Aleksandr Novikov

@K_Niemietz It's like asking to have your cake and eat it, too. US pushes people into ruthless competition which produces great overall economic results but makes lives of many people a living nightmare. You can have one or the other.

The US is a much richer country than the UK, because they have better economic policies in several key areas. I'd rather have those here. But they also have a variety of social dysfunctions, which I rather wouldn't have here. Two things can be true.

@KuittinenPetri In case of Ireland, this is indeed a statistical quirk, but that's a totally fair measurement in case of all other country. Having low taxes means attracting "portable" companies with very high output per worker. Productivity is not "working harder", it's "doing what makes more".

Being most productive often means same living in a tax haven. Or are you thinking the Irish or Luxembourgian workers work harder than those in South Korea or Poland? Ranked: The Most Productive Countries in the World

@air_framp_one @crockejo @thealepalombo and this is a dead link :) you probably meant category E permanent residence? yes that one works.

@crockejo @AleksandrN79427 @thealepalombo you are right, my bad - I confused the two programs. I meant this one, which doesn't require the 300k investment: savvacyprus.com/services/immig…

Cyprus is one of the strongest European options right now. My honest view: 80% of mobile families will end up here. And many will pair it with Asian-based asset and company structures. No other jurisdiction offers this flexibility. The non-dom regime lasts 17 years. 0% on foreign-sourced income for the entire duration, extendable. Corporate tax is 15%, but holding structures frequently pay 0% tax and 0% withholding tax. Main cost in practice: healthcare contribution on certain income caps, capped at roughly €4.7k/year. No more flexible European residency exists. 60-day rule for tax residency, now compatible with second tax residencies. You can keep Cyprus as a base while living nomadically. Golden Visa from €300K. Citizenship after 8 years, or as few as 4 to 5 for highly skilled professionals on the fast-track. Underrated. One of the most accessible EU passport pathways available. Crypto structuring requires care, but that should be part of any planning exercise regardless. When NHR ends for many in Portugal, Cyprus will be the natural European pivot, and Thailand the more obvious Asian base. I'm working on a technical case study with local practitioners, plus a lifestyle post. For families with kids, best towns in Cyprus: Limassol, Paphos, others? Which would you recommend? Pros and cons?

@XueJia24682 Well, 90% homeownership rate is not specific to China. In many poor and very poor countries it's even higher. High homeownership rate usually results from dictatorship. In a democracy, homeowners can vote against more housing, so it doesn't go much above 50% (but never lower).

The US is learning from China's policy "Houses are for living in, not for speculation" proposed almost ten years ago. ✨🇨🇳In China, over 90% of the 1.4 billion population owns their own housing. And no need to pay property tax every year.

@Microinteracti1 Perhaps it made sense: dietary recommendations are directed at the masses, not the elites - and masses can't afford steak - but can afford ultraprocessed shit. They can also afford vegs, rice and fruit which is way healthier for them.

For 30 years, Western dietary guidelines told us red meat was killing us. The French kept eating it. With butter. And wine. And somehow outlived everyone else. Here's what the research quietly admitted decades later: the surveys were broken. When studies asked "do you eat meat?" they didn't ask which kind. A steak and a hot dog got the same tick in the same box. Processed meat, loaded with sodium, preservatives and industrial additives, was counted identically to a plain piece of beef. The French never had a paradox. They just never ate the other stuff. Show up to a French dinner with a packet of minced meat from a supermarket and you'll be asked, very politely, never to return. The risk was real. It was coming from the sausage. Not the steak. Thirty years of dietary guidelines. Built on a questionnaire that never asked the right question. Gandalv / @Microinteracti1

@WorldByWolf I beg to differ. Actual movements at the front continued through November 2022. Kherson was liberated in November. Ever since late '22, we are stuck. It will take a great lot of creativity and investment and grind to get Ukraine unstuck.

The Ukraine War has been finished since Autumn 2022. It’s at a stalemate. Ukraine is not going to take back the oblasts they’ve lost. Russia is unlikely to gain much more territory unless they’re willing to endure millions more casualties. The truly tragic part of this war is that once the war is over Ukraine is finished. It will be in the hands of the globalists. It will be flooded with immigrants and the entire country will be purchased by US asset managers. It’s a tragic end for a proud country and one that was entirely avoidable had we just accepted the Donbas was lost in 2022 and cut a peace deal to that effect. Ukrainians have been used as cannon fodder for the Americans to test run their military hardware and software. Used like rats in a tragic experiment. Britain should be ashamed of our role.

@KuittinenPetri @MichaelAArouet And that's the reason why: they were communist and there was no private wealth at all, like it was banned by law - that's the textbook definition of "socialism" per Merriam-Webster: society where private ownership of means of production is a felony.

@MichaelAArouet Unpleasant fact for many: Russia and China have more self-made billionaires than other countries (97%). Even the capitalist's wet dream USA has just 73%, not to mention Germany 25%, Spain 26%. Old wealth vs new wealth. Russia & China were ofc still poor in 1990s.

In most countries billionaires are self-made. They invent new products or services that drive progress. In Germany, Spain, Italy, and France, most billionaires inherited their wealth. Europe has simply lost the entrepreneurial spirit that once drove innovation and prosperity.

