Posts by wiredseal7

shadowmarlin22 said:The day racing died—maybe even the last race held in Monaco...

They’re already looking for ways to scrap the MC anyway. But if they end up with some wild, rainy race in Monaco, people might actually push back against those plans😈
That’s why they’d rather just call it off entirely if things get messy..

The amateurs were just waiting for the rain to quit so they could run on slicks. They're terrified of losing grip on the track.
But the rain's picking up... just keep coming, let it pour 🙂

boldotter2 said:Not Texas, but he definitely would, and he actually already has started doing it partially.

The only reason Apple and companies like them stick to China is because labor costs are way lower there. Everything else is basically the same—you can put the machines and the factory floor anywhere.

And you can totally influence those labor costs. For example, through tax regulations and tariff policies. Just look at what happened to the Turkish economy after Americans hiked their tariffs.

But I guess you still have to pack those semiconductors into something and sell it. You have to build a market and demand first. Right now, demand in China isn't even close to enough to sustain the economic growth they're hoping for.

Not even remotely... they make whatever they want from consumer electronics (for themselves and everyone else), plus they’ve got a massive market—roughly the same scale as the US or the European Union.

silentnomad7 said:Now comes the inevitable whining from the "neutral" crowd about how gas prices are going to skyrocket in $10.

3, 2, 1, ...

Gas prices are going to eat us alive—just wait. $9.75 ☕

slyfox43 said:Exactly, they dive into these little skirmishes just for the sport of it, rather than out of necessity. That isn't even a generalization; it’s pretty much self-evident. 🤣

The reactions to posts on this subforum provide a perfect illustration of why staying anonymous is the better way to go.

Between the official narratives in the European Union, the constant lynching of anyone with a different opinion, and the rise of cancel culture, it’s becoming impossible. In Latvia, they've even gone as far as arresting YouTubers and charging them with treason (along with God knows who else).

At this rate, Ursula von der Leyen will probably start sanctioning people just for posting dissenting views on Facebook or other de-anonymized internet "paradises." Anonymity rules, serving as the ultimate workaround against a culture of intimidation and censorship.

So, the best way to preserve a shred of integrity and avoid being a coward. I couldn't agree more.

Looks like cheap comfort via little drops of liquid and personal attacks—turns out this bitter little state stays pretty resilient once sanctions hit. That wicked gnome is still defying the will of sanctioning powers like Germany and the USA.

slyfox43 said:Perhaps it's a bit of reputation laundering for blood oil that nobody actually wants to touch—not unlike the way people try to clean up the image of blood diamonds. At the end of the day, trying to sell us a bill of goods is just a straight-up scam.

Cost and whitewashing.

Russia is sinking deeper into a state of total untouchability, and I truly hope my colleagues are just as vocal about these things when they aren't hiding behind anonymous handles on a forum, so that their real-world peers know exactly who they're doing business with.

Because if they aren't, it would be pretty cowardly.

That's a bit of a reach since we have no clue who the buyer is or if they're even avoiding Russian oil. Most of the world hasn't actually banned importing Russian oil, anyway.
It could easily be about payment methods, insurance, flag states, or just covering their tracks for later.

Quavo:

Russia is sinking deeper into this untouchable bubble—and honestly, I hope my colleagues are just as vocal about their views when they aren't hiding behind an anonymous forum handle, so people actually know who they're doing business with. Because if they aren't, it's pretty cowardly.

The reactions to posts on this sub give you a perfect answer as to why staying anonymous is better.

The official narrative in the European Union involves a mob mentality toward anyone with a different opinion—cancel culture, all that. In Latvia, they’ve even gone as far as locking up YouTubers on treason charges (and who knows who else).

Pretty soon, Ursula will probably start sanctioning anyone posting against the grain on Facebook or other "de-anonymized" internet havens. Anonymity rules, it's the best workaround against a culture of intimidation and censorship.

goldenowl73 said:It looks like Russ is playing a game of hot potato with their oil, moving it from one tanker to another right in the middle of the Atlantic just to dodge those sanctions.

