Even a broken expert can be right twice a day

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According to researchers at American University who track protest movements, and whose findings were first reported by Axios, the typical D.C. attendee was an educated White woman in her 40s who learned about the demonstration through friends or social media.

‘No Kings’ protests composed mostly of educated white women in their 40s: experts

At last weekend’s “No Kings” protest in Washington, D.C., inflatable chickens bobbed above a crowd that, according to demographic research, was made up mostly of educated White women in their 40s.

Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert said the “No Kings” protests were a snapshot of an era when emotional catharsis and civic activism have begun to blur.

“What we’re seeing is a kind of group therapy playing out in the streets,” he told Fox News Digital.

The protest, which drew thousands to the nation’s capital and similar rallies across the country, was aimed at denouncing what participants described as President Donald Trump’s “kingship” and blatant authoritarianism.

According to researchers at American University who track protest movements, and whose findings were first reported by Axios, the typical D.C. attendee was an educated White woman in her 40s who learned about the demonstration through friends or social media.

“The ‘No Kings’ movement allows people to feel belonging and community,” Alpert said. “Sharing grievances with like-minded people feels good, but it doesn’t necessarily change anything.”

Alpert, the author of his forthcoming book “Therapy Nation,” said “therapy speak” is everywhere in our culture.

“Therapy speak is everywhere — in dating apps, on the news, even in political rallies,” he said. “People start labeling others as narcissists or traumatized when those aren’t clinical diagnoses.”

Alpert sees that hunger for connection as central to the “No Kings” phenomenon.

“People are craving community, and this gives them a place to channel that. They’re surrounded by others who validate how they feel, and that validation can be addictive,” he said. “Some protesters are equating the ‘No Kings’ movement with the Civil Rights Movement. In their minds, there’s an equivalency, but there really isn’t. They want to be part of something historically meaningful, and that longing can distort perspective.”

That fleeting catharsis, Alpert added, can also mask something darker. 

“A lot of times people are unhappy in their own lives,” he said. “They may have anxiety or anger, and they project that onto others. That’s partly what we’re seeing play out at these rallies.”

On hot air, corporate handouts, political graft, and unicorns

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In the comments section of the previous post concerning Germany’s voluntary abandonment of nuclear power, a reader supplied a link to this article from Hamburg, cheering the destruction of one of the country’s last coal-fired power plants to make way for the Green’s current wet dream, hydrogen energy:

December 2024

Hamburg Advances Towards Becoming a Hydrogen Hub with Strategic Demolition of Moorburg Plant

The article, dated November 14, 2024, provides this excited summary of the new frontier:

The upcoming electrolyzer, contracted to Siemens Energy, is set to begin operations in 2026. Initially, it will produce 100 megawatts of power, with plans to scale up to 800 megawatts. This development is part of a broader strategy to ensure a reliable, affordable, and climate-friendly energy supply for Hamburg's industrial sector without compromising its industrial base.

I checked: They’ve yet to break ground, and the predicted start up date of 2026 has now been pushed back 2027. Uh huh.

So what are some of the problems with using hydrogen to generate electricity? Despite my distrust of Google’s AI, I asked, and got back this summary:

AI Overview

Hydrogen is not the future because of significant challenges in its production, storage, infrastructure, and efficiency compared to alternatives like direct-use electricity. Producing hydrogen, especially "green hydrogen," is currently very energy-intensive, with a net energy loss during the process, and most hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels. Furthermore, building the necessary high-pressure storage tanks, a sparse network of refueling stations, and the required infrastructure is expensive and logistically complex. 

Production and efficiency issues

  • Energy inefficiency:

    It takes more energy to produce hydrogen than can be extracted from it. It is more efficient to use renewable electricity directly than to convert it to hydrogen first, which has an energy efficiency loss of 20% to 40%. 

  • Dirty production:

    Most hydrogen today is produced using fossil fuels like natural gas, which releases carbon dioxide. Producing "green hydrogen" from renewable electricity is expensive and less common. 

