JFK

It's quote time again! Another one of my favorite quotes comes from JFK's inaugural address: "Ask not..."

I think I was drawn to it because, having heard replays as a kid, it made me consider the greater good and being part of something that was bigger than myself. Basically I fell for the patriotic brainwashing that was so prevalent from World War II through the 80s. You know, all of the "Us vs. Them" stuff. Come to think of it, it still goes on plenty but I suppose as an adult one tends to see through it a bit more easily. Anyway, I still dig the quote for the same reasons but the greater good in my mind now goes way beyond the United States.

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The other night I was watching a show called "10 Things You Don't Know About." As you might gather from the title, each episode contains 10 "facts" about a person/topic that aren't well known. This particular episode was about JFK. The first fact they mentioned was that JFK was a slacker type in school. He attended the prestigious Choate Boarding School in Connecticut during the mid-1930s, where headmaster George St. John once delivered a speech to JFK and his fellow students saying, "The youth who loves his alma mater will always ask not 'What can she do for me', but 'What can I do for her?'" As the host of the show said, "I guess JFK was paying attention."

I had to shake my head and chuckle. It reminded me very much of my "Be like Water" blog where I found out that Bruce Lee wasn't the first to utter the particular saying I hold so dear. Then I came to the conclusion that everything that's going to be said has probably already been said, it's just a matter of finding it. I guess that's why people read so many books. :-P


Just Joe

Martian Sunset

Well, I don't really have much to say but I came across this picture the other day. It was taken by a Mars rover and it's a picture of a sunset from Mars.

I suppose the first thing I noticed is how tiny the sun is -- well, looks. Sometimes you tend to forget the types of distances were dealing with when we talk about the planets. Sure, everyone knows that Earth is 93,000,000 miles away from the sun (on average). But Mars averages another 47,000,000 miles away from the sun making it look much, much smaller.

The next thing I noticed is the color. Sunsets on Mars tend to have a bluish hue due to the atmosphere. It almost makes me feel the frigidity.

I hope the picture sparks your imagination and wonderment as it does for me.

Just Joe