We’ve been keeping a close eye on a pretty sketchy situation involving two ships trying to pull off a ship-to-ship transfer of Russian oil further out into The Atlantic ocean. What's really wild is they don't even seem to have any tug boats helping them out, which totally flies in the face of standard safety protocols. It's definitely something to watch.

I've already sent all the specifics over to our clients. https://twitter.com/TankerTrackers/s...FW8s311WQ&s=19

Classic Iranian move.
I don't get why they call it "concerning"—it's the open ocean, they can do whatever they want.

Koreans pulled the plug on a deal for 3 LNG carriers for the Arkticki LNG-2 project:
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5367711
Supposedly because the money didn't arrive—which makes sense, given how the West blocked Russian finances. Looks like the Koreans were barely hanging on by a thread there.

The Russians are planning to build 15 of those ships themselves at the Zvezda shipyard, but who knows how long that'll take—given the Western embargo on shipbuilding tech and their lack of experience with LNG vessels.

analogbear5 said:Then go ahead and tell the Russians they're just wasting their time building all those new icebreakers to move their LNG.

It’s not open year-round—sometimes you still need the icebreakers to clear a path.
With the ice melting and receding, that window is slowly getting wider.

darkwolf20 said:Everything is absolutely wonderful for a Russian bot living in Russia. If I had actually entertained the idea of hoarding some rubles for savings, I’d have to wonder where exactly one would go to find them. Perhaps we should all try moving some actual capital instead of just shouting into the void on this forum.

Here we go again with the same old trolling nonsense.

The old lady with the cookies probably helped Ursula and Joe make sure you can't touch any rubles anytime soon. 🤣

Russia isn't all perfect—obviously—and they're feeling the heat.
But let’s be real: that massive economic collapse everyone predicted—you know, the currency meltdown that's supposed to be one of their biggest weaknesses—just hasn't happened yet. So, unfortunately, we’re stuck dealing with them for a long time, staring each other down through scopes for decades to come.
We were doing fine using them for cheap energy—we even had cheaper gas coming out of Asia—until someone decided to poke the bear with color revolutions and uprisings. If we hadn't played it that way, things wouldn't be such a mess.

Brenda Murphy3 said:Look, sorry, but do you seriously believe this stuff you're typing? Thousands of Russians have already opened offshore accounts abroad just to stash their hard-earned cash. And let's be real—there isn't a single person left in Russia who wouldn't sprint to the bank tomorrow to swap their Rubles for Dollars at this rate if they actually could... but they can't. That right there is all the proof you need regarding how "strong" this Ruble actually is.

The whole "do you actually believe this?" routine is basically becoming part of my personal folklore whenever I post something. ☕

You bring up those thousands of Russians opening overseas accounts—but thousands isn't exactly a massive slice of the population. Most Russians probably haven't even bothered with foreign accounts.

Besides, there are easier ways to dump Rubles into something with actual value. I assume people in Russia are still buying gold, jewelry, diamonds, or whatever else holds its worth.

Sure, the exchange rate might stabilize eventually since it’s shot up over 100% from its lowest point. I'm seeing signs that companies are starting to loosen up those mandatory Ruble conversion rules.

But most people aren't Wall Street speculators looking for an exit. When something climbs too high, the naive assumption is always that it’ll just keep going up.

And let's not forget the luck factor—some folks actually dodged a bullet because they couldn't get their hands on Dollars or Euros at the start of the conflict, leaving them holding Rubles. Back then, everyone was desperate to swap, but I'd bet that frantic interest has cooled off quite a bit by now.

analogbear5 said:Which helps exports more: a strong dollar or a weak one?
Which helps imports more: a strong dollar or a weak one?
And which one helps curb inflation: a strong dollar or a weak one?

Who actually thinks a strong dollar is perfect?
I was looking at those predictions where they thought the dollar would hit 200 against their currency—which honestly would have been way worse for them than just having a strong currency. The West basically tried to sledgehammer their exchange rate back in March, hoping to tank the Russian economy, but it didn't quite land the way they planned.

Gerald Chavez7 said:Can a Russian actually walk into a bank and buy 10,000 euros or dollars? Like, say they sell their car, decide "thanks, I'll take that in hard currency instead," and head to a bank or an exchange bureau to swap their precious rubles for USD?