Infrastructure and cost

  • Expensive storage and transport:

    Hydrogen is difficult to store because it must be compressed to very high pressures, requiring thick, heavy, and expensive tanks that can be brittle and prone to cracking. 

  • Limited and expensive infrastructure:

    Refueling stations are scarce and expensive to build. Many existing stations have limited capacity, making them inefficient compared to gasoline stations or EV charging locations. 

Technical and economic challenges

  • Rare materials:

    Fuel cells rely on expensive and rare metals like platinum and iridium, whose supply could become problematic with high demand. 

  • Cold-weather performance:

    Hydrogen fuel cells can have a "cold start problem" because the water they produce can freeze in cold temperatures. 

  • Cost competitiveness:

    Green hydrogen is not yet economically competitive with fossil fuel-based hydrogen or direct-use electricity, despite ongoing research and development. 

Regulatory and public perception concerns

  • Regulatory hurdles:

    Some regulatory bodies, like the California Air Resources Board, have labeled hydrogen-powered trucks as a "dead-end technology". 

  • Public perception:

    Historical accidents, like the Hindenburg disaster, have left a lasting negative public impression of hydrogen as a fuel, even though the event was not directly caused by hydrogen as a fuel source. 

And digging deeper, I found this article from Bloomberg, dated August 12, 2024:

Why Almost Nobody Is Buying Green Hydrogen

The vast majority of projects don’t have a single customer stepping up to buy the fuel.

[M]any of the projects now touted with great fanfare by countries vying to become “the Saudi Arabia of hydrogen” will likely never get built. Just 12% of hydrogen plants considered low-carbon because they avoid natural gas or mitigate emissions have customers with agreements to use the fuel, according to BloombergNEF.

Most of the businesses that could run on hydrogen would need expensive new equipment to use it, a leap they're reluctant to make. Hydrogen produced using clean energy costs four times as much as hydrogen made from natural gas, according to BNEF.Aug 12, 2024

The American media blames Trump, of course, because all bad things are his fault, but if that were the case we’d see hydrogen energy projects still flourishing in other countries that are safely removed from Trump’s evil ways. They aren’t, and haven’t been.

Reuters:

Cancelled and postponed green hydrogen projects

MADRID, July 23 2025 (Reuters) - Developers of green hydrogen have scaled back investments and scrapped projects globally as elevated production costs and weak demand for the low-carbon fuel have made many ventures unviable.
Here are some projects that have been cancelled, postponed or scaled back.

EUROPE

** Energy company LEAG's plans to build one of Europe's largest green energy hubs on the site of disused coal-fired power plant units in eastern Germany have been postponed indefinitely, it said in June.
** Steelmaker ArcelorMittal had planned to convert two plants in Germany to green hydrogen, but it shelved the 2.5 billion euro ($2.9 billion) plan in June despite the offer of 1.3 billion euros in public subsidies.
** Iberdrola, Europe's largest utility, scaled back its green hydrogen ambitions by almost two thirds in March 2024 after funding delays for some projects. Its 2030 production target fell to about 120,000 tons of green hydrogen a year, compared with a previous goal of 350,000 tons.
** Spain's Repsol cut its 2030 target for green hydrogen production by up to 63% in February to between 0.7 gigawatts (GW) and 1.2 GW of electrolyser capacity by the end of the decade, with Chief Executive Josu Jon Imaz highlighting the challenges of a high-cost industry heavily reliant on subsidies.
** BP opens new tab said in April that it was shutting its team looking into hydrogen and liquefied natural gas (LNG) for transport.
** Shell scrapped plans for a low-carbon hydrogen plant on Norway's west coast owing to lack of demand, it said in September, days after Equinor cancelled a similar project planned for Norway.
** Oil refiner and biofuel maker Neste withdrew in October from an investment into renewable hydrogen production at its plant in Porvoo, Finland, citing challenging market conditions.
AUSTRALIA

