WELL, Dr. Brown finally got his wish. A week is a long time in politics! They say that you have to be very humble in life because if you aren’t, life will humble you. I really felt sorry for some of the axed Senators and MPs who lost their positions in the new Premier’s Cabinet. Politics can be a nasty game. When you’re on top it is all good. When you’re not, it isn’t so nice and to the contrary it can be very harsh. There is a downside, a more human side of this business that is often overlooked, but which is at the very essence of who and what we are — human beings. More on this after we visit the top 20.

Climbing to number1 is Money Maker, from Ludacris and Pharrell. This hit is all over the place; I hear young people singing it, radio stations blaring it and little kids even know the words.

Soaring to number 2 is Sexy Back, by Justin Timberlake (JT). This joint has many remixes, but the version that is keeping it around for a while is called Jesus Back, which was last week’s essential new joint. I love the beat of this hit; it kicks you out of your seat and onto a dancefloor, no matter who you are. JT has definitely stepped up his game on this effort.

Tumbling to number 3 is the single from Janet & Nelly, entitled Call On Me<$>, which has had a pretty good run at the top of the Bermuda Top 20.

Falling to number 4 is Déj|0xe0| vu from the reigning Queen and King of Hip Hop, Beyonce and Jay-Z. You have to give credit where it is due; and the beat of this song is unbelievable.

Now this week’s essential new joint. Jumping to number 5 is Beyonce with her new hit Ring the Alarm<$>, featuring Bermudian Collie Budz. I am so happy for him; the remix is a killer. I mean your man is on the same track as Beyonce? He is really living large and making it. Well done Collie Budz. I was watching Hype TV the other evening and saw the video to his other hit, Come Around, which, while lacking in creativity and missing images from Bermuda, is a great effort, given that he is Bermudian. It is wild to see a white man from Bermuda singing/toasting with an accent that is just about as Jamaican as that of a native Yardie. However, the track is banging.

Climbing to number 6 is Say Goodbye by teenage heartthrob Chris Brown.

Falling to number 7 is Pulling Me Back by Chingy featuring Tyrese.

Down to number 8 is I Know You See It by Young Joc featuring Brandy Ms. B Hambrick.

Tumbling to number 9 is S.E.X.<$> by Lyfe Jennings.

Improving to number 10 is Take Me As I Am by Mary J. Blige, the current Queen of R&B.

On the way up at number 11 is Get Up by Ciara featuring Chamillionaire.

Up to number 12 is A Public Affair <$>by Jessica Simpson.

Climbing to number13 is pop and tabloid hottie Paris Hilton with her dance hit Turn It Up<$>.

Improving to number14 is Luther Vandross with his dance hit Shine. However, the best mix is the Freemasons Remix.

Falling to number15 is Sexy Love <$>by Ne-Yo, one of the hottest new male vocalists in the business.

In the number 16 spot is Sean Paul featuring Keyshia Cole, with (When You Gonna) Give It Up To Me, still one of the hottest dancehall tracks around.

Now some new hits. In at number 17 is Jay Z’s latest hit, Show Me What You Got. <$>

Joining the list at number 18 is my girl Madonna with her latest hit Jump<$>, from her unbelievably banging CD from earlier this year. This song is hot too.

New at number 19 is Come Around by Bermudian Collie Budz. This track could just put Bermuda back on the map. We can use any and all PR we can get.

Down to number 20 is Promiscuous <$>by Nelly Furtado and Ludacris.

Now back to this week’s word — the cruel business of politics. Let me first of all say that I have very little experience in politics. I only write occasionally on this subject and must confess that I too am a consumer of local journalism that is often lacking in objectivity. This doesn’t always make for a good education in politics. Thankfully wifie has a degree in this most interesting subject; so I can learn from the Mrs. The morale of that story is, “Don’t believe everything you read in the newspapers or hear on the TV news!” I’ll admit that this sounds like a broken record; you’ve all no doubt heard that before.

However, I cannot help but notice that the media, when reporting comments from any politician, regardless of whether that individual is a Government or Opposition representative, cannot resist the temptation to sensationalise issues and editorialise. One politician, I believe it was the new Premier, recently invited the media to be objective. Good luck Doc! However, we digress, back to the matter at hand.

I thought that Minister Michael Scott was extremely gracious in relinquishing his portfolio. Others too accepted their fate with a stiff upper lip. However, I can only imagine that they felt badly about having to give up their various posts. The new Premier replaced people in his Cabinet and in the Senate with new faces, some of whom were not so well known to members of the media. However, as Governor Masefield’s wife once told me, “New brooms sweep clean”.

I wonder if the Premier, like HOTT 1075, will still be calling himself the new Premier after he has been in office for two years? Don’t get me wrong, HOTT 1075 is cool but they are hardly new any more. Power 95 should start calling themselves the new and improved Power 95! Then, they could start saying that they are Bermuda’s newest and most improved radio station! Just a thought. Again, as usual, we digress

But, I imagine that the outgoing Premier, Senators and Ministers must feel strange, even though they all knew going in what I’m finding out now — that they could be replaced in an instant. But that doesn’t soften the blow. Most of us have huge egos and politicians are no different. Think about the Premier for a moment. I imagine that he has to move out of the Premier’s official residence and find alternative accommodations. Imagine if the Premier’s personal residence was on a long term lease (like five years) and the penalty to break it would cost several thousand dollars, meaning he had nowhere to go? What would he do? I guess he would eventually have to move out and just figure it out, like the rest of us do every day with our challenges.

The politics game is tough; you must have thick skin and not take things personal. There is a saying that many people use that goes, “Be careful for the toes you step on today may belong to the ass that you have to kiss tomorrow.” Another one goes, “Be nice to the people you pass on the way up for they are the same people you’ll pass on your way down. And you’ll go down much faster than you went up”.

A message to the Premier and other politicians is that when you are succeeding another person or replacing someone, be gracious, patient, polite, courteous, respectful and kind about it, because one day that person, or someone else in authority, may have to remove or replace you. So, try to handle these changes in the way in which you would like to be treated if you were the person being removed or replaced.

All of this goes back to the good old golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. If we all obeyed the golden rule, Bermuda, and the world, would be a much better place. Peace.