U.S. Missing the 2010 World Expo?

The L.A. Times recently ran an interesting story about how it's shaping up that the United States might miss having a pavilion at the 2010 World Expo (aka World's Fair) in Shanghai, China.

The U.S.'s participation in these Expos (we also sat out the 2000 Expo in Germany) works as a great way to reflect a positive image of the country's people around the globe. Considering China is now an economic powerhouse, this would be a bad Expo to miss.

The U.S. Pavilion must be funded by private funds, meaning corporate sponsorships. As of now, the planners are having a hard time coming up with companies who will give millions of dollars toward the project.

It's estimated that the U.S. Pavilion could need as much as $84 million to be completed. Already designed, "The U.S. building would be about 60 feet high, encompassing 60,000 square feet, with wings on each side, representing a bald eagle, and a roof garden in the center. Burbank-based BRC Imagination Arts, a specialist in museum and exhibit designs, was brought in to create a high-tech, interactive show centering on sports heroes."

Here's the Expo's mascot, Haibao. He's pretty cute looking. There's still time for sponsors to step up, so hopefully the U.S. can be represented at Expo 2010 afterall! It's a shame that America has started to effectively turn it's back on these types of world celebration events.