TL;DR: Markets pause after a stretch of highs, Fed week looms, Europe wobbles toward war, Kirk shooter still loose now reported in custody — world’s still fukt. Around the Ranch? Out-plan, out-maneuver, live better while others whine.

Fish Wrap, Huh?

Come on, buddy. Even my AI stack knows this one by heart:

““Fish wrap Friday” is old newsroom slang. Back when newspapers were daily disposables, by Saturday the Friday edition was already yesterday’s news — only good for wrapping fish at the market.

So when you call something “Fish Wrap Friday”, you’re implying:

• It’s ephemeral — today’s headlines, tomorrow’s wastepaper.
• It’s a roundup — all the scraps and leavings bundled together before the weekend.
• It carries a bit of editorial shrug — “we’ll give you the headlines, but don’t treat them as timeless.”

In your column context, it signals to readers: here’s a quick digest of the week’s newsworthy bits, useful now but destined for the bin once Monday rolls in.”

Which, in a nutshell is how we roll from here: the Useful part is Around the Ranch but let’s give the clickbaiters their due…

Markets

Going into the close this afternoon, markets will debate whether next week will see a blowdown from Monday ahead of the Fed meeting on rate.  Or, if the boom will zoom till out of room.

Gold was within $5 spitting distance of $3,700 this morning and silver already topped $43 for a few minutes.  BTC  waffling around $115,000. But come one!  With free money ahead, what could possibly go wrong?  *(lots…)

Pick a War – Any War…

Pissed off the war-monger crowd, yes he did: Trump Downplays Russian Drone Incursion into Poland as ‘Mistake,’ Drawing Sharp Rebuke From Allies.

But, we’d remind you of several things here (though we’ll stop short of endorsing anyone’s view):  First? War is good for business. So not surprising to see Putin’s Poland Play Is to Discredit NATO as Ineffective — and Trump Can’t Let It Succeed | American Enterprise Institute – AEI.  And, since this – in turn – feeds into the OHM (orange hate meme) it follows that President Trump visits Yankee Stadium for pre-game 9/11 ceremony; security heightened in wake of Charlie Kirk shooting.

Trump, seems to us, it trying to keep the US out of being sucked into a ground war in Europe.

Or, what will be left of Europe.  See, France is in the middle of imploding.  What the Battle of Tours didn’t get done, modern liberal politics did.  Consequences? Hundreds arrested this week in the “block everything” protests.  Explainer? France’s ‘Block Everything’ protests explained as armed police take to streets.

Sure, there’s a new face appointed by Macron *(France’s new PM Sebastien Lecornu vows he’ll work ‘creatively’ with rivals amid protest chaos on the streets). Around here, the view follows along the lines of France Is Officially In Free Fall (But Is Far From Alone) – OpEd – Eurasia Review.

But the deal point is whether France can gin-up an external threat to get a lot of military-aged males at home involved in something besides protests.  One route? Get a war going.  Which to us dovetails into France deploys three Rafale fighter jets to shield Poland after Russian drone incursion.

When in doubt war. Like my late friend, a Big City fire chief – who went on to head the city electric utility – schooled me:  “Keep the troops stirred up and they won’t come after you…”

That’s how history rhymes and Europe’s got, um,. “issues” shall we say?

No Kirk Perp – Yet Got him

Keep your eyes peeled: Utah governor pleads for public’s help in finding person who shot Charlie Kirk on university campus.

Suspect arrested in Utah assassination of conservative speaker Charlie Kirk | Fox News

In the meantime, Europe – which we have long labeled a bankrupt collection of megalomaniacs continues to prove us right, yet again:  Row as EU parliament refuses tribute to Charlie Kirk.

Through the week’s wet fish wrap, should be clear: Nothing much changed and world’s still fukt.

Rappin-4-Play

I’ll be around to some one-liners, if I must:

Big changes in the structure of an AI in the works: OpenAI Realignment to Give Nonprofit Over $100 Billion Stake. Is this like giving factory owners a “piece of the machine?”

Stopping Trump seems more important than keeping the country running: “Republicans invoke ‘nuclear option’ in push to change Senate rules” – Election Law Blog

Israel and he UN are at odds:  UN Security Council renews support to Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.  Ever notice how this “hot pursuit” issue surfaces so many places? Cops chasing bad guys on the street – pursuit across borders when going for drug runners, or terrorists in hiding?  Quite a template to notice.

Careful! this could have kilt someone: British walkers are urged to look out for meteorite fragments after space rock exploded over Scotland in a dramatic fireball.

