One Maglev wind turbine, which uses full-permanent magnets to nearly eliminate friction by “floating” the blades above the base could power up to 750,000 homes. According to developers, the technology is capable of scaling to massive sizes, and the ability to generate power with winds as slow as three miles per hour.read more

1) PLAN the Day Before.  Spend several hours comparing Wish Lists to the ads from the paper (and be sure to check Wednesday’s paper as well. Not just Thursday.)  Make a list of what you want to buy, and then a separate list for each store - what you’re buying where. Make sure your list includes when the various stores open as well - plan your route! Take advantage of anywhere opening at midnight.

2) Go with people you can stand to argue with.  It’s okay to go alone, but it’s more fun with a group.  Make sure you have cellphones w/ good service or walkie talkies.

3) Stay away from Kohl’s until about 10am or later.  No sale is worth fighting 6 women for 2 items and then standing in line for 40 minutes guarding your stash.

4) Spread out.  Drop people off at various stores with a list of things to buy for everyone. You can write them a check when you all meet for breakfast or lunch.  Send Person A to Best Buy, Person B to Target, Person C to Walmart.  Use your phone/walkies to confer.

5) Have back-up plans if the initial item you wanted to buy is already gone or you can’t find it in the store.  Toy A is sold out, Toy B is just as good.

6) Take water and snacks. You’re not stopping until you’re almost done.  Snack bars, bottle of water - you’re good to go. Put stickers on them so you cannot be accused of shoplifting them at the stores.

7) Look for items where you don’t expect to find them.  Electronics are not always in the electronics section on this day. Endcaps and Aisle displays are your friends. You’ll find toys in the grocery section, Electronics in layaway, DVDs almost anywhere.  If you can’t find something ask a store employee. Many of them either know where something is, or can get on their little radios and find it for you.

8 ) Bring a large bag of your own to carry items.  Carts will be very scarce this day.

9) If you don’t want to bring your own bag, grab a cart from a cart corral in the parking lot before you enter the store.

10) Have fun!  If you persevere you can 75-100% of your shopping done today! 

I hope you all enjoy the new christmas theme for the winter. Have a blessed Christmas!!

The 2008 Democratic presidential race has tightened, with Barack Obama gaining on front-runner Hillary Clinton six weeks before the first contest, according to a national Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

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Come on Iowa! Keep it going! Obama beats her by 2-1 as the most honest and trustworthy candidate. Overall, in current preferences, 30 percent in Iowa support Obama, 26 percent Clinton and 22 percent Edwards, with 11 percent for Bill Richardson. read more

What a forward thinking Presidential candidate…
“Barack Obama’s campaign has now released a relatively comprehensive and extremely ambitious technology document that lays out a whole slew of general and specific proposals for doing everything from reforming the patent system to implementing a national broadband policy. In releasing this “technology and innovation plan,” Obama is the first major presidential candidate on either ticket to release a technology policy document that’s this comprehensive—some of the proposals here have been pitched by Edwards and others, but Obama is the first to put them all in one place.”

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I have been thinking about doing the St Peter mission trip to Tijuana in 2008. It would be a great opportunity for me to practice my Spanish and it was be an opportunity to travel! Unfortunately, ti’s in June which is right smack dab in the middle of my company’s high season. I don’t think I’ll be able to go and it’s bothering me.

One of my best friends, who I also happen to work with, is leaving today for a company trip throughout Europe. He’s going to London, Brussels, Cologne, Mannheim, Basel, Zurich, Interlaken, Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald, Brig, Milan, Mainz, Frankfurt and more. Of course, he flies out today and returns on Tuesday, so it will be a FAST trip, but still…. I wish I was going. A co-worker and I spent the last week completely re-routing the trip because of current rail strikes in France, where the group was originally travelling. 9 months worth of planning erased in 7 days. And I still wish I was going.

In another life, I would have made choices that put me across the world, around the world, and travelling everywhere.

President Bush’s six-year invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq will end up costing Americans about $1.5 trillion, or nearly twice as much as the White House has actually spent to fight its wars, because of unseen costs like inflation, rising oil prices and expensive care for wounded veterans.

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I have spent the last several months thinking about things that I want to do, what I should have done, etc.  I found a company that will educate you on how to teach English as a second language - IN PRAGUE!  And they guarantee placement in several countries throughout Europe and Asia.  I wish I had taken advantage of these opportunities.  Now I fear that I never will be able to.