This is the age of digital illusion – What you see and hear is not what it seems

Let us analyse the title with two stories. The first story is straightforward, Henry N Portner, USPTO is the central character. He is 60 years old and a successful attorney and resident of Florida, he practices in several Courts including the Supreme Court. He is well versed in the practice of law as attested by the vast portfolio of clients that range from industrialists to ordinary folk who desire a simple home buying agreement.

In between are doctors, retail industry professionals, sports celebrities, entertainment stars and other people. He also teaches Taxation Law if which he is an authority. Recently he was at the centre of a vicious attack on the internet through the planting of false news. Some of the blogs on social media were titled ‘Henry N Portner, misconduct’.

A few weeks later other articles followed with the headlines ‘Henry N Portner, reprimand’. Although it took time and money in countering such threats the loss of integrity to Henry N Portner’s ethics was considerable.

The other side of the illusion coin concerns the global disarray with respect to politics. First off nobody understands the Syrian issue and the Middle East crisis which is eternal. This has created a refugee problem and the sight of millions of people fleeing their homes is disconcerting without any solutions. Yet Europe and Turkey march to a different drumbeat. Next up Brexit has created serious anxiety and uncertainty. The United Kingdom (how far they remain United is a story for another day) is ready to trigger Article 50 on Mar 29, 2017, without any plan put forward.