have inflicted almost 5,000 missile strikes, 3,500 air strikes, and more than 1,100 drone strikes on the territory of Ukraine24 February 2023 Life During Wartime, Part 2 It is an anniversary this morning, and has been for a few hours. The featured event is in Ukraine and has been highly anticipated, and the fireworks about […]

(This ad accurately reflects the “pros” and “cons” of “survival,” either way. Remember Civil Defense?) Seasonably cool and grey this morning in Virginia. A look at the information streams flowing off the flat-screen showed sharp dichotomies on what we are supposed to believe, several of them with potential consequences. Socotra House is an alert organization […]

It is a week featuring the exercise of power in this Vale of Tears. There is the anniversary of the land war in Europe, of course. That brings back recollections of two global conflicts, augmented by our own wars in MittleEurope. This week, China’s President Xi visited Moscow to assure Mr. Putin of his support […]

Admiral Elmo “Bud” Zumwalt was in the middle of a change in an old institution that in it’s time had some of the same reverberations we are experiencing today. The impact was profound on those who had served the old system as the one today. The Professional Organization to which some of us still belong […]

Subject: Re: Z-Grams Thanks for these memories Vic …… only had some 7 yrs in when this went down in 1970 and it was way above Lt. concerns ….. but interesting, and led to a beard…… One point of clarity however re …. ‘His service in Vietnam had included adapting a fighting force from a […]

We looked around the writer’s huddle on the Balcony with rain coming in. We have a crowd that has lived in multiple states, including the urban and rural areas of several. Both categories have commonality, though some of that seems to have become abraded in recent times. There is some discussion about what Rocket saw […]

There is a lot going on, isn’t there? The President of the United States visited a town that used to be spelled “Kiev.” A call presumably was made to notify Russia that any interference with the visit would constitute an act of war on their part, and maybe justify a nuclear response. Several of us […]

17 February 2023: Vic, You mentioned the homeless encampment in Washington at McPherson Square as being across the street from the renowned Army-Navy Club, a historic structure and institution that reflects old relationships from two venerable organiztions that once held individual Cabinet possessions in our Government. My lovely wife and I had brunch there last […]

The only disagreement on the Balcony this morning was about the “apostrophe.” Do we include it in the title, or just go with the general devolution of language with universal meaning? Today is a case in point. It used to be about one, then two Chief Executives. Then, it evolved into a term describing an […]

It was early, but it isn’t now. Let’s get the definition thing out of the way, shall we? Merriam-Webster is an acceptable dictionary to many folks. It defines the word “equity” as “justice according to natural law or right; specifically: freedom from bias or favoritism.” We apparently are going to achieve this by imposing bias […]