blog #15

This year brought devastation and and ruin to the Sichuan province of China. On May 12, 2008 a earthquake jolted this area of China and more than 70,000 people died. Many of the people that died were children that were trapped under poorly built school building. This brought outraged parents demanding officials and contractors be investigated and held accountable for these shortcomings. China's Government which is often slow and secretive was unusually quick and publicly acted to provide relief to the people. This also brought many private Chinese citizens to volunteer and raise money for relief like never before in Chinese History. Out of great tragedy the Chinese People grew closer as a force.
-people

blog #14

This year's election was one that caught the attention of all of us that had to listen to all the campaign promises and speeches and also brought amusement to many of us with the very colorful character, Sarah Palin.. For most of us she came out of nowhere. Not that Alaska is nowhere, but the name and face of Alsaka's Govoner was unknown to most of us until she was
picked by John McCain vice president running mate. She certainly provided the media with a personality all of her own. She took Saturday Night Live's, Tina Fey to the height of her career as she impersonated Sarah Palin and gave SNL record viewership. She definitely got our attention and put Alaska on the map. She even teased us all by saying, who knows in four years maybe you will see me again.
-people

blog #13

This year marks my fourth year on the Edina Swim Team. I myself can definitely see how I have improved and gained strength as well as improved in form as a swimmer. This past summer we all were witness to Michael Phelps as he caught the attention of the world by taking home 8 gold medals. Michael is 23 years old and stands 6'4" tall. His dedication to the sport as well as his discipline to train is outstanding. He has been quoted as saying "My goal is to change
the sport of swimming." I think this in his behalf is an understatement. His eight gold metals is a record for any Olympic athlete and in doing so make himself an overnight celebrity. Proud and exhausted after 17 races in eight events, he finished with a huge grin and a plan: "I'm going to sit on the beach and do nothing he said. "I'm sleeping in."
-people

blog #12

January 20, 2009 will no doubt go down in the American History Books as one of great proportion. Barack Obama became the first African-American to win the White House. This historic event certainly can erase the doubt in anyone's mind that, America is a place where all things are possible. President Obama will lead this country at a time in which we face the greatest economic challege of our lifetime. Not only is our country involved in an very unpopular war, we are also involved in an economic struggle that Americans of this generation are not familiar with. President Obama urges us all to get involved and to understand that we have tough challenging days ahead for all of us. He has promised that he will try his best to help unite the Democrats and Republicans in the cause of restoring the American Economy as well as our relations with the world. Watching the inaguaration and the seeing the huge crowd that gathered to view history in the making was an inspiration to all of us. As President Obama often states, YES WE CAN.
-people

blog #11

Even though it is hard to imagine at this point, eventually the snow will melt and summer will come back to Minnesota. As I think of summer , I start to anticipate heading to the lake and getting some serious time in wakeboarding. This summer will be my fifth year at wakeboarding and I try to do some serious reading on the sport during the long winter months. The pros are great sources of many tips and ways to improve your skills and the intensity of your tricks. I've learned that not only is there a correct way to do jumps and tricks there is also a correct way to fall. For instance, a busted knee can definitely be prevented if you learn to fall the right way. Your instinct is to extend your legs to connect your board to the water, which is OK, but as soon as the board hits, you need to relax your legs instead of still trying to stick the move. Your front knee bends nicely up to your chest, your speed is greatly reduced and sometimes you can even slide out onto your back as smooth as silk. No matter how good you are, everybody still falls.
-wakeboarder

blog #10

As it has been two years since I updated my snowboard boots, I recently have been doing some casual research on the all the changes that have happened since my last purchase. I wanted to do this soon since the year-end clearance sales will be here at the end of the month. The boots serve as the essential contact of body to board and transfer all your energy into making the board move across the snow. So with this in mind, fit of the boot makes all the difference in the world as to your performance on the snow. Snowboard boots have come a long way and the new models boots boast a supportive yet comfortable fit that have rapid lacing options that allow you to get on and off the hill in less time. If now you add all the different styles and looks for boots to your selection process, well you can become very confused with all the options. Price range of boots varies from approximately $150 to $400 depending on the brand and options. I always try to time my purchase to the end of the season as often you can find boots 30 to 40 percent off original price. Now with all my research and knowledge in mind, I'm off to start the hunt for the best boot for my needs as well as the best savings of the season.
-transworld

blog #9

Being an avid car enthusist, I recently was reading about Ferrari's new baby grand tourer. The car is name the California and will be first revealed in October at the Paris Auto Show. The California is powered by a 4.3 liter V-8, making it the first fron-engine Ferrari road car to use a V-8 rather than a V-12. It has 454 Hp and Ferrari's first dual-clutch automatic. It will be offered only in open-topped frm, with a retractable metal hard top. The cost of the car has not yet been revealed, but is expected to be over $200,000. Ferrari claims the car will go from 0 to 62 mph in less thn 4.0 seconds. It certainly is not a crime for a guy to dream...
-motortrend