Sarah Palin, Your New Guide to Alaskan Wildlife
Let me get this straight. The woman who fought against increased protections for America’s struggling polar bear population, fought against increased protections for the dwindling Cook Inlet beluga whales, and once had the audacity to put a $150 bounty on the carcasses of dead wolves is now hosting her own Alaskan Animal Kingdom show. On Discovery Channel, no less? Talk about selling out to the lowest common denominator. Heck, why not throw her on the deck of the Exxon Valdez and spew oil while cruising the Alaskan coast! This is a sad mockery, especially for all those naturalists currently hosting shows who genuinely care about the wildlife around them. Sarah Palin is obviously cashing in on her 15 Minutes of Infamy before she follows in the footsteps of Dan Quayle, who actually made it to the Vice Presidency. But who would have thought that Discovery Channel was desperate enough to buy it, hook, line, and stinker. Do your part and sign a petition with the Defenders of Wildlife, a nonprofit in Washington, DC, who help protect wildlife in the USA.

In
In the May issue of Sierra Magazine,
North of Bolton Landing, Lake George feels more lake a river, narrow and hemmed in by the peaks, offering vintage Adirondack beauty. You peer out at ridge after anonymous ridge and a carpet of trees, with few signs of civilization. When I tell people that I find Lake George more exquisite than Lake Tahoe, Lake Powell, or even that wondrous lake to the north, Champlain, they often look at me bewildered. They equate the lake with the honky-tonk village on the southern tip, packed with T-shirt and fudge shops, video arcades, hokey haunted houses, a requisite water park, and my personal favorite, Goony Golf, a miniature golf course crowded with huge fairy tale characters. All they have to do is drive about ten miles north on Route 9N to Bolton Landing and the lake becomes far more serene. Growing up in Schenectady, New York, we would make the hour-drive to Bolton Landing on a regular basis to reach our sailboat docked just out of town. Now I return on an annual basis with my family to treat my kids to a good dose of natural adventure.
Nancy J. Friedman, the PR Maven that created Hotel Week NYC™ in 2010 to address the occupancy dip most Manhattan hotels experience after the holiday season, is at it again. This time in Rhode Island, where the state is launching its first-ever