Ski Resort Powered by Green Energy

Jiminy Peak installed a wind turbine this past summer in order to generate clean, natural energy and build on a sustainable community for the future. It's called Zephyr, the Greek word for the God of the west wind, which is where the wind blows from. It took three years of planning but Zephyr is the first wind turbine project ever built for a ski resort in North America.

The idea is the brainchild of Jiminy Peak CEO Brian Fairbank whose progressive way of thinking will save money and save the environment. Initially, the investment costs 3.3 million but in the long run the project will pay off.

Zephyr produces approximately 1/3 of Jiminy Peak’s annual energy needs including power snowmaking, lifts and some buildings like the Country Inn. At full production, the wind turbine's output is 2,000 horsepower, enough to run 600 houses. Lets hope Fairbank's innovation sets an example for other private businesses to follow.

See the guy in yellow - that's my buddy Bob. Wave to the camera Bob!

Glade Hippies at Smuggs

Check out my latest article entry at GoNomad all about skiing at Smugglers Notch last month. Young whippersnappers, measuring no taller than my waistline, born during the Clinton Administration, kicked my ego all over the mountain. Moguls and glades give me nightmares but Vermont munchkins absolutely love them. Seeing how my skills stacked up to theirs, I decided against quitting my day job. Still, Nola, Mutti and me sucked up the age difference and had a fabulous time.

YouTube Video on Design District

Nationalism and pride stemming from their recent independence from Russia (1917) are reasons enough for Finland's extreme innovation in art and design.

I traveled to Finland this past December, soaking in the sights of Turku and Helsinki, bathing in the warm sauna culture, indulging in traditional Finnish cuisine and dancing up a storm at a campy karaoke bar. With only a few hours of sunlight during the dark winter months, I raced my way around the Design District for glimpses of top-class furniture, clothing, kitchen wares and jewelry.

The visual arts and architecture in Finland is cutting-edge and built to last. I came home with some classy Iittala glassware and colorful Marimekko shower towels. Here now are a few interviews I shot and edited with the owners, designers and best public relations faces in the city; known for being the Best Nordic Oddity in 2007.

Improv in Grand Central Station

Worth viewing, twice.

Eclipsed by the Oscars

Another total lunar eclipse came and went last Wednesday and, luckily, we here in Albany, NY, had a perfectly clear night for the viewing. Rocco (my obedient Golden) and I gathered under the stars for 15 minutes, freezing but focused on taking the perfect photo of the spectacle. Still, my shots didn't materialize anywhere near this amazing snap found online.

Eclipses are the perfect astronomical phenomenon for profound realizations. Mine came just as the Earth was casting its outer shadow called the penumbra (I looked that up) in front of the moon, effectively blocking the Sun from reaching it.

"Good grief, I have yet to see most of the films nominated for Academy Awards this year", I thought to myself.

It's Oscar night Sunday, cinema's Superbowl, televised on ABC and seen by tens of millions of people around the world. The only two recent flicks I've seen are "There Will Be Blood" and "Atonement". In the dead of winter, I usually just hunker down with TCM (Turner Classic Movies). All are uninterrupted and free of charge with 31 days of Oscar picks every night. That's great tv!

But, missing out on the modern stuff doesn't bode well when striking up a conversation with friends. Most are feature film fanatics, some that wouldn't miss a documentary if their life depended on it. In the documentary category are nominations for 4 out of 5 films focused on torture, war and illness: "No End in Sight", "Operation Homecoming", "Taxi to the Dark Side" and "War/Dance". I saw "Sicko" three times so I'm prepared to applaud Michael Moore's acceptance speech should he win.

I'm also at a loss in the foreign film category. The nominations are "Beaufort" "The Counterfeiters", "Katyn", "Mongol" and "12". If any of my readers (Jay Bobbin) can advise me on which to spend a couple precious hours watching this weekend, reply to this blog asap. Thanks!

