Off The Record: The latest rumors and rumblings in Alabama
Shock and awe, SMD edition
If there was one takeaway from three days at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium, it’s this: The United States military is absolutely terrifying, in the most reassuring possible way. Between Golden Dome, hypersonics, counter-UAS, artificial intelligence, space-based capabilities and increasingly sophisticated missile defense systems, the sheer scale of what America is building was hard to miss. One out-of-town attendee experiencing SMD for the first time summed it up best: “I’ve never been more afraid or impressed with our country’s lethal capabilities.” Same.
Army hype machine undefeated
OTR also would like to recognize an unsung hero of American military might: whoever is making the Army hype videos. Between the missile launches, helicopters, explosions, dramatic music and exceptionally aggressive editing, somebody over there has clearly decided PowerPoint is no longer sufficient to communicate lethality. Give that person a raise. After three days of hearing exactly what the United States military can do, somehow the Army videos still managed to make it look even scarier. And, yeah, more impressive.
Welcome to the South, y’all
Bloomberg reports parents are shelling out $6,500+ on “rush coaches” to help their daughters crack Southern sorority recruitment — outfits, social media audits, the whole unwritten rulebook. Meanwhile, some of us have had this encoded in our DNA since birth. Bless their hearts.
Mayor Battle lands a Broadway star
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle married Jo Lynn Burks — a Toney native and former Miss University of Alabama who went on to originate a role in “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” on Broadway, plus credits in “Hairspray” and “Mamma Mia!,” and toured with Gladys Knight, The Temptations, and Roger Daltrey. Huntsville has landed plenty of big names lately. Looks like Mayor Battle did, too.
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