Tariff Caused Bankruptcies in 2025

Tariffs were a contributing factor to a significant surge in U.S. corporate bankruptcies in 2025, which reached their highest level since 2010. Over 717 companies filed for bankruptcy through November 2025, a 14% increase from 2024, with many citing tariffs as a primary cause.

 

In contrast to previous patterns that were dominated by retail bankruptcies, this year’s impacted industries were primarily industrial, manufacturing and transportation.  

First Brand, a 2.5 billion dollar company that provides parts to the auto industry.

iRobot, maker of Rhomba.  Now owned by a Chinese company, Picea.

Spirit Airlines.

Wolfspeed, a 7.5 billion dollar company that makes semiconductors.

Ligado Networks.  A telecommunications and satellite company.  But with 7.5 billion dollars of debt, this one may have been in the works regardless.

2U, valued at 1.2 billion, builds and supports educational programs.

Tyson foods shuttering a beef processing plant in Nebraska.  This was caused by other countries no longer accepting American beef due to tariffs on their products.

Osage and Justice, both beef processing, also  "exited", cattle operations.

 

 

 

Infra-Man

True story. I saw Infra-man in the theater in 1977. Freshly out of Navy radar school, laughed my ass off at the blueprints.

Years go by. I saw a copy of the movie on VHS tape in a discount bin.

After watching it with more jaded eyes, it was still a riot.
My wife, however, was seriously reconsidering her life choices.

Decades go by.

I'm at "Blobfest". Phoenixville, Pa, honors the making of the movie, "The Blob", by closing main street in front of the movie theater the Blob attacks. There is a lot of kitchy stands put up, cos-players, and...
a young man sporting an Infra-man tee shirt????
40 years after this one shot wonder and someone made a fresh tee shirt?
We talked....
I could see his girl friend's eyes glaze over and with the thought, "Oh my god, he found a friend."

Another decade goes by.

I'm at a gaming event, "OttoDotCon", Née "The Weekend", where the evening is spent "MST3000ing" a truly bad movie.
One of the choices was Infra-man!
Totally worthy of MST3000.
If anything, the movie has improved with age.

The movie can be seen on YouTube here.

 

Coronavirus, End of Year 2025

It's been more than a year since my last "state of the Covid."  Because, well, it was largely samo-samo.  Variants come into being, prosper, fade.  Some surges in the numbers, which I have long stopped tracking, followed by retreats.  

 

France has completed phase 4 studies on Covid-19 vaccines.  One of the many advantages of universal health care is that there is a very large database to work with.  In this case, some 29 million individuals, ages 18 to 59, for a period of 4 years.  23 million were vaccinated by the mRNA Moderna and Pfizer.

 

Short form.  Vaccinated individuals had a 74% lower risk of death from severe COVID-19.

 

There was noticed a slight increase for Myocarditis. However, that is also a symptom of Covid.  And getting Myocarditis through Covid is much more devastating with the virus running rampant through your system than from the vaccine just boosting your immune system.

 

And vaccinated individuals consistently had a lower risk of death, regardless of the cause. Mortality was 29% lower within 6 months following COVID-19 vaccination.  Including oddly. boosting the overall survival rates some cancer patients when given before their treatments. 

 

As to why the this may be could be partially due a to "healthy-vaccine" effect.   Where healthier individuals opt for vaccination.  The reverse of this is "frailty-related" bias, where those in poorer health may avoid it.

 

See the Jama article here... 

Today is Dec 8

Today is Dec 8.  On this day, my sister and me are the same age.

But she has been in an urn some 18 years now.  Her life destroyed by cocaine and alcohol.   To her children, she served as an example how drugs have consequences beyond the immediate victim.

Of her children, she would be proud. From adversity, each one has blazed their own path into the world—razing a little hell along the way. Each has carved out a life marked by resilience, courage, and success.

Tracy Lynn Gardocki, 1977

They are innovators, dreamers, and doers. They have built careers, families, and legacies that speak to the strength instilled in them. And while their journeys were not without hardship, they carried forward the lessons of perseverance and the spirit of independence that defined their upbringing.

 Yes, she would be proud, as are we all.