Later this year, I believe sometime mid-September, will be the last flight ever of the space shuttle. NASA will begin to implement the new "shuttles" created during project constellation. These new designs include newer technologies supposedly allowing for better data gathering and traveling further distances than was capable with the space shuttle. There are a few controversies surrounding this new program, the biggest one being the increase of funding required to install or create these vehicles. Obama has already stated that there is not enough money in the budget to afford this project, and has officially stated that this project will not continue to develop. However, there are many advocates trying to appeal to congress to allow the further development of the space program.

Although space exploration may be important, I have to agree with Obama and say that there are more important matters to deal with currently than to send people to mars. OK, so people land on mars, then what? Does our economy get fixed, do jobs improve. We may find interesting things about our past, but is it worth the expense of the people? I personally don't think so, but there are people who disagree.

I personally believe this also to be an end of an era, others may not. The space shuttle has served its purpose for over 40 years, and remains a symbol of space exploration. People may no longer be as interested in the space program, but the space shuttle had major impact on the world at the time, and I don't think we should forget what it helped accomplish. I do understand however, that the space shuttle is inefficient and will not allow us to travel and discover further than we already have. Therefore I am happy that NASA has taken another direction, yet remain grateful to the years of service of the space shuttle.

A quick side note, this post was not meant to become a political debate of whether Obama is a good president or not. That was just for more information, so I would prefer if politics were left out of any discussion, because that is an entirely different, and always dangerous topic. I don't mind if you talk about whether the new program is worth it or not, but try to remain neutral in a political sense.

1st

I was roaming YouTube the other day and came across one of those Starcraft videos from Korea. I found it fascinating that a country could be swept up by a video gmae like that. WHat happens when the game becomes outdated, do they just forget about it and this becomes a moment lost in history? Do they update the game, but what happens if the game changes too much and they no longer like it? How long will they be able to keep playing this game before it becomes boring? I mean, right now it seems like it is vastly popular and the players are extremely famous. It is like a port in Korea; they even have coaches and can apparently become too old to play well... somehow. Apparently, I'm not even close to the word limit so I guess I will change topics. The World Cup is coming up in summer and it looks like it is going to be a very competitive event. There are so many good teams, not just the major ones from Europe and Brazil/Argentina. Personally, I'm a big fan of the German squad. I think they have the potential to win the whole thing. However, it is not easy to win and they will have to play to their full potential every game. The team is very young, but it has good veteran leadership in Captain Michael Ballack. Mesut Özil astonished people at the under-21 World Cup last summer, and continues to amaze people in the Bundesliga. The major question is how whichever goalie that replaces Enke will play... rip. They are all talented, but they lack in experience. Adler has the most experience with 8 games played at the international level, however I prefer Neuer even though he has only played 2 international games. I hope the coaching staff can prepare them for the World Cup. My favorite player on the team, and who I think is the key to victory is Phillip Lahm. He is a wing back who constantly applies pressure and creates scoring opportunities, while not letting anyone get near the goal. He creates havoc and confusion on opposing teams that now need to account for multiple people on that side, creating mismatches and openings in the center. Let's hope it is going to be a good summer.