Randy Owen on WGNA

Just this morning, Lead Singer for the legendary country music band ALABAMA, Randy Owen dropped by the Albany music radio station, WGNA, to help raise money for ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. Randy has been a part of the St. Jude telethon for 19 years having started the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids® program in 1989 after meeting Danny Thomas. The program has become one of the most successful radio fundraising events in the country, garnering more than $310 million in pledges for the hospital. Owen recorded a new song about a little girl with cancer, which WGNA played on the radio, following his interview. I recorded the live event at 8am this morning for the St. Jude Telethon to air on CBS on March 1. The song brought everyone in the studio practically to tears. Owen's new album will be available to purchase this Spring.

Travel Interviews Go Global

During my last 2 press trips, Finland in December and Greenland in August, I met 2 media-savvy PR reps with nearly perfect English. A real bonus when putting together travel videos. It's always a relief to find experts who can recite history, culture and geography without needing subtitles.

To my surprise, while flipping channels this week, I discovered that both were interviewed for shows on major television networks this week: National Geographic Channel and the Travel Channel. Even though I work in tv, it's always a confidence boost knowing the "big boys" pick the same selective personalities as me to tell a story. Or, perhaps, they watch my mini excursions called Travel Shorts when I publish a travel article? Ha. In any event, it's nice knowing I prepped the people in advance for their 15 minutes of fame.

Not sure which continent, country, state or province I'm off to next, but I'm actually itching for airline grub and sleep deprivation. It's tough not knowing what will be offered next when so many stunning and unique places are still out there.

Could the Namib desert in Namibia, where rhinos and desert elephants run wild, be next, or maybe it will be the large stone statues called Moai on Easter Island or perhaps a easy stroll down a cherry blossoming street in Toyko this Spring? Perhaps the most sobering experience of all time would be high in the hills of a Tibet monastery. Now, that would be life-changing.

While the travel gods decide my fate, I'll be sure to keep plenty of tape stock and camera batteries locked and loaded for that next big interview. An interview that will, no doubt, later appear on a global program of international recognition.

Winter Hiking and Snowshoeing

The snow was a bit a too slippery to cross-country ski so we donned snowshoes and hit the trails today. Vermont hasn't much snow, about 4 inches, but it's more than Abany.

Shortly before snapping my shadow, I tipped over with camera in hand. Snowshoes aren't designed to walk backwards in! A little detail I discovered after shaking off a chilly backside planted in crunchy icicles.

Following 90 minutes of feeling like a waddling duck, I finally started to enjoy snowshoeing and even got used to the ear-pinching decibels the noise of a frozen February day causes. There was no way we'd sneak up on a deer at this noise ratio.

Snowshoeing Vermont's Green Mountains has been going on for hundreds of years. It's roots predate the invention of the wheel when humans migrated from place to place as well as hunted in rough conditions. It was the North American Indian that perfected the snowshoe design like the bear paw pattern and lace-frame form.

For a high aerobic workout that gets you closer to nature, give snowshoeing a try at places found at Trails.com. Enjoy.

Decompression Session with Jerry

I was still in a crummy mood today until I met Jerry. Let me tell you about Jerry. He's part Polynesian, part Iroquois Indian, part Vietnam Vet and part drifter and he lives quite comfortably in a small truck camper in the middle of a cold, empty warehouse.

Jerry speaks 3 languages (French, German and Spanish) and loves to salvage scrap technology like old computers, printers and monitors and make something useful out them again. Best of all, Jerry, a man with a bigger heart than all the riches in the world, knows that life is a series of chapters, some written during the time of duress and sorrow and others dazzling with prosperity and hope.

I got to know Jerry on assignment today. He works as a security guard for a recycling facility. The job suits him well. He says that he's never bought new before and I can believe it. He took one look at some of my video equipment and offered cheaper (and recycled) alternatives to tripod stands, Arri lights and advice on how to correctly wrap cords.

