Beginning with the letter-A: Arbitrage

Another in a series beginning with the Letter-A:

Arbitrage

It’s better to understand arbitrage in the light of the circumstances that generate it, than to consider its success in the light of the disadvantaged.

“Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures, the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A.” (quote by Gordon Gekko, from Wall Street, a Sony Pictures movie ©2001). Replace “greed” in Mr. Gekko’s speech with the word arbitrage.

Arbitrage: the root of a French word for referee or umpire, seemingly natural but at the same time unfair: jungle rules of market economics are realistic but not pretty. A mismarked item in a retail store rarely comes to the attention of the manager; on the contrary, a typical consumer buys as many mismarked widgets as they can afford.

Used as a verb, arbitrage means to make a strategic play, taking advantage of a situation for a quick gain: if we arbitrage futures on crude oil prices, based on our proprietary research, the profits can be huge!

Arbitrageurs gain an advantage because of sudden price differences between markets, statistically seizing the vyigrysh or “winnings” in Hebrew; however in another way, arbitrage means taking the lead, in a mismatch of circumstances and at a disproportionate risk ratio, compared to another. Gordon Gekko rose to Wall Street prominence by legally flipping real estate: buying distressed assets and quickly making them ready to market. But in a larger sense, Gekko’s evolutionary spirit expressed in arbitrage can be analyzed in light of the idea expressed by Jewish philosopher Leo Strauss, “it is better to understand the low in the light of the high, than the high in the light of the low.”

While price gouging after a hurricane is illegal, and illegal interest is called usury; in some cases, arbitrage means getting on top of the opponent when the opportunity arises. As an example, arbitrage could be perceiving a tendency of a quarterback on third down and returning an interception for a touchdown. It’s the right thing to do; arbitrage works within the rule of law.

In non-economic terms:

The emotional needs of young, gifted kids are as unique as emotionally challenged kids, but the funding does not reflect it. It is reverse-arbitrage. Does no child left behind require that no child can get ahead?

I realize educators are presented with a wide range of children labeled as gifted: from quiet and emotionally sensitive to chatty and rambunctious; and these students can be very challenging to engage in the teaching routines of a normal school day. However, a 2008 Fordham Institute report found that, while low-achieving students have made gains, and are tracked and funded assiduously; advanced-learners (making up 6% of students) are "languishing," and that teachers must spend the majority of their time with struggling students even though they know that others in the classroom need attention as well. This anti-arbitrage educative scenario is risky for our future.

Is the US willing to lose innovative leaders and develop fewer breakthroughs because of the untapped potential of its gifted & talented young people?

During the Sputnik crisis of 1958, education programs were initiated to foster a new generation of engineers; the country appreciated the need for gifted students to be funded, supported, nurtured, and developed, so that for strategic reasons America was competitive in the space exploration race. We don’t see a shiny-orbed satellite racing across the night sky to remind us that we are falling behind. The reminders trudge off to elementary and middle schools every academic cycle, not reaching their GT potential for lack of attention, and funding; the opportunity to take the lead in the world, passes us daily.

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Movie Review: LINCOLN

DreamWorks film "Lincoln" (2012)

(Houston, Texas)  Movies allow us time travel, expanding our horizons, opening us sometimes to depths of emotion we did not realize we carried. History’s power as storyteller derives from actual events; yet knowing the end of the story, the dramatic depiction still holds our attention. It happened to me watching the new movie “Lincoln.” I wasn't impatient for the end of the movie, and hardly noticed its extreme length. I rarely recommend the time and money this film requires of its viewers, but I do today.

The adept telling of history strengthens the foundation of our Republic, grounding it ever stronger in the truth; allowing viewers to probe their ordinary world with the tools of experience. Director Steven Spielberg accomplishes the impossible task of telling Lincoln’s story with aplomb, placing special emphasis on the passing of the 13^th Amendment by Congress in 1865. This central narrative showed how the abolition of slavery effected the drive toward peace in the Civil War.

Euclid’s simple scientific truth profoundly affected Lincoln’s thinking about human equality. Elemental to the geometry of Euclid was this statement, “things which are equal to the same thing are equal to each other.” Abraham Lincoln likened this principle as truth that could be applied to the fight against slavery: he saw the “same thing” as God; therefore, as equals created in God’s image, African slaves were equal to white Americans, however difficult the consequence of this truth. This is the only scene I will discuss, and even though it is short, its power is immense: Lincoln steadfastly believed equality under law was worth defending, even through the shedding of blood.  

The acting ensemble, including dozens of politicians, generals, and White House personnel, gave the appearance of reality while not taking the spotlight from the main character. Spielberg’s use of light in profile shots formed a corona from the differentiated rays of the sun blasting around Lincoln’s body in many scenes. This bright aura reflects his uncommon magnanimity; another way of visually showing the saintly reverence Lincoln deserves. Most of what we've learned about history is wrong, but this movie gives a fair account. The South is not demonized, the Congress is shown for what it is (a hyper-lobbied mess), Lincoln struggled with a difficult family life as the war raged, and the force of personality often superseded his political and intellectual talent.

The pantheon of Spielberg classics receives another member into its prestigious Hall of Fame. This movie is a national treasure and should not be missed. (150 minutes, DreamWorks)

©Mark H. Pillsbury

A-1 series beginning w/ the letter-A: Appreciation

Appreciation

Appreciation is all about relationships: friends, family, organizations that I value. A friend no longer living here in town is my “pick you up in the middle-of-the-night friend,” the kind for which we all are grateful. Although we've shared each other’s likes/dislikes, burdens, joys, tragedies, humorous and sarcastic moments, for thousands of cell-phone minutes; I most appreciated his friendship when he picked me up late one night when my car broke down. Cognizant that this friendship is purely unmerited favor, I regard him with high respect, that’s what makes it special. 

