Sanctions on Russia

Adam Lee13 said:Look, they spiked out of nowhere, so you can bet they'll crash just as fast.

A highly probable endgame.

Jason Roberts2 said:Look, I’m just speaking facts here, I'm not interested in rehashing old history or who did what back in the day; I care about where things stand right now and where they're headed tomorrow.
Where is the German industrial powerhouse today?
Most of it has basically fled overseas, especially over to China, and thanks to the pandemic, they finally realized they don't even have control over their own pharmaceutical industry, so much for being some kind of global superpower.

Besides, did you know the first effective COVID-19 vaccine was actually made in Germany?

Christian Torres3 said:Besides, did you know the first effective COVID-19 vaccine was actually made in Germany?

Give me a break, man. It doesn't matter where it was cooked up or what country it happened in; what matters is whose damn company it is, because since Germany basically gutted its own pharma industry, I’m pretty sure some American conglomerate just bought the whole thing out.
The second thing is, even if the factory is sitting on German soil, if you own the company, it isn't a German factory—it's yours.

Am I wrong?

crimsoncyclist71 said:😁
Nice joke.

Except those are facts, not a joke.

Jason Roberts2 said:Look, I’m just speaking facts here, I'm not interested in rehashing old history or who did what back in the day; I care about where things stand right now and where they're headed tomorrow.
Where is the German industrial powerhouse today?
Most of it has basically fled overseas, especially over to China, and thanks to the pandemic, they finally realized they don't even have control over their own pharmaceutical industry, so much for being some kind of global superpower.

Man, this just proves you haven't got a clue what you're talking about. You're acting just like all those other loudmouths claiming there's zero industry left in Europe.

I guess if you can't see the industry, you probably think "industry" only means that dirty, heavy-duty stuff from 60 or 70 years ago—you know, low-tech operations like steel mills that need miles of factory space just to function.

The reality is that Europe produces high-tech equipment (just look at the Trumpf Group in Germany as one example) used to manufacture both low-tech goods and everyday consumer products.

steelfox98 said:They don't have them because a huge chunk of those contracts expired. The nations actually listened to that brilliant recommendation from the Green Party and the European Union back in 2015—don't sign long-term deals, just pivot to spot markets. Or, in plain English, deal with the middlemen.
Because obviously, renewable energy will solve every single problem we face. 🤣
To top it all off, you see Poles buying "German" gas, Swabians buying "Canadian" gas, and everyone else grabbing American gas and oil. Given recent history and how America resells Russian energy, one has to wonder how "American" they really are.
The icing on the cake? Take the Estonians, for instance. They flip petroleum products despite not owning a single refinery.

Russia is exporting smaller volumes, but at drastically higher prices. Old term contracts were around $250; now we're looking at $3,500. It doesn't take a genius to figure out if they're in the black or the red.

In short, Russia is raking it in, the resellers are doing fine, and politicians along with media outlets like Index—who orchestrated this whole mess—are busy patting themselves on the back for their "firm stance." That leaves one small rhetorical question:

Who's going to foot the bill?

Since I work for a massive multinational corporation, I know for a fact that about 70 percent of gas is contracted three years in advance. So, looking at the situation in America, we see how people operate in the shadows—basically, how billions of dollars were raked in in such a short window. And no, it wasn't the Russians who took that money.

Jason Roberts2 said:Give me a break, man. It doesn't matter where it was cooked up or what country it happened in; what matters is whose damn company it is, because since Germany basically gutted its own pharma industry, I’m pretty sure some American conglomerate just bought the whole thing out.
The second thing is, even if the factory is sitting on German soil, if you own the company, it isn't a German factory—it's yours.

Am I wrong?

I happened to work for two German pharmaceutical companies once—one with about 350g of history and the other around 60-70g—including Bayer (which also owns Monsanto), etc. All these firms handle everything from their own base chemicals right through to the final products. There are hundreds of smaller biotech outfits out there... and let me tell you, pharmaceutical R&D is incredibly painful—it takes forever and costs a fortune—so even the giants end up teaming up. It’s not centralized like it used to be; instead, projects move all over the world just to develop one specific component. To make a long story short, it should be obvious what the biggest expense is at the end of the day: knowledge and patents. In fact, one of the small firms I worked for was responsible for about 80% of the global market share for liquid crystals and nearly all reflective dyes (think road signs and license plates)... so the claim that they don't have their own tech is honestly laughable. If you stripped away their patents, they wouldn't be able to catch up that quickly—not even with reverse engineering—unless they just stole the projects.

