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Show Wednesday, September 6, 2000 THE SIGNPOST Page 5 Space continued from page 4 statement of history that so many of our greatest technological triumphs were first conceived in the shadow of war. For example, the Internet started out as a Cold War military project. The International Space Station, often the third brightest object in the night sky, was originally conceived by President Reagan as a means to keep pace with the Soviet space program.The ISS ought to be a fine example of post-Cold War international cooperation. Instead, most of the press it receives centers around soaring budgets'and construction delays. Since the ISS isn't being built to counteract a national threat and its chief purpose is now merely scientific, it increasingly lacks sound political support. It may be that the only reason we bother to finish it at all is that we have already spent so much money on it. In the current election climate, the candidates are spending large amounts of their time talking about two things: how much money is there and where are we going to spend it? In this environment, is there any room for talk of space exploration? Al Gore has demonstrated enthusiasm for going into space, if only to get a satellite view of potential environmental problems. It's a commendable reason to con tinue funding space exploration. George W. Bush will doubtless support continued exploration, but most of his interest seems to be its military applications. That's another justifiable reason for venturing toward the stars. However, it isn't the best reason. The nay-sayers will point out ad nauseum that, with our school systems struggling for funding and our inner cities suffering from violence and poverty, NASA's funds could be better spent elsewhere. But this argument exhibits two large assumptions, the first being that money taken from NASA's budget will somehow magically reappear in the educational system. The second and grossly larger assumption is that money will somehow solve all of the problems facing our urban centers. The benefits offered to a space-. faring society cannot be fully measured in dollars. For example, NASA inventors have successfully used satellite technology to fight crime. Video Image Stabilization and Registration is a system that dramatically improves the quality of fuzzy and poorly focused video. Hence, it's possible to make out the license plate of a speeding car or get a clearer view of a suspect's face using video that would otherwise be inconclusive. VISAR has already assisted in obtaining a murder conviction. It has also aided investigators in the aftermath of the bombing of the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. Could VISAR be called another "giant leap for mankind"? Perhaps that would be overly dramatic, but the FBI certainly appreciates its existence. SIGN UP TODAY FOR THE SECOND ANNUAL HOMECOMING VARIETY SHOW!! Auditions will be held Sept. 13-14, 2000. Sign up at the Institute or at the WSUSA offices (SUB 250). There will be CASH Prizes awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. GOO is accepting applications for staff Weber State's literary journal is looking to put together the 2000-2001 staff. If interested, please pick up an application at SS 31 5, Annex 1 2, or the Info desk in the Student Union. Being on Metaphor's staff is fun, interesting, and looks great on a resume. In addition, school credit will be offered this year. There are some of us who feel that asteroids crossing Earth's orbit are a good enough reason to expand our exploration of outer space. If for some this is not a compelling enough factor, the next best reason is only an ocean away from the California coast. Somewhere in the vicinity of the great wall and the forbidden city in Beijing, you might notice a launch pad or two in use. If we couldn't stop at just one world war, why should we assume we can stop at just one cold war? If you shop for your textbooks at a uirtual bookstore, where do you go when you haue a problem? The uirtual customer service office ? &!- - - fcwun '- sW j t- frT) ft Not Found The requested object (Joes not exist on this server. Nor it ever exist. ; Come on, give us a break. Who do you think we are? We're just two guys running this thing out of our garage. Do you know how much it would cost to have a customer service person to handle questions? Like we're almost ready for that. The books will show up eventually. Trust us. Keep it simple. Shop at the IUSU Bookstore. The right books, right now, right around the corner. .find if you haue questions, yon can talk to a real human being, Weber State University 0 Hours T T i l , fflon-Tue 7am-6pm Uled-Fri 7am-5pm weber.edubookstore r r HOMECOMING ROYALTY NOMINATIONS Nominate someone for King or Queen today! QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Nominee must be registered as a full-time student at Weber State during Fall 2000 and Spring 2001 semesters. 2. Nominee must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.50 or higher. 3. Nominee must be a junior or senior. TO NOMINATE SOMEONE: Please fill out nomination form and submit to WSUSA offices in Shepherd Student Union Bldg. 250. There is no limit on nominations. Please use a separate form for each nominee. i O nnn homecoming royalty I okJkJkJ nomination form I Please submit a separate form for each nominee. Additional forms available at the WSUSA office SU 250. NOMINATION FOR (check one): Homecoming King Homecoming Queen I Address (if known): I Phone : E-mail address: I Please submit by Tuesday, September 5th, 2000 I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE: I in -t , I , |