The brain drain hits my family.

[mnhtnbb]

I had dinner last night with my youngest son-- who holds a doctorate--and his partner who is a tenured associate professor at UNC Chapel Hill. My son had been on the phone with one of his cousins recently. The cousin ( who is my nephew and youngest son of my very Republican brother and wife) is a Johns Hopkins PhD, associate professor at a major, well known public University in a Midwestern state. His wife is a Caltech PhD who works in research. My nephew has been recruited to a university in the UK, and his wife already been found a research position with room for her to advance. They have a 3 year old daughter and will be relocated to the UK before the end of the year.
I am so pleased they are getting out.

[HeartsCanHope]

1. Congratulations to them.

I hope their move to the U.K. will be a happy one!

[mnhtnbb]

5. It's a bit of full circle.

My father's family emigrated from the UK to Canada, then to the US in the late 19th Century. When my father was alive, he was still in contact with a cousin in Canada

This nephew also has an interest in genealogy and has traced the family roots, although I don't know how far back he's gotten.

[AllyCat]

2. I'm so glad this opportunity has come up for them.

I don’t blame them for leaving here. It’s not a good place to be.

[mnhtnbb]

6. I have spoken to both my sons

about getting out. The oldest one is an Android senior software engineer and works for an international company. I think he could get out, if his partner --who also works in tech--would go. But, if they wait too long, I think it might not be possible. I've told them if they were to go to Canada (where his company has an office), I'd go with them.

[ariadne0614]

3. I know it's bittersweet, but I'm glad for your family.

My only child stayed in Canada after graduating from McGill U in Montreal. She now has dual citizenship, is married to a Canadian, and their child just turned four. As difficult as its been to be so far apart all these years, I’m grateful and relieved to know they’re living in a functioning of, by, for the people democracy. It helps me sleep at night.

[mnhtnbb]

7. Yes, I get it.

I worry about both my sons.

[ariadne0614]

18. I finally understand what my parents' generation endured during WWII.

[NNadir]

4. Congratulations. I'm hoping when my son finishes his Ph.D he'll get put.

[mnhtnbb]

8. Good luck to him!

[NNadir]

10. We've discussed it. He's in a valuable field and understands several languages.

The caveat is his girlfriend, also in the same field but monolingual. They should both get their Ph.Ds next year.

If not Europe, then I would hope at least for Canada.

The UK also seems like an option but I'm hoping for France.

[mnhtnbb]

11. I have a friend who's been in France

for ?15 years. He was a high school French teacher in Missouri and went to Lyon one summer for a class that would provide credit to the Master's degree he was working toward. Met someone. Emigrated. He's been teaching in an international school, in a university, tutoring to private students. Loves Lyon. My husband and I visited him on our last trip to France in 2017.

[NNadir]

13. I worked for a French company for about 8 years.

I had to go to France and other European countries two or three times a year for one or two weeks a year.

I grew to love France.

My son's undergraduate university got a grant from the NSF to send a student for a summer internship in Limoges and after his freshman year, as he spoke French and because he was doing well and a bit "ahead of the curve" they sent him.

He loved it.

He's a nuclear engineer focused on nuclear materials. France has an aging nuclear fleet that they need - the world needs - to keep running.

It's a good fit, particularly because he got his Masters in the metallurgy of welds. His Ph.D adviser is a recognized world leader in nuclear materials science.

I think he has a shot to get away from American fascism. France has thus far managed to fight off its own fascists thus far.

[mnhtnbb]

16. He should go for it!

My late husband and I honeymooned in France in 1985. Bought a car, drove it all over for a month, then sold it back before we flew home. That was the least expensive way to do it then, rather than renting for a month! I was most proud of my French the day I had to get out of the car, go in a corner cafe, and ask for directions, in French. And I understood them! We got where we needed to go!

We later had a French foreign exchange student live with us for the school year 1989-90, which is where she made friends with the man I mentioned who later moved to Lyon. We stayed in touch with Emmanuelle (who lives outside of Paris) over the years, and visited her several times on return trips to France. She and her friend in Lyon still see each other from time to time.

[Johnny2X2X]

9. I was looking at Zillow for Canada last night

I work for a large corporation that has offices in Canada so a transfer might be possible.

My wife and I both have elderly and ill parents, so nothing is imminent, but within a year or at most 2 there will be nothing holding us here.