** Origin Energy said in October that it intended to exit a potential hydrogen development project in the Hunter Valley Hydrogen Hub in New South Wales.
** Global commodities trader Trafigura in March abandoned plans to build a A$750 million ($491.5 million) green hydrogen plant at its Port Pirie lead smelter in South Australia.
** Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest in July last year cut back plans for his company, Fortescue, to produce 15 million metric tons of green hydrogen by 2030, blaming costs and the amount of renewable energy sources needed.
** Woodside Energy Australia’s largest independent oil and gas producer, shelved two green hydrogen projects in Australia and New Zealand last September.
** The Queensland state government this year pulled funding for a A$12.5 billion plant to produce 200 tons of liquefied hydrogen by 2028, placing the future of one of Australia’s largest and most advanced green hydrogen projects in serious doubt. Japanese investors Kansai Electric and Iwatani exited soon after.
UNITED STATES

** U.S. startup Hy Stor Energy in September cancelled its reservation for more than 1 GW of electrolyser capacity with Norwegian electrolyser manufacturer Nel.
** Air Products said in February that it was looking to cancel plans to construct a 35 ton per day facility to produce green liquid hydrogen in Massena, New York, largely because of regulatory developments rendering existing hydroelectric power supply ineligible for the Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit.
ASIA

** Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries walked away from a coal-to-hydrogen project in Latrobe last December, citing time and cost pressures.

Food from the mouths of babes; as demanded, Germany is ensuring that there will be no going back to an industrial society once the greens are done

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German energy experts 2011

The deindustrialization of Germany is proceeding as planned

October 8, 2025 German industrial output posts biggest decline in more than three years

…. [Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING.] warned that the "extremely disappointing" industrial data in August increased the risk of yet another quarter of contraction for the German economy, which shrank by 0.3% in the second quarter compared with the first three months of the year.

Ralph Solveen, senior economist at Commerzbank, said: "Today's figures are a further indication that the German economy hardly grew at all in the third quarter."

Germany's economy has struggled for years, hurt by a rise in energy costs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The slump in aggregate output in August is a reminder that industry is still struggling, with the small gains in production made at the start of the year now completely erased and output 12% below its most recent peak in February 2023, said Franziska Palmas, senior Europe economist at Capital Economics.

And last year ….

More German companies mull relocation due to high energy prices - survey

By Reuters

August 1, 20248:10 AM UTCUpdated August 1, 2024

BERLIN, Aug 1 (Reuters) - High energy prices and a lack of reliable energy supplies are hindering German companies' production and investments, with a growing trend of industrial firms considering relocating abroad, a survey showed on Thursday.

Germany's industrial firms have been suffering from a contraction in economic activity in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with the ensuing slump in Russian energy imports triggering sharp energy price rallies in 2022.

A poll by Germany's DIHK Chambers of Industry and Commerce of around 3,300 companies showed that 37% were considering cutting production or moving abroad, up from 31% last year and 16% in 2022.

For energy-intensive industrial firms some 45% of companies were mulling slashing output or relocation, the survey showed.

"The trust of the German economy in energy policy is severely damaged," Achim Dercks, DIHK deputy chief executive said, adding that the government had not succeeded in providing companies with a perspective for reliable and affordable energy supply.

"Those who fail to recognise this will eventually witness the deindustrialization of our country," he said.

Which, of course, is the plan: shift production to the home country, China, and the rest of the thrird world, because what happens out of sight doesn’t happen

And there will be a great wailing and gnashing of teeth

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How bad is the mental state of our leftists? Well, this probably sums it up:

Trump Derangement Syndrome has mutated into Ballroom Derangement Syndrome. BDS has Democrats and Never-Trumpers saying the wildest things about President Donald Trump’s renovations to White House to add a grand ballroom. How bad is it? On Friday, Lincoln Project castoff Tara Setmayer insanely compared demolition at the White House to the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon, where 184 people lost their lives.

