Chicago

When I was in law school, I actually knew a couple of guys from Chicago who could be these two guys.  Hilarious.

A sunny day at Squaw Valley

We came up to our place at Tahoe/Donner on Thursday evening and went skiing at Squaw Valley on Friday and today.  As you may have heard, we had zero snow this year all the way through February, which meant no skiing.  We finally got some pretty good storms in March and the first part of April and thus were able to get in a few days.

As for the present,  there is still quite a bit of snow left, but it is getting so warm and sunny that it turns to mush at about noon.  Skiing in that stuff is not really that fun.  Nevertheless, we got in some really nice runs between 9 & 11:30.  Here are some photos I took today.  [click to blow up]

This is the venerable Siberia chair, which takes you all the way up to the top of Siberia Ridge.  It makes for a long , fun run down to the lift, with a pretty steep face to start out. (You can’t see the actual run in this shot).

The famous KT-22.  You can’t see the west face from this shot, but it has some really scary steeps that I have never even thought about trying, and never will.  What you can see here is what they call the “KT saddle,” which is a favorite of mine.  That run starts at the opening on the top right third of this photo and terminates into the “Mountain Run.”  I was standing on the Mountain Run when I took this shot.

Well, I couldn’t resist.  These are my skis and poles and I’m wearing the skis with the poles leaning on my belly.

Another photo I wish I had taken

Help NRDC stop Shell Oil

I am a proud member of the National Defense Resources Defense Council, and a lover of polar bears.  I just received the March/April issue of the NRDC’s “Nature’s Voice.”  There is an article regarding the NRDC joining “Earthjustice” in a lawsuit to block Shell from operating in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea, home to more than half of America’s polar bears.  In addition, NRDC has started an online campaign featuring a video by Robert Redford and a letter protesting the misguided drilling plan that you can easily send to the Interior Department.  You can see the video and send the letter here.  Please take the time to stand up for our polar bear friends.

~ Tom

Voter suppression–still worried

I’ve been sidelined the last couple of days with a case of the flu, even though I had a flu shot a while back.  I guess this particular strain slipped under the radar.  So I’ve been watching a lot of MSNBC and Current TV.  I hear about the 18 point gender gap, and Joe Scarbough announcing that no one in the Republican establishment thinks Romney will win, and I feel really good.  But then I can’t help but wonder how the other side is going to get around all this.  I keep coming back to the same fear:  voter suppression. 

I can’t take the time to list all of the new laws that have been passed requiring photo ID, and other draconian requirements.  Some go even further like in Florida where they are requiring that people doing voter registration must file the documents within 48 hours or face a $10,000 fine.  This prompted the League of Women Voters and other such voter registration organizations to cease all activity.  I keep picturing an election day where hundreds of minorities and women are turned away.  That could get real ugly!

Thus, what I think should happen right away is for the democratic party to spend a lot of money and time assisting voters to obtain whatever documents they will need to register and get them registered.  What is forgotten is that there will be a good number of people on the Republican side who don’t have the proper documents and will not take proper measures to get them.  If our side can make sure our people are able to get the required documents and then register, maybe we can reduce the damage that will be inflicted by these Jim Crow laws.  Of course the Justice Department should attempt to get the laws thrown out, but short of success in that area, getting people registered and out to vote is essential.