Well, we looked around but saw no alternatives. There was a proposal to use an image of a sunlit country road curving through green gentle hills, growing in Spring. Maybe with balloons on the margins. We have a great day ahead and are in good shape, all things considered. There is some natural inclination to optimism, since arguably, this has been a positive time our collective history. But the image above seemed to capture some of the mood. The holidays are over for a few days. It is about time to sit up and confront the New Year.

To dodge that aspect of responsible journalism, we ran an insightful piece this morning from Arrias about the situation in Ukraine. It is a kinetic land war temporarily in a seasonal spasm that has nearly four centuries of baggage. This variation could include a nuclear escalation. The lack of festive beverages at the morning meeting provided a palpable sober moment, although lunch does loom.

So, there is that aspect about new possibilities. There has been talk about the Korean issue again lately with the prospect of a re-armed Japan on the periphery of the larger China sovereignty issue. But then the stories about Brazil began to circulate yesterday, and we realized it would take a minute to catch up to developments in a large and dynamic society and what afflicts them. Or is likely to affect us.

It is an interesting international backdrop to the current momentary attention on the Border Issue. POTUS is being dispatched to El Paso en route talks with Mexican national officials. The information streams are starkly different. El Paso streets are being cleared of the homeless and trash picked up to provide optics that support the current policy. The other information stream displays images of the message being swept up.

Meanwhile, our Congress may be shambling into some sort of disorder. The opening of the House under Speaker McCarthy has provided an extensive list of modifications to legislative practice. It is too soon to make out much about how it will work, but there are now some clues about how it will all be directed.

So that is the landscape on this Monday. All of the issues above are in progress and quite real and happening domestically and across the waters. They are in progress in an interlocked global matrix of supply chains and information streams. Disruption to the global distribution system will alter a lot of ordinarily available staples. The infant formula shortage- a continuing one- is just a sample of what could be a widespread and painful issue.

So those external factors need considering in company plans. Part of the transfer of operations from Refuge Farm to Big Pink has required temporary rental properties to accommodate business areas. That issue has been resolved and can be celebrated with balloons in the margins. Apparently Management has decided on acquiring a prime property in Arlington with a decent view of the glittering blue tropical waters of the placid Potomac River.

Actually exciting- although the story of the who-and-where was first constructed under the Holiday Rules which expired last midnight. But we expect to find legal papers in the pile of holiday debris. We need to get cleaned up for Dr. King’s Day on the third Monday of the new trip around the sun.

Copyright 2023 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com