With how much the value is shifting, I'm not sure it's even worth swapping for foreign cash right now. Did a black market pop up where the "real" rate is 200 to the dollar? Haven't heard anything, and since the Ukrainian media is always full of horror stories coming out of Russia, I wouldn't be surprised if it exists somewhere under the radar.

Amanda Allen4 said:And how exactly am I supposed to get my hands on rubles? Where can one even buy them?

Russia already laid out the plan—it goes through JPMorgan Chase 😁

Anthony Hill5 said:The ruble actually strengthened because of draconian capital controls, specifically those mandates forcing companies to convert 80% of their foreign currency into rubles.

Now that exporters are starting to complain, there is even talk of lowering that requirement to 50% just to bring the ruble back to a somewhat tolerable 80:1 ratio against the dollar.

Furthermore, since citizens are effectively blocked from importing Western goods, they aren't exactly scrambling to get their hands on euros or dollars, which further bolsters the ruble—not to mention that the key interest rate is sitting at a staggering 14%. If you saw an interest rate like that within the European Union, wouldn't you be writing about its total ruin right now?

One has to wonder: what would the exchange rate of the ruble actually look like if the Central Bank wasn't intervening so heavily with capital controls, and if oil barrels weren't trading at such inflated levels?

Yeah, there are reasons for this—mostly because Russia's exports are irreplaceable and they're demanding payment in dollars.
But I guess those "armchair experts" on this forum didn't see that coming, did they?

Besides, thank God the interest rate is decent enough that holding cash actually pays off—instead of the endless cycle of feeding stock market speculators and printing money until the savings are worthless like they did for the last five years or so.

Rachel Richardson said:Russia is headed for a collapse; I wonder if women's soccer will see a resurgence in popularity then.😬

Oh yeah, they’re headed for a total collapse—just like what happened to the ruble a few months back.

Anthony Hill5 said:It is quite fascinating, isn't it? Only yesterday at the United Nations, Russian officials were busy trolling the international community by claiming that Ukrainians are unable to export grain from Odessa due to sea mines that they allegedly planted themselves, rather than acknowledging the impact of the Russian blockade.

Clearly, these mines only become an issue whenever it serves their specific narrative, don't they?

You missed the point ☕. We're talking about exports from Russian ports on the Black Sea, not the Ukrainian ones where there might actually be mines.

By the way, I’m not buying this whole Russian story about their shipping lanes being mined.

They mined the coast because they were terrified of a Russian landing. A few storms washed some mines off the beaches and they ended up drifting toward the Bosphorus—but that's "already gone."

hollowdriver13 said:Look, these are just analyst predictions. Every other sentence is filled with stuff like "maybe," "projected," "expected," "if this happens," or "likely."
It doesn't say anywhere that Russia actually slapped a ban on exports.

This part claims Russia mostly sorted out the logistics issues caused by sanctions and is moving goods out through the Black Sea:

https://english.alarabiya.net/busine...higher-exports

There was some talk earlier about export bans to certain EEU countries, but honestly, I can't tell if that ever actually happened—makes little sense if they're just shipping everywhere else anyway.

hollowdriver13 said:https://eurasianet.org/central-asia-...-sugar-exports

So, get this: Russia is playing the big-shot humanitarian card by blocking sugar exports even from their own allies within the Eurasian Union. They're basically just looking out for themselves to make sure they don't run into shortages caused by all those sanctions. Pretty selfish, right?

https://eurasianet.org/perspectives-...h-begging-bowl

And then, once the food shortages actually start hitting, they’ll come running to Washington, D.C., begging for help.

Honestly, you don't even need a real enemy when your "ally" is Russia; that's exactly how they "manage" to keep these countries stuck in their sphere of influence.

You're quoting an article from three months ago. I don't think that actually played out the way you think:

https://www.agriculture.com/markets/...crop-stockpile

They just need to empty the silos before the next harvest.

Anthony Hill5 said:Truly, nowhere to be found.

NAIROBI: As drought persists for a fifth consecutive year, more than 23 million people across seven nations in Africa are being pushed toward the brink of severe hunger and absolute destitution, according to a statement released Tuesday by the international aid agency Oxfam. Is it not a staggering indictment of our global response that such a prolonged environmental crisis can leave tens of millions teetering on the edge of catastrophe?

