Interview, Other
Off-side: Georgians reject new president
- An incoming administration is expected to target NASA for waste reduction, though budget reduction efforts may face implementation challenges.
- The Department of Government Efficiency is anticipated to propose axing or slimming the Artemis program, which has incurred approximately $93 billion in costs without flying astronauts.
- Critics cite the Space Launch System (SLS) as failing to save money, with estimated launch costs running 20 times higher than SpaceX's Falcon Heavy.
- Despite private sector potential to perform grunt work more cheaply, cutting SLS is expected to be difficult due to congressional protection of jobs in Alabama and vested interests.
- A prediction suggests that if the SLS is abandoned, SpaceX would become the sole US organization capable of landing astronauts on the moon by 2024, potentially triggering self-dealing allegations against Elon Musk.
- Georgia protests are expected to reach a "boiling point" and become harder to control due to the spread of dissent to regions and the splintering of groups within the capital.
- The Georgian Dream Party risks inciting a revolution if suppression tactics involving unmarked thugs or arrests of high-profile members escalate further.
- Outgoing President Salome Zurabichvili is expected to refuse to step down on December 29th, potentially creating a new flashpoint amidst government hopes that protests will diminish during the upcoming holidays.
- Oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili faces pressure from protests while navigating a geopolitical environment where the Russian President is not inclined to let Georgia go quietly.
- The martini is projected to remain an enduring beverage due to its resilience, adaptability, and over a century of history.
- Younger demographics are expected to sustain martini popularity by treating it as a customizable canvas for quality home cocktails.
- A study indicates that analyzing 21 variables yields almost seven quadrillion possible martini combinations.