Biggus Duckus

I thought they were going to be left out until someone from Texas or the Big 12 put the kibosh on the original 16-team idea a decade ago? And when that fell through, then Colorado was like "ok fine, I'll go instead..." Could be misremembering, it's been a while. I was extremely disappointed that the Pac10/Big12 superconference didn't work out, but I think a Pac/B1G power makes more sense historically.

I'd be curious to hear old timer thoughts as well. I imagine things were worse in the '60s, but now we have elected officials who show an unpresidented level of cruelty and idiocy, which they weaponize to shape their agendas.

I think the point is it's no longer hyperbole.

Just in case being a Texpat is not enough: Residency/Citizenship through investment (real estate or otherwise): https://www.goldenvisas.com/ Citizenship by blood (jus sanguinis), a popular option for Germany and Italy, among others: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_sanguinis Live in the Netherlands as a freelancer or entrepreneur via the Dutch American Friendship Treaty (DAFT): https://expatlaw.nl/dutch-american-friendship-treaty Use your US Bachelor's or Master's degree to work in Germany, no visa sponsorship required. Work for NATO: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/recruit-wide.htm Go to (English-speaking) grad school in Europe to get one foot in the door (varies by country): https://www.mastersportal.com/ https://www.reddit.com/r/IWantOut/comments/oxzuhy/iwantout_27f_usa_europeanywhere/h7s6u0p/?context=3 Sign up for the EU Blue Card if you meet the criteria. Someone may reach out to you about job opportunities: https://www.apply.eu/ r/IWantOut is a good informal resource: https://www.reddit.com/r/IWantOut/wiki/guides

Yep. We've been told our whole lives that America is the greatest country in the world, and worth fighting for. What about when it's not the greatest country in the world by most metrics, and trending downward?

Saying Europe is on the brink of war but thinking the US is safe from it is... something. Realistically you should be more interested in homicide rates. Murders per 100k people: Luxembourg: 0.34 Norway: 0.47 Slovenia: 0.48 Italy: 0.57 Croatia: 0.58 Netherlands: 0.59 Switzerland: 0.59 Spain: 0.62 Poland: 0.73 Portugal: 0.79 Ireland: 0.87 Iceland: 0.89 Greece: 0.94 Germany: 0.95 Austria: 0.97 Denmark: 1.01 Sweden: 1.08 Slovakia: 1.14 France: 1.2 UK: 1.2 Romania: 1.28 Bulgaria: 1.3 Finland: 1.63 Belgium: 1.69 Estonia: 2.12 Montenegro: 2.23 Belarus: 2.39 Hungary: 2.49 Liechtenstein: 2.64 . . . United States: 4.96

I will be moving to Germany in September. Some days I regret leaving behind my family or the beauty that the PNW offers, but today is not one of those days. More often than not, I just check the national news and my decision feels justified.

I have no skin in this game as I've never been to Texas, but I can't help but chuckle at the TX -> CO talk. Not because it's a bad idea (I would certainly do it too) but I know a few people from Denver and Durango who moved here (Portland) because of all the Texans moving to Colorado. I will say this: even the bluest cities in the US are completely milquetoast as far as climate action is concerned. Nobody wants to build housing, zoning laws are still preventing infill, and NIMBY pensioners are still controlling any sort of public process. Between that and the fact that blue states are often climate and social refuges, it's gonna get ugly.

I would also recommend spending a month's subscription on Ancestry to see if you have any "citizenship by blood" or jus sanguinis possibilities. If you have a paternal grandparent or great-grandparent from Italy, or a German ancestor who immigrated to the US after 1904, that opens up a lot of options. There are other countries that have these laws as well.

For those interested in Golden Visas, I would recommend this site: https://www.goldenvisas.com/ Portugal: 500k EUR real estate investment with some caveats (no Porto or Lisbon, those are now offlimits thanks to UK immigrants). Spain: 500k EUR real estate investment Greece: 250k EUR real estate investment Germany does not have a golden visa program, but US citizens with bachelors degree or higher do not need a visa sponsorship to get a job. They also have a freelance visa if you have the right skills. Their new government wants to lower citizenship timeframe from 6-8 years to 3-5 years. Netherlands has a freelance visa for US citizens as well. Easy to get residency but still a long path to permanent residence or citizenship (8 years). Great quality of life, but you may have sticker shock when you see the average wages for your profession (spoiler: you will be taking a paycut). IMHO, Spain is the best option if you are just looking for a place to buy to either start your residency timer or general living quality: easy language to learn (especially for Texans), good job market in Madrid or Barcelona, 500k will get you a villa if you so desire, etc.

Moving to Germany. Every day, even in Portland, I feel like I might be shot or run over by a right-wing lunatic. (Yes, Germany has Nazi havens, but they just elected the most left parliament in quite some time. And even Merkel, the center-right chancellor, was pretty left on the American spectrum.)

Reminds me of UW's "Bark for Sark" campaign. It didn't end well for them.

I freaking hate 1st and goal on the 1 Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

That sucked Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

I agree with Upgrayedd, it was a strip. Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Do "backroads" count as roads? New bike, 333fab Air Land Sea: