Yeah, my fear is that European leaders will get too comfortable switching from one hegemon to the other and the root issue of the EU not being able to stand on its own without some sort of guarantor won’t ever be solved.

If China is hegemon, I don’t think the EU would appreciate the types of tribute they’d have to pay to Beijing

Pretty much, China realised you can catch more flies with honey rather than vinegar, and it worked. Everyone’s lining up to go to Beijing to kiss the ring, especially Europeans.

Naporitan is my favourite Japanese food

There’s PF Chang in China, but it’s branded as an American restaurant lol

Both based takes

At least China has home-grown platforms that employ people and are built to suit the needs of their citizens communities. EU will have the enshittified US internet platforms they pay cloud rent to, and a neutered ability to communicate on said platforms.

Bureaucrats in the EU have exceeded their Mandate of Heaven by so long that just them opening their mouth to say “good morning” makes me wretch

It’s undeniable that AI is great at problems with tight feedback loops, like software engineering.

Most jobs don’t have the tight feedback loops that software engineering has

This is how you rule from a position of deep unpopularity

Wonder what’s worse, this, or handing over your NHS data to Palantir.

Using an OS controlled by Google was never trustworthy, idk why we’re kidding ourselves.

I hope they lock down sideloading so there’ll be pressure for moving to Linux Phones

I like using Vespucci to edit OSM, easy and fun

No they’re not

It’s not a sideloading restriction, but an “Accountability Layer.” 🛡️ Advanced users will be able to"Install without verifying," but expect a high-friction flow designed to help users understand the risks.

https://xcancel.com/matt_w_forsythe/status/2012293577854930948

‘The European Greens have long raised serious concerns about the EU-Mercosur agreement, including its impact on deforestation, labour rights and environmental protections. The structure of this deal risks reinforcing extractive export models in Mercosur countries, while exposing EU farmers and workers to competition from products that do not meet European health, social and environmental standards. We recognise that some see this agreement primarily through a geopolitical lens. But strategic partnerships should strengthen resilience, sustainability and fairness - not undermine them. In the context of Trump’s tariffs and intensifying global competition, Europe’s economic strength should be built through a strong Single Market and targeted public and private investment, not by lowering standards.’

The European Greens’ statement makes sense to me, and it comes at a time when they have the most leverage over the deal. I really hope the deal gets reworked and Europe can stay the course on its climate and food safety issues.

https://europeangreens.eu/news/european-greens-warn-eu-mercosur-trade-agreement-will-fail-farmers-and-climate/

So, just don’t use the Play Store?

I think the only thing I downloaded via the Play Store was my banking apps, which I can go without and just access the browser version when home in front of my desktop

Why are you surprised? Do you really believe the Dems are an opposition party besides aesthetics and vibes? Lol

Most people don’t care about duties and honor and values like freedom (even though they say they do).

Western Europe has frequently “sacrificed” Eastern Europe in hopes of being able to maintain their bourgeois lifestyle a bit longer

I’m not bullish on a collective European defence because Europe thinks it’s a spending and rearmament problem, when in fact it’s a logistics and coordination one.

You have a battalion in Spain that you’d need to deploy to Latvia. How do you airlift? Which country has airlifting capabilities, etc.

We’re aligned on the Kurds. My post is to demonstrate how quickly the US can abandon allies they’ve given full throated support before.

What about Gaddafi? The West flip-flopped between him being a massive ally or the world’s biggest evil a couple of times.

They misattributed terrorist attacks to him even though they knew the attacks had Syrian backing, but Syria was needed at the time.

That’s still a valid reason to dodge a draft. I’m not defending Trump, but I’m a coward too. War sucks, war is horrible, I’d rather not go participate

Wasn’t aware of this, fair then