Aldous Pause

As I walked through the State of Mind,
I came upon a spot where I knew
Aldous Huxley had been.

In a place without writing on a wall,
pause reverently bestowed its will.
The past's incessant nudging pressed
against my back with the weakened force
of a hall of self reflective mirrors.

I had danced the square dance,
but never the minuet;
I had jazzlessly jitterbugged
through war's intermissions.

Aldous might have paused here too,
scoffing at unknowing the unknown;
but knowing whose hands would manage
the next impregnated motherload of postwar hope,
as they always know when to seize command.

My mother never danced the minuet,
but taught me the jitterbug in a world of our own.
The frenzy of rhythmic swirls, twirls, dips, and spins
enshrouded her innocence and naivety's
trust that life would be better for me
 in the wake of what came to be
just another war to end all wars.

Nudged as I am, I nudge forward too, lightly
pressing against the backs of youngsters
scoffing at unknowing the unknown;
but knowing whose hands would manage them
as they always know when to coat the wheels
of caissons with the song that rolls along.

Outlier

Realizing someone must extend
across the divide, I slipped off
my comfortable coat
and stepped out on the bridge.

Coldness and isolation beset me
as I cautiously tread on
each of the footing ropes.
I had become an outlier.

Wondering if this was sacrifice,
I glanced back to note my missing coat
among the stirring and anguished crowd
and felt no less lonely.

Dogs Don't Bark at Parked Cars

He surrendered his life like a well worn lease
through the narrow eyes of the law,
having sloshed through puddles of spiritual darkness,
feeling fearfully delectable to the variety in animal tastes.

He took his last breath.
We call it death, the absence of life;
but his energy's complexity paid homage to his gratitude
for all those who strove to make his world a better place.

Coldness sat in like the relevance of his humanity,
escorting him into the abyss before morphing into fractals
condensed in voluminous clouds of statistics.
Data reigns and showers all who shelter, cup, or drown.

Some drenched in pools of spiritual darkness
like those dropping the floor from under him face down;
Some like him, sacrificed as dead weight under
a constellation of cacophonous pitter-patter tweeter chatter.

Left to float like shining oil on broken pavement,
evaporating senselessly from lidless bell jars,
oblivious to the dog whistles of  credulity and self-delusion,
yet knowing that dogs don't bark at the parked cars.

Review of The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver

  During these times of dubious economic and political stability, the buzz word "uncertainty"  is often heard in the media and felt in our personal lives.  When hearing of the success in which Mr. Silver predicted the outcome of the 2012 election, I became curious as to how he was able to so closely call precinct results and bought this book.
  Not being a gambler per se, and knowing very little about statistics, I was a bit apprehensive at first; but soon comforted by the straight-forwardness in the text, and how conversational it read. Also, I could see why it was listed among self-help books, and like how broadly the concept of finding our personal signals (reliably factual), amid ambiguous noise, could be applied.
  The author's analyses among various topics reveal a plethora of knowledge and wide range of experiences that serve as examples of how to think in specific ways in given situations. His gift for conveying what went wrong and why makes the book intriguing and fun to read. Far from the tone of a condescending know-it-all, Nate Silver writes as a buddy who is willing to show you the ropes in sports, investments, medicine, weather, etc. In short, he offers you a key to reliability.

Review of Plutocrats by Chrystia Freeland

  The disparity between the top 0.10% and the 0.01% of income brackets featured in The Plutocrats runs  hand in hand with the fractal inequality described in Chris Hayes' Twilight of the Elites.  Chrystia Freeland presents a well documented account of the values and culture of the super-elite, and points out the disparity even within the range between the merely wealthy and the wealthiest. Her book reveals intricacies within this exclusive group of global investors who are shaping our economic future in their financial endeavors that are unfettered by national interests, and furthermore defining the shape of things to come in this century. In a world without political boundaries, their economic fiefdoms lay in waiting not so much for large and sluggish corporations modeled on entrepreneurs of the late nineteenth century, but for a new more ethnically diverse generation in a second Gilded Age (piggy-backing or leap frogging the technological precedents of the first), and whose speed in pouncing on investment opportunities in industrial development exceeds the standard paradigm of big eating small.
  Ms. Freeland's acceptance of oligarchic behaviors is a reality check. Her distinction between rent-seeking investors- who capitalize on existing enterprises (usually through government contracts) - versus the truly innovative industries like Microsoft and Apple wherein the gravitational pull is reversed, provides insight into the dynamics of money and political power. More importantly, she demonstrates that oligarchic power isn't necessarily exclusive; and that opportunities exist for it to be broadened by those unselfish enough not to pull the ladder of social stratification up behind them.
  The Plutocrats is a good book to read on the heels of Chris Hayes' Twilight of the Elites; America After Meritocracy because it lends to a refreshing outlet from the static, tail-chasing depiction of our bloated meritocratic institutions, that are becoming increasingly dysfunctional by their insulation and segregation from their purposes. What may not strike the reader as refreshing is the scope of the topic; it's global now. I would recommend this book to those prone to accept conspiracy theories about the power elite, and those who aspire to entrepreneurship. For the former, it presents the dynamics of finance and power; for the latter, some character traits among the successful personalities interviewed by the author.

The social / fiscal conservative coalition is dysfunctional. When will the Republicans realize it?  The loosely coupled groups' mismatch is rooted in the 19th century schism between the pre-Darwin philosophical status-quo and neo-pragmatism.  The latter, possibly an unintended consequence generated by The Origin of Species, was adopted by industrialists as a way to embrace the practical use of technology, bereft from moral absolutism, as revolutionary philosophies emerged and swept across fields of science, politics, finance (and to a limited extent, religion) in the wake of the Darwinism.

   Today, Republican unity is compromised by social conservatives' challenge to become the dominant ideological component of its party, and the encroachment of their religious principles on empirical science should indicate a severe disjunction among their fiscal counterparts.  Aside from the topic of climate change, where congruity between the two exists for the sake of economic growth, the more reactionary rhetoric should compel the more powerful moneyed interests in the party to quell the corrosive impact of the radical voices. For decades, prayer-in-school and pro-life advocates on the political fringe have been exploited by party leadership (and more recently homophobes) to help secure a populous base which otherwise couldn't compete with Democrats in numbers.

  The post-Bush desperation incited party leaders to organize a crusade of disenchanted voters with nearly as much fervor as conscription toward a campaign against "the professional politician"  in 2010, with a losing vice presidential model, who projected a mirror image of the constituency, already in place.  Now that the ensuing representation bubble has burst, bearing the unfortunate consequence of congressional mediocrity.  I'm pleased to see fiscal conservatives seeking an end to some of the absurdity and hope to see them demonstrate the power of money to put their house in order.

Carefully Connecting the Dots

  Although inferencing is inherent in our personal selections for those seeking public offices, this election cycle poses a particularly more challenging task among the undecided in casting a conclusive vote for president. In this high stakes arena it is a given that competitors will deliberately obscure rival messaging, but the oddity of a candidate obscuring his own is rare, if not unique. In the event that such campaign calamity is of no consequence (while it certainly cannot be perceived as an effective strategy) and happenchance yields a victory, political rhetoric based on substance and truth risks being diminished even further than it is already, eroding ideals in democracy along with it.  However, the clamor for more specificity from candidates speaks to the health of an informed citizenry, and keeps hope alive. Albeit candidates will offer voters a paint-by-number method of presenting themselves, the electorate should stand to gain a more qualitative democracy by carefully connecting the dots.