Being “aware” gives us the sensibility to actually experience and live for today, not stuck on another day; appreciative of the present. Estimable affection can be temporal; indeed it also allows us to see the miraculous in the common. The hobbyist and the connoisseur both relish what they see and taste; settling softly on their palette with warm appreciation. They know it when they see it, recognition is passionate and instantaneous. I can hear a few notes of my favorite music and respond immediately with singing, and a glance at my children pictured as toddlers shines into my heart like bright rays of morning sun.

Awesome begins with an A, a word overused and trite; yet when we look at something with awe, appreciation rises. As the year begins, I am committed to show and experience appreciation. We crave it ourselves, if we make the effort to perform a nice deed on another’s behalf their acknowledgment makes it worth it; as long it is given freely and not from obligation. Have you noticed the difference between a sincere thank-you note and a canned one?

Hat by Zazzle.com

An antidote to the venom of narcissism, thankfulness has been proven to improve both mental and physical health; likewise, studying the cause of sincere customer satisfaction captivates business.

Appreciation: joy’s cousin spreads a smile to a passer-by, a call to a lonely, elderly relative, and returns a large tip to a jovial bartender. Worth taking time to stop and be appreciative for the blessings of life, we take a receptive posture; absorbing the pleasantry with satisfaction and happiness. Further, pursuing appreciation is subtle and important; as edifying as the experience is lovely. As I mature I am increasingly aware of the joy I experience over the littlest of things, or the largest of concepts. Give thanks, for this is the day the Lord gave us; life is not a dress-rehearsal.

Next time:  arbitrage

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Beginning with the letter-A: Awareness

Awareness

I’ve stopped at the same light for years, waiting 3-minutes for a left turn arrow. Today the driver window was down, beautiful spring smells filled the air, the clickety-clack of the old V-8 pistons mesmerized me. Even though I’d sat serenely at the same exact spot before; this time, I looked to my left to a scrawny oak tree and saw it for the first time just 6 feet away. Around the trunk was a small wooden sign the size of a 4x5 index card, affixed with a striped, taffeta ribbon and painted robin's egg blue. On the dainty sign was written one simple word in a winsome fresh pink cursive. It's the word that can change the world by melting away fear, filling us with courage and hope: LOVE.

Hiding in plain sight was what I needed to hear that day, for real; however, had I not been aware and open to this tiny signal, my life would have been totally different. Awareness means the ability to Stop, Look, and Listen to the world in which one lives. It pumps fresh air into relationships and protects us from a number of maladies, pratfalls, and dead-ends.

Recently, certain words caught my attention. They either shine like new or keep turning-up like a dirty penny. These words resonate to me, they pique my curiosity, and they made me want to incrementally write them down on a tiny Post-it® note on my desk. 

As the list grew, I saw a thread tying them together: they begin with the letter “A,” and so I was destined to blog about them; even though they all have enticingly different meanings and significance. Now, in a semi-regular series, words beginning with the A-B-Cs will be the topic for my posts. As long as I stay aware of the words as they speak to me. Thank you for reading along.

Next post: Appreciation

©Mark H. Pillsbury

The Second Obama Presidency

A window into Obama's second term actually happened just days before last fall’s general election when the President talked on the telephone with Des Moines Register [DMR] editors about their endorsement (October 25, 2012).

Obama didn't run on an overt second term agenda, and has not stressed details since the election; nevertheless, his main points in the interview were: 

• Continue growing “in-sourced” manufacturing jobs instead of losing them overseas
• In education he identified the need for improvement in STEM topics and more community college access
• The energy plan concentrated on alternative fuels, long-lasting batteries, and fuel efficient cars.
• Realistic immigration reform is now possible because the Republicans have scared all the Hispanics into the Democratic Party and finally there is enough political will to attempt this.
• Finally, he discussed deficit reduction through negotiating with the Republican House of Representatives in what he named the “Grand Bargain.” 

Editors brought him back to their number one issue which was economic growth. [Like the DMR editors, my perspective is that the other issues he discussed weren't common topics on the campaign trail; my concern therefore, on the precipice of his second term, is that they will distract from what needs to be done in the next few weeks].

During the interview, the President said corporate profits were at “record levels,” and big companies were “awash in cash.” [But why are corporations on the sidelines as far as spending for growth, and new hiring? Will the Obama administration consider the current oppressive regulatory environment or how businesses fear the upcoming Obama-care mandates?]

In October, what was said to be the “grand bargain,” which was $2.50 worth of budget cuts for every dollar in spending on programs, was essentially achieved during the fiscal cliff deal; however many of the Simpson-Bowles targets weren't met. [How serious is the President about either controlling spending, or negotiating with Congress? The immediate major hurdle for the his new administration: the fight over raising the debt ceiling].

The President says this fight is not about new spending; instead, raising the debt ceiling is necessary so the US Government can “pay our bills.” In his press conference today he did not sound like a man ready to negotiate. I ran across a well-written letter this weekend; if only the President read his mail:

©Mark H. Pillsbury

The Facebook Vote

More thoughts on Facebook

Have you voted? No, not the presidential vote, thankfully that is over. The vote on Facebook [“FB”] policies going forward. As stated in the policies, if more than 30% of all active registered users vote, the results will be binding. If turnout is less than 30%, the vote will be advisory. Don’t they appear democratic when in reality FB can never be bound by users?

In previous blog posts here on The Rostra Novum* (The New Rostra), I wondered aloud whether the new format, or going public was such a good idea; now I am curious what Facebook has to do to meet shareholder demand. My presupposition is that they have to give investors value in return for their stake in the company and other than advertising on the pages which don’t work that well, FB’s best revenue engine is data mining.

Facebookers expect to see an attractive format not always changing or confusing, logical interface without oppressive advertising (I have never clicked on a pop-up ad), and plenty of visually stimulating newsfeed items and timeline photographs about which they are interested. Issues of control, privacy, shareholder value, security, patent infringement, mergers, expansion to other devices, regulation, and overall user satisfaction swirl around this nascent Goliath now such an integral part of our online lives.

