What's in a word? More than meets the eye?

While I stake little in what either party expounds in their "Yes upon Yes" conventions and I, if anything, make an effort to avoid the respective debacles, my eye couldn't help but peripherally noticing a certain word in my iGoogle Google News gadget.

Notice anything that would catch my eye? (pause :) ). Then I researched further. And more specifically.

Since it's a hot topic, let's delve, shall we? Today's mantle: the word itself. (Looks like this entry will be run entirely on google. This does give me an excuse to show the define: command in action which saves a few clicks).

First three definition results:

• the cloak as a symbol of authority; "place the mantle of authority on younger shoulders"
• United States baseball player (1931-1997)
• the layer of the earth between the crust and the core

Now Darius and I have gone through the concept behind the ITM movement countless times (refer to our myspace presence for a stellar description). The metaphor works against several already established, and while the "crust and core" definition is my frequent go-to, the definition currently taking over google news is the first one: mantle as a establishment, an authority.... and what is there to delve into better than status quo routines and practices? This one-two punch encapsulated all in one word only affirms how fitting is our handle.

It's that much more relevant in this election season. Now that we're fresh off Labor Day and have precious weeks left before 11/4, the phrase "mantle of change" will be batted around by politicians and pundits like a ball of yarn until they get otherwise distracted by the next potentially controversial sound bite. In the meantime, the meaning gets lost, everyone is espousing #CHANGE# as an unsplittable atom while abstracting out what change will actually occur. Our goal is to unravel the ball and focus on the subatomic particles. To repeat: the devil's in the details!

In this heated season with the deluge of election information and platforms, every force is moving the masses towards abstraction. It's at these times that we push our sleeves up and keep delving.

On a separate note that is oh so fitting: new subatomic particle!!! The Omega-sub-b. I guess the Fermilab is on board, eh?