I don't think Americans, or even most DUers, understand how far down the road to fascism we are. Trump has done in 7 months what it took Putin 10 years to do in Russia. These prison camps have just started and there will be room for millions more people with ICE quadrupling in size soon. And from the get go, one thing I have been trying to tell everyone is that these camps and ICE aren't being ramped up for immigration, those camps are being built to hold Democrats. We're not far away from when people forget that the I in ICE stood for immigration. Your political beliefs, not your immigration status is what is going to make you a target.

[NickB79]

12. Make sure to let your brother know it's his own fault he can't see his granddaughter regularly

Voted for Trump, lost his family in return.

Fuck him.

[mnhtnbb]

17. My son reported to me last night

that when my nephew told his parents they were moving to the UK, his mother actually said, "Well, at least now maybe we'll see more of you!" LOL. My brother and his wife travel a lot--they're loaded--he having made $$$$ from working for Big Pharma for years (he's an MD/PhD). Back when Shrub was running against Kerry, I tried to encourage him to vote Kerry because of his academic/science background and the respect for research, scientific advancement, health care... No way. All he cares about is $$ in his pocket.

My nephew and his wife are Dems. The nephew is one of 5 kids. At least one other son (and his wife) is also a major Dem. They both hold PhD's, as well. Two of the five I suspect are Repubs, and the lone girl I think is also a Repub, due to her husband.

I could just hear my sister-in-law making her snide comment to her son. She's a phony Christian and a blatant racist. I cut ties with my brother and his wife several years ago, not just about politics. Thank goodness they live in California and I'm in North Carolina so I don't have to actively avoid seeing them on any regular basis.

[Heidi]

14. I'm happy for them, but it's also a loss for the nation.

[Hornedfrog2000]

15. Im in a doctoral program right now,

And I am very much considering leaving the country.

[North Coast Lawyer]

19. It's going to be a large club.

My two youngest daughters are still in high school but they are already thinking about moving to the UK or Ireland.

[womanofthehills]

25. Ireland sounds good

But Keir Starmer would turn me off to UK. Remember when he said Israel had the right to cut off water and electricity to Gaza Thankfully- under pressure he is changing his tune somewhat.

However, activists are being arrested for pro Palestine blogs and protesting.

Amnesty International- URGENT ACTION : End the Prosecution of Peaceful Protestors in the UK.

700+ arrested.
70 charged with terrorism-related offenses for holding a placard.
Amnesty International calls it for what it is: absurd and unlawful.
We can't let this go unchallenged.
End the prosecution of peaceful protestors.

Link to tweet

?s=46&t=YZgyyp4w_z7vW3neKxa6cQ

Reports that the UK have agreed a £2bn deal with Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer, are an absolutely disgraceful indictment of Starmer and Lammy’s role in the Gaza genocide.

Link to tweet

?s=46&t=YZgyyp4w_z7vW3neKxa6cQ

[pfitz59]

20. All my kids are dual US/EU citizens

They have an escape route if things get real bad. They can take me with them.

[mwooldri]

23. If it weren't for Brexit,

my kids would have been dual US EU citizens. Dual US/UK I suppose is better than just US alone. If things went real bad then yeah they have an escape route. Wifey though.... Would be hard work and expensive.

[stollen]

21. I took a tour of Cambridge this month

The school, as with Oxford, emphasizes the need for a multicultural student body. UK's win in the long run.

Harvard still has more Nobel Laureats. We'll see how long that lasts.

[popsdenver]

22. Awesome

just what the Republicans want. I am envious.............

The war on education is dropping the average IQ in the U.S. by a point a week.........The average would be forty points lower already, if it wasn't for all of us.....

All of us old guys lived through the "McNamara Morons" happening, here we go again...........

[mwooldri]

24. Good luck to them :)

The UK isn't perfect, and universities there are struggling for financing too.... But at least there's a government in power there that gives a shit about education.

[LoisB]

26. Mixed feelings: While I am glad for your nephew and his wife, I bemoan the fact that we are

losing smart, young scientists and scholars.

[RedDragon1973]

27. My daughter just left UNC for the UK

My daughter was a researcher and Biostatistician at UNC with a doctorate. Research money and projects are being canceled every day, and grants that were already approved are not being funded. It is heartbreaking that our brightest are leaving the US. She and her family moved last week to the UK where she will be working at Oxford University. I will miss them so much, but I am glad they will be safe from whatever happens here.....

[Grumpy Old Guy]

28. Good for them.

They can raise their daughter in a country that is safe for her to live in.

[H2O Man]

29. Good.

My older daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter live in Europe. The country he is from cares about citizens' well-being, including health and education.

Recommended.

[Initech]

30. I wish I had a way out.

Fuck this fucking administration. To the hottest and fieriest circle of hell.