The Pentagon Goes Shopping

     A report was just released of how the Defense Department spends it $1.5 trillion on defense systems. The list of the seven most expensive, with the cost in parentheses, is as follows: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter($332 billion), DDG 51 Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer($107.8 billion), Stealth Virginia Class Submarine($84.4 billion), Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle(63.9 billion), V-22 Osprey($60.7 billion), F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Fighter($59.7 billion), and the Trident II Missile($55.5 billion). This is obviously a ton of money, it's about the same amount as Australia's total GDP, and this is the lowest that the Pentagon has payed in the last 10 years and its about $200 billion less than 2010. These are also some risky buys since many of these systems haven't been completely tested yet.
      The big question about this report is: is it worth it? I, personally think it is worth it for the most part. It is a boatload of money to spend, but it is less than what they have spent in the past. Also, it doesn't hurt to be prepared just in case something happens, and with all thats happening in the Middle East and with Russia, something could possibly in the future. It would be better to be prepared when a war may start then be completely unready. Feel free to comment what you think about this.

The Downside of Ambition

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/sports/baseball/12mcgwire.html?ref=markmcgwire&_r=0

     This article is about former MLB player Mark McGwire, who hit 583 career home runs, admitting to using steroids his playing career. He began using steroids in 1993 when he was having some injruy problems and he kept using them regularly after he recovered. McGwire originally denied using steroids in 2005 when Jose Canseco a former teammate of his,  wrote a book about his steroid and in it he said that McGwire juiced with him. McGwire admitted to using steroids in 2010 because he wanted to get it off his chest before he began his job as hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.
     I think this article is a great example of how athletes, not just baseball players, will try to get ahead of the competition by using steroids and the only thing that comes of it is their reputation and legacy is ruined when they are caught. McGwire would still have been a great player without the use of steroids, but since he took them his legacy as a great hitter has been hurt and people won't look up to him as much as they once did. The respectable part of McGwire admitting steroid use is he really regrets it and says it was a stupid act, but that doesn't excuse him from cheating.

Grendel Glog

Here is the link to my Grendel Glog, I hope you like it!
http://matthewjmatejka.edu.glogster.com/grendel-scene

Me

Hey everyone, my name is Matthew Matejka, and I like to think of myself as being a simple guy. I go to school, watch TV shows and sports, play video games, and listen to music. I have a small family, I've got my parents and my sister for my immediate family, it's ironic that I am writing this blog since I have made fun of my sister's blog. I don't have many relatives either, since my dad was an only child and my mom was one of four. I don't watch much TV unless there is a football or basketball game and most of the shows and movies I watch are on Netflix. The shows I watch the most are That 70's Show, The Office (The US version), The Following, and American Horror Story. I also enjoy different kinds of movies, but I like movies like The Dark Night and Inception. For sports I like watching football the most, but I also like watching baseball, college basketball, and some hockey. I also play some baseball, but it's just a rec league with some of my friends. I can't really do many sports in competitive leagues since I have torn my ACL twice, the first time it was playing football and the second time was I was screwing around with some friends. I mostly listen to rock when I listen to music but I do listen to some rap. When it comes to bands I love the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Beatles, Cage the Elephant, and the Black Keys, not in any order. Some of my favorite songs are "Hey Jude" by the Beatles, "Piano Man" by Billy Joel, and "Under the Bridge" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more songs. I think that is enough about me, so goodbye for now!