Tapped Out? Film Review: “Spinal Tap II” – Aging Rockers, Fading Laughs – The Arts Fuse. Gets us to wondering if will there be a Marjoe II along any time soon? Seems like there’s enough material…

Can we sleep on it? Insomnia potentially linked to dementia risk in seniors – UPI.com. Sleep longer, think longer?

Around the Ranch: Nailing Next Week?  Easy!

How do good people have a great life when times are crappy?

Simple answer: Out-plan and Out-maneuver.

Around here it begins with a strategic view of what next week is sure to bring.  We do a Systems, Forces, and Effects pass.  Today’s rolls like this:

“Systems

Markets roll into next week with three major systems already in motion. First is the monetary system, where the Fed meeting isn’t just about the quarter- or half-point cut but about credibility. Powell is walking a line between calming inflation fears and not appearing spooked by the slowing data. The system has been running “hot but confused” — consumer spending soft, but corporate pricing still sticky. Second is the political system, both domestic and global. Domestically, the election cycle is sharpening, with campaign finance numbers and endorsements starting to cascade. Internationally, Europe is jittery with NATO consults still echoing and energy policy disagreements brewing. Third is the energy–climate system. Crude’s been volatile, natural gas is bouncing, and hurricane season is primed. These three systems interlock — money, politics, and energy — and the cross-currents will dominate market sentiment all week.

Forces

The visible forces shaping outcomes next week are pressure points, not smooth flows. Force one is liquidity rotation. Funds have been hiding in tech and treasuries, but earnings warnings are creeping in. Force two is policy expectation drift. Traders expect dovish language but know surprises can land hard, so hedging is elevated. Force three is geopolitical tension leakage. Russia–Poland tensions, Middle East oil infrastructure threats, and currency wars are all in play, not as headlines but as background tension that spikes at odd moments. A fourth force to watch is seasonality creep. September is historically weak, and with option expirations aligning, the setup has plenty of gravity for downside.

Effects

Taken together, next week is a high-variance week, where effects are less about single events than the interplay. If the Fed comes through with a cut and dovish language, the short-term effect is likely a knee-jerk rally, but mid-week could bring a fade as traders remember slowing earnings and heavy debt rollover coming due in Q4. Energy prices may spike on any storm news, feeding into inflation narratives just as the Fed tries to dampen them. Politics will bleed into markets as well — sound bites from debates or campaign rallies could spark volatility in healthcare and defense names. On the street level, effects may show up as renewed pressure on small business confidence and consumer sentiment reports.

Then you summarize into a Look-Ahead:

The wide-angle view says next week is not about a single number or decision but about phase-shift potential. The system is at a point where liquidity, politics, and energy are all resonating together, and the Fed is trying to damp the oscillation. The forces are pulling hard in opposite directions: market bulls leaning on “cut and run higher” while structural bears point to debt ceilings, energy shocks, and geopolitics. The effects could range from a relief bounce to a volatility spike, but the deeper signal is that narrative control is slipping. When systems slip into incoherence, outcomes widen, and that’s where surprises come. Next week isn’t just a Fed week — it’s a test of whether markets can still believe in Fed control at all.

Next a 10-day Weather assessment.  Around here? No rain, highs around 90 all week, lows upper 60’s out here in the woods.

Projects List:  There are lots of fall projects, the winter garden, household maintenance items (more on ShopTalk Sunday).  Toss in some personal goals for the weekend.

Gap Analysis and Fills:  Our weekend planning began Tuesday so any Amazon orders would be in to nail the weekend’s list. Tractor fuel filter assembly landed Thursday, for example.

Part of this is the food plan for the coming week – that will be delivered between 11 and 1 PM today – Walmart is using two-hour windows. Sure, we tip the drivers well. But look at what they do for us?  For one, they save 90-minutes of driving and wait time – that’s got a dollar value, right?

Point to all this?  Anyone can “nail the weekend” (and a good chunk of next week, too).  You just have to leave “living in the moment” long enough to “get outside of time” and see where you’ve been, where you are at this ex-ct moment, and where you’re going.  Lay it all out, then staff it and order it.

Then you can get back into the Zen of just doing…

And that, brothers and sisters, is how at 76.6 years of age, you can still get more out of life than whiners who sit at home in front of stupid screens proclaiming their victimhood.

Movers and shakers?  We run to the adventure of Life.  Like the old carton said “No time, Toulouse!”

Musk ain’t the only one who can rock-it.

Write when you get rich,

[email protected]