Do you GROK? A post on a subject that’s probably of no interest to most (okay, all) of you, but I was curious (Updated)

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(And besides: it’s my blog, and I can post whatever drivel I like)

Trump scores legal win, getting lawsuit against Iowa pollster, Des Moines Register moved to state court

I read this story in the NY Post earlier this morning and the long-dormant lawyer in me wondered why the opposing parties each preferred different jurisdictions: state court for Trump, federal for the defendants. Up til now, I’ve pretty much used AI to create amusing pictures, look up recipes, or ask for factual summaries of an issue. The results for recipes and pictures have been good to excellent, while the supposed “facts” of certain political issues can be dismally one-sided and left-leaning results, especially when supplied by Google’s version, as I wrote about yesterday.

I really haven’t tried using the tool for slightly more complex questions, and this case seemed to offer an opportunity to try it, so I posed a “What’s it all about, Alphie?” question to X-Grok. My question wasn’t framed with any real precision, but it was early this morning when I submitted it and I was still on my first cup of coffee. Besides, I figured, if Grok were any good, it could figure out what I was looking for.

And it did. It was fascinating to watch a scroll of hundreds of sources flash across my screen as Grok located the case and reviewed, absorbed and analyzed what it found. It took about a minute, and then it spat out a summary, including facts, legal issues presented and analysis of the competing strategies involved. With the possible exception of one comment: “Trump's team has engaged in aggressive forum shopping—selectively choosing the venue perceived as most advantageous—from the outset.”, the summary was, I think, objective, and even what I perceived as a dig at Trump isn’t necessarily inaccurate, I just would perhaps have preferred a balancing sentence pointing out that Trump’s opponents have done and still do pursue the same strategy.

But that’s a quibble. Here’s the question posed, and Grok’s answer:

Overview of the Case and Recent Development President Donald Trump's lawsuit against pollster J. Ann Selzer, Selzer & Company, The Des Moines Register, and its parent company Gannett Co., Inc., stems from a November 2024 Iowa Poll that showed Kamala Harris leading Trump in Iowa by three points—just days before the election. Trump won the state by over 13 points, and his complaint alleges this amounted to "brazen election interference" and violations of the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act through deceptive polling methods.

The suit seeks $10 million in damages plus punitive awards.The case was originally filed in Iowa state court (Polk County District Court, Case No. CVCV068364) in December 2024. The defendants promptly removed it to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa (Case No. 4:24-cv-00449) under diversity jurisdiction (Trump is a New York resident; defendants are Iowa-based but Gannett is Delaware-based with sufficient controversy amount). Trump repeatedly sought remand to state court, including via motions in February and July 2025, but these were denied by District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger. He also attempted voluntary dismissal without prejudice to refile in state court, but that was blocked while motions to dismiss were pending.

On October 24, 2025 (yesterday, as of the current date), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit granted Trump's rare petition for a writ of mandamus—a supervisory order to correct a lower court's alleged abuse of discretion. The appellate panel (Judges Colloton, Erickson, and Kobes) overturned the district court's refusal to allow voluntary dismissal, directing it to dismiss the federal case without prejudice (meaning no ruling on the merits, preserving Trump's right to refile). This effectively reverses the defendants' removal and sends the dispute back to Iowa state court, where Trump plans to promptly refile an updated complaint.Trump's Legal Strategy:

Why Pursue (and Insist on) State Court?Trump's team has engaged in aggressive forum shopping—selectively choosing the venue perceived as most advantageous—from the outset. Filing in state court and fighting remand reflect a calculated preference for Iowa's judicial environment over federal neutrality. Key advantages they likely see include:

  • Sympathetic Local Jury and Political Climate: Iowa is a deep-red state where Trump won decisively in 2024. A state court jury (selected from Polk County, which includes Des Moines but leans conservative overall) could be more receptive to narratives of "election interference" and "fake news" from out-of-touch media elites. Federal courts draw from broader pools and emphasize impartiality, potentially diluting this edge. Trump's spokesman called the 8th Circuit ruling a win to litigate "where it belongs," implying state court as friendlier terrain for a high-profile political plaintiff.

