We recently received this bumper sticker in the mail, addressed to my late mother, a loyal Democrat.
Happy International Transgender Day of Visibility to those who celebrate. Note that this is not to be confused with National Transgender HIV Testing Day (April 18) nor International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (May 17) nor Nonbinary Awareness Week, culminates in International Nonbinary People’s Day on July 14, nor International Pronouns Day (third Wednesday in October) nor Transgender Parent Day (first Sunday in November).
It is unclear to me why those for whom 2SLGBTQQIA+ identification is important stay in Florida. safehome.org says “Thirteen states received a failing “F” grade for LGBTQ+ safety, based on their high number of discriminatory laws and hate crimes. Florida scored lowest of all of the states.” (DC was included and, thus, Florida was #51 out of 51).
Excluding those who have scored taxpayer-funded public housing, for which there would be a 10-20-year waiting list anywhere else, why would the 2SLGBTQQIA+ stay in the absolute worst and least safe state? They could move tomorrow to any of these A-rated states:
(I don’t think that poverty can be the answer for why the 2SLGBTQQIA+ don’t flee to safety. Nearly all of the top=-rated states offer more generous welfare than Florida does. (CATO, Table 4).)
In other transgenderism news, the Supreme Court today said that Colorado’s law against therapy intended to keep people in their birth genders is likely unconstitutional (details). The law dates from 2019 (ABC):
The same person is governor today and apparently isn’t going to apologize to his/her/zir/their subjects for likely violating the U.S. Constitution for 7 years:
Colorado is for everyone, no matter who you are. Conversion therapy doesn’t work, can seriously harm youth, and Coloradans should beware before turning over their hard-earned money to a scam. I am evaluating the U.S. Supreme Court ruling and working to figure out how to better…
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a controversial bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport after Donald J. Trump. The newly approved legislation, House Bill 919, gives the state authority over naming major commercial service airports and officially designates the facility as “Donald J. Trump International Airport.”
Palm Beach County, of course, has more registered Democrats than Republicans, so this isn’t going to be universally popular with our neighbors…
#Ironic: Via his regular weekends in Palm Beach, Donald J. Trump has done more to reduce the utility of PBI than anyone in the 90-year history of the airport. (Temporary Flight Restrictions imposed when DJT is in town make PBI cumbersome/burdensome to use.)
Whether one loves Donald J. Trump or not, I think everyone can agree that PBI offers an awesome traveler experience. Security is a breeze, even without PreCheck. The check-in counters are always fully staffed so there are minimal lines for checking bags. The gates aren’t as crowded as in FLL or MIA. I do wish the ceilings were higher in the gate areas.
Here’s the view of Mar-a-Lago while sitting on JetBlue climbing out of PBI (DJT?) in December 2025 (en route to Minneapolis):
A car in the airport garage back in June 2025 (rare to have any political bumper stickers in this part of Florida, but it is also possible to go big):
Permanent airport exhibit on David McCampbell, “the United States Navy’s all-time leading flying ace”, who spent his youth and retirement in Palm Beach County:
Battle of Leyte Gulf: “When he landed his Hellcat aboard the USS Langley (the flight deck of Essex was not clear), his six machine guns had just two rounds remaining, and his airplane had to be manually released from the arrestor wire due to complete fuel exhaustion.”
Speaking of naming… if we had an aircraft carrier named for FDR why not one for Donald J. Trump (assuming that he wins the current war against Iran!)?
Families are preparing to hear from colleges for their teenage darlings. Each acceptance will come with a price tag of up to $400,000 plus the cost of the darling not being in the workforce for four years (foregone wages). In order to cheer everyone up who is facing these costs, let me relate a conversation that I had with a farrier recently. We shared a row on a commercial flight to PBI, the second-closest airport to the equestrian gold mine of Wellington, Florida (there’s also a fabulous airpark right in Wellington!).