"Sanctions on Russia" ☕

The Russians sold out their gas supply to the European Union, and honestly, that's that. It's a closed chapter. They aren't ever going to have that kind of monopoly or pull in those massive revenues they enjoyed before this war started.

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/...96602128941061

Baerbock: Germany paid for Russian gas with its " security and independence."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told The German newspaper Bild that Germany Had to "put an end to the self-deception that we ever actually received cheap gas from Russia."

It’s a painful and pricey reality check. Russia might still want to be part of Europe, but in the long run, this whole mess is going to cost the aggressor way more.

Nathan Thomas12 said:You forgot to mention that those new US factories are slated to start production in 2024.
But hey, the Kremlin cheerleader keeps insisting that Russia and China will have all the chips while the West is left empty-handed. Honestly, who cares what Russian bots are typing when it’s already obvious they're lying?

He doesn't even realize who is actually driving the development of this new chip tech.

I mean, it’s not enough to just build the factories; you actually need to own the technology itself, which is where the US really dominates.

So, they're shrinking the chips down, right? That means you can cram way more transistors onto a single die, plus they use much less power. My whole point here is that if you don't have the actual underlying tech, you just can't compete.

Nancy Gomez26 said:At that point, we’ll be forced to operate like they do in Pakistan—where every single factory runs its own diesel generators because the grid is too unreliable to count on. In the winter, you’d just lean on cogeneration to scavenge waste heat from those engines to keep buildings warm. That would be the only practical alternative left, because these current energy prices? They aren't grounded in reality.

It's not just an alternative; it's way cheaper. 😁

Look, everyone has to give up one slice of steak if they want to keep the rest of the cow. Either we get some smart sanctions sorted out soon, or there’s really no point in trying to build anything together in Europe. It's as simple as that...

urbanotter said:I haven't noticed any tabloid gossip, but I have certainly noticed that sugar was around $2.00/lb less than twenty days ago, oil was $3.25/gal two months back, and lactose-free milk dropped from $7.46 yesterday to just $3.25/
. About two months ago, milk jumped from $1.75/gal to $8-$3.00, and bread hit $6.75/loaf.

But hey, maybe that’s just more Russian propaganda or some tabloid nonsense, but that logic doesn't hold up at the checkout counter; you either pay the marked price or you don't buy it at all.
Are only the "little guys" to blame? I don't think so, though they are definitely caught up in this daily struggle.
I'm sure the government will fix everything and bump up Social Security by 6.5%, but I have no idea how the rest of that 40% increase in food prices will be covered—especially since low-income seniors spend their entire available income on groceries, and that's before they even tackle the utility bills. We're all just waiting to see what electricity and heating will cost, especially now that firewood has hit $100 per cubic meter.😉

p.s.
Some retirees will breeze through this, though, because suddenly there's $500 million appearing in their accounts. Good for them, I guess—who cares what flour or chicken costs when the taxpayers are the ones footing the bill for their groceries and utilities anyway?😁

You aren't exactly an expert making deep observations here; you're just regurgitating stuff you read in the news.

Oh, look at him, he's such an observant guy...😁😁

hollowdriver13 said:The Russians sold out their gas supply to the European Union, and honestly, that's that. It's a closed chapter. They aren't ever going to have that kind of monopoly or pull in those massive revenues they enjoyed before this war started.

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/...96602128941061

Baerbock: Germany paid for Russian gas with its " security and independence."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told The German newspaper Bild that Germany Had to "put an end to the self-deception that we ever actually received cheap gas from Russia."

It’s a painful and pricey reality check. Russia might still want to be part of Europe, but in the long run, this whole mess is going to cost the aggressor way more.

