Author: Vic Socotra

Arrias: Strategic Vision in Wonderland

Alice: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” The Cheshire Cat: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” Alice: “I don’t much care where.” The Cheshire Cat: “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.” From 1775 to 1783 the 13 Colonies were just […]

Insurrection Recherché

(Damian Dovarganes caught this moment in lower left above of the un-surrection yesterday downtown in Washington. We did not know about it since we were streaming marvelous old television series, marveling that the old network sequencing has been replaced with old shows now new again. The new system of airing old series as if they […]

T-Bone at the Cultural Crossroads

Taiwanese voters headed out to the polls yesterday to determine the island’s next President and legislature. This is the first major world election of 2024, marking the world’s first big election of the year. The winner of the elections ‘could’ have major implications for Taiwan’s fate and its strained relationship with China. That should be […]

Arrias & Vic on the Rails: Night Train to Nairobi

On the midnight train to Nairobi I met a red haired English girl, Bright blue eyes and fair of face, She gave my heart a whirl. We dined on sole and a fine white wine, To the clicking of the rail’s refrains, Bathed in brilliant Moonlight, As we rolled across Africa’s plains. She talked about […]

The Senator Breaks the News

(Junior U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania John Fetterman, who continues to recover from a stroke during the last campaign cycle. He has become alert, much to the surprise of many observers. Photo Commonwealth of Pennsylvania). We like the date: 1-11, or a least the start of this one. We rose this morning with the usual heightened […]

Weather Report: Let the Games Begin!

So, here we are in the New Year! Morning, Gentle Readers! As usual, all sorts of activity going on in our madly spinning world. The actual election year is starting here, and will be the loudest noise through the year. Apparently the MSM has been summoned to the President’s re-election team to be briefed on […]

Arrias and His World: Strategic Costs

One of the questions that keeps popping up in editorials, at least in the last month or two, is whether or not the folks in the White House want Ukraine to win the war with Russia. There are, of course, two obvious answers to that question – yes and no. But I have an unpleasant […]

The Biggest Lake

There is a bunch of stuff going on this morning. We discussed in some minor detail the strange antics of the American Command and Control system yesterday, and the details of the hospitalization of Secretary Austin, and the apparent delay in notification of the PRESIDENT, his DEPUTY, the CONGRESS, CHAIRMAN of the JOINT CHIEFS and […]

Arrias: The Rains

Author’s Note: Rains came through during the day, the dogs joined me in the office, I got down to give them belly rubs… things evolved from there… – Arrias Persian Carpets On the floor next to Porter, Huddled close, she keeps me warm, Listening to the Brandenburg concertos, Outside brews a winter storm. What is […]

Who’s in the Office?

It is a remarkable thing, this experience we share on a spinning globe hurtling in an elliptical manner around a gigantic ball of bright burning gas. We have our relatively short times here on earth, and the cohort of the Salts in the circle are all becoming conscious that our time here is entering the […]