That’s potentially true, but I expect his focus is on “#winning” the meeting and simply going into the same persona that he uses for negotiation. I think his whole thing boils down to making his opponent feel great when Trump’s affable, complementary mask is on, and/or be stunned at the dark half. Negative public exposure, and relentless, and with a long memory, punctuated by grade-school, personal insults. There’s no viable defense because Trump is all blunt force and not reasonable. Except … the deal on the table.
When all is said and done if Trump and his administration put America in a better position for Americans, and with it the rest of the free world in tow, this influence won’t matter. I love your work, much respect sir.
I was driving to work, early morning, still dark outside (West coast). I was listening to morning AM sports radio - specifically Scott and Billy Ray. Scott for some reason had not gotten to work yet so it was just Billy Ray Smith (RIP, such a gentleman on the air, such a menace on the field) solo on the mic. He was talking about the Chargers game, and all of a sudden stopped as he saw footage on his monitor. He said "A plane just crashed into a building in NYC". Then, a bit later, he announced a second plane had crashed into a building, and you could hear in his voice the dawn of realization.
@MichaelAArouet@grok please show the same chart but instead of net number of high-wealth departures show and rank it as percent of wealthy people in those countries. Also include USA and Netherlands and Canada and South Africa
@3lGr13g0 They produce the food we eat. That’s a special class of production. They tend the land we all live on. Discussing farming as being similar to general business conditions or treatment is either willfully provocative or naively foolish.
@WeermanRoel Sorry, what’s a climate skeptic? Is that someone who is skeptical that climate is changing, or someone who is skeptical of anthropogenic causes, or something different?
We all go through soul-crushing episodes aross our lifespan. My trick is scaling back. At all times in life you're on the upswing or downswing. Neither one lasts. When sliding down, just scale back a bit so your mind can see there's a bottom followed by an upward slope. Just gotta get there. Stay strong, get through it, get there.
It's also true that periods of profound difficulty are the only times we grow. In all respects. Experiencing pain, discomfort, dissatisfaction is what compels us to change and grow.
@sleep_deprivado The accomplishments, the audacity of vision, all of it is so far beyond what anyone external to the builders could have believed was possible. You have leveled up our faith in humanity. The effects are in the first stages of exponential growth. Legendary. Respect ✊
Urban life heavily in favor of Europe. Rural or semi rural USA by far.
Societal structure has been great in Europe for decades but it’s cracking. Bureaucracy is pervasive, economies are constrained. But it’s full of third spaces, just walk out your door and life happens unscripted and on foot or bike. Day to day life is super chill. USA culture I feel is more open and overtly friendly, but the number of encounters here is so much higher that it feels easier to chat around.
All in all I’m super content here but I would be thrilled to be back in the western US as well.
@gatorgar Smashing Pumpkins, Gish. First to last track one of the most astounding albums especially considering there was nothing like it before. So good. The only other album I regard so highly is Vince Guaraldi Trio, a Charlie Brown Christmas. Drive safe
@CharlieImperium Without knowing anything about you, I not only believe you but would add that if you have made a profound difference in even 1 persons life then your goal is already achieved.
@garyvee I thought @ZubyMusic was obviously the most optimistic, grounded person on X. Now that you’re in my feed, I appreciate you both. What a world if more people, especially visible ones, internalized your worldview. Cheers
@ZubyMusic Ok here’s one. My son was born extreme preemie at 24 weeks, spent 7 months in the NICU. Soldiered through every major crisis. Turned 1 last week. Absolute legend. 🫡
A large majority of people in the western world are staunchly pro immigration. I personally have sponsored a young man which required 4 years, mountains of paperwork, and thousands of dollars. Ostensibly to work for me, but in truth because he was a great guy and had young son with a medical challenge and I knew both his family and America would be better together. I now live in Europe. What the large majority want, all over the westernized world, is sensible, responsible immigration that is designed to improve the society we have all built together. We want processes to ensure that immigrants are strongly supported in assimilating to their new place, including civics, history, culture, language, and expectations of contribution to the greater good. We want to be informed transparently how things are going so we can use our civic voices to keep pushing it in the right direction with compassion and hope for the future. We want to strengthen our own societies so we can expand our support for those who need us. We absolutely, emphatically do not want unchecked mass immigration that accomplishes none of these goals and instead creates enormous societal problems, possibly existential.
