Author: Vic Socotra

Sweet Judy Blue Eyes

(Judy Collins is one of two singers who defined her generation. We will not address the other guy who still fronts the Rolling Stones since his story is harder and quite different. Judy’s tale is unique, and has inspired audiences with sublime vocals in boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to […]

Too Big To Fail

(Cartoon image from Carlson in 2009 about another unsustainable moment in our sophisticated national financial system). We have heard those words before. We think it was around the big real estate collapse back in 2008. We had one of those surreal mornings back then when someone mentioned the Zillow prices on the condo we owned […]

Red Cows and the Third Temple

Some of us from the Socotra House Writer’s Section have stood at the base of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and walked uphill past Al Aqsa’s stately Dome of the Rock on the way to pay our respects to the Church at Manger square. A correspondent for “AllIsraelNews” named J. Micah Hancock was there as […]

Arrias: Strategic Bombing and Gentle War

Author’s Note: This was another struggle… the more I pick at it, the worse It think the situation is – I’m not sure we can get out of this mess… – Arrias Strategic Bombing and Gentle War Much of the modern way of war springs from the writings of 4 men from the 1920s: Gen. […]

Ice Age Recharche

(Ice mass either encroaching or retreating. We forget which year this was. Image courtesy WorldAtlas.com) We thought we had done this year with our recognition of the really big enormous climate crisis with the observation of Earth Day. That began a long time ago, and in 1970 we were assured that great mountains of sheer […]

The Mills of Justice

(Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein appears in a legal proceeding yesterday that overturned his conviction for sexual assault. He will receive a new trial with fewer accusations. Photo NewsFinal.com) We were attempting to wade through some of the legal issues that were paraded through the messaging yesterday. Our Legal folks say we can talk about […]

Weather Report: Slow News Week

Slow News Week? All that stuff in the three columns above is actually going on. A sample of of it is included in the note above- we would never have imagined a thousand young Americans being in a place called “Niger.” Apparently we have some sort of agreement with whoever is running that nation at […]

Capital Anniversaries

(A local building in Washington then-known as the Executive Mansion. Civic leaders had to paint over the black scars of British arson). We already talked about ANZAC Day, so we can turn to some anniversaries better remembered right here. There are some other interesting ones coming this year that will lend their names to these […]

Land of Tropes

(PM Modi of India, possibly uttering a trope. Photo voiceonline.com) No, we are not going to turn this morning’s edition of the global gallop into a chance to flack the new book. It is, in our defense, a contributing factor that channels India’s current events across other accounts of social dysphoria. Our new book is […]

Senator Nelson’s Earth Day

(Lake Meade is resurging after record low levels. Image from The Daily Torch). “Earth Day” is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first held on April 22, 1970, and now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by an estimated one billion people in more than […]