Network of networks!

I believe there is a growing, perhaps universal, trend to displace people from rural lands and draw them into urban centers. This shift isn't solely about people seeking comfort or opportunity. It also appears to be driven by a broader institutional agenda—one that finds it more efficient to concentrate populations in cities, where they are easier to monitor, regulate, and control. Increasing taxes on land, coupled with restrictive rural regulations, seem to be steadily paving the way for the gradual removal of people from the land. Admittedly, small-scale farming is no longer the most productive way to earn a living or feed a family. However, for those who deliberately choose this lifestyle, modern technology offers a path to a more sustainable and autonomous existence. Today’s tools and knowledge make it possible to live at least partially off-grid with a level of efficiency unimaginable a century ago. This means farming doesn’t have to be all-consuming—it can leave time for othe...

No matter the outcome of the so-called 'minerals deal' in Ukraine, the relationship between the European Union and the United States has undeniably suffered a significant fissure—one that is likely to persist or even deepen in the years to come. The mercantilist approach displayed by the current U.S. administration has served as a cold shower for the EU, revealing uncomfortable truths about the nature of their partnership. This shift in U.S. foreign policy has, in many ways, crowned a three-decade-long trajectory of American interventionism and transactional diplomacy, marked by a series of questionable decisions on the global stage: the Iraq War (Bush Jr.), the destruction of Libya, the muddled involvement in Syria, and, to a certain extent, the complex outcomes of the Afghan conflict. This trend reflects a broader pattern in U.S. foreign policy—one that prioritizes national interests, often at the expense of long-standing alliances. The EU, once a central partner in shaping...

 It is a refreshing shift to finally recognize that the so-called 'tycoons' of the West should rightfully be classified as oligarchs. For decades, we were fed the narrative that the United States and other Western 'democracies' were home to tycoons—wealthy individuals who had earned their fortunes through business prowess. Meanwhile, in the East, the term 'oligarchs' was reserved for the elites who wielded both financial and political power, often acquired through murky means. This stark distinction was presented as though it were a matter of geography and governance, implying that the West’s wealthiest were somehow more legitimate or virtuous in their accumulation of power. However, a shift is now happening. More and more people in the United States are beginning to see that the label 'tycoon' is merely a euphemism—a glossy sticker slapped on a bag of rotten tomatoes to make it look more appetizing. The reality is, once an individual, family, or group r...