Miles looked at the unusually large crowd in the Conference Room. Watch sections Alpha and Bravo overlapped—one coming, one going—while Charlie lingered out by the Jacuzzi. Something had hit the STOP sign. The last transmission confirmed it: blockade imposed at the Strait of Hormuz. Negotiations had broken after nearly a full day at the table. […]

Sorry to take up bandwidth with an update that is a dramatic step for which US negotiators were prepared. Permitting the Iranians to regulate shipping at will in the Strait, like nuclear weapons in the hands of a Terrorist State. What’s next involves others. And quickly.   Vic and Splash

This slide summarizes our extensive research into the session of talks in Islamabad which had lasted nearly a full day with the bearded U.S. Vice President looking across the table at bearded Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff was freshly shaven, bringing a touch of the old formal world of diplomacy to […]

This stunning graphic is one Splash did before falling asleep shortly after the Artemis II crew entered that blue triangle recovery cone on the chart above. Our section Leader Miles assigned the observation to Splash from Watch Section Bravo , since he is the only one here at .Socotra House to have successfully thrown away […]

This is what was on the screen when the nine o’clock production meeting struggled to separate the two watch sections that were coming and going. Vic was standing at the front with Deirdre and Holly. Section Leader Miles frowned. “I don’t mind going with some of the below-the-fold item’s like the Galley Grub Good To […]

You know why Miles had his hands full with the 0900 Production Meeting. His watch sections had agreed to gather at that hour, a third coming in, a third departing with some yawns, and Splash leading a group having drinks that mingled Flat Yank coffee with an extra stimulant that left them curiously energized and […]

Sorry- didn’t mean to alarm you with the title for today’s Daily. But the President is doing some negotiations with some crafty Persians. Splash collected rugs in his time overseas. It was a sensible collection for a career Sailor, since moving every two years and raising kids born near Waikiki. The intricate designs and remarkable […]

Through the Cease Fire Yesterday—apparently—the world order ended. Or nearly did. In any case, it paused long enough for Section Leader Miles to organize things at Socotra House into manageable pieces. We are, as you might expect, busy. The end had been scheduled for yesterday, which explained the crowd in the conference room. On a […]

Artemis II Lunar Mission Profile (NASA Dates are for Future Planning). We are starting to shut things down now here at Socotra House. History is happening at unimaginable speed. There is history flying above us at around 35,000 miles an hour. You can see the reason for our post-Easter confusion with the animated close-by lunar […]

(Jinny Martin’s cake topper- saved all these years and done in perfect harmony to the original dress). . Vice Admiral Rex Rectanus enjoyed a wonderful marriage of 49 years to Derlie, formerly of Jacksonville, Florida. It only ended with her death in 1998, and they adored one another. It occurred to me frequently in the […]