A former professor at my wife's institution who now works for the NSF dropped by her office after a talk.

[NNadir]

They chatted pleasantly, and he asked if we had kids and what they did.

She told him about that, mentioning that my son is getting his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering.

He asked, "What country is he going to when he graduates?"

She answered without a beat saying, "Probably France, he speaks French, and he's teaching his girlfriend French."

Everybody knows that the scientific infrastructure that made America great is being willfully destroyed by an orange ignoramus.

[Irish_Dem]

1. Most PhDs are talking about the possibility of relocating.

Some countries are already recruiting them, offering a bonus if they leave the US
and come to work in their country.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

2. Have 2 phd friends but they're almost 70, so they decided to retire.

It’s a shame though.

[Irish_Dem]

3. It is hard at that age to pick up and move to another country.

Yes many folks are retiring if they can.

But younger people are considering their options.

[NNadir]

4. If I was younger, I'd go. It's funny because...

...there were discussions about me going to France to live for a year or two back in the 1990's.

It didn't pan out though for various reasons. (Compared to my son, my French sucks, I can get by speaking, but my comprehension is weak for spoken French.)

I really didn't want to go, but I'd push for it today if I were younger.

When my son was in high school, he decided to take French, which I thought was kind of useless, but boy was I wrong!

He likes the language - and other languages as well, he speaks several - and in fact, he won the "French Award" in high school as the best student.

After his Freshman year as an undergraduate, they sent him to France on an NSF grant and he did OK, so he's prepared certainly to get the fuck out of here.

[Irish_Dem]

6. Funny how things turn out.

And I always love to see a situation where very different, separate life skills suddenly all
come together for a very specific purpose for a person.

Without the French background, he would have a much harder time in Canada or France.

[LittleGirl]

7. He sounds like one of those

that can hear a language and understand it, like my spouse. He’s easy at learning a foreign language and I truly believe some have that talent that I certainly don’t possess. I took classes for all of my high school years but I’m old now. I remember what I learned but trying it again failed. Knowing a foreign language will open so many doors.

[Iamscrewed]

5. Education

Sounds like a smart man with his eyes open, I wish luck.

[Farmer-Rick]

8. I'm considering moving to Portugal

Though the language is more difficult to learn. It has socialism written into its Constitution......though we know how easily Constitutions can be overturned and manipulated into uselessness.

[markpkessinger]

13. A friend from high school has lived there for years . . .

. . . and met her husband and has raised her two kids there. She teaches English. She absolutely loves it!

[pfitz59]

9. I have ties to Italy and Ireland

Can make the move if the shit gets really bad.

[Javaman]

10. after hilter took over the universities, there was a massive brain drain.

one of the many reasons he lost the war before it begun.

now it's happening here.

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Please use the correct form -- "ignoranus". nt

[Old Crank]

12. The well educated will become seed stock

Last edited Wed Apr 16, 2025, 01:40 PM - Edit history (1)

For other countries development and advancement. Canada is opening up their schools. Europe also.

Fixed it.
But feed stock would fit also as the capitalist system eats everyone not being entitled and rich.

[Hekate]

14. I think you mean seed stock, because that gets planted & multiplies...

While feed stock just eats, moos, and is eaten.

On the other hand, very well could be a typo, so I apologize for nitpicking. I better go away and get coffee.

[Old Crank]

20. Seed stock is what it should be.

I'll change it if I can get the system to work.
Having issues with platforms and fingers.

[Mike 03]

15. The outflow of talent is going to be devastating.

Just think of how many brilliant minds fled Austria and Germany in the 1930s. Literally some of the most brilliant scientists in the history of human civilization (not to mention the artists).

[DENVERPOPS]

16. Coincidentally,

The IRS has reported that a significant number of the UBER wealthy have been leaving the country for the past years, and that the amount of them leaving has increased every year. The IRS noted that most are relocating to Dubai and the Scandinavian countries....

[Demovictory9]

17. Omg..so tragic for America, to lose its brightest

[SWBTATTReg]

18. What's even more tragic, is those that are 'stuck' here in the US still, unable to migrate or leave the US. After all,

what global economy can absorb 100s of millions of Americans?

And the billionaires here in the US...OMG, how are they going to survive when the masses here in the US are not here anymore to buy millions of their gadgets, keep the US economy humming?

[haele]

21. They don't think that far.

They plan to live like the Russian, Arab, and Chinese wealthy who also fouled their own home country economies and ran off to live in comfortable "modern" they can then try to f**k up by throwing their money around and corrupting the local systems to benefit them
Eventually, they'll run out of successful or emerging counties to play "visiting Prince" in, but for now, there's still a few where they won't have to face responsibility in.
They won't stop playing until they've turned everywhere into a shithole. Because they're quickly wasting the talent and resources needed to build their fancy Moon or Mars colonies, floating resorts for their ego-games and power grabs now.
Of course, the Prosperity Gospel Armageddonists don't believe in a future, and too many of them are near Billionaires in position of power, and they're far more wasteful of talent and resources than the Tech bro Billionaires.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

19. I am trying very hard to persuade My Son The Astronomer

to find a job in another country as soon as he completes his PhD. He happens to be extremely bad at languages, so it's extremely fortunate his language is English.

[NNadir]

22. It is in some ways unfortunate that English has become an international...

...default language. Over the years in business meetings with Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, French, German, Telagu, Hindi, Gujarati and Norwegians, with all of whom I have interacted professionally, some more than others, I've felt at a disadvantage. They can "go offline" and I can't, although I can follow some French and some German.

My sons grew up hearing me complain about this and it's certainly inspired my youngest son to be multilingual. He does seem to have a talent for it.

My oldest guy spent some months in China recently and did pick up some Chinese (with his brother's help) but he's not as facile with languages.

If our best and brightest leave us and go abroad, and repatriate if sanity is restored here, America will be stronger. We are now at the point where China is the technological leader. In the scientific journals I read as much as half, sometimes more than half of the papers are by Chinese scientists. This is why China is so strong: They sent their best here to learn from us when we were the best. Perhaps I'm being optimistic, but maybe this can be a case of "what goes around comes around."

I do hope, perhaps naively, that a time will come when we're all humans first and nationals second. The problems the world faces, particularly environmentally do not recognize borders.