A farrier may prepare for the career with a half-year program (example; also, a 16-week $8500 program at Cornell) and then start as an apprentice. If joining a multi-farrier enterprise, the starting salary can be over $60,000 per year. After 10 years, a farrier who works hard among show horses should be earning about $250,000 per year. That’s with 6 months of post-high-school education and is about 2X what a veterinarian earns (BLS).
Note that this career does require maintaining some physical fitness: “Be able to lift 75 pounds and be in reasonable physical condition for the work,” says Cornell.
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, let’s look at a February visit to the Pinball Hall of Fame, on the Strip in Las Vegas.
This is essentially a big warehouse filled with old arcade games, indifferently maintained and many powered off. That said, it is a large enough collection that there are probably some playable games within that you’ve never seen and never played.
Tip: Get there right when it opens if you want to be able to hear the machines’ callouts and music clearly. Don’t be put off by the surly ladies who run the place! (I’m not sure why they’re there because one of them said that she didn’t like pinball and never played any of the machines.)
There was no No Kings rally here in Jupiter, Florida yesterday so I’m forced to rely on the New York Times to understand what one might have been like. Here’s one of their photos (source), I think from Minneapolis:
Principal confusion: We’re informed that Minneapolis is a fully integrated society of white people, Somalis, the Latinx, and some legacy African Americans who are being phased out in favor of migrants. But the photo appears to show only white people, consistent with Minneapolis in December (my experience in December 2025 was that environments were 100% white or 100% Somali and that there was no mixing).
Maybe the protest is actually against democracy? Folks are upset that the candidate for whom they voted was beaten by a candidate for whom other Americans voted? This is an illegitimate result because Americans who aren’t Democrats are “morons”:
In Little Rock, Ark., where more than 2,000 people marched across the Arkansas River, one woman carried her own MAGA sign: “Morons Are Governing America.”
The technical definition of “moron” used to be an IQ of 75 or less, but Democrats must mean something else because they advocate for increased immigration from countries whose average measured IQ is less than 75. Gemini in response to “average IQ in Somali”, for example (quote, but not in quote style for readability):
Based on studies conducted by researchers such as Richard Lynn and David Becker, and various international rankings, the average IQ in Somalia has been estimated to be in the range of 67 to 68.
Contextual Data: A 2025 compilation of countries by average IQ, often citing data from the Ulster Institute, lists Somalia with a score of 67.67.
Study Data: Another study focusing on Somali refugees in Kenya, using the Standard Progressive Matrices Plus, identified a British-scaled average IQ of 68.
Controversy and Factors: It is widely noted that IQ scores are heavily associated with environmental factors, such as nutrition, parental socioeconomic status, morbidity, and educational quality. These low scores are frequently attributed to poor socioeconomics, conflicts, and developmental challenges rather than innate intelligence.
Methodology Debate: Critics argue that these studies often rely on outdated data, small sample sizes, or Western-centric tests that do not account for cultural or educational differences.
These figures place the estimate among the lowest in international IQ studies, often noted in the context of the lowest-ranked nations for national intelligence estimates.
(I personally think that Somalis who collect checks from government welfare programs are smarter than white Minnesotans who write the checks and work 60 hours/week to pay taxes to fund the checks! So we can say for sure that IQ tests don’t measure practical intelligence.)
What did you all see in your neighborhoods for No Kings day? Your answer can’t be “nothing” because the NYT says “The No Kings organizers said that eight million people took part” and we know that it is Trump who lies and not those who are opposed to Trump.
Pictures from friends on Facebook who attended… note the lack of non-whites.
I took the 10-year-old to the 12 Hours of Sebring IMSA race, conveniently located right next to the Sebring airport.
