Direct as in personal. As in being in the room.

Direct source.

Beginning of 2024 volvo managers from EU had a planned visit to volvo US that they were not looking forward to. The reason was that volvo US was very vocal about how pro trump they were because he was “good for business”.

But not a blanket tarrif, they just targeted some specific products.

NATO-Europe without the U.S. still outmatches Russia militarily and economically by a wide margin, but the real issue isn’t brute strength—it’s readiness and political will. Russia can’t beat Ukraine, let alone all of NATO, but a surprise move in the Baltics or Suwałki Gap could be disastrous if Europe doesn’t act fast. It’s not that Russia is strong—it’s that Europe can’t afford to be slow or divided.

one thing that i keep needing to bring up as well, with what troops? Russia has been losing a lot of people in Ukraine. Even if we ignore all the numbers being thrown about how many they really lost, they have lost troops. Invading Europe? Even if they would make start churning out vehicles at a breakneck speed now, where do they get the people to operate them? How will they hold the regions they would get?

Ask it to generate a room full of clocks with all of them having the hands at different times. You’ll see that all (or almost) all the clocks will say it is 10:10.

To me it seems as if the plan is to make it worse for the average person, up till a point that it is almost unbearable. Then spin the narrative blaming the other countries for the situation. Get the base riled up (history has shown that that is quite easy to do). Declare martial law and “expand” American territory.

-> No elections during war time?

Ah, just thinking out loud here. Probably overreacting…

He will be pardoned before it all starts.

I was going to say to have your cake and eat it, but with the price of eggs over there I’m not really sure they could.

Just short FYI, I don’t know exactly your situation so I won’t go to deep into it, but moving to another country with a dog is no big deal. If you are worried about the dog, they just want to be with you, where ever you go.

Cheapest energy in europe is in Scandinavia. Spain is cheap though, that is correct.

i remember that for me the only issue was which instance to join, just because i didn’t understand instances. Could you see other instances, do you have to create a username on each, Is you username automatically on all of them. Can every instance see your posts, etc… I don’t blame some people for being scared to switch to something new after spending a big part of their life somewhere that they got used to and build a “community”.

Oh sure, well, for books, there’s Brave New World, which you already mentioned. You might also like The Windup Girl, where they have “New People” created for specific roles, and The Island, which deals with cloning mainly for organ harvesting. The Handmaid’s Tale explores similar themes of control over reproduction, though in a different way, and The Children of Men is another classic that dives into issues of societal control and the value placed on human life. Genesis and The Clone touch on related ideas too.

For movies, you’ve got The Matrix as an obvious choice, then Gattaca for genetic engineering themes, and Aeon Flux, which also involves heavily regulated human bodies. You might also like Logan’s Run, which depicts a society where life is strictly limited and controlled; and Moon, which explores the unsettling use of clones in isolation.

To weather they are worth reading / watching, that is kinda up to the individual i think. I found them enjoyable.

Oh I agree to all that, still. Maybe I’ve seen and read too many dystopian movies and books.

I wish I was kidding, but what are the chances that China will become the first country to mass produce their new population via in vitro?

It was the silence for us. We were able to go out into the fields and not hear the constant background hum of distant cars. The air felt lighter and it was just my wife, my kids, the dog and me. We honestly miss those moments.

Parental leave, sick days (unlimited), 10 national holidays, and 52 vacation days for me. And I am European. Edit. And two days telework a week.

Dome keeper. It’s a really fantastic game.

Hey :D. Yeah, I had been trying to get one for half an hour but I kept getting that error. I honestly gave up and went to walk the dog. When I came back I tried again and immediately got one. I’m expecting it now by next week. How about you, did you get yours as well?