Nonetheless, value in the platform is keeping up with friends and their families in a way that could not have happened just five years ago! It is a bragbook fueled by a culture of immodesty and narcissism allowing a user to “share” and “show” the best and brightest side of their lives. The scale and reach of Facebook is of inestimable value or users would have stopped logging on daily a long time ago. It always amuses me when I hear someone took down their FB page in rebellion against the Evil Empire, kind of like running away from home as a kid; you know they’ll be back.

For people or organizations this huge platform is a way to show the world in one “Page” what one makes out of life; how they fulfill their existence whether commercially, artistically, or socially. In March 2012, FB reported that there were more than 42 million “Pages” with 10 or more “Likes.”

Because this is the year after, the year of Facebook, and as campy and narcissistic as it’s become, its enjoyment for me diminished; although it is a great way to keep up with everyone’s photos. Now that half of American adults are on FB, newbies and amateurs weigh down the newsfeed with clip art musings, pet pictures, affable affirmations, and insignificant drivel only your aging mother could love. (And having my parents on FB says a lot: it is hardly cutting-edge, now fairly mainstream. If you want up-to-minute news, hip commentary, and social relevance; go over to Twitter® your parents will never get on Twitter®).

Being completely open on social media, I don’t mind whether people know my activities; however, when I think about what is out there, the enormous amounts of data available chronicling my routines: where I work, shop, what I read, eat, buy, whom I love, with whom I disagree, or where I go when I leave my home? Marketing minions leverage this by profiling and targeting messages for the audiences they address, whether the product or service is wanted. Who else is watching?

FB expects to gather as much data on its users as is possible from all the items we place on their servers. It expects to use this data to tailor advertising to each user every minute they are on the site. It also expects to crunch all the data into usable sections of information that it can market to companies who want to apply this amazing database to their marketing. The immense value of all this should be reflected in the price of Facebook stock [NASDAQ: FB] which has gone from $38 in May to as low as $17 in September. So was the initial public offering price too high, poorly executed, or does this proposition not quite yet bring enough value? As long as advertisers can engage with more than 900 million monthly active users, Facebook will always have a value-proposition, albeit one that evolves.

All this information is sliced and diced, stacked and folded until it fits into the right spot; where the data dumps into exactly the right inbox. Photo albums made of paper, cardboard, stickers and tape have been digitally replaced. Does FB own all the pictures you took on vacation, at the reunion, or sitting around your house? Even though these trinkets of time seem unimportant to you; no one thinks they are valuable, someone out there is curious enough to peek into your lifestyle. Is privacy and modesty dead?

Over Fourteen Thousand (14,586) visits after I started this blog, readers still abound. Much of who I am is contained in these posts, just like #Facebook. Since going on FB in 2009 and seeing it become a household word in 2011, I’ve posted almost everyday until just about the time of the IPO (“going public”).

Acknowledging their reach is recorded as massive, my suspicion is that the decline in the stock price mirrors the loss of interest in this platform. FB exists on a scale almost like a governmental entity which supposedly exists for the benefit of the people. Changes in policy or format send ripples throughout culture, but there is not much anyone can do if they use the service for free? Which brings me back to the sham of voting about new policies and the 30% threshold in order to make changes binding. Did you vote?

©Mark H. Pillsbury

*blog post 12/25/2011 re: FB introduction of new Timeline format (rostra novum blog, see below)

The Sons of Sceva #Fiction based on Acts 19 [Part 2]

Part Two: fan #fiction based in part on Acts 19: 13-17 (the Sons of Sceva)

Though shocking, a stark reality hit the Sons of Sceva: for once, their fakery brought out the evil spirit! (it worked?)

The room suddenly turned a purplish hue, and the swirling wind normally felt in the arid lands outside Ephesus blew their robes and threw sand in their eyes.

Regaining their vision, confused and fearful, they heard a voice; high-pitched but sonorant, with a demonic richness not quite ear-splitting yet resoundingly clear. It was the evil spirit speaking directly to them, breathing fire like a dragon.

As the air of life sucked out of the room, all seven brothers froze in attention looking at the man they were trying to heal. Restored and vigorous, but trance-like, the man’s lips didn’t move; although he was definitely the source of the sound. In their lives together on the road as a merry band of grifters, never had they focused so realistically, so fearfully, on a single voice such as that which roared from this demon.

Unfortunately, their father the Jewish high priest did not convince them of the prohibition in the Torah about using false gods for evil purposes, as they had done often around the major coastal city of Ephesus [see Part 1—posted 09/23/2012]. During these alarming few moments, to their dread, an evil spirit addressed them with a mysterious and omnipotent capacity that made these experienced hustlers rapt like little bare-bottomed toddlers.

“Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” (Acts 19:15)

There were no “eyes” fixed upon them but it seemed as if the evil spirit was looking right through the Sons of Sceva. After dancing around a serious spiritual war for which they were not prepared, now they found themselves in the middle of the battle. One of the ghostly warriors took notice of them in a very condescending way: “And, who the hell are you?” Don’t send a boy to do a man’s job, goes the saying; even more, don’t claim heavenly authority against evil forces as a scheme to take innocent, desperate people’s money. Bad choices make bad outcomes.

Many in Ephesus marveled at Paul’s ministry, even tried to replicate the miracles he (and Jesus) worked in their midst, but the power and sovereignty of God will not be mocked or counterfeited. Indeed, without the blessing of God’s grace on our work, we are impostors. Without God’s divine intervention in our lives, we are rudderless boats adrift on a hostile ocean.

Eyes like saucers, confounded and silent, the pitiful brothers made no reaction or even a whimper; yet they reaped the whirlwind of the evil justice they were due. Breaking through into the realm of spiritual warfare is difficult. Ignorance suggests they would not have started down this road knowing what they had joined.

In an instant the man inhabited by the evil spirit leaped upon them, seemingly with enough arms to wrangle all seven brothers. This “being” was an entity not quite human, with an ephemeral quality, translucent and sparkling as it whirled around like a tornado. The storm overcame the room, as it was powerful enough to carry the whole house away from its foundation. The fight lasted but a couple of minutes, although it inflicted significant damage on the Sons of Sceva.

