Astronaut's New Space Record

          An American citizen, Scott Kelly, created a new record for NASA. The record was presented to him for the most total cumulative time spent in space. Kelly spent 381 days, 15 hours and 11 minutes in space. The International Space Station's Expedition 45 crew was planned for a 342-day space mission, but they have passed that time. More or less, Kelly is the first American to spend over a year in space.
          As of right now, Kelly is looking at returning on March 3, 2016, which will leave him with a total of 522 days living in space. Lastly, Kelly has another record which is with his twin brother Mark. The two of them together completed a mission and got recognized for the first set of twins to both be astronauts.

The Beacon Article

          I think that the idea of having a dog for psychological support is a great idea. I know personally when I am feeling down, I love to spend time with my dog. In the article, John Baum states that "15 minutes with a service dog has been proven to change one's brain chemistry by boosting endorphins, reducing stress hormones and even aids building neural pathways." By training Libby to help others, I think it will help society as a whole. Those people that are struggling affect others in their community, but it could be positive or negative. Hopefully, with the help of Libby, the service dog, these people will be better equipped for life in the real world. I also think it is a great idea to have her help Wilkes University, specifically the ROTC program. Everyone who thinks they need help would be able to get it from her. It may not be much, but it is definitely a start to helping those who need it.

How Religion Affects Me on a Global Scale

          I am Luthern and baptised, but I do not attend church. I still consider myself religious, though. I think people who are very religious few government issues using a different perspective than those who are not as religious, therefore I do not think that Pope Francis should be able to comment on issues in America. Many of his ideas may correspond with ours, however, some may not. The ones that do not correspond with ours should not influence our thinking.
          During the Pope's address to Congress, he mentioned abortion and the death penalty. Both of these topics may be viewed differently because of the morals that go along with each. Someone who is more religious would think that each were morally wrong, but someone not as religious may disagree. This is just an example of the disagreement between religious and non-religious.
          Personally, I think that abortion shouldn't be allowed and the death penalty should and that's coming from someone who is religious. When making government decisions, religion should not be involved.
          Another important decision made by the US government that was influenced by religion. The decision to legalize gay marriage, in my opinion, took longer than necessary because of religious reasons. This choice does not directly influence me, but it does affect the United States as a country.