I absolutely agree that they are easier to deal with than most, but we need to be aware that that happened by design. They shaped us into a block that has a headache whenever it is time to talk to anyone that is not them.

Is as if we were in a (imo toxic) relationship with the first person we ever kissed in high school.

We never had a healthy relationship with the USA in the last 80 years. We have no experience of what you are arguing for, especially not as a United Europe.

This is what we really disagree on, but I already explained my position.

I don’t think we will be doing any of that. Also because it takes two to tango and, again, our efforts are best spent elsewhere.

And I don’t think so, because what we have gotten addicted to is over reliance on a partner that has never really behaved as one. Now that we have this situation, we are looking around and rediscovering the extent of the influence and power we can have in relations with other actors.

Relevant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5VYUewImUc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHOSBKgM188

This is at all possible because USA is in shambles.

Read the last lines of my comment.

There are (commercial, trade, military, political) RELATIONSHIPS we are talking about. There is no switch to have them accepted or not, there is a continuous effort from both parties. And like any effort, it implies a cost. We have been in a toxic relationship with the USA for decades.

There is a chance for them to get better? Good for them, we will contemplate the possibility for that to be in our interest once I will see it happening.

In the meanwhile, having them showing their true face allows us to be lucid about the current state of affairs and redirecting our efforts elsewhere.

Gotcha.

Why would they prefer Europe to Canada?

I don’t really feel any attachment to a geographical position.

If you enlist instead of us, why not?

And I should keep trying with a bunch of idiots threatening me and overtly allied with the power attacking Ukraine, only because I never did a good job as a potential superpower to coordinate myself and others?

That is really weak as an argument.

There is a whole Rest of the World out there, even if you take out Russia and China.

We align with them greatly, but not really the other way around.

We are dependent militarily and industrially for no good reason other than a sentiment of servitude, inferiority and vetos directly from the US within NATO and in the EU through the UK.

Other than that it could be easily argued that culturally we have also lost a lot of ground since WWII.

Winning back independence and leadership in any of these domains is in Europe’s interest and I believe common interests could be found for example in Canada.

I am starting to believe that this interest in the US is against Europe’s interest. We should of course adapt and behave like adults in the face of childish claims, but asking for the US to get better is not strategically sound for us as an economic block.

Show this to Varoufakis.

There is one thing that would make the GDPR easier: one single Data Protection Authority at Union level, with direct sanctioning powers.

No more asking Ireland first only to get Norway and Germany telling you the opposite.

Good enough. Now tell me where it is made and you can call it perfect.

I take the (you may call it Stoic) decision not to think about what I cannot affect. 23andMe is not a good company, it is tied to Google etc. and they are sloppy with security. I am not even trying to justify myself not taking my data away from there earlier, that is my fault, and I have been stupid and lazy.

That said, their Privacy Statement is quite clear about what should happen and none of the exception listed there apply, also because genetic data is anyway Art. 9 data.

I will act at the best of my possibilities and not concern myself more than needed with how bad of an actor anyone may be in the US (it is a bit overwhelming as an exercise, especially nowadays).

What I meant is that “this Privacy Statement will apply to your Personal Information as transferred to the new entity”, so by itself the sale of assets is not a reason to exclude any data from anything stated there.

I am deleting my account as soon as I get transferred all the data, but what happens when I request the deletion is still valid whether or not they sold the assets.

And genetic data of any kind is absolutely covered by GDPR: https://gdpr-info.eu/recitals/no-34/