  • State-Specific Substantive Law and Interpretation: The core claim is under the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act (Iowa Code § 714.16), which prohibits deceptive practices in commerce. Trump's team argues the poll was a "deceptive product" sold to consumers (voters and media). State judges may interpret this more broadly in favor of local plaintiffs, especially post-election when public sentiment soured on the poll's accuracy. Federal courts apply the same law (via Erie doctrine) but often with a heavier First Amendment overlay, viewing polls as protected speech.

  • Evading Stronger Federal Dismissal Mechanisms: Federal courts have rigorous pleading standards (e.g., Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662 (2009)) and are quicker to dismiss on 12(b)(6) motions, as seen in the defendants' pending filings. Trump's team accused defendants of "unlawful gamesmanship" to "shop for a more favorable federal forum" and delay accountability. By remanding, they avoid a likely merits ruling that could bar refiling under claim preclusion.

  • Timing Around Iowa's Anti-SLAPP Law: Iowa's new anti-SLAPP statute (effective July 1, 2025, per House File 233) shields public participation (e.g., polls and reporting) from meritless suits, allowing early dismissal, fee-shifting to plaintiffs, and expedited appeals. Trump tried a similar maneuver in late June 2025—dismissing federal and refiling state the day before it took effect—to argue the law doesn't apply retroactively to the "new" filing. Though blocked then, the October ruling revives this: refiling now creates a fresh docket, potentially letting Trump's team challenge anti-SLAPP applicability or survive it by framing the suit as consumer protection, not speech suppression. (Note: Anti-SLAPP motions are still possible in state court, but Trump's confidence suggests they believe the claims hold up there.)

Overall, this is a delay-and-narrate strategy: Prolong federal wrangling to build public pressure (via media hits on "fake polls"), then pivot to state court for a trial on the merits where optics favor Trump.Defendants' Strategy: Why Remove to (and Fight for) Federal Court?The defendants' immediate removal and opposition to remand exemplify defensive forum shopping to neutralize perceived biases in state court. Their advantages in federal venue include:

  • Neutrality and Press Protections: Federal judges (like Judge Ebinger, appointed by Biden in 2022) are seen as more insulated from local politics and protective of First Amendment rights. Polls are core journalistic speech (New York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964)), and federal courts often dismiss similar claims early on public-figure standards or lack of falsity/deception. Defendants' lawyer Bob Corn-Revere (for Selzer) called the suit "frivolous" and procedural-only, betting federal scrutiny would end it without a trial. Gannett's spokesperson Lark-Marie Antón echoed that federal was "appropriate" due to interstate elements but expressed "confidence" in state court fairness—signaling reluctance but resignation.

  • Procedural Edges for Quick Resolution: Federal rules allow consolidated motions to dismiss (filed February and July 2025), discovery stays, and appeals without state-specific hurdles. Removal leverages diversity jurisdiction cleanly, avoiding any state judge's potential pro-plaintiff leanings. They blocked Trump's voluntary dismissals to force a ruling, arguing it was "procedural gamesmanship" to evade merits review—mirroring Trump's own accusations.

  • Anti-SLAPP Leverage in Federal?: Ironically, while the new Iowa anti-SLAPP applies in federal court via supplemental jurisdiction (Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) integration), defendants may prefer federal application for its uniformity and less risk of state-court expansion. However, their primary goal was dismissal on constitutional grounds, not just anti-SLAPP.

