tree ichigau ai MICHAEL ROSENBERG Roses AreRead 7o/ec se ofte smat After years of research, 47 highly- paid University professors have emerged from seclusion with an amazing, startling, earth-shattering discovery: NASA is the second- biggest mistake in United States history, right after Michael Bolton. "This makes geniuses look like fools," said one of the highly-paid 47, who asked to remain anonymous. (We'll call him "Julio.") "We understand that this discovery will amaze people. Some will even be startled by it, although to call it earth- shattering would be sensationalist yellow journalism of the lowest form." There are a number of reasons NASA is such a monumental mistake, said the source. "When Americans first decided they wanted to land on the moon, the reason was simple: green cheese," said Julio, whose real name is Martin Bennett. "It was commonly assumed at the time that the moon was made of green cheese. In fact, most people think that when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, he said it was 'One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.' But he actually said it was 'One small step for man, some giant cheese would taste fine."' Of course, we now know that the moon is not made of delicious green cheese at all; the cheese is actually a pale blue and tastes like solidified Meister Brau. The space program, of course, was the brainchild of President John F. Kennedy, Jr. Julio said that he believed that the cheese disappoint- ment led to the CIA's desire to assassinate Kennedy. "But JFK was assassinated seven years before Armstrong landed on the moon," I, the crack reporter, told Julio. "Yeah," he said. "That kind of foiled their plans." The biggest negative to come out of the space program is the simple phrase, "If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we ..." You know how it is: "If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we get e-mail to work faster?" Or, "If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we make a tasty fat- free food? "That's misleading," Julio said. "It sounds so great: 'We put a man on the moon.' The truth is, we sent a guy to collect some rocks and take some pictures in a funny suit, and he came back cheeseless. We could do that in the Arb." People figure if we can put a man on the moon, we can do anything. Just last week a friend of mine repeated the ever-popular com- plaint, "If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we create a diaper that you can change with remote control?" The reason is obvious: my friend can't put a man on the moon. Heck, with his diaper troubles, he can't even moon a man. Men were put on the moon by people who understand astronomy, and those people generally have little use for diapers. "Why do people assume that they had something to do with putting a man on the moon?" Julio asked. "Nobody watches Michael Jordan and says, 'If we can do a 360 slam dunk over two guys, how come we can't get a decent bagel in this town?"' When the space program was started, Houston lobbied to be the headquarters, using the slogan, "We'd go to the moon to get away from these damn mosquitoes." And for a while, The City Of Stifing Heat was pleased with the decision, largely because the space center was air-conditioned. In fact, the program as a whole was seen as a tremendous improve- ment in our way of life. But if we are merely collecting rocks, have we made progress? Or have we regressed? But I digress. Houston eventually grew to hate housing NASA ilc)inn to cf[as's By the Daily Music Staff Cover photos by Evan Petrie USIC... we all love it. Unfor tu nately, we don't always know how to get to it. For those of you who are not human atlases, the Daily Music 'Staff has put together a guide to Metro- Detmit's more popu- lar concert venues. On page 7,you'lI find the Weekend, e teWeedemusic guide - direc-M tions descriptions and other interesting facts you have always "" m .. iw NisxX+ '+N'M "i ,y, 14N}tYU.. . w