So, Mr President…? No, not you.

Moshe Katsav is the President (a ceremonial/figurehead title apparently) of a country surrounded by enemies in a region embroiled in conflict. (That’d be Israel, btw.) He’s also embroiled in rape and abuse of power scandals. His latest public act in office: denying the criminal charges levied against him, vowing to clear his name “even if it means a world war.”

Well, it’s nice to know that in the world’s most volatile region, at least some people have their priorities straight. Amirite????

One laptop per child

While we Floridiot… er, ians try to leave no child behind by making everyone pass the FCAT (insert derisive snort here) apparently people are trying to catch up children elsewhere by providing them with laptops. I like this idea.

I grew up watching Schoolhouse Rock – admit it, you can still sing Conjunction, Conjunction - and this reminds me of their “Because Knowledge is Power!” tagline. Which it is, but since this is an information age, isn’t it more kashikoi to say “information is power” instead? That internet stuff is scary as shit, just ask the Chinese government. (Tongue in cheek.) On a serious note, the computers provided will likely not reach any www domains, but they will come pre-equipped with a small library, something that many of the recipients will not have.

It’s my opinion that children master basic computer functions far more quickly than older people can hope to accomplish; perhaps it’s a little like how language acquisition abilities drop after a certain age… I could even say that I’m living proof of that. Nowadays, with GUI’s and stuff all over the place, the things barely need instruction manuals for a 4 year old to pick a mouse up, put his sticky fingers on the keyboard, and start going places.

This project better be successful! I want to see how a few million more kids with computer access, where they previously had none, will affect the direction this world takes.

SUEMITSU

Is awesome. It has this Ben Folds Five flavor to it… according to at least me, anyway, although I might be just basing it off the lyrics pace (as in, relatively fast) and the prominent piano part. Their instrumentation is relatively complex as is their lyrical vocabulary. Japanese songs I cannot understand without looking them up is usually a good thing, because then it’s generally not about love, youth, or youth in love.

They play the new Nodame Cantabile OP, which is awesome as well. (Not just the OP. 全部。) It’s the second advent of Honey and Clover, which makes sense considering their production staff.