ONE BILLION DOLLARS

As a broke college student, thouands of dollars in debt, I have a tough time grasping the magnitude of a million dollars, much less a billion. What I do know is it's an exorbinant amount.

So to me, NASA spending billions upon billions on space travel isn't worth it. I don't see the benefit that NASA provides. The human race can do without Velcro and Teflon.

There are many more pertinent issues in society that we could spend our money on. For example, what about the strife in Sudan, or Niger, or Iraq, or North Korea?

When JFK promised a man on the moon it seemed noble but was more cocksure behavior towards the Soviet Union than anything else.

Nonetheless, NASA has again ventured into space with the shuttle Discovery. During blastoff Discovery lost pieces of foam insulation. The same foam insulation that doomed the shuttle Columbia resulting in seven deaths. In the two and half years since Columbia NASA spent a billion dollars to correct this problem. Although the astronauts aren't thought to be in any danger, NASA failed.

I know there are dreams about discovering the last frontier, but a billion dollars towards a foam insulation problem is a waste.

TOO FAST, TOO FURIOUS

The licence to fly has been granted to any patriotic American with a duel exhaust Ford F-350. And typically its a 1986 rust-bucket.

"Give it hell," is the thought as they shift to second and gut a bit of Grizzly chew. The louder the rumble, the better. Why? Because it is their god-given right to.

Sometimes its a screech. It doesn't matter, it's annoying.

I'm bitching. It's their unalienable right. Right?

A SUPREME DIVERSION

The Bush administration has put their spin cannon on the shelf and brought out the "nuclear option" in their focus-changing arsenal, the Supreme Diversion.

When pressure on the White House was high about the Karl Rove/CIA leak they convenienty change the subject.

They nominate John Roberts for the Supreme Court. It's a serious government issue that hasn't occured in over a decade, but the timing is a little too coincedental.

Bush might have America's attention now, but I won't forget about Rove.

THE U CAN FORGET ME

Title IX creates budget problem when non-revenue generating teams like the University of Minnesota rowing team gets a boathouse and training facility worth - gulp - $4.6 million. This is absurd.

The immediate arguement is that the team is the second largest on campus. They have 80 rowers. Ok, fine, but why so many? Is this warranted? The U of M baseball team divides 11 scholarships.

The Board of Regents saw no problem using $2.4 million in university debt to pay it off. They voted unanimously. The only worse idea was Ridder Arena, home to the women's hockey team. A second hockey rink and boathouse are about as reasonable as higher tuition rates at Minnesota Duluth than the Twin Cities campus. (Which, by the way, is true.) Ten years from now the Alumni Association can forget my contribution.

I'm not the least bit sexist. Go play. Just don't have me picking up the tab.

Follow Up:
I am trying to be factual about the British quote in the last blog but his boss hasn't call me back for two days now...

GET A CLUE

When my radio alarm clock kicked in at 8:30 this morning, I immediately heard about the terrorist attacks in London.

Right after the briefing, one of the hosts, in a cliched British accent, gave his perception of their thoughts: "We didn't care about terrorism, but after it effects us, now we do!"

After rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and regaining full consciousness, I couldn't beleive what he said. He was comletely wrong. The British, next to the US, are the leading force in the Iraq war. After the Madrid bombings last spring, when I was studying in London, there were many trains skipping stops due to security concerns.

Although the worst hadn't occured until today that doesn't mean the British didn't care.

THE WORLD OF THE BLOGOSHPERE

I have entered the 21st century and what they call the "blogosphere." My abstract domain won't be a painstakingly boring journal or a forum for endorsing political canidates, well, at least nothing campaign finance law needs to worry about. Blogging has the intrigue of a place where anyone can spin things as they may, but today, I have little to say.

One tidbit...
Why is it that being realistic is often construed as being negative?

My roommate warned me halfway through our cinematic experience that the French film we were watching might not have a happpy ending because, "French films tend to end in glum." With me that is welcomed. Too many movies end in Hollywood happiness.

THE NEXT RIDER?

On Tuesday the Wolves drafted an extremely athletic shooting-guard. In 1993 they did the same thing and that ended horrendously. Isiah Rider was then, Rashad McCants is now. Rider could mesmorize with an East Bay Funk Dunk and dumbfound with the selling of illegal cell phones. Although only 20-years-old, McCants could turn into his spitting image.

McCants refered to his time at North Carolina as: "I'm in my (jail) sentence, doing my time." This is the most mild mishap of many. The sad part is that all his juvenile antics were vindicated with being drafted on Tuesday. Typically, in the NBA as the money increases so does the ego. Lets hope McCants doesn't slide down this slope. With this situation I fell like I'm born to be right and dying to be wrong.