Chevy, whose team finished just behind the Porsche 911 team, brought the latest Corvette ZR1X to the event:
I’m not sure who needs 1,250 horsepower to get to Publix, especially given that the nearest curve on a public road is in Georgia. The sacrifice of the front trunk space seriously compromises the ZR1X’s utility as a car. Chevy also brought the “Stars and Steel” 250th anniversary of the U.S. edition Corvette (a car that is made out of plastic (body) and engine (aluminum)):
Consistent with the quantities of alcohol previously consumed at Sebring, a drunken 4-day experience for many, Ford brought a Mustang tipped on its side:
Access to the elevated viewing deck is limited to Mustang owners and, presumably, their friends, so try to show up with a Mustang owner. Here’s the view from the top:
There’s a small museum next door. Reflect on the fact that today’s Islamic Republic of Great Britain was once sufficiently mighty to engineer and manufacture cars that could run continuously for 12 hours:
The next car event for the weekend was Cars and Coffee in Boca Raton at the office park in which the IBM PC was developed 44.5 years ago. I’ll cover that when the PC turns 45.
The final car event was a show here in Jupiter at the Double Roads Tavern. This show was heavier on antiques than the usual South Florida event. Here’s a 1946 Ford cab-over-engine (COE) truck:
A Lincoln Continental next to a 1955 Thunderbird (the first year for a car that lasted until 1997 and then had a retro version from 2002-2005) next to a 1957 DeSoto:
A lot of old pickup truck action:
This Chevy 3100 was a work of art:
Maybe the El Camino (1968) should be brought back for those who want to transport bicycles rather than the heavy cargo for which the Ford F-150 is spec’d:
What happens to all of these collectibles when Americans are no longer able to drive because robots have taken over? Will it be fun to sit in the passenger seats while the Optimus robot does the driving of a classic car? If not, do the ones that aren’t in museums get scrapped?
The lead plaintiff in the Bank of America lawsuit, an unidentified woman, came to the United States from Russia in 2011 when she was about 20. The lawsuit said Mr. Epstein had sexually abused her at least 100 times and coerced her into a “cultlike life,” in which she was totally dependent on him.
In 2013, Bank of America opened an account for the woman, then 22, at the direction of Mr. Epstein’s employees, even though she spoke little English and had no job or discernible source of income — all potential red flags for sex trafficking, the lawsuit said.
The two law firms representing the victims, Boies Schiller Flexner and Edwards Henderson, could be eligible to receive fees totaling 30 percent of the settlement amount, according to the court filing.
Note that Boies Schiller Flexner was Theranos’s law firm, absolutely critical to keeping the fraud going according to the book Bad Blood, and David Boeis was actually a Theranos board member (see Evaluating trustworthiness; lessons from Theranos).
So… this woman got paid to have sex with Jeffrey Epstein from age 20 to age 28. In addition to whatever she got paid at the time, e.g., via the Bank of America account at issue, she would have received about $3.5 million from JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, and the Epstein estate. Let’s say with this latest settlement she’ll be up to $5 million, all tax-free because it will be payments for damages suffered. She says that she had sex with Jeffrey Epstein 100 times so that works out to $50,000 per sex act plus whatever Emmanuel Goldstein paid her on a current basis.
Loosely related… “[OnlyFans] proves that, when given the choice and opportunity, many women will choose to enter the prostitution industry voluntarily”
RIP to the man whose work challenged a common lie and assumption about women being forced into the porn industry.
his creation proves that, when given the choice and opportunity, many women will choose to enter the prostitution industry voluntarily…Despite having no barriers… https://t.co/R31fFZOxOg
We’re not at war with Cuba, as far as I know, and Cubans don’t chant “Death to America” while building advanced weapons. Nonetheless, we’ve supposedly prevented Cubans from getting oil and, thus, generating electric power. From state-sponsored NPR… “How the U.S. oil blockade is taking a high toll on everyday Cubans”:
For millions of Cubans, daily life has turned into a desperate struggle. Earlier this week, Cuba was forced into a nationwide blackout after months of the U.S. effectively choking off oil shipments to the island from Cuba’s allies. The country continues to experience rolling blackouts. And meanwhile, President Trump continues to float the idea of taking over the country. But amid negotiations with the U.S., Cuban officials say they don’t intend to go anywhere.
Trump-hostile media outlets complain that U.S. policy toward Cuba is cruel, but not that it is a “crime” or a “war crime” (NYT example).
