On a completely different but equally interesting front - Mars Rover pics are continuing to come in. October was the anniversary of the thousandth day of it's unprecedented exploration. It seems the more we know - the more mystery shrouds the red planet. Is there life? Was there water? One thing is clear - the view is amazing! So incredible to be alive in a time when such things are not only possible but regular.
One not so great thing about today - it is the 43rd anniversary of Kennedy's assassination. For my Parent's generation it's the thing that they remember as sort of a turning point. But was it really? Great Men were dying long before Kennedy, and Great Men have died since. I'm certain that Great Men will die in the future. What is it that made his death so important? I'm not belittling his death - I'm just curious. Why did it mark our collective consciousness? Was it the death of innocense, was it a turning point for the world? The same could be said for our generations moment - September 11th - though more what I remember about that is how from then on forward as long as we can milk it horrible tragedy has become our excuse to do whatever we want. I hope that changes, because it's disgusting. It makes me ashamed not only to be an American but also to be a human at times - that you could take someone else's ultimate pain and make it into a crutch to push your own agenda. That is the very definition of soulless politicians.
Final Thought - from my Buddhist Thought of the Day:
The Void is not of the nature of a black abyss or a bottomless pit. Rather is its nature 'vast and expansive like space itself'. It is apprehended as 'serene, marvelous, all-pure, brilliant and all-inclusive'. Above all does it partake of the nature of light. And it is not anything. For Void is Mind Itself, and Mind Itself is Void.
- Ask the Awakened by Wei Wu Wei
If I could learn to understand that statement - much of my life would make sense to me. I wish you all an amazing holiday! Enjoy your families, your friends, your homes, your food, your LIVES. We have so much to be thankful for - don't forget what is really important.
KFC has constructed a logo that is now visible from space. Now the aliens can gaze down upon our fair planet and say "nope - no intelligent life there - prepare for invasion". It does look kind of fake to me. There are other photos that make it look less fake here: 
I studied this piece in my Art History courses in High School in College. It's a piece by Jheronimus Bosch called The Last Judgement. It's always been haunting to me - and today is no different. There is so much detail - and all of it is pain. Even in the garden there is pain. What does that say about humanity? What do we have to look forward to? This painting shows no heaven except for as a perch from which that all knowing, omnipotent, generic cartoon god sits in judgement. The souls are all in hell - whether it be the hell of shame in the garden, the hell of earth and daily suffering, or the hell of damnation and eternal torment. Not a very hopeful tale I know - but such is my mood this morning.
