John Hjorth

I have personally the exactly same perception, as a Dane. Lack of tolerance towards persons with a different mindset than your own, if you stricly adhere the Koran, creates a lot of derivative societal problems.

I have been reading Charlies [ @dealrakers ] posts in this topic for a long time now, as perceiving Charlie [ @dealraker ] - I don't know how to phrase it, to avoid insulting anyone in this topic, but I'll try, anyways - , as a person based on and rooted in basic reason. So, I have a few questions, as being an European observer of what's going on in USA by now : What's going on in the two chambers of Congress by now? [Personally, I see no information on daily basis available about that.] Are the congress members taking a break, perhaps even a nap, looking at Netflix or Fox News, in stead of working, all while Mr. Trump is running the whole show? The answer/reply to the above, what does that indicate towards the next US Federal budget [the 2026 budget]?, and when will that be available?, and What about Trumps original plans for an US infrastructure reform [good initiative, I would say!], launched in his first period, where are we now with that?

Russian-Ukranian war : Reuters - World, Russian-Ukrainian War [May 10th 2025] : Europe leaders, in Kyiv, turn up pressure on Russia over ceasefire. - - - o 0 o - - - So Putins cease fire bluff is being called now, effective Monday, or Russia will hit by new and further sanctions, at least from several European countries.

Hi @GorillaHunter, Welcome to CofB&F! - - - o 0 o - - - Thank you for your post above and the link to your stuff on your substack account above. I'm looking forward to read more there, and I've started following your substack.

I was actually, - based on Jeffs [ @DooDiligences ] teachings above [thanks!, Jeff [ @DooDiligence ]], started to bid on all the items popping up here from scalpers, but stingy John quickly got outbid every time! *SIGH!* - Until I got the message from @gfp. - I would actually say that @gfp made my Friday yesterday! H/T @gfp! - And death over all the friggin' scalpers! - - - o 0 o - - - From a e-mail just arrived from E-Bay :

@gfp has just been so kind to send me a message, that Berkshire Hathaway now has entered E-Bay offering the book at a fixed price of USD 50. So, time to order your copy now, if you're interested. Link : Berkshire Hathaway E-Bay account offering 60 years anniversary book.

What do CofB&F members think about this post on LinkedIn by Bill Gates three days ago, in the context of Sanjeevs [ @Parsads] post above? : - - - o 0 o - - - Edit : On the other hand, It must have been a harsh attack on a wifey's femininity to find out her hubby has been having fun in bed with another man. [ j/k - I coulden't help it]

Haha! Man, it's just great!

Thanks, @Spekulatius, My #1 above : It is called the 'Ph.D. tax arrangement' in daily day speaking here in Denmark, and it works great for i.e. Novo Nordisk and others, to attract foreign well qualified applicants with highly specialized skills. Otherwise, such relevant applicants woulden't apply for such relevant positions for them, because of the tax consequences for them, compared to tax treatment outside Denmark. My # 4 above : It is to me personally totally crazy, and makes absolutely no sense to me. To me, it does not in any way make sense, even related to the most hardcore, evil and in any way bad person getting convited for some serious crime [serious personal dangerous crime, like murder and so on, or serious drug crimes, extorsion etc.] To me, it's not human, but it has happened. My #3 above : We here have a neighbour, who back in 2016 [or there about] fell dearly in love with a woman in and from, what he calls 'his homeland', despite he is as far as I know is born here in Denmark [parents indoctrination], on a later vacation there he ended up there impregnating her [difficult to stop from giving it full throttle, when it's good, I think!] and marrying her 'out there'. [I've always thought love is certain kind of madness.] Outcome for nieghbour: Danish family gathering denied, Divorse from Vietnamese wifey afterwards, and vietnamese child support for a man by then of the age of 48 years to a child living with its mother in Vietnam, child support likely payable for 18 years, like here. If I remeber correctly [I may not], he applied for family gathering before 2020, ended up getting controlled for application in 2020, after COVID started, and asked about his actual income, as a self employed taxi driver, with basically no income! Morale : 1. Don't think life is just, and 2. -Fall in love all you want! - but be careful with your leftovers, including your sperm!

