Author: Vic Socotra

NOW, HEAR THIS!

(RADM Dan Gallery’s account of life on the waves through the eyes of a Chief Petty Officer. I loved it as a young teen). I have a couple chunks of the Mac Showers book ready to drop into the manuscript, and was going to take the discretionary time of the inter-holiday week to trot them […]

It’s In the Cards

Editor’s Note: This is a return to part of the Mac Showers saga. It will drop into the back of the book, the small part that deals with Life After Mac. I will be meeting with the Historian of the Navy later this holiday week to gain some insight on the activities that went along […]

Circuit Training

(Mr. and Mrs. Claus relax in the luxury of the Willard Hotel’s elegant lobby). Family is far away, and I was not traveling as I had anticipated on Christmas Day. Jon-Without was in a similar position, and we batted around the idea of getting out of our respective caves and catching a breath fo fresh […]

Mele Kalikimaka

(Gift cards at the Front Page are splendid gifts!) Gentle readers, This Christmas morning my thoughts are thousands of miles away. I have a son who will rise on the Windward Shore of the island of O’ahu, and another who is involved in the intricate mystery of life with his newborne and his wife. I […]

Arrias on Politics: White Elephants

In Buddhist mythology, Maya – Buddha’s mother – dreamt she was presented a white lotus flower by a white elephant. In Hinduism, Airvata, a white elephant, carries the god Indra, king of the first heaven. Thus, in both Buddhist and Hindu culture, white elephants are sacred. Unfortunately, white elephants are so sacred they’re not allowed […]

Hogmanay

(Robert Burns, who is most famous for his recasting of the traditional folk poem “Auld Lang Syne,” was born in Alloway, South Ayrshire, Scotland, the son of William Burness (1721 – 1784) or Burns (Robert Burns originally spelled his surname Burness, but eventually dropped the ‘ess’), a self-educated tenant farmer from Dunnottar, Kincardinshire, and Agnes […]

Birth Day

Editor’s Note: I was going to do something else this morning- my intentions were good enough, but news from the outside intruded, and not the kind we have sadly become accustomed to these days. I would elaborate, but my family is intensely private- and I can’t blame them in the slightest. Would you blame them? […]

Moscow Mule Night

Editor’s Note: There have been many significant developments this week. I am sure you can think of some of them. I am done with thinking for the moment, and will take a short break from the book project to share with you some seasonal mirth. Gifts were distributed at The Front Page on the traditional […]

Posthumous

Editor’s Note: I had a chance to attend a ceremony at the Office of Naval Intelligence yesterday in which the Director of Naval History and Heritage formally signed off with the ONI Commander and the Chairman of the Naval Intelligence Professionals to collaborate on a project to document the 150 years of Naval Intelligence contributions […]

Chardonnay for Breakfast

Editor’s Note: The alleged revolt of the Electors did not happen yesterday, and the die seems to be cast for whatever is going to come next. I don’t know, but have not lost hope. Perhaps we can try being grownups for a while and see how that works out? – Vic Chardonnay for Breakfast It […]