I seriously can’t believe that it is July 2009. I guess part of it is likely due to the fact that May and June were just one large rainy blob. This year, NYC missed the June rainfall record by 1/4 of an inch. Now, get ready for a bunch of randomness.

Today is also Canada Day. Isn’t it funny that Canada Day shares the same month as USA’s Independence Day? Also, the Declaration of Independence was actually finalized and executed on the 7th of July, not the 4th (according to historical facts compiled by David McCullough).

Last random blurb, for today: In GQ, this month (the one with Sascha Baron Cohen on the cover), there is this awesome article about NASA. The last I heard about NASA, Dubya wanted to go to the moon again, and eventually to Mars. Then I heard about Obama drastically cutting NASA funding, and I assumed that nothing was to come of the future lunar or martian trips. Welllll, I was wrong.

Did you realize that the shuttle flights are set to be phased out next year, and for the next 5 years after, Americans will be carted into space by the Russians? I had no idea. I also learned that The guy who got us to the moon under Kennedy, was the same guy who developed the Nazi v-2 Rocket in WWII (which helped the Nazis pulverize residential London). What!!??

As far as the future plans for lunar, and eventually martian landing go, things are in full swing. The rocket that will carry the astronauts is called the Constellation. The logo for the ship has been commissioned to the guy who did the design for the Star Trek the Next Generation logo (no joke).

This whole article made me wish that I would have studied harder in school, and wish that I didn’t have such an aversion to math. If you have a nerdy bone in your body, I strongly suggest that you check out this article.

Earlier this week, I came across this quote by John Adams, in the book I’m currenty reading. It was taken from one of his writings contemplating the post British rule, state of the Colonies. He wrote:

We may please ourselves with the prospect of free and popular governments. But there is a great danger that those governments will not make us happy. God grant they may. But I fear that in every assembly, members will obtain an influence by noise, not sense. By meanness, not greatness. By ignorance, not leaning. By contracted hears, not large souls.

I could not agree more. But I really appreciate the fact that he has the character to follow up the above statement with this observation:

There must be decency and respect, and veneration introduced for persons of authority of every rank, or we are undone. In a popular government, this is our only way.

The second part is a lot more difficult to practice, even if you agree with it.  I will try to reflect on it, every time that I start to get annoyed about the guy in the governors mansion. The guy who nobody voted for, wearing jogging shorts, with his feet up on the desk.