@kingkhieu @MichaelAArouet That's natural. These countries were communist & dirt poor a generation ago. There was no wealth back then -> nothing at all to inherit.

@MichaelAArouet China and russia “self made” hmm i gotta reevaluate those

@Arrogance_0024 OK in Bulgaria, there are 14% of Turks. But in Romania, apparently it is the Roma who were counted as "non-European" or there is no other way to explain that. But then an honest name for that map would be "percentage of peoples i like" - because Roma are European.

@Arrogance_0024 Also who are the "non-europeans" in Romania and Bulgaria? These countries are utterly unattractive for immigration. Or did you count Roma as non-Europeans? If they are non-Europeans then neither are Hungarians - they came to Europe at about same time ~1k years ago. Big stretch.

Poland 🇵🇱 is the most European country in Europe. Deal with it, losers.

@Arrogance_0024 Bonus point: no matter what right wingers say, in Russia not just the proportion of ethnic Europeans the lowest, but it's also falling the fastest. Question: who are 38% of ethnic Europeans in Turkey? I didn't know they have so many minorities, mostly just Turks and Kurds no?

@AndreasSteno Now also correct for hours worked... No one in EU rips their asses as Americans do.

Just to add some nuance to the propaganda here. If you look at the median rather than the mean, which is what actually reflects how most people live, the picture changes quite a bit. Once you also account for unavoidable out of pocket costs like healthcare and education, life in the US looks much more average, and often falls behind Northern European countries for the typical person. The US model clearly creates immense wealth at the very top, but for the vast majority of people, median living standards are what really matter. And by that measure, the story is far less impressive than it is often made out to be.

@MichaelAArouet Productivity is not about "working harder" or "starting a business". It's simply about using newest tech and equipment. Poland progresses because it started from a low base and having no sanctions and easy access to funding, gradually gets same tech as Germany has. They converge.

One reason Poland is the growth champion and Germany the sick man of Europe is productivity growth. Poles understand that they need to work hard for a better life. Many Germans follow left narratives of “tax the rich” and look for government jobs instead of starting a business.

@MichaelAArouet Just a hint: "replacement theory" won't help here. Fertility rate is just as low in 100% Islamic Turkey.

There is not a single country in Europe with a fertility rate above the replacement rate. As median age of women in Europe is 46, it’s too late to reverse it. Assume two things: 1. Your real estate will lose value 2. Your pension won’t be enough to keep your living standard

@MichaelAArouet If you recalculate it in GDP per hour worked, EU and USA are about on par. No one rips their asses here, we have normal lifestyles and work-life balance.

The only major countries in Europe richer than the US: 1. Norway with oil & gas 2. Switzerland with banks 3. Ireland with corporate tax evasion schemes The rest of Europe is throttled by heavy regulations, overtaxation & left redistribution mindset. Will this ever change?

@MolinesPinto @Dovydas44444 Not really, these are merely farm subsidies: it only shows that Poland has many farmers. Poland has a trillion dollar GDP and 400+B exports. These 11B is a drop in the bucket.

@Dovydas44444 Polands economic "miracle" looks a bit sick when you see that graphic

🇪🇺 What are the biggest inconsistencies that defy logic in the EU budget distribution: A) 🇩🇪Germany paying almost a half among all the net contributors; B) 🇪🇸Spain: net beneficiary, while 🇮🇹Italy - contributor; C) 🇧🇪Belgium: net beneficiary, while 🇫🇷France - contributor; D) 🇵🇱Poland being by far the biggest net beneficiary; E) 🇱🇺Luxembourg being a net beneficiary; F) Other?

@MichaelAArouet Wishful thinking. Unlike Ukraine, Poland is ethnically homogenous and is almost 100% Catholic. Orthodoxy, Communism, and use of Cyrillic creates a huge barrier between them and the free world...

Eye-opening chart. While Poland has enjoyed an economic boom, Ukraine is poorer today than it was in 1990. Free markets, entrepreneurialism, EU and NATO membership, and low corruption fueled Poland’s economic miracle. Let’s hope Ukraine follows a similar path after the war.

@ShangguanJiewen In the fields where Americans are protected from Chinese competition - such as space, where there are ITAR rules - they rule the world, so it's not for the lack of talent, poor education, or institutions. It's just that Americans won't work 996.

🇨🇳China built 50 thousand kilometers of High-Speed Rail in just a decade and a half. 🇺🇸The USA built zero. Why can't the USA build anything anymore?

@hispanicnomad One really needs to speak Spanish to live there because no one speaks English there... Otherwise, it is indeed a lovely place, i wonder why few people there - Spain south of the mountains feels like Middle East climate-wise.

@AleksandrN79427 I love Asturias, one of my favorite places in the whole world

If Spanish cities were honest about what it's like to actually live there as an expat 👇 🏖️ Valencia: "Perfect weather, impossible to find an apartment, everyone disappears at 2pm" 🏛️ Madrid: "We have jobs! But rent eats your whole paycheck" 🌊 Barcelona: "Tourist trap pretending it's a real city" 🍷 Bilbao: "Amazing food, awful weather, Basque will break you" ✨ Sevilla: "Gorgeous until you try to do literally anything in summer" And of course, bureaucracy and taxes will beat you if you ever plan on living here