The men fled out of the house without skill or strength, escaping with their lives alone, by grace alone. Cut, bruised and beaten, they ran blindly through the streets as fast as their legs would carry them. The ignoble defeat included the fact that they fled naked, the height of embarrassment in this culture. Far from being an incident of humor or derision, the whole city heard about what happened with the evil spirit and these "honorable" criminals, and Jews and Greeks alike were aghast. It says in Acts 19: 17 that because of this provocative incident in Ephesus, the name of Jesus Christ was celebrated, or “extolled.”

Common in biblical literature, especially in Luke's book of Acts, God tells His story in an unconventional way. Ironically, the typical exorcism reversed here; turned upside down in the surreal context of spiritual warfare. In what appears to be an interlude in the constant spiritual battle about which we know so little; the evil spirit purged the exorcists, and not the other way around.

©Mark H. Pillsbury

The Scots' Confession of 1560 A.D. -- What They Believed

The Scots Confession -- 500 years old -- What is it that you believe?

John Knox and 5 other church leaders that happened to have also the name John, wrote these words, about what they believed (what they "confessed") of God in 1560 A.D. (Chapter 1):

We confess and acknowledge one God alone, to whom alone we must cleave, whom alone we must serve, whom alone we must worship, and in whom alone we put our trust.

He is eternal, infinite, immeasurable  incomprehensible, omnipotent, invisible, one substance, yet distinct in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (holy spirit).

By him we confess and believe all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, to have been created, to be retained in their being, and to be ruled and guided by his inscrutable providence for such end as his eternal wisdom, goodness, and justice have appointed and to the manifestation of his own glory. 

This rich language is immensely illustrative even today, of what it is Christians (especially Calvinist leaning Christians) say they believe. It speaks of a divine sovereignty (control) that is out of step with modernism 500 years later; however, it is recited with the same vigor today as in 1567 A.D. when is was officially codified.

John Knox died in 1572.

photo of painting, by Getty Images

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The Sons of Sceva (Acts 19) #Fiction (Part 1)

“I’m not ashamed of standing before you with only the Gospel; it is the power of salvation for all of us,” Paul said it simply, “the righteous will live by faith, not by works.”

The apostle Paul from Tarsus, in present-day Turkey, was hand-picked by Jesus to travel the Roman Empire, proclaiming the good news of Christ. Once a merciless persecutor of the early church, Paul became one of the most influential men in history, and certainly the greatest Christian author ever to write.

Ephesus, a major Roman coastal city, part of western Asia Minor (now Turkey), was established over 500 years before Christ. Greek to its core, it hosted the chief shrine of Artemis, the Library of Celsus and its theater, which was capable of holding 25,000 spectators. Although once a prominent commercial hub, Ephesus was destroyed by the Goths in 263 AD.

Paul worked miracles in Ephesus, baptizing and laying on hands; he even found a few stray disciples who’d never heard of the Holy Spirit.

“Into what exactly were you baptized?” Paul said incredulously. Patiently Paul walked them through their response; they thought they were washed by John’s baptism.

They were eager to hear from the mystical teacher, “you don’t understand what John meant; he always pointed the way to Jesus,” he instructed, “remember how John said ‘the kingdom is at hand’ reminding everyone he was not worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals.” “John the Baptist made it very clear he was speaking about Jesus.”

Paul further implored, “it’s more than baptism, it’s about repentance,” it did not take very long to explain how big was the difference; eventually agreeing, they were baptized in Jesus’ name.

Paul's journeys

As part of Paul’s ministry team these disciples followed him to the synagogue and also when he taught at the Tyrannus Ephesian School. He preached in this region for a long time, converting many, doing extraordinary deeds. His third journey led him back to Ephesus; indeed it was so successful that any clothes or aprons Paul touched became talismans. Sometimes even a touch from something Paul once held was enough to authentically heal sickness or cast out evil. It was an astonishing time in Ephesus.

Never spoken of as “Exorcism,” these practices were common in this superstitious age; however, only Christian apostles were sent by Jesus to proclaim the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead. In fact, Jesus reminded them that they received this power from him (Gospel account of Matthew, chapter 10:8), “without paying a price,” so he required they likewise serve without pay.

But in this culture as with many others, money was the lifeblood of commerce, even in the spiritual arts. It was in this environment that certain disreputable scoundrels took advantage of the phenomenal ministry of Paul.

The Sons of Sceva

Vagabond Jews tried their hand at exorcism by imitating what they’d heard about Paul’s miraculous ways. One particular cadre of fakers was known as the “Sons of Sceva,” and Luke reports this interesting story occurring in Ephesus; NT book of Acts, chapter 19. These young men toured around Ephesus together as a merry band of thieves, buoyed by their audacity and trading on the credibility that came with their “religious” heritage. Their father was a Jewish high-priest, raising them in the synagogue; so naturally, they carried themselves with a counterfeit holiness, conjuring respect and misplaced trust in their victims. They said a lot, without meaning any of it. Classic fraud, but it was profitable.

“Holy men do not convey the power vested in them for an hourly wage,” they piously pronounced. “We require sincere support in order to maintain this important ministry; so if we are able to help your family in their time of need, won’t you sacrifice for our sake?” These investors did not know enough to recognize the healers as bogus; they failed to investigate the authority upon which these brothers did business. Pressing further, digging deeper into their well of guilt; the Sons of Sceva drew out funds by appealing to multiple levels of narcissism.

“Don’t you want to heal your father? Would not that make you the wisest of his offspring, the one most likely to win his favor?” “If you want the best of God’s forces to visit your house, then you must invest the best of your resources to make it happen.” They never guaranteed success, but implied it by reciting a fantastic track record of healing and casting out demons. Just like Paul did it; they promised.

Requiring immediate compensation up-front, these Scevian schemers reminded customers that sometimes “holy release” would come after the caravan’s departure. They were powerful but it was a mystery how God worked with them, although often contributions ratcheted upward the more serious the problem; embellishment ballooning with imbursement.

Acts 19:13

“I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims,” was pronounced over the possessed man; clearly invoking His name yet without the divine authority of Christ. It was like trying to get into a concert without a ticket, but it was a very profitable gig for the sons of Sceva. (end of Part I)

©Mark H. Pillsbury

8 Weeks to Decide

Today's thoughts on eight (8) weeks to decision 2012:

©Bob Simpson/Chicago

With almost 20,000 homeless children in New York City, which is the highest number since the great depression, and 400,000 school kids cut loose in Chicago today b/c their teachers will not teach, I am deeply concerned about these examples of “at-risk” young people in America.

With per capita-GDP (per worker/gross domestic product) still 1.9% below 2007 levels enjoyed before the recession, and 8 million people out of work but not counted as unemployed, because they stopped looking for work, my concern for our country grows today. People are getting by with less or nothing.

With a new record national debt reaching $16 Trillion last Friday and over 30% of our IOUs held by the Social Security Trust Fund (literally borrowing against our future), it is no wonder the approval rating for our government is only at 30% favorable. Government spending has reached epic proportions, outstripping the revenues it collects and forcing higher deficits. This civic course is unsustainable.

photo by Luis Robayo ©AFP/GettyImages

With military deaths from suicide outweighing combat deaths by a two-to-one ratio this year, and two consecutive years of Pentagon budget cuts over $525 Billion, I am deeply concerned about the quality of life for our most dedicated public servants in uniform.

With the 2012 drought estimated to cost close to $80 Billion in related losses, second only to the 1988 drought, and next to Hurricane Katrina, and USDA rating 50% of the 2012 corn crop "poor" or "very poor;" there are thousands of food producers and farmers with dry ground and crumbling budgets this year. The long-term effects may rival the Dust Bowl era, and we consumers will be hit also.

I don’t know whether these separate problem-sets inter-lock, but there are large sectors of the population that are hurting today like no other time in American history, and as a patriotic citizen I hurt with them in a real way. I too am looking for a better opportunity.

Although I recognize that our history includes many dark chapters and times of uncertainty, today I find no comfort in the past. Today, I feel pain, and I am fearful that many forces of evil are intermeshed within these intractable problems. Sometimes I cannot sleep for worrying.

In my huge city, traffic snarls, crime surges, and the economic recovery is slower than expected. Due to economic pressures, too many families missed a vacation this summer, and there hasn’t been a pay raise in years. The question of “quality of life” weighs heavy on my heart this morning.

Our receptivity to change at this crossroads time in American history has to be significant, and the national election is just eight (8) weeks away. This is a decision-point. Nevertheless, the divide between candidates, worldviews, and political persuasions seems like a massive chasm. The election will swing on those who are currently “undecided,” independent, or never have voted before. These groups seem invisible at this point, but they will decide which direction the country turns.

New Hampshire by ©KALIM SALIBA

Each candidate will try to reach 270 electoral votes on Nov. 6 and the decision comes down to trust, confidence, and one’s outlook on the future. Doesn’t the voting decision relate to the value the administration has added or detracted over this past four (4) year term, the confidence that the leadership and plans exhibited are acceptable this time, and/or whether or not the voter feels like they are confident that they will be better off with one of the candidates as chief executive going forward?

Additionally, both parties have full slates of leaders farther down the ballot up for election in both state and federal legislatures, an important component to governance. Which President would work best with those groups? It is momentous to think about, and there isn't much more time.

I realize there are dozens of issues not mentioned here that resonate with numerous different voting blocs, especially those in the “social” category, like healthcare, abortion, or gay-marriage, but I do not have the space or time to argue those. The point is that I am very concerned with the quality-of-life in our country, and one of the big turning points in our civic life which might affect these problems, is right over the next hill. This is a time of deep contemplation and prayer for the future of our beloved nation, and I hope you share this perspective in your own way and I would invite you to comment herein below.

©Mark H. Pillsbury

God Gets The Last Word: Cardinal Dolan's Pro-Life Benediction at #DNC2012

God Gets The Last Word: Cardinal's Pro-Life Benediction:

'via Blog this'

The current Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan's sobering closing prayer at the Democratic National Convention last night reminded me of a classic scene, wherein parents come home from vacation a day earlier than planned on a late evening flight. 

At 2AM they pull into their driveway clueless, next finding 25 drunken teenagers spread across the living room in various states of consciousness and dress. The only thing anyone can say is nothing, as everyone bolts for the exits!

Watching these sleepy delegates' reactions to the benediction is priceless. My total respect for the Cardinal is unbounded as he speaks unflinching truth and humble prayers to God, of which they earlier tried to exclude from the platform. I could only feel astonishment that after 4 days of political platitudes; finally, someone spoke the truth to these poor folks. This clip is worth your time. [see link posted above; play time > 5 min.]

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Book Review: Atlas Shrugged (1957)

Book Review:  Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (Published 1957)

Q: How do readers get their arms around a book that is over 1,000 pages and rambles all over the place with dozens of complicated characters over three sections?

A: Like a long concerto, you just have to press “play” and start the piece. It took me months to read, but I am proud to say that I have completed one of the most revered books in American literature. Some people claim to read it every year, which seems religiously faithful to me?!

Recently, vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said he respected the book and agreed with Francisco d’Anconia’s philosophy as recounted at the wedding of Bill Taggert; one in which the priorities of the collective good end up harming the economy and destroying the individual efforts of independent businessmen.

I have read many complicated books over the years, but this one was pretty hard to finish, especially in the third “movement,” or Act III. The book over-flows with symbolism, motifs, undercurrents, back stories, adulterous betrayal, illicit relationships, political fighting, metaphorical situations, integrated, difficult characters… The intricate web of unlikely story lines almost overwhelms; so it takes perseverance to finish this tome. It's sold millions of copies since 1957, becoming popular again recently with a feature film based on Act I.

Dozens of times in the book, discussions evoke the question “Who is John Galt?” It is said in many different contexts, not only a literal question about the mysterious man who has disappeared; but asked as a figurative, almost meaningless, satirical question as well.

To the thinker, the question implies, “What is the mind?” 

Another way to look at the question is to say, “What happens when the mind disappears? 

Galt knows that without his mind and the minds of the world’s great entrepreneurial thinkers, the industrial power of the world will be lost and the economic engine of the world will stop. Protesting a powerful gov’t. pushing hard toward collectivism, Galt and his colleagues go on strike.

In the title’s metaphor, these great men & woman (Dagny is also Atlas-like) shrug, and let the world go on without them, a/k/a “Atlas Shrugged.”

 Galt’s ideas culminate with his appearance on a nationally broadcast radio program. He takes advantage of the opportunity to speak his mind to the people, something for which he waited at least twelve years. This broadcast takes two hours and is the central moment in Rand’s manifesto, Atlas Shrugged; at which John Galt speaks unimpeded about the global crisis. The incumbent gov’t. is shocked by this speech.

It centers on the independence of the mind, as opposed to the blankness of someone unable or unwilling to deal with reality. The reigning gov’t. leaders are caught off-guard and afterward want to negotiate with John Galt, and/or in the alternative, to kill him. This speech peaks at the zenith of a twisting, turning plot (85% of the book is told at this point), and is the one large section on which anyone can focus in order to make sense of this massive book (some quotes from the speech follow):

“Thinking is man’s only basic virtue, from which all others proceed. And his basic vice, the source of all his evils, is that nameless act which all of you practice, but struggle never to admit: the act of blanking out, the willful suspension of one’s consciousness, the refusal to think—not blindness, but the refusal to see; not ignorance, but the refusal to know. It is the act of unfocusing your mind and inducing an inner fog to escape the responsibility of judgment—on the unstated premise that a thing will not exist if only you refuse to identify it, that A will not be A so long as you do not pronounce the verdict “It is.” Non-thinking is an act of annihilation, a wish to negate existence, an attempt to wipe out reality. But existence exists; reality is not to be wiped out, it will merely wipe out the wiper. By refusing to say “It is,” you are refusing to say, “I am.” By suspending your judgment, you are negating your person. When a man declares: “Who am I to know?—he is declaring: “Who am I to live?” ©Ayn Rand from Atlas Shrugged (Random House 1957).

Galt goes on to identify three things as the supreme ruling values of his life: 1Reason—2Purpose—3Self-esteem. These three values imply and require all of man’s virtues and all his virtues pertain to the relation of existence and consciousness: rationality, independence, integrity, honesty, justice, productiveness, pride.

Aristotle

This speech is a political manifesto for an objective movement and it goes on for dozens of pages. Rand sets out the Aristotlian battlefield between the objective and the collective, about which the conflict in the story rages. Allegedly, this moral battle is between those that live by their own effort (materialists) and those “parasites” who consume the products of others without the same sacrifice (collectivists). The political system Galt hopes to build is contained in the single moral premise: “no man may obtain any values from others by resorting to physical force." "Every man will stand or fall, live or die, by rational judgment. If he fails to use it and falls, he will be his only victim. If he fears that his judgment is inadequate, he will not be given a gun to improve it. If he chooses to correct his errors in time, he will have the unobstructed example of his betters, for guidance in learning to think; but an end will be put to the infamy of paying with one life for the errors of another.” ©Ayn Rand from Atlas Shrugged (Random House 1957).

Much of the speech is anti-religious, and its premise makes the atoning work of Jesus Christ seem anti-ethical to John Galt’s way. He is certainly not Jesus; however Galt is the supreme leader of a humanist philosophy which seeks to revolutionize society, culture, and personality.

“Your code divides mankind into two castes and commands them to live by opposite rules: those who may desire anything and those who may desire nothing, the chosen and the damned, the riders and the carriers, the eaters and the eaten. What standard determines your caste? What passkey admits you to the moral elite? The passkey is the lack of value.” ©Ayn Rand from Atlas Shrugged (Random House 1957).

Strangely, this book is very relevant in the current polarized political climate; wherein Obama liberals face off with conservative Tea-party patriots. As in the story, the fall election season presents a stark contrast, a distinct difference in ideology.

It took me about a year to finally complete all three parts, and the first two sections have spawned full-length feature films. I hesitate to guess if anything can be made of the third act; it is all speech, and then conclusion, nonetheless a film may be forthcoming. It is hard for me to recommend the time it takes to completely read this book, unless one is a serious political buff or affiliates with Rand's unrealistic philosophy.

Ayn Rand’s personal worldview is lived out in the characters of this novel. The concretes may differ, but the abstractions are the same. Her relationships with men, associates, government, media, and God proved to be difficult and strained but her ability to write this novel is amazing. It is a tribute to the universality of this struggle that it remains so relevant today. Existence, philosophy, and independent thought are still valuable to readers; this book certainly exercises the mind, but I disagree with its central theme and the many side premises exalted in Galt's speech.

Ayn Rand would never have suffered an editor, although needed badly here, nor did she pain to make an explanation from the perspective of the other side; in the end, the characters, like comic book Avengers, return to Galt's Gulch, their secret Colorado hideout, to plan their ascension up the road of economic recovery and to leadership of the new world. It is a fanciful conclusion to an ungodly mess.

3 *** out of five stars

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Unemployment and the Job Interview

Unemployment and the Job Interview

Measuring "unemployment" is complicated because like a diamond it has many facets. In the U.S. currently, only about 60% of all people over 18 yrs. old hold jobs. By this measure, the "real" unemployment rate is 40%.

That perspective is too broad. Most people who don't work are in school, staying home to raise children, or retired.

Government statistical geeks have the difficult task of trying to measure people who want to work but can't find anything. They have a series of measurements numbered U1—U6, with each total representing a number which includes a larger detachment of the country without jobs. The parameters change as it moves upward on the scale. Are you asleep?

The U6 unemployment rate counts not only people without work seeking full-time employment (the more familiar U-3 rate), but also counts "marginally attached workers and those working part-time for economic reasons."

For the last couple of years, U6 numbers have been hanging around the 15% range of people without work who are out in the market seeking full-time employment. That’s a lot of job interviews going on!

image: dorothea lange

After a really good interview, one can spend the rest of the day playing the “what-if” game, daydreaming about the next appointment, replaying the conversation in the mind, even mentally negotiating the right salary. 

In my experience, job interviews are like the early stages of dating, especially when the meeting is held in a social setting. One can go through an innocent evening at a restaurant, having a reasonably good time, thinking that there could be some potential in the relationship; only to never hear from their partner again. The other participant made a snap judgment right after the appetizer that you weren’t their type and that is the end of it. 

Because they are polite and adept at hiding their true feelings, the repartee is cheerful perhaps even deceptive; nevertheless at the end of the evening there are no real signs of affection and the hiring party (in dating this is obviously cloaked) laments privately whether it was a complete waste of time. “We are not going to offer this person the job,” thinks the decision-maker; at least the etouffee was excellent! 

Employment is a huge commitment today, so there are many reasons to avoid resolution as to the offer of a job (or love). If there is no real connection it is always best to keep looking. Sometimes the only collaborator the pursuer has is time; in love and commerce the “ticking clock” can be one’s best ally. 

For me it comes down to the discipline of letting God be sovereign over all things big and small. Will I be able to surrender the future into God’s hands and open my heart to let Him work, even open to “rejection” at the hands of an erstwhile suitor? This type of surrender gives all choice to God, all I have to do is be diligent in the process (run the race) but bow my knees in prayer: “Thy will be done.”  2 Corinthians 12: 9-10

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Escaping the Storm (2013)

commercial airline escaping a super-cell over Montana

Looking into the future is always a dangerous practice, but the 2013 economic outlook is “stormy.” 

By the end of this year the US should know if it escaped the clouds or not. 

Here is a general forecast for a perfect global storm which may occur in 2013 (Roubini):

Factors that might contribute to a massive global recession:

1. disorderly breakup of the Eurozone b/c of monetary instability.
2. another recession in the U.S. (2013) b/c of gov't instability.
3. slow growth in China, hard landing.
4. emerging markets stumble (Brazil, India, Russia, Africa, where growth is stalling).
5. Middle Eastern risk of military confrontation re: nuclear proliferation.

There is still time to fend off these threats or even escape by heading the other direction like the airplane in the picture above; however, reading these predictions this morning gave me pause about prospects for 2013.

Fasten your seatbelts, and place seats & tray-tables in the fully upright position. There could be some turbulence up ahead!

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Dinesh D'Souza - CPAC 2012 speech - It launched a Movie: 2016

Dinesh D'Souza - CPAC 2012 speech - YouTube: "http://youtu.be/Z6QOscKvUjU"

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This Speech has been made into a Movie, by Dinesh D'Souza (YouTube video above)

Why wouldn’t this country’s media dig deeply into a relatively unknown candidate? Why did the pleasure of overcoming an historical barrier override the typical journalistic effort applied to a major candidate?

Did they review carefully the life of Barack Obama as they did candidates like George W. Bush or John Kerry?

Who were the most influential people in the life of Barack Obama, considering he never knew his father? So many facts about Barack Obama are left unexplained.

How does Obama’s history of leftist, radical, socialist/anti-colonial politics match with the accommodating image of a moderate, post-partisan candidate portrayed in the 2008 campaign? What happens after Obama does not have to campaign anymore? The movie suggests what the country will look like in 2016.

Why did Bill Ayers, Frank Marshall Davis, Jeremiah Wright, and so many of Obama's mentors get pushed aside during the campaign? If the American people knew who Obama was they would see he is not an ordinary Democrat. He's not just a Chicago-style influence peddler/community organizer, he has a global vision unlike any other president in our history.

Frank Marshall Davis

I came to these conclusions about the next term of an Obama presidency:

1. What can relieve some of the pressure on the government to bring in more revenue? More taxes. The CBO estimates the new tax burden will be 3% of GDP.
2. Has the power and prestige of US foreign policy increased or decreased during this presidency? It has been a twisted and confusing foreign policy and ultimately islamic power in the middle east has risen and our standing and the standing of Israel has decreased. (Iran, Libya, Syria, Egypt... do they seem consistent?)
3. The movie sets forth a dichotomy between two worldviews that anyone watching the movie has to decide between?  Oil drilling, NASA, radical Islam issues: Libya versus Syria, Iran versus Egypt, bigger government, healthcare, re-aligning American foreign policy away from Israel, there are so many parts of the Obama story that puzzle me.
4. Even if one supports Obama, but has not read his books, it is worth to see how the scholar and political writer Dinesh D'Souza peels back Obama's own words in the books that many of us did not actually read?! Even if you think you know a lot about the president, there is stuff in here which is surprising, and it comes right out of Obama's mouth.
5. Much of the movie is taken with drilling into the words of Obama's story as previously written, and interdicting the his story with more factual research. This is the kind of work that America's media aristocracy chose not to do. For some reason he just got a pass. Maybe that will not continue in a second Obama term.

I learned many things from this work and highly recommend that anyone interested in politics, history, presidential power, or current events, take time to go see this movie as it tries to interpret what Obama will do with a second term. It opens all over the country on July 27, 2012.

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Fireworks in Houston, night of Celebration

Fireworks in Houston - YouTube:

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John Adams wrote that the second day of July 1776, "will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. 


It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not." (The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784, Harvard University Press, 1975, p. 142).

He knew! John Adams knew that over 200 years later, on a hot, sticky night like tonight in Houston, Texas, USA, we would get together and make fun, illumination, celebration, and joy in the freedom wrought that day in 1776. Tonight I am so thankful for family and friends with whom we celebrated: good food in a feast, cold beverages, cut grass upon which to sit, and famous fireworks borne out of a free club at which we gathered. Now I can say after re-convening in a house with a mighty air-conditioner and a shower that I have been transported with enthusiasm, and ready to sleep with the peace bought for me with the blood of patriots. I am not worthy to enjoy such blessings, but by providence I will accept them and sleep soundly in God's greatest country on the green, fragile home we call Earth. President Adams, it was celebrated tonight in Houston and all over this republic, it was a festival for which you would have been proud, as it was commemorated as you decreed, may God save these united states once again in this hour of peril. Amen.

Thunderstruck: Carrier Fiction (Part IV) Ripped from the Headlines

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Part IV of the Code Yellow Series

Officer and a Gentleman

How can a warrior stretch his wings, bearing talons in flight, still behaving as a true gentleman at rest? Often pondering such thoughts, I watched my commanding officer aboard the USS John C. Stennis and in the rear seat of his FA-18 Hornet as his WSO (weapons service officer). Over years, missions, flatland, or ocean waves, I shadowed this man, observing his every move; reactionary for sure, I am paid to do what he does, drop what he wants dropped and land when he hits the deck.

My perspective as a Lt. Jr. grade, my subservient rank, even my support role in the aircraft; all put me in the background to his shining light, however, I am also the closest witness to the good days and the bad. We fly together, walk & talk together, drink together, play H-O-R-S-E basketball on off-hours; but my guess is that he doesn’t know me like I know him. Busy as an executive officer, wing commander, head coach, team morale leader, even big brother, Lt. Harrington cannot carefully watch me as I do him.

Nevertheless on a night like tonight when we had important work to do with the Code Yellow mission, warrior instincts took control of the program; he was steely-eyed and laser-focused. But when not under the pressure of battle, there’s a different story to tell: Lieutenant Harrington’s strength centered on how he conducted his affairs on the ship, but more than just effective Navy leadership.

Whether under pressure or just hanging around the flight room, he seemed always to be slightly lazy, calm, or “laid-back” as we often called the tall Texan. Even when Lt. Harrington was angry, one often received a bright smile with a twinkle in his eyes that belayed his frustration, only occasionally accompanied a tilt of the head. The combination of tilt, smile, wink, and calm only added a suggestion of “really?!”

He let you think about the situation long enough socratically, silently encouraging you to answer the malformed query yourself. It was the simple, hackneyed method of applying grace, patience, and virtue to a particular situation which worked so well for Lt. Harrington; it was not exaggerating to call him the “moral compass” of the ship’s pilot wing. He carried himself like John Elway, spoke like Matthew McConaughey, and worked like Nolan Ryan.

Often admonishing biblically that we must be content in times of plenty and want, Harrington led the air group by daily modeling this mindset, an enormous source of strength for the other pilots. He'd tell us about the apostle Paul writing Philippians from prison, yet able to reach into the inner resource of character, despite extreme pressure. Stress permeated this profession, the weather and mechanics of our equipment, ship and aircraft, failed us too frequently; further, the 6,500 crew members of the USS John C. Stennis were as mercurial as a tempest, adding the human element to the list of dangers bearing down upon us. As a result of one stable example, other leaders in the squadron emulated their lieutenant although almost sub-consciously, maybe because their egos were as big as any; nevertheless, since the lieutenant was consistent, fair, light-hearted, driven, friendly, ferocious, passionate, and dogged about excellence in aviation, they wanted to be that way too. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, especially in leadership.

The pilots' CEO, effectively, Lt. Harrington embraced the needs of others before his own, infusing grace and hope into the many opportunities he had to coach, cajole, encourage, and mentor younger pilots. It was not unusual to see him sitting next to a recent addition, talking and drinking coffee in the officer’s mess; they looked as if their relationship went back years, even to grade school. Lieutenant was as friendly, engaging, and cooperative with the newest member of our team as he was with me, his “back-seater,” the WSO partnered with him for almost four years.

It wasn't sentimental to use the word “generous” to describe our leader. That generosity was contagious. It is rare today in executive business leadership, where “exit strategies” and golden parachutes dominate attention in the higher ranks, to encounter a mentor and a true servant/leader like Lt. Harrington; one always thinking of his corpsmen, ready to sacrifice when necessary; even to his own detriment.

The Force

Eight squadrons of airplanes launched off of the carrier USS John C. Stennis, aka “Johnny Reb” in the US Navy, because of its roots in Mississippi; one of the oldest and most distinguished aircraft carriers in the fleet. Almost 90 planes rose out of their big grey mother, up above the Persian Gulf because of the “all-in” exercise called by the commander. They were all up in the air together, but almost 6,300 seamen were working simultaneously to get them all back safely.

Code Yellow instructions came from the DOD in Washington DC. They were as hot as anything you can hold in your hands: make noise, use technology (like satellite images which can see through the night), and apply all the force that FA-18 Super Hornets can strategically apply to the situation. Tonight, it meant circling down from a high orbit around the Persian Gulf, locking in on two sites which might contain a full-fledged nuclear weapons program of The Islamic Republic of Iran. If the fighters from the Stennis happen to encounter the Iranian Air Force (IRIAF), concurrent instructions are to meet any force with equal firepower. That small folder Lt. Harrington paraded to his team earlier in the evening carried with it the assembled might of one of the most powerful war-making machines ever invented: a United States aircraft carrier. Thunder reigned from above.

Hornet Harrassment

The first images sent onshore to analysts confirmed activity much more than mining operations. Several trips over the site produced hi-res photographic evidence of a nuclear factory in the Fordo mountain range near the city of Qom. Iranian diplomatic engagement, previously futile, might ignite again after realizing the serious nature of US Navy capabilities in the Persian Gulf, and the President’s willingness to flex his Navy muscles.

This evening, American air power would be used for diplomatic bullying and geopolitical hand-holding with Israel. Risking a global misunderstanding of timing, in light of the Syrian crisis flaring in the Middle East; nevertheless, firing a few warning shots could save a full-scale air war instigated by our Jewish allies. Iran’s uranium enrichment capability would have to be extinguished someday, just not tonight.

Harrington’s squadron would take their surveillance very seriously until they selected a few strategic targets to eliminate. The Hornet’s diverse array of weapons was staggering; WSOs would meticulously apply just the right firepower to match ancillary targets such as a road, a bridge, tracks, trucks, or antennae. The objective was to slow down any function supporting the Fordo site; and get all aircraft safely back to the ship.

Part 4 in a series of fiction ripped from the headlines:

©Mark H. Pillsbury