Unfortunately, there was no time to delve deeper into Jerry's compassionate past but in the short time that I worked with him, I marveled at his nomadic philosophies about life. Of course, Jerry's wanderlust has brought him around the world and back again living for several weeks at a time to absorb the culture of each country.

I'm sure if Jerry can make a lonely camper his home, he finds no problem doing the same thousands of miles away in strange lands. Because, the reality is that home is not really a place, but a feeling deep inside us that accompanies us wherever we feel most at peace.

Scamentines Day

I hate it when I get scammed! It's such a huge sucker punch to my pride and professionalism. It's humiliating, financially damaging and makes me that much more cynical towards the world.

Since being in business for myself, it seems so that someone is always making a valiant effort to pull the wool of my eyes. Be it a door-to-door con artist claiming to be a poor student, a persistent telemarketing agency who can't take no for an answer, virus-laden emails clogging up my spam filter, hell, even the occasional client skipping town without paying. That last one really hurts.

It's a tough world when you go it alone and it's easy to get bitter, resentful and suspicious along the way. Being duped is akin to be dumped. Those bad vibes blow your ego to shreds and provoke immeasurable self-scrutiny. But scam or no scam, this week is not the time to be sour, right? Thursday is Valentines Day, a rosy shade of pink and pretty flowers to feel festive about.

Nauseating!

It's forced sentimentalism on a hyped, overly commercialized holiday. I've decided to buy myself a box of dark chocolates, rent an angry movie and throw darts at a poster of cupid. That should make me feel better for falling for scams of all varieties. Oh, yes, bitterness becomes me this week.

America's Wealth Gap

A tentative deal was reached in LA putting an end to a writers’ strike that has gone for over 3 months. That's 12,000 movie and television writers that can return to work with a contract, deserving of the countless hours they picketed.

That's great news for unions in this country since media conglomerates are bigger and wield more power than most governments. Contentions remain surrounding profits made with new media (internet and cell phones) but for the most part, the union's hard work and sacrifice achieved most of their objectives.

I've long supported unions because I grew up with a Dad in a union. In industrial America, my Dad worked a blue-collar job in harsh conditions for extremely low pay in the beginning. Thanks to the union, improvements, like reasonable working hours, overtime pay and pensions improved. My Dad's experience has always been that unions helped a company compete and thrive. Most are extremely flexible, understanding and willing to bend if the company is in dire fiscal straights.

Unfortunately not all company's act like Southwest Airlines, which has long made employees part-owners via profit-sharing and stock options.

It was inevitable that I'd join a union as well and so I've been in one since 1993: NABET (National Association of Broadcasters, Electricians and Technicians). We can be just as passionate, aggressive and persistent should greedy shareholders try to take more than their fair share.

And based on the average earnings of a CEO, most of them make more in a year than their employees will make in a lifetime. According to a Business Week survey, last year, the average CEO earned $12.4 million, including salary, bonus and other compensation. That breaks down to $34,000 a day including Saturdays and Sundays. Absolutely crazy.

Voting from Abroad is Far Easier

Election Day Tuesday was suppose to be cut and dry, a real simple 'flip-the-switch' kind of day. Instead, it turned into a political nightmare.

I have a relative who has been battling serious physical and mental issues for a long time. She tends not to go anywhere that requires heavy walking or strenuous activity. Voting requires no more than parking my car and pulling a lever and because the 19th amendment means everything to me, I convinced my relative to exercise her right to vote as well.

I knew she was registered somewhere in Albany so we went searching for the right district and voting booth. It sounds simple enough but by the time we hit 7, yes, 7 incorrect voting booths our spirits were waning and neither of us wanted any part of this year's Presidential Primary Election.

It took one hour and a full tank of gas to finally find the correct polling station. How could that have happen?, you ask.