With a massive $9.5 million appeal now underway, the organization has made it clear that this crisis is being driven to even more desperate levels by skyrocketing food costs and relentless conflict. The nations bearing the heaviest brunt of this catastrophe are Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Uganda.

Is anyone actually paying attention to the sheer scale of the catastrophe unfolding right now? According to reports from Oxfam, people across seven different nations are teetering on the edge of absolute starvation and crushing poverty. It’s a staggering reality that most of us seem content to ignore while we go about our daily lives. The situation is being driven by the fact that before Russia invaded the country, Ukraine was one of the primary providers of several staple crops, but the war and blockades of Ukrainian port cities have halted global supply chains for these food products. Can we truly grasp the implications of this disruption? We are looking at a scenario where around 25 million tons of various staple grains are currently sitting in storage units in large port cities such as New Orleans—except here, they are trapped due to the ongoing Russian blockade in the Black Sea. If you have any heart at all for the rest of the world, regardless of how you feel about Ukraine, can you not see that this isn't just a regional conflict? This is a global humanitarian crisis. When the flow of essential food supplies is choked off by military aggression, the ripples are felt by the most vulnerable populations in places like Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Uganda. How much longer can the international community pretend that these disruptions don't impact the stability of the entire globe?

So, can we not also include those nations that are utterly dependent on Ukrainian wheat?

Don't be so naive; Russia and China will step in to provide wheat wherever it is needed, much to the absolute horror of the USA and Ursula.

So, you've chosen to condemn the Russian hunger games and then had the sheer audacity to cynically conclude that the Russians are somehow humanitarians who will step in to feed the starving? 👍

This has been dragging on for ages—it wasn't caused by this specific crisis.

To be more precise: is there actually a global grain shortage? The UN says no—they claim it might not even happen until 2023.
https://fortune.com/2022/05/13/world...raine-exports/

And with a decent harvest expected, we might not even see a shortage even without those exports.

Honestly, it feels like they’re just talking up the grain situation so Ukraine can pad its coffers—you know, so the West doesn't have to shell out as much cash to keep them afloat.

So you've decided to condemn Russia's "hunger games" and cynically concluded that the Russians are actually the humanitarians who will feed the hungry.👍

As you can see, there's plenty of food in stock for this year.☕
If things run dry later, whoever has the supplies can step in.

Anthony Hill5 said:Once again, I fail to see any condemnation regarding the Russian weaponization of food supplies, a tactic designed to incite famine in the poorest nations on Earth just to satisfy their own political and economic agendas. 🙂

So, where's this famine actually happening?

Don't sweat it—Russia and China will step in with wheat wherever it's needed, much to the horror of the US and Ursula.

dustyowl29 said:Wait, didn't Russia ban its own wheat exports?

Maybe they’re just shipping it exclusively to their buddies?

analogbear5 said:There is exactly one single source mentioning all this—some Indian news agency reporting on another Indian agency, which is quoting Sputnik, which is somehow citing a Wall Street Journal article that I can't find anywhere.

According to this source, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is looking for ways to facilitate Ukrainian grain exports via rail through Belarus.

According to the report, Guterres and US officials were Exploring specific possible routes for Ukrainian grain exports - including north by rail via Belarus to The Lithuanian port of Klaipeda, the report added.

But you certainly know how to spin a parable out of thin air.

My source isn't any better—we'll just have to wait and see if anything else pops up. Plus, Sputnik won't even load.

Anthony Hill5 said:I certainly didn't expect you to condemn the Russian blockade of wheat exports, which is effectively starving millions of people in Africa and the Middle East just to serve their own strategic interests.

I mean, sure, things could be organized—if you're talking about New Orleans—but it would have to be on Russia's terms. That requires actual goodwill and concessions from both sides, something the West isn't even willing to whisper about. All we hear is talk about how Americans can sink the Russian fleet with Amer Harpoons or whatever else.

It's not even like that Ukrainian grain is the only thing keeping the lights on; Russia and Europe are looking at record harvests this year anyway. Russia is exporting more wheat than last year, and China has massive stockpiles they can move whenever.