Blood Meridian is the most profoundly bleak anything I have ever encountered. I read it a second time just to be sure it was what I thought it was. Just consider his descriptions of desert land and skyscapes - he chooses adjectives that are emotional, hot colors, provocative analogies. It’s remarkably close to how I think Hell must feel. I’ve suggested it to a few friends, none of them were able to make it through. Everyone should put on their big boy pants and endure it, it might be the greatest work of fiction of all time. Superb and cruel, an opus. Don’t make the movie.
Islamist-motivated politically motivated crime (PMK – religiöse Ideologie)
This is the closest tracked category for crimes with a religious (predominantly Islamist) ideological motive. It covers propaganda, threats, vandalism, assaults, and related offenses, not only terrorism. Official BMI/BKA figures show:
2021: 479
2022: 481
2023: 1,458
2024: 1,877
2025: 1,983
Rough cumulative total for these years: ~6,300 cases. A large majority of “religiöse Ideologie” cases are Islamist-linked (e.g., reports of 1,397 Islamist-connected out of ~1,694 religious-ideology cases in one 2024 accounting). Violence forms a small subset (typically under 100 per year). Numbers rose sharply after the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, driven partly by related propaganda, antisemitic incidents, and mobilization.
Acts of terrorism and completed Islamist attacks
The Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV) and other authorities assess the Islamist terrorist threat as persistently high. The Islamist/Islamist-terrorist potential stood at roughly 28,000–28,600 persons in recent years, of whom an estimated ~9,000–9,500 are classified as violence-oriented. Federal prosecutors have handled large numbers of Islamist terrorism proceedings (e.g., the majority of serious terrorism cases in periods such as early 2025).
Completed or confirmed Islamist-motivated attacks (knife, vehicle, etc.) in the approximate 2021–mid-2026 window include multiple incidents with fatalities or serious injuries, such as:
November 2021: Knife attack on an ICE train (several injured).
April 2023: Duisburg knife attacks (1 killed, several injured; jihadist motivation confirmed in court).
May 2024: Mannheim stabbing (police officer killed, others injured; Afghan perpetrator).
August 2024: Solingen festival stabbing (3 killed, 8 injured; IS claimed; Syrian perpetrator).
February 2025: Munich vehicle ramming into a demonstration (2 killed, dozens injured; Afghan perpetrator, Islamist motive assessed).
February 2025: Stabbing at the Berlin Holocaust Memorial (injured; Syrian perpetrator with IS pledge).
May 2025: Bielefeld attack (several seriously injured; Syrian perpetrator).
September 2025: Essen knife attacks (injured; assessed as Islamist).
July 2026: Berlin Pride / CSD vehicle-and-knife attack (1 killed, ~29 injured; German national of Lebanese background, known Islamist/IS supporter).
BfV-linked counts indicate around 16 completed Islamist attacks since 2016 overall, with a notable cluster in 2024–2026. Many additional plots have been foiled, and there are ongoing arrests for preparation of serious violence, support for terrorist organizations (especially IS), and related offenses. Perpetrators have frequently been young, male, recently arrived asylum seekers or individuals radicalized online, including some minors.
You are so absolutely correct, enough so that I’m suddenly surprised that this concept receives so little attention. I moved from USA to Europe a year ago, and I’ve slowly absorbed the difference in business development ecosystem. Europe is profoundly challenged with regulatory drag on growth, and it’s increasingly evident that a reversal is unlikely. A shift in thinking like what you’re proposing is the way forward. Understand not only the new economy but also Europes place in it, and play on core competencies like talent draw due to a high quality lifestyle.