Archive for 2025

LOCK HIM UP:

FLORIDA MAN FRIDAY [VIP]: He Ate His WHAT? “It’s time for your much-needed break from the serious news, and this week, we’ll learn how not to spend a couple of days in the woods, when to quit running from the police, and why two female North Carolina police needed to call in a civilian for backup.”

THE NEW SPACE RACE: Defense budgets on both sides of the Atlantic reshape space industry.

In the United States, investors say a similar surge is underway as companies position themselves for Golden Dome, the Pentagon’s planned next-generation missile defense architecture that is expected to rely heavily on satellite assets.

“I think that’s going to be a big driver for how space-based assets will be acquired, not just for Golden Dome, but how they will be acquired for other programs as well,” said Kirk Konert, managing partner at AE Industrial Partners, a private equity firm with holdings in Firefly Aerospace, York Space Systems, Sierra Space, Redwire, and All.Space.

Firefly, which went public earlier this year, announced this week that it plans to acquire SciTec, a defense analytics company. The acquisition is intended to expand Firefly’s footprint in national security programs, including Golden Dome.

“The current environment is creating opportunities for new entrants in the commercial space sector,” Konert said. “It’s providing a big opportunity for our portfolio companies and investors like us.”

If you think missile defense is expensive, try losing a city.

WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY: Iran Seeks to Become the Global Hub of…Trans Surgery?

Iran’s embrace of trans surgery makes a twisted kind of sense. A country that denies the existence of any gay people is open to the idea that some men and women were simply born in the wrong body. And as a practical matter, a struggling theocracy is happy to offer those medical services to the rest of the world for a price

The 21st century is not turning out as I had hoped, to coin an Instaphrase:

 

NEWS YOU CAN USE: RS reveals tax inflation adjustments for 2026. “The One Big Beautiful Bill raised the standard tax deduction for married couples from $30,000 to $31,500 for tax year 2025, and for single taxpayers from $15,000 to $15,750. For tax year 2026, the standard deduction will increase to $32,200 for married couples, $16,100 for individuals and $24,150 for heads of household.”

FUNNY HOW THAT WORKS:

On the other hand, why is Pritzker suddenly so desperate to keep the National Guard away? Let’s see if they set bail high enough to matter, or file serious charges.