003 Lebanon and 2010 OlympicsBecause skiing has long united countries that participate in winter sports, I've been wondering how the Israel/Lebanon conflict has affected our snow-loving brothers and sisters in the Middle East. Regardless of political and religious views, I think we can all agree that the real tragedy is how people from the region might not have access to the Lebanese resorts this season. That's right, Lebanon is home to a few of the regions most convenient mountains--Faraya and The Cedars have "undergone multi-million dollar investment[s] over the last four years." Despite the infusion of capital to the aspiring resorts, it's unlikely that these sites will see a rise in tourism. There's something about regular rocket attacks that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence from travelers. However, the ski resort might be the best place to avoid things like suicide car bombings--I don't think that taking a chairlift hostage has the same effect. For more information on these resorts, checkout www.skilebanon.co.uk and www.skileb.com.On the other side of the world, Vancouver is already preparing for the 2010 Olympics. Whistler-Blackcomb will be the venue for all of the skiing events, but no specific dates have been scheduled. It's also famous for the "Couloir Extreme" run which has been labeled as one of the top ten steep in-bounds runs in the world. So, weather you're stoked about the terrain Whistler offers or the excitemt around another Olympics closer to home, we should probably start making our plans to visit BC soon. Information about the Vancouver Olympics can be found at www.vancouver2010.com and Whistler at www.whistlerblackcomb.com.Also, an update on our favorite baseball player Bode Miller. As earlier reported, Bode had a one-game contract with the Nashua Pride to raise money for his new charitable foundation to further cancer research. The Associated Press reported that, “Miller didn’t get any hits, but he stole one from Brockton when he made a leaping catch, then tumbled onto the warning track in left field. The crowd went crazy and Millers teammates mobbed him.” Bode, we’re proud you’re giving back, but we sure hope you stay focused on skiing. read less