I realize it feels like a distant prospect right now, but one day, Russian gas will flow back into Europe... eventually. Only the price tag will have to reflect the new reality. The war will pass, and the Russians will find themselves wondering, "Who let this happen?" or perhaps, "How did we even get ourselves into this mess?"

analogbear5 said:Do you honestly think switching to green energy is this simple thing that would've happened already if it weren't for the "fossil fuel lobby"?

Judging by everyone on this forum, most people just want cheap power without giving a damn about future generations—they want their AC at 65 in the summer and their heat cranked to 75 in the winter.

Look, I agree the transition isn't simple, but I'm convinced the only thing standing in our way is the fossil fuel lobby.
Cheap today usually means paying through the nose tomorrow.

Adam Lee13 said:You aren't exactly an expert making deep observations here; you're just regurgitating stuff you read in the news.

Oh, look at him, he's such an observant guy...😁😁

Oh, absolutely, I'm just reciting the headlines for you.

If you're so sure about that, why don't you go find a newspaper that compares the price of lactose-free milk from eight days ago to what it cost yesterday? 🙂🙂

Otherwise, maybe stop jumping to hollow conclusions and playing these little intellectual games.😉

p.s.
Just to make it easier for you, I'm talking about the price at the Walmart in Marinić.

urbanotter said:Oh, absolutely, I'm just reciting the headlines for you.

If you're so sure about that, why don't you go find a newspaper that compares the price of lactose-free milk from eight days ago to what it cost yesterday? 🙂🙂

Otherwise, maybe stop jumping to hollow conclusions and playing these little intellectual games.😉

p.s.
Just to make it easier for you, I'm talking about the price at the Walmart in Marinić.

I was just scrolling through various sites a bit ago, which is something you—being the genius you are—should probably figure out on your own...😁

Honestly, it's not even that shameful; like, 90% of the population just adopts whatever opinion the media shoves down their throats about any given situation or event.

Nancy Gomez26 said:I realize it feels like a distant prospect right now, but one day, Russian gas will flow back into Europe... eventually. Only the price tag will have to reflect the new reality. The war will pass, and the Russians will find themselves wondering, "Who let this happen?" or perhaps, "How did we even get ourselves into this mess?"

Personally, I hope the era of Russian gas is dead and buried for the EU.
Even China knows fossil fuels are a liability. Sure, they’re burning through them like crazy right now, but their long-term play is all about green energy.

feralhawk45 said:Personally, I hope the era of Russian gas is dead and buried for the EU.
Even China knows fossil fuels are a liability. Sure, they’re burning through them like crazy right now, but their long-term play is all about green energy.

Does any serious nation truly build its entire foundation on this so-called "green energy," whatever that actually entails?

feralhawk45 said:Personally, I hope the era of Russian gas is dead and buried for the EU.
Even China knows fossil fuels are a liability. Sure, they’re burning through them like crazy right now, but their long-term play is all about green energy.

Russia will likely resurface as a supplier eventually. They probably won't reclaim the massive market share they once held, but for the sake of supply diversification, they'll find a way back in. It’s basic economics: you want multiple players competing for market share. If we fall into the trap of relying on a single source again, history will simply repeat itself. The whole game is about maintaining a delicate balance between various interests.

Adam Lee13 said:I was just scrolling through various sites a bit ago, which is something you—being the genius you are—should probably figure out on your own...😁

Honestly, it's not even that shameful; like, 90% of the population just adopts whatever opinion the media shoves down their throats about any given situation or event.

You can read just about anything on those news sites, but personally, I’d much rather just check the price tags on the shelves.

And by the way, which specific sites were you browsing?
You'll actually learn a lot more from the weekly circulars put out by the big retailers—you can find them online easily enough. 😉

In my view, 90% of people put their trust in the prices they see on the shelf, or even more so, the total on the receipt they get at the register,
rather than some manufactured narrative being pushed by various news outlets.

It seems like those retail catalogs have become the most widely read material among the "general public."

p.s.
Even the sugar was flying off the shelves at Walmart yesterday at $2.75/kg, disappearing almost instantly, which is quite a bit lower than what you'd find at other chains where the standard price is usually $3.25/kg.

I don't want to sound like I'm giving Walmart a free advertisement, though, since some of their products are definitely pricier than the competition.