This political immigrant discussion going on here in this topic, is so without shades and nuances, and one-dimensional, as if left-wing equals immigrant friendly, and right-wing is immigrant 'hostile'. I have read here on CofB&F that the Nordic countries by some are considered socialistic. Now what do we have here in Denmark : 1. Special income tax treatment of individuals possessing certain skills demanded in the Danish jobmarket who want to work in Denmark, to contribute to drive Danish innovation and growth, 2. Screening of foreigners where a Dane has married a foreigner living outside Denmark [the marriage taken place outside Denmark], and has applied for family gathering in Denmark. So there is no way 'to import' a foreigner from some other place to obtaining Danish welfare in such situation, without the Danish spouse obvoiusly capable of taking care of the immigrant spouse without Danish public support [budgets], 3. 1st generation crimal immmigrants face a special icing by verdict of criminal actions by perhaps being expelled to where they come from [Certainly not a new 'Trump-thingy' here]. 4. There exist cases here in Denmark, where '2nd generation criminals' - criminal decendeants of 1st generation immigrants - have been expelled to the home country of their parents, from the Danish Supreme Court, while the criminals have had Danish citizenship, and have been living in Denmark their whole life. As a Dane, I have a really bad taste in my mouth of treating even criminal persons like that.

Andrew Carnegie : The Gospel of Wealth :

Greenland : Wall Street Journal [May 7th 2025] : U.S. Orders Intelligence Agencies to Step Up Spying on Greenland Wall Street Journal [May 7th 2025] : Trump’s Threats Push Greenlanders Closer to Denmark. - - - o 0 o - - - + Naturally this causing even more chaos on the diplomatic lines between the two countries. The Danish minister of foreign affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen has demanded the US ambasador to meet at his office for a robust conversation, in mutually even eyeheight, among comrades, you know the drill ... My best guess - based on my knowledge about Lars Løkke Rasmussens style behind closed doors is that he will be asking, if ''he' [Trump, John] has lost his pacifier' ...

Started yet another position today in a tiny Danish bank : SKJE.CPH [Skjern Bank A/S], trades at P/E 7.2 and P/B 1.1. - - - o 0 o - - - Got a puff in NRDF.CPH a couple of days ago, which is now proposed to merge with FYNBK.CPH, a merger that makes a lot of sense, and I will actively be voting for the merger by shares owned in both banks.

Hah, @gfp, Great post! All jokes and 'smart' comments from me aside, I think what we experienced in last weekend was a good start on a transition, that simply has to become a success - failure is just not an option. Personally, I feel confident about it.

@gfp, Good with some doxxing gossip about Mr. Abels houses, and good to know. That will do for him, he doesen't need more. I mean, with his salary compared to Buffetts, I expect him to work day in and day out, for us, not spending time in Salisbury Heights, Des Moine, or Lake Tahoe, California.

He has been thinking deeply about all this since long before he donated shares away for the first time according to 'the plan', which was in June 2006, meaning if impulsive, then in a state of impulsivity lasting 19+ years of sudden impulsive decisions and actions.

+

It reads like they all as a group are prospects for getting up for a podcast interview with Nicolai Tangen in his podcast 'In good company' [j/k] [I'm sorry - I coulden't help it ...]

Crazy stuff. What's next, the imposing of a tariff on all Danes for visting a toilet - a per visit tariff, so that we can learn to comply, when we don't want to hand over Greenland to USA when asked to by him? Not a tax return, but a US tariff return on all Danes?

I remember this transformative action at Berkshire [here, part one - of the whole thing] being discussed here on CofB&F as long ago as since I joined CofB&F, now more than 12 years ago, where I was a like a prodigral child, that had got away from mothers shopping cart in Costco, because of the child only gravitity passing the area, where all the toys are. I've long ago decided to mentally approach this change when it would happen, in a positive way, a priori considering it an opportunity, that needs time to unfold, and let the new man take his time to find his own way to perform in the role. I think Mr. Buffett opened that ball the exactly right way this past weekend. In, short I expect it to become an interesting and a positive experience to follow going forward.

Count me in, @73 Reds, Deciding for ourselves what income to declare and get taxed on, and what to defer [for me, only in taxable accounts] is a great privilege.

Jeff [ @DooDiligence ], Thank you here for lifting me out of my darkness of ignorance about E-Bay bidding! First time ever, I really tried to bid, instead of just using 'Buy it now!' option. Certainly not going to happen here!

New discipline for selfpromotional talking heads : Giving Greg Abel advice about what to do. [Naturally, right? ]

This morning I tried a couple of times to bid on E-Bay on the then cheapest specimen of the new 60 anniversary book. Every time when my screen updated after pressing on 'Place Bid' I immedially got this message on top of the screen : , where I was outbid by USD 1.29, I suppose by a bid-bot! [Seller : balleravenue] - - - o 0 o - - - Heureka! : I've just found the perfect cure, if you're blood pressure is to low! ...

Blake [ @Blake Hampton ], You have to deduct from total cash the ultra-short term liability called 'Payable for purchases of U.S. Treasury Bills', at USD 14.380 B as per EOP2025Q1. Always remember to check if there is such a thingy at the end of a given quarter while calculating Berkshire cash.[ ]