The letter “I” seems to be very fertile ground, maybe because it is the land of ego, where human beings spend so much of their time. This week’s short (<20 min.) agglomeration of songs all have titles starting with the word “I’m.” The playlist is after the jump. Enjoy:
So, yes, President Obama has had some troubles lately. The debate over health care reform has been bitter and divisive, and the conflict he inherited in Afghanistan looks set to become a historic quagmire. But in one way, at least, Obama already ranks up there with our greatest and most beloved presidents: Like Abe Lincoln and Geo. Washington, he is now a Chia pet.
For a fun activity, try repeating “Barack Obama Chia Pet” to yourself nine or ten times. Or maybe sing it aloud to the tune of “Lovely Rita, Meter Maid.” Don’t do this in a crowded office, though, or you’ll make a spectacle of yourself.
Autumn starts today, which is OK with me, because it is one of my top three seasons. In the Bay Area the differences between the seasons are pretty subtle anyway, having more to do with the length of the days than anything else. October and November are two of the nicer months, actually, so we’ve got that going for us.
Of course, if you believe that the world is going to end in December 2012, as specified by the Mayan calendar, that means we have exactly 13 seasons left: four falls and three each of spring, summer, and winter. Some people say that the world isn’t really going to end, just the world as we know it, marking a shift into some kind of new phase. Still others say that the whole thing is stupid, that it’s the Y2K of ancient mystical prophecies. Either way, we might as well enjoy these next couple years as much as we can, eh? What would be the harm?
a
The Alien and the spaceship passenger
I can’t claim to be much of an expert on Japanese politics, but I’ve noticed that big things are afoot there lately. Yukio Hatoyama of the Democratic Party of Japan takes office as Prime Minister today, marking only the second time in 54 years that the Liberal Democratic Party has not held the office. For an analogy, imagine that before Barack Obama was elected the Republicans had held the White House since 1954 except for one year in the 90s.
Hatoyama is an interesting cat. Both his father and his grandfather were bigwigs in the LDP, the party he just ousted from power, and he himself was an LDP member of Japan’s House of Representatives before jumping to the opposition. His educational background is as an engineer, but he is given to touchy-feely rhetoric about the importance of “love and fraternity” in politics.
Here’s an excerpt from Hatoyama’s recent editorial in the New York Times:
(more…)
This picks up pretty much where the last one left off. As always, click “Read more” to see the playlist.