The most obvious way to reduce the Islamic Republic of Iran’s long-term military power is to disable the country’s oil industry and electric power generation. Without money from selling oil, the Islamic Republic wouldn’t be able to rebuild weapons factories. Without a surplus of electric power, the Islamic Republic wouldn’t be able to run its weapons factories.
The same newspaper that implies it was not a crime for us to disable Cuba’s electric power says that it would definitely be a “war crime” to do anything to harm our actual enemy, Iran. NYT, March 24, 2026:
Intentionally targeting the country’s energy infrastructure could constitute a war crime under international law.
Tehran has effectively closed off the critical waterway, turning back container ships on Friday, and Iranian lawmakers are considering whether to charge fees to pass.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said Friday that it had turned back three container ships attempting to enter what it described as a designated corridor, declaring that “the Strait of Hormuz is closed” and warning that any unauthorized traffic would face “severe action,” according to a statement carried by Fars.
We’ve been told that the U.S. has sunk the entire Iranian navy and also that A-10 Warthogs are patrolling the Strait of Hormuz. How is Iran able to operate military naval vessels, even boat-sized, that can “turn back” a ship? Maybe the answer is that Iran is radioing the ships and threatening them with drones or missiles?
The security line into the city administration building backed up through the door as hundreds of people filed in for a San Diego City Council meeting Tuesday. The councilmembers were scheduled to discuss whether to adopt a resolution — not a binding law, but something they described as “the lowest form of what we can do.”
The city adopted the definition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Dozens of countries and cities across the U.S. have already adopted it, including Los Angeles, Chula Vista and El Cajon.
It says: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Californians a random assemblage of humans from all over the U.S. and the world, proceeded to argue over this pointless non-binding vague definition (“certain perception”?):
“Don’t you f–ing touch me, that’s assault!” a man cried before the meeting had even come to order.
Increased security surrounded the room. Before the night was over, they would escort out five members of the public.
Public comment ran over four hours.
The more than 200 in-person public commenters were nearly evenly split for and against the IHRA definition, despite the concern one Muslim speaker raised that the meeting was being held during Ramadan, preventing many from attending.
“One speaker openly said, ‘Look at all the well-dressed Jews here with money in their pockets,’” she said. “At least two people were asked to be removed for their hateful outcries, with one of them causing an altercation with our incredible San Diego Police Department officers who attended to keep the peace.”
Cohen-Reeis added that one person who spoke virtually stated that Jewish children deserve to be spat upon.
Multiple speakers, who expressed opposition to the resolution, accused Israel of apartheid, genocide and ethnic cleansing.
A friend with an incandescent hatred of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans in general bought a Tesla Y at the end of 2025 because he wanted to relax with FSD on regular trips from Boston to Manhattan. A base model RWD Tesla Y leased here in Florida, as of December 22, 2025:
With a subsidy from the working class in Maskachusetts:
(It’s a $3,500 subsidy from state taxpayers, but the lease is $3,888 cheaper over 36 months, presumably due to the time value of the $3,500 paid immediately. Note that the low price from Tesla is no longer available. As of right now, the price is up more than $100/month compared to three months ago.)
How’s he enjoying the machine, which has now gone about 4,000 miles, 94% of them on FSD? “I give it an A-,” he said, and compared it to a high-quality aircraft autopilot (he’s a rare example of a private aircraft owner/pilot who is also a loyal Democrat). The only consistent shortcoming that he has identified is that the car doesn’t get in and out of parking lots very well. He hates paying Elon Musk $110 per month ($100 for the FSD subscription plus $10/month for a required communication subscription) because he hates Elon Musk for being Trump-adjacent. On the other hand, he doesn’t want to return to manual driving. The car hasn’t been nearly as reliable as our Hondas. He has had some intermittent computer/camera problems and a rear side window actually cracked due to stress (maybe Boston’s cold weather contributed, but Tesla covered it under warranty).
Another friend in Maskachusetts is a dentist who drives about two hours round-trip every day to her practice (Medicaid is the path to max income for a dentist in MA, but most dentists don’t want to live in a Medicaid-heavy neighborhood). She also got a Tesla Y towards the end of 2025. Queried in March: “Loving fsd. Even did it in the snow.” I respect her opinion more than that of my tech friends because she’s not interested in tech.