In sum, defendants sought federal court to kill the case early via motions practice, shielding against a politicized state trial that could amplify Trump's grievances and damage reputations, even if they win.Potential Next StepsTrump's team expects to refile in Polk County within days, possibly amending to bolster fraud allegations with post-election data. Defendants will likely counter with an anti-SLAPP motion in state court, seeking fees if successful. This could drag into 2026, aligning with Trump's pattern of using litigation for publicity. The 8th Circuit's mandamus is narrow (procedural only), leaving merits open—but it underscores how venue battles can overshadow substance in high-stakes suits.

Grok also offered the option to dig deeper, and included links to do so:

Explain Iowa Consumer Fraud Act

Similar Trump media lawsuits

Make more concise

The law-oriented blog Instapundit has been reporting instances of courts using false AI results in drafting their opinions — here’s one, posted just yesterday — so caution in accepting this new tool is certainly warranted, but I’m still impressed at how well it performed this search, especially because I wasn’t intending to file a legal brief on the case, I just wanted to understand it. This was sufficient for my purposes.

You probably don't want to know where this 40oz thermos bottle's been, so I won't tell you

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But PJ Media’s Stephen Green suffers from no such compunction and so he’ll tell you, over at Florida Man Friday.

As a note of interest, he reports that ChatGPT declined to calculate the size and capacity of the bottle, but Grok was willing to help. I’ve run into similar barriers with GPT when creating images; many requests are denied on the ground that they “violate our content standards”. Usually, rewording the request to avoid trigger words gets them through, and if not, I go to Grok, although its images are inferior.

Green:

Florida Man with thermos inserted in body caught sneaking it into Polk County Jail

So Florida Man was minding his own business, strolling naked through a Winter Haven park. By the time the police showed up, he'd put his clothes back on. The cops trespassed him out, but decided to give him a break and let him go.

Instead of being grateful, Florida Man walked right back into the park he'd just been trespassed out of, forcing the police's hands.

His in-processing body scan revealed a thermos, as Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd put it, "up the exit ramp." Florida Man had "25 prior arrests and had been to state prison five times," so you'd think he'd know all about cavity searches and such. 

It's unclear exactly when Florida Man put the thermos in the last place you'd want to store any potables, or how long it had been up there. The thermos was, however, considered life-threatening. "We had to take him to the hospital," Judd said. "They had to find a specialist."

Pro Tip: Skip that day in med school so the hospital has to call in somebody else.

Fox13 News reported, "Judd said the deputy likely saved his life even though Florida Man threatened to kill the deputy for arresting him."

I have so many questions, presented below in no particular order:

  • How?

  • Why?

  • HOW?

  • WHY?

  • HOW, Florida Man, and WHY?

I did have one more question that I submitted to Grok along with the x-ray: "Judging by this X-ray, what capacity thermos did Florida Man insert into his rectum? He's a grown adult male of average size."

I had to ask Grok because GPT demurred. Or perhaps it crapped out — you make the call!

Are you ready for some additional TMI? It doesn't matter; you're getting it, anyway:

Based on the X-ray, the thermos appears roughly 12 inches long, spanning from near the pubic symphysis up toward the lower ribs in the pelvic cavity. For an average adult male (about 5'9" tall, with a pelvic height of 18-20 cm and transverse diameter of 11-13 cm), this aligns with standard stainless steel thermos dimensions: a 40 oz model is typically 12.3 inches tall and 3.7 inches in diameter, matching the object's cylindrical shape and width relative to the surrounding bones.

"Common 40 oz thermoses," Grok concluded, "like the Thermos Stainless King, fit this profile exactly."

"40 Oz. to Freedom," baby.

Final thought: Maybe he doesn’t understand how thermoses work and he was just trying to keep it warm.

As always, one point is awarded in each category except when I say so.

SCORE: You Hid It WHERE?, Went Viral, Drugs/Alcohol (the story doesn't say, but c'mon), Public Nudity, Resisting Arrest, Someone's Bottom Area, Recidivism, Glamor Mugshot, I Just Seriously Don't Understand People Sometimes, and a Bonus Point for the thermos.