My first inclination is to think 'Republican Conspiracy' but that might be my paranoia about the Current Administration coming through. Rather, it was probably the work of the 5 aging volunteer seniors manning the booths of 5 incorrect polling stations that I just happen to visit. The 6th was a charm but prior to that I nearly launched into a full-scale rage entering booth number 6. Yes, 5 white-haired individuals, claiming to work for the Board of Elections, just happened to incorrectly assist us to our next destination, and what's even more frustrating is that most physically or mentally handicapped do not drive a car and would be prompted to walk.

If my relative had to walk from one incorrect polling station to another, she would have walked her fragile bones right into an early grave, all in an effort to cast her vote. That is sooo wrong. If we were abroad traveling the entire process would have taken only 10 minutes by registering a vote at Democrats Abroad. I really find it quite amazing that the “greatest democracy” in the world uses outdated voting stations and volunteer labor to secure the next President.

If any of my readers has found the process of finding your polling station difficult, if not nearly impossible, please send me feedback. Jumping through hoops like this shouldn't happen to anyone.

200 Mile Victory Lap

A car radio does NOT do a Superbowl game justice, especially when it's on the AM dial. I went bouncing from one Westwood One station to another for 200 miles, last night, trying to capture the spirit of what my friends were enjoying in front of their 60-inch HD television. It didn't work.

Jen, a Bostonian friend and one of the biggest Patriot fans I know, invited me last minute, to her folk's place in Marshfield, Mass. Since I had an assignment in Boston this morning I decided to take her up on her offer.

Her parents live only 6 miles from a slice of island on the Atlantic called Humarock, a historic vacation spot with fabulously old beach houses that survived the 1991 Big Storm. Jen gave me exact directions from Albany, but, of course, I bypassed her expertise and found a shortcut to...well, no-where. I nearly missed the entire game including the last nail-biting moments.

Emotion erupted as I hurried in to see the last 3 minutes. Screeches, shrieks and shouts choked the room. And even with only 8 devoted fans, one with an autographed sports jersey by Tom Brady, the ear-piercing noise they made should have alerted me to this house long before I got lost. I grabbed a seat just in time to watch as Manning's magic exasperated my new friends. Giants Plaxico Burress scored a TD with just 35 seconds left on the clock. The room went cold stone quiet shocked by the underdog victory. It was over. 18-1. What a inconvenient and awkward time for a fan from New York to walk in. I waited until this morning to do my victory laps, all 200 miles, back to Albany; seasonal training grounds for the Giants.

Tracks through Time in North Creek, NY

Built in 1874, this Adirondack Railroad Depot Museum in North Creek, N.Y. is part of a rare surviving historic railway complex. It's located on the upper Hudson River and consists of a restored freight house, engine house, sand tower and ninety foot turntable. The complex is famous for when Teddy Roosevelt was summoned from his hiking trip atop Mount Marcy on September 14, 1901 to become the youngest President in the Nation's history when President McKinley was assassinated. It's on the platform that you see directly under the North Creek sign that Roosevelt was handed the telegraph informing him that he was to go straight to Buffalo and take the Oath of Office and be sworn in as the 26th President. It's unique and special places like North Creek that make living in upstate New York so damn interesting!

Garnet Hill Lodge & Ski Center

Garnet Hill Lodge is a 'get away from it all' kind of place nestled in the Adirondacks 5 miles from Gore. It's the ideal place to break for lunch, especially after videotaping my next big assignment for a North Country client. The log house has a rustic stone hearth with a crackling wood fire and a bar area with huge front windows too tempting not to sit and stare at the mountain view while enjoying homemade chicken soup. The hearty fare included a fresh baked apple pie ala mode by a local 75 year old. It tasted just like my Grandma used to make, God rest her soul. This would be the perfect place to cross-country ski with Mutti if Mother Nature would spray more powder our way. The area has only a few inches of snow now but I'm hopeful that February will unleash all 55k of groomed trails for snow shoeing and cross country masses to enjoy. I, for one, would like to return and give Ken, our faithful server and freelance photographer extraordinaire, more business. For more information contact: 1.800.497.4207 or email garnethill@frontiernet.net.