Tesla FSD meets South Florida: I got an Uber ride home from the art museum in West Palm Beach to our house in Jupiter, a 20-mile trip. The machine was a 2021 Model 3 with 103,000 miles, owned by the driver since mid-2025. He had it set for “Hurry”. Tesla’s software was cautious when a cyclist appeared from the left and might conceivably have come into our lane. The machine handled the 6-lane local roads reasonably well, but stayed in the left lane longer than a human would have given the impending need to turn right onto a ramp (the human can override this behavior via the turn signal). FSD handled the traffic circles near our house perfectly. It came to hard stops at 4-way intersections in the neighborhood that a human driver would have turned into rolling stops. It got a little confused at the very end and tried to go into an alley next to our house (MacArthur Foundation laid out Abacoa with garages in the back). The Uber driver said that FSD is almost perfect from his point of view except that it doesn’t do well in the rain if it sees puddles. He estimates a 4:1 fatigue ratio of manual vs FSD. (Others I have talked to have said 3:1 or less.)
The car seemed to be in near-new condition despite its age and 100,000+ miles. Not sure the white fake leather seats would survive our kids…
(The puddle issue might be his car having HW3 rather than the current HW4 or the glorious HW5 that we were supposed to have now but won’t until mid-2027. Maybe this Rembrandt “scholar” is what Elon will look like when HW5/“AI5” finally ships?)
From a friend with an old Tesla 3 and a new-ish Cybertruck:
Today I tried the new new new Tesla update that almost no one has. 14.2.2.1. It was flawless [on the Cybertruck]. I forgot to worry about it as if another human was driving.
My response: “We know that it isn’t a cult because each release is “flawless” or “perfect” and then the next release is “more flawless” and “more perfect”. (Even my friends have learned to hate me, in case you were curious.) Tesla Fanboi:
No. I have told you many times FSD sucked and that is why I didn’t buy it. I have owned my Tesla for 6 years and the first time I ever said FSD was kinda good was in October, and I was today years old the first time I said it was really good.
My personal plan was to wait for HW5 or “AI5” before getting a Tesla, but now it seems that I probably won’t live to see the AI5 era. The latest slip:
A friend who lives in Switzerland owns a Model Y. The government there forced Tesla to roll back everyone’s software to 2019 and FSD is strictly illegal almost everywhere in Europe (it’s not hazardous to import tens of millions of humans from the world’s most violent and dysfunctional societies, but Tesla’s binary code is a civilization-ending threat). He recently rented a Cybertruck on Turo in Fort Lauderdale ($200+/day; pickup and return to FLL garage). He’s spent 3-4 hours per day on FSD while looking at various places to relocate his family to (he was born in the U.S.). He says There was one “phantom braking” incident on a local street where the system got confused by a shadow and braked moderately hard (he overrode this decision with the accelerator). “It probably wouldn’t have done that if there had been a car in front of me,” he noted. “Overall, it’s a game-changer for South Florida commuting and I’m sure it won’t be long before the last bugs are worked out and the system is approved for fully autonomous Cybercabs.”
In other news, my dream of a self-driving minivan might be arriving at around the same time as Tesla’s AI5 hardware. Mercedes is going to bring a pimped minivan EV, a format popular in China, to the US (Car and Driver). Unlike Tesla, Mercedes has no Nazi history, of course, so it can be purchased with qualms. The German minivan is interesting because Nazi-free Mercedes is working with NVIDIA to compete with Tesla in “full self-driving” (i.e., not self-driving because a human has to be constantly monitoring). Car and Driver tested this in January and it seems promising. Minivan leaders Honda and Toyota, by contrast, aren’t even beginning to think about a Tesla-style system. They would rather lose 100 percent of their customers than sell anything below Level 3 (full autonomy). Here’s the beautiful Mercedes minivan, showing what a luxury car company can do:
