It is quite normal, even unavoidable - especially these days, even before the pandemic- to wonder: is the system working ? Are the wheels of the social mechanism still turning - and, if so, to what end? Or is the facade of normality a cover - for a tottering edifice - full of rot and corruption underneath? And is the surface buzz of media hype - a distraction from the underlying tsunami of anger, frustration and disenchantment? Do the vast majority still believe in the system as it exists? And if not - what comes next? A vague feeling of unrest? Malaise? Marches? Protest? Random Violence? Upheaval? Rioting in the streets? Full-scale Revolution? A complete overhaul of the old apparatus? A new system with a new set of blueprints? But if it is working to some degree - how do we even measure it - the extent to which the state is delivering on its promises? So one begins with a set of indicators - empirical, immediate, glaringly obvious, narrow and self-referential... Can we go to the st
(...A SEQUENCE OF RANDOM THOUGHTS ON TOPICS DU JOUR...)