boarders/skiers, and more yahoos from daytrippers and weekenders.  Attendance figures have not been tabulated, but casual observations tell a fine story: business is better than last season.  Conversations with local businesses indicated a resurgence of visitors to the basin, especially over the Christmas/New Years' time frame.  The weather cooperated and transierra highways were accessible 24/7- a big plus for the ski slope operators.  Look for accurate figs. after Feb. 1st.

MLK weekend brought more guests into the basin, but weather forecasts no doubt deterred some potential visitors from venturing up the hill.  We anticipate great conditions for the next biggee-Presidents' Weekend: snow pack should be excellent.  Our favorite bambino-"El Nino" is doing his utmost to restore winter precipitation rates to normal amounts.  Our advice: "keep on truckin'   "El Nino".

Local public safety officials reported no unusual activities, except for the normal driving issues, parking on county roads,etc.

Vancouver, Canada

    The possibility exists of a junket to the 2010 Olympics starting in a few weeks.  The 60th Anniversary of  Squaw Valley 1960 Olympics was celebrated at several local sites, including our own Sugar Pine Pt. State Park.  It was at the park the the Biathlon events were held in 1960.  This site gives special meaning to Tahoma in the historical context of the Olympics.  While some photos were taken of the local events, I still haven't seen the video(if there is one).

Granlibakken was the scene of a gathering of athletes who participated in the Squaw Valley events 50 years ago.  Yes, fifty years ago, when we were young and the population of California was only 15, 717,000, 50% more than in 1950, and 100+% more than the 6,900,000 of 1940.  Yes, life was simpler in those days for obvious reasons:fewer people, fewer problems.

Who's going to the Canada games?  I don't hear much enthusiasm for such a trip.  Perhaps the economy has yet to rebound sufficiently to allow enough $$$$ to be earmarked for even a token visit. (don't say earmark again in this post, thank you).  There are still plenty of tickets available for most events.  If I go with some staff, I will drive to save on costs.  I promise.

Where's Bubba(the bear)?

Not much current news on Incline's Bear, fondly called Bubba in the press.  Perhaps he's finally gone into hibernation. At last.  Given recent snow levels, I believe he needs a well deserved rest from all foraging activities.  Maybe we'll continue this story in the spring.  

     In the meantime, keep your eyes open for signs of four-legged dumpster divers in fur coats-could be Bubba!

Book review #1

George Orwell

        A staff recommended title "Homage to Catalonia" was read over the holiday period and was well worth the time.  A short read, 200+ pages, the book is a memoir of author Orwell's time fighting for the government against fascism(the Franco-Nazi-Fascist coalition).  Orwell came with a number of other Brits as international volunteers to support the legitimate elected government.  Unfortunately, the badly fractionalized government army and militias were unable to overcome their differences, and eventually succumbed to Franco's forces.   Orwell's first person accounts add moving details of the hardships of the infantry, poorly equiped, untrained for the most part, and lead by enthusiastic but feeble leaders.  He was seriously wounded by a sniper's bullet in the throat and by some miracle, survived to fight again.  The political landscape was identified in its particulars and his insights provide clarity to a murky organization.  He ably points to the communists' influence and the support of Russia in both arms and money.

         His effort correctly dispels many of the myths surrounding the conflict and highlights the internecine battles that occurred in Barcelona.

Mayor awards the book 3 1/2 stars.

holiday magic

welcome 2010(twenty-ten for numbers freaks)

       Christmas and New Year's have come and gone and it's back to reality: recession, health care, taxes, terrorists, and drought, not necessarily in that order.  The slopes were blessed with powder, cold temps, and crowds.  The Mayor and his staff visited the new Ritz carlton @ Northstar Resort and found it to be worth the effort.  Great care went into its design and construction and the results speak for themselves: outstanding!

       Fresh powder fell on successive days, but did not include high winds or other unpleasantries. Skiers were rewarded with near ideal conditions with amiable crowds and short lift lines.  Eating establishments appeared to be well stocked with sit down guests and people waiting.  Wait staff were pushed, but not too hard.  Roads were plowed and ice was not much of an issue for visiting flat landers.  It was good to see so much activity after such a quiet fall 'tween season.

Our best to all citizens of Tahoma Town for 2010.