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the most absurd of all the arguments. "he challenged himself. and he was successful at it too." as if messi was unsuccessful. 10 seasons in la liga, 2 titles. 7 barca, 1 atletico. there's cl success. real madrid won it 2 more times after ronaldo left. ronaldo didn't win anything. he went to a juventus that had been champion 7 seasons in a row in italy and that played a cl final and a semifinal the following year. is this challenging yourself? juventus, who played a cl final, got knocked out in the round of 16 twice while ronaldo was there. the first year to ajax, the second year to porto. the argument they call "challenging himself" is hollow. it's not substantial. as a matter of fact, in 2019 and 2020 they were champions, juve's 9th in a row, and what a coincidence that in the 10th season, the first season in a long time they failed to be champions for the first time, ronaldo was on the team. so for you, is challenging yourself going to a team that's been champion 7 times and experiencing the 8th and 9th titles, then failing to win the title in the 10th season? what ibrahimovic did, making milan, who hadn't been champions in 11 years, champions at 38 years old, that's challenging yourself, for example. not what ronaldo did :d at the start of 2021-2022 he returned to united. the media made up some story that man city wanted him and everyone believed it :d why would pep want ronaldo at that city, for example. a year later they got haaland. the premier league that united finished 2nd in before he came, they finished 6th after he came. while they were competing in the champions league, they joined the europa league. he achieved no success with the united shirt in his second stint, neither in the league nor in europe. but his going to united also comes up before us as a "challenging himself" argument. in portugal, since 2020 he has been nothing but, and only, a burden to his team. because of his unbelievable lobbying and his diva-like tantrums, 10 guys are suffering for his sake on the national team. because they can't produce one decent forward, portugal is forced to put up with this, but for 6 years he hasn't done a single rational thing in the national shirt besides taking penalties. now when and where did this guy ever challenge himself? what is he able to do that messi wasn't able to do? without there even being any need to write all this nonsense, it's impossible for someone whose brain works, whose eyes see, and who knows football to watch both of them and claim that ronaldo is better. if they claim it, either their brain isn't working, or their eyes aren't seeing, or they don't understand football. the matter is this simple.

lately, elon musk has been cozying up to far-right leaders in europe. wondering why? here's the breakdown:

• background: musk comes from a family with a certain mindset—he's a white south african, which might hint at some of his core beliefs. but the main driver here is economic.

• centralized europe: most european countries have strong central governments, even places like germany and switzerland with federal systems. this centralized structure leads to heavy regulations, which pose challenges for global corporations.

• a lucrative market: europe is an incredible market for the united states—500 million people right across the atlantic, even more than the u.s. population. it's also one of the wealthiest regions in the world, with plenty of money to spend (though it doesn't always do so), and high social welfare standards.

• a "new america": u.s.-based companies see europe as a "new america"—a prosperous region that hasn't fully embraced a consumer culture. trump and musk both want access to that wealth.

• eu regulations: the biggest obstacle is european union regulations. global corporations can't operate as freely in europe because there are strict rules and governments pay close attention to citizens' well-being and assets. advertising laws, for instance, are designed to prevent mindless overconsumption. energy, agriculture, retail, finance, logistics—the government is heavily involved, often supported by pro-people, democratic parties.

• why the far right? musk wants to bring far-right parties to power in europe, not because they're anti-immigrant (that's mostly a populist talking point), but because they favor liberal economic policies. he wants to see europe governed in a way that opens the market to u.s. capital.

• falling behind: europe, once the leader of the industrial revolution, has fallen behind the u.s. and china in the information revolution. look at europe's biggest companies: they're still in heavy industry, with a few major banks—no major high-tech giants.

• tech gap: the u.s. and china excel at turning data into profit. they're ahead in ai and space tech. europe's leadership is split on how to catch up—left and social democratic parties push for state-backed initiatives and eu-supported investment programs. they want a more state-driven model.

• space race example: in response to spacex's starlink, the eu is planning its own alternative but is moving too slowly, aiming to launch only 200–300 satellites by 2030. this is likely frustrating musk.

• right-wing approach: conservative parties prefer a more liberal economic model, believing it's smarter to buy from their ally, the u.s., rather than develop everything in-house. they see the eu as lagging.

• case in point: for proof, check out prime minister meloni's negotiations in italy with spacex: https://www.euronews.com/...x-telecom-security-services-deal

• musk's goal: this is why elon musk supports europe's liberal-right parties. they hold the key to opening europe up to u.s. capital. the eu is already a market for the u.s., but america wants to tap even deeper into europe's wealth.

• a profitable market: from a purely logical standpoint, europe is an ideal market—rich, with a sky-high gdp. far more profitable than getting tangled up in the middle east.

a “brain fart” is when your brain decides to take an unannounced coffee break, leaving you stranded in the middle of a thought, conversation, or action with nothing but a blank stare and a vague sense of confusion. it’s like your brain hits the pause button, but forgets to hit play again.

examples:

– you’re telling a hilarious joke, and just as you’re about to deliver the punchline, your mind goes completely blank. now, you’re just staring at your audience like a deer in headlights, and they’re waiting for a punchline that never comes. brain fart!
– you walk into a room with a strong sense of purpose… only to forget why you walked in the moment you cross the threshold. you just stand there, looking around like you’re trying to solve a mystery in your own home. brain fart!